Posted on: 2010-10-05

Chapter 14

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.
--Samuel Johnson (English Author, 1709-1784)

The weather during this part of the winter usually meant there would be fewer walks for Elizabeth, but this winter there was also no Jane or Charlotte with whom to visit. She spent some time with her father playing chess and discussing whatever book she was reading at the time. She also employed her time writing to Jane, Charlotte, and Aunt Gardiner, though reading their letters was of more interest since there was a distinct lack of activity in Longbourn's neighboring areas.

If one took Charlotte's letters at face value, she did sound very content in her new life, though there were hints here and there which gave Elizabeth the impression there was more to Charlotte's situation than what she admitted to with words. The general mood of the letters was not in her usual style, and her choice of words seemed very well thought out. Elizabeth wondered if her friend was attempting to hide her true feelings without telling a falsehood. She described the house and grounds with alacrity, and these passages were in her usual tone. It was clear Charlotte took her dual duties as mistress of her own home and wife of a parson very seriously. Lady Catherine was described as "a most attentive neighbor" and Charlotte wrote of the lady's "suggestions" to improve the house as well as Charlotte's style of housekeeping. Elizabeth inferred from these declarations that rather than advising, Lady Catherine was demanding and interfering. What most concerned Elizabeth was that Charlotte wrote of her loneliness and repeatedly mentioned how much she missed all her friends from Hertfordshire. She knew Charlotte would not mention these feelings unless they were becoming overwhelming. She decided that she would like to visit Charlotte after all.

From Jane's letters, Elizabeth surmised that Aunt and Uncle Gardiner were attempting to keep Jane occupied in order to raise her spirits, but Jane's melancholy tone changed little. Jane wrote part of a letter daily, entertaining Elizabeth with descriptions of the visits, teas, theater, and assemblies that she attended as well as the antics of the Gardiner children, while avoiding Elizabeth's queries about how she herself was faring. It distressed Elizabeth that none of the outings served to improve Jane's spirits.

There was one letter that Elizabeth had postponed writing but thought about often, and that was to her chess partner. She had been delaying her reply for months. The lady in question knew Mr. Darcy and had been wishing for them to meet for years. At first, Elizabeth was biding her time until she knew what sort of relationship would develop between them before informing her friend that she had met him, but after the ball, Elizabeth simply did not know what to say to her. She did not know whether Mr. Darcy had mentioned her to the lady, and dreaded having to answer any questions about what she thought of him, or worse--her feelings for him.

There were few parties or dinners at this time of year in Hertfordshire due to the unpredictability of the weather. There were only occasional trips to Meryton for shopping. Since Jane was in London, Mary accompanied Elizabeth on her visits to the sick and poor of the area. Over time, Mary became quite animated and sociable during these visits. Elizabeth was happy to see that Mary had finally discovered something of interest outside the bindings of Fordyce's sermons.

Mr. Bennet continued to be unsure about Elizabeth's going to Hunsford Cottage to visit Charlotte Collins. Every time she received a letter from Charlotte, Elizabeth read it to him, and they discussed her increasing worries. Elizabeth made it abundantly clear to her father that she missed Charlotte as much as Charlotte missed her. After much consideration, Mr. Bennet reluctantly agreed to allow her to go, but under one condition--that he send her with enough money to buy a ticket on the post. She could then leave at any time for her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner's house in London if she felt uncomfortable or unsafe. Elizabeth agreed to the condition without hesitation and with a brilliant smile. It would be nice to see Charlotte again!

Mr. Bennet was so relieved to see the appearance of the most genuine expression of cheer spread across her face that he felt his decision to allow Lizzy to go to her friend was the prudent thing to do for her sake as well as that of Mrs. Collins. Perhaps this is what Lizzy needed to begin to heal.

A few days later, Mr. Bennet called Elizabeth to his study once more. Though Elizabeth's behavior had returned to some of her previous spirit, she continued to be noticeably depressed, and he thought it was time for some serious questions to be answered.

"This discussion is long overdue, my dear." He hesitated a moment. "I have noticed that you have never treated the shopkeepers, servants, tenants, and laborers, as if they were low the way some others do. Why do you not, Lizzy?"

Surprised and more than a little confused about the subject of his choosing, Elizabeth thought for a few moments before beginning. "I believe that people are…people, Papa. They should not be judged by their station in life or how much money they have; they should be judged by their character. The fact that a person is a servant or laborer does not make him unworthy of notice or attention as long as he is good at heart. Being born among the gentry does not make a lady or gentleman a good person. How they behave towards others matters more than whom they are, in my opinion, sir.

"To illustrate my meaning…you may remember hearing this story Papa, but I do not think you know all the details associated with it. A few years ago while visiting in London, I was shopping with my Aunt Gardiner. We happened across a man who was only dressed in a shirt and breeches which were very dirty and torn, and he was begging for help. Quite a few ladies and gentlemen walked past him with their noses turned high in the air, pretending not to see him. A few people did stop to see if they could assist the man, as well as the proprietor of the shop that he was in front of. Aunt Gardiner and I approached and offered our assistance as well. The man insisted that someone take him home, and since we were the only two with access to a carriage, Mrs. Gardiner sent for it, and we accompanied him home. As we were waiting for the carriage, the man was quite upset and insistent on taking down all the names of the people who had stopped to help him. To soothe his agitated state, we did as he asked.

"When we arrived at his home, we found he was actually a duke who had been robbed and abused; his coat and shoes had been taken along with his other valuables. With most of his clothing gone and with what was left dirty and torn, there was no way of knowing his rank in society. He had mud smeared on his face and was not recognizable by anyone passing by who might have known him.

"The following day, we received a summons from His Grace, who was healing nicely. His mood was pensive, and he spoke of being discouraged with society. It concerned him that none of the gentlemen he had asked for help had stopped. After reflecting upon it all night, he told us that he had realized that if these same gentlemen had been able to see the fine quality of the cloth of his coat, they would have come to his aid immediately. It shamed His Grace to admit that one day earlier he might have acted in a similar manner.

Only those who were laborers and servants had paused in their duties, even risking their own livelihoods by returning to their duties later than required by their masters, in order to assist their fellow man--to do what was right--without accounting for his station in life first. He was convinced that the gentry would have left him there to bleed to death! Though I do feel he exaggerated the situation a little," Elizabeth smiled, "it certainly changed his view of people and society in general, Papa.

"Each of those who had helped His Grace received a reward of money in thanks, as well as an offer of a well-paid position on his staff. The shopkeeper received His Grace's business from then on and he was recommended to others among His Grace's acquaintance. His Grace attempted to reward Aunt Gardiner and myself as well, and after he would not be denied, we asked that he send ours to the orphanage that Aunt Gardiner visits. I accompany her there when I am in town. His Grace decided to take the donation to the orphanage himself as part of his new view on life." Elizabeth's smile appeared again, as she continued, "I understand he is now a frequent visitor and has a wonderful time with the children.

"His Grace has told me that his father was very strict when he was a child and that when he walks through the door to the orphanage, it is as if he enters a childhood that he never had the pleasure of enjoying in his own younger years. While the children have always been well taken care of, they now have conveniences that they could not have dreamed of in the past. In return, the children make gifts of paintings, drawings, wooden figures, and embroidery for His Grace.

"They give to each other what they can, sir, but the most important of all is affection--and respect." Elizabeth's countenance turned serious. "This is also my view of how people should be treated, Papa. I refuse to look down on people who are 'below' me, as Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst, and many others of the ton do, and even at times the country gentry. I will not treat someone 'above' me with more respect because of the family into which they were born, though I will follow the dictates of propriety when it comes to manner of address. Every person deserves respect, and they shall have mine unless I find their characters are lacking in some way and that they should be treated otherwise, no matter what their station in life. However, it does not follow that they deserve my trust, a view which has recently been fortified. Whether they deserve my affection--that decision may take a while to puzzle out." She hesitated, then asked, "Do you believe I am wrong, sir?"

"No, Lizzy, you misunderstand me. In my opinion you are quite correct, and it is admirable that you should see at such a young age what so many cannot in a lifetime. It took His Grace two and sixty years to come to the same conclusion."

"Then why do you question me about it, Papa?"

Mr. Bennet leaned forward in his chair and looked at her pointedly. "It has come to mind that you do not believe you deserve the same respect that you give to others, my Lizzy. Why is that?"

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open, and she was speechless for a few moments. When she recovered, she answered, "Of what are you speaking, sir?"

"You believe Mr. Darcy cannot care for you because you are below his station, do you not?"

It took her longer to recover this time. "Sir, I do not believe I am inferior to those of the ton, if that is what you are asking me, or even that Mr. Darcy believes so. But I know Mr. Darcy would not allow himself to care for me in that way, let alone offer for me, because of how the ton would react to it--if not for his own sake, then for the sake of his sister."

Mr. Bennet gave her a look of reproach and began to speak, but Elizabeth interrupted. "Papa, you know what happened with Mr. Hainsworth and how he was treated afterwards. I was much relieved when more interesting news came about just after our situation or he surely would have been subjected to such ridicule for a much longer period of time. I am certain that Mr. Darcy knows that this sort of behavior is exactly what would occur if he would ever offer for me."

Mr. Bennet replied, "I have watched Mr. Darcy very carefully, my dear, and you can rest assured that if any man has loved a woman, Mr. Darcy loves you. It is possible he will come to see the error of his ways--mayhap with the help of some of your friends in Town. Until then, I will enjoy your company here at Longbourn. That is, unless you are still determined to leave me to visit Mrs. Collins."

Elizabeth stood and walked around the desk to stand in front of her father, taking his hands in hers. "Papa…I will visit Mrs. Collins as promised and then return to Longbourn. I have spent many hours contemplating this lately, sir. Whether Mr. Darcy cares for me is irrelevant, as I am sure he would not have left Netherfield the way he did if he meant to make me an offer. Do not depend upon being rid of me any time soon."

"If this be the case, then he does not deserve you, my Lizzy." Mr. Bennet stood and kissed his daughter on the forehead.

Her smile faded as she sighed and left the room. Seeing this caused Mr. Bennet's heart to ache for his daughter's lingering despondency. It was obvious to him that whether Darcy deserved her or not, Lizzy still loved him.

~Gracechurch Street, London

March dawned, which meant that the time had come for Elizabeth to visit Charlotte in Kent. She planned to stop in London for two nights along the way. The welcome she received at Gracechurch Street was quite enthusiastic. Elizabeth and Jane were so happy to see each other that they held each other for a full minute before Elizabeth was surrounded by the Gardiner children demanding that it was only fair for Cousin Jane to share Cousin Lizzy's attention. Before her arrival, Jane had shared with her aunt that Mr. Bennet wrote to her saying that Elizabeth was much more like herself again, and it was a relief to see it with their own eyes--though both ladies could see she was still not fully recovered.

Elizabeth and Jane spent much time together walking and talking over the next two days. Elizabeth could see that Jane was becoming more adept at hiding her sadness over the loss of Mr. Bingley, but it had endured…just as hers had over Mr. Darcy.

The Gardiners offered to take the young ladies to the theater the second evening Elizabeth was with them, but Elizabeth declined saying she would much rather spend her limited time in London with the family. It was only partly true, though nobody would say it aloud: Elizabeth did not wish to chance seeing Mr. Darcy while in town.

Thursday, March 5, 1812

~Hunsford Cottage, near Rosings Park, Kent

As Elizabeth's carriage arrived at Hunsford Cottage, Charlotte rushed out to meet her and embraced Elizabeth as if she had not seen her in three years rather than three months. Immediately, Elizabeth knew that she had done the right thing by coming. Mr. Collins came out to meet her as well, chattering about all the benefits of his home and the excellent condescension of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He showed his guest every corner of the house, detailing every improvement that Lady Catherine had either made or recommended for him to make. The highlight of the tour, judging by the number of times it had been mentioned, would be the shelves in the closet of the room Elizabeth would be occupying. When they finally arrived at Elizabeth's bedchamber, the closet was opened and presented in such a way that Elizabeth felt obliged to make a comment about how pleasing the arrangements of shelves were. A satisfied Mr. Collins finally left the ladies to themselves, much to their satisfaction.

After Elizabeth had rested a while, she joined Charlotte in her sitting room. They talked and once they were all caught up on what little news they had not shared by letter, and since Charlotte had some household matters to attend to, Elizabeth went to her chamber to unpack.

Over the next day or two, Elizabeth became acclimated to the routine of the household. It seemed Mr. and Mrs. Collins spent little time together during the day, which was a great relief to Elizabeth. When able, Elizabeth worked with Charlotte mending, embroidering, or visiting parishioners, but there were quite a few daily tasks and errands which did not allow for Elizabeth's attendance, and she would be on her own for hours at a time. When Mr. Collins went out, she would write her letters. Though Mr. Collins had been on his best behaviour since her arrival, Elizabeth made every attempt to be out of the house as much as possible whenever Mr. Collins was within and Charlotte was busy, fearing to spend time alone with him after all that had happened at Longbourn and Meryton.

The one thing about Charlotte that was of most concern to Elizabeth was that occasionally Elizabeth would look up to find her with an almost frightened look in her eyes before she realized that she had been caught out and schooled her features. On several occasions Elizabeth asked Charlotte if anything was bothering her, but her friend dismissed it and declared herself to be content with her new life.

Elizabeth found a bench in the shade of a grove of apple trees where she would go to read her letters or books. Though she tried to hide it, Elizabeth could tell Jane's spirits continued to be quite depressed at the loss of Mr. Bingley's attentions. She allowed a mirthless snicker to escape her lips while wondering if Jane was thinking the same about herself and Mr. Darcy. If so, Jane's thoughts would be accurate.

Foolishness is indeed the sister of wickedness.
--Sophocles (Greek dramatist, 495 BC – 406 BC)

~Rosings Park

"Our guest has arrived, Lady Catherine. You will meet her at church on Sunday."

"Mrs. Collins mentioned that one of her former neighbors from Hertfordshire would be visiting this month. I have told her it is good practice for her to be entertaining so soon after your marriage. I shall show my approval by inviting you all to tea tomorrow afternoon. And which of your future neighbors will I be meeting, Mr. Collins?"

"You are very gracious, Lady Catherine! It is my cousin, Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

"Elizabeth Bennet? Elizabeth Bennet!" She turned a very odd shade of purple. "Why would you allow that harlot to visit your wife, Mr. Collins? This is the minx who has used her arts and allurements in an attempt to cheat my daughter, Anne, of her rightful betrothal to my nephew! How could you do such a thing to me--me, for whom you say you would do anything, Mr. Collins? You shelter her under your roof, entertain her, and feed her? Did you expect me to invite her to my home? No! You will not disgrace Rosings by bringing that little wench to tea! You will turn her out of your house this instant! Do not give her money or lend her transportation. Put her out on the streets where she belongs!"

Mr. Collins bowed and apologized more than ever he had before. His cowering served to calm Lady Catherine at first and then she ignored him as her eyes tightened to slits as she contemplated the opportunity the situation presented.

"Stop, Mr. Collins! That is quite enough. It has occurred to me that having the detestable Elizabeth Bennet close by where I can make sure she is not using her wiles to lure my nephew in would not be a bad thing after all. Keep her here at Hunsford. But I will not allow her to pass through the doors of Rosings, and this will mean your wife will lose the pleasure of my company and that of my daughter while that hoyden is staying under your roof – unless she comes without her!"

One who knows how to show and to accept kindness will be a friend better than any possession.
--Sophocles (Greek dramatist, 495 BC – 406 BC)

~On the grounds of Rosings Park

Over the next fortnight, Elizabeth spent much time walking the beautiful grounds of Rosings, finding new paths to explore almost every day, and at times she went searching for a peaceful place to sit and read a book. She often came across the gardeners on the grounds and talked to them if they had the time. She spent some time at the stables admiring a new litter of puppies the gardeners had told her about, and enjoyed watching a young horse being trained.

When near the stables she would see a boy of about nine years of age with very straight, almost white hair and intelligent green eyes. He was always working diligently, cleaning out the stalls and other menial tasks. She attempted conversation with him a few times, but he would not answer her. She found out through other stable hands that his name was Johnny and that he did not speak to anyone; some guessed that he could not speak.

Elizabeth at first suspected that if he did not speak then it was possible that he could not hear--she knew a boy who could not hear at the orphanage she visited with her Aunt Gardiner--but it was soon proved that was not the case since she saw him follow directions without any trouble even when he was not looking in the direction of the speaker. He also reacted to her approach by looking around even when she came up from behind him.

Johnny carried a toy ship with him whenever he was not working, and she always saw it nearby when he was working. Sometimes she would see him walking on the grounds, the toy ship in his hands, and she assumed he was going somewhere to play with it. It appeared that he had no playmates, and the ship seemed to be his only toy.

