Chapter 9

"Are you sure, Mr. Randall?" Carolina asked, horrified, looking at her sister.

"Yes, Miss, it is the information the coachman provided me. He told me he had taken Mr. Bingley to that house several times. Apparently, it is the home of Mr. Cooper's friend. I am sorry, Miss Bingley, that is all Kane could tell me."

"I understand, Randy. Thanks for your information; now you can leave," Louisa said. She was concerned and furious at the same time.

The sisters immediately began to talk and came to the horrified conclusion that their brother was visiting Jane Bennet.

As soon as the butler left the room, the sisters began to speculate about Charles's reasons for visiting Cheapside, and they thought they knew why. They spent more than ten minutes plotting what to do and agreed on what they should tell him and how to confront him.

For his part, Mr. Bingley woke content but worried. He was happy because he saw Jane again, but concerned about everything happening with his friend Darcy and Miss Elizabeth. Mr. Bingley knew the unfortunate incident would have consequences for the rest of their lives, and he was convinced that neither would be happy with the outcome. He was well aware of his friend's opinion of Miss Elizabeth and knew very well that she did not like him either.

Mr. Bingley intended a quiet breakfast, but his plan was ruined when he entered the dining room and his sisters began questioning him.

"Charles, can you explain why you have visited Cheapside in the last few days?" Caroline asked, trying to contain her anger.

"Good morning Caroline, good morning Louisa. Where is Ralph?" Mr. Bingley tried to divert the subject of the conversation because he did not want to argue with his sisters. He needed to be calm because he had enough problems with everything happening to his friend.

"My husband is a bit unwell, thanks for asking," Louisa replied. "Caroline asked you a question, and I am also interested in knowing the answer," Louisa concluded defiantly. She knew that her brother was trying to distract attention because it was not uncommon for Mr. Hurst not to have breakfast with the family.

"Your husband must control how much he drinks, Louisa. That is why he has such a hard time getting up early," Mr. Bingley said as he loaded his plate with eggs and ham.

"Charles, please stop pretending you did not hear my question and explain why you have visited Cheapside so often in the last few days!" Caroline retorted. She would not allow her brother to continue evading the matter.

Mr. Bingley knew he had no escape and responded casually without providing any detail. "Last week, Jonas Cooper introduced me to a successful tradesman, and I am interested in investing some money in his business. And before you start protesting, Caroline, you should know I must invest the money well to maintain the family fortune."

Caroline and Louisa listened to their brother but were unsatisfied with his response. They did not like Jonas because he was a man who did not know his place in life, and he thought he could be friends with them just because his father had been the family solicitor.

"Charles, why have you spent the last few days at the home of this tradesman? Although we do not understand and do not want to know anything about business, we know well that your solicitor handles such matters," Caroline replied.

Mr. Bingley knew that he could no longer evade the matter, and as he checked the morning paper, he responded as calmly as he could. "The tradesman Cooper recommended is a friend of his family and happened to be Miss Bennet's uncle. These last few days, I have not been visiting Mr. Gardiner on business but rather to resume my friendship with his niece."

Caroline and Louisa could not help but blush with anger but tried to react as calmly as they could. "Dear Jane, what a great surprise. I am glad she is spending a few days in London, but I think you are making a big mistake trying to resume your friendship with her," Louisa said emphatically.

"Charles, I hope you have not forgotten everything we discussed when we decided not to return to that horrible place. Jane Bennet is indeed a sweet girl, but her family is awful, and besides, she has no interest in you. And do not look at me like that because it is not just our opinion but Mr. Darcy as well."

Caroline and Louisa saw their brother thinking and thought they had gotten his attention. For that reason, they talked non-stop for more than five minutes about how horrible the Bennet family was and how outraged Mr. Darcy would be if he discovered that Charles had resumed his friendship with that lady.

