Hi everyone. Thank you for still being here. You all seemed to be able to read my mind about who entered the room! Great minds and all, huh?

So, on with the reviews. I must beg your pardon but I have to deal with someone.

bniakosngfofbn: Please mind your sentence structure before you post your review. When you say "first of all," it implies there is more to come after. Not that I want to hear more from you. Will you also please stop shouting at me? I am not forcing you to read my work. Thank you for your time.

Deanna27: We need to do something about Caro. I think you read my mind.

MrsSP9: Thank you for the review. Caro will be dealt with here.

Pablo M Portillo: Darcy might not appear so, but he is sentimental. He always kept the letter with him for safety as well as to remind him of his sister who he misses and worries about.

DSLeo: That is a fantastic career choice for Caro. She is a great actress.

Guest: You read my mind.

Guest: We will see what happens to Caro here.

Guest: No one wants Caro to succeed. Except her, of course. I will do my best to continue and finish this story. Thank you!

Guest: That is what we can do. Hope for the best.

Lisa: Once again, very funny ideas. I was thoroughly entertained reading your review. I might use those one day. ;-)

Belatrixie: Here is the next chapter. The wait is over.

liysyl: You read my mind too.

roses0002: Yes, Elizabeth knows who the baddie is now.

lpinney: You can tell I don't like Caro either.

Regeny1914: You are a mind reader.

Heyitsmedreamer: Aww, thank you!

LeslieE: Thank you so much for your review. It means a lot. I am new to this and still learning.

Levenez: You are another mind reader.

Colleen S: Thank you for leaving reviews. They really help a lot. Glad you are enjoying this story.

Shelby66: We will soon find out. Hope you like the next installment.

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"Aaahh! Who's there?"

Caroline knew that voice.

"Y-you're not Mr Darcy! Why are you here?"

"No, of course I am not Mr Darcy! But why are YOU here?! And why are you dressed like that?!"

The man covered his eyes with one hand, quickly turned around and used his other hand to feel the door handle. He wanted to get out as fast as he could.

As he put his hand over the door handle, the door swung open and struck him on the head. He lost his balance, hit the back of his head on the wall, and slid down to the floor with a loud thud. He moaned,

"Aaarghhhh!"

Mr Bingley had just entered his own room and had not shut the door yet when he heard the screams and shouts. He had rushed back out to find the source of the noise. He then heard a booming voice which had come from Mr Darcy's room. Quickly opening the door, he exclaimed,

"Hurst! Good lord!"

He knelt down next to Mr Hurst with a worried expression. Mr Darcy's valet heard the noise that originated from his master's bedroom and went to check what had happened. Mr Hurst groaned,

"Bingley… Caroline…"

Mr Bingley saw that his sister was on Mr Darcy's bed, and that she was scantily clad.

"Fletcher, Mrs Hurst… "

"I shall take see to it, Mr Bingley."

Fletcher understood that Mr Bingley needed Mrs Hurst to be called for. He knew he had to act discreetly and be careful not to alert other servants in order to avoid gossip. He had worked for Mr Darcy for many years and he had the greatest respect for his master. Being a most loyal valet, he would do his best to ensure that his master's reputation was protected, especially with that repulsive woman in the room.

Mr Bingley observed that Mr Hurst, who was now propped up against the wall, was in pain but still quite alert. Not being able to settle that night, Mr Hurst had gone down in search of some brandy to aid his sleep. He had joined him and Mr Darcy in his study and had a bit too much to drink as was his wont.

"How are you feeling? Are you badly hurt?"

"I don't believe so. My forehead and the back of my head feel somewhat sore," replied Mr Hurst while rubbing the aforementioned areas.

"I apologise for the accident but I did not realise you were by the door. How did you come to be here?"

"After we came up, I thought I had gone into my room. But as you can see, I made a mistake. I do not know why Caroline is here."

Moments later, Mrs Hurst cautiously entered the room and shut the door quicky. She was startled to see her husband on the floor and Caroline on the bed.

"What happened here?" She knelt down near her husband.

Mr Bingley explained to Mrs Hurst that he had gone up together with Mr Hurst not more than a few minutes ago and relayed the rest of what happened after. Mrs Hurst understood that her husband entered the room by mistake due to him being tipsy. Mr Hurst groggily added,

"I was surprised to hear her voice. I thought this was my room. Then I realised my mistake and saw her improper attire so I turned to the door to hurry back out. I did not want to be alone with her!"

They then turned to Caroline and asked her why she was there.