Johnny was followed around by a tall, burly boy with wavy black hair and dark eyes. The others told her this boy, whose name nobody knew, followed Johnny everywhere, and that there had been a man who had done the same before this boy replaced him. That man had spoken a little about what his job entailed when someone had asked him for assistance a few times--he was being paid to watch Johnny to the exclusion of all else, no matter how urgently he might be needed elsewhere.

Elizabeth guessed the boy was about sixteen or seventeen years of age, and much more muscular than she had ever known a boy of that age to be. She had never witnessed the older boy speaking either. The two never approached each other--he just watched Johnny from afar at all times. Elizabeth thought everything about the two boys considerably strange, and she had become excessively curious about them both.

One day, Elizabeth was exploring the grounds and followed a stream to a beautiful pond. Though much larger, the meadow surrounding the pond was reminiscent of her special place near Longbourn and, in turn, it was comforting to her, so she found a place to sit and read. After reading her book for a while, a movement at the far side of the meadow caught her attention. Johnny moved through the bushes, followed by the older boy. Johnny sat by the pond and placed his ship in the water. The older boy sat on a fallen log and looked at Johnny watching the boat sail across the pond.

Elizabeth observed the boys, and when nothing changed for a several minutes, she wandered to the opposite side of the pond, where the boat had come ashore, watching both boys' reactions. The older boy stiffened as she approached and then relaxed his stance when she turned the boat around and pushed it out into the pond toward Johnny. The two continued on this way for a few minutes before the older boy stood up and whistled, and then Johnny took the boat out of the water and waved to Elizabeth before disappearing into the woods with the older boy following him.

"How singular!" she thought.

Elizabeth decided to go back to the pond as often as possible when she went for a walk over the next few days. She explored the area surrounding the pond and made a plan for the next time that she would meet Johnny and the older boy. She went at different times of the day as her time with Charlotte would allow, but only came upon the boys again at the same time of day as she had met them before. This time when the boat crossed the pond to her side, Elizabeth removed it from the water and began to walk upstream, motioning for them to follow.

The threesome walked until Elizabeth found the place that she had been looking for. The stream feeding the pond entwined through the woods from this point, where a small waterfall traversed a rocky slope. She placed the boat in the water below the waterfall. Johnny's eyes lit up, and they all followed the ship as it traveled down the stream toward the pond. They repeated this one more time before the older boy whistled; Johnny waved and both boys disappeared into the woods.

Elizabeth tried to go to the pond whenever she could at the time she knew the boys would be there. After a few meetings, Johnny talked to her. He would not say much, but he did tell her that he had worked in the stables for the past two years and that he was only allowed to play during a certain time of the day when his duties allowed. He also told her with a proud air that his great-grandpapa had made the toy ship for him. Elizabeth tried to talk to the older boy, but he did not answer her inquiries. She could not even find out his name. Were the boys simply shy or were they afraid to speak to her? Elizabeth could not decide.

Since Elizabeth was one to be active, and Johnny seemed to have only one toy, she decided to make Johnny a kite. One day when she walked into the village with Charlotte, she used a portion of the money her father had given her to spend as she pleased to buy supplies she could not fashion herself, such as twine, cloth, a long length of ribbon, glue and a knife to carve with. The next time she met the boys, she cut two thin branches along the way to the waterfall. When they reached the pond, Elizabeth sat on a boulder and began shaving the branches smooth with the knife. Neither of the boys asked what she was doing, but since she had taken out the knife, she noticed the older boy staying further away from her than usual and watching her more carefully. She did not enlighten them about what she was doing other than telling them it was called a kite.

Every day that they met in the meadow, she worked on the kite a little bit more after the ship took a ride down the stream. The day came when the kite was finished, and it was the perfect weather for kite flying. Both boys seemed very excited when she declared the kite ready.

Johnny asked, "What's a kite for?" Elizabeth just smiled in reply. She hiked up her skirts and ran across the field. The kite took flight, and Elizabeth looked back to see the boys standing next to each other. Observing the boys with the first smile she had ever seen upon either of their faces was more than enough payment for the time and effort Elizabeth had spent making the kite. The boys walked toward her.

"It's like a bird!" Johnny said in awe.

The older boy nodded and said, "Johnny, time to return to the stables."

Both Elizabeth and Johnny were stunned. Neither had ever heard the boy speak.

When Elizabeth had recovered, she said, "When next we meet, I will teach you both how to fly the kite. Goodbye, Johnny! Goodbye…" she raised her eyebrows in anticipation.

"My name is Abe, Miss Lizzy."

"Goodbye, Abe!" she flashed him a brilliant smile. The "queen of kites" had surpassed all of her expectations for the day.

Elizabeth continued to meet Johnny and Abe when she could and taught them how to do some kite tricks that she had discovered through the years. Abe wanted to make a kite of his own, and Elizabeth helped him only by directing a few of his actions. Obviously Abe had paid very close attention when she had made Johnny's kite and was quite accomplished at crafting things. Elizabeth presented the first kite to Johnny as a gift.

Friday, March 20, 1812

~Darcy House, London

If not for Georgiana and Richard's actions, Darcy might have been trapped in his drunken state, headed for Bedlam or worse. Georgiana could not get through to her brother, so she sent a letter requesting reinforcements--Richard.

On the night of Richard's unannounced late arrival, Darcy had forgotten to lock the door to his chambers when entering. Richard burst in upon him at a time when he was in an advanced state of inebriation, and Richard insisted on Darcy's answering for this recent behavior. After the argument between the two added to the exhaustion from his lack of sleep, Darcy had no trouble falling asleep for many hours. While he slept, Richard made Georgiana familiar with a portion of what he could understand of Darcy's ranting, and the two of them devised a plan to save his sanity.

Saturday, March 21, 1812

The next day, once Darcy had sobered, bathed, dressed in fresh clothing, and eaten the meal Georgiana and Richard had insisted upon, they moved to the library and the two worked on him.

Georgiana began shyly, "Brother, I know you still think of me as a child, but I am a young lady now. You have been so good to me and helped me through many difficult times. It is time that you allow me to do the same for you. Now that I am older and have experienced some difficulties myself," she continued as a blush made its way up her neck, "I hope you can trust me to be more understanding than I could have been in the past. Richard told me that your recent behavior is related somehow to Miss Bennet, whom you wrote about in your letters. Will you please explain to us both what happened so that we may be of help to you?"

Several minutes passed in silence as Darcy paced from the fireplace to the window and back, feeling two pairs of eyes watching his every move. Though he loved and trusted his sister and cousin, Darcy was at odds with himself about whether to speak to them of his heartache. He had always been a private man and laying out his heart for examination by others would make him feel even more vulnerable than he already did. But then, last night when he had made a slurred confession of sorts to Richard, it seemed to have helped. And he had little experience with romantic love…maybe this was a problem he could not face alone.

While Georgiana and Richard remained quietly seated, Darcy continued pacing as he told them much of what had passed between Elizabeth and himself in Hertfordshire, and how he had decided not to propose, not including the promise to his mother. He revealed to them that he did not know how to go on without her in his life.

Richard, quiet till now, decided it was time to speak. "I agree that Miss Bennet's character has been portrayed correctly by your brother, Georgiana. Even though you might think he is besotted with her by praising her so highly--if anything he has not done her justice." Turning to Darcy, he asked, "So, what is next, Darce? What are your plans now that you know you cannot live without her?"

Darcy looked surprised "Plans?"

At Richard's exasperated look, Darcy added after a few moments, "If you mean plans for myself…I have no plans other than my usual business affairs."

A look of anguish overtook Darcy's features as he tried to put his feelings into words, "I suppose it is my duty that I someday provide an heir to the estate…and to resign myself to spend the rest of my life shackled to a vain and selfish creature of the ton who has good social standing, a healthy dowry and not the brains to put two words of sense together…all the while knowing what I could have had if society had allowed it! Maybe that would be rightful punishment for my sins!"

Richard said, "You will stop this stupid talk of duty and honor, and you will end your misery and go court Miss Bennet with the intention of marrying her!"

"Richard, I knew even when I left Hertfordshire what I was losing…but I cannot marry her because of what is expected of me. I have a responsibility to Georgiana and my family. It would damage Georgiana's hopes of being accepted into society if I married someone of whom they did not approve, no matter how wonderful she may be! Scandal would not be welcomed by anyone in the family, and so she certainly would not be accepted there either. I cannot ask her to marry me just because I am selfish! I must think of others, and I must think of her! How could Elizabeth be happy if all of society and my family rejected her? She would grow to hate me…and I could not live with that."

"Brother, please! I want you to be happy! I care not about anyone who would snub me because you chose love. You deserve to be loved and have a happy life!" Georgiana said as tears filled her eyes.

"You might not care now, Georgiana, but you will when the families of the first circle give you the cut direct whenever you walk into a room!" Darcy boomed. His brow furrowed and utter misery enveloped his countenance as he moved to reach for the brandy decanter.

Richard stopped his hand "Darcy, you will listen to me now. You will not go there again," he pointed to the brandy, "not if Georgiana and I can help it. I will not allow you to go back to that hole from which I pulled you up last night! You have people depending on you, Darce, and depending upon your actions. What good can come from abandoning all matters of business? What do you think Miss Elizabeth would think of you then? Do you have any inkling what your behavior is doing to Georgiana? Even your housekeeper has come to me since I arrived to voice her concern about you! The entire staff is worried. You are lucky Mrs. Martin did not write to Mrs. Reynolds and have her come here to London! Or worse, yet, to my mother! No, Darce, you will not be drinking again any time soon!"

Darcy was ashamed of himself when Richard spoke of Elizabeth, remembering all that she had said to him on Oakham Mount. If nothing else, he owed it to her to strive to be the man she thought he was, and keep to his responsibilities. He sighed deeply.

"Speaking of my mother, you both are invited to tea tomorrow afternoon, and then a family dinner if you would be so inclined to stay. You must come--it was more of an order than a request, Darce. I was told that if you do not come, she will come here and drag you across to Matlock House by your ear in front of all of London!" Richard laughed heartily. "By the bye, I do not believe she was joking.

"I also should remind you of something you seem to have forgot. Since you have distanced yourself from the world lately, you may not be aware, but it is almost time for our annual visit to Rosings. We are leaving in two days' time, Darce."

Darcy was shocked! "We are not leaving for Rosings until the third and twentieth day of March!"

"Yes, that is in two days."

Darcy blinked a few times. "But…is it not February?" Darcy said confusedly.

"No, William, it is not." Georgiana pointed to the brandy decanter. "This is what happened to February and most of March, Brother."

Darcy closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Georgie, I am so sorry." Then he turned to Richard, "Tell your mother we will be there for tea and the family dinner, Richard."

Sunday, March 22, 1812

~ On the grounds of Rosings Park

It warmed Elizabeth's heart when she approached the meadow while Abe was flying the kite and Johnny was standing near him. She was too far away to hear, but she could see the two were conversing! The kite made a wrong turn, falling to the ground, and the boys began to laugh. Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears of joy. She watched the scene for several minutes unnoticed before returning to Hunsford Cottage to write a letter to Jane.

Chapter 15

Sunday, March 22, 1812

~Matlock House, London

Lady Adelaide Fitzwilliam, Countess of Matlock, was in her sitting room reading through some old letters when the Darcys and her son Richard arrived for tea. As they followed the footman to the door, they could hear her laughter ringing down the hall. The footman announced the three, and they entered the room before she could calm herself long enough to acknowledge their arrival. Georgiana, Darcy, and Richard could not help but smile in response to her mirth.

"Hello, dears! I am so glad to see you--Georgiana…William," she kissed them both on the cheek as she said their names, "and Richard, as always." He received a kiss as well.

"Aunt Adelaide, it is a pleasure to see you," Darcy replied. Georgiana was nodding with a wide grin.

"Why were you laughing like that, mother? Is it a letter from your chess partner?"

"Yes, she always sends the most pleasant and entertaining letters along with her next move for the game we are playing. Receiving her letters is a poor consolation for not having her in London, though, as she is one of my favorite friends."

At this point, Lord Matlock entered the room. After everyone was greeted properly, he said to his wife, "Adelaide, I heard your laughter all the way down the hall in my study. You must have received a letter from Miss Elizabeth."

Darcy twitched at the name, but thought himself rather silly for it was not possible that it could be his Miss Elizabeth.

"Unfortunately not, my dear, I only have been reading over some of her old letters."

"It has been a while since she has written, and I know you have missed her terribly. I do hope nothing is wrong. I know you are exceedingly fond of her, as am I."

"I must say, I have been worried. Something particular must have happened to delay her from writing for such a long time. She is usually a much more faithful correspondent than she has been for the past few months," she stated thoughtfully, and then remembered who else was in the room. "But you do not want to hear about my chess partner, do you?" The maids entered with a grand tea service and assorted goodies. "Ah, here is tea. Let us talk of what my niece and nephew have been busy with lately. And you, Richard, are always running here and there in the service of the Prince Regent. I have not seen William since…well, for at least a month or two." She looked at Darcy a bit suspiciously as he had been turning down her invitations lately, and she was always told he was not at home when she called at Darcy House to visit with Georgiana.

The tea was served and a few of the usual subjects were discussed, yet Lady Matlock's mind shifted back to the subject of her chess partner. A concerned expression passed over her face, and she walked to her writing desk to shuffle through a neatly tied bundle of letters to check the date on the last one.

She stood staring at the wall for a minute before Lord Matlock asked, "Adelaide, what is wrong?"

"Lizzy has not written since the tenth of October, Robert. I am worried now. Do you think Thomas would have written if something had happened to her? Or Madeline, she would have let me know, would she not?"

"My dear, you are quite the worrier. Of course Thomas, Madeline, or Edward would have told you. We saw Madeline, Edward, and Jane just this past month, and they said nothing at all about Lizzy to me."

"When I asked after Lizzy both ladies were very evasive. Madeline only said that Lizzy seemed not herself when they saw each other at Christmas. And Jane did not seem well either; she barely spoke and was quite depressed in spirits."

Darcy began choking on his tea, "Lizzy and Jane…Madeline and Edward …Thomas …could it be?" Once he recovered from coughing, Darcy said, "Is that Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner you speak of?"

"Yes, do you know them? Of course you do, he owns the bookshop you frequent, does he not? Lizzy, my chess partner, is his niece. Jane is Lizzy's sister. I have known them for years through Madeline Gardiner. I have often tried to have you two young men meet Lizzy and Jane, but you both slip out of any of my matchmaking schemes too easily. Lizzy would be perfect for you, William…"

It was Richard's turn to choke on his tea.

"Now, now, my dear, you promised not to try to play matchmaker again!" Lord Matlock chided.

"Oh, Robert, you and I have discussed many times how perfect Lizzy and William would be for each other. Do not try to lay the blame solely at my feet!"

The Earl cleared his throat as he picked up a newspaper to thumb through.

"My aunt and uncle would approve?" Darcy's heart was beating so fast that he thought it would burst. Could they not hear it? Darcy took a deep breath to try to calm himself.

Darce appeared so flustered that Richard thought he should make an attempt to distract his parents' attention from his cousin by asking, "How did you first make Mrs. Gardiner's acquaintance, Mother?"

Lady Matlock smiled. "A few years ago, Edward Gardiner's book shop had been highly recommended to your father. After a few visits there, Robert and Edward became friends and he had invited Edward to be his guest at his club. One morning, Robert had been at the shop to ask Edward to search for a first edition of a particular book, and Madeline Gardiner was introduced when she came in to speak to her husband. As impressed with Madeline's manners and good breeding as he had been with Edward's, he thought I would enjoy Madeline's company and extended an invitation to dine at Matlock House. We have been good friends ever since."

Trying to look as disinterested as possible Darcy said, "You are correct, Aunt. I do know the Gardiners. I also met the Bennets at Netherfield Park, the estate my friend Charles Bingley is leasing in Hertfordshire."

Finally Georgiana caught on and her eyes were open wider than her aunt and uncle had ever before seen them. Lady Matlock looked around her at the odd reactions of all the young people. This certainly was becoming curious…unless…could it be?

Lady Matlock's smile brightened the room. "I did not know you met Lizzy and her family, William! Why did you not tell me?"

Richard was the only one at that moment with a mind able to respond, "Neither Miss Bennet nor Miss Elizabeth made any mention of knowing you, Mama. They are not the type of ladies who advertise their connections to gain favor--that much is obvious!"

Darcy was struck with a remembrance from Oakham Mount…what had Elizabeth said? "Sir, by all accounts I have heard, and I do not mean Miss Bingley…for you do not know of some of my more excellent sources." She was talking of Aunt Adelaide and Uncle Robert!

"That is correct; neither Jane nor Elizabeth would use their connection with us for their own gain as so many other ladies would not hesitate to do. They would not dream of using others in such a way," said Lady Adelaide. "But Richard! You met them as well? When was this?"

