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Items 16-19

Posted on Saturday, 8 December 2007

‘I am full of agony. This pierces my brain. I cannot read on. The monstrosity of this overpowers me.' - F.W.

16. Minutes of the 162nd Meeting of the Most Noble Society of Vampire-Hunters in Derbyshire (V.D.), formerly The Royal Society of Vampire-Hunters, on 16th May, 190-

Minutes taken by Mrs Harker Jonathan Bingley.

Meeting is opened with a prayer by the Rev. Arthur Ferrars, asking the Lord for support.
Roll-call is conducted by the President, Mijnheer Fitzwilliam Augustus van Darcy.

Present are:
Mijnheer Fitzwilliam Augustus van Darcy, President
Miss Caroline Elizabeth Bingley
Mr Harker Jonathan Bingley
Mrs Harker Jonathan Bingley (Wilhelmina Jane)
Colonel Quincy Montgomery Brandon
The Reverend Arthur Ferrars
Colonel The Honourable John S. Fitzwilliam

Absent are:
None.

C.E. Bingley makes a motion that the first topic to be discussed be safety measures. The motion is supported by J.S. Fitzwilliam and Q.M. Brandon.
F.A. van Darcy asks C.E. Bingley that she outline her concerns.
C.E. Bingley says that she refers mainly to a houseguest at Pemberley, a Miss E. Bennet, who has turned out to be perceptive and may soon discover the Society's existence. C.E. Bingley further explains that in order to get rid of E. Bennet's presence, she had to employ methods that were undignified and had to act in a generally repulsive manner; C.E. Bingley refuses to give details.
J.S. Fitzwilliam wishes it to be known that he thought C.E. Bingley's performance extraordinarily well done and not at all repulsive.
C.E. Bingley accuses J.S. Fitzwilliam to be the illegitimate offspring of a female canine and points out to him that she had not asked for his observations.
J.S. Fitzwilliam begs C.E. Bingley to tell him what the bottles contained; the rest of the Society, it be here remarked, have no idea what the talk is about.
C.E. Bingley refuses to supply J.S. Fitzwilliam with the information desired and suggests that he go and find out for himself.
Q.M. Brandon asks C.E. Bingley and J.S. Fitzwilliam to focus on the topic at hand and asks the Society to suggest methods to be taken against E. Bennet's presumed interference.
F.A. van Darcy makes a motion that a vote be taken in order to come to the decision to drug E. Bennet for the duration of her stay. The motion is not supported.
C.E. Bingley proposes that no immediate measures be taken, but that everyone be on their guard and take special care not to let slip anything to E. Bennet. She further proposes that the Society behave more like a gay assembly in the countryside, including such trivialities as dressing for dinner, following the table of precedence and entertaining guests. The proposal is accepted.
F.A. van Darcy proposes that he outline the reason for an emergency meeting.
H.J. Bingley begs that he do so, because he has not been informed of anything that was going on all day.
Q.M. Brandon says that H.J. Bingley was not available for informing as he was asleep in the orchard.
H.J. Bingley replies that he was in the grounds on his wife's orders.
W.J. Bingley remarks that she was worried about the fate of several members of the Society.
F.A. van Darcy demands that his proposal be considered.
The proposal is accepted.
F.A. van Darcy reports that he found scratches and traces of blood on the inside of the door to the attic that is known to contain a silver coffin with the body of The Dreadful W.
F.A. van Darcy reports that the blood has been examined and that F.A. van Darcy, J.S. Fitzwilliam and C.E. Bingley have independently come to the conclusion that the blood is identical to that of The Dreadful W.
Q.M. Brandon asks whether the seal on the coffin has been broken.
F.A. van Darcy replies that the seal and the coffin are intact.
H.J. Bingley asks what F.A. van Darcy intends to do.
C.E. Bingley suggests that the coffin be opened and its contents examined at noon.
J.S. Fitzwilliam seconds the suggestion.
F.A. van Darcy argues that opening the coffin is far too dangerous at the present, and commends C.E. Bingley for being extraordinarily brave for a woman.
C.E. Bingley replies that bravery has nothing to do with being a woman or not and that she wished to be treated as a full member of the Society and not as a woman.
J.S. Fitzwilliam wishes it to be known that he cannot treat C.E. Bingley like a man, but that she has his full support as a member of the Society, regardless of her sex.
C.E. Bingley asks to be informed what exactly he means by support and why he thinks that she needs it.
Q.M. Brandon remarks that he agrees with F.A. van Darcy about the danger of opening the coffin at this stage.
H.J. Bingley begs to be informed what Q.M. Brandon proposes to do instead.
J.S. Fitzwilliam remarks that he wondered about this as well.
Q.M. Brandon suggests that members of the Society take it in turns to watch over the entrance to the attic in the hours between dusk and dawn and that additionally, research efforts be doubled.
F.A. van Darcy complains that half of his most reliable and valuable tomes are still decaying in an attic somewhere in Kent.
J.S. Fitzwilliam promises that he shall write to his cousin Anne as soon as possible, asking for them to be sent back now that the danger of the house being searched is no longer imminent.
H.J. Bingley proposes that at least two members of the Society take a watch together in order to minimise the danger of them being attacked.
The proposal is accepted.
Q.M. Brandon proposes that he and A. Ferrars take over the first watch of the night, followed by J.S. Fitzwilliam and C.E. Bingley, who shall in turn be followed by H.J. Bingley, W.J. Bingley and F.A. van Darcy.
The proposal is accepted.

The meeting is adjourned.

Signed Wilhelmina Jane Bingley.
Signed Fitzwilliam Augustus van Darcy.

17. From the journal of Miss Caroline Bingley

17th May, very early --- I do not believe it. I simply cannot believe it. I simply refuse to believe what the Colonel has done this time. It is quite outrageous and the very thought makes me mad.
It is very late at night - or very early in the morning - and I have just returned from my watch, but I just cannot sleep. I am much too agitated. I wish I knew anything about boxing, or fencing, I might vent my anger on a training puppet. Better yet, I might call out the Colonel, he certainly would deserve it.

He was onto me all evening. First he made me do this horrible performance - I swear I shall never be able to look Miss Bennet into the eye again - then he publicly admitted to having watched me - and even had the nerve to tell the whole Society that he enjoyed it - but what he did then tops all. I never want to see him or talk to him again. The problem is, I fear I will have to, for it appears that I accidentally got engaged to him.

18. From the journal of Col. The Hon. John S. Fitzwilliam

17th May --- I did it. I kissed her. I do not know why, or how - I am even a bit unsure about when - but I definitely know whom, and it could not have been anyone else.

19. Miss Elizabeth Bennet to Charlotte Collins, Lady Metcalfe (continued)

Charlotte, dear, I am afraid. I have no idea what happened tonight, I only know that what happened is not what I am told had happened. If you fear for my sanity, you may be completely right - I know not anymore whether I am sane or not either. Maybe I am just delirious, which would probably for the best. But let me start at the beginning. As I wrote above, I heard a noise outside my door - a whisper, faint steps - and foolishly, I went out of my room, in order to find out what it was. Had I but stayed inside!