Mr. Bingley was trying to process everything happening while pretending to be listening to his sisters. First, there was the fact that someone was telling his sisters about everything he did. Second, his sisters did not even try to explain why they did not inform him that Jane Bennet was in London and had visited them.

"Charles, are you not going to say anything?" Caroline asked indignantly when she realized her brother was ignoring them.

Mr. Bingley stood and emphatically said, "I shall be very brief because I have something important to do this morning, and I shall not be back until dinner. By then, I want you to explain why you kept me from knowing that Miss Bennet was in London and had called on you. Now I need to speak to Mr. Randall and my coachman and make it clear to them who is the master in this family and that if they want to keep their position, they must never tell you again what I do or do not do during the day. Now if you will excuse me, I have too much to do to continue wasting my time with you."

Mr. Bingley left the dining room quickly without giving his sisters time to reply. For their part, Louisa and Caroline knew that the situation was more complex than they had estimated and needed to plan meticulously what to do.

"Do not worry, Louisa, because I shall not let that woman ruin our family."

"But what can we do, Caroline?"

"The only one who can help us resolve this is Mr. Darcy. We must contact him as soon as possible."

"You are right; he is the only one who can help us with this matter."

Caroline and Louisa decided they would find out if Georgiana were in London, and under the pretext of visiting her, they would take the opportunity to converse with her brother.

P&P

Jonas got to the Gardiner house as early as he could because his mother asked him to give Mrs. Gardiner a donation to one of her dear friend's charities. Unfortunately, Jonas's parents had to travel north to resolve personal matters.

When Jonas entered the drawing room, he sensed that something was wrong. Mrs. Gardiner was kind and warm as always, but he could tell that she looked haggard and probably had not slept well in the last few days. But what caught his attention the most was seeing Miss Bennet's sad face and red eyes, revealing that she had probably been crying.

Jonas decided to make his visit as brief as possible so as not to disturb the family, so after delivering his mother's donation to Mrs. Gardiner and drinking a cup of tea, he planned to say goodbye and leave the family alone so they could solve their troubles. But before he could excuse himself, Mr. Gardiner entered the room and asked him to accompany him to his study.

"Dear Jonas, I have asked you to come to my study because I need to discuss something sensitive concerning my family with you. I need your legal advice because I cannot discuss this with my solicitor. Like I told you, it is a difficult subject that I only dare to discuss with someone close to the family and who I trust," explained Mr. Gardiner.

"Please, Mr. Gardiner, tell me how I can assist you. Believe me when I tell you I will do everything possible to help you, and I reiterate my absolute discretion."

Jonas was convinced that Mr. Gardiner's problem was related to his business. Therefore, after hearing his story, he was stunned and understood why Miss Bennet and Mrs. Gardiner were so upset.

"Jonas, in case all of this becomes public, I would like to know if there is any form I can demand that man do his duty to my niece and marry her."

"If that man is an honorable gentleman, there probably will not be a need to force him to do his duty."

"I have heard that he is a responsible and honorable man but also extremely proud, and his family most likely has other plans for him."

"I understand, Mr. Gardiner, but I am afraid to tell you that in cases like these, and with a gentleman of Darcy's social standing and money, it will be difficult to force him to do something he does not want to do."

"I see... Let us hope then that he is willing to do what is right, or the reputation and honor of my poor niece and all her sisters will be forever ruined."

"Do not worry, Mr. Gardiner; I promise I will personally support you in everything you need until your niece finally is safe with her family. If that man is not able to do what is right, I know there will be an honorable man who will marry and protect her."

"Thank you, Jonas, for your support. Although, knowing my dear Lizzy, I know very well that she would prefer ruin to marry some random fellow she could never admire. Besides, I would not feel comfortable forcing her to unite her life with someone I do not know and who wants to marry her in exchange for a sum of money."

"I do not think you understood me, Mr. Gardiner. I was not talking about some stranger you should bribe into marrying Miss Elizabeth. I was offering myself as your niece's future betrothed."

