Hi everyone. This chapter was supposed to be part of the previous one so I did my best to write it as soon as I can.
Thank you very much for reading my story and special thanks go out to these reviewers:
RHALiz, Shelby66(via PM), Jansfamily4, Deanna27, liysyl, AVK, crispill, loritahubbard, Levenez, Guest, Yana5, ChrisM0519, Lisa, Maria Teresa C
I am very happy that some readers appreciate and understand my story.
To the guest who uses random letters for his/her name, please just stop reading this story if it is that bad. It is not nice to read reviews that use ALLCAPS and exclamation points (not necessarily for my story only). If you have to criticise my work multiple times, I hope you try other stories that are perfectly written instead. Or you might want to try writing one. You might enjoy it. I am sorry but no, I will not have my work edited by someone else at this point. I know my work will have errors and I have declared this from the beginning. I sincerely apologise but I have no time to coordinate editing with another person. Maybe in the future but not anytime soon. Currently, I do not have plans to sell my work so this story is written purely for entertainment (mine and hopefully some readers'), not for any monetary gain. I may change my mind in future but who knows?
I do accept and appreciate constructive criticism but there is no need for outright rudeness.
Stay safe everyone!
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"What brings you here, Ben?" hissed Mrs Younge as she stood by the door.
"I have some news for you, ma'am," the lad said eagerly.
"Oh? Did you make sure you were not followed?" the woman asked as she craned her neck to check the surrounding area for any suspicious activity.
"Yes, ma'am. Very sure."
"Come on in."
The messenger boy slid inside and the young widow quickly shut the door.
"What news do you have for me?" came the urgent question.
"The officers who were looking for Mr Wickham yesterday, they came back today."
"What? Where are they now? Are they still here?"
"No, ma'am. They have left. The colonel, he is a scary one. He went to follow Mr Wickham in London. The other officers returned to Meryton to tell Colonel Forster to stop searching for Mr Wickham."
"Are you certain about this?"
"Yes. I waited and watched them leave. They are all gone."
"Good. Very good, Ben. Here is a coin for your troubles."
Happily accepting the coin and putting it in his pocket, Ben continued,
"The man who came two nights ago, ma'am. Is that Mr Wickham?"
"No! Why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing, ma'am. It's just… ahh… the colonel said something…"
"What did he say?" Mrs Younge demanded.
"The colonel said that Mr Darcy will pay a hundred pounds or more for information about Mr Wickham. But the colonel and Mr Darcy will meet in Matlock House tonight so I have to tell Colonel Forster instead."
"You are telling them nothing! Nothing, do you understand?"
"Y-yes… of course, ma'am!"
"That man who came here is my late husband's cousin. He came to take some of the late Mr Younge's belongings," the lady's voice filled with emotion.
Not knowing how to react after seeing the woman's sorrowful countenance, Ben decided that he ought to leave immediately.
"I… I best get going, ma'am. So sorry to disturb you."
"Wait. Take this. Another coin for you. But make sure you do not tell them anything. And come back if you have any more news. Give Tom the same instructions. I will give him a coin when I see him again."
After the messenger boy left, Mrs Younge hurried back to her chambers to report the news to Mr Wickham. She relayed the information to her lover and waited for his decision.
"Is that all I am worth? A hundred pounds?!"
"That is a huge amount money for a messenger boy."
"Well, it is most welcome news that those two men who are the bane of my life are gone. How could they be so gullible as to believe the words of a messenger boy? But that works to my advantage, my love."
"What are you planning to do now, George? You promised that you would leave soon."
"Don't worry, darling. I have not forgotten what I said. Now let us plan our way to fortune."
I may not have succeeded in gaining access to Georgiana's thirty thousand pound-dowry but ten thousand pounds is not such a paltry sum…
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The Bennet sisters thoroughly enjoyed the time spent helping Mary with her wedding day plans. Despite considering herself the least handsome of them all, Mary felt more content than she had in a long time.
"Mary, you looked so pretty in the pink dress. I think you should wear lighter colours more often," said Lydia.
"Yes, I agree. And that last style we tried with your hair really suits you," added Kitty.
"Thank you for helping me. I may not be as beautiful as any of you but at least I could look presentable on my wedding day," replied Mary.
"Oh, Mary. You are beautiful. Please do not compare yourself with anyone," Jane said as she hugged Mary.
"Jane is right, Mary. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, and truthfully, a person's inner beauty is much more important," assured Elizabeth.
After Jane released her from their embrace, Mary smiled shyly and thought with a tinge of sadness that they all had to retire soon. This special moment that they shared would come to an end shortly.
"I think we have to get ready for bed now."
Just then, a streak of lightning flashed in the sky which Lydia noticed through the window.
"Lizzy, do you remember when you used to sleep next to me whenever I got scared of thunder and lightning?"
"Yes, that was when you were still very young. I am sure now that you are grown, you are no longer easily frightened."
"No… but… I sometimes still worry that one day, lightning might shatter the window and then strike me…"
"I do not profess to have a lot of knowledge about lightning but I have read about scientists such as William Gilbert and Sir Thomas Browne who were involved in studies on electricity. More recently, there was an American scientist called Benjamin Franklin who conducted an experiment using a kite to demonstrate the connection between lightning and electricity --"
Rolling her eyes, Lydia interrupted her sister's speech as she had no interest in hearing about scientific investigations.