There was nobody in the hallway, but to my surprise, all the lights were lit, and at the far end, a small fire was lit in one of the many fireplaces that can be found in almost every odd corner of the house. I looked around the deserted hallway in order to ensure there was nobody there, when I suddenly noticed that next to the fireplace, one of the tapestries that hang from the walls in this hallway had been pulled aside and revealed not, as I had previously supposed, solid stone, but a dark wooden door, which was not completely closed. I could see a faint light shine through the crack and I wondered whether the mysterious noise had come from there and I went to find out, most foolishly.
As I came near the door, I realised that this end of the hallway would lead to the oldest, medieval parts of the house. Sure enough, the polished oaken door - on which I now discovered some intricately carved symbols, which felt oddly familiar, yet wholly out of place - was very thick and obviously old. I opened the door and found, to my astonishment, not another hallway, but a spiralling staircase, lit by torches, which led upstairs, around, it seemed, the fireplace. The stairs were covered with what looked like Indian carpets, and yet, I felt as if I had stepped back in time. The brass torch-holders on the walls contained wax-candles, not gas-lights, and the stone walls seemed to be several feet thick. With a feeling of both dread and curiosity, I ascended the stairs, which spiralled around the chimney for what appeared to be several stories until finally I ended on a landing with a door that appeared to be the twin of the door at the bottom of the stairs. It was closed, but not locked. When I softly pushed it, it swung open, and, to my horror, creaked distinctly. Behind it was a small room, lit by a single torch. There was no fireplace in this room and I shuddered at the sudden cold. Opposite the door through which I had entered was another door, also oaken, with two strong brass bolts across it; it was, however, not bolted. The two longer walls on both my sides had large, gothic windows; looking out of them, I could dimly recognise the roofs of Pemberley below. The oddest thing in this room was the furniture - or lack thereof - for there was no furniture in it apart from two oaken benches which looked as if they had served as pews in former times. The same pattern which had seemed vaguely familiar on the doors was carved into the sides of the benches, but I still could not say why I felt I knew it. The only other thing that adorned the room was a large wooden cross between two of the windows. I inclined my head in acknowledgement of it, then took one step towards the door with the bolts. To my horror, the floorboards creaked just as loudly as the door previously had. Behind the door with the bolts, I could now hear the muffled shriek of a woman.

Instinctively, I grasped my necklace for support, took a deep breath and opened the door.
I stood in a semi-circular room, which appeared to be situated on the topmost floor of the old medieval tower. Originally, it seemed, the room had been round, but now, a thick stone wall divided it into two parts. A fireplace marked the middle of the wall. Next to it, there was another exemplar of the oaken doors. This one was bolted with three magnificent bolts, each the size of a grown man's arm and made, or so it seemed, out of pure silver. Above the door, a large, ornate silver cross was fixed on the wall; it bore the same symbols as the doors and the pews. Next to the door, a silver basin was fixed on the wall; it contained, I presumed, holy water. Just like the corridor leading to it, this room was sparingly furnished. Three old and worn-looking armchairs were placed around the fireplace; two more stood on either side of a small table beneath a large gothic window. I had, however, not more than a passing glance for the room at this moment, because of the two people standing in front of the fireplace. The moment I had entered the room, it seemed, Col. Fitzwilliam had grabbed Miss Bingley; he was now reluctantly releasing her. She looked just as confused as I felt.

Before any of us could say anything, we heard someone running up the stairs, and a moment later, Mr Darcy burst into the room.
‘The silent alarm went off,' he panted, ‘What happened?'
Then he saw me. ‘Miss Bertram!' he exclaimed.
Before I could react to this, we heard more steps and Mr and Mrs Bingley and Col. Brandon entered the room.
‘John - Caroline - what happened?' Mr Bingley cried at the same time that Col. Brandon exclaimed ‘Miss Bennet!' in the same way as Mr Darcy.
‘Is everything alright?' Mrs Bingley asked. ‘John, Caroline, are you harmed?'
‘What happened?' Mr Darcy insisted.
‘Caroline and I are engaged,' Colonel Fitzwilliam said. ‘We will get married.'

For a moment, there was total silence. Then, several things happened at the same time. Mrs Bingley hugged Miss Bingley and started crying again, Mr Bingley patted a sheepishly grinning Colonel Fitzwilliam on the shoulder, Col. Brandon congratulated Miss Bingley and Col. Fitzwilliam and told them that he was glad it had finally happened and Mr Darcy muttered that it was all a waste of time but nevertheless shook both their hands and nodded in what seemed to be approval.

I realised that Miss Bingley seemed to be overwhelmed with all that had happened; she still had not said a word. I congratulated Miss Bingley and Col. Fitzwilliam, but I did not really know what to say, the situation was so weird. There was something about the situation - something dreadfully forced. I do not know why, but the anticlimax of it all felt wrong - it was like a déjà-vu with a wrong ending. I was happy, therefore, when Col. Brandon suggested that we leave the happy couple alone in the tower and go back downstairs.
When we went down the spiral staircase, I suddenly realised that I had noticed something unusual on Mr Darcy, which momentarily pushed aside my confusion about the engagement.

He was wearing a morning coat of deep red velvet, and on the left front, something strange was embroidered. It was a silver circle, symbolising a rope, which was decorated with a garland of flowers and a silver dagger. Inside the circle, there were two letters, also silver, a V and a D. I know that symbol, Charlotte, I know it very well, and also what it stands for. As a child, I liked to think that these letters meant me, because they used to be my initials, before I changed my name, as you know. There are only very few people who are allowed to wear that symbol - it is very old, and once upon a time, it was highly coveted - even I have never worn it. I know that there were only two possibilities how Mr Darcy could have come by that coat, and one was as unlikely as the other.
Either he somehow stole or purchased the coat from someone allowed to wear it, which is not very likely, considering how concerned the former R.V.D. are about their possessions and their secrecy, or he is a V.D. himself. The very idea is ridiculous.
I needed to find out, and soon.

‘That is a very beautiful morning coat, Mr Darcy,' I said. ‘How did you come by it?'
‘Oh - err, it was my father's,' Mr Darcy said, obviously not sure whether he was allowed to talk to me about this particular subject.
‘What do these initials mean?' I asked, all innocence.
‘Oh - they - they mean nothing,' Mr Darcy said, then hastily added, ‘I mean, nothing of importance. They, err, were my father's initials. Victor Vincent Darcy.'
‘I thought your father's name was Benedict Augustus,' I said. ‘It said so in the portrait gallery.'
‘Err, well, yes, my father had many names,' he said, opened a portrait to his left and climbed into it. ‘Good, um, night, Miss, err, Bentley.'
And with that, he disappeared in one of his secret passages.

I turned around and saw how Col. Brandon was whispering something to Mr and Mrs Bingley.
‘Oh, Darcy is so confused,' he said in a faint attempt to sound amused. ‘Does not know his own father's name.' He tried to laugh but failed miserably. ‘You see, Victor Vincent Darcy was his, um, grandfather.'

I did not believe a single word he said, but I chose not to investigate any further this night. Tomorrow, I will have to pay a visit to the local church and its registry, and I hope that this will tell me more. I will then hopefully be able to decide what further steps I am going to take. Tomorrow, I will also tell you what the former R.V.D. is and who the V.D. are, for otherwise, you will not be able to make head nor tail out of this letter. For tonight, adieu. I shall try to catch a little sleep now. Yours, Lizzy.

Items 20-25

Posted on Wednesday, 19 December 2007

'Wholly unsuitable reading material for young ladies' - Rev. W.C.

