Lady Catherine de Bourg arrived at Pemberley with her daughter in tow. She scowled at the smiling sun and muttered curses on Elizabeth Darcy, who had recently borne her nephew a son. The carriage rolled to a stop before her footman promptly assisted her and Anne down. Lady Catherine strutted through the courtyard and into the house, frowning at the flowering, potted plants in the foyer.

"Mother, why have we come to Pemberley?" Anne whispered fearfully. "We were not invited."

"This is your rightful home," her mother responded coolly, "and therefore we have a right to come as we please."

Mrs. Reynolds appeared, saying coldly, "Madam, we were not informed of your coming."

"Does it matter?" Lady Catherine snapped. "Show me to your mistress."

"She is indisposed," the housekeeper said tactfully.

"Then show me to your master."

"He is also indisposed."

"Never mind, then, I shall show myself since I know the way. Come along, Anne." Lady Catherine pushed past the protesting housekeeper and mounted the stairs.

Anne shadowed her mother's steps fearfully, mouthing to the housekeeper that something was amiss. Her mother loudly proclaimed her judgement on the curtains hanging in the windows, the carpeting, and the décor in the hallways. Her menacing frown and a shake of her cane scared many of the chambermaids away. With the footmen, she merely gave them a sharp thump on the head as they endeavored to stop her. Eventually she arrived at the master bedchamber and entered without bothering to knock.

Elizabeth sat in her bed. She turned her pale face towards her unwelcome guests. She greeted them softly with a twinkle in her eyes, "Lady Catherine, Anne, it is surprise to see you. I ask your pardon for next welcoming you in the parlor as it is properly done, but I have been a bit unwell since my son's birth."

"I shall not call you Mrs. Darcy, for you are too impertinent to deserve the title," Lade Catherine sniffed. "Miss Bennet shall do."

"But she is not Miss Bennet anymore," Anne protested.

"Quiet, Anne," Lady Catherine remonstrated harshly, shaking her daughter by the shoulders. "I am claiming what is rightfully yours."

"I do not see how anything is rightfully Anne's," Elizabeth remarked coolly. "You really ought to allow Anne to speak her opinions."

Lady Catherine stalked to the bed and slapped Elizabeth before hissing, "You shall not tell me how I shall control my daughter, and you shall not gloat over your temporary success."

Elizabeth stared Lady Catherine boldly in the face. Though her cheek smarted, she laughed, "I do not gloat, Lady Catherine. I am only happy with my husband's love as he is with mine."

Lady Catherine stuttered in her rage, "Happy! You…you… lying sorceress. What spell did you cast onto my nephew to blind him to my Anne? For all I care, you are a living ghost."

"Mother, that is enough," Anne cried sharply, wordlessly thanking Elizabeth for giving her confidence to stand up to her mother. "We shall leave Pemberley and return to Rosings immediately."

Lady Catherine turned towards her daughter and caned Anne, barked, "I told you be silent!" Anne stumbled to the ground, her sight dimmed by a sudden haze. Through her hazy vision, she watched in horror as the ensuing scene unfold. Her mother knocked Elizabeth unconscious before wetting her handkerchief, placing it firmly on the unconscious woman's face, and drawing the bed curtains. She heard a scream as a maid, she supposed, endeavored to save her mistress before a thud hit the floor. Then, she heard no more. Only darkness.

Three months later, Anne de Bourg became the true mistress of Rosings. With Richard Fitzwilliam's help, the estate was on its way to becoming prosperous again. Her mother, however, was not dead. Rather, she was raging in a lunatic asylum for respectable ladies far away. She endeavored to bring her mother to justice for murdering Elizabeth Darcy, but the jury deemed Lady Catherine's actions because of insanity. As for Fitzwilliam Darcy, he mourned the loss of his wife, cursing himself a thousand times for not being there when she most needed him. To soften his grief, he threw himself into caring for his estate while his sister looked after his son.

However, to the confusion of many, Elizabeth Darcy's body was not to be found. The servants were preparing her body when it just faded away. To keep the fact hidden from the Ton, Mr. Darcy buried an empty coffin. To the world, Elizabeth Darcy was dead, having succumbed to an illness while recovering from childbirth. To Fitzwilliam, he had a glimmer of hope, but believed his wife to be gone. To Georgiana and Jane, Elizabeth was still alive.


