Chapter 3

Twenty years ago...

"Marcus, where are you? ... No, please ... Marcus!" Elanor said deliriously.

"Poor Miss Eleanor. Even on her deathbed, she remembers that man who did her so much harm," said the maid to her friend Mrs. Hill.

"Don't talk about what you don't know, Daisy, or you're going to get in trouble." A young Mrs. Hill answered.

Eleanor had had an accident a week ago that had left her with severe consequences. She suffered from a stubborn infection that the apothecary had failed to control. Almost six days ago, she was unconscious and delirious. She was on the verge of death.

Eleanor Bennet was twenty years old when she met Marcus, a man from a family from the first London social circles. Young Ella had never been in love, and neither had handsome young Marcus. The love between them was fast and intense until Marcus had to leave Meryton but promised to return as soon as possible in search of his beloved Ella. But he never returned, leaving her with a broken heart and no desire to live.

"Father, I'm anxious about Ella. I really don't think she will survive," said a worried Thomas Bennet. "I regret having lied to my sister. I think it was very cruel of us to have hidden that man's letters from her."

"Please, Thomas. Much of this problem is your fault. You know very well that Eleanor must never leave Longbourn. With everything that has happened, at least, I'm sure she never will."

"My fault? You don't know what you're saying, father," Thomas said, very annoyed.

"Yes, your fault. Remember that I had to use Eleanor's dowry to pay off all your debts in Oxford and arrange your wedding to Fanny. Besides, you don't know anything about managing Longbourn or keeping the books. It is your sister who does all that. I don't have much time left to live. Once I die, she will continue with the administration of this estate. You will be the Master of Longbourn in name only because, in reality, she will be the one who will be in charge of everything. And please, do not look at me with that face because you know very well that it will be like that. You will continue wasting your time reading about philosophy, history, and all those useless things that you like to do so much ".

When young Marcus asked Eustace Bennet for permission to court his daughter, he had no choice but to accept. Marcus left but promised to return soon to marry Eleanor. At that moment, Eustace developed a plan to separate the couple. With the help of his son, the first thing he did was to intercept all the correspondence that came and went between them. Eleanor never got a letter from Marcus, and he didn't get a letter from her, either. As expected, Ella felt alone and abandoned, and given all the things that were happening in her life, she plunged into a deep depression.

"Don't worry sister, Longbourn will always be your home, and I will always protect you." Thomas always told her sister to cheer her up.

"Thank you, Tommy. I will always be grateful for everything you have done for me. You and my father are the only people I trust, and I will always be with you to collaborate in everything you need. I will never forget everything you have done for me in these difficult moments". Eleanor was sincerely grateful for the support her family had given her after Marcus left.

Six months after Marcus' departure, one day, Elanor was coming back from Meryton when a horseman came to deliver an express message. She received it, and when she took a good look at it, she realized it was for her. Marcus had sent it to her and asked her repeatedly why she had never responded to his letters. He explained that he was desperate without knowing about her and that he loved her more than ever. Unfortunately, he had not yet been able to return to England, but he hoped to return soon.

Eleanor immediately spoke with the servants. All of them loved and respected her, and they informed her that her father had expressly requested that all her correspondence should be given to him or his son. Without her father and her brother knowing, she answered Marcus' message informing him of everything that had happened since he left her and begged him to come to rescue her. She preferred not to say anything to her family to avoid conflicts. When Marcus came looking for her, she would clarify everything with her father and brother. Now, she could understand why her father had been so kind to her. He planned to transform her into the spinster sister who would do everything that her brother would not have the will to do in gratitude for having a home and food.

All the servants in the household decided to help her and took care that all letters addressed to her did not reach her father or brother's hands. She did not get any other letter from his beloved. Two months after learning the truth about the letters, she received one from Marcus's brother. In that letter, he sadly informed her that Marcus had passed away.

After hearing the tragic news, Eleanor went to talk to her brother and father about everything that had happened. At first, they tried to deny everything, but finally, they admitted the truth. They wanted to tell her that they had done it to protect her, but she no longer believed them. She was totally and utterly disgusted with everything, left the house, and ran without direction. Unaware of it, she lost her balance and fell into a ditch by the side of the road. Fortunately, some tenants who were passing from that road saw her fall from it, and after a few hours of effort, they managed to rescue her badly injured.

