Long AN: So, this. Took a bit more than I expected, but when you have chapter 11 half-written almost from the beginning, it must be re-done by the time it's needed.
To answer the reviews :)
1. I don't know Spanish. Sorry, no idea what you wanted to say.
2. I'm actually happy with the review rate :) Considering this is kid-centric and not M-rated, I think I'm doing quite well :)
3. I'm very happy you like the way it's going!
4. Will and Lizzy have been stupid (please note that they are slowly coming to the same conclusion and that Lizzy had already kind of given in - looking for a flat in Lambton? :)); Anne is a bit crazy (we'll address this... soon)
5. Cliffhangers - uh-oh. Sorry. But here's another one.
Kingskid: This one will provide some answers to your questions :)
EmlynMara: Well... guess who had been coding day and night recently...
####
Lambton in the rain was much less fun than Lambton dry and sunny, which she had come to know in the previous weeks. Her fingers were stiff, she had litres of rainwater in her trainers, an icy stream of water was going down her spine and her denim jacket was plastered to her body, not giving her even an illusion of cover against the slight, but annoyingly cool wind.
The police station was at least dry - except for the small puddles of water she left on the old lino as she walked up to the front desk. A policewoman sitting there smiled at her professionally.
"Excuse me, but... Could you help me call my Dad?"
Mina hated herself for feeling so tired and sounding so childish, but after spending what felt like half an hour looking for a police station in pounding rain she could only feel relief at finding one. She couldn't really bring herself up to the 'grown-up' level of communication. Also, she thought, sometimes it is better to sound a bit like a little kid - may make getting some help easier.
"What happened? Are you lost?"
The woman looked at her with a frown and Mina made an effort to be more coherent.
"My... my aunt drove me to town... And she dropped me off and went back home" she sneezed, dismayed by the fact that she had to wipe her nose on her sleeve. "And I left my backpack in her car, so I don't even have money for the bus, and my phone is there, too" she sneezed again. "And I can't walk four miles in this rain..."
"Reilly, what is this kid doing here? Give her at least a towel, she's soaked through!" a bigger, much more energetic woman walked in, surveying Mina with interest. "What are you doing outside in this weather, kid? Reilly! Towels!"
"I'm sorry" Mina managed to say before she found herself with an armful of grey towel. "I just need..."
"To get dry" the new woman interrupted her. "At least you'll stop making puddles here. Sit, sit, the chair is all plastic. Reilly! A blanket, or two! Reilly doesn't trust kids, you see" she turned to Mina and smiled. "She thinks everyone under eighteen is just making fun of police. Now, what can I do for you? I'm Martine, by the way. Sergeant Martine Hanners. And what's your name?"
"I'm" her voice wobbled. "I'm Rose Darcy. And I kind of need someone to call my Dad, because he may be worried. All my things are in my aunt's car and I think I am supposed to be home already, but I don't have money for the bus..."
Reilly entered with two scratchy blankets which she almost threw at Mina.
"All right, kiddo, take off the jacket and your trousers, wrap yourself in the blankets and sit by the radiator. Now, what is your Dad's phone number?"
Mina blinked slowly, trying to focus. She wasn't sure she remembered the number correctly in the first place, but now, wet, tired and rather worried by aunt Anne's rantings, she was sure she didn't remember it at all. Sergeant Hanners was looking at her patiently, but there was nothing coming up. She could probably recall Mom's number if she focused, but that wasn't going to help her right now.
"I... I don't know. I have them all on my phone, and in my notebook..." she squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry. Her nose was already blocked and her eyes were tearing up with every new sneeze, crying would not have made the situation any better. Also, she very much wished not to look like a snivelling kid in front of that Reilly woman.
"God, kids these days" she heard her say. "So lazy."
"You can't honestly tell me you remember your folks' mobile numbers" Sergeant Hanners answered tersely. "The kid had probably never needed to call home from a landline, why should she remember it?"
"OK, girl, what is your father's name?"
Mina blinked and nodded. At least this answer she could give correctly.
"William Darcy. The house is Pemberley" she said slowly. "It's on..."
"Dear lord, this is Darcy's kid!" Reilly interrupted her. "Now I know why she doesn't even know how to call her father. Who would call that guy?"
"REILLY!" Martine's outburst quieted the other policewoman immediately. "I know you hold a grudge against that family, but do be professional. If you can. Go and find me a number for Pemberley, so we can call someone to pick young Rose up. They need to bring her a change of clothes."
Reilly rolled her eyes and stomped towards her desk, while Martine swiftly helped Mina out of her dripping wet jacket and trousers and wrapped her in the colourless, shapeless blankets. The clothes were hung over the backs of two chairs and Mina was seated on another (slightly less uncomfortable), just next to the radiator that had been hastily turned to full power. Trying to control her shivering, she listened carefully as Reilly - whatever her rank was - argued with a man on the other end of the line that she simply required the Pemberley number or any other contact to William Darcy.
"What do you mean, restricted? I am a police officer, I... What do you mean, official channels?!" she slammed the receiver on the phone and huffed. "It seems Mr Darcy had his number delisted quite effectively. They said they'd need a warrant to give us his number! And with the network down I don't have any access to our own directory. Stupid computers."
"Try the office?" Mina ventured hoarsely. "Dad had a webpage with the number for the office. They stay late a lot."
"As if they'd give us the time of the day..." Reilly mumbled but pulled out her mobile. "Good thing these are still working."
"Hopefully, they will at least let him know we are looking for him. If they don't want to hand over his number, ask them to call him and tell him to contact us himself. This way he has his precious privacy and we get the girl back to him."
"If he is looking for her, he should be here the minute we tell him..." Reilly turned to the desk telephone and picked up the receiver. "Darcy Building Technologies? That it?"
Mina confirmed, clenching her teeth in an attempt to control the shivering.
"OK. Here comes nothing" Reilly punched the numbers into her phone as if it had personally insulted her. "Hello. Constable Reilly, Lambton sixth, I need to contact Mr Darcy... Yes, I understand that it's his company line, but I need... No, I don't want... Can you please contact him yourself then? And inform him that the sixth station needs him to call immediately? Our number... Yes, that's it. Yes, thank you. Please do. Thank you" she replaced the receiver much more gently than before. "At least they didn't treat me like an inferior human being. Surprise."