"I was at Netherfield in the middle of November and remained until we returned to London--about a fortnight, I believe. Darcy arrived in Hertfordshire much earlier than I…Michaelmas, was it not, Darce?"

"Yes…yes." Was all Darcy could manage to say, while wondering, "Why is this information bothering me so? Why am I not happy at this news?"

"Oh…Michaelmas was just before Lizzy's letters stopped."

Darcy visibly started at this realization.

"What did you boys think of Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth?" Lord Matlock asked to break the silence.

"Miss Bennet is a very good sort of girl--kind and gentle. But Miss Elizabeth…she is absolutely charming," Richard replied glancing at Darcy, who had turned about as red as was possible, short of a high fever. "So…you were trying to match Darce and Miss Elizabeth, eh Mama? You would not characterize her as a mercenary lady then?"

Darcy gave Richard a sharp look.

Both Lord and Lady Matlock began to laugh at Richard's question. Lord Matlock recovered first, "Elizabeth Bennet, mercenary? Then you have not heard about Mr. Hainsworth and his pursuit of her two seasons ago…or was it three?" He waited till all three young people shook their heads in the negative, their faces showing their extreme interest. "Hainsworth is the grandson of a duke and has more wealth than Darcy and I put together! Or he will, once he inherits from his father, but he is no pauper now with what he has already inherited. He saw her twice after he accompanied his mother here for a dinner party that Miss Elizabeth attended with her aunt and uncle, was completely agog and made an offer. The poor man would not take 'no' for an answer! Miss Elizabeth had to leave her aunt and uncle's home in London to escape his attentions. She said she felt it unfair to her uncle to ask him to be constantly turning away such a highly placed gentleman from his door! It was a good thing he could not remember the name of the estate she lives on, eh, Adelaide? I do think the man would have set up camp on Longbourn's drive if he had!" Lord Matlock laughed again.

Lady Matlock spoke up, "Yes, and he made it quite difficult for us when we would not tell him where she lives! Really, you children do not listen much to gossip, do you? The ton was all abuzz about it for a few days. Though, it is possible you did hear of it and did not know it was Lizzy since the talk did not include her name. They were referring to her as 'a country nobody,' which is quite unfair based upon her success among my acquaintance. Those few who did know it was Lizzy felt it was a blessing that her name was not included in the gossip. It was just short of a miracle that the whole of the talk was of short duration, since a few days later a married woman ran off with a single gentleman, which was immediately followed by a divorce announcement from the husband. Since these events were far more entertaining to the ton than a refused proposal, Lizzy's story was quite forgotten about."

Richard was quite amused, "So, are you saying Miss Elizabeth is accepted by the first circles, Mama?"

"She has been accepted by some of the highest placed ladies in society for years when she has visited me for a morning call, tea, or dinner, and I myself have taken her along to call on some ladies. She does not often come to town, and so she has not as wide a range of acquaintances as she could have. I am aware that upon meeting her, members of the ton are usually initially prejudiced towards her due to her station, but those who have actually spent time with Lizzy approve of her greatly. The only people who did not find her acceptable were those who had their eye on Mr. Hainsworth for their own daughters but only after he had not been discreet about telling others of his preference for her while in company. It seems the news of his proposal being refused began to spread after he indulged too liberally in spirits at his club one night.

"But you have met Lizzy, Richard! What do you think?"

"I believe she would be a smashing success in the first circles, Mama." He smiled at Darcy.

"I am afraid the gossip did affect poor Lizzy in a way. She began to see herself as a 'country nobody,' at least in respect to marriage, and refused to allow me to introduce her to anyone in the ton after that--though I must admit I did try to sneak a few gentlemen through, including the both of you. I doubt she would ever be rejected by the ton as she is our particular friend, as well as that of the Duke of Beaufort. The Duke and I have attempted to set her to rights about it, but it does not seem to help. She only seems to remember what was said of Mr. Hainsworth when he offered for her and…oh how did she put it, Robert?" Lady Matlock inquired.

Lord Matlock replied, "Miss Elizabeth announced she would refuse to leg-shackle any man to a 'country nobody.' It is nonsense."

"Ah! Miss Elizabeth is a friend of the Duke? How did that come about?" Richard was enjoying himself greatly.

Lady Matlock laughed. "If you hear the Duke tell it, Lizzy and her aunt saved his life. However, Lizzy and Madeline are not quite as prone to exaggeration as the Duke is. Several years ago he was injured while being robbed, and the ladies happened upon him in a state of great anxiety. The ladies helped care for him and took him home in the Gardiners' carriage. The Duke has formed a special bond with Lizzy. She is almost like a daughter to him."

Lady Matlock was thoughtful for a moment, and then a smile spread across her face, "Georgiana, you have met Lizzy and Jane as well! Do you not remember?" When Georgiana shook her head, Lady Matlock continued, "It will be four years ago this summer that you and Lizzy were here for tea at the same time, though you were so young I do not believe the two of you spoke on that occasion. But you did meet again about two years ago." She turned to Lord Matlock, "Robert, it was two years ago that Mr. Hainsworth offered for Lizzy, not three, as it was the same time that Lizzy and Jane were in London and became reacquainted with Georgiana." Turning back to Georgiana, "When I came to sit with you, Lizzy was telling you a story about how she learned to ride a horse…oh, I do not remember exactly, but she made you feel much more comfortable whilst among all the ladies at the tea. The Bennet sisters entertained you all afternoon and…"

Georgiana was so excited that she interrupted her aunt--something she normally would not do. "Oh! Yes!" she clapped her hands and giggled, and then her words came tumbling out so quickly it was difficult to understand how this could be the same shy girl they all knew. "I felt comfortable enough with them to speak a little and had asked them if they liked to ride! Miss Elizabeth told me that when she was a young girl, her friend and she learned to ride in secret because they wanted to compete with the boys in a race that they were having in a nearby village. They would sneak away one of their father's horses from the stables. Since they did not know how to saddle a horse, they taught themselves to ride bareback! After all that, she was not allowed to enter the race because she was a girl. She told me that she never did learn to ride sidesaddle.

"Oh yes, Aunt! I do remember them now. Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth were so kind to me, and when I told them I had no sisters, they both entertained me with amusing stories of what it is like growing up in a house full of girls. But I must admit I enjoyed hearing stories of Miss Elizabeth as a young girl most of all!" Georgiana beamed.

"No one would guess by her manners in the drawing room or ballroom now, that she was a hoyden as a child," Richard added to help complete the picture of Miss Elizabeth for Georgiana.

Georgiana had been watching her brother through the corner of her eye during the entire conversation about Miss Elizabeth. He was sitting completely still as if in shock, though it was obvious to her that he was absorbing every word quite attentively. She had to look directly at him for a few moments to see whether he was breathing at all but found his breath was quite shallow and too rapid. His color kept changing from pallor to a deep blush, then back again.

Richard, trying hard to keep the mirth from his voice, spoke next, "Darce, will you tell my mother and father what you think of Miss Elizabeth?"

Darcy jumped up out of his seat and walked quickly over to the window, but remained silent.

Georgiana could not hold in her excitement any longer and spoke up, "He is in love with Miss Elizabeth but was too afraid that she would not be considered a proper marriage partner for a man of his station!"

Darcy did not even turn around to see anyone's reaction…he simply walked to the door and left the house.

Lady Matlock's elated heart at Georgiana's words fell as she watched her nephew walk out the door, and plummeted further still when she looked to her niece and saw her expression of dejection.

Georgiana buried her face in her hands and began to cry, "I did not mean to betray his trust so! I was so happy about what you said, Aunt, and I thought he would be as well. Everything you said about Miss Elizabeth negated everything he told us was keeping him from offering for her!"

Richard was sitting next to Georgiana and put his arm around her, handing her his handkerchief, "I thought the same, Georgie. He practically drank himself to death over her these past few weeks! One would think he would be ecstatic with today's news! I cannot account for this reaction at all."

Lady Matlock allowed a slight gasp to escape her lips and looked to her husband, who was reeling in shock from all that had been revealed in the past minute or so.

Richard got up from his chair, obviously about to follow his cousin, but Lady Matlock moved quickly and stopped him with a hand on his arm, "Richard…let me go after him. There is something I must do...I…Anne was so insistent on the timing of it…but I now see that I should have done this a long time ago."

"Anne? My mother?" Georgiana asked.

"Yes, my dear. I am glad you spoke when you did, dear Georgiana, for if you had not, William would have been in pain for a long time…possibly for the rest of his life.

"Georgiana and Richard, please keep Lord Matlock company for dinner…I will return when I am finished, but I know not when that will be. I would like you both to stay here until I return, even if it takes all night."

Everyone watched in confusion as she crossed the room to her writing desk and unlocked the bottom drawer. After removing a thick envelope, she left the room.

"Father, do you know…"

"No, Richard, I do not know of what your mother was speaking or what was in the envelope. Whatever it is, I do hope it helps William…and Miss Elizabeth."

Darcy walked out of the house, completely numb inside. He had shut down all his emotions when Georgiana spoke. He knew she was only trying to help…knew that the reason she said it was to make the point that Uncle Robert and Aunt Adelaide just taken away every reason he had stated for not proposing to Elizabeth. But none of them knew the true reason he could not do it, and he had no intention to tell them. He must keep his word to his mother! He could not betray her trust in him.

The thought that it most certainly was not his mother's fault that he was so miserable kept recurring to him as he walked on and on.

He knew not how long he had been walking, but the next time he was able to think clearly, he found himself staring into the front display window of Gardiner's Bookshop. Startled to find himself there, he quickly walked away, and got into the first hackney cab he could find, giving directions for Darcy House.

Once inside the cab, he reached into his pocket and took out the treasure he carried with him every day…Elizabeth's bookmark. It was his only physical link to her. She had chosen the ribbon; she had held it in her hands with her delicate fingers; she had worked on the stitching, and she had done most of the work for him!

At Netherfield, he had planned to use the plain white ribbon with her initials in the corner as a keepsake of her since the instant he realized that she had placed it there two years prior, and was desperate to take it out before she borrowed the book. He could not do it without someone's seeing him, so he reluctantly allowed her to leave Netherfield with it inside the book.

After she returned the book and he was just out of sight of Longbourn, he stopped his horse. He could not wait for another moment to pass before retrieving it. When he gently pulled her bookmark from the book, he gasped when he saw that she had done more work on it.

As they talked during their shared breakfast in her little clearing, Elizabeth described its appearance in the spring, the time of year she loved it best. She shared how she had planted her favorite spring flowers there across from the boulder where they had sat.

Even in the low light of the moon, he recognized that she had embroidered her favorite flowers on the bookmark. His heart swelled with joy…Elizabeth had embroidered it for him! She gave of herself, expecting nothing in return. He had never received such a heartwarming gift.

Darcy also knew that he never would receive anything that meant more to him. In a future devoid of Elizabeth, there was no chance of that happening.

The only time he had seen her after that was at the ball. With his high emotions that evening, he had forgotten all about thanking her for it. She would never know how special it was to him.

Darcy lightly brushed his fingertips over the bookmark once more before returning it to the pocket over his heart.

~Hunsford Cottage

After seeing the boys conversing so nicely, Elizabeth was anxious to write to Jane, making her aware of the boys' most recent progress. She arrived at the parsonage and was headed for her room to write her letter when a strange scraping noise coming from the sitting room caught her attention. Wanting to see if there was something wrong, she went to investigate. When she grasped the door handle, she noticed that it was locked and was going to move away, but the latch was not engaged properly and her touch pushed the door open part way. Peaking through the opening while reaching to close the door, she met with a strange sight and froze in place.

Mr. Collins had moved a heavy chair and had rolled the rug off to the side of the room. Part of the floor was pulled up as if it was a hatch door and was leaning on the chair that had been moved. A large metal box was open on the table beside the chair. Mr. Collins was facing away from the door, thankfully, and was mumbling to himself. Several papers and a ledger book lay on the table before him.

Afraid Mr. Collins might detect her presence, Elizabeth backed out of the room, being careful to close the door quietly behind her. She took up her things and rushed out of the house as quickly as she could, deciding that her original choice of staying outdoors when Mr. Collins was home alone must have been a correct assessment. She would wait for Charlotte to return home before going back to Hunsford Cottage.

Elizabeth took a long walk trying to sort out what Mr. Collins had been about, but could only determine one thing. Whatever it was, he meant for it to be kept a secret, and now that she knew about its existence, Elizabeth wondered if she was in any danger…and if Charlotte was in danger as well.

~Darcy House

As Darcy walked into his house, the footman attempted to speak to him, but Darcy waved him off and headed straight for his study. When he opened the door, he had a feeling that he knew what the footman had been trying to convey. His Aunt Adelaide was waiting for him within, curled up, a book laid across her lap, in his most comfortable chair by the fire, sleeping. He wondered how long she had been there.

He walked across the room to where the brandy was usually kept, but he found the decanter empty and slammed his fist on the table. "Richard!" He thought, "Have I been so bad that Richard does not trust me to drink in moderation, even after I promised?"

Darcy heard his aunt stir and sighed. "I am sorry Aunt Adelaide; I did not mean to wake you."

She stretched a bit. "I am glad you did, William. I need to speak with you…or rather I have to tell you something and give you a letter. I will wait in another room for you to read it in case you have any questions. You should not have to wait any longer for answers, my dear."

Darcy was curious. This was not what he expected her to say when he saw her waiting for him. He motioned for her to sit, then sat in the chair across from hers and waited.

"As you know, after giving birth to Georgiana your mother was seriously ill. She knew she would leave us soon. She and I were closer than sisters. I was there attending the birth and stayed at Pemberley for a few days, but had to leave because Richard had fallen quite ill while at school. I must say leaving her just then was one of the most difficult things I have ever done, but she understood that my son needed me. Before I left, she dictated two letters to me since she was too weak to write them herself. One is for you, and one is for Georgiana."

Lady Matlock let what she had said hang in the air between them for a minute, and then continued, "Your mother gave me specific directions about when to give the letters to the two of you. It was to be only when you were seriously thinking about getting married. I have respected her wishes, though--knowing what it says--now I think I should not have waited. I should have given it to you sooner, William, and I apologize. I do believe that I will give Georgiana her letter just before her coming out."

Lady Matlock handed him the letter. "Remember, it may be my handwriting but these are your mother's words, not mine." She hesitated again, "I will be in the drawing room. Please come to me when you are ready. You may ask me any question at all. I do understand the way she thought, William; we had spent many hours discussing what we wanted for our children. I will not leave until I hear from you, even if it takes all night." She rose, kissed him on the forehead and left him alone.

Darcy sat staring at the letter for some minutes before he had the courage to open it.

My dearest William,

I am having your Aunt Adelaide write this letter for me as I know my time on this earth is limited. There is much I wanted to be able to teach you, to tell you, my son, but I will not be here to say these things to you. I should wish to know with what difficulties you will meet so that I know what advice to share with you here, but, alas, I am left to guess.

What will happen in your life I know not, I can only imagine, just as I have spent countless hours since you have been born, imagining what your life would be like. I tend to imagine only good things for your future, William, but I do know there will be unpleasant happenings in your life as well. I prefer not to think forward to the unpleasant, just as I prefer to look upon the past only as it gives me pleasure.

I would like to think you will read this letter several times in your lifetime, perhaps whenever you would have come to me for advice or comfort. As you read this, I am there with you, William. I will always be there with you. My love for you, Georgiana, and your father will never end. I believe the only reason my heart continues to beat at this moment is in anticipation of seeing the three of you just once more.

I ask you to help Georgiana understand how much I love her. A short amount of time spent together does not make the heart love less. I hope you will tell her of the times that you and I enjoyed each other's company so that she might know me through your memories. I have asked Adelaide to tell you both stories of me as well.

I was hoping to learn who you both will grow up to be. You are a shy boy, and I wonder if you will remain shy as you become a man. I regret not being able to know the adult you will be.

I know you will be handsome and strong, honorable and kind, intelligent and loving. You will be an excellent master of Pemberley when the time comes, a good brother, a good husband and a good father, William. Of that I have no doubt. Have confidence in yourself, as do I, that you will do your best in all things.

I see in you a person who has difficulty tolerating his inability to do everything perfectly. Please forgive yourself for any mistakes you may make, dear. Be assured I was far from perfect! Your father is not perfect, though he might be less inclined than I to admit it. We are all imperfect creatures; it is how G-d intended us. It is expected of us to make mistakes, William, please understand that.

I worry about what your father will do after I am gone. He loves me so deeply and completely--as I love him. I worry that he will never be the same once I am gone, and I hope this does not harm you or your sister. Please know that he loves both of you deeply, my dear, and that love will never change. It is not in his nature to display it the way I would. Will you be more like your father or me in this way, I wonder?

