Darcy's Cinderlla - A Pride and Prejudice Variation

Chapter 2

The trip to town did not seem to take much time at all as Jane and Elizabeth conversed along the way.

As the carriage moved farther away from Longbourn, Elizabeth noticed that Jane looked forlornly out the window more than she spoke. "Jane," Elizabeth said, shouting to be heard over the carriage wheels and the pounding of horses hooves, "are you unwell?"

Jane did not turn from the window. "I am tired."

Elizabeth inspected Jane closely. The never ending noise of travel did tend to put one to sleep, but Elizabeth did not think that was the cause of Jane's morose countenance. "You look more sad than tired. I know it is hard to have left Hertfordshire to seek employment in town to survive."

Jane looked up at Elizabeth with a wan smile. "To survive? Elizabeth, you have a flair for the dramatic."

Elizabeth grinned. "Well tell me then, Jane? I will continue to guess and throw out even more dramatic suppositions unless you tell."

Jane sat up from where she had leaned against the side of the coach. "Now that I have left Longbourn and Meryton, there is no way for Mr. Bingley to find me."

Elizabeth's countenance fell and her heart broke for Jane. If he ever came back to Netherfield, which she doubted, Mr. Bingley would find Longbourn occupied by the Collins. They could only tell Mr. Bingley that Jane had moved to relatives in London and there the trail to Jane would end. It was a long shot that Mr. Bingley would follow up or even remember Jane.

Elizabeth looked down at her hands and knew that was not true. When she had met Mr. Bingley in Lambton with Mr. Darcy, it was quite obvious Mr. Bingley missed Jane as he had known the exact date of when he had last seen her. If only Mr. Darcy and the Bingley sisters had not interfered. Or that Lydia had not run away with Wickham and ruined her own hopes with Mr. Darcy.

Elizabeth squeezed Jane's hand. "I am sure there will be many fine men in town that you will meet. We will have adventures with many things to see and do. Maybe we will even get a chance to go to Vauxhall."

Jane looked up at Elizabeth with a smile. "Vauxhall? You know the Gardiners would never let us go there."

"That does not mean a beau will not take us there."

Jane grinned then turned back to look out the carriage window as slowly her grin faded.

Elizabeth eyed her sister with concern. She had thought Jane had recovered from Mr. Bingley's departure and avoidance of her in London, but that was obviously not the case. Elizabeth bit her bottom lip. She knew that Mr. Bingley still cared for Jane, or at least he had when they were in Lambton. Could he have changed his mind, to avoid the family touched by scandal such as Mr. Darcy had done?

She flushed at the temperance of the haste with which Mr. Darcy had left her at the Lambton Inn once he found out the news of Lydia and Wickham's actions. He could not have left any faster. It was obvious he had wanted nothing more to do with her.

Elizabeth was surprised to see a tear drop onto her gloved hand. She quickly rubbed it off and dried her face.