Chapter 22

"Fitzwilliam, what are you doing here? Did Darcy ask you to come and do what he does not dare to do?" Wickham asked. He did not want Richard to realize that he was truly frightened by his presence.

"My cousin is an honorable gentleman who wishes to fulfill the promise he made to his father. But I am not honorable and have not made any promises to anyone. Captain Martin, can you leave me alone with this officer?"

"With pleasure, Colonel," Martin said and left the office.

"Fitzwilliam, if you think you can use your military position to harm me, I tell you I shall not allow it. I know my rights very well. Besides, you should be ashamed of abusing your uncle's godson. You have always said you loved Uncle George very much; I think it is time you showed it."

"And you, Wickham, did you love Uncle George very much?" Richard asked in a threatening tone.

"Of course," Wickham replied with a trembling voice.

"I understand, so your way of showing your affection for Uncle George was to try to abuse his daughter and do everything possible to make his son's life miserable. Without a doubt, Wickham, in addition to being a scoundrel, you are a damned ungrateful fool."

"I…" Mr. Wickham was unable to defend himself and then attempted to flee. "I am sorry, Fitzwilliam, but I must return to my post."

"Colonel Fitzwilliam, Wickham. Do not ever forget that you and I are not and will never be friends," Richard replied, blocking his way.

"If you do not have anything else to tell me… I need to return to my post." Mr. Wickham was very nervous and did not wish to listen to Richard any longer.

"Very well, then I will do all this as quickly as possible. So, none of us waste any more time."

Richard opened the door, and two officers and the Meryton magistrate entered. "Gentlemen, at the request of Lieutenant Wickham, we must finish this as soon as possible."

"Of course, Colonel," the Magistrate said. Then, he began to read an extensive list of debts that Mr. Wickham had incurred with the merchant of Meryton. "In addition, I have proof of debts from commercial establishments in London and several small towns."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Magistrate," Richard said. He was enjoying seeing Wickham so distressed. "Also, I must add that this report that Captain Martin gave me speaks of a series of serious failures in the performance of your duty, Lieutenant. For this reason, the War Office has authorized me to dismiss you from the military service. Magistrate, this man is no longer our responsibility; you can dispose of him."

"Fitzwilliam, you cannot…"

"COLONEL FITZWILLIAM, Wickham…"

"Mr Wickham, you have debts of more than five hundred pounds. Do you have a method to pay?" asked the Magistrate.

"I… Colonel Fitzwilliam, please tell Darcy that I need to speak to him. My godfather would never have allowed…" Mr. Wickham was desperate and knew that only Mr. Darcy could help him. Fleeing was not a possibility because two officers blocked the door.

"Mr. Wickham, do you have a way to pay these debts?" the Magistrate asked again.

"I do not have the money here, but I can have it before the end of this month…"

"Officers, please take this man away. This afternoon, I shall see that he is transferred to debtors' prison," Richard said, smiling.

"If you do not help me, Fitzwilliam, I shall tell everything I know about your beloved cousin…"

"I cannot believe you are such a scoundrel, Wickham. Magistrate, you are witness to how this man is trying to extort money from my family, trying to tarnish the reputation of a young lady."

"That is right, Colonel. If you need me to testify in a defamation claim, I shall gladly do so. I do not like scoundrels who are capable of anything to evade the law," the Magistrate said firmly.

"Please, Fitzwilliam, give me another chance," Wickham said, almost crying.

"Officers, take this man away," Richard replied.

Despite Mr. Wickham's protests and pleas, two officers removed him from the office and placed him in a temporary prison. Then, some men arrived and took him to the prison in London. Mr. Wickham did everything possible to escape prison, but only after five years was released. Unfortunately, he did not learn much in his years of confinement, and shortly after being freed, he died at the hands of a jealous husband who discovered him in a compromising situation with his young wife. Fortunately, the Darcy family never heard from Wickham again and forgot about him forever.