I know how difficult the ton is, dearest. Do not let them frighten you into doing anything that you do not know in your heart to be the correct thing for you. Yes, there are things we all must do that make us uncomfortable, but if you know it to be wrong, then it is wrong, son. Trust your judgment.

The most important people in your life will be those who love you for who you are inside--the man who is Fitzwilliam Darcy--not your name, social standing or wealth. You may have many acquaintances in your lifetime, but choose your friends well. Choose those who would care for you, no matter what.

I think the most important lesson I have learned is to love. Choose your wife well, William. Do not let anyone talk you into marrying only to increase the wealth or rank of the family. I warn you, your Aunt Catherine can be a strong-willed woman, but do not allow my sister to tell you that you must choose her daughter for anyone's sake but your own, and only if you love her, son. I know you could never choose someone who would disrespect our family or harm your sister. Do not allow Catherine to convince you to think otherwise!

Your father and I were happy every minute we were together, even when we disagreed. We respect each other and have many of the same interests, but most of all we love each other deeply. There is nothing that could come close to a life filled with love, I promise you. If you cannot remember us together, look to your Aunt Adelaide and Uncle Robert as an example of great love.

When you have thought any situation through and are still undecided, choose your heart over duty. That is the only way you will be happy. Love can help you answer most questions, even those you think have nothing to do with it.

I will tell you just once more that I love you, dearest William, and please know that I will be with you always.

~Hunsford Cottage

Upon returning from her second walk of the day, Elizabeth checked with the maid to see if Mrs. Collins was within before removing her pelisse and bonnet. Once assured that the mistress was home, she braced herself for any possible reaction to her discovery.

The evening progressed as it normally did, though Elizabeth retired earlier than usual; placing her trunk against the door after locking it…spending the next hours in thought since sleep would not come.

Observe your enemies, for they first find out your faults.
--Antisthenes (Greek Philosopher 444BC – 371BC)

~Darcy House

Lady Matlock waited in the drawing room for what seemed to be a long time. She did not quite remember every word of the letters she had written sixteen years ago for her sister-in-law, but she remembered the general ideas. She did remember many of her conversations with Anne, their hopes and dreams for their children's futures. How different things had turned out for their children from what they had expected, but still…they were all good to the core. She spent this time reviewing many of the happy moments she shared with William's mother, many of which had been recounted for her children over the years that had elapsed since her passing.

It took Darcy quite some time to read the letter in its entirety, for often his tears would not allow him to see the words clearly. By the time he had reached the end, he felt as if a great weight had been lifted from him.

Once he recovered, he went searching for his aunt. She stood when she saw him enter the room and held out her arms to him.

Darcy crossed the room quickly and embraced her, "Thank you; it is exactly what I needed. I feel like I can breathe again, Aunt. I have not felt this way since…since before mother became ill, to own the truth." He took a deep breath to prove it. "I will be leaving for Longbourn at first light tomorrow!"

"I am glad to hear it, dear; I am sorry I had not given it to you sooner. But William…while I agree with your reasoning to do this as soon as possible, I do think you are going to have to wait a bit longer. You are forgetting that you are to be leaving for Kent tomorrow with Richard, are you not?"

Darcy closed his eyes and sighed, "Yes, of course. Aunt Catherine! I had trusted her, you know. Mother called me to her rooms shortly before she died, and she was so weak…she had me promise three things. One of them was to 'marry well.' I fault you not, my dearest aunt, for you had good reasons, but I was considerably troubled and confused by it. Aunt Catherine was there and without you there, I made the mistake of asking her. She gave me her version of what my mother meant by those words and she has trounced me with it often over the years. Until reading my mother's letter just now, I believed what she told me!

"I thought that by marrying Elizabeth, I would be going against the promise that I had made to my mother--which is the true reason I left Hertfordshire, Aunt. It is also the reason I left your house today. If nothing else, I had convinced myself that if Elizabeth married me, the ton would make her miserable with their judgments of her, and that their rejection of Elizabeth would cause Georgiana to be rejected as well.

"Under no circumstances did I ever want to blame my mother for making me so miserable, but the conversation about Elizabeth took away all the reasons I had used to convince myself that I could not marry her. Part of me began to blame Mother, and I now know that I was trying to run away from that part of myself this afternoon.

"As I read her letter just now I realized that if I do not offer for Elizabeth, I would be acting against my mother's wishes! It shames me that I did not see that my mother would want only my happiness." Darcy looked away to hide the tears welling up in his eyes.

Lady Matlock touched his cheek. "She also said to forgive yourself your mistakes, William. I remember that clearly. I think you have already endured more heartache over this than you deserve, and you should heed your mother's advice."

Darcy swallowed hard and took a deep breath before continuing, "To think that Aunt Catherine has lied to me for sixteen years! Mother said things in her letter that were the exact opposite of what Aunt Catherine told me her sister wanted! Why would she do such a thing? Did she believe it? I cannot even begin to comprehend why she would choose to exploit my mother's death. I do not understand her at all. And you say that I must go visit her instead of rushing to Elizabeth's side to begin courting her properly as I so desperately wish to do? Why do you say this, Aunt Adelaide?"

"Dearest William, I think you know my opinion of Catherine has never been favorable. Something inside me is telling me that you must go to Rosings. I do not understand it, but I feel it intensely. If nothing else, go for long walks and think of precisely how you will ask my good friend Lizzy to marry you."

"You believe I should offer marriage instead of courtship then?"

"Absolutely!" Lady Adelaide smiled brilliantly.

He answered her smile with one of his own, with a display of dimples that his aunt hoped would no longer be a rare occurrence. "I have waited this long, I believe I can wait a few more days, Aunt…but no longer!"

The clock on the mantel chimed, and Lady Matlock said, "I do believe I am hungry, William. Shall we return to my house for dinner?"

"I did not realize it was so late, Aunt, I am sorry. I will freshen up and meet you in a few minutes. Is that acceptable?" he asked.

"Yes, my dear." She answered with a great sense of relief and a kiss to his cheek.

~Matlock House

When Lady Matlock and Darcy arrived at Matlock House, they were met with a room full of worried faces. Darcy walked directly to his sister, picked her up and twirled her around as he used to do when she was a young girl. She giggled and looked up at her brother in time to see a grin she had not seen since before the death of their father. "I am glad to see your mood much improved, Brother!"

"Yes, and I have you to thank for it, Georgiana. It would not be so if not for your disclosure earlier today, my dear." He twirled her one more time, and her giggles filled the room.

Richard and Lord and Lady Matlock were enjoying the display, though their hunger overruled its continuation, and all moved to the dining room. The remainder of the evening was passed in an agreeable way, with much laughter filtering into the halls of Matlock House.

The only low point in the conversation came when Georgiana mentioned that she had received a letter from Aunt Catherine the day before. She thought it a most normal thing to speak of since her brother and cousin were going to visit her the next morning, but it seemed to dampen the high spirits of her brother and aunt.

After watching the young people's coach depart, Lord Matlock asked his wife, "What on earth did you do to William, my dear? I have never seen him so happy!"

"It was not I, Robert, it was your sister Anne who had the words of wisdom; I was only the messenger."

"Are you speaking in riddles, Adelaide?"

"No, my dear, Anne left a letter in my care to be given to William when he was seriously considering marriage. I have one for Georgiana as well, but after this experience I do think giving it to her just before her coming out would be more appropriate."

"You know the contents of the letter?"

"Yes, Anne was too weak to write, so she dictated the letters to me. They are similar, though Georgiana's had a bit more, oh dear, how shall I say it...ladies' talk."

"Ah, well!" Lord Matlock shifted in his chair, feeling very uncomfortable at the mere mention of "ladies' talk." "I trust your judgment, Adelaide. If you think it should be given to her before her coming out, then I do not doubt that it should."

Posted on: 2010-10-10

Chapter 16

It is impossible to love and to be wise.
--Francis Bacon (English Philosopher 1561 – 1626)

Monday, March 23, 1812

~Rosings Park

Every year Darcy looked toward to his obligatory visit to his aunt with apprehension and displeasure, but this visit he was absolutely dreading. Though he knew Aunt Catherine was selfish, he had never thought that she would take advantage of his sorrow at the loss of his mother. But to find that she had been lying to him every time he was in her presence for the past sixteen years was astounding! How could he ever look upon her without contempt? He had already informed Richard that he would only be staying three days--long enough to see that their Cousin Anne was well and to see that Rosings' ledgers were in order. Darcy also decided he would take this opportunity to confront Aunt Catherine with his newly found awareness and put an end to this gnawing feeling of having been betrayed.

In four days' time he would be on his way to Elizabeth! His thoughts wandered to seeing her again--how lovely she would be, what he would say to her, and how entering her presence always felt as if he were coming home.

His mind was pleasantly engaged in this manner as the coach entered the parklands surrounding Rosings. When Darcy first caught a glimpse of a lady walking in a glade near the road, as usual his mind compared her to Elizabeth. The lady usually would come up lacking…but when this lady looked toward the noise of the passing coach, Darcy found he could not breathe. It was Elizabeth!

Darcy was about to signal the driver to stop the coach, but he hesitated. He had to think!

Suddenly remembering that disgusting cousin of hers, he panicked. Last night when Georgiana mentioned Aunt Catherine's letter, she said that Mr. Collins had taken a wife!

"NO! It could not be possible that Elizabeth has married her revolting cousin! Mr. Bennet would not have forced her to marry him after our talk, would he? Why did I ever leave Hertfordshire?"

Darcy could not stop images of Elizabeth with that vile man from appearing in his mind, making him feel ill.

Richard saw a lady who looked very much like Miss Elizabeth as they passed. He turned to ask his cousin if he had seen her, when he heard Darcy repeating, "NO!" in a panicked tone of voice. Darcy began breathing so rapidly that Richard became concerned. He had seen similar reactions to stress on the battlefield, but what was going on now? He grabbed hold of Darcy's shoulders and shook him vigorously. Trying to ascertain whether to slap him, Richard watched Darcy's breathing. As his breath began to slow, Richard sat back and watched. By the time they had arrived at Rosings, Darcy had put up The Mask.

"Well, that answers that question--it must have been Miss Elizabeth! But what on earth is causing this reaction to seeing her? Her cousin is Aunt Catherine's parson and Georgiana said Collins got married recently but I know Charlotte was engaged to him when we left Netherfield. If anyone, I should be the one reacting to having to see Charlotte with that odious man! But if Darce did not know about Charlotte's plans, he might assume Miss Elizabeth was the new bride. Perhaps I should enlighten him? But…I had better confirm just who the new Mrs. Collins is before I mention it to Darce. If I am wrong and Miss Elizabeth is now Mrs. Collins and we find this to be true after I told him it was not so…it might have even worse effects than I am seeing now. I had better prepare foranything to happen today!"

Concerned and confused, Elizabeth answered, "I am sorry to hear you were not well, sir, and glad to know you are improved. To answer your question, my sister is not engaged. Mr. Bingley left three days after the ball. I will be honest, Mr. Darcy...Miss Bingley wrote to Jane that Mr. Bingley was attached to your sister, implying they would soon marry, and the Bingleys would not be returning to Netherfield."

"My sister? Miss Bingley wrote that Charles Bingley and my sister…Georgiana?" When Elizabeth nodded, he said, "There has never been, nor will there ever be, an attachment between them. While they do care for each other, their feelings are almost as brother and sister. I do not understand where Miss Bingley would get such an idea. Though it may be one of Miss Bingley's wishes, it does not make it true. It is disturbing to me that she should pass along such false information to you and your sister, and involving my sister in her deception! I cannot begin to imagine what she must have told Bingley to get him to leave. I will do my best to look into the entire matter when I return to London."

"Thank you, Mr. Darcy," she said with a dazzling smile.

Darcy followed Elizabeth as she turned off the path they had been following and moved through some bushes into the meadow where she usually met Johnny and Abe. Darcy looked around at the beautiful little meadow filled with spring crocuses, blue bells, snow drops and other early spring flowers. Darcy smiled and said, "How do you find these places?"

"Ah, we Dryads know all the beautiful sights to see in the woods! But this place is not mine alone. I share it with good friends."

She approached the pond, sat on the shore, and began to wash the mud off her arms. "I do not believe sitting in the dirt will make my dress much worse," Elizabeth smiled. Darcy was not able to tear his eyes away and was amazed at how such a simple sight could stir him so.

When she was finished, he offered her his handkerchief to dry her arms, and then took it back. "I will need this to wash the scrapes on your face. But first I think we should remove the leaves and twigs from your hair and pin it back so that I may clean the dirt away more easily."

Elizabeth blushed and put her hands on her cheeks. "Oh! I forgot! But I have no mirror, sir; you will have rid my hair of nature for me." She searched her hair for any remaining pins and plucked out anything else she could find while walking to a nearby rock to sit upon it.

Darcy stood behind her--running his hands through her hair was something he had been dreaming about since the moment he saw her, her hair down, in the hallway at Netherfield. As she removed the pins, her chestnut brown curls tumbled down her back and its highlights glistened in the sun. He tried his best to concentrate on the leaves and twigs and not on Elizabeth or her hair, attempting to identify the plant each came from--but it was impossible to achieve. When he was finished intently removing the leaves, he ran his fingers through her locks with the excuse of the need to work out any knots that might have remained before she pinned it up again. It was like no other sensation…the closest way he could think to describe it was liquid silk flowing through his fingers, and even that description did not do the experience justice. Mesmerized, he proceeded carefully, precisely and thoroughly, and all the while the level of his ardor rose to a level higher than he had ever previously had to suffer. When he could no longer endure this pleasant but torturous employment, he thought, "How am I to face her just now?"

Elizabeth's voice was husky when she said, "Thank you, Mr. Darcy. May I pin it up now?"

He had been trying not to look at her before, but now his eyes moved down her figure and he noticed her breath had quickened considerably and her skin was flushed. Darcy closed his eyes at the question of whether his almost selfish ministrations could have affected her as it had him. It was absolutely impossible for him to look in her eyes just then. If the look there was anything like it had been in the hall after the ball at Netherfield just before they said goodbye…the memory of the passion in her eyes had tortured him almost constantly since November, and he did not know what he would do if he saw that look just now!

He cleared his throat. "Yes," he croaked, and he walked away to pace in the meadow behind her while she arranged her hair as best she could without a mirror. He did not return until he was certain he could behave properly.

When he came back to the rock, The Mask was in place. Upon seeing his expression, Elizabeth speculated quite close to the truth and was delighted by it.

"What?" he asked a bit gruffly.

"Oh, nothing!" Elizabeth giggled a little before stifling it. It was a glorious feeling to realize he was as attracted to her as she was to him.

Darcy took off his greatcoat and handed it to her, saying in a commanding voice. "You will need this to protect your dress from getting wet while I wash the dirt from the scratches upon your face." He walked to the pond to wet his handkerchief as Elizabeth donned his greatcoat, still suppressing a smile.

"The last thing I need right now is Elizabeth in a wet dress!" He groaned inwardly when the thought conjured up an image that almost sent Darcy off to pace again. He splashed his face with water a few times before dampening the handkerchief and returning to Elizabeth.

The Mask remained upon his face as he gently washed her face, refusing to look at her eyes. He ground his teeth as he forced himself to concentrate on washing the mud from the scrapes, so he did not notice her increased color or rate of breath. But when her hand touched his, he met her eyes and his breath caught. The chance of maintaining his control was beyond hopeless when he saw that look in her eyes. The Mask fell away and Darcy began to lean toward her--but just before his lips met hers, Elizabeth seemed to pull away from him. In the next instant, someone else was pushing between them.

Johnny began slamming his fists into Darcy's chest, forcing a confused Darcy to back away from Elizabeth. Abe caught up a moment later and pushed the entangled Darcy and Johnny into the pond. When his head emerged from the water, Abe yelled, "Run, Miss Lizzy, run!"

After an instant of shock, Elizabeth recovered and cried, "Johnny! Abe! This is my good friend, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy stood up, his lower half still submerged in the pond. "What excellent timing! I deserved a dip in the pond for what I was thinking just then!" he thought. Whether he was angrier at himself for losing control or at the boys for interrupting what was about to happen, he would never know.

Elizabeth bit her lip to stifle a laugh at the sight of Mr. Darcy, soaking wet, wearing a cross expression upon his face. Her efforts were almost completely nullified when he repeatedly slipped and fell while laboring to exit the pond. "The bottom is slippery!" an abashed Darcy explained.

Elizabeth had to bite down harder upon her lip to keep from laughing aloud as she nodded and walked toward the shore, holding out her hand. "Would you like some help?"

Considering the difference in their weight, the likelihood of his pulling her into the pond with him was greater than that of her pulling him out of the water. Though for the slightest instant he was tempted, the gentleman in him knew if that happened, he certainly would be completely undone--and so he waved her off.

Both boys were already standing on the shore, bracing themselves for the worst of consequences.

