The storyline, new character development, new events, and new characters are my intellectual property. Glorioux
A/n I have decided I must be cursed. A few weeks ago I fell down and damaged my knee. The last Friday night I sliced my finger with a sharp knife and ended up at the medicine room. I cut my finger to the bone and it hurt like the dickens. No, I am pretty much out of commission. Both my right and left arm are not well. the doc gave me a TD vaccination and now my arm is swollen. Needless to say, I'm not working on my website, it is nearly impossible, but I am trying to write a little bit. Mostly I am dictating. I'm coming here from anyone for a while and I'm wondering if anybody is still interested in the stories but so so it is.
2022
Everyone was talking at once. they all wanted William and Elizabeth back right away.
"No, my dears, we must wait. Let me sit by George; something is different. Oh no, he is looking worse." Inga made a face, "He smells of disease; why? He didn't smell when he came."
Jane said, "Maybe he has an infection, but why so fast?"
"No, the one in 1812 has an infection; we are getting closer." They heard a voice. "There are at least three people who also existed in 1812. There might be more. It might be one of them."
"I saw the ginger-hair woman asking Mom questions, the same as oily Collins. He is the one who is now in America as a telly Evangelist. Ha, he was after Lizzie, disgusting." Lydia offered.
Thomas' mother explained, "Maybe, maybe, it could be. Let me find out if they are in Pemberley. The 'door' is open there. I want to explain this to you all. If we can bring Elizabeth and William over, they can go back with us for a short while and live both lives. It is difficult for you to understand until you are together as one. You can do the same and choose to live both lives. They are brief as far as we are concerned. But you will need to go back eventually and wait until you are much older to come back."
Thomas' mother tightened her lips, "So you are warned, none of you will stay alone. One of us will always be with you; in 50 years here, you will be a month older, at the most. All the families have suffered and worried enough for many lifetimes. Two of us have been murdered trying to find you."
They heard voices, "Aye, someone will accompany you. It will be a long time before you can go back." The voices said versions of that. Richard looked at Bartlett and whispered. "We are adults; they cannot do that."
"No, you aren't; in mortal years, you are 15, the oldest 17, and the youngest maybe 13 or maybe younger, enough said." the male voice said. "Show them."
For a couple of seconds, they all looked different, a little like themselves, but alien and maybe younger than Lydia, Georgiana and Mariah were. Lydia and Georgiana looked maybe 12 or 13. George was also quite young. But for Bartlett and Thomas, who might have been the oldest, maybe 17 or 18. They were speechless, not liking what they saw; at their horrified faces, they heard amused laughter. Inga bit her lip, looking at Thomas.
Afterward, Lady Catherine explained to Bartlett what had happened thus far. He kept looking at Lydia. "Do I know her?"
"Of course, she is your oldest sister's daughter. She followed you around; she is very young, so you and her parents couldn't believe you brought her or Rikard, your cousin Rikard. You will need to answer their parents; they said they trusted you. You are all related to at least one of you, and disappeared during a big celebration. We don't start 'traveling' until we are much older; and we don't learn how until we are adults." Inga explained.
When the questions started, Inga said, "Later, we need to concentrate. I know Katarina taught some of you how to unlock your real selves, even if still limited. Maybe Vilhelm will remember, I hope so. We don't know since the past is changing. But who else is here?"
"It is interesting that Charles Bingley asked me to fire his sisters. Something is happening with them. Who knows." Ms. Reynolds added. "But it might not be anyone, but one in the shadows maybe uses someone different people every time. That someone wants the ones here to be miserable and make sure you never come back. Hopefully, one of you will remember who showed you how to operate the portals because it is the only way you could have come here. Vilhelm, I mean William, distrusted the Bingley sisters. I don't like them, but I don't know if they hide their nature."
Upstairs, Fanny had a visitor. A blond man in his early 50s rang the doorbell. Fanny was speechless when she saw him, "You should not be here." She managed to say.