Mina sneezed.
Sergeant Hanners rolled her eyes.
"Come on, kid. Into my office. It has a bigger radiator and a couch. And a box of tissues. You are running out of sleeves."
####
Anne was unrepentant, but William's eyes never left her, making her squirm in her seat. He really couldn't believe in her stubborn show of offended innocence. There were many things he had had to forgive her (if only because she had been mostly controlled by her mother) - being a general pest or trying to interfere with his house and life. Many. But not harming Rose. Never harming Rose.
This was, finally, the moment. He just had to make triple sure that he had all the facts before he moved forward. Lack of attention to detail could create additional problems, so if he managed to utilise that occasion correctly...
"So, you let her out at the mall, like she asked you to."
"Yes. So?"
"And then you drove away."
"Yes."
"...with all her things in the car."
"God, William, really. Yes. I've told you already. She left her rubbish in the car. Why are you yapping about this all the time?"
William managed to stop the oncoming facepalm with an effort. He didn't even have to hand her the rope.
"So you left a fourteen-year-old in a town four miles from home, with no phone, no money, no bus card and no umbrella, is this right?"
"Not my fault!"
This was already the third round of Anne trying to explain how much she was innocent of leaving Rose alone and with no means of communication. Fifteen minutes had passed since she had entered the house and dropped Rose's tote and purse on the counter in the hall, shouting for Rose to come and pick them up. Ten minutes since William understood that his daughter was, in fact, still in Lambton and none of them had any idea where.
And that his cousin was apparently too stupid to understand that leaving Rose in Lambton without the means to come back, meant Rose still was in Lambton and hadn't magically transported herself home. Sometimes he wondered how they could actually be related. Even aunt Catherine presented better grasp on reality - sometimes one much too keen for his needs, but he vastly preferred an intelligent opponent to, frankly speaking, a wacko. Anne was quickly approaching the "wacko" category in his mind.
He finally stalled her explanations with a short "enough!" and pulled out his mobile.
"112, what is your emergency?"
"Hello, yes. My daughter seems to be missing - I know it doesn't sound very serious, but the weather outside..."
"Please, slow down. I see your location - please confirm, Derbyshire, Lambton area?"
"Yes."
"And the problem you are having?"
"My daughter is somewhere in Lambton - she went there with a family member, but she doesn't have a phone or money to take a bus..."
"I see. Please wait, I'm connecting you to the local police department."
After two more exchanges of similar character and about half an hour of fighting various phone systems ("Press 4 to stay on the line"), William's blood pressure was steadily rising. By the time a real human being picked up, he was striding around the hall, feeling more and more frustrated.
Anne's "innocence oppressed" pose as she sat primly on one of the benches didn't improve his mood a jot. She was playing some game on her mobile and, from time to time, raising an ironical eyebrow when he mumbled curses at the automated responders. His fingers twitched when he thought about simply dragging her outside by her shirt and throwing the contents of her room all over her.
An imaginary puddle of mud made that vision even more attractive, but he was distracted from it by a female voice - an actual person this time! - answering the call.
"Hello, Sergeant Martine Hanners speaking, how can I help you?"
"William Darcy here. I'm looking for my daughter, and I really, really don't want you to just switch me to another person, so..."
"Daughter's name?"
"Rose. Rosalinde Darcy. I really can't... She doesn't have her documents, or money, or phone..."
"General description?"
"Five feet tall, short dark hair, light brown eyes, freckles..." he thought for a moment. "Georgiana! What was Rose wearing?"
He heard some muttering on the line but ignored it for a moment.
His sister frowned, looking at him clutching the phone.
"School uniform trousers and a t-shirt. And I think the blue denim jacket."
He relayed the information to the police officer and waited.
"Rose!"
His heart stopped for just a second.
"Excuse me?"
"Rose, darling, come here" he heard some noises again. "Do you want to talk to your father, honey?"
"Dad...?" Rose sounded hoarse, tired and sick and he could immediately picture her stuffy nose and red-rimmed eyes.
"Rose, are you all right?"
She sneezed.
"Not really, no" she said rather sensibly. "I think I might have caught a cold."
"I'll come and get you. Which station are you in?"
"Sergeant Martine will know better" Rose said slowly. "I'm not really sure. When will you come?"
"The minute your Sergeant Martine tells me where you are."
"Oh. Right" he heard some movement again. "Dad needs to know where to pick me up."
"Mr Darcy? Please come to the sixth, we're by the smithy."
"The one on the old marketplace?"
"The same. You know how to get here?"
"Not a problem" he sighed with relief. "Is Rose fine? She sounds a bit..."
"Yes, most probably a case of sniffles. But you should bring her some dry clothes, and take a blanket or two for the car. And a raincoat, because it's awful here today. Also, we'd need to see her documents and some confirmation that you're her lawful guardian. How soon can we expect you?"
"I'll just gather the things and be there in ten, fifteen minutes, tops. Thank you." he clicked the red circle on his phone and sighed deeply. "Georgie, please find me two, no, three big blankets. I'll need them for Rose. Take also Rose's purse and start the car and get the heating running. I'll gather some clothes so she can change... And you" he turned to still-scowling Anne. "you'd better start packing. That's it. Done. End of line. You are out."
She made a noise of protest, but he muted her mentally and ran up the stairs, swiftly entering Rose's room. A long-sleeved black t-shirt, a jumper, a fleece jacket, a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a pair of socks were quickly stuffed into a large plastic bag. He stopped for a moment, blinking, as a stray thought left a feeling of something missing. Trousers, check, tops, check...
"Ah" he finally sighed. "Shoes. Where are Rose's wellies?"
"In the cloakroom" Mrs Reynolds answered from the door. "William, what happened? Where is Rose?"
"At the police station" he flew downstairs, collecting the pink-striped rubber boots from their place next to the side door. "Please prepare something hot for dinner, she's probably frozen to the bone now. We should be back in half an hour. Tomato soup. If she is already sick, soup should be better, right?"
Rose never got sick. Rose was as healthy as a kid who spent that much time outside could be. He had absolutely no experience with this.
His hands shook a bit as he stuffed her boots in another bag and pulled on his own jacket. As he ran up the stairs, he saw his estate manager coming with a large box from the general direction of the kitchen.
