RECAP:

Chapter 8 – Mrs Winters allowed Lizzy to continue her acquaintance with Anne, Richard and Darcy but with three conditions; Anne revealed that she apparently has a missing half-sister; Alexa delivered Lizzy's letter to Anne and offered to help the cousins in meeting Lizzy more.

© 2019 Zest Layne


True to her promise, Digby, Elizabeth's Abigail, had indeed managed for the three cousins to meet Elizabeth one more time before the week ended. However, despite Elizabeth's detailed plan on how she could meet them – which was explained in her letter to Anne – Darcy came up with another idea on how they could meet Elizabeth without hiding their meetings from Mrs Winters.

"These are my good men, Carson and Jacobs." Darcy gestured to the two buff footmen on either side of him. It was the next morning after the cousins had encountered Digby and the former wasted no time in trying to convince Mrs Winters to agree to Darcy's proposition. After Darcy had explained to his two men why he would be introducing them to a woman named Mrs Winters, the three of them along with Anne and Richard headed straight to the Longbourn Dower House.

Carson and Jacobs were both years older than Darcy and had been guarding him since he turned eight and ten so Darcy had full trust in them. Of course, the two footmen were already familiar with Miss Elizabeth Bennet. They had been with Lord Ashbourne every time the Marquess went out of whichever residence he chose to reside in. Carson had been a frequent customer of the Gardiners when the Marquess had been visiting the warehouse multiple times a week and he had watched the Marquess talk with said lady from afar. Jacobs, on the other hand, was the one near enough to witness his master's first encounter with Miss Elizabeth Bennet in the rain.

They had also accompanied the Marquess whenever he went on morning rides since they got to Hertfordshire – and any other rides for that matter. Carson would always head out first before the Marquess and Jacobs would trail on Lord Ashbourne's tracks. Years of doing their job had made them skilled at hiding and disguising themselves while still keeping an eye on the Marquess. Goodness only knew that many things could go wrong if they failed; while the Duke of Derbyshire was a fair master, he did not tolerate people who did not do their duties well, especially when it came to protecting his wife and children.

During their first year as the Marquess' personal guards, Carson and Jacobs were always at Lord Ashbourne's side, mainly because they did not want to fail their duty assigned by the Marquess' father. However, the Marquess was not comfortable with that arrangement so he had made a proposition with them – Carson and Jacobs could still follow everywhere he went (it was their job after all) but only at a certain distance where the two will remain unseen, to the point that the Marquess could pretend that there were no guards shadowing him, and they would only appear at the Marquess' side if absolutely needed otherwise known as the phrase 'when a dangerous situation arises.' In turn, the Marquess would not try to escape them anymore, like he had done a few times in the past.

They were hesitant to comply with the Marquess' request at first but being hidden and not staying at the Marquess' side had been proven useful, for many times now. Most of these times were composed of the Marquess being cornered by matchmaking mamas or other people of the Ton. He would only signal one of his guards to come to his rescue and then either Carson or Jacobs would do something like approach him telling him there was an urgent business he needed to attend to.

However, as much as it was amusing to see the disappointed or angered faces of some members of the Ton whenever they managed to take the Marquess away from their clutches, it was nothing compared to the time when the Marquess confronted George Wickham. The latter was enraged that the Marquess had collected pieces of evidence of his wrongdoings that he had hurt the Marquess physically. Wickham only managed a single punch before Carson and Jacobs emerged from their hiding spots and held him back – of course only after they each landed a punch and kick on Wickham to avenge their Marquess.

It was not like the Marquess did not know how to defend himself, quite the opposite in fact. Jacobs and Carson knew that their young Master only refrained from hurting Wickham because he respected the Duke's fondness of the Pemberly steward's son. It was also the reason why Wickham did not get any permanent damage from Carson and Jacobs.