Caroline had not uttered a single word while watching the scene unfold. She started to whimper and nervously tried to come up with an answer. This was not part of her plan! Mr Darcy was supposed to enter his room, not her brother-in-law. And now Charles and Louisa were in the room too! How was she to explain this? She had to make something up right then and there.

"…I was… waiting for Mr Darcy. We have been meeting in secret..."

The three other people in the room stared incredulously at her.

Mr Bingley continued to question his sister,

"What do you mean?"

"Mr Darcy and I … we… share some intimacies…"

Mr Bingley looked around the room and also noticed the state of her undress. Her robe was carelessly strewn on the floor, the bedsheets were all rumpled and her scandalous nightgown was ripped.

"Are you sure about what you are saying, Caroline? Where is Mr Darcy now? And for goodness' sake, cover yourself up!"

Caroline slowly stepped down from the bed and with her hands trembling, picked her robe up from the floor and securely wrapped it around her. She was trying to think of a believable story to convince her brother. This was her only chance to make her brother force Mr Darcy's hand to marry her. She did not have any more time to think things through. She did not expect anything like this to happen. Now she had to come up with something fast!

She had waited for Mr Darcy to come to his room until she fell asleep so it must have been some time since she overheard the conversation in her brother's study. She heard Charles say that he went up with Mr Hurst together, but he did not mention Mr Darcy. And now he was asking her about Mr Darcy's whereabouts. Mr Darcy must have gone somewhere else after talking to Charles.

Caroline started crying hysterically and spoke brokenly, in between sobs,

"Oh Charles! Louisa! He… he… tried to… force himself… on me… I only ever… allowed him… kisses before… but tonight… he wanted more… and he… became aggressive… when I would not… give him what he wanted… He was angry…and he left… I… do not know… where he went…"

"And you stayed here? After he tried to force himself on you?"

"I love him, Charles… you know I do. You have to talk to Mr Darcy… and make him marry me!"

"I will definitely speak to Mr Darcy about this when I see him. This is very serious."

Caroline could not contain her smile. She thought that she had succeeded!

But her brother was not finished. He merely paused to consider what to do with her.

"But Caroline, I do not believe you love Mr Darcy. You just want to become his wife. You may not know where he is, but I do. Mr Darcy was with me and Mr Hurst. As we were leaving my study, Mr Darcy headed to the library to search for books to read while Mr Hurst and I came up. He would not have had the time to come up here and do what you are accusing him of."

Caroline was now desperate and pleaded,

"Charles… Louisa… please… you have to help me. He has to marry me!"

"So you arranged all this! To compromise him? I cannot believe you could do such a thing!"

"Mr Darcy and I are the perfect match. I deserve to become the mistress of Pemberley. He cannot marry that impertinent Miss Eliza!"

"I have heard enough, Caroline! I do not even want to know why you are bringing Miss Elizabeth Bennet into this conversation. You are to leave tomorrow morning. I will write to our aunt in Scarborough and ask for you to stay with her. That or I shall find someone to marry you off to. And you can be certain it won't be Mr Darcy!"

Mr Bingley called for Fletcher and asked if he could communicate the advice for Mr Darcy to remain in the library and that he would join him there. The valet was happy to comply with Mr Bingley's request as he understood this was for his master's benefit. It was of utmost importance that they keep this matter confidential and avoid involving other servants.

Turning to his other sister, Mr Bingley said,

"Louisa, I will assist your husband in getting to his room. I will ask for the apothecary to be called. Please ensure that Caroline gets back to her room discreetly and arrange for her belongings to be packed in readiness for her departure in the morning."

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Meanwhile, at Longbourn, Jane was devotedly tending to Elizabeth. She returned to their shared room after dinner and heard Elizabeth moaning in her sleep. She saw that the bandage on her sister's foot had come undone. When she touched Elizabeth's forehead, she found that her sister was burning with fever. Gently, she applied a strip of damp cloth on her forehead to help cool the fever down. With the help of the housekeeper, she carefully redressed Elizabeth's wound and wrapped the bandage more tightly around her foot. She then spent the night on a chair beside her sister's bed.

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Staying true to the title, I changed the plan. I came up with various scenarios but I finally decided I did not want poor Fletcher shackled to Caro for life. That is not how he should be repaid for his excellent service to his master.

Well, if it is not to your liking, you are free to imagine it was Fletcher who went into the room. He and Caro could have their HEA. With lots of sheep in the background. Mwahahaha!

But seriously, whatever or whoever will do, as long as we get rid of evil Caro so we can get on with the rest of the story. Not that I follow my plans… ;-)

In a world where you can be anything, be kind.