Once Darcy was standing on dry land, he removed his coat saying, "Excuse me, Miss Elizabeth, but this coat is now too heavy with water to wear any longer" and began wringing it out. Assuming Mr. Darcy distracted was by the task, Elizabeth's gaze briefly shifted down the length of his body as she appraised the way his wet clothing clung. At Darcy's gasp, their eyes locked; her approving thoughts were apparent for a fleeting moment before she regained control over her features. If one had made the attempt, it would have been difficult to determine whose resulting blush was a deeper crimson.

Removing his greatcoat, Elizabeth said, "Mr. Darcy, I do believe that you have more of a need of your greatcoat than I." As he took the coat, he saw that Elizabeth's eyes were full of amusement. Darcy turned away from the group to don the greatcoat.

Surprising even Elizabeth, as Darcy turned back to the group his dimples were showing, and his laughter began to resonate throughout the meadow. It was infectious--the boys began to laugh in relief, and Elizabeth was delighted that she no longer had to stifle her natural tendency toward enduring difficult situations by finding some measure of amusement in it.

After the laughter settled down, a blushing Abe spoke up, "I'm sorry, Mr. Darcy! We met some men in the woods and thought you were one of them bothering Miss Lizzy."

"If that is the case, there is no need for apologies! It is admirable that you are such brave boys who would fight for Miss Elizabeth's honor. I cannot express how grateful I am to know that you would do so," Darcy said with a bow to the boys, and then smiled at Elizabeth. "I assume these are the good friends with whom you share this beautiful meadow?"

Elizabeth made proper introductions, or as proper as could be done when one is introducing three dripping wet young men, two of whom she did not even know by surname. It was then that she noticed a mark on Johnny's cheek. "Johnny, have you been injured during your adventure in the pond?"

Johnny eyes moved to the ground, turmoil passing over his features. He remained quiet for several moments, and then answered with more emotion than she had ever heard from him, "No, 'twas the Wickedman who did it!"

"The Wickedman?" A flash of understanding made Elizabeth gasp, "Wickham? Did Mr. Wickham do this to you, Johnny?"

Johnny nodded the affirmative.

"Why would Wickham hit you?" Darcy's color was rising, in outrage this time.

"No reason…he always does, anytime he comes across me," Johnny replied angrily. Abe nodded and rubbed his own chin.

"He is here often then?" Darcy asked.

Johnny looked to Abe as if to ask permission to speak on the subject. "Abe, I trust Miss Lizzy, and she trusts Mr. Darcy."

Abe looked to Elizabeth. "Isn't he staying with Lady de Bourgh? Yet you trust him?"

Elizabeth was about to answer, but Johnny had already begun, "I didn't recognize him when we got to the meadow, but I've been here two years and seen Mr. Darcy twice before. He's not the same as her."

Abe was thoughtful for a minute or two. It was obvious by the change in his countenance that he had decided to trust Elizabeth and Darcy. Abe said to Johnny, "Then maybe he can help. This has gone too far!" Turning to Darcy, he continued, "Wickham is here every few weeks. Whenever a ship comes in, they come. They made my father work for them, too."

"Ship? Do you mean the crates and barrels the men were unloading into the cabin in the woods today came off a ship?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes. I worked with them before the man who watched Johnny was needed somewheres else. The things they sell in England come here first, but some of it stays onboard to go to America. Then they bring more from America here. Some goes to France."

Darcy rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Where do the shipments come from originally?"

"India," Johnny replied.

Both Elizabeth and Darcy understood the meaning of this at the same time. "India!" Elizabeth repeated.

Darcy's blood turned to ice. "They take some of it to France and America? Is that the merchandise stored under the floors of the ship?" Abe nodded.

Darcy looked to Elizabeth, whose eyes were wide. "The saltpetre! Is not saltpetre used to make gunpowder?" Not surprised that she would have knowledge of that, Darcy nodded.

Abe said, "Yes, my father says they are stockpiling it in America."

Elizabeth continued, "That is treason! They will use it to kill British troops!"

"Supplying the Americans is not treason--yet. We are not at war, though it looks as if we will be soon. But you are correct; supplying it to the French is treason!" Darcy's expression turned bleak. "I must tell Richard, his father, and Lady Catherine. We must put a stop to what is happening on our lands."

"You mean Lady Catherine de Bourgh, sir?" Abe asked. Darcy nodded.

"Lady de Bourgh knows, Mr. Darcy. She bosses most of us. Wickham, Collins and some of the others work with her." Darcy's eyes widened as he raked his hand through his hair and began to pace.

"How are you under her control, Abe?" Elizabeth inquired.

A small, mirthless laugh escaped Abe's lips. "She knows something about us or is holding someone we care about--sometimes both. Johnny is here to force his great-grandfather to do what she wanted after he refused. I don't know what. With my father and me it was my sister…what Wickham done to her!" Darcy's pacing stopped abruptly and Abe realized what he just said and blushed. "Excuse me, Miss Lizzy; I shouldn't have said that in front of a lady!"

After Elizabeth murmured her understanding, Abe continued, "Lady de Bourgh found out and took my sister somewheres and said she was 'safe'; I don't know where. At first we were thinking she was kind, but now if we don't do what she says…well I don't know what will happen. My father don't want to tell me."

Abe's air turned worried. "I hope my father and sister will forgive me for what I've said today, but I can't allow her to keep on doing this to people. It's not right!"

They spoke for a little while longer before Elizabeth urged, "It is getting late. I should like to get to Hunsford to change my dress before Mr. and Mrs. Collins return to avoid questions, and you all should depart as well. If we are not careful, we will all be missed."

"Wickham should be on his way back to the cabin if Collins isn't there, but we know a way to the parsonage and Rosings where we won't see Wickham again," said Johnny.

"Good. Let us be off." Darcy said. As they followed the boys, Darcy was lost in silent contemplation. Finally he said, "I do not like to think of your staying at Hunsford any longer, or even in this area. I shall take you away from here tonight!"

"I have been quite safe at Hunsford for almost three weeks, sir. I cannot think of an excuse to leave so abruptly tonight without raising suspicion. My departure will have to wait until the morning at the very earliest, Mr. Darcy. I will stay in the house, with my door locked if necessary!" Elizabeth took his offered arm. "Abe mentioned that the men stay at the cabin for a night or two after making a delivery; there is no need to worry that Wickham will be at Hunsford." Elizabeth turned thoughtful for a few moments before saying, "I do not like to think of leaving Charlotte here when I go, Mr. Darcy."

"No, I supposed you would not. I have been making plans, Miss Elizabeth. If Mrs. Collins is willing, we can take her with us when we leave. This business must come to an end very soon. Colonel Fitzwilliam and I will take Mrs. Collins and yourself to the Gardiners' tomorrow and speak to the earl and also to Fitzwilliam's commanding officer to see what we can do. Johnny and Abe can stay at Darcy House with me. I am thankful that my sister removed to Pemberley when I departed London this morning. She need not be involved with any of this."

"I think I should look under the flooring in the sitting room before we leave, Mr. Darcy. Mr. Collins was sorting through papers when I saw him…" she arched an eyebrow, "a brief act of espionage may provide the evidence you shall need to convince the authorities. Tonight Mr. and Mrs. Collins are scheduled to attend dinner at Rosings, though I am not invited. The only servant on duty is the cook, and I intend on having a severe headache and retiring early, giving her permission to have the evening off." Both her eyebrows lifted.

"You do have a sly mind, Miss Elizabeth! I do believe that I, too, must miss dinner this evening for I have some urgent business to attend to which cannot be delayed, not even for an hour," Darcy returned her brilliant smile. "How I love you, Elizabeth!"

* Dryads in Celtic and Greek mythology (and others) are beautiful woman tree nymphs whose joy is frolicking in nature. When a dryad does make contact with a human, you can't be sure whether they are there to help, play, or tease. They play wonderful music, as well as sing.

Chapter 17

~Rosings Park

After seeing Elizabeth safely to Hunsford and observing her signal from the window that Wickham was not inside, Darcy returned to his rooms at Rosings through the servants' corridors so that his aunt and cousins would not see the condition of his clothing. Upon arriving at his chamber, he found a note from Richard. While Darcy was out, Richard had received an express from his regiment requesting his immediate return to London, and he had borrowed a horse from Lady Catherine and departed post-haste.

Darcy was disappointed to have missed Richard, but since he would be leaving the next day with Elizabeth and Mrs. Collins, he would be able to speak to him upon their return to London.

After a bath, Darcy joined Lady Catherine and his cousin for tea. He would no longer call her his "aunt" out of the revulsion that he felt for her dishonest schemes. "Lady Catherine, I must inform you that I will not be staying at Rosings as long as I had thought. I have much business in Town to attend to and must return on the morrow. I have an appointment with your steward after tea today and will then need to attend to some business which cannot be delayed; therefore, I will not be at dinner this evening. Tomorrow I will finish my business with your steward and quit Rosings immediately following our meeting."

Lady Catherine was enraged. "First you tell me that you must greatly reduce your visit to three nights, now you tell me that you will stay but one? I demand to know the details of your business so that I may decide whether it is important enough for you to abandon your duty to your family."

Darcy's eyes tightened to slits. "I have stated that I will do as I have promised and meet with the steward to review the accounts. This is all I owe to you, Lady Catherine. You have no need to know the details of my business nor will I divulge that information."

"I am almost the nearest relation you have in the world and am entitled to know all your dearest concerns, Nephew. After all I have done for you these many years, you maintain that you owe me nothing more than reviewing the accounts? You refuse to spend time with your aunt and cousin? Is nothing due to me on that score? Do you forget all that you owe to Anne? It is unfair to ignore her as you plan to do. I insist that you will attend dinner tonight at the very least, as we are to have guests!"

Fully aware that she only intended to manipulate him into spending more time in Anne's company, but curious as to why Elizabeth had not been invited to dinner tonight, Darcy answered, "Lady Catherine, I am unable to attend dinner. I am devoting time to you and my cousin at present."

"It is my wish that you become reacquainted with my parson and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Collins, and so I have invited them to dinner as well."

Darcy tried to remain detached, but his temper was rising. "I understood that Mr. Collins has a guest staying at Hunsford. May I ask why a gentleman's daughter was so obviously slighted by you and excluded from the invitation?"

Lady Catherine smirked. "She is a young woman of inferior birth, of no importance in the world! True, she is a gentleman's daughter. But who is her mother? Who are her uncles and aunts? Do not imagine me ignorant of their condition--they are tradesmen, all! And I have heard stories of her, Nephew. She is a hoyden and a Jezebel! Her presence in this house would pollute the shades of Rosings!"

Becoming enraged, Darcy stood and boomed, "Enough, Madam! I have been acquainted with Miss Elizabeth Bennet for many months now, and I can assure you that you are completely in error in your opinion of her. Since I know it will do no good to discuss the matter, I refuse to expend my energy upon it, but I will not allow you to insult her in any manner!"

Darcy had never raised his voice to her before! Beginning to panic at his obvious regard for Elizabeth Bennet, Lady Catherine raised her voice further. "Nephew, you have been intended for Anne since she was in her cradle--it was the favorite wish of your mother! You have not asked her to marry you as of yet, but you will before you quit Rosings on this visit!" Lady Catherine's crimson flush of anger continued to deepen throughout her speech. "You are formed for each other…descended, on the maternal side, from the same noble line, and, on the father's, from respectable, honorable, and ancient--though untitled--families. Your fortune on both sides is splendid. You are destined for each other by the voice of every member of your respective houses, and nothing is to divide you!"

Throughout her speech, her words replayed in Darcy's memory…but he could not place it. By now he was incensed. "Anne and I have discussed the subject of marriage on several occasions throughout the years, and I will have you know that neither Anne nor I have any wish to marry--at least not each other. In marrying Anne, I would make us both unhappy, and neither of us wishes to spend our lives in such a manner."

Lady Catherine tried to interrupt, but Darcy would not allow it. "Lady Catherine! After all these years, I now have it in my mother's own words that she wished me to marry for love, not for status or wealth. She wished me happily married, and she also wrote that my father's wishes concurred with her own. My mother had no wish for Anne and me to marry unless we were in love with each other!" Darcy's voice boomed, "I will have you know I am now aware of the lies you have told me for the past sixteen years, madam! Whether you insist upon demanding that we marry is your choice, but I will not remain in your presence if you do continue this charade!"

Lady Catherine's anger was evident as she screeched, "You will marry Anne and unite these two great estates! I have not been in the habit of brooking disappointment! You will do as I say because honor, decorum, prudence, and interest demand it. If you willfully act against my inclinations, you and your sister will be censured, slighted, and despised by everyone connected with you. You both will be a disgrace; your name will never even be mentioned by any of us."

Darcy countered, "Madam, I am a child no longer; be convinced I answer to no one--including you. I am my own man. You have attempted to force your will upon me, but the completion of your plans depends on me, and I will not be influenced by you ever again, Lady Catherine! You may depend upon it!"

"You refuse, then, to oblige me. You refuse to obey the claims of duty, honor, and gratitude. You are determined to ruin yourself and your sister in the opinion of all your friends, and make yourselves both the contempt of the world!"

Darcy gasped quietly when suddenly his mind turned to the dream he had of his mother while at Netherfield. He now realized why he was so confused in the dream…it was not his mother's voice at all, it had been Lady Catherine's voice in the dream saying many of the same words that she was saying now--those words that she had spoken throughout the years signifying why he should marry his cousin Anne and not someone else!

Using his "Master of Pemberley" voice, Darcy announced, "I will summarize what I have declared over the past few minutes and then will no longer discuss any of this, Madam. I will not give you the details of my business. I will not be attending dinner this evening. I will be leaving in the morning after I have completed reviewing the ledgers with your steward as I have promised to do for my cousin's sake.

"You should not expect anything further from me than what I have stated here today, Lady Catherine. Ever! I must warn you that you have interfered in my life for far too long. I now know of it, and I will not allow it to continue! When I leave Rosings tomorrow, it will be the last time you will lay eyes upon me, and you will not be permitted into the presence of my sister again, nor will you be allowed to correspond with her."

Darcy took a deep breath attempting to cool his ire. Turning to Anne, he bowed and said, "I do hope that I have not upset you, Cousin Anne. Know that I wish you health and happiness. You are welcome at Darcy House or Pemberley at any time to visit…alone."

Anne nodded as Lady Catherine continued raving. Darcy turned and walked toward the door. "You pay no regard to the wishes of all your friends. You are lost to every feeling of propriety and delicacy. I am shocked and astonished! Is this to be endured? It must not, shall not be!"

Turning back to Lady Catherine, Darcy concluded, "If any of what I have said displeases you, so be it, Madam. My conviction will never recede. Excuse me; I have an appointment to begin reviewing the ledgers." Darcy left the room, ignoring his aunt's ranting.

~Hunsford Cottage

Darcy made good time in reviewing Rosings' books, and then informed the steward that he had business to attend to and would meet him at an early hour in the morning. He surreptitiously left Rosings using the servants' entrance and walked through the woods to Hunsford Cottage along the path that Johnny and Abe had shown him the previous day. Darcy watched Mr. and Mrs. Collins leave the building and walk towards Rosings, then saw the cook leave as well before approaching the house. As they had arranged earlier, Elizabeth opened the door to the kitchen, and he slipped inside.

Darcy was standing in the kitchen looking at Elizabeth, the room barely lit by a dying fire. "In the dimmed light she is even more…" After having experienced the torture of being separated from her for four months, he never wished to leave her side again. This was the woman who drove him to distraction…who could drive all reason from his mind with one look from those beautiful eyes or a trace of her scent as she passed him…whose touch reached his soul…who he had held in his arms today--she was so close and looking at him in such a way that made his heart race and his breath quicken. As his ardor was rising, he suddenly recollected that he was completely alone in the house with this beautiful, soft, enchanting creature that had become the primary reason for his existence.

As he was about to take a step toward her, Darcy's protective nature tugged at his conscience. "This is the worst breach of propriety I have ever made, and if found out, I could be responsible for damaging Elizabeth's reputation! I have vowed to protect her, not ruin her! I must regain control! Perhaps I should leave? No! I should not leave until I am certain Mr. and Mrs. Collins will be returning soon after…I cannot leave Elizabeth alone in the house with Wickham in the area. And she is determined to find something to show the General, and I will not allow her to do it alone…we must do this together and had best finish it quickly before we are discovered!"

Elizabeth smiled with a familiar glint in her eyes that could lead to his undoing in any state of mind, let alone the one he was experiencing just now. "Good evening, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy blinked a few times before he was able to think. Needing a distraction, he said, "I did not speak to Richard as of yet, it must wait until tomorrow. Before I returned to the house, he had departed due to a summons from his regiment."

"Let us get to work so that we have information for his commanding officer, shall we?" Elizabeth said as she turned to leave the room.