To their surprise at the time, the Duke was satisfied with Wickham's injuries. However, he was displeased to learn that the Marquess went home with bruised lips. Needless to say, the Duke had berated the two of them for not doing a better job at protecting his only son. In the process of explaining why they had been late to shield the Marquess from Wickham, the Duke learned of the guards' agreement with his son. Seeing the benefits of being hidden, the Duke let them continue to do his son's idea.

Never had the Marquess revealed them as his guards, to people outside his family, until now.

"They are my guards for about eight years now and they are very loyal. I can assure you that they will also protect Miss Elizabeth Bennet from any harm. My cousins and I would also accompany Miss Elizabeth whenever we could."

Anne quickly seconded Darcy's words before the older woman could reply. "Yes, Mrs Winters. Lizzy is already a dear friend of mine and I know that she dislikes being kept indoors."

Mrs Winters was about to open her mouth to reply when another voice intruded on the conversation. "Beggin' your pardon Ma'am but if you want Ma'am, I be joining Lord Ashbourne's footmen in protecting the Miss. She were cryin' in the stables yesterday wanting to ride her horse, Ma'am."

The older woman answered with a defeated sigh. "Very well, Archie, you may join Lord Ashbourne's footmen." She then turned to the cousins, "I accept your offer, my Lord. But one event that would cause my charge harm and Lizzy will stay in the Dower House until her Gardiner relations deems it safe."

"Of course, Madam."

Five minutes after Darcy's agreement with Mrs Winters, Elizabeth was dressed in her dark blue riding habit and was smiling widely at Darcy, Anne and Richard as she led them to the stables.

Once they reached their destination, Elizabeth suddenly grinned at an unsuspecting Anne and pulled her into a hug. "Oh, thank you, thank you! I do not know how you did it but you managed to convince Mrs Winters to let me roam freely again."

Anne let out a light laugh as she pulled away from Elizabeth. "It was all Ashbourne's doing, Lizzy. Richard and I just supported his actions but I am glad that you are happy." At Anne's revelation, Elizabeth turned to face him with a beam on her face.

Darcy could do nought but stand still and watch her, mesmerised. How he loved seeing her so carefree and so joyful! And to think that he brought that smile on her face…

"Miss Elizabeth, do you not think that the Marquess should receive your thanks?" Richard's words seemed innocent enough until he winked at Darcy and said, "And what better way than to personally tour the Marquess around the county?"

Elizabeth, who did not see Richard's scheme at matchmaking, innocently agreed. "Of course, Colonel, but I would like all of you to meet my horse first."

As soon as Elizabeth performed the introductions, Richard placed a hand on Darcy's shoulder. "Apollo, huh? My ol' chap here also likes naming animals from mythical beings."

"Oh, yes," Elizabeth smiled. "I remember him telling me about his Boreas." Here, she walked towards his horse and patted his dark mane. Darcy looked on fondly as his horse nuzzled his head into Elizabeth's hand. "Named after the Greek God of the North Wind and Winter. I am curious, my Lord. Why did you choose that as his name? There are other gods who are more well-known than him."

"My favourite among all my family estates is Pemberley, which is located in Derbyshire. It is my home county and is located in the north where winters are colder."

"So to honour Pemberley is why you named him Boreas."

Darcy nodded. "I think it is only fitting because Boreas could still ride very well despite the snow and he was never bothered by the cold easily, Miss Elizabeth."

After Anne and Richard introduced their horses, Autumn and Lettice, to Elizabeth they made their way to Oakham Mount, the three footmen riding behind them. Throughout their journey, Anne and Richard told them the stories behind the names of their horses.

Anne's story was simple enough. Her first journey outside of Rosings when she was seven was during the autumn season so the name signifies her freedom. Richard's tale, on the other hand, was more complicated than that.

And while Darcy had heard of Richard's story for more times he could count with his fingers, he enjoyed seeing the various expressions that played on Elizabeth's face; Her frown which eventually turned into a smile (when Richard told them that his old horse had died and his older brother gifted him a new one), the light in her eyes (when Richard revealed that he had asked his sister to name his new horse) her furrowed eyebrows (when Richard explained that his brother was courting a lady at that time which Richard and the rest of the family were not really fond of so he was surprised when his sister named the horse Lettice, the same name of the lady his brother was courting) her light laugh (when Richard shared the reason why his sister chose the name for the horse).

