A.N. I'm back from three week travel in Southeast Asia (not time-travel, haha!). Thank you, GemmaDarcy, Beatriz, Liysyl, DSLeo, Guest, Happy Lizzy, Regency1914 and Colleen for the lovely reviews. Here is a new chapter for you. Happy Reading and don't forget to give me some comments.
Chapter 16
Back at Netherfield, the Bingleys were discussing the events in their bedroom.
"Your countenance has been dull of recent, is anything the matter dear?" Mr. Bingley asked.
Jane, who had been staring out at the sky through a window, was jerked back into her surroundings by her husband's question.
"Did you perhaps say something?"
"Yes, I asked if anything is the matter, you seem moody."
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine. I am just woolgathering."
"Are you sure? I have observed a fall in your countenance for a few days now. I hope you are not worried about Mary? I promised she will be fine. Darcy and I will do whatever we can."
"I know, forgive me for worrying you. It is a little difficult for me not to drift into thought. I will try harder to control my mind from wandering."
"I did not mean to reprimand you. I am only concerned. Come here."
She left the dressing table and sat next to him on the bed, leaning into him for comfort.
"Come on now, tell me all that troubles you. You have been my pillar whenever I needed strength. Let me be that for you."
"It is nothing really. You being here is more than enough."
"Jane, you are the entirety of my world and I want to share your problems. You should not have to keep those troubling thoughts to yourself."
Jane smiled weakly and looked into Bingley's eyes, knowing he could see her fragility.
"Charles," she said with a sigh, "I really do not know… these feelings are very complicated and they are all so much."
"Perhaps you should begin with the smaller things and build up from there."
"That is the problem, my love. None of them is small."
"Alright," Bingley said with great patience. "What troubles you at the moment."
"Mary."
"I know. About her arrest?"
"That she might have to go to trial and she will be given the death sentence."
"Jane, please do not think that way. I understand how troubling it must be for you to have your sister in jail for suspected murder. But you must not let thoughts like that consume you. Have faith in your sister's innocence and trust that she will be vindicated."
"It is difficult not to think of the alternative."
"Jane, look at me." She turned to face him and he cradled her face in his hands. "Do you trust me?"
"More than anyone else."
"Everything will be fine. I want you to believe that. Mary will not go to trial, I promise."
"I trust you… I only wish I had been there for Elizabeth and Mary when they needed me".
"What do you mean?"
"Lizzy needed me when Mr. Collins proposed marriage and Mother and Father forced her to accept. The man was evil. How could I not see that and said that he was a good man, polite and responsible? I even joke that Lizzy's married life would only lack entertainment and fill with some occasional embarrassment. If Lizzy had married Mr. Collins, she would have suffered physical hurt or even killed by the monster! She was injured by the beast at Oakham Mount and did not tell us where she had been for those three months. I lost her trust. How did I just sit there and allow it all to happen."
"None of this is your fault. No one asked for this to happen. At one time or the other, we all encountered Mr. Collins and none of us had a bad impression of him… well beyond his evident self-absorption."
"But that is the problem. I should have been more protective of Lizzy. She is my sister and best friend. If I detected the slightest indication that he would not be a good match for her, I should have spoken up. Instead, I kept quiet or did the opposite and only spoke to maintain a false positivity."
"You are far too harsh on yourself."
"I deserve it. Charles, I… I am not really a good person."
"It baffles me how you who manage to find goodness in the worst and most depraved people cannot seem to see good in your own self. You are the sweetest and most kind person I have ever known. I do not understand how you are unable to see that."
"Perhaps I am not thinking clearly. I am indeed lucky to have you, Charles."
"I am even more fortunate to have you, darling. You are my greatest source of joy and it kills me to see you sad. Think no more about Mary's incarceration. Darcy and I will make sure she is being treated well and I assure you that she will be free as soon as possible."