"Brian! Perfect, you're here. Now, Anne will be vacating the premises today. Please make sure that there is a team of appropriately strong young men ready by... let's say, nine, nine fifteen. To ensure speedy farewells."
He found himself suddenly hugged by the shorter man.
"William Darcy, finally" he winced under a thump of large palm on his shoulder. "Finally. I will absolutely make sure that there is nothing that could stop her from leaving."
"I'm driving to Lambton right now to fetch Rose. She got caught in the rain and... well, we'll see."
"But she is fine? Or should I call for a doctor, too? Just in case?"
"Not sure how long it will take us to get her back. The police may have some questions..."
"I will check with a few of them anyway, in case we need one later."
"Better do that, yes. I'll call you when we'd be leaving Lambton. And ask someone to make sure Rose's room is aired and heated, just... just in case."
"Go. Fetch the kid and we'll make sure everything is ready here."
#
Georgiana looked at him with reproach when he tried to make her stay at home and simply moved to the passenger seat.
"When you are at the station, I'll keep the engine running" she explained tersely. "This way the car will be warm when you bring her in."
He sighed and nodded.
"Sometimes you are the more logical sibling" he said, starting the car.
"And don't you forget it."
They drove up the small lane and onto the road towards Lambton.
"William...?"
He overtook a small sedan.
"Yes?"
"What are you going to do about Anne?"
He shrugged and pressed the gas pedal a bit harder.
"I have a few ideas, and I'm pretty certain aunt Catherine won't like them" he growled. "But we'll start with booting her off the property. This had gone long enough and she had finally crossed the line. I expect she didn't believe when I told her to pack, but Brian will be more than happy to lend a hand if needed."
"Why do you even care what aunt Catherine likes or not?" she said softly, looking away from him. "She's been terrorising us for so long and I still don't know what it is that she holds over you, Will. Why do you allow her to walk all over you?"
"She is our mother's sister" he answered tersely. "And I am obliged to support her in any way I can."
"You didn't support Richard when uncle wanted you to give him a chance at the company."
"Because by that time I've learnt my lesson. I'm not entering into any kind of business arrangements with relatives. Also, he is very happy with what he does now. It's our uncle who wants him out of the army."
"Then why not give Anne something to do, at least? I mean, whatever, copying documents. Maybe she would have been less annoying at home!"
William actually snorted.
"Can you imagine Anne at the office? I wouldn't do that to my employees, even if they do irritate me from time to time. No. I did as much as the arrangement with uncle Luis required, and I told myself, no more. Every time I gave them even an inch of freedom, they..."
"What arrangement with uncle Luis?" Georgiana asked quietly. "William? What..."
"Station. Keep the car heated, I'll be right back. I'll..." he breathed deeply. "I will tell you one day, OK? I will tell you how I managed to mess up our lives by being the helpful, dutiful and honourable nephew."
#
The station was small and smelled of broccoli, of all things. It was the same faint, stale smell he could link with his brief memories of the boarding school and some of his University buildings. It left him feeling slightly apprehensive - as if he was heading for a talk with the headmaster - and not one as kind as the one managing Rose's school.
"Afternoon" he turned to the duty officer. "I'm William Darcy, I'm here to pick up my daughter..."
"You have to sign the entrance book" the woman informed him brusquely. "And I need to see some ID. And the kid's ID, so I can verify that it's actually the right child."
He signed the log, produced his driver's licence and then handed her Rose's passport, which she took closer to the lamp, mumbling something at the same time.
"Can I please see my daughter? She didn't sound so well over the phone."
"Sure, sure. Your licence and the passport, here. Sarge?!" she shouted down the corridor. "A Mr Darcy for you."
"Let him in."
"Third door" the officer pointed with a nod and opened the small gate for him. "You took your sweet time getting here, the kid is so sick soon the whole station will be ill."
"Excuse me" was the only thing William managed to say as he strode towards the room pointed out to him. Her face seemed vaguely familiar, but so did half of Lambton, after all, so he didn't really focus too much on that. Later.
#
The room was small and warm, but he wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings - or the policewoman who had let him in - he had his eyes only for blanket-wrapped Rose
"Dad!"
His daughter smiled from her place on a couch, by the radiator, but it was a wobbly, red-nosed kind of smile that told him she had gone through quite a lot of tissues already.
"Rose, ducky, how are you feeling?"
"Just a runny nose" the policewoman waiting with Rose assured him, but his daughter didn't look all that wonderful. "She can change in the back room, if you'd brought her..."
He was already handing Rose the bag with the clothes he prepared.
"I have your hairbrush, too, and a towel, just in case. And your wellies, so that these socks stay dry."
"Thanks, Dad" she sneezed again and searched desperately for the box of tissues. "God, I hade gold."
"Go and change, imp, and we'll be going home. Brian is looking for a doctor who can come to the house today."
Rose coughed, sneezed yet again and slowly stood up, picking up the bags.
"I need to talk to your dad, young lady. Change and come here to sit by the heater until we're done, OK?"
"Yes, Sergeant Hanners."
Rose definitely looked and sounded sick.
Oh, boy. The singing contest. She will be so disappointed.
#
As Rose changed, he was asked to produce their documents yet again and then to fill in some paperwork that Sergeant Martine deemed necessary. She hovered next to him for a moment as he wrote an explanation of the event and provided timing and place, then asked him for Rose's custody documents and went to make a copy of them for the file.
"That family member who drove her to town" she started cautiously, handing him back the originals. "Are you sure your kid should be around her?"
"What do you mean?"
He had no plan to have Anne anywhere near Rose after that day, but who knew what the policewoman meant by such veiled allusions.
"Rose said an aunt drove her to town and left her here without all her things. It's not jungle or wilderness, but still, it seems pretty irresponsible..."
He looked at her for a moment, searchingly, but she seemed quite honestly worried for Rose, and not fishing for intimate details of his family life.
"It was Rose's aunt, my cousin, yes. I had a talk with her today and she won't be driving Rose anywhere any time soon."
"A cousin, I see. And is she staying with you? I mean, is your daughter in constant contact with her?"
William pressed his lips into a thin line.
"She was. Staying with us, I mean. This is changing as of today. She is packing now."
"Very well. I hope there is no reason to worry then" she frowned. "Other grown-ups in the same house? Someone who may be further risk to young Rose?"