Apparently, when Richard and his sister Matilda met with their eldest sibling that same day the horse was named, they immediately introduced him to the horse, with Richard's sister explaining that she named the horse thus to make her eldest brother see that the horse had better manners than its namesake. That caused an argument between the siblings but in the end, the younger Fitzwilliam siblings won and had proven their judgement right.

"I ought not to laugh, Colonel, but your sister's way of stating her opinion is very creative."

"'Tis no problem, Miss Elizabeth, I daresay that Lady Lettice deserved what my sister did. I am not one to gossip but what she planned to do to my brother was just despicable." Richard said, shaking his head in disgust and some lingering anger.

Darcy directed his horse to move alongside Richard. This way he could offer his cousin some comfort. He, himself, was horrified with the fate his oldest cousin almost had to suffer. Lady Lettice was apparently with child during the time Henry, Richard's brother, was courting her. It turned out that the father has left Lady Lettice and was only using Henry to hide her shame. Fortunately, it had been prevented.

When they neared the top a few minutes later, Richard had regained back his humour. Elizabeth acted as their leader and tied her horse to one of the close trees before walking on foot. Darcy and the others could only smile at her enthusiasm before following her lead.

It was indeed a wonderful view – they could see Netherfield Park and the greenery below was abundant. Though, to Darcy, it was still nothing compared to Derbyshire. On second thought, at seeing Elizabeth bask under the sun with a content smile on her face and a bounce on her every step, perhaps Hertfordshire could compare to his home county after all.

Elizabeth decided to show them her favourite tree first, located on the topmost part of Oakham Mount. Following Richard's words earlier, she escorted him as they toured the place. As she spoke animatedly by his side, Darcy could barely feel the presence of his cousins and the footmen trailing behind them.

He could, however, see the image of a little Miss Elizabeth Bennet climbing the tall Oak with her grandmother. As Elizabeth continued to describe it, the more vivid Darcy could see a younger Elizabeth sitting on one of the tree's strong branches with her grandmother as the two of them sing, talk or eat berries. He could also picture her Grandmother reading to a younger Elizabeth with the latter's head resting on the former's lap.

"She was so strong, my Grandma Claire. She was always up to the challenge of running after me or climbing trees with me or even riding horses." If it were not for the sudden sad tone in Elizabeth's voice, Darcy would still continue imagining her childhood. "It was why we were all surprised when she got ill and never recovered."

"I am sorry to hear that, Lizzy," Anne said walking to Elizabeth's other side. "You two seemed very close. You do not have to talk about it if it pains you."

Darcy saw Elizabeth squeezed Anne's hand. Then, with a smile, she shook her head. "I admit that it makes me sad that she left me so soon but I do like speaking about her. In fact, I believe you will all grow tired of me because I have much to tell."

"Nonsense, Miss Bennet," Richard dismissed with a wave of his hand. "It delights us to hear your tales."

Elizabeth smiled, "And I am delighted to share it with you all."

-p&p-

While Ashbourne continued to listen to Lizzy keenly and Richard played matchmaker, Anne de Bourgh focused on investigating Lizzy's life.

She, along with Richard and Ashbourne, had visited the Lucases yesterday afternoon hoping for some answers. But while Miss Charlotte Lucas and her siblings, Mr John Lucas and Miss Maria Lucas, had provided them with some insight on the Longbourn Household, their parents appeared wary and cautious.

Lizzy's elder sister did not escape Anne's inspection. Miss Jane Bennet had been able to dine with them last night so Anne took the opportunity to about the other Misses Bennet – that is, whenever Anne could interrupt Miss Bennet and Mr Bingley from staring at one another. Anne had succeeded three times but Miss Bennet would always give a general response before talking again to Mr Bingley.