Mr. Gardiner was stunned, but looking at Jonas's serious face, he knew he was speaking seriously. "Thank you very much, boy; I sincerely appreciate your noble gesture. Just time will tell how this situation will be resolved."

"Mr. Gardiner, please do not doubt for a second the sincerity of my words," Jonas said to reaffirm his position. His honor forbade him from abandoning a young lady who had been the victim of such a misfortune.

Mr. Gardiner told Jonas what they were doing to find his niece and how the help of Mr. Bingley and Colonel Fitzwilliam had been vitally important.

Jonas was astounded by everything happening but understood that the family needed reassurance, and it was time to leave. He promised to make some inquiries with friends about the Darcy family and once again reiterated to Mr. Gardiner that he should contact him if needed.

Mr. Gardiner walked Jonas to the door, and just then, Colonel Fitzwilliam and his cousin arrived. Mr. Gardiner made the introductions, and Jonas understood why Mr. Darcy's relatives were there. For that reason, after greeting the newcomers, he took his leave.

Georgiana was very intrigued with everything transpiring but felt that the information his cousin Richard wanted to share with her was related to her brother. What she could not understand was why they were in the house of that family that she had never seen before.

P&P

Mr. Darcy woke at dawn feeling much better. Although he still had some cold symptoms, he thought he had regained strength. He was convinced that the best was to get out of that place immediately. As soon as Elizabeth woke, he planned to take care of all the preparations for their future trip and leave for Scotland the next day.

Although he had many things to do, Mr. Darcy had decided to wait until Elizabeth woke because he did not want to disturb her sleep. She was asleep using part of his arm as a pillow.

"My dear love, I cannot believe you have spent the last few days looking after me with such consideration," thought Mr. Darcy as he looked at the woman he admired so much.

Even though Elizabeth's eyes were closed, he could appreciate the beauty of her face and flushed cheeks. The previous night again, she had sought comfort in his arms, and he had kissed her forehead and caressed her cheeks until she finally fell asleep.

While Mr. Darcy admired Elizabeth, he planned everything he had to do to leave that place for good. Although he knew that things would not be easy when they finally faced their families and society, he felt more optimistic than a few days ago. Elizabeth had decided to give him a chance, and this time he would not ruin it. He had promised himself that he would give her all the time she needed to get to know him better so he could adjust to her new life.

When Elizabeth opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the intense gaze of Mr. Darcy's deep blue eyes. Although he immediately looked away and got up from the bed, she had the impression that he had been watching her for a long time.

"Good morning, Miss Bennet; I hope you slept well," Mr. Darcy said, trying to hide his embarrassment. Elizabeth had caught him observing her even though he had promised himself to give her space and time to get used to his presence.

"I slept very well, Mr. Darcy, but I even think I overslept," Elizabeth said as she tried to fix her hair to hide her discomfort.

"You did well to get a few extra hours of sleep. You have had very little sleep in the last few days and need to regain your energy. If everything I have planned goes well, we shall leave this place tomorrow for Scotland," Mr. Darcy said as he fixed his cravat as best he could. "Now we must have breakfast. I shall go down to the dining room and wait for you there, so you will have the privacy you need to prepare yourself for this day."

"Thank you... but before you go, I would like to talk about something important if I am not bothering you."

"No, of course not. Please, Miss Bennet, tell me what you need."

Elizabeth got up and covered herself with a shawl, and before her courage abandoned her, she said, "Mr. Darcy, a few nights ago, when you were ill, I took your great coat, and a letter fell to the floor. It was a letter addressed to me and... well I... I read it."

This unexpected information surprised Mr. Darcy, and he immediately wanted to apologize. "When I wrote that letter, I was still angry and hurt by your rejection... Miss Bennet, please allow me to apologize if you found it offensive; I just wanted to explain that..."