On the full moon of the fourth month after her murder, Elizabeth Darcy wandered the downstairs of her home. She was living ghost, only visible on the full moon. She glided through the halls until she came before a mirror. She could faintly see her reflection. She still wore the light blue dress she would have been buried in. All she saw was a pale, vaporous figure illuminated by the moonlight. She touched the mirror, feeling nothing though her hand did not pass through it. She padded up the stairs, her steps making faint echoes. She crept softly to her son's room. The nursemaid slept soundly in the next. Her son slept restlessly in his cradle. Stooping, she picked up the child, rocking him, and humming a lullaby.

"My darling child," she whispered. "Must you grow up with a ghost for a mother and a grief-stricken hermit for a father?"

When the baby had quieted, she placed him back in his cradle before gliding to Georgiana's room. She heard and knew that her sister-in-law believed that she was still alive. Spotting paper and ink on the desk, she wrote a message for her.

If I had a body, I would hug you tightly since you believe I am still alive. Perhaps I should explain my situation. Lady Catherine cursed me to be a living ghost the day she killed my body. Because of that, I am invisible by day and night, excepting the full moon. The reason my body disappeared was that my spirit found itself quite lonely and took the body to join its wanderings. That is what I like to think. I am truly sorry for all the grief my "death" caused. If the curse is broken, I wonder how I can live with a society that thinks me dead. Give my love to my little boy and William, and meet me in the library the next full moon. Elizabeth

She passed her husband's study, which was situated next to the stairs, and peeked inside. Fitzwilliam sat sleeping with his head on the desk while a lone candle flickered. Sighing she floated to the desk and blew out the candle. She gently touched his head, longing to feel his black tresses. With a feather-light touch on his shoulder, she left him so that she may go haunt Lady Catherine. She knew it was mean of her to taunt the poor lady so, but she so longed to try to persuade Lady Catherine to break the unintentional curse.

During the following month, Elizabeth traveled on the wings of the wind, exploring the world. She visited China, Australia, the Middle East, Africa, America, and anywhere she had a fancy to visit. She listened to lectures from renowned scientists of the day, attended lessons by the finest artists and pianists, and paid her respect to the courts of Europe. In her wanderings, she discovered an abandoned château in France. There, she made her residence as she did not want to give Pemberley the reputation of being haunted. Whenever she was not travelling, she was in the chateau. The chateau was a beautiful estate, furnished with every luxury a lady dreamed of: fine dresses, jewelry, a beautiful piano, a large array of sewing and painting supplies, a stunning library, and liberty. Since she could not sleep since she was a ghost, she practiced the accomplishments, namely the pianoforte, she never had time for. She also wrote. She wrote of her adventures abroad, weaving them into a fanciful tale to delight children and adults alike. The day before the full moon, she returned to Pemberley and left a message to Georgiana, reminding her of their meeting.

That night she waited in the library when the door creaked open. Georgiana paled, seeing her sister-in-law's wraithlike form. She whispered, "Elizabeth?"

"Sit down," Elizabeth commanded gently. "I believe I already explained my situation to you."

The girl released a shaky breath and nodded. She asked, "Who else knows? How do you fare?"

"Jane, and being the sweet soul she is, she promised to keep quiet of my existence." Elizabeth then explained her life in detail for a full hour. She concluded, "I wrote several books, but they are unpublished."

Her interest further piqued, Georgiana requested, "May I see them? Perhaps I may be able to publish them for you."

Elizabeth smiled, "I must go fetch them, but it should only take me a few minutes." She disappeared through the open window. Half an hour later, she returned, apologizing, "I beg your pardon for keeping you waiting. I forget that a few minutes for me are longer for you." She placed a large basket on the floor and carefully pulled out several bundles of paper.

"Poems of the Far the East translated by E.B Dare. A Finch Called Ellie, Flicker of Life," Georgian read off from the visible pages of a few of the bundles. "You wrote all this?"

"I write under the name of E.B. Dare," Elizabeth noted absentmindedly. "Flicker of Life is a fictionalized version of my life. I used to write at Jane's before I found an empty chateau in France. I have so much time since I cannot sleep or eat."

Georgiana sat silently on the floor before observing the lateness of the hour. She bade Elizabeth goodnight and promised to see her next month. Before leaving Pemberley again, Elizabeth visited her son, smiling and whispering how he has grown so much.

For the next few months, Elizabeth visited both Jane and Georgiana, often bringing some trinket from the France and a new project of hers. Sometimes it was painting, other times it was a new book or some craft she learned. At times, both her sister and sister-in-law detected weariness and grief in Elizabeth's voice. Other times, they heard her merrily laugh at her situation, her voice tinkling like a distant bell. Deep in their hearts, they knew Elizabeth would willingly give up the advantages of being bodiless to become human again.