A.N. Thank you, Nanciellen, Joan, Colleen, Mariantoinette, Happy Lizzy, Gabyhyatt, Liysyl for commenting. You've kept me going! We still do not know who killed Collins and Wickham. Darcy might have a strange experience in the cave. I will have two chapters for you today. Happy Reading!


Chapter 17

"Sir William is so self-righteous that it's actually hilarious." Bingley said, interrupting Darcy's thoughts. They had bid farewell to Mr. Bennet earlier.

"I believe Sir William actually considers himself to be important, what a joke."

"It is unfortunate that he is in charge of such an important office this year."

"Quite a shame, and so sad for Miss Mary."

"Mary seems to be taking the whole thing well. Say, how is Lizzy taking it? You talked to her earlier, right?"

Darcy sighed. "Miss Elizabeth is devastated and she blames herself. She was hesitant to inform me of Wickham's blackmailing and now the whole thing has escalated to impossible proportions."

"Shame, we could have dealt with Wickham earlier."

"Quite easily, in fact. And you know the worst part? Miss Mary who had absolutely nothing to do with any of it was given the blame. Elizabeth would have certainly preferred it if it was her instead."

"Would you?"

"Now, now, Bingley, do not ask me that."

"You seem annoyed by the idea that Lizzy would have preferred it to be her."

"Actually, it's quite admirable, it shows that she loves her sisters dearly."

"I'm sure you like Lizzy more than dearly."

"When will you stop teasing me about Miss Elizabeth?"

"Did you cease mocking me about Jane while I was courting her?"

"I suppose I didn't. So this is some type of revenge?"

"Yes, and I shall continue until Lizzy and you are married."

"I really doubt that will happen soon." Darcy thought glumly about his earlier argument with Elizabeth.

"I am certain Lizzy loves you. It is evident in her eyes."

"Is it? I do not see it."

"That is because you are too blinded by your own feelings."

"What should I do? Propose to her now?"

"Not yet, after Mary has been freed and all sanity has returned."

"Of course. Yes, that is what I shall do."

"This is so strange to watch. Darcy in love, who would have thought?"

"I can be a romantic man."

"You? Romantic? I know sets of cutlery more romantic than yourself."

Darcy glared at Bingley. "Remember, I did tell you half of everything you used to win Mrs. Bingley over."

"Liar, it was my natural flair for poetry that did it," Bingley replied.

"I would believe that if you ever read a book."

"I did say natural flair, did I not?"

"Yes you did, I only wish it were true."

"Admit it, you need my help with Lizzy." Bingley patted Darcy's shoulder.

"Yes, but first, I need your help with this case. Do you know, besides Mr. Jones, where someone can procure arsenic and sleeping draught?"

"Hmm, I think I heard someone mentioned the other day that there is a herb woman in Walthamstow," Bingley scratched his head. "Who said that? I can't remember now. But Walthamstow is just about five miles east of Meryton."

"I could go there and acquire information on who has recently bought these."

"That is a wonderful idea. But you will need a local to help you. Your manner usually makes people clam up."

"Come with me then and I will let that comment go," Darcy said.

"I can offer no assistance there. I am as unfamiliar with this place as you are. Why not ask Lizzy? Jane said Lizzy knows a lot of the neighbouring areas because Mr. Bennet likes to take Lizzy with him when he goes hunting for old books. I can send a maid as the chaperone, if Mr. Bennet cannot spare one. Think of it as an opportunity to get to know Lizzy better. And take my carriage. Your carriage might be too fine for a visit to the local herb woman."

"That is a good idea. Miss Elizabeth and I do need to speak." Darcy murmured, thinking about the time travel thing. "But your carriage? The livery is plain dreadful!"

"Don't let Caroline hear you. She chose it after spending weeks and a handsome sum on it."

~0~

When the two gentlemen arrived at Netherfield, Darcy penned an express to Colonel Fitzwilliam about Miss Mary's situation and a note to Mr. Bennet, requesting Elizabeth's assistance to visit Walthamstow.