"I assure you, I'm definitely planning to prevent any future interaction with Anne. Otherwise, well..."
"Dad? Are you saying aunt Anne will no longer be living with us?"
His daughter stood in the door to the office and looked at him with a frown.
"Come here, imp" he pulled her closer and hugged. "You're correct. When we get back, you will go up to your room and I will check if aunt Anne is done packing her things. Just to make sure she can leave today. I think it's time we scaled down the 'closest family' to actual closest family, hm?"
He could feel his daughter nodding.
"Thank you so much, sergeant. I assure you, I will do everything to ensure Rose's safety."
"I hope so, Mr Darcy" the policewoman smiled and patted Rose's shoulder. "In case there is any... further problem, related to what happened today, please do contact us. You too, Rose. Here's my card, one for you and one for your Dad."
He frowned, looking at the two pieces of paper in Rose's hand.
"What do you mean?" he felt his throat constrict.
"Only what I said. You must understand, Mr Darcy, we see a lot of different cases when the family is involved. Even in Lambton, I assure you. We have experience... and it says cases like this are prone to escalate."
"Thank you. I think. Rose? Your raincoat. Let's go to the car, ducky."
He helped her to fasten the lapels of the waterproof cover and walked her out, passing by the duty officer, who yet again was watching him with annoyance. He happily ignored her. Rose was now the priority.
####
Georgiana propped Mina up in the car and pulled the raincoat off of her, dropping the lurid yellow plastic to the floor.
"Blanket, here. Sit on it, I will wrap you and then we can fasten the seatbelt. And another on it. And your legs. William, get inside and start the engine again, I don't like to keep it going without a driver at the wheel."
Dad dropped the bag with her wet clothes on the seat beside him while aunt Georgiana hugged her close and strapped herself next to Mina.
"If you want to sleep, just lean on me. You'll be more comfortable like this."
Mina's head was way too heavy for conversation, but there was something she knew she had to say. She closed her eyes to focus on it.
Dad started the car and they drove through darkened streets and rain. The car purred softly and the heating vents made a quiet, sea-like sound. It was so warm, finally.
That thing she was supposed to say, it was coming back.
"Aunt Georgie?" she whispered, leaning on the helpful shoulder.
"All right? Do you want us to stop?"
"No... Fine" she licked her lips and coughed. "Do you think aunt Anne is crazy?"
Dad snorted.
"Why are you asking, darling? Did she say anything when you were in her car?"
Mina tried to get her thoughts together.
"She said..." a momentary loss of focus "...that if I obey her, everything will be fine."
"M-hm. And what was that about?" aunt Georgiana sounded calmly interested. Mina coughed again and felt as if something was tickling her throat. Which made her cough again, and again.
"About the wedding. She said that if I cooperate, she will remember it after the wedding."
"Rose, what are you talking about?" Dad's voice was anxious.
"She said she would be, you know. My new mother."
The car slid to the side a bit. Dad was gripping the steering wheel with both hands.
"Your what?" aunt Georgiana was suddenly looking her straight in the face. "Rose, what was she talking about?!"
Mina tried to concentrate.
"She said she would be marrying Dad by New Year. And that you, and me, we have to stop being funny, because we aren't. Funny. She doesn't think we're funny. And that we are not cute. I think you are cute, aunt Georgie."
"Rose, sweetie, what else did she say? Why would William marry her?"
Mina breathed slowly and felt the tickle spreading.
"She said he owes them and she owns him. But how can she own Dad? Nobody can own another person!"
"Oh, that will be sweet" Dad said in a rather ugly voice. "I will have to... Well. Let's see at home."
"Did she say anything else?"
Mina frowned.
"She was repeating that there will be consequences if I do something she doesn't like. And that I would not be going to study in the Netherlands. And that she would make you transfer me to another school."
"Rose" Dad said, his voice on the border of a growl. "I will not be marrying her, whatever happens. She is leaving the house tonight. Brian is making sure she will. And I would not be marrying her anyway."
Mina coughed again.
"But why was she saying these things?" she heard her voice break. "She was scary!"
"Because she thinks aunt Catherine could have made me do it" Dad said after a moment of silence.
"She said you had a contract with them. That she was going to sign a contract with me. About me being..." she coughed again. "About me being her daughter. And that we will make an agreement that I would always listen to her."
Dad switched something on the steering wheel and a quiet phone signal filled the car.
"William? Is Rose OK?"
"No, she is not. We're leaving Lambton right now, so whoever you've managed to find, please ask them to be at the house as soon as possible. But I also need you to go and oversee Anne's packing. Make sure she isn't taking half of my library and don't let her go into my study, under any circumstances. If she claims she left something inside, it can wait until I get back."
"She isn't packed, William. And your aunt..."
"I expected as much. Keep them contained for the time being. Put two or three of the bigger boys outside their rooms, just to make sure they are not trying anything smart. I'm done with being kind, dutiful and forgiving, dammit."
"Yes, boss!"
Dad thumbed a button.
"Now, let's get you home, imp. Bed, doctor and at least a week home, I suppose. When is the competition?"
Mina leaned her cheek on aunt Georgiana's shoulder. It was so cool and nice.
"On the twenty... something. But I need to practice" she grumbled.
"You will have plenty of time to practice" Dad said simply. "Once you get better, I can... I can look for a singing teacher. If you want one."
Mina closed her eyes and hummed.
"We'll see" she said finally and burrowed closer into aunt Georgiana.
"We'll see. I'll start calling and I'll explain the situation..."
"M-hm."
For a blessed, warm and quiet moment, Mina could only think about getting up the Pemberley stairs to her room, into her bed. And then being fed medicine and sleeping. And then getting better and going back to her school. It seemed so obvious, so simple and rather...
...ah. No. Rose's room. Rose's bed. Rose's school.
Mina would be going home any day now, whenever Mom called.
Why hasn't Mom called yet?
Mom should be here.
Mom was always there when Mina was ill.
She coughed again.
Her throat ached with every cough but she couldn't stop them.
She leaned more heavily on aunt Georgiana.
#
William could only focus on the road. One thing at the time. He had to separate his feelings from the issue at hand. He had to keep them going home. He had to get them home. He could not allow himself to think about Anne or about the danger he had put Rose in, if indirectly.