~0~
Elizabeth had a fretful night. Early next morning right after dawn, she set out for a morning walk to clear her head and to think about how to help Mary. Unwittingly she walked towards the base of Oakham Mount. Much to her shock, Mr. Darcy seemed to be waiting for her there.
"What are you doing here at such an hour, Mr. Darcy?"
Darcy did not answer her, but kept pacing in circles and stared at Elizabeth from time to time.
"Why are you here, Mr. Darcy? I hope all is well with Jane at Netherfield?"
"Mrs. Bingley is fine, I guess, but that is not why I am here."
"Why, then?"
"I could not sleep. I had to see you."
"What is so urgent?" she said.
"You could not sleep either?"
"No, I could not. Life has given me a lot to think about."
"As it has with me," he was silent for a moment then said, "Why did you not tell me about Wickham?"
"I did not want to bother you at first. I felt you had done more than enough to assist us already regarding Mr. Collins's murder. Father also thought so."
"Even when a threat as big as Wickham was present? Do you see how the situation has escalated now? This is an almost impossible problem."
"I know. I have spent all night thinking about it. There seems to be no way around it."
"You know that Miss Mary is in serious trouble. It is a relief that the Lent assizes have passed through Hertfordshire already. It will buy us a few months to prove her innocence before the Summer assizes. I have written to Richard and asked him to return immediately to assist in the investigation."
"Thank you, Mr. Darcy. I am so frustrated with the turn of events."
"We can still hope. I will do my best to make things as easy as possible for Miss Mary."
"Thank you again. You are truly the best man in the world. I am so sorry I let things drag this far. Mary kept trying to convince me that things would be solved if I had told you of Wickham's plans earlier and a part of me knew she was right but I was too scared to do anything about it."
"Speak no more of Wickham's scheme. All that is forgotten."
"Mr. Darcy… I wish things weren't so difficult right now."
"Me either. Will you tell me where you were, during the past three months of your absence?"
Elizabeth bit her lips. She was relieved that Mr. Darcy had sought her out and allowed her to apologize for not telling him about Mr. Wickham. But how could she say to Mr. Darcy about the time travel? But how could she not? They could never achieve any sort of friendship if she hid something from him again. "Before I can tell you. You must promise that this information will stay between us and, more importantly, that you will not dismiss me easily."
"What reason would I have to do so? You know I respect your opinion."
"Well, what I am about to say may make me sound a little like I've lost my senses."
"Elizabeth, you are by far the most levelheaded and intelligent woman I know. It is why I'm drawn to you. I am very sure I will not think you to be insane."
"Alright then, I am very nervous, so you must bear with me."
Darcy stared at her curiously. Elizabeth seemed nervous to the point of jitters.
"I do not think I can do it. Mr. Darcy, I'm sorry."
"Alright, perhaps I will have to set your mind at ease."
"And how do you propose to do that?"
He took her hands into his and clutched them tenderly, then said. "I would never judge you and I want you to be safe in the assurance of my feelings for you. I want you to feel secure around me and that can only happen if you permit yourself to trust me completely. Now breathe and tell me what troubles you."
"I will," Elizabeth said this calmly and was surprised by the effect his words had on her. "When I was away, I did not travel, as you might have been led to believe. I suppose in a way what happened to me could be described as travelling, but I'd rather not call it that. It was more of a supernatural experience."
"Supernatural?" Darcy was thoroughly perplexed. "What happened?"
"There is no other way I can tell you this other than directly, for I lack the skill to describe this experience."
"Go on, please."
"While I was gone, I was not in England."
"You went abroad, to the Continent?"
"No, I was not in the Continent."
"Where did you go then? Ireland?"
"I was in America."
"In that case, I have no reason to think you are crazy, although three months seemed to be quite short for you to go all the way across the ocean, and during such unstable time."
"That is not what is strange about the whole thing."
"There's more? Forgive me for the interruption, please continue."
"I was in America, only it wasn't the present day."
"I don't understand you at all, Elizabeth."
