“Who? Jane?”
“Miss Elizabeth, sir.”
“Where is she?” Bennet growled, glancing about him. “I will send her home.”
The man swallowed and pointed down the slope. “There, sir.”
“What?” Darcy bellowed before he could stop himself. He grabbed a lamp from where it was hanging on a branch and held it out, his eyes following the shadow of the rope down to the carriage and then to a slender, shadowy figure struggling in the muck very close to the coach.
“Is this the second rope?” he inquired curtly, already reaching to take both ends from Brooks.
“Yes, Mr. Darcy.”
“Is she on a line?” Bennet asked harshly.
“Yes, sir.”
“Pull her up.”
“Yes, sir.”
Darcy stared at the shadow reaching towards the door of the coach, and he shouted a warning to Miss Elizabeth. His gaze shot up to the tips of the trees that had prevented the carriage’s plunge. One of them moved. He blinked. It moved a little more. He shouted for help as he whirled towards the oaks and broke into a run.
Elizabeth heard the crack of splintering wood. One tree was giving way. It was now or never. She focused her attention on the carriage door, lifting one hand, placing two fingers under the lever, and tipping it up and away from her.
“Jane, can you stand?”
“Miss Elizabeth!” someone roared. His voice was too deep to be Papa’s. “Stop! Wait!”
She froze, one hand still holding the door.
“The other side is not secure!”
There was a groaning as the tree tipped a few inches further towards the river.
She could not wait. “Jane, dearest, it must be now,” she said urgently. “Can you stand?”
The rope around her waist tugged at her once, twice, then yanked her off her feet and dragged her away.
“Not now!” she cried, as they hauled her away from Jane. The pulling stopped for the briefest of moments, but it was all the time she required. Deftly, she loosened the loop and pushed it up, forcing one arm down and through, then, as the pulling resumed, ducked out of it entirely.
She was free.
There was more noise from the road as she crawled back to the coach just as Jane’s blond head came into view through the open door.
The carriage slid again, and Jane screamed as she tried to maintain her balance. Elizabeth flew to her sister, all caution thrown aside, and tossed out her arms.
“Jump, Jane!” she shouted, and just as Jane planted both palms on the outside of the carriage and pushed straight up, Elizabeth tossed her arms around her sister, dug her heels into the mud, and leaned backwards. They came to an abrupt halt.
The toe of Jane’s boot was caught on the door’s frame.
The tree was falling now—there was no stopping it.
“Bend your knee!” Elizabeth screamed as she held Jane close.
Jane forced her leg up, Elizabeth pulled with her whole body, and Jane’s foot cleared the frame. They both fell backwards. Jane landed hard atop Elizabeth, shoving her several inches down into the mud and knocking the wind from her.
With a great groan, the tree gave way, and the rear of the coach tipped over the edge, wheels spinning over the abyss. A sudden jerk on the second rope kept it from plunging to the river below—but had Jane not leapt out, it would have been nearly impossible to remove her safely now.