Dear Sunday friends, sorry I was no show last week. Cut a long story short - my old computer died together with over a month of accounting data. I have been trying to recover them since. It may take me another week or two to sort that out. Back to our ghost story, it's getting late. I'm not 100% sure about the ending of this chapter and leaving you with a cliff-hanger. Don't throw tomatoes at me. I need some love instead. Happy reading!


Chapter 17

When the Darcys and Elizabeth sought out the Matlocks, they found Lord Matlock had returned home with Mr. Collins. They left Lady Matlock to deliver the news to Mr. Darcy.

"A fire broke out in several tenant cottages," Lady Matlock explained. "The steward requested Lord Matlock help, and Mr. Collins said he might be needed to offer comfort to any injured tenants or their families."

Fitzwilliam was frustrated by the turn of events. He was hoping to finally solve the murder by confronting Lord Matlock, but now it had to wait for at least another day. He and his father could visit Matlock the next day to speak to Lord Matlock. But to bring many guests to see when Lord Matlock estate was in an emergency seemed not the polite thing to do. And he wouldn't like to go without Elizabeth and his mother.

On the other hand, Elizabeth found the situation to be advantageous. She wanted to interrogate Lady Matlock about her association with Mrs. Bingley without her husband's presence. She knew that Lady Matlock was suspicious of her, so Elizabeth started by addressing Mr. Bingley, "The heat wave this year is quite unique. I was quite overcome by the heat during the walk in the garden this afternoon. I wonder how your parents fare in their travel in such weather, Mr. Bingley."

"You are dead right, Miss Elizabeth. I just received a letter from Mother this afternoon," Bingley said, nodding enthusiastically. "she complains about how hot it is, even at Middlesbrough."

"Is that where Mr. and Mrs. Bingley have been off to?" Fitzwilliam added. He must have caught on to Elizabeth's intention to discuss Mrs. Bingley.

"Yes, indeed," Lady Matlock added. "Daisy told me in her letter that she felt quite lucky for not suggesting to go back to Bristol for a visit."

"Go back?" Elizabeth raised her eyes but continued to direct her questions to Bingley. "Did Mrs. Bingley originally come from Bristol? I thought your family is from Scarborough."

"My father's family is from Scarborough, but Mother is from Bristol," Bingley explained. "I have the blood of both a northerner and a southerner."

"And bless my good fortune that Daisy knows my father," Lady Matlock commented. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have been introduced to David and married him."

"Oh, I love to hear a romance," Elizabeth squealed. "Do tell us more."

Judge Darcy stared at Elizabeth's unusual display of enthusiasm and finally caught onto her intention. Seeing that Lady Matlock was not going to reply to Elizabeth, he said, "Yes, as I remember, the way Augusta and David met was quite romantic."

"Yes, Aunt Augusta," Fitzwilliam prompted, "do recount the tale to us again. I'm sure Miss Bennet and her sister would love to hear it."

Lady Matlock smiled. "Fitzwilliam, you are such a dear boy! Always looking after the interest of the ladies." She was, in fact not much older than Fitzwilliam. She looked at Jane and Elizabeth condescendingly and said, "Lord Matlock and I met at Prior's Wood in Bristol. Mrs. Bingley and I were travelling home when our carriage was stranded on some muddy road. We had been waiting for nearly two hours, and the sun was almost disappearing. We feared we would have to spend the night in our carriage in the woods. But Lord Matlock was in the area and rescued us."

"How romantic!" Elizabeth said.

"Indeed, David had taken one look at Augusta, and he was enchanted." Judge Darcy added. "Not a month later, they were married."

"Absolutely romantic. But why was Mrs. Bingley and you travelling through the woods so late in the day?" Elizabeth persisted.

Lady Matlock frowned. "I can't remember the reason. And what is it to you anyway, young lady?"