"Yes, work! That is why I am here. I must leave as soon as possible! I can watch the house from outside until Mr. and Mrs. Collins return," he reminded himself as he followed her from the room. As she passed the staircase, he held his breath--and was unsure how he felt about her continuing on to the sitting room. "Work! I am here to work!"

Once in the sitting room, she showed him which chair he should move. As he did so, she rolled up the carpet, which revealed the hatch door. Underneath was a storage area containing a few barrels and crates and two metal boxes like the one Elizabeth had observed Mr. Collins rummaging through the previous day. Uncertain as to how much time it would take, Darcy lifted out both boxes, and they each began to search through one, informing each other as to what they found as they went along.

One box was filled with ledgers and ships' manifests for the Bradstowe Company indicating goods brought from India to England. There was a ledger for silk, cotton, and indigo dye from India, and a separate ledger for the saltpetre from "Bradstowe Mine."

The other box held the same accounting for ships sailing from England to America. While on British shores, some of the saltpetre did indeed remain on the ships as its destination was America, the rest was unloaded in England. They would load the ships with British goods to trade at the Isles of Scilly** off the coast of Cornwall and then sail across the Atlantic to America with the remainder, returning to England with tobacco and spirits. On the return trip, they stopped again at the Isles of Scilly before unloading the remainder of their cargo in England.

It seemed they had several ships making these voyages in a staggered fashion so that there was a new shipment arriving in England every three months.

Guinea boats at home were running goods about weekly to and from France; when they had saltpetre, they would deliver that to France. It seemed that when they did not have saltpetre shipments to disperse, they would pay in gold for brandy, wine, and lace.

Elizabeth glanced at the clock. "Mr. Darcy! Look at the time! It is late--we must hurry!"

"I will take a few of the ships manifests to show to the General when we reach London…some older ones so that the loss is less likely to be detected. That should be enough to begin an investigation. Knowing where the records are hidden, they can easily find the rest, as long as nobody suspects we have found them." Darcy folded a few pages from each box and placed them in a pocket inside his coat.

The fire was dying as they loaded the boxes back into the compartment and returned the room to its prior condition.

Darcy suddenly became overwhelmed with all they found out. He shuddered and closed his eyes. An expression of pain consumed his countenance.

Elizabeth could not stop herself from gently taking his face between her hands. His eyes opened, and she whispered, "Please stop…others are culpable, not you. You had no reason to suspect that she would be involved in these things."

Darcy sighed as the warmth of her touch and the love in her eyes flowed like water through his body and soul. He bent down, placing his forehead to hers and his hands upon her shoulders. As he closed his eyes again he whispered, "Elizabeth," in a way that made her heart sing.

They drew comfort from the intimacy of the moment as all the tension from the past day drained away. Opening his eyes, he saw hers remained closed. She was such an incredible woman; she knew just what he needed to hear without his ever having to ask a question. She was truly half of his "self." Elizabeth was everything!

He ached to gaze into her eyes to see if he could read her thoughts there. As Darcy pulled his head back slightly, she opened her eyes. His gaze drifted across her features and rested on her lips. His eyes darted to hers seeking permission, and his breath caught at the passion he found there.

Darcy's hands slowly moved from her shoulders to her cheeks, his fingers caressing her skin as they passed. Elizabeth's hands drifted to his chest. Moving ever so slowly, he leaned closer to kiss her.

"COUSIN ELIZABETH!" Mr. Collins shrieked.

Elizabeth and Darcy jumped away from each other and turned toward the door to see Mr. and Mrs. Collins standing in the open doorway. Mr. Collins rushed across the room and took Elizabeth by the arm, pulling her away from Darcy so roughly that Elizabeth cried out.

Darcy, incensed at his presumptuous behaviour, immediately stepped between Mr. Collins and Elizabeth, grabbing hold of Mr. Collins's arm. Elizabeth placed her hand on Darcy's arm and pulled a little as if to hold him back. Darcy towered over Mr. Collins and roared, "Remove your hand! You do not wish for me to remove it for you!"

Mr. Collins released her and jumped back a step. "Cousin Elizabeth!" Mr. Collins cried as he peered around Darcy's form, "Lady Catherine warned me about your being a harlot! Alone in a house with a man--with Lady Catherine's nephew! You have lured him in!" Mr. Collins gasped and his eyes widened. "You are his mistress!"

Darcy heard Elizabeth gasp behind him. His thoughts moved quickly--the only way he could salvage her reputation…a private audience with Elizabeth would only be acceptable if he was making an offer of marriage. Had they had only a few more uninterrupted minutes, he would have asked her! Would she have accepted? Brushing his doubts aside, Darcy knew he had to save her.

"Mr. Collins! You will apologize for injuring and insulting my fiancée immediately!" Darcy boomed in his "Master of Pemberley" voice. "I came here this evening to propose marriage to Miss Elizabeth, and she just this moment has accepted me."

Darcy felt Elizabeth's hand tighten on his arm, wondering what she meant by it. This was not happening the way he intended! It was not the way it should have happened…it was not what she deserved! Oh, how he wished he could turn around and see the look in Elizabeth's eyes at this moment, but he had to keep his attention on Mr. Collins! Would she be angry at him, despise him, for saying what he did?

Mr. Collins gasped loudly and stood completely stunned for several moments. "That is impossible! You cannot be betrothed to Cousin Elizabeth; you are already betrothed to Miss Anne de Bourgh!"

Darcy scowled. "Mr. Collins, no matter what Lady Catherine has led anyone to believe--including herself--I am not, I never have been, and I never shall be betrothed to my cousin."

"She will blame me! I was supposed to watch the hussy and she trapped him under my own roof! What am I now to do?" Mr. Collins was becoming more upset by the moment. "Lady Catherine will be most seriously displeased with this turn of events, sir!"

"Then she need not attend our wedding." Taking a step closer to the dumbfounded parson, Darcy almost growled, "I have yet to hear your apology, Mr. Collins!"

Mr. Collins moved away and began pacing. He repeatedly wiped the sweat from his brow with his handkerchief, and tried to show some courage that might be reported back to Lady Catherine. His words were bold, but his voice was trembling. "That is correct, and you will not, Mr. Darcy. She has trapped you into this betrothal when you are promised to someone else! You must return to Rosings and never again step foot in Hunsford while my cousin remains here. I will not allow clandestine meetings to take place under the parsonage roof! You will tell Lady Catherine about this when you return to Rosings!"

"I will not be announcing the engagement to anyone until I have gained consent from Mr. Bennet." Darcy moved towards Mr. Collins again. "You will apologize to Miss Elizabeth! NOW, Mr. Collins!"

"I will do so unwillingly!" Mr. Collins cowered and said, "I apologize, Cousin Elizabeth." Then he scurried to the front door and held it open for Darcy, visibly trembling. "This is my house, and you must leave at once, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy turned around to face Elizabeth, blocking her from Mr. Collins's view. He could not decipher the look in her eyes at all, and it made his stomach lurch. He needed more time with her just now, and could not have it! Taking her hands in his, he whispered, "I apologize for this. Meet me at dawn outside the parsonage to make plans to leave here." Elizabeth squeezed his hands in agreement.

As Darcy made his way toward the front door, he schooled his expression into such a menacing look, it made Mr. Collins shrink a step or two away. Darcy stopped and straightened to his full height. "You, sir, will treat my fiancée with respect and dignity. If I hear you have done otherwise, you will answer to me!" Darcy left the house.

Once Darcy had passed through the entranceway, Mr. Collins slammed the door behind him, walked straight over to Elizabeth, and began a lecture on the morality of the situation. Elizabeth thought, "Such a hypocrite! Trying to put on a good show of being a parson! 'Preachers say, "Do as I say, not as I do."' Indeed!" ***

After several minutes had passed, Mr. Collins suddenly stopped speaking to her, turned to Charlotte, then exclaimed, "I must go to Lady Catherine immediately!" and he scrambled to the door mumbling to himself all the way.

As Mr. Collins left the house, Charlotte rushed to the window to watch him stalk away. When she was sure he was heading for Rosings, she crossed the room and took Elizabeth's hands in hers.

"Oh Lizzy, I am so happy for you! What wonderful news! I had always told you he loves you, did I not?"

Elizabeth's heart was aching. How she wished that she really was engaged to Mr. Darcy! This was too much! "I am sorry, Charlotte, but all is not what it seems to be. We are not engaged. Mr. Darcy used it as an excuse for his being found here by Mr. Collins. We need to speak quickly before Mr. Collins returns. Charlotte, there is foul business afoot at Rosings and Mr. Collins is involved. I am afraid for you, my friend! You have been putting on a good face to convince me that you are content here, but I have seen your looks of fear when you think no one is watching." Elizabeth waited for Charlotte's reaction.

"Yes, you are right, Lizzy. I cannot define it, but there is something not right here. I have had reason to be afraid at times. I almost wrote to tell you not to visit, but I knew that if I did that, you would have been determined to come."

Elizabeth laughed mirthlessly, "I would have at that, Charlotte. In fact, it might have forced me to come sooner, and I am glad that I did not, for we would not have had help! Dear friend, Mr. Darcy and I are leaving tomorrow, and I must insist that you come with us. Say what you like to your husband or say nothing at all, it matters not to me, but you must not reveal to him the true reason we are departing. We were here this evening searching for evidence for an investigation that is about to begin. Under the very chair behind you there is a compartment in the floor hiding documents. We will tell you more about it on our way to London tomorrow. I will meet Mr. Darcy at dawn to arrange the details and return to the house before Mr. Collins is awake. Johnny and Abe will come with us as well; they are being kept here under duress. You will come with us, will you not?"

Charlotte walked to the window and remained quiet for several minutes. "I will. I cannot remain here any longer, no matter what vows I may be breaking by taking my leave. I believed myself to be marrying a respectable gentleman, but he is not." Charlotte turned to face her and continued, "Lizzy…I must apologize for not allowing you to speak about Mr. Collins at the ball. I did the same to Colonel Fitzwilliam. If I had listened to either of you…"

Elizabeth crossed the room and embraced her. "Hindsight is always clearer than foresight. I blame myself for not talking with you sooner, Charlotte. If Mr. Collins traveled to Lucas Lodge in the rain, then I could have as well. But we cannot change the past, and I hope that you can forgive me for not being more effective in my attempt to speak to you.

"Besides, if you had not married Mr. Collins, we would not have found out what is happening at Rosings and abroad. It may never have been found out! Many people are being harmed by this, Charlotte--some have died, and more will die if this is not stopped. Your presence here has put into motion that which will bring about the end to the suffering of many innocent people." Elizabeth took Charlotte's hands in hers and squeezed them.

Charlotte's eyes opened wide. "Well! I will patiently await your explanation, Lizzy. Meanwhile, we had better retire to bed before Mr. Collins returns from seeing Lady Catherine. Lizzy…I do fear her reaction to your supposed 'engagement.' Not a day has passed that she has not mentioned her plans for Miss Anne to marry Mr. Darcy."

"Do not fear, Charlotte. We will be away to London before many hours."

The two friends ascended the stairs and bid each other goodnight. As Elizabeth entered her bedchamber, Charlotte called out, "Lizzy?" As she turned, Charlotte continued, "I am sorry that you are not engaged. I still do believe Mr. Darcy is in love with you, dear."

Elizabeth's attempt at a smile failed miserably. "Good night, Charlotte."

Elizabeth's mind was full, and she could not fall asleep. She tensed when she heard Mr. Collins upon his return from Rosings, but relaxed a bit as she heard his heavy footsteps pacing the floors downstairs. She listened to his pacing for an hour before a knock on the door made her jerk to a sitting position in bed. The sound of someone's opening the front door was heard, followed by footsteps leading away from the house.

Elizabeth moved to the window. From her position hidden behind the drapes, she could see Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham standing in a way that reminded her of their confrontation at Meryton. Their voices were raised, and she could hear a little of what they were saying.

Wickham was angry. "Collins, why were you not at Hunsford this afternoon as we had arranged? I walked the distance from the cabin to meet you."

"I left a letter in the usual place explaining that Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam had arrived. You know that when they are here, Lady Catherine does not allow you near Rosings. You should not have come to Hunsford during the day."

"I would love to come across William or Richard at Rosings. It would be great fun to clash with one of them!"

"Lady Catherine wishes to see you…" Mr. Collins said before the two began to move further away from the house and out of her hearing.

Self-conceit may lead to self destruction.
--Aesop (Greek Author, 620BC – 560 BC)

~Rosings Park

It was well after midnight and Lady Catherine was on a rampage of unequaled proportions. Tonight's upset surpassed that of a fortnight ago when Mr. Collins had told the mistress that Miss Elizabeth Bennet was visiting at Hunsford, and was worse than that of yesterday afternoon when Mr. Darcy informed the mistress that he would not be marrying Miss Anne. Neither of these events provoked a rage that could compare to this evening after Mr. Collins had come to Rosings to impart some new information to the mistress.

The staff had suffered her wrath for years, but none had ever seen her like this, and none of them knew what to do to pacify her. She had been screaming for hours without end, pacing the entire first and second floors. Only bits of what she had said could be made out, the rest was incomprehensible. The only information any of them could piece together was that Mr. Darcy was engaged to that nice Miss Bennet. Some of the staff was happy for the newly engaged couple; others knew their mistress had been speaking of Miss Anne's marrying Mr. Darcy for years, and this would mean that their own lives would be much more difficult from this day forward.

The housekeeper knew that there was only one person who could soothe her mistress when she was on a rampage of this proportion. Though she had heard through the usual sources of gossip that he was on the grounds, she hesitated to contact that rake. The last time he had stayed at Rosings, she had lost two of her female staff a few months later when their "conditions" had become visible, and the mistress had dismissed them summarily. She went to see Miss Anne to ask if there was anything she could suggest they do to calm her mother.

Anne had been able to hear her mother from two floors up since she began her vociferous rant and was hiding in her bedchamber. She shook her head and said, "You know as well as I that there is nothing that will pacify her. It must run its course. I do not believe that I have heard her quite this angry in all of my life!" Anne turned and retreated into her room.

Lady Catherine saw the housekeeper descending the stairs and screamed, "You! Bring me the cook! I want to see him, now! Is he trying to make me ill with this horrible food? This indigestion is not to be borne!" She placed her hand on her chest. "Get him, now…NO! Tell him to leave Rosings immediately; he is discharged. Hire another cook!" And having made that pronouncement, she rushed down the hall into the sitting room, mumbling to herself.

As the housekeeper headed for the kitchen, a thought passed through her mind that perhaps it was not the cook's food causing this "indigestion," but rather, Lady de Bourgh's unparalleled state of agitation. She sighed. She would have difficulties reassuring the cook who she was sure had heard the exchange since the mistress's voice could be heard all over Rosings tonight. She was certain Lady Catherine would reconsider when her emotions had settled, as she usually did.

Wickham entered the house through a servant's entrance and artfully made his way to the sitting room undetected. Lady Catherine noticed him enter. She shook her cane at him. "How could he do this to me? To me! After all I have done for him! Engaged! He has ruined all my plans! That harlot must be stopped, do you hear me?"

Wickham laughed, "Yes, My Lady, I could hear you from outside the building, and I am sure everyone indoors can hear you as well! I do believe you will need to lower your voice if you wish me to assist you." He flashed a wicked smirk.

Lady Catherine's nostrils flared, her eyes narrowed, and her face turned purple, but part of her mind was reviewing what he had said, and she could see the value of it. There would be some danger if the staff knew what she was about to plot with Wickham. She took several deep breaths, rubbed her chest and spoke at a lower volume, "The cook is trying to poison me with rotting food!"

"He served you rotting food because he is engaged to a harlot?" Wickham asked, confused.

"No, no, you rag-mannered coxcomb! My nephew, Darcy, has got himself engaged to that tart Elizabeth Bennet!"

Wickham's eyebrows almost reached the ceiling. "Ah! Has he now? How interesting!"

"Interesting? Interesting! It is not interesting! I told you to ruin her, and you did nothing! This is your fault!"

"Madam, you are mistaken. I would have been eager and willing to carry out that order, but you told me to wait for your permission before ruining her, and so I have. Do I have your permission now?"

"You will do more than ruin her, Wickham. You will take her away from Rosings and away from Darcy, forever! He is just the bleeding-heart who would marry her after she is ruined because he felt responsible for it--because it was your doing! I will not have her using her arts and allurements on him any longer."

Wickham's eyes were full of amusement. "Lady de Bourgh, I cannot leave this moment. I have the…" he cleared his throat, "business meeting locally in the morning and must be there personally to make certain you are not cheated. I am due to meet with Captain Sharp in two days, and so I begin my journey to Broadstairs tomorrow after the meeting nearby--at which time I could take Elizabeth Bennet with me if you so desire."

