Chapter 14
Mr. Hurst saw his wife sitting on a couch, deep in thought and was immediately concerned. "Dear, are you alright?" he asked and sat beside her. Then, he offered her his handkerchief as he saw a few tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I am well, my dear. I was just thinking about our future child," Louisa answered, placing her hand on her belly. Mr. Hurst immediately covered her hand with his, just as excited as she was. The last week had been excellent; without the presence of Caroline and the rest of the family, harmony reigned in that home. Besides, Louisa confirmed that she was with child, which made them immensely happy.
"I understand you very well, Louisa. The same thing happens to me. Sometimes, I get distracted thinking about our future child and our family. So let me tell you how things went today at the club." Mr. Hurst still had much of Louisa's dowry and other money an aunt had given him when he married. As the eldest son, he would inherit his father's estate, but he knew that was not enough to provide Louisa and their future children everything they deserved. For that reason, and thanks to the advice of Charles and Darcy, he was exploring new investments to increase his wealth. Also, ever since he discovered that he was in love with his wife, he had been motivated to do something with his life; he wanted her to feel proud of him.
As Louisa wiped away her tears, she discovered that the handkerchief her husband had given her was the one she had embroidered with Jane's help. "Dear, I am a little embarrassed you are using this handkerchief. What will your friends say when they see how poorly embroidered it is?"
"My dear, I do not care in the least what my friends say. This is your gift, so I always like to have it with me." Mr. Hurst caressed his wife's cheek and then began to kiss her tenderly and passionately. After several minutes, he playfully whispered in her ear, "I think we should better go to my room."
"Of course, Henry," Louisa replied, kissing her husband's cheek.
As they both left the room and headed toward the stairs, laughing and chatting pleasantly, Caroline entered her sister's house like a storm full of fury. "Hurst, I need to talk to Louisa. Please leave us alone for a moment," Caroline ordered and continued to protest against everything.
Louisa looked at her husband and sister and did not quite know what to do. When she saw Mr. Hurst's indignant, she said softly to reassure him: "My love, let me talk to her. I promise it will not take long."
"It is always like this when your sister comes to our home, Louisa. But do not worry, Caroline just managed to ruin my day. I shall be studying and analyzing some documents my attorney sent me. If you invite her for luncheon, please ask a maid to bring me something to my study. I do not want to be in the same room with Caroline when she is like this."
"Henry, do not be angry…."
"Louisa, please come here immediately," Caroline said in exasperation. Mr. Hurst took advantage of that moment to disappear. He did not say everything he wanted to protect his wife from a nasty argument.
Finally, Louisa entered the room, sat, and listened to her sister. Caroline talked for almost half an hour without interruption. She told Louisa that Lady Victoria invited Jane to tea, and her damn sister-in-law did not tell her and left her at home. "And as expected, my idiot brother agreed with that silly chit, saying that Lady Victoria just sent an invitation for Jane."
"And did you read the note?" Louisa asked curiously.
"Yes, of course I did. You know very well I do not trust that woman."
"And what did the note say? Was it a personal invitation or an open one?"
"What kind of question is that, Louisa?"
"A logical question, Caroline. I know you are aware of basic social manners and conventions. So, if you read the note, you could deduce whether or not it was pertinent for you to accompany Jane."
"You are just like Charles! The important thing is that if Jane had taken me with her, the Countess would have received me. I am convinced that if she knew me better, she and I would have become excellent friends. Jane knows that very well, and that is why she made sure I did not go with her."
Louisa preferred not to say anything else. She wanted to be calm to tell her sister about her future motherhood. But she also wanted to ask Caroline to respect her private life and tell her that from now on, her priority would be her family. Now, she had neither time nor energy to interfere in Charles's life. "Caroline, I would like to tell you…."