He had to put it aside right now or he would have to pull over and step out of the car for some air. There was no time for that right now. He had to focus.
Georgiana leaned closer and touched his shoulder.
"She's too warm" he heard her say. "I don't like it."
Well, neither did he.
One more mile.
#
House was full of shouting, angry people. Somehow with only Anne, Brian and three estate workers participating, they managed to make enough noise to fill the entire mansion. Most of the noise came from Anne, who, somehow, turned out to be rather combative. It was a bit of a surprise for William, who would have never suspected her of being that active - or that passionate about anything.
She apparently was.
At full volume.
He and Georgiana quickly ushered Rose upstairs, where he left his sister to take care of his daughter and left to deal with the immediate problem.
He had apparently guessed correctly.
"Yeah, we stopped her at the door. Just after your call" Brian was sporting a bruise on his left cheek. "She got me by surprise."
"Well, I think you are not the only one. Rose is now scared of her, which isn't helping with her fever."
"The doctor will be here in ten minutes, tops. Now, can we deal with this... mess?"
"Gladly."
####
Rose was shivering despite the fact that she was sitting in bed in her sweats and was covered with the duvet. Georgiana barely knew what to do to help her, but thankfully Mrs Reynolds came to her rescue, bringing a tray with soup, tea and milk.
"Now, the little one should drink a lot. That much we can decide without waiting for the doctor. Can you eat some soup, Rose?"
Rose nodded slowly.
"It shouldn't be too hot if you have trouble with swallowing, but it's just a bit warm, to make sure you are warmed from the inside. And I think I'll run you a nice bath, once the doctor leaves, so you can get properly warm. For now, tea - with milk, yes. And the soup.
Rose managed to eat a few spoonfuls of soup and drink half a cup of tea before her throat was hurting too much to let her swallow another sip. Fortunately, that was exactly when the doctor arrived and was guided to her room, across the chaos of the packing and William pushing Anne's suitcases down the stairs, to the main entrance.
#
"It's not bacterial, thankfully, so no antibiotics" the pudgy little doctor said, after listening to Rose's breathing and checking her throat. "Just rest, pain medication and anti-fever syrup, lots of fluids and inhalation. Please buy these as soon as possible, and then start the first dose today. If in three days there is no change, call me. If she develops higher fever, the cough changes or she starts complaining of chest pains, call me. Day or night."
"Thank you, doctor" Georgiana collected the prescription. "Any home remedies you would suggest? Ginger tea?"
"That can help, definitely. But let it cool slightly and add honey and lemon, this will help a bit to soothe her throat. In general, any fluid will do - weak tea, watered juice, even broth. Just as long as she drinks at least two litres. She will be sweating a lot, so she will be needing much more water than usually. And buy some of... these" he added a note on another piece of paper "for dry cough. Five a day. It will help to keep her throat soothed. This is... for the nose, and this to calm down her cough, if she can't sleep. Don't give unless she actually needs it. Don't let her run around or go outside too early, especially in this weather."
She watched her niece for a moment in worry.
"She's never sick" she said slowly. "I have no idea what to do."
"Basically, for the time being, unless she wants to run outside, eat ice cream or scream, go with what she says she needs. Here" he handed her an additional piece of paper. "Follow this general schedule of medicines and she should be fine by the end of next week."
"Thank you" she said with a bit of apprehension. "What should we look for, what to pay attention to...?"
"If her cough gets deeper and she coughs up yellow mucus, call me. That will mean it had turned bacterial and I'll have to add antibiotics. For the time being there is no reason to do that... oh, I suppose since she's not ill often, you wouldn't have a nebuliser. You can buy one in the pharmacy in town" he glanced at his watch "it should be still open. I know it will be a bit of a cost, but it will make it much easier for her."
He added another note on the medicine schedule.
"That would be all. I am available under this number" he handed her the whole set of papers, including his business card. "If there is anything worrying in Rose's symptoms, text me or call me, I'll try to answer even if I can't be here quickly."
"Thank you" Georgiana tried to smile. "Can we find my brother? He'll need to hear it, too, just in case."
#
William, who had just been speaking to the two estate workers posted outside Anne's door, received the summary with a slow nod and they were soon back in front of Rose's room.
"I gave her something for the fever" the doctor said, pulling on his coat. "Her temperature should drop soon - can't say when, kids react to this differently, but it will be good if you make a note of the time. As I told your sister, call me, any time."
"How bit is the risk it will turn worse?"
"I'd say, next to zero - a classic case of taking a chill in this weather. And I suppose she had some exhausting days just prior to today, September hits some kids hard. New subjects, changing daily routine, preparing for competitions and so on..."
"Rose was trying for a singing competition" Georgiana interjected. "Could that..."
"If she practised too much, she could have strained her vocal chords, plus today she got stuck in this weather, so all of these together were, well, contributing factors. Each of them separately wouldn't have done much."
"Thank you" Will's voice was gravelly as he shook the doctor's hand. "Georgie, are you up to driving to Lambton for the meds? My car, obviously..."
She grimaced.
"Yeah, I can take the tank. You take care of the mess here."
#
He sat with Rose as she lay there, panting and coughing. Georgiana had gone to the pharmacy, promising to do some additional shopping on her way back - Rose's favourite apple juice and vanilla pudding, just in case she wanted to eat something. Mrs Reynolds was already in the kitchen, setting up to make broth (in his private opinion, it would be enough for a small army, not only for a small teenager) and all he could do was to hand Rose her tea and to make sure she didn't spill any on herself.
She looked so small, suddenly. She was fourteen, halfway between a kid and an adult, but somehow he couldn't really stop thinking of her as his little girl. She was small - not even a bit of Darcy genes made its way to that part of th- her looks. He knew how frustrated she was sometimes when her taller classmates played basketball over her head - and her outstretched hands. That was the main reason he encouraged her to take up horse riding - as a sport, it was one discipline that actually required the participants to be small and light and he could safely afford the cost and the time needed if it let her have an area in which she could prove herself.
As she fell into uneasy sleep - he hoped that the anti-fever syrup administered by the doctor would start working quickly - he watched her flushed face, short-cut hair spread around her head like a black halo, lips catching air in small gulps and he felt the most helpless - or the second most helpless - in his life.