Mr. Darcy took it upon himself to compensate the merchants of Meryton, and everyone knew of his noble gesture. For this reason, his reputation in the area improved considerably. First, he was known as an unpleasant and proud gentleman in the region. But now, he was known as a generous and honorable gentleman.

P&P

"Mrs. Bennet, Lizzy told me that the Doctor will come to see you tomorrow. I think you should rest if you are not feeling well," Georgiana said to Mrs. Bennet.

"We shall read this book to you, Mama. It is a very entertaining story of a gentleman who must travel to India to be reunited with the woman he loves," Lydia said happily.

Since Captain Martin assumed control of the troops, the officers behaved differently and spent little time with the community. In addition, Mrs. Bennet had restricted permission to leave the house, and her daughters did not want to leave her alone because they did not see her well. Thus, Lydia spent much of the day reading romance novels, and Georgiana lent her two, which she had never read before.

"I thank you very much for spending part of the day accompanying and reading me such entertaining stories. But I want you to know that I am feeling better. Please do not worry about me," said Mrs. Bennet. "Miss Darcy, I thank you very much for your company. Please convey my thanks to your dear brother. Lizzy told me what he is doing for us right now when we need help and support from good friends."

"We are happy to help, Mrs. Bennet," Georgiana said excitedly.

In recent days, Mr. Darcy and Georgiana spent much of the day at Longbourn. The house inventory was almost finished, and the following day, Jane and Andrew would arrive to help with the final preparations for moving out of Longbourn.

Like never before in her life, Georgiana had had the opportunity to share with young ladies her age, and she immensely enjoyed their company. Besides, Mrs. Bennet was very affectionate with her, and she liked that very much. For his part, Mr. Darcy had had the opportunity to share more with Elizabeth and her family. Every day, he felt that his friendship with Elizabeth was strengthened and that she enjoyed his company.

"I wanted to keep this room for last because it was my father's favorite place, and it is full of his memories," Elizabeth said as she looked through some books.

"I understand. Miss Bennet, I believe that a significant number of the books in your father's office belong to his private collection. In the inheritance arrangement, very few books are recorded as part of the Longbourn estate," Mr Darcy explained.

"My mother's new house is quite small; I do not think we have room for all these books. But I do not want Mr. Collins to keep them either. I plan to divide them into three parts. I shall keep some and give the others to Jane and Andrew, and these will go to my Uncle Gardiner. He is interested in naval history; he says that it is closely linked to the history of commerce in our kingdom."

Mr. Darcy would have liked to tell Elizabeth that if she agreed to be his wife, he would create a special section in the Pemberley library for Mr. Bennet's book collection. But he knew he could not pressure Elizabeth, much less take advantage of her vulnerability to disturb her with his attentions and words of love.

"Miss Bennet, keep your father's favorite books in this box. It is small and can be put anywhere."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Darcy. I shall keep these six books that were my father's favorites," Elizabeth said, putting them in that small box. "I would very much like to have a book with the history of the Bennet family, just as you have yours. It is fascinating to know a little more about my ancestors."

"And is there anything in particular you want to know about the Bennet family?" Mr. Darcy asked.

"I would like to know if I have any distant uncles like Eustace Darcy," Elizabeth said, smiling.

"Uncle Eustace has always attracted attention for his extravagant life, but he was the last Darcy to have an extensive brood. For the last four generations, the Darcys have been a small family."

"And you want a small or prolific family like Eustace?" Elizabeth asked, laughing.

"I would like many children, but not as many as Uncle Eustace. My dream is to marry a woman I can love and admire and raise our children together," said Mr. Darcy, looking affectionately at Elizabeth.

"I suppose many of us want the same thing, Mr. Darcy. I also want to live in a family with affection and love," said Elizabeth. She noticed how Mr. Darcy looked at her and thought about what having a family with him would be like. She knew he would be a good father because of how he treated his sisters, and in the last week that they had spent so much time together, she had come to believe that he would be a loving and considerate husband, too.

