Hello again! I did promise that I will be back, so here I am with another chapter.
I posted chapter 39 three days ago. Please go back if you have not read that yet.
Thank you to all who have stuck with me despite my slooooowwww updates, as someone commented. 40 chapters in 13 months… hmmm… and that is just for this story. I do try.
Special mention to the reviewers, as always:
ArnettinCA, A Hertfordshire Lady, Motherof8, Vesper1931, Gaeilge, Colleen S, ChrisM0519, Deanna27, Guest, dksais54, Maria Teresa C, liysyl, pemsnowy, RHALiz, Lisa, JansFamily4, IGuessThisWorks, Levenez, Shelby66
777kid57: Thank you very much for your PM. Very much appreciated.
dksais54: I sent a reply to your review. You probably won't see this as you said you will stop reading my work… but just in case -- Thank you for your honesty and your time. You are right – writing is not my priority. I think most people have a lot of other things to do, aside from reading and writing. But… I beg to disagree when you said my stories take years… erm… I only started last year. And there are other stories on this site that take longer, and that should be okay. People have families, children, work, social life, other commitments and hobbies etc. As you said, life is short… so I wish you the best.
So let us continue the story…
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After Elizabeth returned from the gardens, she headed directly to her bedroom. She felt rather embarrassed that she had half-expected Mr Darcy to ask her for a courtship, but the gentleman instead questioned her about Mr Wickham and Georgiana's letter. Away from him, she now doubted if he had any intentions towards her. As she sat on the side of her bed, she tried to recall their conversation and figure out where things had gone wrong. Releasing a deep sigh, she accepted that he had good reason to feel protective about his sister and ask questions concerning her. Her thoughts were interrupted by a light rapping on the door.
"Lizzy…" Jane said as she entered and studied her sister's expression. Elizabeth could only manage to offer her a tight smile.
"I can see you are troubled. Do you want to talk about what happened?" Jane tried to comfort her sister.
"Mr Darcy and I had some misunderstanding," Elizabeth admitted.
"I thought so, after seeing you leave him quite abruptly. Was there something he said that you did not approve of?" Jane enquired.
"I think it was more to do with the way he spoke to me. When he asked me questions, it felt like he was interrogating me," Elizabeth explained.
"That may just be his way of trying to know more about you. It is obvious that he is interested in you," Jane answered.
"It was not about me… we were talking about Mr Wickham… and something else. But maybe I overreacted," Elizabeth was careful not to reveal anything about the letter and Georgiana.
"It is good that you are reflecting on your conversation though. Perhaps when he calls again, both of you will be ready to clear up the issue," Jane reassured her sister.
"I hope so…" Elizabeth replied.
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Despite the fact that Mr Darcy did not want to see Mr Wickham again, he decided to speak to him one last time. In his mind, he hoped that doing this would mean that he could finally put his bad experiences with Wickham in the past, and he would think no more of him thereafter. The written note from his cousin stated that Wickman had admitted to the charges placed against him and that he wanted to make some personal confessions and apologies. Perhaps Wickham now realised he had no way to escape punishment and accepted his fate. Given their history and Wickham's dishonourable character, Darcy knew it would be better if he kept their meeting as short as possible. He also resolved that should Wickham make any more pleas for him to bail him out of trouble, he would refuse to give in to sympathy.
As soon as he left Longbourn, Darcy proceeded to see Colonel Forster. The commanding officer and his cousin gave him a brief report of what had transpired since Wickham was taken into custody. Earlier, Wickham had requested to have a message delivered to Mrs Younge, which was declined after he revealed her location. He then asked to be allowed to correspond with Miss King, which was likewise rejected. In desperation, Wickham claimed that Miss King would marry him. This declaration was met with ridicule as Miss King had already left to stay with her uncle in Liverpool indefinitely.
"Do be careful, Darce. We both know Wickham cannot be trusted. His ankles are shackled to prevent escape. Do you want me to go in with you?" his cousin said.
"No. I will go by myself," Darcy replied.
"I doubt he can do anything to harm you. There is nothing in there except an old wooden bench. With all these officers around, he has no chance of fleeing," Richard explained before Darcy went into the holding cell.
The village lockup was routinely used to temporarily detain drunks and people accused of petty crimes. It was cold, dark, poorly ventilated and foul-smelling. Presently, Wickham was the single occupant of the round house.
"Ah, my old friend has come to visit. Thank you for coming, Darcy," Wickham started.
"I do not intend to stay long, Wickham, so make your speech brief," Darcy replied.
"Of course, Darcy. I know you are a busy man. After this day, we may never see each other again, so I thought this may be only opportunity I have to confess and apologise to you," Wickham said and waited for a reaction from Darcy who only nodded for him to continue.
"We have known each other for almost all our lives, Darcy. But look at how different we turned out to be. You were always destined to become a great man, taking after my godfather, your honourable father. Your family has granted me many favours, which I probably did not deserve. Do not worry, I have no plans of asking you for more assistance. You have done more than enough, and I thank you. I mean it," Wickham paused to observe Darcy, who still said nothing in return.
The officer gave out a long sigh and shook his head slowly. He looked weak, tired and filthy.
