Chapter 47: Closure

When Miss Bingley had left to change, Darcy met Mr Bingley and Jane in the parlour. They were confused and worried when they saw his sudden appearance.

He convinced them to step outside and wait along with the others.

"Darcy, when did you arrive here?"

"Mr Darcy, I beg of you, please tell me what happened to my sister?" Jane asked as he ushered them outside.

"Elizabeth is all right, Mrs Bingley. She is safe in Pemberley."

"But .. but.. you wrote that she was in danger."

"She was, but she is safe now." He said with reassurance. "Bingley, you need to trust me. There are a lot of things you need to know about your sister."

The party stood in silence. They saw Miss Bingley enter the parlour. Once Dorothy went inside, Darcy asked them to wait by the door.

It did not take long for them to understand what was going on. Ms Bingley's voice was loud, and they could hear every horrific detail.

Jane and Mr Bingley were horrified to understand her plans and scheming.

The magistrate listened keenly. Darcy was enraged beyond measure. Finally, Richard had opened the door.

Miss Bingley stared at them white-faced. She could not believe it. Dorothy slowly walked away from her.

"Madam, I am here on the insistence of Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Ms Rawlings has confessed her involvement in your schemes in Hertfordshire. She divulged a lot of information about your association with Mr Wickham. I think more than everything, we have a confession from you, now". The magistrate said, breaking the silence.

Miss Bingley frantically tried to look for an explanation.

"Charles, don't believe them. I do not know anything. This maid is a conniving creature. She has planned to defame me. I am your sister, you need to protect me from such people. Let us leave to town now."

Mr Bingley stood in anger.

"You have fooled me all my life, Caroline. You will not, anymore. I heard your words, every gruesome detail. Maybe if it had not come from you, I would have never believed it. How could you? You planned to kill Elizabeth?"

"Mr Darcy, please tell me, is she all right?" Jane asked in distress.

"Elizabeth is fine. She is safe in Pemberley." He said with a penetrating look at Miss Bingley. He did not want to spend a moment in her presence.

"I will wait outside." He said and left them.

"Mr Bingley, I am sorry, but the offenses committed by your sister are truly criminal. I will have the constables arrest her and take her to London."

Miss Bingley felt as if she was about to collapse. She turned white.

Jane looked at her husband. Devastated about the developments, she felt no mercy for Miss Bingley. She could not digest how Miss Bingley had tricked all of them. Jane always saw goodness in the people around her. Now she realised that the world was filled with evil as well. She loved her husband for having the same character as her. But now, she looked at him with doubt. Will he allow his sister to get arrested? In her heart and mind, she had no mercy for Miss Bingley.

"You will be taking her to London, sir? Then?" Mr Bingley asked, trying to control his emotion.

"She will be tried in court. These are not petty crimes, Mr Bingley. There is a good chance you may never see her again."

Jane expected her husband to defend his sister. But to her surprise, Mr Bingley simply nodded his head.

"Charles! You are a disgrace. This man threatens to arrest me, and you have nothing to say. When did you turn this way?" Miss Bingley cried in vain.

"Shut up, Caroline. Am I a disgrace? What do you call yourself? You have lost your morals and become a monster."

"I know who turned you like this. Your wife and her filthy family. The moment you saw her, you lost your mind. Then her sister, taking my place and marrying him. Your fancy for her is the reason why I lost out on becoming Mrs Darcy. All of this because of you. I hate you." Miss Bingley said with rage and ran towards Jane, trying to strike her.

"Stop it! That is enough." Mr Bingley cried and held her firmly.

"There is not one doubt in my mind that you deserve the punishment you are to get. How dare you try to attack Jane. You have become so evil that you would not care to kill me, to get what you want. I am disgusted with you."

Miss Bingley yelled at the top of her voice as the constables came in and arrested her.

Richard met Darcy outside.

"Well! Your friend is not as meek as I thought him to be."

Darcy looked at him, surprised.

"You expected him to protect her? After all that she has done?'

"I did. She tried to manipulate him. But he did not give in."

Darcy was proud of his friend. He knew it was not easy for someone like Mr Bingley to do. They met with the magistrate again. He explained all the details about the trial.

Mr Bingley listened silently and finally spoke.

"Darcy, I cannot tell you how sorry I am to have let all this happen right under my nose in Netherfield. I was with her most of the time in London. I am ashamed to acknowledge that I have been the most foolish man ever."

"She fooled all of us. Do not blame yourself."

"How far did she succeed with her plans." Mr Bingley asked with guilt.

Darcy and Richard quickly related about Elizabeth's abduction and Dorothy's role in helping save her.

Jane could not control her tears on hearing the details.

She gave Dorothy a tight hug and thanked her. Dorothy realised that she had the same qualities as her sister.

"Bingley, I know you may want to be present for the proceedings at court. But I would like you to come to Pemberley and stay for the night. Elizabeth would be happy to see both of you." Darcy said, hoping that their friendship would not suffer.

"I will. I want Jane to stay till Elizabeth can get back on her feet. Thank you!" He said with a small smile.

Jane was proud of him. He had accepted the truth, no matter how hard it was to digest.

They left in their respective carriages to Pemberley.

Darcy was glad that it was finally over.

Elizabeth was elated to see Jane.

"Oh! My God! Lizzy! I am so sorry." Jane cried as she saw her sister in bed.

"Don't cry, Jane. Nothing happened. I am all right."

Both Darcy and Mr Bingley watched the sisters in silence.

"You will be all right, Lizzy. I am staying here till you can walk."

Elizabeth was impatient to know what happened to Miss Bingley. She did not know how to ask about it.

Mr Bingley slowly walked towards them.

"I cannot imagine what you have been through. Had I doubted her for a second, I could have stopped this from happening. It pains me to see that you have suffered such an ordeal. I am so sorry."

"Please do not blame yourself. I am fine." Elizabeth said, unable to understand what happened to Miss Bingley.

In a few minutes, Jane and Mr Bingley left them alone.

"Fitzwilliam, what happened? Please tell me."

Darcy related how he had planned to get a confession out of Miss Bingley.

"Poor man! I cannot fathom how he must have felt."

"Bingley is a kind man, Elizabeth. But his kindness and affection did not blind him. He did the right thing. My friendship with him blossomed because he looked at me beyond my wealth. I still cannot believe his sister could be the complete opposite. Richard said that she tried to hurt Jane when she got angry."

"Good Lord! She must be mentally affected someway. Whatever is to happen to her?"

"She will be tried in court. Then we will know."

"I cannot believe that it is over now. But I don't know if I can put in behind easily."

Darcy sat next to her and pulled her into his arms. "I understand how you feel. I don't expect you to forget everything and act as if nothing happened. I am here to support you in every way Elizabeth."

"Maybe I will feel better once I can walk." She said, trying to move her feet.

"The doctor said you can try walking next week. Do you want me to carry you to the library? You have been in your room for a long time."

"Fitzwilliam, in broad daylight?"

"Do not worry. We can get there before Mrs Reynolds can spot us." He said and lifted her. Elizabeth laughed at his sense of humour.

The next day Mr Bingley left for town.

Jane was very proud of him. As the carriage sped away, he recollected the very first time he had brought his sister as a guest to the grand estate.

There was an evident excitement on her face that day. He could not digest the fact that her obsession for wealth and status had led her to stoop to the level of getting someone murdered.

He felt a lot of pain in his heart and mind when he thought about her trial. He did not know how to explain everything to Mrs Hurst. He shut his eyes tightly, feeling anger, guilt, and remorse, all at the same time.

But the rest of them at Pemberley felt nothing but a sense of closure as they saw the carriage speed away.