Miss Bingley learned of Bingley's request for a maid to go with Miss Eliza and Mr. Darcy and immediately sought out Mr. Darcy. A weighty argument ensured. It concerned Darcy's decision to assist the Bennets.

"It seems that you have been bewitched by that family. Even after Miss Eliza agreed to conspire against you." Caroline's face turned red with anger.

"It is quite apparent that you are jealous of Miss Elizabeth, although I have no idea why you would be."

"I'm not jealous. I just want you to exercise caution about that woman!"

"She has a name and it is called Miss Elizabeth, not Miss Eliza."

"Did you know where that chit has been the past three months? She could have led a debauched life when she was visiting her so-called friends. Why would you still choose to spend time with her? Can you not see that Eliza Bennet is evil?"

"Evil? what evil thing has Miss Elizabeth done?"

"Have I not been saying that already? Miss Eliza conspired against you, tried to compromise you, and then killed Mr. Wickham. Is it until she kills you that your eyes would be open?"

"How did you know? I am beginning to suspect that you might have played a part in all this. Was it you who bore witness against Miss Mary?"

"What? No, of course not," Caroline lied. "I wouldn't go out of my way to do anything for them, not even to bear witness against them."

"I do not believe anything you say anymore."

"Did you ever?"

"Did you ever give me a reason to, Miss Bingley, with all your unfounded accusation about other gentlewomen?"

"But could you not see, Mr. Darcy, that all I ever did was for you?"

"If you consider me your friend, you wouldn't attack everyone I care about."

"Well, maybe you care about the wrong people!"

"The wrong people? They are sisters to Bingley now."

"Only by marriage. Charles made a mistake to tie himself to the Bennets."

"I wonder what Bingley would say to your view about his wife and her family. And who made you judge and jury?"

At that moment, Mrs. Bingley walked into the room.

"I'm sick of all these," Caroline cried out and stormed off.

Jane, who had caught the tail end of the conversation, attempted to comfort Darcy.

"Mr. Darcy. Try and calm down. I know Caroline's opinion about my family. Nothing can be done about that and I'm sure she is just worried about you and means well."

"How is it that you always see the best in people even when they put you and your family down?"

"What's the point in looking for flaws? They are the most noticeable thing about a person. It is much better to look deeper and see the good in people."

"Some people just aren't good, Mrs. Bingley. I am not saying Miss Bingley is not. But if she is a good person, I have not seen any of it. She is so vastly different from Charles, in temperament and character. It is astonishing!"

Right then, a footman came in to bring a note for Darcy. Mr. Bennet had agreed to allow Elizabeth to assist Mr. Darcy to visit the herb woman.

~0~

On getting to Longbourn, Darcy met Elizabeth.

"Hello, Miss Elizabeth."

"Mr. Darcy," she replied, her posture rigid.

"How have you been?"

"I have been doing well, considering that Mary has been incarcerated for attempted murder."

"I think I might have found a way to conduct an investigation."

Elizabeth's shoulders relaxed slightly. "That is exciting news! What is the plan? Father did not explain why I have to accompany you for an outing."

"Wickham was killed by arsenic and a sleeping draught. Bingley suggested that we go to Walthamstow and try to get some useful information from the local herb woman."

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "I know whom you are speaking of. That will be no problem."

Darcy handed Elizabeth's into Bingley's carriage. The maid from Netherfield moved from the outside seat to inside, as a chaperone. Darcy and Elizabeth remained silent the whole journey until they were about a mile from Walthamstow. Darcy asked the driver to let them get off and drive to an inn ahead. He wanted time to talk to Elizabeth. He walked with Miss Elizabeth on his arm, with the maid following behind.

"Can you tell me more about your…visit to America?" Darcy said.

Elizabeth stopped to stare at him. "You believe me?"