"Lizzy, I am sure all of that is fascinating but perhaps Mr Darcy would appreciate discussing that with you more."
Elizabeth blushed after hearing this comment from her youngest sister and tried to find another topic to divert the conversation.
"Lydia, would you like me to sleep here tonight?" Elizabeth offered, recalling the concerned look she saw from Lydia a while ago. Lydia's face lit up upon hearing this suggestion.
"I would love that, Lizzy! I am sure we can still fit on my bed."
"So that means I am to sleep alone in my room," Jane said.
"Oh, you are welcome to sleep here too, Jane!" Lydia invited. Suddenly remembering that Mary had felt excluded by their earlier actions that day, she hastily proposed a different idea.
"We can all sleep here, including you, of course, Mary. Wouldn't that be fun? What do you think?"
The other sisters delightedly agreed to this suggestion. However, there was the issue of having only two beds shared by five women.
"We can push the two beds together."
"The space would still be a bit tight, especially as Lydia and Kitty wriggle about a lot in their sleep."
"And mama will come in here screaming if she hears the noise from moving the beds."
"Oh, you have no compassion for my poor nerves! Where are my smelling salts?" Lydia imitated her mother's shrill voice, which earned giggles from her sisters.
"How about if we just sleep on the floor?"
"I suppose that would work. If none of you mind sleeping on the floor…"
"We can put all our beddings and pillows on the floor."
The three eldest sisters promptly headed to their chambers and grabbed their beddings and pillows. Soon after, they were all in their nightgowns and lay next to each other. For some time, they attempted to sleep but could not. Perhaps due to their excited state, they alternately heard giggles or the voice of someone asking if the others were still awake, which then led to further giggling.
Mary, who was still overwhelmed by the love and attention she received from her sisters, decided to open up about her feelings.
"I am very happy about what happened today. I should have never doubted that you all care about me. I have been very insecure for most of my life after hearing family, friends and even strangers praise you all for your beauty and charm, yet they never bestow the same compliment upon me. I suppose I tried to I overcompensate for what I perceived to be a weakness by drawing attention to myself through my singing and playing the pianoforte, as well as wanting to show I am superior by delivering preaching statements."
"I wish we had known earlier, Mary. I have to confess that as the youngest daughter, I often felt I had to compete for attention. I know it does not justify my actions, but I guess my way of gaining attention was through my silly and flirtatious behaviour. Jane, you were always known as the most handsome. Lizzy, you were always papa's favourite. Mary, you were the most accomplished --"
"And I wished to gain some sympathy by my frequent coughing. Jane and Lydia have always been mama's favourites. Seeing that Lydia succeeded in getting attention with her behaviour, I chose to follow her ways, even though sometimes I questioned my decision."
"I admit that as the eldest daughter, I always felt I had to set a good example. I tried to be kind and gracious at all times. But maybe I should show more spirit and strength. I know I will never be as clever and as lively as Lizzy--"
"Oh Jane, I have always admired your gentle manner. I would never have your serenity and patience. You have always been there for us and I am truly grateful. I guess we all have our insecurities but I am glad that we are now sharing how we feel. We should appreciate each other for who we are. I always prided myself to be a good judge of character, but as you all know, I was completely wrong about Mr Wickham. I should not allow first impressions and prejudices to colour my judgment."
After each sister took a turn at expressing their thoughts and sentiments, there came a pause in the conversation while they reflected on what had been revealed.
"Lizzy, you were not alone in misjudging other people. We were all taken in by Mr Wickham. With the exception of Jane, we had disliked Mr Darcy for what we thought was his improper pride. For sure, he had behaved like he was above everyone else during the assembly and the succeeding days but he has since changed. He has now shown that he is indeed an honourable man," Lydia said.
"Yes, he has. I was very wrong about him. I am relieved that we have already cleared up our past misunderstandings."
"If he asked to court you, would you accept, Lizzy?" Lydia asked.
In the darkness, with only one candle lit, Elizabeth seemed to be more in touch with her feelings. After a moment, she answered in a soft voice,
"Yes. Yes, I believe I would."
Soon afterwards, the sisters succumbed to tiredness and fell asleep. Some hours later, rain started to fall. It was not a heavy downpour but it was accompanied by some blustery winds, causing the branches of the nearby tree to hit the window intermittently. As she was nearest the window, Elizabeth's sleep was disrupted by the noise. One loud noise in particular -- it sounded like an object had been hurled forcefully against the window.
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You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why. Wickerman is coming to town… next chapter!!!
Anyway, thank you for all the replies to my previous question. Very entertaining to read your speeches. I wonder how Mr Bennet, Mrs Bennet, Mr Bingley, Caroline and Mr Wickham would react.
If you are inclined to answer another one, here goes:
Why do you think Darcy is good friends with Bingley? How do you think their friendship came about? They are not the same age. Bingley has an annoying sister who might compromise him (the other sister is annoying too). Bingley's family is from trade. Their personalities are vastly different.
Is it because they compliment each other in some ways? One is amiable, the other one is reticent. One can navigate social circles with his easy manners, the other can provide access to more social events. One is learning to run an estate, the other one can teach him. One is a follower, one is a leader etc. Or is it because they share the same values -- both have good hearts? Or did they bond over some common experiences? Or do you think there is some truth to Darcy possibly wanting a match between Bingley and Georgiana? I am not too convinced on this last reason. At least not as the primary reason. If you have other ideas, please share.
Till next chapter! ;-)