Anne decided thereafter that her best source was Lizzy herself. After all, if Lizzy was going to be her future cousin, then Anne must help her in any way she could. But if Anne was being truly honest, Ashbourne's feelings for Lizzy were not her only reason for doing this.

In Lizzy, Anne found not just a good friend but also a person who understood the need for freedom. Both of them grew up with overprotective people limiting their experience with the world – and even though Lizzy had an adventurous childhood with her grandmother unlike Anne – their situations when they were of the same age gave them a way to form a bond almost instantly.

"You are your grandmother's favourite, then?" Richard's question brought Anne out of her wool-gathering.

"Yes," answered Lizzy, smiling wistfully. "Although I still do not know why she favoured me over my sisters – me," she pointed at herself, "the mischievous little girl!"

"Perhaps it was for that reason why she did, Miss Elizabeth," Ashbourne said.

"Perhaps," Lizzy nodded. "But I suppose it was because Mama and Papa kept my sisters to themselves that Grandma Claire and I found each other."

The rest of the afternoon was spent with more stories and more exploring. After Oakham Mount and some of Lizzy's favourite pathways, Lizzy led them to some of Longbourn's tenants where Anne and Richard spent their time discreetly teasing Ashbourne as said Marquess continued to watch Lizzy interact with her family's tenants with a besotted look on his face. All in all, Anne had a wonderful time.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for that evening. Even though Miss Jane Bennet was supposed to leave Netherfield Park on the morrow, Miss Bingley still could not stop insulting her and her family. Anne, who had the same experience for the previous nights, braced herself for Miss Bingley's words the moment they stepped out of Miss Bennet's room. Really, Anne was amazed at Miss Bingley's skills to appear so nice to Miss Bennet and insult her in the next second.

"I do not know what my brother sees in her. Surely he must know that Miss Bennet getting sick here was by design."

Beside Miss Bingley, Mrs Hurst expressed her agreement.

Though Anne also suspected the same scheme, she did not agree or disagree with Miss Bingley's statement. "By design or not, it is a duty of a good hostess to see to her guests. You did well in making Miss Bennet comfortable in her stay here, Miss Bingley."

Miss Bingley smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, Miss de Bourgh. Of course, with your guidance, it is the only possible outcome."

Anne gave a small smile in reply. On the bright side, at least Miss Bingley had fewer things to say about Miss Bennet this time.

The first night Miss Bennet stayed at Netherfield, Miss Bingley complained about Miss Bennet's relations to trade, the behaviour of Mrs Bennet, the audacity of Miss Bennet to get sick, the hassle of calling the apothecary, how Mr Bingley was asking Miss Bingley about the patient every hour and many more.

The night after that was the worse because Miss Bingley had included Lizzy in her complaints and insults. The state of Lizzy's petticoat when she visited, how disarrayed her hair was, and how she had been 'rude' to refuse Mr Bingley's invitation for nuncheon. Anne, though irritated on Lizzy's behalf, had remained silent and listened half-heartedly. As much as she wanted to stop Miss Bingley from talking so maliciously about her friend, Anne knew doing so would only make it worse.

"How is your afternoon with the Colonel and Lord Ashbourne? Have you acquired all your mother asked of you?"

'Right,' Anne thought. She almost forgot that the excuse she and her cousins used to get away from Netherfield was 'a list Lady Catherine had asked Anne and his nephews to find.' Since Miss Bingley did not really know her family well, Anne had led her to believe that it was a tradition for the Fitzwilliam cousins, when visiting a new place, to find the things on the list given by the matriarch of the family they were with.

Miss Bingley offered to help her at first but after Anne deflected that a good hostess should take care of her guests – especially a sick one – Miss Bingley let them be. Perhaps, it also helped that Anne had implied that Ashbourne would be please that Miss Bingley was doing such a great job at her duties.

Lies were beneath Anne, but after discovering the recent information her mother had kept from her, Anne was encouraged to use it. Anne supposed it was unfair of her to be dishonest to Miss Bingley – no matter how little – but if her mother disproved of her actions then she would only say that she had been following her footsteps!