"Mother told us she was taking Lady Matlock to visit one of her friends." Bingley jumped in. "But I can't remember who her friend is now. Mother always got distracted when she recounted the tale."

"So Mrs. Bingley and Lady Matlock are good friends?" Elizabeth continued when Lady Matlock did not explain further about the visit. "But there is a great age difference, is it not?"

"So what? Daisy is like an older sister to me," Lady Matlock said. "She is dearer to me than my older sister is. I remember her visiting our family very often when I grew up."

"Mrs. Bingley is in her mid-forties," Judge Darcy added.

"Judge Darcy, it is impolite to mention a woman's age," Elizabeth's eyes brightened as she said playfully. "But if Mrs. Bingley married young, like at the age of my sister Lydia is, at 15, she could be Lady Matlock's mother!"

Fitzwilliam's mouth gaped open. What was Elizabeth implying? Did she believe that Mrs. Bingley's first illegitimate child was, in fact, Lady Matlock, the former Miss Augusta Hawkins? Surely, Aunt Augusta couldn't be Lord Matlock's love child. It would be a heinous act by Mrs. Bingley to allow His Lordship to take his love child as his second wife.

"Our youngest sister Lydia is full of youthful energy," Jane added. "She hopes she will be the first among us to get married."

"Youthful energy? I would say that is a lack of proper gentlewoman education," Lady Matlock exclaimed. "My father would have never allowed such talk from my sister and me."

"Did you not mention before that you have never known your mother, Augusta?" Mr. Darcy senior said with a frown, not caring for her patronising attitude towards the Bennet sisters.

"Father was an excellent man," Lady Matlock ignored Mr. Darcy's question about her mother. "He hired all governors and masters for us. Not to mention he left me a dowry of ten thousand pounds. But Daisy is always quite motherly towards me. I've never missed my mother."

"Hey, I've to share Mother with Louisa and Caroline," Bingley said jokingly. "I am not sure there is enough of my mother to share with you too, Lady Matlock."

"Don't Lady Matlock me, Charles. You used to call me Augusta. I don't want you to stand on ceremony. And, of course, Daisy has plenty of love to share around. She is such a warm person."

"So Mrs. Bingley went in the same social circle as the Hawkins in Bristol?" Elizabeth continued her enquiry to Bingley.

"No, I believe my grandfather, on my mother's side, knew Captain Hawkins, uncle of Lady Matlock."

"Why are you so inquisitive about our family history, young lady?" Lady Matlock said with her cheek pinched. "My Uncle Captain was in the navy until he was killed about seven years ago. He was the most charming man I have seen, even more handsome than my David."

"I see," Elizabeth said, nodding her head. She would love to share her speculation with Fitzwilliam, but that could not be done in a roomful of people. The party retired shortly afterwards.

When Elizabeth entered her room, she saw Lady Anne sitting by the windows.

"Lady Anne, I see you're here, again," Elizabeth got so used to Lady Anne's presence that she was not surprised by it.

"Hello." Lady Anne smiled at Elizabeth, who reciprocated, although tiredly.

"I was thinking we should consider checking Mrs. Bingley's room as well. Don't you think? She is our number one suspect at the moment, and maybe...we could find something in her room, a clue or anything. Since she's not around, we could sneak in."

"You mean here at Pemberley? The guest room she stayed in? But that was years ago!"

"No," Lady Anne shook her head. "I mean, we can try to go back to that night."

"Did you not say that you cannot go back in time?" Elizabeth said.

"I have tried before, but never successful. But you had done so when you were in a high fever. You travelled to Straffan House in your dream. And then, by connecting with Fitzwilliam's mind in the gallery, you could read the letters from your dream."

"What if it is Straffan House in the present time?"

"I think it is worth a try." Lady Anne said.

"How can we do that? As I have no fever anymore. And if we do it, shouldn't we try to get back to the gathering at the exact time when you were poisoned?"