Mr. Darcy took Elizabeth's hand and kissed it. "I am sure that if you want it, you will have a family full of affection and joy."

Elizabeth blushed deeply but allowed Mr. Darcy to have her hand in his. "But to be honest, Mr. Darcy, one of the matters I would most like to know is why my ancestors felt that the Bennet women could not inherit this estate."

"I understand your curiosity, Miss Bennet. It is difficult for the peace of mind of a family to know that if there is no male child, the family can lose everything." Mr. Darcy caressed Elizabeth's hand in his hands.

"Mr. Darcy, why did you get so angry when I wanted to read your family history? If you had asked me kindly not to touch those books reserved for the family, I would have apologized and never have done it again."

"I do not really know why I did it. Miss Bennet, I assume you know me well enough to realize that I am not good at expressing my feelings, especially when my emotions are intense. When that happened, I already admired you, and being close to you produced a series of sentiments in me that I did not know how to handle... Or, if I am honest, that I did not want to feel.

"Because I was not good enough for you?"

"My opinion of you, Miss Bennet, was always favorable. My objection was about things that never related to you."

"I understand, but I warn you that none of that has changed," Elizabeth said, lowering her gaze.

"I changed, Miss Bennet, and today, more than ever, I am convinced that none of that is important. It was difficult for me to understand it, but thanks to you, today I know what I need to be happy."

Elizabeth looked up and saw Mr. Darcy's loving eyes. When she was next to him, she felt protected and less sad. They looked at each other for several seconds, smiling while Mr. Darcy continued caressing Elizabeth's hand.

"Miss Bennet, I…" Mr. Darcy could not continue speaking because he heard someone approaching the study.

"Miss Lizzy, Mr. Phillips, and Mr. King are here," Mr. Hill said.

Elizabeth stood up nervously and replied. "Please, Mr. Hill, tell them to come in."

Mr. Darcy realized that he should wait to conclude that conversation. At that moment, there were more urgent issues to resolve.

P&P

"Jane, it is so nice to see you," Elizabeth said, hugging her dear sister.

"We could not leave you alone with all this. Andrew thinks Uncle Phillips will need help dealing with Mr. Collins. He wants everyone to know that you are not alone," Jane explained.

The sisters were in Jane's room, packing up some of their most precious childhood memories.

"We are very grateful to Andrew and Aunt Amanda, who have taken care of the girls and allowed you to come. Jane, Mr. Darcy has helped us with the inventory, and Georgiana with our mother. We are fortunate to have such good friends in difficult times."

"Andrew told me that he had spoken to Mr. Darcy and believes everything will be fine when Mr. Collins arrives tomorrow. My dear, I have the impression that your opinion of Mr. Darcy has improved greatly." Jane had noticed something different about her sister and was curious to know more, but she did not want to pressure her into talking about topics that made her feel uncomfortable.

"In Kent… A few weeks ago, Mr. Darcy and I had a difficult conversation, which helped us understand each other better. We both want the best for Georgiana and have decided to be friends for her sake," Elizabeth nervously explained. "I am pleased you asked Dr. Ward to examine our mother. I do not see her as ill; she is just tired. I suppose this whole moving situation has affected her."

Jane understood that Elizabeth did not wish to speak further about Mr. Darcy and explained to her sister that the Doctor would arrive the following day and travel with them back to London.

"Lizzy, our sisters are much more mature. I like watching Lydia and Kitty listen to Andrew's advice. They never have a male figure to admire."

"Unfortunately, our father never knew how to communicate with them. Undoubtedly, having an older brother will help our sisters have a different image of men. But the change in our mother and the fact that the officers can no longer socialize with the community has helped a lot, too," Elizabeth explained.

"Lizzy, I also wanted to mention that Mary is traveling with us to London. She is very excited about spending more time with Aunt Amanda."

"I am glad, Jane. In a way, Mary was always left out by our parents. Aunt Amanda's love and attention will help her gain confidence and better relate to others."