He could vividly remember the day when her cry woke him up - and he noticed the other half of his bed was empty and already cold - and he thought for a moment, that while she was up, why couldn't she keep the girls quiet. But as the cries intensified, he finally strode down the corridor and opened the door - maybe with unnecessary force - and started to ask that exact thing.
And there was nobody in the room, but the tiny, crying girl in one of the cots.
His hands shook as he picked her up, murmuring silly things about finding mummy and Mina and going for a walk, while she cried piteously into his pyjama top.
With every step, he felt more and more uneasy. Lizzy was nowhere to be found. It wasn't the first time that world did something unexpected - but it was the first time she did something unexpected - and he had no way of preventing it, no way of turning it back. He wasn't sure he could actually process what had happened, yet. Even after walking the whole length of the house, all floors - with Rose falling asleep halfway through - he was still hoping Elizabeth was somewhere nearby, maybe washing Mina, or feeding her, or whatever else she could be doing. Only when everyone was finally up and about and Mrs Reynolds brought him a letter she found on the main hall table, he had to accept that they were gone.
The words of that letter were cut into his heart forever.
William,
I can't live like this anymore.
We aren't really meant to be together.
I'm sorry it took me so long to see
that we're destroying each other.
Do try to be happy. For Rose's sake.
E.
He shuddered every time he re-read it. Destroying each other? It took him several weeks to understand what she meant, even if it did seem she had made it overly dramatic. At least he discovered what the lack of Elizabeth meant. There was nobody sitting late in the night in the nursery, with a laptop and some piece of code to conquer - and watching the children at the same time. There was nobody late at night in the kitchen, brewing herself a tea and heating the milk for the girls. There was nobody who didn't have to work in the morning, so they could get up and check what the girls were doing in the middle of the night.
Day by day he noticed how much of her time must have been taken by the girls - simply because there was now nobody but him to be with Rose - and he was coming slowly to the conclusion that he had, in fact, failed to participate enough in their care. Once the weather turned and he had to dress Rose warmly for the first time - including multiple layers, taller boots and a coat - he did actually break down, just a bit, and admitted to himself - and Rose - that most probably he hadn't been the best life partner around.
No wonder she had felt unhappy. What he was wondering sometimes was why she had stayed even that long.
#
Georgiana came back with the medicines and they woke Rose up enough for her to swallow the first set and drink some more tea. Once she was asleep again, he asked Georgiana to stay with her for a moment, while he dealt with the unavoidable fallout of the situation with Anne. He knew very well she wasn't planning to leave the house, despite the fact that most of her things were now packed. She would be looking for a way to weasel out of this.
As he rounded the corner of the corridor, he found his aunt waiting for him already.
"What kind of foolishness is this?" she demanded. "Why are you removing Anne from the house?"
He steeled his spine a bit.
"Because Anne is an irresponsible idiot" he said calmly. "She left Rose in town with no means of getting back home, except for walking, in this rain. I don't want her around my daughter."
"How dare you! William, this is no way to treat family!"
"My family is Georgiana and Rose" And... "You and Anne are mainly just living here, and, by now, the only thing keeping me from kicking you out was the contract. Now, I expect Anne - actually, scratch that. I expect both of you to be packed and ready to go by nine o'clock. I've wasted enough of my life trying to appease you, fulfil my supposed debt to my family and cater to your whims about Anne marrying me. Now you have breached the agreement - or rather Anne did, which comes to the same result. Leave the house, both of you. At quarter past nine I will ask Brian to escort you to the car, whatever you will be wearing and however much you'll have packed by that time. Goodbye, aunt Catherine."
"But, William!"
He turned on his heel and strode down to his study, his aunt following him, making surprised and angry noises. He would have happily tuned her out, but as he sat behind his desk, trying to find the phone book he wanted to add the doctor's name to, she entered and started berating him for his unkind behaviour.
"Aunt, please, stop. Because of what Anne did, Rose is now ill. Do I have to explain any further, or will you just accept the fact that I don't wish any of you to be present in this house by the end of the day? And that I have full legal right to do that finally?"
"Rose is not ill" his aunt snorted. "That girl is probably just faking to get more attention."
"Well, if she's faking, she's good enough to fool the doctor. And the thermometer."
"Oh, really. A glass of tea fools the thermometer."
"Not when the person who has the fever is asleep" he retorted angrily. "Really? You are arguing with me that Rose isn't as sick as I know she is, because what, you would have to admit that your daughter had messed up and now the contract is null and void?"
"William!"
"Aunt. This is simple. Either you go, or Brian will help you. You have until nine o'clock to pack, organise a place to stay - don't even start, you can afford the hotel, I know the state of your finances perfectly - and get the hell out of my house!"
She sat there, lips pressed into a thin line, watching as he found the phone book, made a note of the doctor's number and then opened his laptop.
"Really, nephew!" she finally exploded, after stewing in silence for several minutes. "How can you treat your eldest relation like this!?"
"Exactly how am I treating you? I've accepted my responsibility, fed you both, hosted you and even made sure Anne's car is correctly maintained. Now you will have to do it yourselves. You are grown-ups, you will manage. It is still better than you deserve, after the way Anne attacked Rose..."
"Will?" Georgiana's breathless interruption made them both turn to the door.
"What's wrong? Is Rose worse?"
"Ah... no, this is not about Rose. Or, rather, not exactly."
William frowned.
"What is going on?"
"Will..." she breathed slowly to steady herself. "I need Charles' phone number."
"Georgiana!"
"I have to call Jane. She needs to call... Lizzy" she paused. "Because your daughter is asking for her mother."
He grabbed the edge if his desk to avoid showing them both how much his hands were trembling.
"What? Why would Rose ask for Elizabeth?"
Georgiana slowly combed the errant strand of hair behind her ear.
"This isn't Rose, Will."
"How come it isn't Rose?" he stood up slowly. "I think I... I know my own daughter!"
"Well" she hissed, inhaling slowly. "This is your daughter. Just not Rose."
William shuddered, leaning on his desk for support.
"This is not Rose?" he asked slowly.
"No."
"This is Mina?"
"Most certainly."
"Dear Lord" he rubbed his nose. "No wonder she was so wary of horses! I'd been expecting her to be in the saddle three weeks ago!"
"What!?"
"Aunt, please" he closed his eyes. "God. Mina. Are you sure?"
His sister shot him an impatient look.
