If you go straight away

 “If you go straight away, you may arrive before the doctor does,” I offered.

"Excellent," said Mrs. Hughes with conviction. "Having instructions direct from the fountain-head — that is always the surest way to proceed. Will you grant me my leave?"

“With all my heart,” Jane and I replied in unison, and laughed.

“Would you like me to accompany you?” I asked, impelled by instinct rather than reason.

She looked at me directly. “I have with me a letter from Mrs. Gardiner, Mrs. Darcy, addressed to your mother. I believe it will suffice to secure her cooperation. But I thank you.”

She inclined her head with the dignity of a woman well accustomed to her purpose, and was gone.

Jane and I sat back, a little dazed by the speed of it all, yet infinitely relieved.

“She is exactly what we need,” I said at last.

“Indeed, she is,” Jane replied, her voice more steady than I had heard it in days. “But, Lizzy — your letter!”

2025, 1813 J.B. Grantham