"Wait, Louisa, I am not done yet. The other thing that brings me to your house is that Eliza Bennet is in London, and I would be grateful if you could help me keep her as far away from us as possible. I do not want Jane to think she can invite that vulgar and wild chit into my house." What worried Caroline was that Elizabeth would meet Mr. Darcy. She still remembered how he always looked at her and the way she always tried to get his attention by talking about unimportant things.
"I am sorry, Caroline, but I prefer to stay out of all this," Louisa said firmly.
"What is wrong with you, Louisa? Are you ill?" Caroline asked indignantly.
"No, I am with child, and I do not want to be concerned about anything during my pregnancy. I need time for myself and my own family now. Please respect my decision. Of course, you are always welcome at my house, but please try to be more considerate with my family time."
"You are with child, Louisa! How could you let that man…?"
"That man is my husband, Caroline, and now the father of my future child," said Louisa, distraught.
Caroline understood it was not time to tell her sister what she thought of her sudden pregnancy and her relationship with her husband. Mr. Hurst was ugly and had no merits or talent besides an uncle who was part of the nobility. Because of that, she sat next to her sister, and although she did not congratulate her, she remained calmer. "I understand; although I think this is totally unexpected, there is nothing we can do now."
Caroline did not want to lose Louisa as her ally, so she stayed for tea with her and tried to hide her frustration. Instead, she talked about her visit to one of her friends and other inconsequential topics. Thus, she told Louisa she was responsible for decorating her new house and invited her to go shopping the following day. "I need to buy decorations for the drawing room and dining room. I am planning a dinner gathering to show all my friends my beautiful new home. Please, Louisa, come with me. We will have a lot of enjoyment together."
"Yes, I think getting out of the house will do me good. Henry is always very busy. I can also take advantage of it and buy furniture for my child's room," Louisa excitedly replied. "Will Jane go with us?"
"No, and I am not planning to invite her, Louisa. I am taking care of everything. She realizes that she is not up to the task."
Louisa thought her sister's opinion was a bit out of place, and for the first time, she felt sorry for Jane. But she had no intention of starting a new argument. On the contrary, she was happy that Caroline did not criticize her for her pregnancy and supported her in this new phase of her life even though it was somewhat distant and cold.
The truth was that Caroline only wanted to wait and see how she could use her sister's pregnancy to her own advantage. She knew Jane was a very sentimental woman who got emotional over silly things like children and love. She knew she could devise an idea to take advantage of this new situation.
P&P
Archibald concentrated on analyzing the pages of the old book he held in his hands, using a magnifying glass to see details overlooked by the naked eye.
"Even though the book is in Latin, Uncle, I am sure it was published here in England, and someone took it to France, which is why it has that French coverage," John said, intrigued.
"I agree with you, my dear nephew," Archibald said. When he raised his head from the book to better explain his theory about the book's origin to his nephew, he saw a man identical to William enter with a woman on his arm. He watched him for several seconds to be sure it was him so he did not hear what his great-nephew Alexander told him.
"Uncle, did something happen?" Alexander asked, concerned, seeing his uncle a little pale. He and his father looked at each other and then around him but saw nothing out of place, just several customers walking through the store.
"I am sorry, Alex, but I cannot explain in detail what is bothering me right now. I just want to tell you that I am a little worried about Lizzy. Can you go find her and tell her I want to discuss something important with her?" Archibald wanted to prevent an encounter between that scoundrel and his beloved niece.
"Of course, Uncle," Alexander said and immediately started looking for her. He had seen her go to the second floor, so he went there first.
While on the first floor, Mr. Darcy did not know what to do. He was so nervous that he could not think clearly. Something very similar happened to Elizabeth, so there were several seconds of awkward silence in which Ruth took the opportunity to observe Mr. Darcy carefully. She noticed that the lady in front of them had left him speechless. She did not blame him because, despite wearing simple clothes, she was a woman who was difficult to ignore. She was pretty and had beautiful eyes.
Mr. Darcy finally regained his speech and said briefly, "How long have you been in town, Miss Bennet?"