"When Mr. Collins assaulted me, I fell down the cave and encountered a machine. It was a bizarre-looking parasol thing. I found it very difficult to look at it directly as there were many bright swirling lights that seemed to emanate from it," she took a deep breath and continued. "The next thing I knew, I was caught in an overwhelming euphoria and I became unconscious."
"What happened after?" Darcy was trying his best to give her the benefit of the doubt, but after what he had just heard, he had to be amused.
"You must think I am insane by now."
"No, not at all, please continue."
"Well, I woke up and found myself in a stranger's bedroom. A bla… an African American woman."
"An African American woman? Do you mean a black woman? I am confused, how is it that you became unconscious at Oakham Mount and regained consciousness in America, that makes no sense."
"I know, but I need you to believe me. It did happen."
"Elizabeth…," Darcy said with a look of real worry, "What is wrong? Have you been getting any sleep at all of recent?"
"I knew you would react like this. You think I have lost it. Well, I have not. I am perfectly sane and I regret telling you anything at all."
She made to leave but he held her hand.
"I do not think you are crazy. This is just a lot for me to take in."
Elizabeth tried to shrug off his hand.
"Elizabeth, I have not the slightest doubt that you are perfectly sane. I only want to understand what you mean and how it is that you appeared in America without taking any transportation. Have you considered the possibility that you were kidnapped?"
"I was not, even though at first, I was apprehensive that it was some evil scheme of Mr. Collins's depraved mind. It turned out not to be the truth because I soon found that I was in the future, in 1892 to be specific. No means of transport, no matter how fast it can take me to the future."
Darcy went white in the face. He was so alarmed by her words that he found himself frozen to the spot and unable to speak. Seeing his reaction, she walked away angrily and sadly, for Longbourn. He did not chase after her, many thoughts raced through his mind and he struggled to process what he had just been told.
~0~
Later, still early in the morning, Mr. Bennet came to Netherfield and asked his son in law to accompany him to see Sir William. Darcy asked to join the party. The de Bourghs, the Hursts and Miss Bingley were still abed. Darcy was sad and worried that Elizabeth did not come with her father. The three men set off for Lucas Lodge and as soon as they arrived, they were shown to Sir William's study.
"It is astonishing," Sir William began, "That you still insist on supporting this family, Mr. Darcy."
"What I decide to do is nothing to you."
"I know, I know, I am merely amused."
"Well, I wonder if this case also amuses you? That you should have an innocent woman locked up simply because you have the power to do so. When I first met you, I thought you an amiable and respectable fellow. Still, you have proved yourself to be nothing short of contemptuous. I cannot overemphasize my disappointment."
"I am just doing my job, Mr. Darcy," Sir William replied with an angry glint. "Your personal feelings on this matter do not interest me in the least. In the space of four months, two men have died in my jurisdiction and you expect me not to act?"
"No one can blame you for acting but do not act like you have acted wisely. You have simply made a thoughtless decision to put pressure off you and give the people a finger to point at."
"But should you not be most pleased with my decision? Miss Mary, Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Wickham were, after all, plotting against you."
"And you know this how? And on whose words?"
"I am afraid I cannot disclose that information until the day of the trial."
"Now, you care about doing things in the proper manner," Mr. Bennet cried out.
Bingley could see the meeting going out of hand with temper flaring among the parties. He interrupted in a polite voice. "Sir William, would you be kind enough to enlighten us on how Mr. Wickham died? As the murder occurred at Netherfield, I feel it my responsibility to assist you in the investigation."
"Well, Mr. Bingley, I can see that you are fast becoming an upstanding member of our neighbourhood, despite being related to Bennet. Seeing you asked so nicely, I will share some of our learning so far with you. But please do not dream of interfering with MY investigation."
Mr. Bingley agreed with ease, while Bennet and Darcy glared at Sir William.