"Yes, I desire it; of what do you think we have been speaking? Take her away from here…and ruin her in every way possible, Wickham! How dare she try to destroy all that I have worked for? You shall disgrace her family as well! This is all her father's fault! If he had given permission for her to marry Collins, none of this would have happened. No one will marry any of her sisters if her ruin is made public, and you will make certain it is made public! I will make it absolutely clear to Collins that he will throw them from Longbourn the moment her father is dead. They will all be turned out onto the streets." Her eyes glistened with revenge, her hand pressing against her chest once more.

"Ah, your plans are always so amusing, Lady de Bourgh! It shall be my pleasure, Madam," he said as he bowed to kiss her hand.

** The Isles of Scilly, off the shore of Cornwall, England, relied completely on smuggled goods at this time in history.

*** John Selden (1584-1654)

Posted on: 2010-10-16

Chapter 18

Thursday, March 24 1812

~Rosings Park

5:30 A.M.
The next morning, not able to sleep whilst knowing Wickham to be nearby, Elizabeth had risen and dressed early and had set out before the sun had made its appearance in the eastern sky. She had heard Collins return and enter his bedchamber a few hours earlier, so she knew that neither he nor Wickham was about. She was surprised when she saw Darcy was already at their meeting place. His pacing stopped upon noticing her approach, and relief was evident across his features. They began to walk away from the house as soon as she joined him.

"Good morning, Miss Elizabeth. You are early."

"Good morning, Mr. Darcy. Yes, I could not sleep. Wickham was here last night arguing with Mr. Collins outside my window before they went elsewhere."

Darcy was visibly upset by this news. "We should have left last night! It was too dangerous to leave you here unprotected. What if he…"

Elizabeth put her hand up, "He did not come into the house. I was perfectly safe; there is no need for chastising yourself, sir. Mr. Collins left the parsonage shortly after you did last evening to speak with Lady Catherine--is that why you do not look as if you slept last night?"

Not willing to admit he had been awake all night worrying about her staying the night at the parsonage, and thinking about all that had happened the previous day, Darcy grimaced before saying, "Lady Catherine was ranting all night. Though I was able to avoid being in her direct line of fire, she made herself heard throughout Rosings."

Surprised, Elizabeth said, "Rosings is such a vast building, how is that possible?"

Darcy smiled. "You have never met Lady Catherine, have you?" Elizabeth noticed he was no longer calling her "aunt."

"I have been introduced to her only at church, but otherwise we have not conversed."

They walked for a while, and then Darcy broke the silence. "I do not feel I owe any allegiance to Lady Catherine, but I do feel a responsibility to my cousin Anne. Every year I come to Rosings to review the ledgers and make certain her future is secure; it is a standing promise. My uncle comes once a year to do the same. I have almost completed my review, but it will take me a little longer with the steward before I will be finished and able to leave for London. I should be ready by ten o'clock. Do you know where the triple copper beech trees are by the bend in the road leading into the village?"

"Yes, I do."

"Will you and Mrs. Collins be able to meet my coach there at half past ten? If so, I will go directly to the stables after leaving you and inform Johnny and Abe of our plans."

"We can. I spoke to Charlotte last night after Mr. Collins left to speak to Lady Catherine. She is frightened and has been for a long time but she had not wanted to tell me for fear of my reaction. She is more than willing to leave. Mr. Collins should be out of the house well before that time. If we are late, it will be because he has been delayed in leaving."

They walked a little while in silence, Darcy deep in thought.

"Do you think Miss de Bourgh is involved with all this?"

Darcy smiled a little. "I was just pondering that very question. I honestly do not know if Anne is aware of any of this, and I was trying to decide whether I should take her with us. From what Johnny and Abe have told us, what we saw today has been normal for Rosings for a long time…but as far as I can tell--I am not sure what to believe anymore when it comes to Rosings--Anne lives a sheltered life and may not have been exposed to the criminal activity occurring there. I believe she is safe here since she has been safe all this time--and I cannot imagine a way of asking her if she knows about it, either. I also do not wish to alert Lady Catherine to our discoveries. There is too much evidence that she and her men could dispose of before Richard's commanding officer sends his men to investigate! If I take Anne with us, or even if I leave before completing my purpose here, she might become suspicious that I have unveiled her scheme."

Elizabeth made her way through the bushes into the meadow she shared with Johnny and Abe. She wanted to see it one last time before she left Rosings, so she led the way there without Darcy's realizing their destination.

The sun was rising as they entered the meadow and they stood watching it for a few minutes. "Beautiful!"

Darcy answered, "Yes…I agree. Beautiful!" Giving himself a few moments to enjoy Elizabeth's blush when she realized he was looking at her as he said that, he hesitated before continuing, "I apologize about last evening. When the Collinses walked in--I did not know what to say. I did not want him to think…for him to spread rumors…"

She could not look at him lest her eyes betray her disappointment. "Yes, I do understand, Mr. Darcy. There is no reason to worry about duty, sir; Charlotte knows we are not engaged, and she understood the need for saying that we were last night."

Taking her hand, Darcy whispered, "Elizabeth, this is not progressing the way I had planned."

Confused, Elizabeth looked into his eyes for clarification, but found none. "Events rarely unfold exactly as one has planned."

She began to move away, but he held her hand tighter and brought it to his lips. He stepped closer to her and placed her hand on his chest over his heart. "Elizabeth, please do not walk away. I must speak to you even though I know this is not the best time or best place to do so. I know not when I will have another opportunity to be alone with you."

Elizabeth closed her eyes. "He will say goodbye again." She did not believe she could survive another goodbye--she almost lost herself after the ball, what would happen this time? Her eyes filled with tears. "I do not wish to say goodbye again, Mr. Darcy. Let us allow our goodbyes at Netherfield to last our lifetime. When we return to London and our time is done, you will leave with no goodbyes."

Darcy's expression was one of confusion at first, but then turned to one of panic. She wanted to say goodbye and never see him again? His breath became ragged as it had when he had seen her from the coach upon his arrival at Rosings. Fearing the overwhelming anxiety that threatened to return and not wishing for Elizabeth to see him in that state--he looked deeply into her eyes, full knowing that he would lose himself there.

"Elizabeth, please? I would do anything that you ask never to hear you say goodbye to me again."

Elizabeth's brow creased in confusion.

He took her other hand and held it with the first over his heart. "Do you not know how ardently I admire and love you?" Elizabeth gasped as he continued, "Please, I ask you…no I beg you, Elizabeth, to end my suffering and make me the happiest man who has ever lived. You are already the best friend I have ever had…please say that you will become my partner, my companion and my wife. Elizabeth, I live for you alone. There is no one else with whom I would wish to share my life, or whose opinion I value more. I am acutely aware that I do not deserve you, but I promise to do everything in my power to work toward becoming worthy of you. I love you with every fiber of my being, body and soul. I beg you, Elizabeth, please marry me?"

Elizabeth could not believe she was actually hearing any of this, and she stood watching him closely.

Darcy began to panic again when she did not answer him, and his hands pressed hers flat against his chest. She could feel his heart racing faster and faster, his chest rising and falling more quickly with every moment that passed.

"Is this real?" Elizabeth asked.

Darcy's breathing stopped, and he blinked a few times before he said, "Real?"

"Yes, real. This is not a dream? I was expecting you to disappear as you would in a dream…or that I would awaken."

Darcy had no idea how to interpret this…was this a good sign or a bad one? "This is not a dream, no."

"Then you did ask me to marry you just now?"

"Yes--though beg would be the more appropriate term."

Elizabeth smiled brightly. Darcy's soul filled with hope.

But then his hope faded and was replaced with foreboding when her smile slowly dimmed and changed to an expression of utter despair, then to steely indifference as her body stiffened. Her words came astonishingly fast and in a toneless voice, "Mr. Darcy…I must say that I do return your affections and admiration at every level, and so I must refuse your offer."

His throat had tightened with suppressed emotion, but he managed to choke out, "You love me…and yet will not marry me? May I enquire…please, will you explain further?"

Elizabeth straightened her back further and, refusing to meet his eyes, she looked at their hands pressing against his chest instead. "I care too much for you to expose you to the censure and caprice of the ton. Mr. Darcy, you know as well as I do that the reactions of Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine are only the beginning of the scandal you would suffer at an engagement between us. I have seen firsthand how the ton reacts when they only suspect a 'country nobody' will encroach upon the upper circle. If I accomplished this feat, they would surely be much more cruel, not only to you but to your sister. I cannot be that selfish, sir. You would grow to resent me for it, and I could not cope with that once it happened." Her eyes finally met his, and her voice was filled with the love she had been trying to suppress. "You deserve happiness, not a life full of despair." Elizabeth could not endure seeing the pain in his eyes, and she returned her gaze to their hands.

Darcy saw the irony of her arguments being almost identical to the ones he had used to convince himself to leave her. "Elizabeth." Afraid she would run off, he refused to let go of her hands and waited until she looked at him. "There could be nothing--absolutely nothing--worse than the despair I have experienced these past months since I left Netherfield. I told you I was indisposed, but that was a colossal understatement of the truth…I was too ashamed to tell you what had actually happened. I will say it has been proven, without question, that I cannot live without you, Elizabeth…there would be nothing but despair in my future without you. I know beyond any doubt that achieving happiness without you is absolutely impossible."

"But your sister…"

"My sister has lived through these last months in agony as well. She has heard of you from Richard, remembers you from your past meetings and more recently has heard of you from my aunt and uncle. My sister approves my choice wholeheartedly, as do my aunt, uncle, and cousin."

Desperate to convince her to marry him, he decided to lay everything before her. "Surprisingly, I left Netherfield for many of the same reasons you have just stated. I did not wish you to despise me for exposing you to the censure of the ton. But something has been pointed out to me, and after much reflection, I know it to be truth. You may not understand the power Lord and Lady Matlock have within the ton, Elizabeth, as well as our mutual friend the Duke. I do not believe either of us, or Georgiana, will experience derision with these advocates. Lady Matlock asserts that you are already accepted by many in her acquaintance in the first circle.

"That is not to say that we will not meet with difficulties, but to be perfectly candid these would happen with anyone I married. I will say that Pemberley has been vigorously sought after since even before I had come of age. I am afraid there may be a few matrons and young ladies within the ton who will strive to make our experience in society unpleasant when we are first married.

"But Elizabeth, please understand--I have never been comfortable in society; my experience would be absolutely intolerable without you by my side in the future. The only people who matter to me are those who would wish us the joy of a life filled with love. Georgiana feels the same way.

"There is one more reason why I left Hertfordshire, but I have come to find it was a combination of misunderstanding and the cruel betrayal of the trust of a child. As my mother was dying, I innocently turned to Lady Catherine to explain something my mother said in her final moments. I was deliberately lied to. I had no reason to doubt what she said…until my Aunt Adelaide gave me this--only just this week." He reluctantly released her hands, and then gave Elizabeth his mother's letter and gestured for her to read it. Elizabeth was visibly moved by the letter.

When she did not speak for a few minutes, he took one of her hands and laid it upon his chest once more. He then continued, "I left Hertfordshire thinking I could never have you…and I did not think it possible to survive witnessing your falling in love and marrying another. But after experiencing life without you in it--Elizabeth, the only reason I was able to emerge from the pit I fell into was Richard's asking what you would think of me if you found out how I was behaving!

"After receiving my mother's letter, I had planned to ride directly to Longbourn to beg you to marry me. My Aunt Adelaide told me she felt I must come here, though she did not know why…but finding you here causes me to believe it was providence.

"Elizabeth, I am bound to you, married or not. If you insist on refusing me, I do not believe I could survive without at least having you in my life as a friend.

"If you love me as you say you do, please, I beg of you, marry me, Elizabeth. It already is my life's ambition for you to be happy…please allow me to make the attempt at accomplishing this in person."

Elizabeth closed her eyes and was silent for several minutes.

"Will it help if I throw myself at your feet and grovel? I am quite prepared to do so!"

Elizabeth opened her eyes and smiled the most dazzling, brilliant, heart-stopping smile he had ever seen grace her ethereal face.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yes!"

His dimples made the grandest appearance ever. "Say it, please--I am afraid I will not believe it unless I hear you say the words."

The fire in Elizabeth's eyes ignited something deep within him as she said, "William, I love you with all my heart and wish to become your wife."

His grin widened and hers matched it. Darcy said, "If you were correct in thinking this is a dream, I do not wish to awaken."

Elizabeth stretched up on her toes and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Does that feel like a dream?"

Darcy whispered, "My dreams, although wonderful, have never come close to the real you, my dearest, loveliest Elizabeth."

His hands moved to her face, caressing her smooth skin. He leaned in slowly and kissed her gently…lingering again and again. She pressed herself against him; her fingers wrapped themselves in his hair, pulling him closer to her. He responded to her passion by deepening the kiss gradually. Her response at first was surprise--but she learned quickly as she suddenly became much more passionate, almost crushing herself against him. In an attempt to restrain himself, he broke the kiss and instead continued with a series of tender kisses drifting across her jaw line and neck to her shoulder. Her lavender scent driving him wild, he retraced the path to just under her ear and tasted the sweetness of her skin. He whispered her name into her ear and felt her begin to tremble in his arms. At her quiet moan, he was almost overcome with desire and pulled away quickly to regain control.

"Did I do something wrong, William?"

Darcy answered breathlessly, "No, my Elizabeth, it is that you do everything too well!"

Thrilled at her ability to evoke such feelings in him, she replied simply with a certain combination of a saucy grin and arched brow which had almost driven him to kiss her several times in the past. Now that he could--he did.

With every intention of continuing, Darcy pulled away slightly to draw breath, but when he saw her eyes filled with a passion he had not even dreamed possible, his instincts almost overtook him. Fortunately, a brief moment of rational thought emerged, and it forcefully occurred to him that Elizabeth had no idea how quickly he could lose his self control just now. Reluctantly, Darcy knew it would be up to him to put a stop to this before it went too far. He held her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him.

"Elizabeth, I do think we ought to start walking back, my love, or I will do something I will regret. You know not what you do to me."

"No more kisses?" she pouted.

The pout almost did him in completely, and he closed his eyes and took a deep, trembling breath. "Not at present. Elizabeth, I do not think my control can withstand even one more kiss at this moment. Perhaps we can stop on the way back to the house as a reward for your compliance," he teased. "She is wonderful! But we had better have the first banns read next Sunday and get married as soon as possible!"

~Hunsford Cottage

8:00 A.M.
When Elizabeth returned to the house, Mr. Collins was still abed and Charlotte was in her sitting room, seated in the chair that rested on the hidden compartment. She had a very thoughtful look upon her face when Elizabeth entered the room, which changed when she saw her friend's countenance.

"Lizzy, what is it?"

"Charlotte! You were right! Mr. Darcy does love me, and we are now engaged!"

Charlotte rushed across the room and embraced Elizabeth. "Oh, Lizzy! I am so happy for you! I knew it would be so!"

"Thank you, Charlotte. I am very happy!" She took Charlotte's shoulders and held her at arms length. "I must speak with you before Mr. Collins wakes. We will meet Mr. Darcy at the triple copper beech trees leading into the village at half past ten. We should both pack a small bag to bring along. Perhaps we should hide them somewhere outside the house?"

As they were both in their rooms to pack, Mr. Collins awoke and met them in the breakfast room when they came down. All through breakfast, he continued to chastise Elizabeth for her meeting with Mr. Darcy and their engagement, telling the ladies how displeased Lady Catherine was upon hearing his account last evening.

Elizabeth was too happy to allow Mr. Collins' chattering to bother her in the least. At breakfast, Mr. Collins informed the ladies that he would visit Lady Catherine to ascertain if her health had improved since last night, for she had been plagued with terrible indigestion when he had visited to deliver the news of the engagement.

After they were sure Mr. Collins had left, both Elizabeth and Charlotte got their bags and left the house when they were sure no servants would see them. They took a short walk to hide their bags in some bushes near the road to London. Darcy was not due for another hour.

On the way back to Hunsford to make some final preparations to leave, they came across Johnny and Abe. The ladies showed them where to hide their sacks. Johnny apologized for not being able to take the kites, and Elizabeth promised to make another for Johnny and provide Abe with the means to make his own.

As the boys walked back towards the stables, they heard a lady scream, and turned back to investigate.

9:30 A.M.
Wickham saw Collins walk up to Rosings and knew that Elizabeth would be alone with Mrs. Collins and so decided it would be the best time to kidnap her without having to make Collins aware of his plans. Mrs. Collins would be no match for him, but he brought along a burly assistant in case he found himself with two hysterical females to contend with. He did not consider the possibility of not finding them at home. The two men walked the surrounding area to see if they could be found.

Wickham and his man came across the ladies as they were on their way back to the parsonage. They approached the ladies, and the burly man stood next to Charlotte. Wickham threatened that the man would hurt Charlotte if Elizabeth did not come with him quietly. Elizabeth had no way of knowing whether they would make good on the threat, so she complied. Wickham roughly took hold of Elizabeth and pushed her into a coach waiting in front of the parsonage.

