Dear lovely friends, we have reached the end of our story. I hope you have enjoyed the ride. Do remember to give me some final comments. Thank you! Enid
Chapter 21
Pandemonium ensued after that. Fitzwilliam pocketed the gun and twisted Lady Matlock away from Mrs. King and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth called out, "Julie, tear the bedsheet. We need to tie up Mrs. King's arm real tight to stop the poison from flowing in her body."
"Use my cravat," Mr. Darcy said and handed his neckcloth to Elizabeth. He eyed the injured Mrs. King on the bed with great scepticism and concern. He heard enough from fake Collins to understand that the miscreant believed Mrs. King was his Anne, risen from death. But she looked nothing like Anne. What would a resurrection mean to her and him? Why was she allowed to do so?
Right at that moment, the doctor arrived together with the innkeeper. He was asked to look at Mrs. King first and then Lady Matlock, who had been subdued and moved to another room. Before the doctor bandaged up the fake clergyman's head and saw to Mary King.
Shortly afterwards, Judge Darcy arrived with Jane Bennet. They were fetched mid-way from Lynn. Fitzwilliam had sent expresses to the other three search parties, as agreed, to inform them of his success in locating the 'witness' to Rowsley incident.
Judge Darcy decided to interrogate Lady Matlock as her condition was grave. As Her Ladyship had used great strength to attack Mrs. King and struggled against Fitzwilliam, the poison was allowed to spread in her body. The doctor shook his head after seeing her. He believed her not to survive the night.
"Did you confess to killing Lady Anne Darcy three years ago at Pemberley?" The Judge said formerly.
"The poison wasn't meant for Anne. It was for that hateful Daisy," Lady Matlock said, her chest still full of anger.
"You wanted to kill Mrs. Bingley because you knew she was your mother and that she abandoned you at the Hawkins."
"I wanted her dead because she had Uncle Captain's love, and I didn't." Lady Matlock said bitterly.
"Did you know that Captain Hawkins was your father?"
"No, I didn't. Or I would have wanted him to love me as a daughter, not as a woman." Lady Matlock said.
"How did you find out Captain Hawkins love Mrs. Bingley?"
"His last letter from the war. I found it among Daisy's belongings, right before I went to Pemberley for the reunion dinner. It was full of memory and admiration of a young and lively Daisy. Not a word was spared for me!"
"You were not yet born by then."
"I didn't know, did I? No wonder Uncle Captain rebutted all my advances. Why did he not tell me he was my father? Why did Daisy never tell me she was my mother? If only I was told the truth! I wouldn't have felt my love unrequited. I wouldn't have wanted to kill Daisy, my own mother!" Lady Matlock cried out in despair.
"Where did you procure the poison?" Judge Darcy had to be sure that all parties involved were arrested, but Lady Matlock cramped her mouth shut and did not answer that question.
"You don't have to protect the fake clergyman," Fitzwilliam said. He was allowed to observe the interrogation. Mr. Darcy was persuaded not to join in, as he might lose his temper with his wife's murderer. "Who is he? Who was his father?"
"You don't understand, Fitzwilliam," Lady Matlock said with laboured breath. "Philip is the first man who treated me like a person, not a whore's daughter or an heiress with ten thousand pounds."
"Did Philip, Mr. Collins's impersonator, procure the poison for you?" Judge Darcy pushed on.
"No one else is involved. I bought the poison myself, from a notorious shop in … Whitechapel." Lady Matlock lips trembled as she said.
"We found the remnants of the poison in Pemberley's wine cellar," Fitzwilliam said. "there is no way you can push it into the back of the barrels. Your arms couldn't have reached the place. Someone helped you."
"No one is involved," Lady Matlock repeated.
"You know that Philip called Elizabeth the Great Psyche of Meryton. She has already shown me the transient world when one dies and before ghosts are reborn. Good and evil deeds are rewarded and punished respectively according to the Great Book of Life and Death," Fitzwilliam said with great emotion. "Do you want to be beaten up, spit at or stomped by barbaric ghosts when you left this world? You owe my family that. Tell us the truth! Did this Philip, your half-brother, bring you the poison to kill my mother and now Mrs. King?"