Even Ashbourne did not approve of Anne's fabrication at first. However, after seeing that it was the politest way possible to escape Netherfield and be with Lizzy, he allowed the deception to continue. Richard, on the other hand, had supported her words from the start. She knew that while he was amused at the situation, Richard mostly supported her actions because he knew that she was mad and hurt at what her mother did and she needed release. So if that release was to lie to Miss Bingley a little, then so be it.

"Not all, Miss Bingley, but we will soon complete it," Anne answered promptly before changing the subject. "How are the preparations for the upcoming ball? Have you finished reading all my ideas and suggestions along with the brochures I lend you?"

That was another one of Anne's tricks to keep Miss Bingley from joining them on their outings and keeping her at Netherfield. 'Thank goodness that my godmother helped me in coming up with such ideas, otherwise I would be lost at what to do.' After all, Miss Bingley could be very persistent.

"Yes, they were all very helpful Miss de Bourgh. Louisa and I had also decided on the date."

And so, the rest of Anne's night was spent with the two sisters talking about preparations of the ball and some occasional gossips from London that Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst inserted from time to time. Richard and Ashbourne were lucky that they didn't have to suffer as much as she did. Not even a goodnight's kiss from Richard could make her feel better – well, only sometimes it could not.

Nonetheless, Anne was thankful when the gentlemen came to the drawing room after playing billiards. It had been that way since Miss Bennet's stay there – when the ladies would visit her right after dinner and the gentlemen would entertain themselves with a game. Sighing in relief, Anne made her way to Richard. This was her escape.

"Miss Bingley, would you mind gracing us with your talent at the pianoforte?" Anne was so used to receiving blabbering compliments from Mr Collins that she could easily compliment others in return. As long as Anne continued to subtly praise Miss Bingley at what she did, then she would oblige Anne's wishes.

Her theory was proven right when Miss Bingley smiled and immediately went to the pianoforte to play some tunes. Richard looked at her with amusement and Anne only rolled her eyes and directed her gaze to Mr Bingley who was asking Mrs Hurst about Miss Bennet's condition. A moment later, Ashbourne seated himself on the single chair beside the Colonel and pretended to focus on his reading.

When it was the polite time to leave, Ashbourne immediately excused himself saying he would retire. Anne and Richard exchanged amused looks before Richard reached for his pocket watch and showed Anne the time.

"Exactly the same time since we got here." Richard laughed quietly.

Stifling her own laughter, Anne looked at the door where Ashbourne had exited. Up until now, Anne was always entertained that Ashbourne would always excuse himself from the company as soon as it was deemed polite. Feeling rather tired, after a quarter of an hour, she also excused herself. Richard followed her example ten minutes later.

-p&p-

While the sight of a moonless sky would usually upset Elizabeth, she had enjoyed spending her afternoon earlier with her three newest friends that she felt nothing like nothing could dampen her mood - not even the absence of her 'guiding light'.

After days of being confined in the house, she had finally been able to get out and feel free. Oh, how Lizzy missed the warmth of the sunlight against her skin! Elizabeth sighed, closing her eyes as she recalled how the cold breeze blew upon her dress on top of Oakham Mount, making her feel as if she was flying.

She had been deprived of it all – the smell of the grass, the flapping of the birds, the buzzing of the insects, and the dirt on her shoes – but because of Lord Ashbourne's negotiation skills (for Lizzy was sure Mrs Winters did not easily agree on his idea), Lizzy got it all back. And she didn't even need to lie or sneak out!

At the thought of the Marquess from the North, Elizabeth couldn't help but smile. He was back! She had him back. Of course, she had known this since the day she forgave him but Lizzy never thought that their friendship would be back to the way it was before their misunderstandings. If anything, the two of them seemed much closer than before and Elizabeth was glad for it.

Although Elizabeth was glad to have Anne and Colonel Fitzwilliam's friendship, she still felt that the friendship she had with them than with Lord Ashbourne was different.