20. From the journal of Col. Quincy Montgomery Brandon

17th May --- Absolutely chaotic evening. Meeting took long time though few things got decided. Then, took watch with A. No occurrences there; spent all the time playing chess with the poor chap as he did not want to talk. Just as we had returned to our rooms, silent alarm went off. Rushed upstairs again immediately; turned out that Miss B. (Bennet, not Bingley) had accidentally stumbled upon secret attic just in the very moment that J. had finally worked up courage to propose to Miss B. (Bingley, not Bennet). Was very much delighted for them; also glad to find that H. had no objections, but felt it was very urgent that Miss Bennet left secret attic as soon as possible; did not want to risk anything. D., H., M. and I took her back downstairs. Unfortunately, she noticed the symbol on Darcy's coat (had reminded him repeatedly not to wear that, but of course he ignored that!) and asked some shrewd questions about it. D. at a complete loss what to say and started blabbering about his father, then suddenly disappeared through the portrait of Roderick Darcy. Will have to keep a close watch on Miss B.; she is bound to want to find out more. Someone knocking on my door, wonder who?

21. From the journal of Miss Caroline Bingley (continued)

It was horrendous. I am still fuming with anger. We met at the tapestry for our watch and waited for Colonel Brandon to deactivate the alarm and let us in. Once upstairs, we settled ourselves in the armchairs and just as I thought that I should have brought a book with me, or at least ask Col. Brandon to leave his chess board with us (though I do not know whether the Colonel plays at all), I heard a noise, I do not know what it was nor where it came from. Instinctively, I got up and stood close to the fire; I noticed I had grabbed my cross. I saw the Colonel look up at me in astonishment and mouth ‘What?'
‘Did you hear that?' I whispered.
In that very moment, I heard the noise again and I could see from his expression that the Colonel had also heard it. He had now got up and was standing next to me. We heard the noise again, louder this time. I gasped.
‘What can that be?' I whispered.
He placed a hand on my shoulder and pulled me close.
‘Stay calm,' he murmured. ‘Do not be afraid, I am with you.'
I did not know whether to chide him for such nonsense or hide behind him, but before I could decide, we heard a floorboard creak in the corridor and a voice utter a distinct oath.

‘Oh, thank God, it is only Miss Bennet!' I whispered and embraced the Colonel in my relief.
Then, reality hit me.
‘She must not see us - she must not find out what is behind these doors!' I hissed. ‘What are we to do?'

I tried to break free from the Colonel, but the next thing I remember is that I was slowly opening my eyes again and that Miss Bennet was staring at us in disbelief (I for one cannot blame her!). Then, all the others - having heard the silent alarm - came in and everybody was talking at once until the Colonel suddenly told them that he and I were engaged. I could not believe my ears. I felt totally numb. The others congratulated me, but I could not say anything. All I thought was ‘So this is it?' I felt empty, as if someone had taken all that was me, all my feelings, my pain and my joy, my knowledge, my hopes and my fears and left nothing but my empty shell, which, apparently, was now engaged to the Colonel. ‘This is it,' I constantly heard. ‘This is your life, Caroline. Get used to it, you shall get no other.' The words seemed hollow in my head; there was an echo because nothing could catch them.

The others left us and the Colonel and I were alone again. He looked at me with his stupid lop-sided smile, shrugged and said, ‘Well, Caroline -'. Suddenly, all the numbness within me gave way to anger, horrible, burning anger as I had scarcely ever felt before. All I wanted to do was scream until all the other sounds were drowned. I did not scream, however; I tried to maintain an appearance of calm.
‘How dare you?' I hissed. ‘How dare you?'
At least he had the decency to blush as he stuttered, ‘I - but, Caroline, I -'
‘I thought you, of all people, would know how I feel about this,' I hissed, ignoring his incoherent mumblings. ‘Have I not told you that marriage is the last thing I ever wanted?'
‘But I thought you -'

I could take it no longer. The scream inside me had grown constantly stronger.
‘You know nothing of me!' I shouted. ‘You have not the slightest idea of who I am! Leave me alone!'
With that I stormed out of the room, only pausing to disable the alarm. It was horribly unprofessional, but I could take it no longer; I could not stay in the same room as he any more. I knocked on Colonel Brandon's door and asked him to continue my watch and he agreed, apparently under the impression that I was overcome with joy.

I do not know what is the matter with me. How could I abandon my post just like this? I never do these things. That my duties for the society have the highest priority with me is one of the reasons - among other, even more important ones - why I never wanted to get married. Does the Colonel not realise this? Does he not see that? I know I have told him oft enough that there is nothing I fear and hate more than being dependant from somebody, that what I desire is independence.
I have told him many a time how I hate the idea of having to marry to secure my future; how I despise having to rely on my siblings and having to live with them. I have confided all this in him. I have trusted him with my secret hopes and ambitions. How could he betray me thus? How could he, of all people, hurt me like this?
What am I to do now?

22. Col. The Hon. John S. Fitzwilliam to Miss Anne de Bourgh

17th May, 190-

My dear Anne,

I did not dare send a telegram in case of it being intercepted, which is why I am sending you this per express. Can you please have the books that I stored in your attic last year sent back to Pemberley? I sealed and stamped the box, you only need to send it along.
We have a sort of emergency here -- nothing alarming, though, do not fear -- and need them as soon as possible. Also, we must operate in secrecy once more; we have an outsider amongst us. I need hardly remind you that all I am telling you must be kept secret. All shall be well, though, Anne, do not worry on our account.
Anne, please do not tell Nancy anything about all this. You know how fragile she is at the moment; also you remember how Darcy does not think she should be informed. If she asks about the box, you might tell her I forgot my fencing equipment at Rosings or similar.

I am sure that your mother is taking all the necessary precautions with Nancy and that she is as safe with you as can be. Let me once more tell you how grateful Darcy and I are for all you are doing. Please look also after yourself, Anne, and be very careful. I trust that should need arise you shall do the right thing and remember the list of names I made you memorise; if anything should happen, these people shall help you. You know who to turn to and what to do.
I remain your devoted friend

John.

23. Transcript of the phonographic record of Mijnheer Fitzwilliam Augustus van Darcy's daily examination.

‘My name is Fitzwilliam Augustus van Darcy. It is the 17th May, 190-. The password is cogito ergo sum. I am accompanied by Col. Quincey Montgomery Brandon, late of His Majesty's --th Regiment. We are now in the antechamber of the Blacque-Adair Tower. It is now 10 minutes past sunrise. We are getting out our keys. The keys are being exchanged. A quick examination proves the keys to be in order. We are now proceeding towards the door. Colonel Brandon is on my left. We are now simultaneously unlocking the lowest bolt. The locks appear to be unscathed and open without problems. The locks on the second bolt show no signs of force either. We are opening them without problems. We are now unlocking the topmost bolt. It is in the same condition as the other two.
‘The door swings open without problems. We can find no new traces of blood. We are now entering, after having crossed ourselves and sprinkled with holy water. The room is still in the same condition as the day before. The coffin is not moved. We move slowly closer to the coffin. It appears unscathed. We can detect no hints of it having been opened. We sprinkle it with holy water. We are now examining the windows. The glassing appears to be intact. We are now examining the ceiling. There is nothing unusual there.