"My Fanny, for years, I wanted to tell you how sorry I was. I was threatened by your sister, who said she would report me unless I married her. You were very young, and I was at fault. I didn't agree with taking our son away, but she demanded it. Sorry, he is gone. Please don't cry; I have loved you all these years. Whenever I tried to come for you, she always threatened me to tell our son, to tell the press and ruin my practice, and so on."
1812
Lizzie opened her bag, pulled a blister with tablets, took two, and swallowed them with water. She grinned, "A godsend. I have a headache. Let me see here." She took out two syringes inside a clear paper, opened them, and took another small package with disinfectant, sterile bandages, and other things, leaving them ready. She chuckled when she saw a box with 'protection,' but she no longer cared. Maybe a baby would be nice. William was peeking and winked at her when he saw the condom box.
Lizzie stopped smiling when sadness overcame her at realizing she still cared for George, very much so. She was wrong. She hadn't stopped loving him. She touched George's face tenderly, trying to stop the tears, knowing it would hurt William. Inga saw her face, "Sorry darling, you are all so very young, very. You will find out much; don't despair much is possible, though later on, not here."
She took his temperature, 102.5 F (39.6 C.)"He has a high fever; I will take his temperature after the shots. I need help undressing him to clean the wound and give him the shots." Her voice shook.
William saw the pain on her face, but he wasn't willing to give her up. He remembered that he loved George in the future time. However, George needed to feel wanted. His father was George Darcy's best friend and his half-brother. George's parents managed the resort at the time when they were murdered. The police thought that his wife's jealous lover had killed them. Five-year-old George hid under the bed and could hear the man looking for him. The killer torched the woman's body, and that was when security came, saving little George, who had been in therapy forever, traumatized and scared. He kept saying, for the longest time, that the killer was a monster.
His aunt Catherine and, he guessed, his mother were in love with George's father, Elias. As his father bitterly said, women loved the Wickham men. George's father was a few years older than his aunt Catherine, but William had seen many photos of his aunt with Elias, George's father. He and Richard had often said they looked like lovers. In the old videos, it sure seemed that way. William heard that Aunt Catherine was pregnant and away in the Uni when Elias had married a model who came to the resort. Was George his aunt's son? Who knew? Richard and Bartlett thought so. It was as if someone marked every one of them to be unhappy.
During this time, in the 1800's, George's life had been influenced by a greedy mother. He had heard George was his father's by-blow, adopted by his father's half-brother, also a by-blow, a son of his father's uncle. He grew up with George, who was always in trouble. His father had favored George, letting him have his way. Richard told him Lady Anne often cried over George Darcy preferring George. Regardless, he couldn't give up Lizzie. Even if the 1812 William had been an arrogant man and had treated Lizzie wrong.
William pulled out a pocket knife to cut George's clothes. When he cut the shirt, and Lizzie cut the bloody bandage, the smell was awful. The wound was deep, open, red, and oozing. Lizzie pulled out disinfectant swabs, cleaned up the wound, closed it as best as possible with ready sutures, covered it with antibiotic salve, and placed a sterile bandage over it. Then she injected him with the ready syringes. After a few minutes, she took his temperature, "Not so bad. The fever reduction injection is helping."
"Now we wait." Lizzie leaned on William, who held her from the back. Her face was fraught with worry.
"I need to go and talk to the Bingley. Could you come with me?" He asked Lizzie.
"I will stay with him, and Biscuit can stay helping," Inga said. "Make sure the door is guarded."
William held her hand. He wanted to talk about George but decided to stay quiet; it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. What if he were to ask, and she would tell him that she still loved George? But he didn't like her tears. "My love, I am so sorry; I know it is difficult."
"Yes, it is, but he hurt me badly. I found him with my young sister, kissing her; he had her half undressed. It happened soon after the engagement. We were engaged after you were in the explosion. I broke the engagement, though I guess I still love him. I also care for you; more than care, I love you, or whoever I was here loves you. Thanks for understanding, and know that I am faithful. Loving you will be easy. Are the Bingley the same as the ginger-haired with you at the island?" She made a moue.
He held her hand, grinning, wanting to change the mood, "Yes, I will tell you later, but the version here is much of the same; you will remember. Charles says he loves Jane but didn't seek her until your father got his title. I think Richard cares for her. His grandfather is a Duke, and Richard is rather wealthy now. Don't you remember the Bingley? How could you forget them?" He teased her.
