The storyline, new character development, new events, and new characters are my intellectual property. Glorioux

Cain and Abel

Bartlett appeared a few seconds later, right behind her. "Son, stop there, what are you doing, and why have you hurt Lizzy? " Lord Fitzwilliams admonished his son, anger flaring out his eyes.

Bartlett talked fast, avoiding to look at his father on the eye, he looked annoyed and tense, an angry predator denied of his prey. "I am just trying to make Lizzy see the right thing to do, she must marry me for the baby's sake. Moreover, I have loved her for a long time, since I first saw her, she should have married me. I was free, and I am the heir. You knew it well, I told you so. Nothing happened today, I was holding her arm, and she pulled away." Bartlett answered emphatically. "She is mine, try to stop me."

Lizzie turned around to face him, her posture defiant, "Stay away from me. You are a swine; I would never marry you, never!" Her voice firm but contained. "You lie, tell the truth. What you were doing was trying to force your affections on your brother's widow; on me. A woman who is with child, may I add?" Her body was straight, showing him no fear. Elizabeth pointed her finger at him.

"I wouldn't insult the memory of my beloved husband by marrying the brother, who was the cause of his death. You were not worth saving, running around with women married to men with little morals, and unaccountable for their actions." Her voice was broken and accusatory.

"Are you insane? I would never allow Lizzie to marry you," his father ascertained. "She is too good for you. That would be an insult to Richard, never; it will not happen."

Nobody had noticed one new person, standing by the door. He was watching the scene with his lips twisted, and his eyebrows furrowed. The newcomer seemed upset over the ongoing drama. His hands were clenching and unclenching; he looked as if he were ready to spring, barely contained.

Lady Fitzwilliam saw him first, "My boy, my dear Fitzwilliam," and she started walking towards him. Bartlett took advantage of the confusion; before she could protest, he quickly picked up Elizabeth in his arms. He was nearly a foot taller than her and massively broader, making it easy to run away with her.

"I shall marry her no matter what you say," Bartlett said, pulling a pistol that he had hidden in a pocket. "Everyone stays away, or I will not be responsible for what happens next. Remember, if I am hurt, I might drop Elizabeth and the precious child, and nobody wants that. Father, order clear passage to my carriage." He barked his command. He looked like he was a mad-man, a person with nothing to lose.

Elizabeth was still; the pressure of the situation, added with days of neither eating nor sleeping, proved too much, and she fainted. Meanwhile, other footmen crowded into the room. Bartlett was losing control of the situation, too many fronts to watch.

He wavered the pistol to and fro as he left the room and had nearly made it, when several things happened at once, sharp teeth pierced his calf. A large hawk came thru a window to fly in front of his face, screeching angrily, claws ready to attack. When Bartlett's arms let go, trying to protect his face from the hawk going for his eyes, someone picked up Elizabeth; and Bartlett was pushed to the side.

At once, several footmen overpowered him before he was able to retrieve his pistol. The hawk flew out the window when Bartlett was secured.

This event would be recalled for years to come, the house servants were convinced the young mistress was special, and this event was the proof they needed. She was a child of the Fae. She had gained a respectful following. Many were ready to win her favor, to help them in future difficulties.

Darcy knelt on the ground cradling his late cousin's wife in his arms. When his uncle came to take her from him, his arms tightened around Elizabeth. An overpowering feeling of possession wouldn't allow him to let her go, she was his, and he knew it. He was feeling odd, she called to him, it was different. Mine, mine, his inner man roared, the one he felt on and off.

Warrior, Richard's cairn terrier, sat by his mistress, licking her foot. He whined, looking miserable.

"Darcy, son, give her to me." His uncle said.

"No, I will take her to her room, " Darcy answered, his mien and stance daring his uncle to try to do otherwise.

"William, darling that is most improper," his aunt touched his arm gently, trying to reach him. She just noticed how disheveled he looked; his eyes were red and puffy, and feral. His wild, rebellious hair went in all directions. His cravat was twisted. Clearly, he had been riding hard without much rest.

He was in deep mourning for the brother of his heart. His next words caught his uncle and aunt by surprise.

"No, it isn't improper, I am to be her husband as I promised Richard. We will marry right away, as Richard wanted. We will marry as soon as we can arrange for a cleric. I started coming back within two days of getting his last letter. Whereas I wasn't here to save him, I will take care of his wife and child. He worried about his safety, read the letter. He suspected someone."

Darcy closed his letter, "Richard first wrote me months ago, he'd been concerned and feared for his life. Richard wanted his wife, his Lizzie." Darcy's voice broke as tears ran down his cheek, " to be protected from harm, should the unthinkable happen, he was afraid of the way Bartlett lust for his Lizzie. He was also worried about a German noble who now has endorsement from the crown."

A terrible thought crossed Lord Fitzwilliams' mind, not for the first time. He sincerely hoped to be wrong.

Darcy talked, keeping his eyes fixed on Elizabeth, while he held her tight. "Uncle, I am sorry I was delayed, I could not find a faster passage. I will show you the correspondence here in my pocket. I have a special license procured by my solicitor, George got it for me. George waited for me when I arrived at Dover, and I came here directly. Nobody will stop me from doing my duty." He maneuvered to reach in his pocket, and passed the folded letter to his uncle, turned around, and asked a footman, "Her quarters, guide me to them."