"I arrived a few days ago," replied Elizabeth curtly.
"Are you staying with the Bingleys?" Mr. Darcy asked uneasily. If she was at her friend's house, he knew very well that he would have to fight with himself every day not to run to visit her.
"No, I am not there," Elizabeth replied, annoyed. She did not want to give him any more explanations about her whereabouts, especially if he wanted to know if she was with the Stones. If he were planning a reunion between them, she would show him that everything was in the past for her.
Mr. Darcy was tempted to ask where she was staying, but he assumed she was at the house of her tradesman uncle. Also, at that moment, he noticed Miss Carter was looking at him with great curiosity and decided to do what good manners dictated. "Miss Bennet, allow me to introduce a family friend, Miss Carter. Miss Bennet is Mrs. Bingley's sister, whom you met at my Aunt Victoria's ball a few evenings ago."
Elizabeth did not miss when he said 'a family friend' and understood that he wanted to let her know this young lady was from his social circles. Therefore, walking with her on his arm in a public place was acceptable.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Carter," Elizabeth said with a slight smile.
"The pleasure is mine, Miss Bennet. Your sister is a lovely lady, and I enjoyed conversing with her," Ruth added kindly and told Elizabeth a few more things about her encounter with Jane at the ball. Both sisters seemed like good girls and were very pretty, although Elizabeth's beauty was a bit more exotic than Jane's.
Elizabeth just wanted to run away, but Miss Carter was so considerate and kind that she did not want to leave the wrong impression on her, especially if she was establishing some sort of friendship with Jane.
So she was tremendously relieved when Alex walked over to her and said affectionately, "I finally found you, Elizabeth."
"Alexander, I did not know you were looking for me," Elizabeth replied, looking relieved at her cousin. "Mr. Darcy, Miss Carter, I am afraid I must leave immediately. If you will excuse me," she said and took Alex's arm. She was so relieved and heartbroken at the same time that she did not even bother to introduce her cousin.
Alexander sensed something strange was happening and asked, very concerned, "Are you alright, Lizzy?"
Elizabeth answered calmly, "Do not worry; everything is well now."
When they approached John's office, Archibald saw Elizabeth very pale and looked at Alexander, visibly overwhelmed. Alex understood that he had to get Elizabeth out of that place immediately and told her with great enthusiasm. "Lizzy, as you know, my mother's house is two blocks from here. She and Theresa are going over some wedding stuff, and I know they would love your help."
"Alex, I do not want to inconvenience you," Elizabeth said modestly.
"Believe me, dear cousin, any help is welcome at this time," Alex said with a laugh.
"Go with Alex, Lizzy, Uncle Archibald, and I shall have tea with you in another hour," said Uncle John.
Finally, Elizabeth agreed and left the bookstore in the company of her cousin. Alexander could feel Elizabeth's tension, so he offered his arm. "Lizzy, I was looking for you for several minutes. I almost thought you were playing hide and seek. You were always so good and beat us all. I still remember that time we played in the old Uncle Gardiner's warehouse, and you hid behind that big trunk full of trinkets."
"When I came out so dusty, you, Jane, Peter, and Rose laughed for hours!" Elizabeth said, laughing. She was so grateful for how her cousin protected her that she could not help but remember all the beautiful moments she had spent with her aunt Gardiner's niece and nephew.
"I hope you do not mind, but we still laugh when we remember all the antics we did as kids." Elizabeth and Alex continued to talk as they walked toward Alex's parents' house, not knowing that someone was watching them and dying of jealousy.
P&P
Mrs. Gardiner became increasingly concerned about Jane. She spent several hours at her house almost daily. She loved her company, but she sensed something more behind it. She wanted to talk to Elizabeth to find out what was happening. But even with her, Jane was always elusive. She always said she could not invite them to her house because it was not yet ready to receive callers.
But the truth was that the house was practically furnished, and Caroline had decorated it entirely to her liking. Also, her sister-in-law invited friends every afternoon, and Jane felt she did not have a home.
