Chapter 9:

Darcy was pacing. Until that scoundrel was dead and rotting in the ground he would not and could not feel at peace. They had arrived in London that afternoon and he was waiting for Colonel Fitzwilliam's arrival, his assurance that it all went well.

He could not believe it has only been days since he had danced with his Elizabeth, touched her but now that seemed like a dream. He had promised to himself that he would break off the farce of engagement with Miss Bingley but how? He knew that Wickham would keep to his word, at least this time, and try to ruin them. If Miss Bingley was not his ally, this would only complicate matters. He needed to appease her until the rumors which would surely come, would die down.

"Darcy" said the Colonel, out of breath and interrupting Darcy's thoughts.

Darcy stood up, his face strained, "What news have you brought?"

"I shot him" said the Colonel, "He tried escaping when we were transferring him, he had found a piece of metal in the cell and had freed his hands" he paused, looking with concern at the edges of Darcy's face, "I am sorry, I know this must pain you, it would have pained your father."

"There are many things that would have pained my father" responded Darcy, after a moment's silence, "This would be the least of it, had he known what he had done to Georgi..." he stopped unable to continue, his fist tightly gathered, wanting to pounce. "So is finally Georgi safe?"

"I am afraid not, he managed to scream and spread the truth before dying. We can only hope the rumors will not travel far" said the Colonel, his tired face showing defeat.

"What do you suggest?" said Darcy. The Colonel seemed taken aback, he had not expected Darcy to ask for his opinion without first formulating his own.

"Leave London, take Georgiana with you, she will not be able to handle the scrutiny. With time it will all abate" he answered decisively.

"And if it does not?" asked Darcy, his eyes piercing his cousin's.

"Then we marry her off...you know that I would do anything for her honor" said the Colonel, the last words in a mere whisper.

Darcy nodded, uncomfortable at the thought that his cousin, his charming and well versed among the ladies cousin would marry his young and innocent sister. But he would deal with that when it came. He had more pressing business. He needed to break off the engagement with Caroline prudently. And for that, he knew he needed to be as cunning as she and perhaps even more.

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It had been a week since she had seen her betrothed and she could not contain her feelings of angst. He had paid a visit to his brother but did not call for her and since it was a private meeting, she could not intrude.

Caroline paced her room, dismissing the annoying maid who kept trying to light her fire.

"Be gone" she muttered, the young maid scurrying off, afraid of offending her mistress. She looked out the window, softly opening the lace that covered them and saw a tall, handsome gentleman approaching their home. A smile instantly spread on her face. He had come at last.

Caroline looked at her reflection in the mirror, a sly smile on her face, and took the stairs in haste, for she wanted to be there to welcome him. She still thought there was a small chance that he would walk in, whisk her off her feet and kiss her hand tenderly, in a show of deepest affection. Their last interaction had not dampen that thought.

Caroline had heard the rumors that started to circulate, as a prime gossiper, she had eagerly shut them down, knowing full well that it would not benefit her to have her new family degraded. She knew that her Mr. Darcy had no cards to play with. He needed her and she knew that it was only a matter of time before he loved her.

Her fantasy was interrupted by the man himself who seemed to struggle at the sight of her. He bowed his hat in greeting and approached her, reaching for her hand.

"Miss Bingley" he said coldly.

"My dear Mr. Darcy" she said, smiling broadly and walking elegantly towards him. "We have missed you" she said in a low voice.

"I would like to speak with you, if you are now available" he said, quickly retrieving his hand.

"Oh, shall I call for Charles?" she said, already turning to ring the bell for a maid or footman to fetch him.

"No, I have already spoken with him" he said cryptically and allowed her to lead him to the sitting room. He waited until she had sat but purposely chose the seat opposite her, instead of next to her.

"I have come with some news" he began, "We are to leave to Pemberley, Georgiana and I. We will spend the holidays there and then travel to Rosings to my aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, perhaps you have heard of her?" he inquired. Her eager eyes was all the response that he needed. He could see her hungrily listening, awaiting his next words. "It would be my..." he paused, not sure what word to use, for he did not want to be untruthful, "It would be nice if you would join us in two months time at Rosings."

"I would be delighted" said Caroline, smiling triumphantly. Mr. Darcy smiled back and silently thanked Miss Bingley for the tea and refreshments that came at that moment. He knew that she would defuse the rumors without having even asked her. He knew it was deceitful but he played on her delusion to keep Georgiana safe.

His visit ended shortly after. They spoke of the weather and other inconsequential things, but neither mentioned their last meeting nor the wedding. It was best to leave these things unspoken. One, because she felt it was already forgotten, and the other, because he needed her to be in the best of spirits.

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It was weeks before Jane was back to her normal self, though only Lizzie seemed to notice the difference. She always smiled—too much—and did everything just so, that unless someone was looking, they would not notice. And Lizzie was looking for she loved her sister very much so.

The weather turned colder, snow beginning to fall, and their lives returned to a level of normality before the Bingleys, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Collins had arrived. Mr. Collin's wedding was uneventful. Mrs. Bennet and Lady Lucas both shed tears at the wedding, albeit for different reasons. Charlotte once again asked Elizabeth to visit her and though at the time the prospect seemed dreadful, Lizzie found herself looking forward to the change in scenery. The militia had lost their charm, specially now that the truth of Mr. Wickham had been revealed. Lydia took the news of his death horribly.

Jane was to go to their Aunt and Uncle in Cheapside in the month of February and Lizzie would stay with her for a week and then continue on to visit Charlotte. Their upcoming trip kept them occupied and made the next month pass on rather quickly.

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Short chapter but I want to keep the writing momentum going. So we are off to London and then Rosings. Can't wait for Lady Catherine to meet Caroline, oh the joy! We will see what happens with Bingley and Jane in London.