"Perhaps, maybe they are best forgotten," Lizzie grinned until he licked her wrist. "Not fair," she harrumphed. And didn't say more because they had arrived. William was hard as a rock. He thought he was not fair to himself either.
Charles stood up quickly, "William, I haven't seen you in ages. We are on our way to visit Louisa's relatives. Reggie is already there."
William shook his hand, then greeted his sisters. Miss Bingley wore an elegant orange spencer lined with mink. Though she didn't even look at Lizzie, she stared at their hands. William held his wife's hand, not caring. "They seem to be stuck to each other, no decorum." She rudely whispered to Louisa.
"Mrs. Darcy," Charles started.
"She is now Lady Darcy. You surely must have heard her father was a third son, yet he inherited the title, the estate, and a large fortune. His mother is also nobility, a princess from Norway." William said, annoyed.
"Yes, I heard some about." Charles looked down, embarrassed. "I want to talk to you privately."
Richard decided to take the bull by the horns; he had already taken action when he found out Charles was coming. He heard Charles and went into the room. "Bingley, you are here; what a surprise. William, I wanted to share the good news, Jane has accepted my proposal to court her, and her father agreed. What a happy day, a new beginning; I am resigning today. My grandfather will be thrilled."
Lizzie went and hugged him. The Bingley sisters looked scandalized. What a country wanton, hugging men. As for Charles, he looked crestfallen. William knew his cousin, so this was intentional. Richard was a warrior, defending his right to be with the woman he chose. Richard had talked about Jane after Netherfield and the wedding. But it wasn't until Pemberley when he realized she was the one. Besides, Lord Bennet would have never consented to Charles courting his daughter. Bennet had changed and was no longer the affable man from before.
Charles still asked, "I hope it is not an imposition if we stay here today."
William wanted to say no, but Charles was his best friend, though he didn't like the way Caroline looked at Lizzie with hatred. Looking at Caroline, William tightened his hold on Lizzie's hand and stood even closer. Richard noticed and stared at Caroline. His eyes were hard and threatening.
"You may, but we have a few more guests, Lizzie's and mine family." William couldn't finish because Lizzie's father came in.
"Ah, is you, Mr. Bingley. I thought we would never see you again." He bowed his head slightly.
Charles blushed, lost for words. He understood his chances to be with Jane were gone. His sisters also did and looked at each other, happy enough. "Good morning Mr., err, Lord Bennet."
"Richard, son, please come with me; my mother has a gift for you." He looked at Richard, and both left.
"Let me get your rooms ready. Excuse us." William knew Charles wanted to leave, though his sisters eagerly accepted. Both sisters were staring at Lizzie's bobs. Their eyes rounded with envy; too bad they had also noticed her tanned skin and shorter hair.
"I guess in the country, one doesn't take care of maintaining an unblemished white complexion or a proper coiffure." Miss Bingley said, smirking, and Louisa smiled.
"I find my wife beautiful, faultless, and perfect. Her sun-kissed complexion is one more of her charms. We both love the outdoors. Miss Bingley, be advised I will not tolerate your snide remarks. You are a guest here, and Lady Elizabeth is my wife." William was the future businessman, polite and assertive. What he wanted to do was to ask them to leave.
"Thanks, darling, and Miss Bingley. I don't care what you think of me. If you find me so distasteful, the door is open. William," Lizzie stopped for a second, observing their looks, at calling her husband by his first name. William chuckled and squeezed her hand. Lizzie continued, "At the very least, I know my colors. After all, I wear clothes that don't clash with my hair." William had to control his laughter looking at Caroline's sour face.
It was true; Lizzie wore a light grey wool dress with white embroidery, with a short cardigan with fur lining. William thought her lovely but prettier with less clothing like on the island.