"We can do it the same way as Fitzwilliam and you did. Let us hold our hands. But I don't think I can force my mind back to the exact time at the party," Lady Anne said. "It might have too many burdens on my mind. Let me try to focus on right before or after the gathering."

Elizabeth agreed and held out her hands. Lady Anne placed her hands on hers. Elizabeth didn't feel anything except a cold sensation on her palms.

"Don't open your eyes until I tell you to." Lady Anne said softly, and Elizabeth had to obey, afraid she would do something wrong to mess everything up. Then she felt lighter, like she was lifted up the air by a gust of wind that was airy and smooth.

"Open your eyes now," Lady Anne said. Elizabeth did as she was told and found herself in the corridor of Pemberley, right between the family and guest wings.

"We are there? Back in time? Or did we just walk out of my guest chamber?"

"No, I didn't just lead you out of your guest chamber. See the chair over there by the door."

"Right, the chairs along this corridor should have green upholstery! Now they are in blue."

"They used to be in blue. I believe Fitzwilliam ordered them changed to green only recently. So we have gone back in time."

"Which guest room did Mrs. Bingley stay in then?"

Lady Anne led the way, with Elizabeth following closely behind Lady Anne. But as they went, they ran into Mr. Darcy, dressed in fine evening clothes. He did not seem to see the two of them and walked right past and down the stairs.

Lady Anne looked at his fading figure with longing. She then shook her head and continued slowly. Elizabeth felt for her. She wondered what she would do if she was so close and yet so far away from her loved ones.

Just as she was pushing all those maudlin thoughts out of her head, Elizabeth stood in front of a guest room. Seeing that Lady Anne had stopped, Elizabeth realised that this was Mrs. Bingley's guest chamber. She exchanged glances with Lady Anne, who urged her to open the door, showing Elizabeth her ghostly hands. This indicated that she was a ghost and couldn't do as much as open the door herself.

Elizabeth opened the door and was surprised it wasn't even locked. "This should be locked, right?"

Lady Anne shrugged her shoulders.

The fragrance of body perfume hit Elizabeth in her nose from all sides to the extent that she choked on it and could taste the chemicals in her mouth. She hadn't met Mrs. Bingley yet, but somehow, her dislike of her increased daily. Mrs. Bingley's room was no different from the other rooms in Pemberley. The only difference was that her dressing room had more turbans, feathers, and expensive and yet gaudy dresses. The table had more perfume, sparkly objects and whatnot. Everything in there must have cost a fortune.

Elizabeth closed the door gently behind her and latched it this time. She scanned the room carefully, going from the ceiling to the four corners. Simultaneously, the intense fragrance of perfume made her feel itchy and a few minutes from suffocating. She had to find whatever she would find in the room and get out of there fast.

"Even her room feels to me like a cage," Elizabeth heard Lady Anne say. "I can't be here for much longer. It's choking, but keep searching." She encouraged Elizabeth to look around.

Elizabeth moved closer to the bed, went on her knees, and searched it first. She could see the shadow or a small case from the other end of the bed. She scrambled quickly to the other side on her knees and fished the box from under the bed.

"Tssss...just a case of cards," Elizabeth scoffed in disappointment and flung the case over the bed. She quickly remembered that, as usual, she shouldn't leave any traces that someone had been in the room. Reluctantly, she took the cards' case and returned it under the bed, getting to her feet afterwards.

She walked around the room, searching with her eyes. The dressing table had different fancy bottles. Elizabeth counted up to eight of them. Then there were used handkerchiefs, which irritated Elizabeth even more, and other cosmetics items. She had an idea that Mrs. Bingley appeared classy and sophisticated to the outside world.

Lady Anne was also following closely around the room, trying to figure out if there was something she could call Elizabeth's attention to. She turned to the closet. "Elizabeth," she called and pointed to the wardrobe. "In here?"

Elizabeth turned from the papers on the table she was going through. "Found anything?" She asked, hurrying to stand beside Lady Anne.