"Mr. Jones, the apothecary, has found that one of the wine glasses had remnant of a high amount of arsenic and sleeping draught. The autopsy he performed confirms that the cause of the death of Mr. Wickham was poisoning. It was obviously slipped into a glass of wine and given to Mr. Wickham."
"And? How does this prove that Mary poisoned Wickham?" Mr. Bennet asked angrily.
"It doesn't, but we have a witness who says Miss Mary was standing near the wine glasses. She thus had the opportunity. And she was seen to have argued with the deceased earlier. So she has the motive. That is the thing about small towns like this one, the truth is seldom able to hide. The Bennets might have been able to escape the last time concerning Mr. Collins. However, there is no doubt this time that this was your family's doing."
"That is slander!" Mr. Bennet cried out. "We have nothing to do with Mr. Collins's death."
"You sound so certain, Sir William," Bingley murmured.
"I am," Sir William ignored Mr. Bennet's outcry and replied to Bingley. He then turned to Mr. Darcy, "and I must advise you to stay away from this family as associating with them will only cause me to suspect you."
Mr. Darcy gritted his teeth and put his hand to touch Mr. Bennet's elbow to calm the elderly gentleman. "Again, I thank you for your advice, Sir William. I am my own master and will decide whom I associate with. Now, is there anything that can be done for Miss Mary while she waits for the legal proceeding," asked Darcy.
"Well, you can choose to personally sponsor Mary Bennet's upkeep. She is held in the servant quarter here. My two daughters are overseeing her imprisonment. Bennet, be grateful that I did not have your daughter housed in the back of Kings Park Tavern instead. I spared her the indignity of living with the horses and rough travelers who frequented the tavern all because of my wife's friendship with Mrs. Bennet."
Bingley thanked the magistrate before Mr. Bennet could utter more explosive words against the condescending Sir William.
"She can also be provided with books and other things that will have to be approved by us first."
"I will personally see to it that she is taken care of," Darcy said.
"Can we see Mary before we go?" Bingley requested politely. Sir William agreed and asked Charlotte to take the gentlemen to the room.
They went into the tiny room, probably for a maid with bars on the windows, and met Mary in good spirits reading the bible. She was very excited to see them.
"How are you all doing?" she asked.
"Forget about us, how are you doing?" Bingley asked.
"I am doing fine under the circumstances."
"Do not worry," Bingley said, "You will soon be out of here."
Unable to hold back, Mr. Benner drew Mary in for an affectionate embrace.
"Thank you so much for being so strong. I do not think we would be able to bear it if we found you in a terrible state."
"I'll be fine, father. Do not worry."
Then taking a more serious tone, Mary asked. "Have they been able to find the cause of death?"
"Yes, it was a high dose of arsenic and sleeping-draught combination, apparently put in the wine."
"Who would do something like that? And why?"
Darcy speculated that the culprit could be someone who had some enmity with Wickham. "A public event like the ball would be a perfect setting for such a crime."
"It would indeed," echoed Mr. Bennet, "and the culprit is most likely aware that another person has been taken into custody as a suspect."
"But do not think of any of that, Mary. Do your best to keep your spirits up. "We'll get you out," Bingley declared passionately.
The gentlemen all took turns, hugging Mary. Eventually, they had to leave.
On the way back to Netherfield, Darcy was planning in his head what he had to do. He would seek help from Colonel Fitzwilliam and his men. Darcy intended to have a word with his aunt and Anne. They were both near the poisoned wine where Miss Mary was. And then, there were other witnesses whom Sir William had learned about the argument between the two Bennet sisters and Wickham. Also, he would like to talk to Mr. Jones and any other apothecaries near Meryton who could have supplied the arsenic. Finally, Darcy would go to the cave at Oakham Mount. After more thorough thoughts, he did not think Elizabeth would jest about her absence in an outlandish manner, especially right after the arrest of Miss Mary. Could Elizabeth be telling the truth? Could time travel be possible? Why Elizabeth? Why then?