Three weeks after her accident, Eleanor finally woke up. Her father and brother practically did not speak to her, and Fanny was about to give birth to her second child, so she was confined in her room. One day before dawn, and with what little savings she had, she went to London. She went to her Aunt's house, one of her mother's sisters. She received her reluctantly and told her that she could only have her for a few days. She went looking for employment at an agency, and there she got the position of Lady Margaret's companion. One month later, both travel to Canada to visit Daniel Campbell, Lady Margaret's son.

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As she traveled back to London after speaking with Thomas, she remembered all of her sad and bitter past. Thanks to Daniel's love and friendship, she managed to recover and find purpose in life. But she had never managed to close the wound. The betrayal of her father and her brother had left on her a permanent scar. She hoped that perhaps now, when she was reunited with her nieces, she could feel that she had a family. After Daniel's death, she felt alone like twenty years ago when she left Longbourn. But this time, she was mature, powerful, and wealthy.

She had returned to England less than a month ago, and although she had many things to do, she had been carried away by the urge to go to Meryton and see how everything was. She had no regrets; she had had the opportunity to see Jane again and meet Elizabeth. When she arrived in London, she would stay there for a few days, resting. After that, she would go north to close all pending matters in her late husband's company, which now was hers. He had expressly asked her not to let his family interfere with anything. Daniel was very fond of his brother, Lord Westcliff, but he knew that he was not good at managing money. Also, he had a shallow, spending wife. So it would be better for her to take care of all the family business and continue to help them financially as her husband had done.

The month that she would be busy resolving all these affairs would give her brother time to talk with his family and clarify everything about her. Eleanor planned to spend Christmas with her nieces, whom she planned to shower with presents. She didn't care what Thomas said to her daughters; she just wanted them to know that they had an aunt willing to help and protect them. She did not want any of them ever to live a hell like the one she had to live.

Looking back, she had realized many things. Marcus had never really loved her. For him, his work and his family had always been more important than her. On her part, she had thought that love was the only thing that mattered, and she had tragically discovered that it was not.

She hoped that through her nieces, she could fill the rest of her life. With that beautiful feeling, she left Meryton, knowing that she would return very soon.

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Elizabeth ran out of her house towards Oakham Mount, unaware that a gentleman watched her hiding behind a tree. Mr. Darcy had had breakfast, and after Mr. Bingley had gone to London, he and his friend's sisters decided to leave as well. Charles was a fickle man, and after everything that had happened the day before at the Netherfield ball, it was more than clear that his friend was on the verge of making a foolish decision. He could not allow his friend to join his life with a woman who did not love him and with such an inappropriate and vulgar family. The way everyone had behaved at the ball was more than enough proof of how ridiculous Mr., Mrs. Bennet, and her three youngest daughters were.

But he couldn't deny that he was doing everything in part for him. If Bingley married Jane Bennet, he would have to see Elizabeth frequently. He wasn't sure he could resist the temptation of seeing her constantly and not give in to her beauty and charms. But before he left for good, he had to see her one last time. Because of that, he had hidden himself to wait for her to go out for a walk and pretend a chance meeting. She wouldn't know that this would be the last time they would see each other. The day before, they had danced and argued, for some reason that could not be explained. He wanted their last meeting to be on good terms.

Elizabeth was furious with her mother for forcing her to listen to Mr. Collins' stupid proposal. It was beyond her understanding that her mother thought she could force her to marry a hick like William Collins. Fortunately, her father had advocated and supported her decision to reject that man. But she knew very well that her mother would not give up so easily and that it would be months before she could have any peace again.

So concentrated was she thinking about her misfortune that she did not realize that there was a huge horse in front of her. She almost collided with the beats if it was not for a warning voice.

"Miss Bennet," said Mr. Darcy briskly since Elizabeth had not noticed his presence.

"Mr. Darcy," was the only thing Elizabeth managed to say as she turned her back to the horseman to wipe the tears from her face.

He had realized that she had been crying and very worried he asked her, "Has something happened to you? Is there anything I can do for you?"

Elizabeth was a bit surprised at the sudden kindness of someone who had always treated her almost with contempt. "No, thank you very much. Nothing happened to me." Elizabeth turned around with a cleaner face and added, "I'm heading for Oakham mount. Today is a clear day, and from the top, I will be able to see the entire valley. If you'll excuse me, good day, Mr. Darcy".