"Definitely. She just told me. Now, can I please have the number? It is the only way to get the message to Lizzy, you know."
He gritted his teeth and handed her his mobile.
"I'm going to kill Charles" he said, squeezing his eyes shut. "After you talk to him."
####
"Charles, your phone!"
"Answer it, I'm covered with grease!"
"It's William!"
"I can't pick it up now!"
She sighed and pressed the green button.
"Jane here. Charles has a kitchen catastrophe on his hands..."
"Jane? It's Georgiana."
"Georgie? Why are you calling from Will's phone?"
"I... I need to talk to you. Actually, no. You need to talk to your sister. And make her come to Pemberley immediately. Mina is asking for her."
Jane sat on the stairs.
That means William knows...
"Jane?"
"I'm here. Why is Mina asking for Lizzy?"
"The very fact that you don't sound all that surprised by the fact that it's Mina, I can guess you've meddled in this whole affair. Which makes me officially your number one fan. Anyway. Mina has caught a cold and isn't feeling very well. She's been asking for Lizzy since she woke up."
Jane sighed.
"Do you want Lizzy's number, or should I call her?"
"Do you think she will pick up if she sees Will's number, or mine?"
"Well, if she still has them on her phone... But I guess it will be better if I call her. I'll send you her number anyway."
"Thank you, Jane. Just, you know, be quick? And if she needs to call, it may be easier for her to call me, so I suppose you should write down my number..."
####
Jane had steeled herself against Lizzy's expected reaction. She had had a month to prepare for the moment when her sister would learn of her meddling, but it still hadn't been enough for her to feel in any way comfortable with the idea of telling her she'd have to meet William in a few hours.
Elizabeth was not answering her phone. Even worse, her phone went dead after a few calls. She could only speculate that Lizzy had let it fall on something soft and so missed the buzzing. It wouldn't have been the first time that Lizzy's hobbies obstructed the communication lines - the number of occasions on which she had to dig her phone from the mass of sewing or knitting could not be smaller than ten.
Jane chewed her lip for a moment.
Skype. If Elizabeth was sewing, she would hear the annoying ringing. And, whatever else happened, she would have to sit at her computer at some point, so she would see the missed calls. Probably even before she would find her phone.
She clicked on the Skype icon and listened for the "no answer" signal for a few seconds.
Again.
Again.
Again.
"Jane? What is wrong?" Charles' hands landed on her tense shoulders. "Why was William calling?"
"It wasn't William" she sighed. "It was Georgiana. Mina is sick and asking for Lizzy."
"So, the secret is out" he said slowly. "I hope they will do something about that mess now, or so help me, I will push them both into a wardrobe and block the door with a chair until they are done talking. I love him like a brother, but he can be thick sometimes. Do you know... did I tell you what that idiot is doing? He's building a new house. A new, perfect house for a big family. He doesn't need one that big, well, not right now, but he is still building it. Without even realising what it looks like to someone like me, who knows the whole situation. And your sister is no better. She may be the scariest, smartest programmer I've met and a magician of screwdriver and soldering iron but she is an idiot when it comes to relationships."
"Well, they are well matched then" Jane said, trying not to sound too cutting. "Except for the fact that they are too stubborn to talk to each other and that there are people around them paying the price. Starting with the girls."
"Not to mention us" Charles leaned closer to her, kissing the top of her head. "I am really fed up with having to leave the kids with the babysitters every time we visit William."
"We could have just ignored the whole secrecy thing and taken them with us one day, finally" she said with a huff. "We could have stayed in Lambton and you'd only drive up to the house, and I'd take Rose..."
"And still someone would have had to watch the kids."
She shrugged.
"Well, that's all done. They will have to meet and switch and... And then everyone will know."
"I wonder what your mother will say."
She couldn't suppress a shudder.
"I don't want to even speculate. This... it will be a mess. Of my doing."
"Our doing. And it would have been an even bigger mess if they had been allowed to continue in the current manner. Imagine them waiting until the kids were eighteen!"
"Yeah. That said, I need to call her..."
She clicked Skype again.
Suddenly, there was an answer.
"Jane? What's wrong? Are you asleep in front of your laptop? Why were you calling me? Seven times...?"
"Hi, Lizzy" Jane managed to squeeze out of her throat.
"Jane?"
"Um. Liz, can you take a few days off, like, right now?"
"Can you tell me what this all is about?"
Jane squirmed.
"I... I'm kind of afraid" she admitted finally.
"Hmm..." Lizzy's eyebrow wandered up. "Would that be something related to my cheesecake that someone had sat on during the last picnic?"
"What? No!"
"OK. So maybe about someone scuffing the muffin tin I specifically ask everyone to keep away from?"
"That was Lydia."
"OK, fine. So maybe it is about getting my daughters to go to the same camp and then them switching places?"
"Wha..."
"Hi, Aunt Janey" Rose waved from behind Lizzy. "It kind of... You know. Came out."
Jane groaned and hid her face in her hands.
"I mean, Jane, I kind of understand. And I'm happy that I managed to meet Rose" she hugged the girl, pulling her closer. "But that was one nasty move, you know that?"
She could only nod.
"Is that all?"
"I'm afraid not. It turns out the other side of the exchange now knows, too. Mina told Georgiana - she's sick and really needs you to be there, you see."
Lizzy shook her head and swallowed visibly.
"I... Jane, I was going to call him this weekend, but I'm not... I'm not sure I'm ready."
"Mom?"
"Come on, Lizzy. It's Mina. Mina who had never spent an hour alone when she's sick. Mina who can barely stand me when she's sick."
Elizabeth groaned.
"Yes, I know. I know. Just let me... we have to pack. And to call the school on Monday. And..."
"I'll call the school" Jane offered quickly. "You put me as one of Mina's contacts after all."
"Thanks, Jane. Please tell them..."
"Family emergency. I'll be convincing. Don't you worry, just, go."
"Do you have Georgiana's current phone number? I should have the old one somewhere in my contacts, but I suppose she might have changed it since..."
"Yeah. You have it in the chat now. Good luck, and call me from the road whenever you need to talk. And text me once you arrive!"
"I will, Janey. Thanks."
"Sorry for the mess, Lizzy. But..."
"Yeah. I know. I definitely needed a swift kick to my pants."
"Happy to provide it, finally."