‘We are now leaving the room again. We are locking the first bolt. We are locking the second bolt. We are locking the topmost bolt. We are sprinkling the door with holy water.
‘It is the 17th May, 190-. It is now fifteen minutes past sunrise. My name is Fitzwilliam Augustus van Darcy. I am accompanied by Col. Quincey Montgomery Brandon. We are now ending today's examination. Today's password is -'

‘I say, Darcy, is that the boy who brings the telegrams who's leaving just now?'
‘I suppose it might be.'
‘He's terribly early. Must be something quite urgent, I'd say. Are you expecting anything?'
‘No, not that I know of. Unless ... by Jove, it might be from Anne -'
‘Do you think -'
‘I do not know man, I do not know. Where is that wretched butler -'
‘Oughtn't you sign the protocol first? Here, I've already -'
‘Make haste, you fool, I need to find that telegram - and switch off the stupid phonograph when you're done, will you?'

‘This is Col. Quincey Montgomery Brandon. It is the 17th May, 190-, twenty minutes past sunrise. I am now ending today's examination. The new password is volvitur in rota.'

Here ends the phonographic record.

24. Miss Elizabeth Bennet to Caroline Collins, Lady Metcalfe

17th May, 190-

Dear Charlotte,

try as I might, I could not sleep, and after tossing many a time in my bed, I decided to get up instead and write my promised letter. As soon as the hour is late enough, I shall venture out and start my investigations in the village and I both dread what I shall find out and am terribly curious about it.

But first of all, let me tell you what exactly the V.D. are, so that you know why I am so excited. As you probably have guessed, they are tracking down vampires. As a matter of fact, V.D. stands for Vampire-Hunters of Derbyshire. The Society - as they call themselves - dates back a very long time; the precise origin is not known, at least not to outsiders, but they have been long thought to be connected to the noble family of Blacque-Adair, which is now extinct in the male line. The society is repeatedly mentioned in secret Government documents from the times of George III and is thought to have had close connections to the military Headquarters during the Napoleonic wars, where they are said to have assisted in many battles. During the early times of Victoria's reign, Prince Albert, who was well aware of the society's worth for the country, achieved to have the Society officially, if secretly, acknowledged. It was made a Royal Society, and given many privileges; and Queen Victoria certainly did not regret her patronage, for it is widely known - at least in our circles - that on numerous occasions she was only narrowly saved, by members of the Society, from severe attacks on her life. In these times, the Society prospered; it is said to have had almost 50 members, all hand-selected and originating from all over the Empire and also from many European countries. They also had close connections to the --th Regiment under General --- and several members fought at his side on many a secret mission.

With that being said, you will certainly understand my fascination with them when, as I was still in my early teens or perhaps even younger, a group of four of them came to Longarth to meet my father and mother. They looked amazing to me, three gentlemen and one lady, all clad in black, with black badges bearing the silver emblem with the V.D. on them, which I described to you before. I was sure that one day I would become one of them - was I not destined to become a V.D.? - and my father always encouraged me in my childish hopes, much to the dismay of my mother, who had always hoped that I might choose a path in life different from hers. Nevertheless, my father and I had great joy in imagining the things to come and ignored my mother's warnings. I need not tell you what happened next; you know how all my happiness was eradicated from one day to the next.

The R.V.D. also had to suffer very greatly. Upon the death of his mother, King Edward almost immediately broke up all contact to the Society and renounced all former privileges. The Society was officially disbanded; some of its members found a harbour in the Royal Army, others in governmental institutions, but most, among them all women, were forced to retreat and return into civil life. It is said, however, that even after the Society was forbidden and local authorities were warned of their activities, a group of about a dozen former members rallied around their former leader, who, it is thought, is a descendant of the Blacque-Adair and also inherited the family mansion in Derbyshire. Neither the name of the leader and his house nor that of any of the other loyal members is known, for the V.D. operate in secrecy and have guarded their secrets and their identities for centuries. The only other thing that I have heard is that last year, they ran into some trouble with local authorities and were almost detected, but after my abrupt departure from Vienna, I have not been able to receive any news any more; you know I had to break off all contact to the continent for fear of being discovered.
Anyway, Charlotte, the hour is sufficiently late now and I shall not delay any minute and haste into the village. I must find out what is going on here - can it be possible that Mr Darcy and his friends are acquainted with the leader of the V.D.? Could they possibly be connected to so grand a person?

Yours, Lizzy.

P.S.: Dear Charlotte, I need hardly remind you that all that I told you is for your eyes alone. From what I have heard, even knowledge about the existence of the V.D. can be dangerous these days and I would rather you told no one about it, except perhaps Collins, if you should wish to.

P.S.: The butler is just now bringing your telegram. Why did you send one? You can not have received more than my first missive, why did you have to reply so urgently? I wonder ... oh no ... Charlotte, that cannot be ...

25. Charlotte Collins, Lady Metcalfe, to Miss Elizabeth Bennet

lizzy stop leave pemberley at once stop you are not safe stop they are lying to you stop mr darcy has no sister stop georgiana darcy died two years ago stop go to the church in lambton stop do not leave the church stop collins and I will get you stop wait for us there stop we will leave immediately stop god bless you stop charlotte

Items 26-29

Posted on Saturday, 5 January 2008

‘This piece lacks feelings and real emotion. It is cold and inhuman; where is the author's heart?' - M.D.

26. From the journal of Wilhelmina Jane Bingley

17th May --- Harker, Darcy and I finished our watch at sunrise. Harker escorted me back to our room before going out for a quick ride, but I found that I could not sleep; I was much too awake. Also, in spite of the early hour, it seemed that the house was well up and about. I could hear people hasting up and down the corridors. I recalled that the housemaids, poor things, must already be going about their duties, and also that Col. Brandon was supposed to join Darcy for the morning examination. I certainly did not blame any of them for the noise, but I knew I would not be able to catch any more sleep. Thus, I got up and dressed myself and went downstairs to find out whether it would already be possible to get breakfast. At the foot of the stairs, however, I encountered Darcy, Col. Brandon and Harker, who must have run into them on is way to the stables.

‘The butler says the telegram was for Miss Bennet,' Darcy told them. ‘Do not know why she would be getting any telegrams, but he insists he read the name correctly.'
‘Well, did he say what it said or who sent it?' Col. Brandon asked.
‘Stupid fellow claims he did not read it,' Darcy muttered, ‘far too well-behaved for his own good.'
‘But Darcy, you cannot expect the butler to read your guest's telegrams,' I said. ‘It would not do to expect such things of him.'
‘I suppose I shall have to ask at the post office what it said,' Darcy said.
‘Oh, you could not,' Col. Brandon said. ‘It would look suspicious and they might report it to the magistrate. And anyway, it might truly have been for Miss Bennet, in which case it is none of our business at all.'
I must say it is a bit unfair of John, Caroline and Col. Brandon to constantly allude to poor Darcy's fear of the magistrate; the do know how much he dreads it. On the other hand, they are probably right; one cannot be careful enough.

‘I must know whether it is from Anne,' Darcy said. ‘I cannot live with perhaps or might. If anything has happened at Rosings, I want to know it at once, and I will find that telegram and see if it is from Anne. Who knows, she might have had to resort to a code, a false address - the post office might not have been able to sort it out -'
‘Stay calm, Darcy,' Harker said, ‘do not worry too much. Everything at Rosings will be alright, I do not -'
‘But we do not know,' Darcy said. ‘We must know for sure before -'
‘We could simply ask Miss Bennet what the telegram said,' I suggested. ‘I am sure she would not mind telling us. I mean, we do not mean any harm, do we?'
‘You cannot just ask her what the telegram said,' Col. Brandon said. ‘It would look suspicious. But I suppose - you could always go to her room under some pretence - say you heard a noise - and try to get a glimpse of the telegram to see if it was really meant for her.'
‘Yes, we shall do that,' Darcy said at once. ‘You will go and see her, Mina, and we shall come with you and wait for you in the hall.'