"No, no, no, I don't want to face scary ghosts. Fitzwilliam, help me! I don't want to go to hell. It was Uncle Captain and Daisy's fault. I wouldn't have gone down the wrong path if they had told me the truth."
"For once, Augusta, own up to your action!" Judge Darcy commented. "Tell us the truth. So that I can deal out punishment for the right party that caused Anne's death. She was the innocent one in the whole situation. You owe her that."
Lady Matlock closed her eyes and said with resignation, "Yes, yes, Philip Weston gave me the poison. He brought it from Ireland."
"Weston?" Fitzwilliam repeated in astonishment. "He is Frank Churchill's half-brother?"
"Yes, Daisy had an affair with Mr. Weston right after she gave birth to Collins, who was fathered by Lord Matlock."
"Why did Weston impersonate Collins? Where is the real Collins?"
"Daisy abandoned Philip in Ireland with a tenant at Straffan House, the estate of Lord Matlock's younger brother. Philip led a tough life. His adopted father used the money left by Daisy to indulge in drink, and he often beat Philip up. When Philip finally grew up, he learned about his true parents. He made his way to England right after Daisy had blackmailed her way with Matlock to get Collins a living. Philip was jealous of the way Daisy had cared for Collins. The real Collins is just a lazy, fawning clergyman who has no interest in tending to his flocks. When Philip found out he looked so like Collins, he persuaded Collins to let him be him for fun. Collins still lives in the vicarage, enjoying his leisure with food and wine, while Philip has been the Collins you have seen for the past five years. The real Collins only appeared once in a while, for fun."
Judge Darcy and Fitzwilliam exchanged a look of disbelief. How did they not know they had met two Collinses in the past few years?
"How did Philip Weston hear about the magic playing cards?" Fitzwilliam continued.
"Through your Aunt Catherine. She mentioned it once and dismissed it as some cheap tricks left by an exotic fraudulent woman who claimed to have the Fitzwilliam blood. Philip was fascinated by the story. He told me he was always fascinated by foreign gods, legends and folklore when he grew up near Straffan House." Lady Matlock coughed violently as she said.
"And how did Weston know about his true parentage?"
"He found some letter hidden at Straffan House, when he was tasked to clean up the old vicarage there. Pray Fitzwilliam, call for a clergyman for me, a real one. I want to confess all my sin. I want to be embraced by the Lord again. I have repented. I am sorry for killing your mother by accident. For the last three years, I have been giving my pin money away to the needy to atone. Pray, say that you forgive me. Ask your father to forgive me. I don't want to go to hell." But before Fitzwilliam could reply, Lady Matlock drew in a short sharp breath, with blood sipping out of her mouth and died with her eyes opened.
Fitzwilliam and Judge Darcy shook their head at the murderess. Would Augusta Hawkins be allowed to drink the Soup of Forgetfulness and absolve from her sin soon, Fitzwilliam thought? Would she be reborn as a new person with no more association with crime and evilness? He sorely wanted to talk to Elizabeth, who helped him find the culprit for his mother's murder. He followed Judge Darcy and visited the other patients.
"How does my m..how do Mrs. King and Miss Mary fare," Fitzwilliam asked with concern on seeing the grim-faced Mrs King on the bed.
Lady Matlock had knocked Mary King unconscious when the maid left the room. She was not severely injured. The doctor had bandaged her wounds, and she was sleeping in another room.
"Thanks to Miss Elizabeth's quick action," the doctor said. "I believe the poison hasn't spread in Mrs. King's body. However, Mrs. King is weak, and I'm worried about her arm. It is important to keep a close eye on her for the next few days. I will do whatever I can."
Judge Darcy and Fitzwilliam recounted Lady Matlock's confession. The Bennet sisters were lost for words, for the suffering of Lady Anne Darcy, at the hands of Mrs. Bingley's by-blows. As not much could be done for Mrs. King, Elizabeth and Jane would take turns looking after her with the maid's help. Judge Darcy and Fitzwilliam moved on to interrogate Philip Weston. George Darcy was invited to join them, instead of lingering outside the chamber where Mrs. King was sleeping.