Jane and Elizabeth talked for several hours while Mr. Darcy, Mr. Phillips, and Andrew reviewed each of the documents Mr. Collins had to sign when transferring the estate.

P&P

Georgiana was a little uneasy because she knew that Mrs. Bennet and her daughters had to leave their house permanently. For a long time, she could not stop thinking about how unfair and difficult life could be for women. They all needed the protection of a man, and if they lost it, as in the case of the Bennet family, life would become a nightmare. Georgiana kept remembering a conversation she once had with Elizabeth in which they both wondered what life would be like for a young lady if she could study and be the owner of her life.

Georgiana knew she could not fall asleep, so after dinner, she went to the music room to play the piano. That always relaxed and helped calm her nerves.

Caroline was getting more restless every day. She had traveled to that horrible place to spend time with the Darcys. However, they spent much of the day at Longbourn, and when they returned, they were so tired that they ate dinner and withdrew to their rooms. She did not know that Mr. Darcy and Georgiana did not wish to spend time with her and were looking for any excuse to avoid her company.

So, when Caroline learned that Georgiana was alone in the music room, she went to talk to her. She knew that was probably her last chance to try and fix things in her favor.

"Georgiana, you do not mind if I sit here and listen to you play the piano. "You know how much I like to listen to you."

"No, Caroline, of course it does not bother me."

Georgiana continued playing, thinking about what excuse she would make to leave. After fifteen minutes, she dared to speak. "Well, that was enough for today. I had better rest; tomorrow will be a busy day.

"I know; it is the day Mrs. Bennet must hand Longbourn to its new owner. It is such a shame what that family has had to face. I know that you and Eliza Bennet have become good friends, and that is why there is something I would like to discuss with you, of course, if you have time."

Georgiana hesitated for a few seconds but was curious about what that woman could tell her about her dear friend. "Even though I am exhausted, I shall always have time to help a friend."

"I am glad to hear that; please sit down."

Once Georgiana was seated before her, Caroline spoke with pretend concern. She told Georgiana everything that had happened between her brother and Jane a few months ago. "My brother, unintentionally, made the mistake of spending much time with Jane without thinking about the consequences. Naturally, both the Bennet family and the entire community here expected my brother to propose to Jane. When we left, rumors began to spread, greatly impacting Jane and her family."

"I understand; I am glad that everything was resolved in favor of Lady Norton," Georgiana said. She did not understand why Caroline had told her all this and how it related to her friendship with Elizabeth.

"Georgiana, I know you are still very innocent and do not see some things occurring in front of you. Furthermore, I know very well that your brother is a generous and honorable gentleman. My dear, he spends much of the day at the Bennet home and in the company of Eliza Bennet. Dear, I am afraid that when you leave, rumors will begin to spread that will affect Eliza's reputation. She is neither as pretty nor as sweet as her sister Jane; I doubt that any titled gentleman will appear willing to marry her. I am certain she has very little chance of finding a husband and even less chance she if rumors about her… Well, I hope you understood."

"Yes, of course," Georgiana said. After a few minutes, she retired to her room. Although she did not trust Caroline, she could not deny that everything she had said made sense. So, she decided to talk to her brother the next morning about the matter.

P&P

After dinner, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley locked themselves in the office to analyze some documents, review the accounting books, and read the estate manager's report. In a few more days, Mr. Darcy must return to Pemberley, and Mr. Bingley was to sign the end of the Netherfield lease and would undertake a trip to Scotland.

"I thank you so much for everything you have done for me, Darcy. I would not have been able to put this all together without your help."

"Bingley, you need to trust yourself more. You learn quickly; you just need time to understand how an estate works."

"I know, Darcy, it is the same problem I had at Cambridge. All the classes, which were not many, that had to do with numbers fascinated me, but history and philosophy made me sleepy," Mr. Bingley said, laughing.