Her similarities with Anne - having overprotective relations and living a sheltered life, resulting in a thirst for freedom - forged a quick but strong bond between them. Colonel Fitzwilliam, on the other hand, shared Lizzy's teasing nature and lively disposition which made the two of them get along very well. Yet, despite these, Elizabeth felt that her friendship with Lord Ashbourne was stronger… deeper.

Perhaps it was because she had met him first and they got to know each other for about three weeks before they saw each other again in Hertfordshire. Maybe it was because they already had their misunderstandings and were both able to get past it. Or, perhaps it was because of the unusual way they became friends. Whatever the reason was, Lord Ashbourne was special to Elizabeth Bennet and she was glad to have him back.

He who was the blue-eyed gentleman Elizabeth had met on a rainy day, not the one who had accused her of being a liar. He, the one who went to the Gardiner Warehouse multiple times a week just to spend time with an unnamed lady and debate on various subjects and not the one who had insulted her and hurt her. Of course, Elizabeth knew that Lord Ashbourne had both those good and not-so-good qualities and that those things were what made him him but she was delighted to see that he was focusing on his better qualities than the not-so-good ones.

One of those qualities Elizabeth liked was him being a man of his word. It seemed that he was really trying hard to make up for his bad behaviour in the past and the way he had interacted earlier with Longbourn's tenants proved it. He had talked with them, smiled at them, asked how they were doing and even played with the children!

If she ever thought him proud and prejudiced once, then that all changed earlier… well, perhaps he was proud - but she supposed he had some right to be. Besides, his past actions towards her had been influenced by his fear of disappointment from his father. Elizabeth understood it and would not begrudge him for that – as long as he did not repeat the same mistakes, of course.

Maybe that was the reason why Elizabeth felt strongly towards him because she had seen him change. He made a mistake and he humbled himself by apologising for it as well as making up for it, not just through words but actions. But if Elizabeth was being really honest with herself, she thought that his friendship with Lord Ashbourne was special because they were beyond that. At least, Elizabeth thought that her feelings were beyond that.

While it was true that he had left an impression on her because she thought him to be the most handsome man she had ever seen, it was not only his appearance that caught her attention. She was also intrigued by his actions. Why would a gentleman such as him ride on Hyde Park when the rain was pouring heavily? Why would he like to get to know a lady who refused to reveal her name? And though some of her answers have been answered, Elizabeth felt that her curiosity about him was yet to be satiated. If anything, the more answers she got, the more she wanted to know him.

It was not enough that Elizabeth knew that he was an avid reader, a skilled rider, an intelligent gentleman. She was not satisfied with her knowledge on how he liked his tea or how he wanted to make his family proud. Elizabeth wished to learn all there was to know about him - his smiles, his moods, his laughter, and his sweetness, everything… As if just realising her thoughts, Elizabeth felt her cheeks heat up. 'Oh, my goodness.' She thought with a quiet gasp. 'I like him!'

Her realisation had her standing on both feet with surprise and she left the windowsill to flop herself on her bed. 'I can't believe it. I like him.'

Though her mind was still reeling at the idea, she felt her heart beat faster in her chest. "I like him." Elizabeth finally whispered out loud, sending her into a fit of giggles seconds after.

As her giggles faded into a soft smile on her face, Elizabeth pulled out the cover of the bed and lay down in the middle before bringing it back over her body.

"I like Fitzwilliam Darcy." And with those soft words into the night, Elizabeth Bennet was soon claimed by Morpheus.

Unfortunately for her, the dreams that greeted her were not pleasant, to say the least.

-p&p-

At a decent inn near the borders of Hertfordshire, Lady Catherine de Bourgh sat by a wooden chair facing a writing table. It was a late Monday night and even though her candle was close to an end, it was still bright enough to see the frown on the lady's face as she scanned the files of paper in front of her.

She was so close… so close to finding what she wanted. Lady Catherine knew this, and it was the thing that frustrated her the most.