"Mr. Darcy, please, I am the one who has to apologize. From the moment I discovered how that man… I have been so ashamed for believing that scoundrel's lies. Mr. Darcy, allow me to offer you my sincerest apologies." Elizabeth was so embarrassed that she could not look Mr. Darcy in the face.

"Do not be so hard on yourself, Miss Bennet. Wickham has always been a liar who knows how to deceive people."

"I appreciate you trying to make me feel less guilty, but I should have never accepted what Mr. Wickham told me so easily."

"And why did you do it then?"

"Because I guess I was willing to accept anything unfavorable about you and your character after you insulted my ego in front of all my neighbors," Elizabeth said, smiling.

"I see… I suppose then that I deserved not to be considered an honorable gentleman after such a horrible display of bad manners. Without a doubt, those words that I spoke without care or thought showed the worst of me. In any case, Miss Bennet, please, do not feel guilty because Wickham has not only known how to mislead young ladies with his false words and lies. My own father died convinced that that scoundrel was an honorable and hard-working gentleman."

"I do not know if you agree with me, but I think we should better forget about that man forever. He is not worth talking about anymore," Elizabeth said conciliatory.

"I agree with you; let us not waste another minute of our time talking about him."

"Well, in five more minutes, I shall go down for breakfast, and I want you to tell me your plans."

"I shall be waiting for you, Miss Bennet... but I just want to add one more thing. As soon as I get the chance to speak with Bingley, I shall tell him to ignore any advice I may have given him and make his own decisions according to what he feels is best for him."

"Thank you, Mr. Darcy."

"William."

"William?"

"Yes, you must call William so no one suspects us and our true relationship."

"You are right, and you should call me Lizzy."

"Alright, I suppose I shall call you Lizzy. Although, I must confess that I would prefer to call you Elizabeth. I like your name."

"But my whole family calls me Lizzy."

"But I prefer Elizabeth."

"Are you always so stubborn, William?"

"No, only with the things that are truly important to me, Elizabeth," Mr. Darcy said, looking longingly at the woman he loved.

Elizabeth blushed a little, but she did not look away. This Mr. Darcy was so different from the one she met a few months ago and the one she had judged so harshly. "I shall see you in five minutes in the dining room then."

"I shall be waiting for you," Mr. Darcy said, closing the door. His heart was beating faster than normal, and he felt an indescribable happiness overflowing his entire body. But before going downstairs, he took a deep breath to calm himself. He needed to keep a cool head to face everything he had to do.

As Mr. Darcy descended the last step of the stairs and was about to proceed to the dining room, a man put a sack over his head while two others dragged him out of the inn.

P&P

Elizabeth looked at herself three times in the small mirror in the modest room. Despite the precariousness of her situation, and she never cared much for those things, she wanted to look the best she could that day.

Before leaving the room, Elizabeth picked up the shawl she had left on the bed. As she adjusted it, she looked out the window and saw three men attempting to lift a man with his hands bound and head covered onto a freight wagon. Looking closer, she realized that the man was Mr. Darcy, and she ran out of the room to prevent those men from harming him.

But Doris and Amanda blocked her path when she tried to go out the back door.

"What is happening? Please help me! Some men are trying to abduct Mr. Dar... my husband."

"Foolish girl, I know right now you believe all that man's lies, and you probably think that one day you will be Mrs. Darcy. But believe me, none of that will ever come true," Doris said as she grabbed Elizabeth around the waist.

"You will hate us today, but when you open your eyes, you will thank us for the rest of your life," Amanda added as she helped her friend carry Elizabeth back to her room.

"You do not understand... please let me go help William," Elizabeth yelled desperately. No matter how hard she tried, she could not escape because the two women were stronger than her.

P&P

Thanks to everyone who leaves comments and enthusiastically follows the story.

I'm back after a restful vacation. Starting today, I hope to be able to post at least three chapters a week.

In the next chapter, Elizabeth will have to find a way to solve the tremendous mess in the inn, while in London, the families will have to make some decisions.

See you soon!

Saludos,

Yo