Mr. Darcy was about to dismount and ask her to let him accompany her. But he knew it would be a grave mistake to do so. "Good day, Miss Bennet." After saying that, he watched for a few moments as Elizabeth walked until he finally lost sight of her. "I will never see you again, Elizabeth. I wish you all the best," and he quickly rode away on his horse. In a few hours, he would leave Hertfordshire, and finally, he could live in peace again.

Elizabeth thought how strange that man was. So severe and arrogant and sometimes kind. After spending a few days with him at Netherfield, she had formed an opinion of his character. She confirmed everything she had thought of him when Mr. Wickham told her his sad tale. But at that moment, she was so sad and heartbroken that she cared little what Fitzwilliam Darcy said or did.

When she reached the top of the mount, she sat on a fallen tree trunk and thought about how sad it was to be a poor woman and not have the possibility to decide what to do with your own life. For the thousandth time, Elizabeth wondered how different life would have been if she had been a man, like her father. She would be the heir to an estate, and she would not have to worry about her future or that of her mother and sisters. "What will become of my life?" Elizabeth wondered aloud, and she couldn't help crying.

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Mr. Bennet had received a letter from Eleanor telling him that she would be arriving in Longbourn a few days before Christmas. As the indolent man that he was, he had not yet spoken to her family about it. But he knew he had to do it soon, and he had a plan. Unfortunately, what had just happened with Mr. Collins would leave Mrs. Bennet intractable for a few weeks, and he needed her help for this.

Stupid Fanny, to secure a place to live, wanted to sacrifice the most valuable of his daughters. Mrs. Bennet had always preferred Jane because she was the most beautiful of her daughters and the most physically like her. Lydia was also her favorite because she was the one who most resembled her in character and temperament. Kitty and Mary were invisible to both of their parents. Mr. Bennet preferred Elizabeth, the least favorite daughter of his wife and the most intelligent of all. Since she was ten years old, he had cunningly invited her to participate in his meetings with Longbourn's steward so that she could learn more about Longbourn.

He did with Elizabeth the same as his father did with Eleanor. Whenever Elizabeth learned a new skill or helped him do the accounts and do the bookkeeping, he rewarded her with his attention. Currently, Elizabeth kept the books and handled much of Longbourn's affairs. He would never allow Elizabeth to marry, and she was too independent to want to submit to a husband. Furthermore, she was too poor for a man of consequence to afford to marry her. Since Elizabeth had taken over much of the responsibility, Longbourn had begun to produce more and better, and Mr. Bennet had more time to devote to his books.

"Well, Ella. I will tell my daughters that you are my cousin, our Aunt Victoria's daughter. I will have to threaten Mrs. Bennet with taking a year of pin money from her if she doesn't go along with me in this little white lie."

Mr. Bennet knew nothing about Eleanor's life since she left Longbourn. He read one letter that she sent from Canada where she told him that she was a companion of a very important lady. After that, he was so mad with her for abandoning him and left him alone in charge of Longbourn. He received two or three more letters that he threw to the fire. He was not interested in the life of a Lady's companion living in Canada.

In their brief conversation, Eleanor hadn't told him anything about herself or her new life. He had seen her luxurious carriage and thought she might have had some luck and had some money. If he had known who she really was today, he would never have allowed her to get close to his family, least of all Elizabeth. He knew that a woman like Lady Campbell could drastically change his daughter's future, and that was something he would never allow.

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Thanks to everyone who reads and comments. I really appreciate your suggestions and words of support.

You already know part of Eleanor's past life. In the next chapter, she will come to spend Christmas with the Bennets and will have more than one conflict with her brother and her sister-in-law.

Furthermore, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy will try to forget the Bennet ladies in London without knowing that they will soon see them where they least expect them.

If anyone is reading/ rereading "Compromised", tomorrow I will take it down until I have time to read it and edit.

See you in two or three days!

Gracias por todos los comentarios de apoyo. Aún no me recupero de la pérdida de mi archivo pero estoy en terapia conmigo misma jajaja.

¡Nos vemos en dos o tres días!

Salutations a tous les francophones qui me laissent des commentaires dans votre belle (mais difficile) langue. Merci pour le soutien inconditionnel de bon nombre d'entre vous qui m'ont suivi depuis ma premiere histoire. J'apprécie beaucoup vos paroles et le fait que vous supportez mon pauvre français.

Rendez-vous dans deux ou trois jours!