I was a bit unsure whether we ought perhaps have spoken to John, Caroline and Arthur first, but Darcy was urging us to go, and anyway, had not Caroline reminded us all not to arouse suspicion? I was sure that the fewer people would wait on Miss Bennet, the less we would have to explain. Thus, we set off.
I carefully knocked on Miss Bennet's door although I was sure she would be awake because she had accepted the telegram some minutes previously. She did not answer, however, so I knocked again, a little louder this time. Still, there was no answer.
‘She must be in there,' Darcy said, ‘Mina, you go in and see what she is doing.'
I did not really want to enter the room without Miss Bennet's permission, but he looked so anxious to find out whether the telegram was indeed from Miss de Bourgh that I did not want to disappoint him and thus agreed.
I carefully pushed the door open a little and slipped inside.
‘She is not here,' I muttered after I had looked around.
‘What is going on?' Darcy asked from outside.
‘She is not here,' I repeated.
‘Can you see the telegram?'
‘There are some papers on her desk, but not the telegram,' I said. ‘I cannot see it anywhere.'
‘We are coming in,' Darcy announce.'
‘Darcy, I do not think you should -' I said weakly, but he interrupted me.
‘This is an emergency,' he said, pushing the door open and stepping in. ‘There is no time for Caroline's good manners now.'
The others followed him.
Darcy surveyed the room with a quick glance before stepping forward to take a closer look at things. Harker and Col. Brandon stayed behind him.
‘The bed has been lain in,' Darcy said, ‘so she went to sleep after our, um, encounter last night. But I doubt she got much sleep.'
The blankets were carelessly tossed aside, the sheet and the pillows looked crumpled, which seemed to confirm Darcy's theory.
‘Then she got up and splashed herself with water before washing herself,' Darcy continued and pointed at the watermarks on the mirror and the washing-stand.
‘Then she dressed, but she was not in a hurry,' Darcy said, pointing at a chair, where Miss Bennet's nightgown and undergarments were neatly piled.
‘Mina, will you check whether there is anything amiss with her female clothing?' Darcy said. ‘It would not be right for me to check when I do not have to.'
I did so, but as far as I could tell, all was in order, and the telegram was not in that pile either.
‘Then she wrote something,' Darcy continued, pointing at the unscrewed ink bottle on the desk, ‘but whatever it was, she must have taken it with her.'
‘It probably was a letter,' Harker said, showing us a sheet of blotting paper, on which we could see, in faint lines, the mirrored image of ‘-urs, Lizzy.'
‘I believe you are right,' Col. Brandon said, taking the paper from Harker, ‘I cannot make out anything else, though, can you?'
‘This could be ‘harlott',' Harker said hesitantly, ‘but I do not know why -' He blushed, the poor dear, naturally embarrassed at such a delicate topic.
‘And it is spelt wrongly anyway,' he hastily added.
‘My dear, it must mean ‘Charlotte',' I said, suddenly realising, ‘that is Lady Metcalfe's first name. She must have been writing to her, do you not think so, Darcy?'
Darcy, however, did not listen. He had picked up something from the floor, examining it closely.

‘Is this yours?' he asked and handed it to me. It was a lady's handkerchief, small, of good quality but obviously not new, a hole in one corner had been carefully mended and the yellow of the tiny lace around it had faded. It was not this, however, which made me gasp involuntarily, but the monogram in the corner. The small, neat stitches in yellow silk clearly formed the letters ‘V.D.'
‘No, it is not mine,' I said.
‘What about Caroline?' Darcy asked. ‘Is it hers?'
‘I do not think so,' I said. ‘Hers all bear a ‘C', if I recall correctly.'
‘Indeed, they do,' Harker said, ‘they are like mine, which bear an ‘H.' Our mother made them.'
‘Then it must be Miss Bennet's,' I said, ‘whose else could it be? And why would Miss Bennet have a handkerchief that was not hers anyway?'
‘Because she took it,' Darcy said.
‘But why would she?' I asked.
Darcy said only one word.
‘Evidence,' he hissed through clenched teeth.
I knew he had to be wrong. This could not be true. Surely, there had to be an explanation for the handkerchief that was less alarming. Had not Charlotte herself vouched for Miss Bennet's integrity? I refused to believe anything so horrible of her.
‘But, Darcy -' I said faintly, at a loss to explain why I knew that he must be wrong.

‘Get Fitzwilliam and Caroline,' Darcy told Harker, ‘they were right all along. Miss Barton wants to send the magistrate after us.'
‘But John and his fiancée will want time for themselves. They only got engaged last night, if you will remember,' Col. Brandon said, which I thought was a very valid argument.
‘Oh, nonsense,' Darcy said, seeming a trifle absent, ‘this is much more important than making love.'
He was already rifling through a stack of books on the desk.
Harker set off at once. I cast a look at Col. Brandon and he shrugged; he possibly was as unsure of what to do next as I was.
‘Is anything of her possessions missing, as far as you can tell?' Darcy asked suddenly.
I looked around. I had not been in her room before, nor in the room she had at Lady Metcalfe's, so it was difficult to say. One thing, however, I found missing.
‘She has a sort of reticule,' I told Darcy, ‘a small black embroidered bag. It is about this size -' I showed him with my hands ‘- I am not sure, which material - leather, probably, but there is fabric on the front, with a floral pattern -'
‘Yes, yes,' Darcy interrupted me. ‘What is in it?'
‘I never learnt,' I said, a bit astonished. Surely Darcy had to know that one could not just rifle through someone else's handbag? ‘But I know that she had her breviary in there,' I added. ‘I saw it when we went to Church together, in London.'
He turned his head immediately.
‘She went to your church?' he asked.
‘Yes,' I said, surprised that he did not know it. ‘She is Catholic, just like us.'
‘She came from Vienna, did she not?' I suddenly heard a voice behind me. ‘I understand that Catholicism is a rather common affliction there.'

Darcy shot a dark look at his cousin and I confess that I thought his remark a trifle inappropriate myself. I know he does not mean any harm, but his jests about our religion are not always to my liking. Even Caroline has said so and she is usually taking his side.
‘What about the prayer book?' Darcy asked while Col. Brandon informed Harker, John and Caroline of what had happened before.
‘What about it?' I asked, not exactly sure what Darcy wanted to know.
‘What did it look like?'
‘Like a breviary, I guess,' I said. ‘You know, small book, thin paper, black - an ordinary breviary.'
‘Was there anything in it?' he insisted.
‘Well, you know, psalms and -' He interrupted me.
‘Had she put anything in it?'
‘The usual - little pictures, prayer requests,' I said.
‘So it was just a prayer book?' Darcy asked again.
‘Yes,' I said, glad that he had finally understood.
‘And you are sure that it was hers?' he asked, ‘that she had not stolen it, as an accessory for her masquerade?'
‘As a matter of fact, I saw her name written on the front page, so I would say, yes, it was hers.'
‘What name?' Darcy asked.
‘Her name,' I repeated, ‘Elizabeth Alexandra Bennet.'
‘Was it a new prayer book?' Darcy asked. I had no idea what he wanted to find out.
‘No, it was used,' I said. ‘As I said. There were lots of papers stuck in it - you collect them over the years, you know. The pages were a bit yellowed. And there was a year on the front page, below her name. It was 18something, the rest I cannot recall.
‘You see,' I explained, ‘she probably received it for her first communion. That would have been around 1890.'
‘Did she say so?' Darcy asked sharply.
‘No, I just assumed -' I said, not knowing what Darcy wanted to know. ‘Based on her age - she must have been born in the 1880s, do you not agree?'