"Do you mean to tell me that you do not like the work of managing an estate?" asked Mr. Darcy curiously.

"I do not know, but I suppose not. Darcy, it was my father's great dream for me to become a landed gentleman, not mine. That is why I want to visit my uncle in Scotland. He has a very successful wool production company. Darcy, I want to do other things before I decide what I should do for the rest of my life."

"It seems like an excellent decision to me. Buying an estate is a significant expense, and you should be sure that is what you want to do if you invest a significant part of your inheritance on that."

"Exactly… Darcy, if I go into business…"

"Bingley, you will always be my friend," replied Mr. Darcy, smiling.

"I'm pleased to hear it. I do not know, Darcy, but I think you are changed. In the past, you would have tried to convince me..."

"Bingley, you must decide what to do with your life, and my obligation as a friend is to advise you but respect your decisions. And yes, I have changed because many things have happened to me. If you are not sleepy, I can tell you."

"I am never sleepy when it comes to hearing interesting confessions," said Mr. Bingley, laughing. He poured two glasses of brandy, arranged the papers on the table, and invited his friend to sit in two armchairs before the fireplace.

Mr. Darcy told his friend his entire story with Elizabeth, from the first day he began to admire her to his failed marriage proposal. Mr. Bingley was surprised and asked all kinds of questions. Finally, he wished his friend good luck and advised him not to renounce love.

"It hurts to lose the woman you love, Darcy. Besides, I think Miss Elizabeth is just the kind of woman you need. She will know very well how to deal with you. So, you do not forget that you are mortal, just like the rest of us," said Mr. Bingley, smiling.

"I know; she is the only woman who has not hesitated to tell me what she thinks of me," Mr. Darcy replied.

The friends talked late into the night about their plans for the future. They resolved all their differences, and their friendship became stronger after all the difficulties they had faced.

P&P

Dr Ward arrived very early at Longbourn. He had spent the night at his brother's house near Longbourn. When he arrived at the Bennet home, the family ate breakfast and discussed everything they would do during the day. They agreed that Andrew would watch Mr. Collins and keep him away from Mrs. Bennet.

Elizabeth accompanied the Doctor to her mother's room. She preferred having breakfast in bed because she was not feeling well. The night before, she had barely slept, crying and thinking about everything that had happened in her life in the last few months.

Dr. Ward felt very sorry to see Mrs. Bennet so sad and greeted her with great respect. Then he asked her some questions and asked her permission to examine it.

"Mrs. Bennet, I would like to ask you a few more questions…"

"Lizzy, can you leave me alone with the doctor?" said Mrs. Bennet before the Doctor asked her that question.

"Yes, Mama. I shall be outside if you need anything," Elizabeth replied, a little confused.

Once Elizabeth left the room, the Doctor asked again, but Mrs. Bennet did not interrupt him this time.

"Mrs. Bennet, how long has it been since you had your monthly courses?"

"More than five months… Doctor, I am not a young woman and it is logical that this no longer happens to me. Do you not believe?"

"Forgive my forwardness, Mrs. Bennet, but how old are you?"

"This spring, I turn forty-one."

"Mrs. Bennet, you are still too young to stop having your monthly…"

"So what do you think I have?" asked Mrs. Bennet in a trembling voice.

"Mrs. Bennet, after examining you and based on what you have told me, I have no doubt you are with child… And if you excuse me, I think you know it, and you just wanted me to confirm the good news to you."

Mrs. Bennet smiled as tears rolled down her cheeks. Then she looked up and said, "My dear Thomas, how you must be laughing…"

P&P

My sincere thanks to everyone who leaves comments and follows the story with enthusiasm.

We're getting closer to the end... We only have three more chapters! Please don't forget to check periodically because once I've finished the story I'll leave it for a couple of days and remove it from this site.

In the next chapter, Mr. Collins will arrive at Longbourn accompanied by his beloved Lady Catherine de Bourgh

See you soon!

Saludos,

Yo