Once they were out of sight, Charlotte ran after Johnny and Abe, screaming their names.

~Rosings Park

Johnny was the one chosen to sneak into Rosings to tell Mr. Darcy. After living there for two years, he knew of several entrances into the manor and also knew his way around the house a little since Lady Catherine had summoned him a few times. Mrs. Collins had said Mr. Darcy was in a meeting with the steward, and Johnny knew they would most likely be found in the room where Lady Catherine had met with him. Johnny slipped through the door soundlessly. He stood where Mr. Darcy could see him but the steward could not and waved his hands to attract Mr. Darcy's attention. After he was sure that Mr. Darcy had seen him, he hid behind a sofa.

Movement caught Darcy's eye. When he saw Johnny, he knew something was wrong. Panic gripped his heart when he saw the fear in Johnny's countenance. Thankfully, he had just finished his work with the steward, so he said his goodbyes quickly, and the steward left the room. The moment the door closed, Johnny came out of his hiding place and whispered, "Mr. Darcy! Wickedman and Jeremiah took Miss Lizzy!"

"What? Took her, what do you mean? Took her where? To the cabin in the woods?"

"They took her away in a carriage! Mrs. Collins came running after us and said Wickedman and a big man, who sounds like Abe's cousin Jeremiah, put her into a carriage and drove away--probably going to Broadstairs."

"Where is Broadstairs, and why would he take her there?"

"After a delivery, Wickedman goes back to see my great-grandfather at Broadstairs. It is near Ramsgate."

"Ramsgate! Wickham is often near Ramsgate? So it was probably a coincidence and not by design he came across Georgiana there last summer," Darcy thought to himself as he then began walking toward the door to the hall. "Hurry, I must saddle a horse and go after them!"

Johnny took hold of Darcy's arm to stop him. "Mr. Darcy--I don't know what Jeremiah's orders are, sir, but he won't let any harm come to Miss Lizzy from Wickedman. I'm not sure what he would do if you go after them. He is nasty when threatened. Jeremiah is…big, sir. I have never seen any man so big, not even you, sir. Miss Lizzy might get hurt."

Darcy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Then what do you suggest I do? Sit here and do nothing?"

"Go to Broadstairs and talk to my great-grandfather."

"You will come along, Abe and Mrs. Collins as well. I cannot leave Mrs. Collins here. Let us go talk to them. We need to move more quickly than a coach will allow, can you and Abe ride a horse?"

"Yes we both can, but I don't know if Mrs. Collins can."

"Let us find out." Darcy made his plan as he followed Johnny through the servant's corridors to the stables, where Charlotte and Abe were waiting. On the way out he saw Hughes, his valet, and had him follow them out to the stables.

Darcy took Hughes aside. "Hughes, this must be kept absolutely confidential. Miss Bennet has been kidnapped. Time is of the essence! Mrs. Collins, the boys and I are riding into London on horseback, taking our horses. I need you to hire horses from the village and take the coach into London with all haste. I will meet you at Darcy House. As soon as preparations are made with Colonel Fitzwilliam, I will be going after Miss Bennet. You will follow us with the coach to Broadstairs as soon as is possible. I do not know what to expect once I get there, Hughes." He gave Hughes a pointed look as he said the last. With no doubt that his directions would be followed, Darcy did not wait for an answer.

He quickly crossed the distance to Charlotte, "Mrs. Collins, Johnny has told me what has happened. We are going to London to seek the help of my cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam, then on to Broadstairs. We will escort you as far as London where you can stay with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. My carriage horses are trained for riding in case of emergencies. Can you ride? We need to proceed to London post-haste, and I cannot leave you here with Mr. Collins."

"Mr. Darcy, I grew up with Lizzy! Of course I can ride! Our bags are in the bushes by the road where we were supposed to meet, and I am willing and prepared to leave this very moment."

The boys had already begun to saddle the horses, and Darcy started saddling one as well. "Oh yes, of course. Georgiana told me a story…let me guess, you were the one training with Elizabeth for the race and cannot ride sidesaddle?"

"That is partially correct, sir. Lizzy never did learn to ride the proper way, but I did." Charlotte said with a little smile, which quickly faded.

Darcy realized that since they met again in Kent, he had not the time to speak to Elizabeth about so many things--about her knowing his aunt and uncle and Georgiana and the amusing stories they all had shared about her. He wanted to be having this conversation about riding with Elizabeth, not her childhood friend. Meanwhile, his childhood friend had kidnapped his Elizabeth!

Suddenly overwhelmed with worry for Elizabeth, he leaned heavily on the horse for a moment. Becoming again mindful of the urgency of the situation, he went back to work saddling the horse. There would be much time to think on their ride to London…and then on to Broadstairs.

10:00 A.M.
The group stopped at the bushes where they had left their bags. Darcy took Elizabeth's bag and attached it gently to his saddle, as if it were a fragile object. The group then rode on to London as fast as was possible. Darcy put the time to good use making plans, and as they neared Town, he updated the others as to what course of action he had decided to pursue next. They would all go see Colonel Fitzwilliam first, since they would pass near his General's office on the way into London. He had come to the conclusion that he could not ride into the smugglers' lair without the aid of his cousin if he wished to be of any assistance to Elizabeth.

~London

12:30 P.M.
Colonel Fitzwilliam happened to be leaving the building with General Curtis as the group approached. He saw the group coming near, and after one glace at Darce's face, he asked General Curtis to wait to hear what Darce had to say.

After Darcy greeted both soldiers, his words quickly spilt forth, "Fitzwilliam, I need your help! Lady Catherine is involved in the India problem, and it is much worse than we thought. Richard, it is treasonous! My fiancée, Miss Elizabeth, and I were bringing proof, which I have with me now, to show to you, General Curtis…but then Wickham kidnapped her earlier this morning. We believe he has taken her to Broadstairs in Kent, near Ramsgate."

General Curtis and Colonel Fitzwilliam stood wide-eyed in shock during Darcy's speech, and when he had finished, the General suggested that they go to his office to discuss the matter further. The group then proceeded indoors; the boys sat in the hall while Mrs. Collins and the gentlemen entered the General's office. They quickly came to the conclusion that Mrs. Collins should not be taken to the Gardiners' house since Mr. Collins could potentially find their address. Instead, she would be taken to the house of Captain Walsh, a trusted friend of Colonel Fitzwilliam, to stay with his wife. Mrs. Collins agreed to the scheme as long as Mr. Darcy would include a note to her father when he sent the express to Mr. Bennet informing Sir William that she was under the Army's protection.

General Curtis said they could have four men go along with them to recover Miss Bennet in order to take into custody the deserter Wickham, and find out more about the saltpetre smuggling. The General did note that he knew Captain Sharp and doubted very much he was involved in anything treasonous.

"You know a smuggler, General? Why is he able to continue doing business?" Darcy said, dumbfounded.

General Curtis replied, "The authorities know of these smugglers and their usual activities. It is the nobility and highly placed gentry, even the judges themselves, who are ultimately buying most of the contraband items, and some even have monetary interest in the endeavors. As a result, the military ignores them unless an innocent becomes involved or there is a threat to the Mother country from something they are smuggling. If this be the case, a conflict will result, but the authorities usually punish only the underlings to the full extent of the law, which could be death. Those in charge of the smugglers, if caught, must pay a fine, and are freed with the understanding that there will be no more of the specific activity they had been engaged in which resulted in such an action." *

Though Darcy was thankful for the general's assistance, he was also disgusted by this information. "Sir, you are aware of the ledgers I found detailing the saltpetre being supplied to the French? That is treason, sir! Are you saying Captain Sharp will go free?"

Colonel Fitzwilliam sighed, "Probably, Darce. Sharp is one of the main providers to the upper classes of spirits and tobacco from America. He will most likely be warned not to engage in supplying the French with any further saltpetre and be allowed to continue on as he has been for years. You said yourself that Sharp was being coerced by Aunt Catherine. You have to understand, Sharp is only transporting from one port to another whatever goods with which he is supplied, Darce; it is truly Aunt Catherine who is committing the treason. I personally believe they are both guilty of treason, but I believe that this is how the authorities will look upon this situation. Because Aunt Catherine is so highly placed in society, she will most likely get a warning and not be prosecuted."

"When will we be leaving for Broadstairs? I must speak to Mr. Gardiner and the Earl of Matlock about this matter."

"My men should be about ready to go in a couple of hours--but you are not going, Darce."

In his "Master of Pemberley" voice, Darcy answered, "Of course I am going! Elizabeth is to be my wife! I am going, Richard!"

Richard put his hand on Darcy's shoulder. "I had at least to make the attempt to keep you out of harm's way, Darce. We will meet you at Darcy House when we are ready to leave London."

~Matlock House

2:00 P.M.
While Richard escorted Mrs. Collins to her temporary home, Darcy brought Johnny and Abe with him to Darcy House. He arranged with Mrs. Martin, the housekeeper, to feed the boys and pack three saddlebags, and to have three horses ready to leave at a moments notice. He changed quickly and headed off to see his uncle at Matlock House.

Darcy left his carriage in front of Matlock House, "Stand ready," he told the coachman as he walked toward the door. Once announced, Lord Matlock took in Darcy's agitated appearance as he began to speak. "Uncle Robert, I must speak with you, but time is of the essence. Will you accompany me to Mr. Gardiners' residence, and I will tell you the details in the carriage? Elizabeth has been kidnapped."

"Lizzy, kidnapped?" Lady Matlock's startled voice came from behind Darcy.

"Oh--Aunt Adelaide, I did not see you there, I apologize." Darcy raked his hand through his hair and blurted out, "Yes, Elizabeth has been kidnapped. Richard and I will be off as soon as his men are ready. I am to go to the Gardiners' to notify them and have them send an express to Mr. Bennet. I must return to Darcy House as soon as possible. There is much to tell; will you both come with me?"

Lord Matlock crossed to his nephew and said, "William, why do you not tell us now, and we shall go to the Gardiners' and send the express to Mr. Bennet?"

"That would save a little time, thank you. A message must be sent to Sir William Lucas by express as well. Lady Catherine's parson, Mr. Collins, is under investigation. Mrs. Collins, who is Sir William's daughter, has been taken to a safe place arranged by Richard and General Curtis. I am to notify Sir William that Mrs. Collins is safe and under Army protection until further notice." Darcy's hand was visibly trembling as he raked it through his hair once again and looked directly into his aunt's frightened eyes. "Richard and I will do everything within our power to bring Elizabeth home safely, Aunt Adelaide."

Darcy began pacing in front of them. "Aunt, your intuition was correct. I did need to go to Kent. Elizabeth was at Rosings visiting her friend Mrs. Collins! It's too much to explain now, but you must know that Lady Catherine has been employing George Wickham; as soon as I knew he was in the area, I knew that Elizabeth was at risk. You know as well as I do that Wickham has not an honorable bone in his body.

"India is her doing as well, Uncle! I am sorry, but I will no longer refer to your sister as my aunt. She is a traitor to the crown, shipping the saltpetre to France to make gunpowder to kill British troops, as well as to America, a country we might be at war with any day now. Elizabeth and I had several 'adventures' in Kent over the past day during which we found evidence of Lady Catherine's misdoings. We were to bring the evidence to London today, but Lady Catherine discovered that I am engaged to Elizabeth and had George Wickham kidnap her. She was gone before I could stop it." He shuddered.

"William, you are speaking so quickly that it is difficult to understand you. Did you say you are betrothed to Lizzy?" Lady Matlock asked.

Darcy closed his eyes, his voice full of many emotions all at once. "I begged her to marry me about two hours before she was kidnapped. She accepted." Neither Lord nor Lady Matlock could think of anything to say in response, for congratulations hardly seemed appropriate at this juncture.

Darcy's eyes snapped open. "I have no doubt that Lady Catherine had Elizabeth kidnapped because she wants me to marry Anne. I should not have left her side once I realized that Lady Catherine knew…I should have brought her to London immediately…I know not what Wickham will do to her… I just…I just did not think Lady Catherine capable of something like this! I should have realized…" his trembling voice trailed off as Lady Matlock took his hand in hers and squeezed it in an attempt to comfort him. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and said, "I must go. Thank you for informing Elizabeth's family in my stead." Darcy bowed to his aunt and uncle and left the room.

Lord Matlock followed him into the hallway. "William, just a moment…I want you to be aware that when Mr. Bennet arrives, I will be accompanying him to Broadstairs. I must do what I can to help to clean up the mayhem my sister Catherine has created."

Darcy nodded and quickly exited the building and entered his waiting carriage.

~Gracechurch Street, London

2:30 P.M.
When they arrived at the home of their good friends the Gardiners, Lord and Lady Matlock exchanged looks, bracing themselves before climbing the stairs to knock on the door.

The servant showed them into the entryway. Hearing voices in the hallway, Mr. Gardiner came out to meet them. "Good afternoon, Adelaide…Robert! It is such a pleasure to see you both. Will you join the family for tea?"

Lord Matlock shook his hand. "Edward, I thank you, no. We are here on an urgent matter of business regarding Miss Elizabeth."

"Lizzy?" Mr. Gardiner looked at their grave expressions and prepared himself for the worst.

Mrs. Gardiner and Jane heard the exchange through the open door and rushed out into the hall.

"Lord Matlock, is something the matter with Lizzy?" Jane asked.

Mr. Gardiner saw his friend tense his jaw and decided the hall was not the place for this discussion. "Shall we move into the sitting room?"

Lady Matlock took Mrs. Gardiner's and Jane's arms and led them into the room as the gentlemen followed. The children said their hellos and were ushered upstairs by Mrs. Gardiner.

When everyone was seated, Lord Matlock decided on an abbreviated version of what he knew of the situation in Kent. There would be time to sort out what Miss Elizabeth wanted her family to know later, after she had been retrieved.

"My nephew Fitzwilliam Darcy happened to be at Rosings visiting my sister, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, at the same time Miss Elizabeth was visiting her friend Mrs. Collins. This morning, Miss Elizabeth was kidnapped by George Wickham. I understood you to have met him in Hertfordshire, Miss Bennet. We have reason to believe she has been taken to a village near Ramsgate. Darcy has enlisted my son Richard to help find her. General Curtis has been so kind as to provide men to assist in the search. As they are to be leaving London shortly, Darcy asked me to come in his stead while they prepared provisions for the trip."

"My sister's parson is under investigation in a related matter. We must also notify Sir William Lucas that Mrs. Collins is safe and under Army protection until further notice."

Mr. Gardiner began to cross the room to the writing table. "Robert, would you like to write the express to Thomas, or shall I?"

Lord Matlock answered, "I think it would be better from me, Edward. I will ask Thomas to meet me at Matlock House for I have every intention of going with him to Broadstairs. I will send a note to Sir William Lucas as well. I do believe I have met him at St. James once or twice; a rather jolly fellow, is he not?"

"Yes, that he is. Thank you, Robert."

"I should like to wait and speak with Madeline when she is finished with the children, if you do not mind," Lady Matlock said to her husband.

~Darcy House, London

2:30 P.M.
Back at his own home, Darcy verified that Johnny and Abe were ready to leave as soon as Richard arrived. He then retreated to his study to write a note begging Bingley's assistance. Darcy briefly explained that Elizabeth and he were engaged, she had been kidnapped, and that Miss Jane Bennet was staying at her relatives' house in London, noting the address.

"You could be of service to the family. I do not know what the situation will be when I find her, Bingley. Elizabeth may need her sister. Please, be ready to bring Miss Bennet to Broadstairs if necessary."

Trembling at these thoughts, he requested of his butler to have the note delivered to Bingley immediately.

Just as he finished speaking with his the butler, the door opened and Richard's voice boomed, "Time to go, Darce! I hope you and the boys are prepared to ride hard. Thankfully, it is almost a full moon and we will be able to ride all night. If all goes well, we should be at Broadstairs at about sunrise."

* I do not know if the entirety of this statement is true, but through my research I was able to surmise it from the history of Joss Snelling, a smuggler famous for being the head of the "Callis Court Gang", who Captain John Sharp is based upon (Sharp was rumored to be one of his aliases, actually). The settings are based upon what can be pieced together about Snelling's operations. Snelling was fined £100 on several occasions, but was set free without any other punishments, while others from his "gang" were put to death. I do not know if Snelling smuggled anything that would be considered treasonous, but it fits my story so here it is in the form of Sharp. I doubt it since my research showed that Princess Victoria (future Queen) at age 10, sought out "The Famous Broadstairs' Smuggler" to hear his stories while he was still in business. It is pretty amazing for any era that Snelling retired at age 89 and died at age 96. I guess the smuggling trade was good for ones health… as long as the death was due to natural causes! Jeff Mott is based on Joss Snelling's longtime associate Jeff Mutton.