"Philip Weston, you are charged with procuring the poison in the murder of Lady Anne Darcy three years ago at Pemberley. What have you to say for yourself?" Judge Darcy said.
"You have no evidence at all about that except with the hollow words of Augusta. She was hallucinating, affected by the poison when you interrogated her. She must have bought the poison herself then and now. I have nothing to do with Lady Anne's death." Philip said with an arrogant smirk. How did Philip know about Lady Matlock's confession? Did he see much of what would happen through the magic playing cards? Was that why he asked Lady Matlock to send an express to Mrs. Bingley in Middlesbrough? He wanted Mrs. Bingley to kill Mrs. King at Trentham to prevent Lady Anne's resurrection, Fitzwilliam thought? And by failing that, Weston came to assist Lady Matlock in killing Mrs. Bingley again? Why did Weston not worry about Judge Darcy's interrogation?
"You are also charged with instigating the attack on Miss Elizabeth Bennet near Rowsley," Judge Darcy continued. "My constable has now found witnesses who would testify against you, urging the townspeople of Rowsley to set upon Miss Bennet."
Philip Weston smiled. "I'm afraid you confused me with my half-brother. I assured you it was he who urged the villagers to attach the Great Psyche of Meryton. It was not me."
"You cannot deny the last charge for holding a gun against Fitzwilliam, intending to injure him."
"Oh, you are wrong again, Judge Darcy," the clergyman laughed. "I'm William Collins, not Philip Weston. Philip had left more than half an hour ago, when you were interrogating Lady Matlock." He then unwrapped the bandage to show that he had sustained no injury to his head. He was not the one knocked unconscious by Mr. Darcy senior.
Judge Darcy slammed his hand on the table. "This is no laughing matter, Collins! You assisted Philip Weston in avoiding the authority. You will be charged too." Then he called out for the constable, who had been summoned earlier for the transfer of Lady Matlock, to give chase of Philip Weston.
Fitzwilliam jumped from his chair and dashed out of the room into the one Elizabeth was attending to Mrs. King.
He knocked on the door and then pushed it open. On seeing Elizabeth washing cloth by the washstand, Fitzwilliam ignored propriety and pulled her into his embrace. "Thanks the Lord, Elizabeth, you are here."
"Of course, I am here. Jane and Mary King are resting, and you find me alone here with Mrs. King. What happened?" Elizabeth was conscious of the heat radiating from Fitzwilliam's body. She felt warm and flustered.
"I was so worried about you when I learned that Collins swapped the place with Philip Weston just now! Weston had said he wanted your help to unlock the secret of the playing cards. I was afraid he would take the extreme measure of kidnapping you, when he escaped the authority with Collins's help."
"Indeed, Weston had escaped?" Elizabeth exclaimed. "He must have some inkling from the playing cards. So he arranged in advance for Mr. Collins to come here in case he was unsuccessful with preventing Lady Anne's resurrection and kidnapping me."
Fitzwilliam rubbed his hand around Elizabeth's shoulders and cupped her face. "I vow to protect you, Elizabeth, from this day onwards. Would you marry me, my dearest and loveliest Elizabeth, so I can watch over you day and night?"
Elizabeth smiled with her eyes raised archly, "Did you only offer me marriage to protect me?"
Fitzwilliam ruffled his hair. "You know I am not good at words. I offer you my body and soul because I love you, not just for protecting you."
"Yes, my dear Fitzwilliam. My heart nearly stopped today when I saw Weston pointed a gun at you. I vow to protect you, as well, from this day onwards."
Fitzwilliam's eyes brightened, and he lowered his head to kiss Elizabeth. When their lips touched, Elizabeth felt her body melt with a warm sensation, like she was connected with him every inch. She buried her hands in his thick wavy hair and pressed her body against him.