"It is hard to consider that at first. But I know you would not jest when Miss Mary is in such a dire situation. Then I remember reading some ancient myths who depict characters skipping in time. For example, a young fisherman in a Japanese tale visits an undersea palace for three days. When he returns home, he finds himself 300 years in the future. And in another Jewish tale, a scholar is said to have woken up and found himself had slept for 70 years. Perhaps they were not myths but real happening to people who had travelled through time."

Elizabeth breathed out a sigh of relief and continued walking. She did not know if she could give her heart to someone who did not believe her. She was reassured that Mr. Darcy could be so open-minded.

"Can you tell me more about your travel?" Darcy prompted again.

Elizabeth went into detail about her experience in Washington and with Lucy Hill.

Darcy was still shocked to the bone, even though he had talked himself to consider the possibility of time travel earlier. But his sense of logic and his faith in Elizabeth prevented him from doubting the account. He would love to know more about this future world.

"She seems like quite a lovely person, this Miss Lucy Hill. I should have loved to meet her."

"Lucy is the bravest and most diligent woman I have ever met."

"Did it bother you at all that she was black?"

"At first, maybe just a little bit, but after spending some time with her, I realized how foolish it is to look down on a person of a different colour."

"That makes sense. Elizabeth, I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit. I was allowed, encouraged, almost taught to be selfish and overbearing; to care for none beyond my own family circle; to think meanly of all the rest of the world. Such I was and such I might still have been but for you. You have made me a better man! I am glad that the future will perhaps be a more sensible time for England and the world."

"So, you really do believe me?"

Darcy covered Elizabeth's hand. "I have read books on time too. It seems time is not truly linear. You could have come across a device that was capable of manipulating time the same way we can manipulate energy."

"Thank you for believing me. It is imperative to me."

"I am glad that you told me about it. I do not want the truth about your absence comes between us," Darcy said with a smile. "What will you do with this knowledge?"

"I am not sure if it is right for me to benefit from the knowledge of the future. But I am a selfish being. I will implement some new methods of agriculture to improve Longbourn's yield. There are also opportunities in investment like the steam engine technique and railway. I am also writing a novel called 'Diary of an Accidental Time Traveller', which I aim to publish. I hope to earn enough money to help my sisters and set up schools for women from every walk of life. I admire Lucy's passion for education. I agree with her. Aspiration and education are the most important things to lift people from poverty. The distinction of class is not right. We should all be born equal, in the eyes of God."

"These are revolutionary ideas that threaten the very fabric of English society. But I applaud your efforts, to use the knowledge of the future for the greater good of fellow men and women. That is commendable." Darcy was already thinking of how he could help Elizabeth in her efforts. Farming and investment were his forte. He had experience setting up charity groups and he knew someone in publishing who might be interested in Elizabeth's novel. He felt elated that their lives together would be spent on family and meaningful works. But they must prove Miss Mary's innocence first, before they could talk about their future.

"You flatter me. Talking about insight into the future, Lucy told me of a method called fingerprint identification."

"Fingerprint?"

Elizabeth then told Darcy about the Argentinian anthropologist and police officer who made the first positive identification of a criminal using fingerprinting in 1892.

"That is amazing!"

"Yes, the future holds many wonders."

"Even if we had that technology," Darcy murmured, "it would not help solve Collins's murder in any way. The murder weapon has never been found. I wonder if we can get a fingerprint off Mr. Collins's body."

"I would not know."

Darcy continued the rumination. "You were involved in a struggle with Mr. Collins, so such a machine like that would only put you in deeper trouble. But it will help Miss Mary. Perhaps we can get a fingerprint off the wine glasses. Do you know how to lift a fingerprint off an object and a person?"

"Unfortunately, I wasn't paying too much attention when Lucy talked about it. I was more fascinated with the different patterns on the ridges of our fingers. Last night, I was wondering if I should go to the future to ask Lucy more about it."

Darcy stopped and grabbed Elizabeth's hands. "Promise me, Elizabeth! That you will not venture into the future deliberately. I do not think I can bear to lose you again for any amount of time."