#
Rose was watching Mom talking quietly on the phone. There were broken sentences she could hear, but nothing definite. She tried to pick her clothes from the small heap of things taken from the dryer, but then she noticed the futility of the task and just sat on Mom's bed, looking at Mina's clothes. The next person to wear the thick cotton jumper would not be Rose Darcy. It would be Mina Bennet, the actual real Mina Bennet. Mom would be getting her daughter back and Rose would be going back home.
This left an ugly, angry taste in her mouth, like from crying for too long.
Mom was standing by the window, leaning on the sill, forehead on the glass.
"Mina's caught a cold" she said quietly. "Like usual in autumn. I'm used to it. But it seems Georgiana is panicking a bit, and Mina... I've always sat with her when she was sick" she sighed. "Pack just a small bag, I suppose your own clothes should be enough for the two of you, especially if Mina is sick. Take something you think she'd want to wear on the way back. Oh, I really hope the school will not try to pry when Jane calls them because I'm not sure how to explain this to anyone."
"How are we getting there? The station is in Matlock, and that like eight miles from the house!"
"Darling. I've lived in that house for over a year, I know perfectly well where the nearest train station is. Also, despite what you may think, I am capable of driving a car. I just choose not to. And I've driven all the way from Derbyshire to London with Mina screaming in the back seat, by myself. I hope you will be making less noise than she did."
Rose made a doubtful face, but shrugged finally.
"I don't understand not wanting to drive. Dad loves driving. I always wanted to learn and to get my licence as soon as possible."
"Ah-ha."
"Dad promised me he will let me drive the car that aunt Georgiana used when she was at school."
"Ah-ha."
"And uncle Richard said I could take that additional course at the military base..."
"What?!" Mom looked up from her own packing, eyes wide.
"He said there are advanced courses..."
"God, no. Can't even listen... OK, Rose, let's put it plainly. I hate driving. I'm a grown-up who didn't grow out of the carsickness, and I can get sick even if I'm a driver. So, we'll get to Pemberley, but not as quickly as some others would. I will have to stop every thirty minutes or so, just to breathe."
Rose nodded slowly. That was a new bit of information.
"So, whatever you need on the way - drink, loo, just to get out and breathe - I need you to say this the moment you think about it, and not when it's more pressing than you can stand. We'll be taking A1, which means fewer places to stop on the way and we won't be able to just park anywhere. Now, go and check the fridge for anything that may go off in the next few days, opened milk and so on. I need to pack for a week, unlike you."
#
Mom's car was actually the small blue Skoda that had been parked in front of their building for the previous four weeks. They dropped Rose's small bag and Mom's suitcase on the back seat, adding Mom's laptop bag and a small picnic basket of whatever they could find that they didn't want to leave for a week or bin immediately. Including a huge box of lemon shortbread cookies that Mom had fetched from one of the upper shelves and presented with an apologetic smile.
"I baked them yesterday during the night" she said. "I thought... you know. We could take them."
"And we are taking them" Rose frowned, not understanding.
"I meant, once I spoke to your father - which was the plan two hours ago."
They buckled in and Mom breathed deeply.
"But, do you mean, we would have been driving, anyway? Why? I mean, Dad loves driving. You could have asked him to come here with Mina."
Mom blinked a few times and looked a bit lost.
"I... I kind of imagined myself undoing the wrong I did" she finally said softly. "Also, I can't imagine all of us fitting in our little flat."
"It would have been a very..."
"Uncomfortable situation, yes."
"Close quarters."
"Definitely. Now" Mom sighed. "Let's keep the chatting to a minimum. I really hate driving in London. I always think everyone is out to kill me and I can't afford to get distracted. We can put on some music if you want and, well, once we're on the highway, I'll be a bit more communicative. Just... until then, let's keep quiet, OK?"
She nodded and stayed silent, seeing Mom's hands white from tension on the steering wheel and her frown as she adjusted the position of her seat, the mirrors and then her glasses. The phone on Mom's left calculated the route and predicted their arrival time to be before midnight. They checked yet again whether the laptop bag was placed securely.
As the car was slowly rolling up the street, Rose couldn't stop herself from looking back at the door to the big, nondescript building where she had lived for the previous four weeks.
I'm going home. But Mina...
#
As Georgiana rejoined them, the pressure in the room was palpable. Aunt Catherine looked like someone on the verge of apoplexy. Georgiana decided to ignore her. It didn't really matter now what she learnt. If William had decided to deal with these two at last...
"Lizzy will be coming sometime during the night. She doesn't want to drive without stopping, so she can't really say what hour it will be. She will be taking M1, as her navigation says it's the shortest route, but she will be taking at least five stops on the way."
"That girl! So fickle, so thoughtless! She should be here the minute she can! Of course, her child is not the a priority to her, we knew that much already..."
"Aunt Catherine!" William finally stood up and strode towards her. "I'm not sure what you are actually implying right now, but driving through a third of the country, late at night, after a working day, should not be done without consideration for rest. If... if Elizabeth is properly planning for stops right now, she is much less thoughtless than certain grown-ups I may name who still live in this house. At least for another" he checked his watch "hour or so. Now, will you go and pack, or do you think you will be able to convince me to allow you to stay? Because that's not happening. I assure you."
"William! I can't possibly leave now when that... that hussy is coming here! You need to be properly protected!"
He fell into his armchair, both hands raking through his hair.
"Good Lord, aunt! I'm forty-two. Why do you want to protect me from the mother of my children? I don't need anyone protecting me from Elizabeth. Also, I can't really imagine what the hell you could do to protect me from her, throw yourself at her, should she look my way? Did you ever protect me from anything, actually? We both know perfectly well that you being here is entirely to your benefit and your benefit only, definitely not to mine or to anyone else's here."
"I've been doing it for the last thirteen years" she said, satisfaction dripping from her words. "Every letter, every tiniest package, every postcard. She sure writes a lot. But it never ever reached neither you nor Rose. I decided it will be safer for you not to have any... temptation to tell the girl about her mother."
She sat there so primly and properly, smiling and looking at him, expecting praise.
"What?"
His voice sounded alien in his own ears.
"I took every item she'd sent and I burnt it, obviously."
####
Comments, cries of outrage?
(in case someone is on AO3, I also post there, the comment system is a bit better than here - you can actually have a 2-side discussion...)