According to their investigations, Claire Wentworth resided in one of the boundaries of Hertfordshire. Finding Claire was Lady Catherine's main motive why she decided to travel to Netherfield with the Bingleys. Of course, it also helped that coming to Netherfield had three other purposes.

One, of course, was in protecting her nephew, Fitzwilliam Darcy, from the clutches of Miss Bingley. After all, she heard from Elinor, her sister-in-law and one of the leaders of the Ton, about Miss Bingley's manners. Two, was forcing her other nephew, Richard Fitzwilliam, to make a move on her daughter and ask Anne's hand in marriage. Not only would the marriage stop his brother and the rest of the family from worrying over Richard in the army, but it would also secure her daughter's happiness. Lastly, her parson, Mr Collins was supposed to find a wife in Hertfordshire and she wanted to make sure that Collins picked the right one.

Her parson might look like a simpleton to the eyes of many because of his excessive compliments of his patron – her – but Lady Catherine knew that the young man meant well and she would hate for him to be taken advantage of. After all, she had not rescued Collins from his cruel father just to hand him over to a devious wife. Indeed, the reason why she advised him to take a wife was so he could devote his time and attention to things other than the parish and the de Bourghs.

That was why despite insisting on staying with her, Lady Catherine had ordered Collins to leave earlier that day, along with Mrs Jenkinson (whom they had fetched from Bath a few days ago), to go back to Netherfield Park. She knew Collins was supposed to arrive at his Bennet relations within the week and Lady Catherine would not allow her other business to delay his purpose.

After all, Collins was the last one of her other purposes that was yet to be accomplished. She knew that Anne and Richard had already come to an understanding and that Fitzwilliam was still protected from Miss Bingley. Thanks to Preston - one of her trusted servants who was currently employed as one of Netherfield's grooms – Lady Catherine was updated to what was happening at Netherfield. After all, she wouldn't leave her daughter behind without some kind of protection.

Still, being away from Anne made Lady Catherine uneasy. It was why she was more than eager to find Claire Wentworth soon. The sooner she found out more about the woman, the sooner she could go back to Anne.

She had no idea how Claire Wentworth managed to have so many aliases (she was not even entirely sure if Wentworth was her last name!) and it was starting to irritate Catherine. Though, if she was being honest, she admired the woman for being so clever and leading her and many others into false tracks.

'No matter,' Lady Catherine thought, 'Claire may hide her from us but I will find the child soon.'

-p&p-

The next morning, they all went to church and Anne continued her investigation on the Bennets. Like the last Sundays she had seen them, the whole Bennet family was seated at the first row of the pews with every member present. However, Anne did not fail to notice that while her sisters changed positions in their sitting arrangement, Lizzy remained at the right end and with her side was always either Miss Mary or Miss Kitty. The fact that Lizzy boarded on a different carriage with the same sisters who were always by her side was also not lost to Anne.

She then remembered, Miss Bennet's frown when Anne had asked how was Lizzy's visit that one time the latter visited the former at Netherfield. After so many clues from the Lucases, her own observations and from Digby, it was now obvious to Anne that there was some estrangement going on with the Bennet family. What she did not understand, however, is why.

Why was it that only Lizzy seemed to be excluded among them, even living in another house? Why would her family treat her so, except for Miss Mary and Miss Kitty? The next time she would call on Lizzy, Anne decided to be forward. After all, despite the fact that she was finding out the truth, it was a slow process. And Anne didn't know why, but she felt it in her guts that she needed to know as soon as possible.

On their next visit, Anne thought to herself, she would ask.


Yey! Our Lizzy finally realized she likes Darcy – or does she? I'm looking for a different 'L' word, Elizabeth ;) And not, 'loathing' mind you.

What do you think about the pace of their relationships? What are your thoughts on Mr Darcy's father and Lady Catherine's search for Claire Wentworth?

Thank you for the reviews, favourites and follows, they make my day! Stay safe and take care, all of you!