‘Could we perhaps leave the subject of the undoubtedly fascinating breviary for a moment,' John said, ‘and return to the matters at hand? You said the reticule was missing, but you do not know what is in it, apart from the book?'
‘Yes,' I said, thankful, ‘but she told me that she had the only keepsakes she had from her parents in there. She did not show them to me though, and I do not know what they are.'
‘Her parents are dead?' John asked.
‘I think so,' I replied. ‘She did not directly say so, but Lady Metcalfe told me that the elderly aunt with whom she lived in Vienna was her only relative. The aunt died and so she returned to England, Lady Metcalfe said, and lived with the Metcalfes for a while, but life in town did not agree with her and so she came to us, for she had no one else in England.'
‘But she is English, is she not?' Darcy asked.
‘Why, yes, I suppose -' I said. Surely Darcy, of all people, could not suddenly turn his nose down on foreigners?
‘She was born in England?' Darcy clarified his question.
‘I have no reason to think otherwise,' I said.
‘We will search the room,' Darcy said suddenly, as if he had come to a decision. ‘Mina and Caroline can search the clothes and other female things. Fitzwilliam and Harker, the books. Brandon and Ferrars - where is Ferrars anyway?'
‘He went to his room,' Col. Brandon said. ‘He said he wanted to be alone.'
‘Well, I will go and get him,' Darcy said, ‘we shall need him. And I shall get that wretched butler to find out where Miss Burney went. Oh, and I shall send a telegram. Brandon, you can, um, just have a look at all things, see if you can find anything.'
With that, he left the room and left us all flabbergasted.
‘What telegram?' Harker asked.
‘I suppose he shall tell us in time,' Caroline said. ‘Shall we inspect her knick- um, knacks?'

27. Mijnheer Fitzwilliam Augustus van Darcy to Misses Linda and Katherine Annesley

Please go to somerset house stop find certificate of birth and all other information stop pertaining one miss elizabeth alexandra bennet stop born approx 1880-90 stop very urgent stop thank you very much stop your servant stop fitzwilliam darcy.

28. From the journal of Col. The Hon. John S. Fitzwilliam

17th May --- I must be the most stupid, insensitive, ignorant oaf in the world and I did the daftest thing imaginable. How I will ever be able to set things right, I have no clue, and can only hope that time will show me. How on earth could I be so dim-witted as to actually assume -- but I must not think about this at the moment. Time is of the essence. We have just now received intelligence that Miss Bennet has left the house and is on her way to the Parish Church of Lambton, probably in order to seek an interview with the parson. Brandon is seeing to it that our horses are ready and Caroline has gone to change into a riding-dress; we must not loose another minute and shall take the path through the forest in spite of the danger.

29. From the journal of Miss Caroline Bingley

17th May --- I slept very badly during the night and woke up very early. I felt thoroughly miserable upon waking up. How horribly I behaved last night! It was quite melodramatic, I fear. I cannot even bear to read yesterday's journal entries, it makes me cringe. Now that I have slept upon it, so many amazing things that I could have said come to my mind, but all I did last night was shout and scream and enact a Greek tragedy. It would have been so easy to convince everyone that we were not engaged, and at the same time give the Colonel a thorough set-down (for I still maintain that what he did was beastly indeed an a very poor joke).
I told him as much this morning, because who should I encounter when entering the breakfast chamber but the man himself, eating his sausages and bacon as if nothing had happened at all. Luckily, I was much more coherent than last night an managed to tell him that I thought what he did was not at all acceptable and that I could not in any way approve of his idea of a good joke.
To my relief, he was understanding for once and promised to rectify the situation and explain everything the others as soon as Miss Bennet, for whom he had enacted this dreadful charade, had left us for good.

Enough, however, of my personal worries. I have let them disturb my work yesterday; I shall not do so again. What happened between the Colonel and me is a purely private matter and shall not, in any way, affect the tasks that need to be carried out.
The Colonel and I had barely come to a decision when Harker came in, slightly out of breath, and told us that Darcy wished to see us in Miss Bennet's room, of all places, immediately. It soon transpired that what had happened was that a telegram had been delivered to Pemberley and, probably by accident, been handed to Miss Bennet. Upon trying to retrieve said telegram, Darcy and Mina had not only found that Miss Bennet was mysteriously absent from her room, but also that she is in no way as harmless as we thought. In short, we believe her to be working against us! We have evidence that he appropriated property of the society. We also found several other items in her room which all strongly suggest that she is very dangerous indeed. Apart from several items of clothing, which all bear the mark of the V.D., we also found some very suspicious tomes in her room, among them even the book of Darcy's father, The Foulest Curse Which Walks The Earth (the title is of course highly dramatic, but nonetheless it is the most concise guide ever written in this field). The copy she has of it is rather new, but nevertheless, I know it must have been quite expensive, because it is not at all easy to come by. It was therefore obvious to all of us that she must have had a very good reason to purchase it.

Our astonishment - and also our anxiety - grew even bigger, though, when we opened the book. Not only had Miss Bennet obviously worked with it (several pages bore annotations, or had passages underlined), but she had also used it to store things. We found three photographs in the back of the book. The first depicted a wooden bird set in a circle of wooden roses. It was a rather pretty piece of craftsmanship, but I could not tell where it came from. A legend on the back, however, in a German hand, read that it was a ‘detail of the coffin of Arnold Dohnanyi.' The second photo showed a beautiful altar. It was difficult to tell because of the size of the picture and the lack of colours, but Harker identified the figures depicted as St. Jerome and St. Francis on the left and fight and St. Sebastian in the centre. The third picture showed the altar, a coffin before it and a priest standing beside the coffin. The priest had his back to the photographer and was holding something that seemed to make a reflection, but it was impossible to say what it was. The legend on the back read ‘Father K--- at the funeral of Arnold Dohnanyi.' It was Mina who first spotted the importance of the pictures.

‘The altar!' she said, suddenly excited. ‘Do you realise which altar it is?'
Col. Brandon clapped his hands before his mouth. ‘I must have been standing before it a hundred times!' he said.
It was in this very moment that Darcy and Arthur returned to the room. Darcy saw the pictures and gave a funny little yelp.
‘St. Sebastian's altar!' he squeaked. ‘How did that get here?'
‘It was in Miss Bennet's copy of the Curse,' Col. Brandon said.
‘Miss Bennet has the Curse?' Darcy asked.
The Colonel, naturally, snorted. ‘Obviously,' he said.
Suddenly, I understood. ‘Not St. Sebastian's altar in Vienna?' I exclaimed.
‘The very same,' the Colonel muttered.
‘But that - that is the church where -'
‘Exactly,' the Colonel said softly and placed a hand on my shoulder. ‘Do you realise what this means?'
‘Stop it,' I hissed and shook his hand off. ‘We must break up immediately,' I said. ‘We must find Miss Bennet before she can do any harm.'

