Love Among the Gifted - A Pride & Prejudice Alternative

Chapter Thirty

"Lizzy!" Lydia called as Elizabeth collapsed. She was so tired. She had never strived so, pushing her gift and body to their limits and beyond. Exhaustion crashed over her like a wave. "Lizzy. Are you hurt?"

"Miss Elizabeth?" The Colonel's voice called to her. The battle was not yet over. She clawed her way to her feet, leaning more on her sister than she was willing to admit. "Captain Cleveland is grievously wounded. Can you help him?"

She lurched to the fallen officer, and saw his throat had been sliced. The blood was still seeping out of the incision. She placed both hands over the wound and reached deep to find enough power to connect with the Captain's body. She was able to close the cut, but forcing his body to produce new blood was more difficult. She found the worst damage was to his vocal cords. Once he was stable she pushed his body to regenerate the center of his gift, hoping he would still have the control he previously had. But she was so drained. She did not think it was enough.

"Where are the other wounded?" she asked.

"Colonel!" a voice called from the east. They turned to see Mr. Chamberlayne coming out of the woods with ten men behind him.

"Ensign, take four men and start moving the wounded to a central place. Determine if the stables are safe. If so, use them. That's where we'll send the wagons. If not, set up as close as is practicable. Make sure you keep our men and theirs separate. If there are any of their men conscious, set a guard over them. The rest of these troops are to patrol this side of the house."

"Sir!"

"I can help!" Lydia volunteered, smiling at the young subaltern.

"Miss ... Lydia isn't it?"

"It is, Colonel."

"I saw your amazing performance earlier. Perhaps you could assist your sister to Meryton. We will be sending the wounded to the Red Lion. If she is in a condition to perform, she may be able to save many lives. But she is too exhausted to make it there safely on her own. Can you help?"

"Sir John?" Elizabeth was too fuzzyheaded to fully comprehend his purpose. He turned to her and winked.

"Oh! I know what to do. I think I saw it in the stables." She ran off.

"I'll keep her out of more trouble," Elizabeth assured the older man. "And we'll proceed to Meryton. I'll be ready when the wounded arrive." He nodded and jogged towards the front of the house.

Elizabeth wondered where Darcy was. She had not seen him since before the fighting began. She suspected he had heard Mr. Collins' ridiculous ramblings. She was concerned that he might have drawn spurious conclusions from them. But she was too tired to pursue the matter. She would track him down on the morrow for a long overdue discussion.

When she got to the stables, she was happy to see they were not too badly damaged, though the horses and grooms were gone. She could smell that they had gone too far away. She doubted they would be seen before noon. Lydia was pulling an old pony cart. Elizabeth remembered seeing old Mrs. Sturbridge tooling around the area on it when the family still lived at Netherfield.

"You just get in the seat and I can pull it. You're tired, so you can rest. I'm not tired and I can get you to Meryton quickly."

Elizabeth realized the impropriety, but her exhaustion precluded her from protesting. She also assumed that on this night, Lydia pulling a cart was the last thing people would find noteworthy. So, with a silent nod she climbed into the seat and held on while Lydia stepped between the shafts and started to run down the lane towards town. Elizabeth found she was actually enjoying the ride.