"Darcy, son, give her to me." His uncle asked his softly, overcome by the way Darcy held her to him, with such tenderness that gave him hope for the future. His nephew would keep Lizzie safe, he knew that Bartlett would try something worse next time.

"No, I will take her to her room, " Darcy answered firmly. The idea of letting her go wasn't sitting well with him, but he had no idea why. His mien and stance dared his uncle to try.

"Darling, that is most improper," his aunt touched his arm gently.

Bartlett, who had heard the exchange, screamed, "No, you won't, she is carrying the heir to the Earldom; I will not marry unless it is to Elizabeth, she is mine. I waited long enough. Richard would want the child to stay with the Fitzwilliams family."

In a corner, over a mantel, a ghostly figure sat. It was Richard, his dog, saw him and beat its tail. Richard wore breeches and a linen shirt with a big stain of blood on the left side. You murderer, it wasn't her husband's bullet who killed me, it was yours, I was right writing to Darcy. Bartlett, I will find a way to stop you. You shall never have my Lizzie, never. You'd destroy her. You bad brother, worse than Cain, I will find a way to stop you miserable mod …

But before he could finish saying anything else, a chord made out light filaments wrapped around his torso and pulled him into Elizabeth's womb. And at the same instance, he became the child to arrive in a few months. As he was losing his old consciousness, he thought, my wife, my mother, only those lucky enough can come back to the woman they have loved the most. My Elizabeth, I will protect you, I will remember somehow, I will. Thank you, God, for the chance to have been loved by her.

And his world became dark, wet and inviting, and he could hear the steady beat of his mother's heart. The warmth of her womb lulled the last of his consciousness, but not before he heard Fitzwilliam's voice, "Mistress Fitzwilliams, you are safe. Richard trusted me. You are in my care, my dear lady. Richard knew it; he was right, a son of his, is a son of my blood and my heart." And softer, a mere whisper, "So precious, you are precious, Richard was right."

He was here, his best friend and faithful brother. And if his wishes were honored, William would be his father.… The young's fetus fell asleep, warm for the first time in days, since the day he died in a pool of blood looking at his smiling brother.

Lord Fitzwilliams looked at his son, "Leave this house immediately, or I will throw you out. From now on, you don't come unannounced. I will give strict orders not to let you come in otherwise. Now leave," he looked at his butler, "make sure my son's carriage leaves with him inside."

"Good dog, you will get a fine chop, " Lord Fitzwilliams petted Richard's terrier. Warrior. Had saved the day, he was a good dog.

The excellent dog looked around, where had his master gone? He had obeyed and 'attacked,' as he had been trained to defend his human mate.

Out the corner of his eye, he saw what human eyes couldn't. His master had been pulled into his other human, Lizzie. And now Warrior's nose could detect that the pup inside had his master's imprint. He trusted Darcy, he was big and a good human. He rolled in his back and let Lord Fitzwilliams give him the care he was due. It was a good dog's life.

Everyone was talking about the hawk. Amelia, Richards' aunt, noted, "I think the hawk is related to the chest sent for Lizzie's wedding. My father believed there were others here with us."

"It was most unusual. Certainly, a God sent." Her sister answered.

A Dark Forest near the Devonshire

"The murderous brother will die. If he lies a finger on her again, he dies. I will take my chances. Stand up." The tall man told the kneeling figure to stand up.

It was time to make plans, "She needs more protection. Tell me about the newcomer."

He heard the report, and he was not angry for the first time in days. It was the time to do more, maybe to bring his child where she belonged. "Tell your brother I need him...I have a new job for you." He started planning.

Marriage Proposal-

Darcy sat by Elizabeth day and night, he slept on a chair, Warrior lay on the bed with her. A couple of hawks stayed right outside her window. They were welcome after the failed abduction.

The doctor who came to see her said that she was fine, only exhausted.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Darcy sitting by her bed. "I am Fitzwilliam Darcy. Richard wrote, saying that you knew about me." He introduced himself.

She disliked him on sight, he was an excessively proud man. However, Richard had often told him that if anything were to happen to him, she needed to marry him immediately. He distrusted Bartlett. '"Darling, the only one my brother fears is William. He will see thru Bartlett."

"I know who you are." He was handsome, perhaps too much. Women would flutter around him, like with her uncle Frederick, but the best was her Richard. His cousin would never take his place.

He told him about the letter, but she didn't want to read it. "He wanted us to marry as soon as possible. It would be an honor." More than an honor, he wanted it more than anything else.

She nodded, not wanting to answer. How could she marry somebody else; she would never love anyone else.

"You see, Bartlett's solicitors have come. Bartlett is claiming that he has a letter from Richard."

She nodded, "He said as much, but he is lying. I know Richard's wishes, and they were not so."

"Mrs..."

She raised her hand, "No need to be so formal, please call me Lizzie."

"Lizzie, please call me William. I wanted to ask you to be my wife. As I said, it would make me very happy." He took her hand; his heart was beating wildly.