"Ah, just about time, son! You should have made Elizabeth your bride earlier." The coarse voice of Mrs. King startled the couple. They separated immediately and turned to look at Mrs. King. She was awoken with a weak smile.
"Mother?" Fitzwilliam whispered in disbelief.
"Ssh, don't let anyone hear you calling me that," Mrs. King said.
"How did it feel to be alive again, Lady Anne?" Elizabeth asked in awe.
"Strange, I don't feel like myself in body, and I remember many of Sarah King's life."
"But how much did you remember Lady Anne's life?"
"Strangely, nearly all," Mrs. King said. "including my three years in the transient world."
"How amazing!" Fitzwilliam exclaimed.
"That is unbelievable!" Elizabeth agreed. "I have never read about such an incident."
"Did George know about my resurrection?"
Fitzwilliam nodded. "Not at first, as we didn't tell Father. We were afraid your resurrection might not be successful. And we were not sure in what-corp-way you would come back. But Philip Weston let it slip. I think Father suspected it."
"Who is Philip Weston?" Mrs. King asked.
Fitzwilliam told her what had happened at the inn when she was unconscious. She listened without comments and then slipped back to sleep.
The young couple called for the maid, as they would like to announce the good news about their engagement to Mr. Darcy and Judge Darcy. But the two gentlemen walked into the room with a serious expression.
"Weston has kidnapped his mother," Judge Darcy said.
"Whatever for?" Fitzwilliam asked, surprised by this development.
"According to Collins, Weston wanted to spend time with Mrs. Bingley. He always wanted a loving mother."
Fitzwilliam scoffed. "If Mrs. Bingley has an ounce of motherly love, the pig would fly."
"Didn't Lady Matlock say Mrs. Bingley cared about her very much?"
"In a material way. Charles always said his mother spent more time buying clothes or flirting with men. He always put up a good front, saying his mother is very caring and loves them very much. But in fact, Mrs. Bingley was an absent mother most of the time when he was growing up. Charles could never keep track of where she went. That was why every one of the siblings was so different. His father didn't seem overly concerned, so Charles said nothing."
"It turns out Charles seemed to be right. Only Charles is John Bingley's son," Mr. Darcy said. "According to Collins, Miss Caroline and Mrs. Hurst are of different fathers as well."
"Six children by six different men?" Fitzwilliam shook his head at the piece of information.
"Do you think Weston would harm Mrs. Bingley?" Elizabeth asked. She was concerned for the woman, even though Mrs. Bingley lacked morals. Elizabeth didn't want her harmed by her own son.
"That I do not know," Judge Darcy said. "I have put words out for my men to look out for Weston. We shall see. Now, did you two have any news for us?" He said with his eyes raised.
"How did you know, Uncle James?" Fitzwilliam said.
"You have a damp patch on your shoulder," Judge Darcy replied. "And Miss Elizabeth holds a wet cloth in her hand. I assume something interesting occurred to cause that."
Mr. Darcy laughed out loud as the young couple blushed bright red. Once the laughter slowed, Fitzwilliam held his hand out to Elizabeth, and she placed her hand on his. He announced with a broad grin, "Miss Elizabeth has consented to be my wife."
"Congratulations!"
Both gentlemen cheered on hearing the news.
"What are all the rackets? Someone is trying to sleep here." Mrs. King complained. Her grumbling caught the attention of Mr. Darcy. She sounded exactly like Lady Anne Darcy when she was annoyed with her husband for some tiny matter.
It took another two years before the older couple, Mrs. King and Mr. Darcy, found their way together. Another year later, the new Mrs. Sarah Darcy gave birth to Miss Georgiana Darcy. Shortly after, her older brother Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy became parents to a lovely son called Albert, in honour of the Darcy ancestor who had fascination about Oriental culture.
What happened to Philip Weston and Mrs. Bingley? They were never sighted in England. Rumour has it that a man of similar description as Weston built a wealthy business in America, selling mystical products and providing psychic services. The man's mother was quite a flirt. She lost her bloom and relied on expensive fashion and cosmetics to maintain her youth.
The End