"I was just angry with you for not believing me and worried about Mary. It was a mad idea," Elizabeth said. Darcy released Elizabeth's hands and they continued. "Even if I were to try, I do not know how I will be able to get the time machine to work. It is so unreliable, that was why I had to spend three months in Washington."

"We should put that option to bed now."

"How I wish I could turn back time and prevent Mr. Wickham from overhearing father."

Darcy shook his head. "If we come to that, I wish I could kill Wickham earlier."

"We are not killing anyone, Mr. Darcy! We are not without moral."

"I know."

"I do think about why women have to be so weak," Elizabeth said, full of exasperation. "Why must we always be so passive? All of this, all this trouble with Mr. Wickham, none of it would have happened if it weren't for Mr. Collins."

"The past cannot be helped, Elizabeth."

"What if it can?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"What if we were to find a way to harness the time machine? We can go to the past, correct all the wrong in the world, save the women abused and killed by that evil pastor."

"That makes no sense. You already exist in the past."

"Exactly, I could communicate with a past version of myself? Warn Lizzy in the past about Mr. Collins and save the women and us from all this trouble."

"No, Elizabeth."

"Yes," she said. "Why not? Why shouldn't we?"

"Going to the past isn't like going to the future. There are so many possible futures but the past is the past. If you change the past, you do not know what you might change or lose."

"I feel like I have already lost everything. What if Mary was convicted and hanged?" Elizabeth's voice trembled.

"You haven't. You still have us. You still have me. We will get Miss Mary free. Sir William does not have any solid evidence."

Elizabeth did not reply to Darcy. They walked silently until they arrived at Walthamstow. She led him to the shop of the herb woman. The shop was on a less reputable side of the town and the elderly woman, Mrs. Worting, was attending to a man when they arrived. When she was done, she turned to them.

"How may I help you, you lovely couple?"

"We are not a couple," Elizabeth said, blushing.

"Ahh, I see."

"We are here to acquire some information," Mr. Darcy said.

"It sounds important when you put it that way."

"It is."

"Fire away." Mrs. Worting said.

"We want to know if anyone has come to buy some sleeping draught recently," Elizabeth said. She would not talk about the arsenic yet.

"I cannot tell you that."

"What do you mean, you cannot tell us that?" Darcy said.

"Customer information cannot be disclosed under any circumstance."

"That is a pointless rule," Elizabeth argued.

"Is it? Would you want anyone knowing about the medicine you use?"

"Well, if it is important, then yes."

"Well, you are an exception then. Like the man who just left, he bought medicine to please his woman."

"But you just told us about him. Why can't you help us?" Elizabeth said.

"When did I tell you what?" Mrs Worting said with a sly glint.

"You are very obtuse."

"I am within my rights. If you do not like it, then leave."

"Is it possible to purchase that information?" Darcy changed tactics.

"I am an old woman. Money does not entice me." Her eyes however focused on Darcy.

"A young woman's life is at risk." Elizabeth said.

"I do not care for any young woman. You may leave now."

"Let us go, Mr. Darcy. Mrs. Worting is clearly in cahoots with the person who bought the medicine that killed Mr. Wickham. We shall get the magistrate to come for her."

"Nonsense, my sleeping draught kills nobody"

"When it was used together with arsenic, it killed a militiaman in Netherfield, an estate near Meryton." Darcy said, sternly.

"I know nobody from Netherfield or Meryton," Mrs. Worting dismissed the couple but she continued to stare at him. Darcy and Elizabeth walked out of the shop and found Bingley's carriage waiting for them outside, instead of at an inn.

"Sir, the inn is chock-full of racegoers and the stables is packed. We saw Amelia waiting outside the shop and decided to come here to wait for you. I hope it is acceptable."

Darcy nodded his head and handed the maid and Elizabeth into the carriage. He thought it strange that Mrs. Worting gawked at him in such a manner. He turned to look at the shop once final time. Through the window of the shop, Darcy noticed the herb woman was in fact staring at Bingley's carriage with a frown.