The butler entered the room. ‘Excuse me, sir,' he said and bowed to Darcy, ‘but I spoke to the chambermaid, the housekeeper and the stable boy, and we believe that the young lady left Pemberley, carrying a small bag, in the direction of the village. The boy said she asked for directions to the Parish Church of Lambton, and that she seemed to be in a hurry.'
For a moment, there was silence, as all of us thought with fear of what might happen if the Rector in Lambton met Miss Bennet.
‘We shall act at once,' Darcy finally said. 'Brandon, Fitzwilliam and Caroline will ride to Lambton and find that Miss Bates as soon as possible. Whatever she is doing, make sure she returns to Pemberley at once. If she is unwilling - well, do whatever you have to. Mina, Bingley and I shall continue looking through her thing, make the whole affair official, try to find out how much she knows, and Ferrars shall take watch in the tower. We can take no risks. Make haste!'

Items 30-36

Posted on Saturday, 12 January 2008

`I hate it. Most ardently.' - F.D.

30. Report by Wilhelmina Jane Bingley, on behalf of the V.D. (concerning events taking place on 17th May, 190-)

In the early hours of 17th May, 190-, a search was conducted at Pemberley, i.e., in the rooms where one Miss Elizabeth Alexandra Bennet (identity as of yet unconfirmed) is currently staying. The reasons for the search were the following:

i) that a telegram sent to a member of the society and probably containing sensitive information was believed to be in the possession of Miss B.
ii) that an object (handkerchief) belonging to a V.D. was found in Miss B.'s possession.
iii) that Miss B. had disappeared from Pemberley.

The vote to conduct a search was unanimous. The search was conducted by:

i) Mr Harker Jonathan Bingley
ii) Mrs Harker Jonathan Bingley (Wilhelmina Jane)
iii) Mijnheer Fitzwilliam Augustus van Darcy, president.

The following items belonging to Miss B. were found:

i) 21 various articles of undergarments for females, 3 of which labelled with a V.D.
ii) 7 dresses for various occasions
iii) 2 nightgowns
iv) 1 morning-coat
v) 12 pairs of stockings, 1 of which labelled with a V.D.
vi) 2 pairs of shoes
vii) 3 skirts, 1 of which labelled with a V.D.
viii) 6 blouses, 1 of which labelled with a V.D.
ix) 3 cardigans, 1 of which labelled with a V.D.
x) 4 pairs of gloves

xi) 2 shawls
xii) 14 handkerchiefs, 1 of which labelled with a V.D.
xiii) 1 bottle of a cleansing chemical for the face
xiv) 1 bar of soap
xv) 1 jar of talcum powder
xvi) 1 bottle of facial lotion
xvii) 1 toothbrush
xviii) 1 jar of tooth-powder
xix) 1 box of facial powder
xx) 1 bottle of hairwashing solution

xxi) 1 brush
xxii) 1 comb
xxiii) 12 items of hair accessory
xxiv) 1 box of hairpins
xxv) 1 hat
xxvi) 1 fan
xxvii) 1 necklace of pearls
xxviii) 1 bracelet of pearls
xxix) 2 earrings of pearls
xxx) 1 bag of knitting equipment and 1 knitted scarf (unfinished)

xxxi) 1 set for mending
xxxii) The Foulest Curse That Walks The Earth by Benedict Augustus van Darcy, K.G.
xxxiii) Sense And Sensibility by A Lady
xxxiv) Die Heilige Schrift
xxxv) Irrungen Wirrungen by Theodor Fontane
xxxvi) Die Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
xxxvii) Rituals of the Roman Church by Madame Lloyd
xxxviii) A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
xxxix) The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers
xl) Sacred Secrets by C. Johnson

xli) De Historia Arcanorum et de Causis Mutationum Contra Naturam by Anselm of Wolverhampton
xlii) Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane
xliii) Das Buch der Lieder by Heinrich Heine
xliv) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
xlv) Der Mann-Wolf by Cicero Roger Bielefeldt
xlvi) 3 photographs (see attachment)
xlvii) 1 fountain pen
xlviii) 1 stack of writing paper
xlix) 2 sheets of blotting paper
l) 1 map of Derbyshire

li) sheet music for works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann and Verdi
lii) Clavier-Manual by Melanie Hamster
liii) 1 train guide for London
liv) 1 travelling guide for Derbyshire
lv) 1 silver cross, with a figure of Christ
lvi) 1 ink bottle

Signed Wilhelmina Jane Bingley.
Signed Fitzwilliam Augustus van Darcy.

31. Photograph depicting a detail of the coffin of Arnold Dohnanyi

32. Photograph depicting the altar of St. Sebastian's Church, Vienna.

33. Photograph depicting Fr K--- at the funeral of Arnold Dohnanyi

Note: Items 31-33 were included in the collection that was found in the attic, but an unnamed authority forbade us from showing them; they have been appropriated and are not very likely to be released. - Lina Hamilton.

34. Miss Anne de Bourgh to Mijnheer Fitzwilliam Augustus van Darcy and Col. The Hon. John S. Fitzwilliam

Rosings, 15th May, 190-

Dear David and John,

As per your request, I am sending you my weekly letter, seeing that it is ---day again. There is no need to worry. Everything here is just as boring it ought to be.
Nancy is doing well. Yesterday, she was up all day and even read a little. She is taking all her medicine and I are say the prescription you sent last month is really working. She told me she felt much better, although she always does, of course, and also said that she felt much less fatigued than she used to be. I am wondering whether it is advisable to take her out into the gardens in her wheelchair one of these days. The weather has got so nice lately - and quite warm! - and it would be a real treat for her. She does not complain, of course, but when she sits by her window and looks out, I can tell she longs to get out of her room. Mother thinks it might be too dangerous, but I said I should ask you - what do you think? I would of course stay at her side, and also ask Jenkinson to accompany me, would that be enough?

Nancy also keeps asking when she can return to Pemberley. Is there anything you can tell me? Have you made any progress? I think she misses you very much. I keep reminding her that she saw you at Easter, but you know she was so very bad at Easter, she hardly remembers it. Because you said I did not tell you last week, mother and I are very well. Mother of course fusses about Nancy a lot, but Nancy does not seem to mind. On the contrary, she seems genuinely happy about mother's visits. Mother is trying to teach her how to knit, and even though they are making little to no progress, they seem to enjoy themselves very much.

You see, we are all quite cosy here and there is no need for you to worry on our account. I only wish there was more I could do to help you. I am thinking of you all the time and wish you success with all my heart.
Dearest David and John, please take care, I worry about you.

Love, Anne.

P.S.: Please give all my best to Mina, Caroline & the others.

35. From the Journal of Wilhelmina Jane Bingley (continued)

Note: A part of this entry seems to be missing; Mrs Bingley probably cut it because of its redundancy. - Lina Hamilton.

Caroline's joke, which was a bit crude, I am afraid, showed me once more how perfect she and John will be for each other, they both love to laugh and make jokes. I do think they shall be very happy with each other.
Caroline and I made good progress with Miss Bennet's clothing and found several more items with the monogram ‘V.D.' on them, but strangely, not twice the same. The most shocking discovery, however, was a book and a couple of photographs in it, which, I am sorry to say, cast a rather bad light on Miss Bennet, although I do hope this shall all prove to be a misunderstanding.