"I admit this is all my fault. I made some very bad choices in life. I am truly sorry for all the hurt I have caused you and your family. Had I not indulged in excesses, I could have become a very different man. But it is now too late for me, and I accept the consequences of my actions. I know you want to avoid discussing what happened during the summer of last year, but allow me to express my deepest regret for what I did. I hope someday your family may find it in your heart to forgive me."
Darcy held his breath when Wickham referred to the Ramsgate incident and was ready to stop his former friend from saying any more, but he was surprised that nothing further was mentioned about it.
"Did you know that I was very jealous of you for a long time, Darcy? I guess I still am. It is not only because of your wealth and station, but also because of how good a man you are. You always abide by what is right. I sometimes find it infuriating and frustrating. I do not know how you do it." Wickham released a hollow laugh.
"So now, here we are. I am headed for debtors' prison, while you have a full life ahead of you. You deserve it, Darcy, and I can only wish you well for the future," Wickham said with a finality in his voice.
Realising that this was a good time to leave, Darcy started to turn away but halted when he heard Wickham call out,
"Do you love her?"
Receiving no reply from Darcy, Wickham continued,
"I mean Miss Elizabeth. Do you love her?"
"She is no business of yours, Wickham. You will never see her again," Darcy answered, trying to retain his composure.
"Of that, I am fully aware. But… if she means something to you, there is something you need to know," Wickham said, knowing this would get Darcy's attention.
"Anything I wish to know, I can find out myself, Wickham," Darcy replied.
"Are you sure? I think… even if you were to ask her, she most likely will not tell you. After all, it might risk her reputation," Wickham continued.
"Do not dare say anything that would harm her or her family," Darcy threatened.
"I would not do anything to hurt her. I care for her too... but you have to know... I… I am sorry, Darcy. I really am. I honestly did know how you felt about her. I would not have done it if I had known about your intentions," Wickham said.
"What did you do?" Darcy took a few steps closer to him.
"I swear, Darcy. I really did not know," Wickham then took something out from his pocket and held it to Darcy.
"What is that?" Darcy stared at the small white cloth in Wickham's hand.
"A handkerchief. It is hers," Wickham simply stated.
"Why do you have it?" Darcy questioned.
"I… we… after we… I used it to wipe off…" Wickham's voice faltered.
"What do you mean?" Darcy again moved forward and his voice turned cold.
"The stains on this handkerchief… are… her blood," Wickham said.
"You are lying. She would not do such a thing," Darcy hissed.
"I am telling the truth. You may choose not to believe me, considering all I have done. But you can see for yourself, this handkerchief has her initials embroidered on it. See?" Wickham continued to convince him. "I encountered her a few times on her walks. At first, she was very formal and proper, but I felt that she became increasingly flirtatious. Being a man, a weak man, I gave in to temptation. There was a shed and... She made no objections, so things escalated from an innocent kiss to… more. I know I should have controlled myself but… she was just too tempting, and she was quite willing."
Darcy then remembered what Wickham had said to him earlier that morning,
"Ahhh… Miss Elizabeth. She really is a fine beauty. I often wonder why people think Miss Bennet is the most handsome of the Bennet sisters. I myself have a strong preference for Miss Elizabeth. Not only is she very attractive, she is also vivacious and passionate. Just what every man wants in a woman, and I am speaking from experience."
"Very well, I shall not pronounce her beautiful name now. But… we can imagine she has her hair down. What do you suppose she is wearing for bed?"
"Or what? What would you do to a helpless man who is tied up to a tree? She will see how badly you treat her… special friend."
It was evident to Wickham that his words had an effect on Darcy, thus he kept talking, "I hoped we would get married. Earlier this morning, I thought I could persuade her to elope with me, especially atter what happened between us."
"She will never marry you. Stop all this nonsense. You are just fabricating stories," Darcy replied.
"I guess she changed her mind about me. I cannot blame her. She knows she will have a much more comfortable life with someone like you. I know you will take good care of her."
By this time, Darcy was stood right in front of Wickham, with his fists tightly clenched.
"Stop all these lies now," Darcy warned again.
"Very well. I will say no more about it. But here, take the handkerchief. You can inspect it if you want and verify her initials. I had hoped to keep it as a token from her. But… as I will be unable to attend the ceremony, please consider it a wedding present."
Darcy could no longer control his temper and suddenly aimed his fists at Wickham's face. Moments after, Colonel Fitzwilliam struggled to pull his cousin off the other man.
"Let us go. He is not worth the trouble," Richard said.
Before they left, Darcy snatched the handkerchief and hoped Wickham would not have any more involvement in their lives.
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That was not an easy chapter for me to write. I think the next ones will be harder… who knows how I can pull this off…
Thank you for the answers to my previous question. It made me laugh how different we see things. But that makes life even more fun.
Next one is a not a question, but something to share…
Share an interesting trivia about PnP-related stuff:
Did you know that Crispin Bonham-Carter, who played Mr Bingley in the 1995 version, is now assistant head at a UK secondary school?
www dot qebarnet dot co dot uk/mr-crispin-bonham-carter-biography/
Until next time…
Stay safe, everyone!
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Extra notes after posting: You know what? You win. I cannot stand the angst. Hahaha. I think I am going to change some of the next scenes I envisioned. I'm terrible, I know. Really sorry. Mea culpa. Hope that helps ease your mind...