"The closet, just have a look. You might find something."

Elizabeth yanked the door of the closet. "Tsk tsk tsk," Elizabeth shook her head and ran through the number of clothes there. She picked out a red dress that had a burnt mark on it. Elizabeth raised it. Strange! Unlike others that were neatly arranged. This had been stuffed into a corner. She looked at the dress curiously. It was the same one she had seen Lady Anne wearing in her dream. "Now, what did this woman do here?" Curiously, she surveyed the red dress, running her fingers through the burnt patch.

Lady Anne moved closer to Elizabeth with a familiar look on her face.

"I know this dress." She revealed to Elizabeth, with a bit of glint of pain in her eyes.

"Is it yours?" Elizabeth asked quickly, wondering why Mrs. Bingley had a burnt dress in her closet, and how she even got it damaged in the first place.

"No, it's not mine. This was what Mrs. Bingley wore to the family reunion." Then why did Lady Anne wear it in Elizabeth's dream?

"This burnt mark, what could have caused it?" She asked though she didn't expect an answer from Lady Anne.

"Not sure...candle, maybe?"

"Do you think there is any need to go on searching for more, or it's useless? She might have cleared away any evidence." Elizabeth asked with a worried and tired look on her face.

"Continue checking. We might still find something, you know? But perhaps we can exchange our places. Let me go through the clothes," Elizabeth nodded and walked away from the wardrobe, going to the book stand in another corner of the room.

After a few minutes of searching, Elizabeth found nothing suspicious again.

Lady Anne dropped the red dress on the bed and continued searching the closet. This time, she went through every cloth one by one. Who knows, there could be another strange dress hiding somewhere.

"Ouch!" Elizabeth heard Lady Anne cry out.

"What happened?"

"I hit my head trying to stand up from the floor after searching the lower bunk. The hinge stuck out of the door." It tore through Lady Anne's delicate skin about an inch from her earlobe.

The floor had been stained with a red dot by the next minute. Even some of the clothes she hadn't returned to the closet had tiny drops of blood. That had happened while Lady Anne was holding her ear in pain.

"Damnation!" Lady Anne cursed. "I cut myself.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Go, go wash it quickly." Elizabeth said. "That must hurt so bad."

Lady Anne held her ear for a while, then left the dressing room, looking around and ensuring that her blood was nowhere around.

"Are you fine now?" Elizabeth asked her.

"I'm fine, but I'm not sure these are," Lady Anne replied, picking up a sky blue gown that already had her bloodstain.

Elizabeth took the dress and tried to get the fresh bloodstain out of the fabric while Lady Anne waited for her back in the bedroom. Elizabeth came out about a few minutes later with the blue dress looking like it did before, except it was wet.

Lady Anne told her not to worry about the gown and return it to the closet. Elizabeth obeyed and turned to focus on the bloodstains on the floor.

Frustration was written all over Elizabeth's face. She went back to the dressing room and found a handkerchief.

Elizabeth then took one of Mrs. Bingley's expensive perfumes and sprayed it over the bloodstains to wet the dried blood. Then she cleaned the blood off the floor with a handkerchief. From there, she put the cloth in the side pocket of her gown.

She dusted her palms with fulfilment, took a careful look around, heaved a sigh, and looked back at Lady Anne, who smiled graciously back at her.

Elizabeth's smile disappeared suddenly, and she frowned. "That can't be right, Lady Anne. You are a ghost. You can't bleed!"

"You're right!" Lady Anne nodded in alarm.

Then Lady Anne's figure seemed to be disappearing. "What is happening to me?" She cried out.

"I don't know!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Don't go!" She stretched out her hand and tried to grab Lady Anne's arm, but the ghost disappeared completely. "No!"

Elizabeth then reappeared alone in the guest chamber of Pemberley, the one she was staying in, as a guest of Mr. George and Fitzwilliam Darcy.