At that moment, Charles knew he missed his friend, and Caroline would forever close the doors to their friendship. "Caroline, you best apologize. Lady Darcy, I am mortified by my sister's audacity. I assure you she will never accompany me on future visits. Please accept my heartfelt apologies." He said, meaning it. He lost Jane for listening to Caroline and Louisa's bad advice and because of his spineless attitude. It was time to be his own man. Reggie was right, he told Charles wouldn't go back to London because his sisters were poison.
With this, the Darcy excused themselves and left. When they were far from the room, both laughed, "Silly woman, strange she still favors the same colors." Lizzie observed.
William asked a footman to call Mrs. Reynolds to see him in George's room. When they returned to George's room, they found Mrs. Reynolds already there. They were still laughing when they entered the room.
George seemed to be improving, and William was surprised to see that Mrs. Reynolds knew Lizzie's mother. The familiarity was obvious. He asked her to ready rooms for the Bingley near the family wing. "Mr. Darcy, maybe that is not a good idea. I find the sisters troublesome." Mrs. Reynolds advised.
"You mean the guests? Who are they?" Inga stood to be by Lizzie, reaching for Lizzie's hand, but wanted to hug her.
When William explained, Inga said, "Please introduce me, or maybe to Ilsa. My daughter looks too much like me; but much prettier. Her father was known for his looks, and she looks a lot like him. But she is much better than him. Now, I think, we need to talk with everyone. Maybe the guests could drink a tea to make them sleep for a while." She stuck her hand in a pocket and gave a small vial to Mrs. Reynolds. "Make sure they drink it."
"I will take care of it." Mrs. Reynolds went to open the door. Bartlett was there with Lydia and Kitty.
Lizzie blinked something about the explosion kept bothering her, but what? No matter, it would come to her.
William went out, but Lizzie stayed. This Lydia, looked exactly like the one in her other life, and she was still angry with her. When the door closed, Inga said, "We are all here. It is time. As soon as your guests are asleep, we meet. George comes too."
"How can you be my mother?" Lizzie asked.
"You will learn. Don't be angry with your sister; we need to work together. We want you to be able to go back if you wish." Inga said. Lizzie nodded and went to touch George. William had just came back when something broke a window and a giant bird flew in straight toward Lizzie and George. William jumped, no longer human, colorless with glowing eyes, and twice as big. Biscuit, a large wolf like creature also jumped. Between the two they tore the bird into a bloody pulp in seconds; then Biscuit breathed out blue smoke and the residual mess turned into dust.
Lizzie was speechless, "How?" She asked William.
"My aunt, in the future, taught us. It is all in the room." William explained, holding her.
"Whoever, is either near by or here. Otherwise the monstrosity couldn't have come in. Whoever, wants to stop us. Let's go." She pulled up her sleeve and tapped her wrist, making a tattoo on her wrist glow. "We go to the room. I was sending a message. Hold on to me, and I will hold on to George. William pick up Biscuit and think where the room is located."
They did so, and the next second, they were inside the secret room. George lay over the table. Minutes later, the Bennet, Fitzwilliams, Mrs. Reynolds and Mariah came in. Ilsa closed the door and the room changed into a duplicate of the room in Longbourn.
They were all talking and asking questions. Ilsa said, "Sit down, no fighting, listen carefully." She repeated the words at Longbourn 2022. William and Thomas were the least surprised.
"I think there wasn't lighting when I fell from a horse, I am positive I saw a man with a weapon." William said.
Lizzie blinked again, but couldn't remember. Something had happened in the car, or did she see something? "Not sure, I saw something before, but I am not sure."
"It sounds right. The explosions were intentional. Now, as soon as George wakes up, we go to the 'door,' here. At the place where you were found my dear." Ilsa looked at Lizzie. "It was the entrance you all used to come here. That 'door' also opens at the place you were born, my dear son." She told Thomas. "Now you know why I married your father. I figured you needed to be born on this island. So when he was in Norway, I was there waiting for the nasty man."
Biscuit started to bark. Someone was trying to come into the room.
2022
Fanny Bennet lay on the floor; someone had knocked her and the Hills down, and now, was trying to gain access into the cellar, one last try, before going into hiding. They would never be able to figure out who did it. Perhaps, or not.
A/n any guesses. There are clues.