[...]

After John, Caroline, Col. Brandon and Arthur had left, Darcy, Harker and I conducted a thorough search of Miss Bennet's room and I wrote a formal report on the search, just as I used to do when we still used to hand those in to the ministry. Caroline often tells me I no longer need to write those, just as I do not need to keep the minutes of our meetings. I nevertheless prefer to document all that we do. Darcy agrees with me there; he says that if we ever get government approval again, we shall have everything ready to prove what we have done. I do not know whether this shall happen. I wish with all my heart that we shall get approved again - not only because that would mean that we should no longer operate in illegality, which I must confess I do not like at all. More importantly however, government approval would mean that the work of all those who do so much more than I, who simply keep the minutes, should finally be acknowledged. There are so many who risked and still risk their lives everyday, not only here at Pemberley, but all over England - Anne, for example, who took Nancy in, or the Misses Annesley, who have done so much for us in the past.
By keeping all these records, by making note of all that was done, I hope to keep at least the memory of their deeds. One day, perhaps, someone shall find my collection, which I keep safe, and remember these brave men and women. It is this reasoning which compels me to write all the necessary reports, to collect all that may be of importance.
Dear me, I am getting all sentimental. It must be all that happened today that made me think about what we do, and why we do it. I always have to think of those who have suffered so much - poor dear Lucy, and Arthur, and Darcy, whose family had to endure so much, and all that I learnt today about Arnold Dohnanyi from Col. Brandon.

In any case, just after we had finished our search, a letter for Darcy arrived. It was the one he had been waiting for, from Anne de Bourgh, telling us that everything at Rosings was alright and not to worry. She is such a sweet girl - I have only met her a few times, but I feel I know her quite well, John told us so much about her. Her letters are always so cheerful, she never complains, but I know it must be very difficult for her, looking after poor little Nancy day and night, carrying all the responsibility. Her mther is of course there to support her, but as John tells me, Anne's mother is not really easy to live with either.
It is so sweet how Anne always calls Darcy ‘David;' I once asked him why, but he would not say. John says that it is a childhood nickname which Darcy chose for himself at a time when he did not like his name and wanted a ‘normal one.' Poor Darcy, to be always teased so much by his cousins! - although it is quite cute, I suppose.

Anne's letter, in my opinion, made it more likely that we had made a mistake.
‘If Miss de Bourgh sent the letter, it is unlikely that she also sent the telegram, is it not?' I said.
‘Maybe,' Darcy muttered, reading the report I had written.
‘But in that case, we have done Miss Bennet a great wrong!' I said. ‘She did not steal our post after all.'
‘Look at all this!' Darcy exclaimed. ‘She stole something from a V.D.! She has books about us, what is more, she has our book. And the photographs. She has pictures of Arnold Dohnanyi's funeral, in the very church where -'
He broke off, but he had said enough; I could see his point. Even though I did not want to think anything bad of her, the circumstances spoke quite clearly against Miss Bennet.

36. From the journal of Miss Caroline Bingley (continued)

Col. Brandon saw to it that our horses were saddled immediately while I quickly changed into something that I could mount a horse with. I put my hat onto my head and rushed downstairs again. Andrew was already waiting for me in the stable-yard, together with Colonel Brandon and the Colonel, already mounted. I had barely time to adjust my skirts and then we were off. The Colonel steered us directly into the forest and we broke into a fast canter. In spite of the urgency of the situation, I was more than happy to be sitting on Andrew's back again; I had felt the separation very much when I left him at Netherfield for the winter. I am so glad that Harker saw to it that he was brought here! The ride through the morning air was very refreshing and I could feel that Andrew enjoyed it just as much as I did. We were galloping towards a small brook when the Colonel suddenly fell back beside me and asked ‘Are you sure you can take the jump on that?' The nerve of the man!, I thought, he knows full well that I am used to ride Andrew every morning, and that I have jumped him countless times.
I urged Andrew forward and we took the jump at full speed.
‘Not bad at all,' said the Colonel he reappeared at my side. ‘Especially for a lady.'

It was only then that I realised that the stable-hands had put the side-saddle on Andrew, which I normally only use when riding in the park with other ladies. This was of course an unnecessary complication, even though I dare say that my seat is not too bad even when sitting side-saddle. There was nothing to do but to act as if I had known all the time that I could not use my right leg, so that the Colonel would not send me back.
‘I do hope you do not have any problem with Andrew,' I said icily, ‘I will have you know that he is the best jumper I ever rode.'
‘You know fully well that I was not talking about that,' the Colonel muttered, ‘but I see you have everything under control.'

We reached a stretch of green fields that was overlooked by some farms, so we slowed down in order not to arouse suspicion. Col. Brandon drew level with us as we trotted along the path; he had fallen behind when we galloped, seeing that he was never a particularly eager rider and his leg usually gives him trouble.

‘Did you know that Arnold Dohnanyi was dead?' he asked the Colonel.
‘Not at all,' answered the Colonel. ‘Had not heard from the poor chap for years, though, mind you.'
‘Who is Arnold Dohnanyi?' I asked. ‘Why is he so important?'
‘He was our contact with the Imperial Ministry of War,' said the Colonel, ‘when we were still stationed in Austria, you know, before -'
‘He was a brilliant fellow,' said Col. Brandon. ‘Quite young, but very clever. Had a real knack for things. His family was in the business, you know.'
‘We had a marvellous time with him,' mused the Colonel, ‘he showed us the night life of Vienna - in more than one respect.'
‘What happened to him?' I asked curiously.
‘He lost his post, shortly after we were ordered back,' Col. Brandon said. ‘We did not hear very much from him after that. It was too dangerous to exchange letters and he had enough trouble as it was. His parents were arrested somewhere in the province and he had to take in his little sister.'
‘I expect she is all alone now,' said the Colonel.
‘Poor girl,' added Colonel Brandon, ‘she cannot be much older than twenty.'
‘She could be dead, for all we know,' said the Colonel. ‘It is a shame.'
‘Now, now, John,' said Colonel Brandon, ‘you never even met her. Do not act as if you had known her, you will only make your fiancée jealous.'

‘My fiancée!' snorted the Colonel and spurred his horse into a gallop, now that we had reached the protection of the trees again. Personally, I thought that he was taking this with rather bad grace, especially considering it was all his fault in the first place.
‘Did you two quarrel?' Colonel Brandon asked, watching the Colonel ride away. ‘John seemed a bit put out just now. I thought you two were -'
‘Everything is fine,' I said and galloped after the Colonel. Andrew soon drew level with him, Lancelot as usual standing no chance against him.
‘You need not fear to make me jealous,' I said to the Colonel.
‘Yes, I gathered as much,' the Colonel said and did not talk again until we reached the village and tethered the horses at the green.

‘We should split,' he said, ‘we cannot be sure she really went to the church and we should find her as soon as possible.'
‘I shall go to the church then,' I said, before they could delegate me to some remote alleyway where they knew I should not find her. ‘Why don't you go to the station and see whether she is there, or was there, trying to leave the country, and Col. Brandon can go to the George and the Lamb and Haddock and make inquiries there.
‘Agreed,' said the Colonel before Colonel Brandon could protest, ‘and if none of us is lucky, let us meet on the village square again and search the streets.'
We crossed ourselves, shook hands and parted, each of us determined to find out where Miss Bennet was and prevent her from doing any harm.

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