Of course, Caroline did everything behind her brother's back, and since Jane did not dare to complain so as not to disturb the peace and harmony of her home, Mr. Bingley knew practically nothing. Things were very different when he was at home. Caroline went out with friends, and he could enjoy his beautiful relationship with his wife. In addition, Jane felt that she had no right to criticize Caroline because her husband had always been tolerant of her family and had never made derogatory comments about them. Although, she admitted that sometimes they deserved it.
"How did your visit with Lady Victoria go, my dear?" Mrs. Gardiner asked Jane.
"Very well, dear aunt. She is such a gracious lady and has been so kind to me. In fact, she invited me over to her house again tomorrow and said she wanted to introduce me to some of her friends. Although she has not told me, I know she intends to help me enter society successfully," Jane explained.
"It is very kind of her to offer her assistance. You are very fortunate, Jane, to have such a well-connected protector, and she seems to have a sincere affection for you."
Jane and Mrs. Gardiner talked until Charles came to fetch his wife. An hour earlier, he had stopped by his home, but he found Caroline with a group of friends, and the housekeeper told him where Jane was. He had never liked her sister's friends, so he preferred to go where Jane was. When Mrs. Gardiner invited them to dinner, they both gladly accepted. Dinner with the Gardiners was a blessing since it would save them from spending an evening with Caroline and her nasty friends.
Finally, Charles and Jane arrived home quite late but were content after a pleasant evening. But their happiness was short-lived. As soon as they entered the house, they had to endure Caroline's demands.
"Charles, where were you? It was not polite that you did not stay for dinner with us. Fortunately, I was with close friends, and they were not offended because their host snubbed them. So I am content they at least know I am a considerate hostess." Caroline said, completely ignoring Jane.
"I do not care what your friends think, Caroline. Besides, your friends know very well that the hostess of this house is my wife and not you," Charles retorted in exasperation.
Caroline sneered at him and just added very petulantly. "I want you to know that I have ordered all the servants to retire to rest, so if you are hungry, you will have to prepare something yourselves."
"Do not worry, Caroline, we ate at my uncle's house," Jane explained conciliatorily.
"And the food was delicious and the company even better," added Charles kissing his wife's hand. "Well, sister, we are going to rest because we are exhausted," said Mr. Bingley, smiling. He was happy, and he would not let Caroline ruin his night.
But Caroline did not like that her brother practically ignored her demands, and she replied angrily. "Tomorrow, I have a lot to do, so I ordered breakfast to be served earlier."
"Please do not trouble yourself; you can have breakfast any time you want. My dear wife and I shall have breakfast in our rooms. Tomorrow, I am free until noon, so I do not need to get up early. Good night, Caroline." Mr. Bingley took Jane's hand and began to guide her toward the stairs that led to the second floor.
"Good night, Caroline," Jane added, not to be rude.
But Caroline did not reply. Instead, she just turned around and headed for her room. She did not want to tolerate her stupid brother and her silly sister-in-law anymore. But for the moment, she had no choice but to live there.
P&P
Mr. Darcy was locked in his office. He was on his second glass of brandy and still could not calm down. The worst thing was that his head hurt a lot by then, but despite how bad he felt, he could not forget everything that had happened a few hours ago in the bookstore. Fortunately, Georgiana had gone to spend a few days with Aunt Victoria because, at the moment, he was not good company for anyone.
Meeting Elizabeth had been something he had not expected and was not prepared for. But he also was full of doubts and questions. At first, he had been a little taken aback and did not know what to say to her. Still, when he was determined to ask her a little more about her whereabouts, a man appeared out of nowhere and called her by her Christian name. Moreover, that man spoke to her with such familiarity that he could not help but feel both intrigued and annoyed at the same time. Worst of all, Elizabeth's eyes lit up when she saw him, and without even introducing him, she excused herself and walked away.
But everything got worse when he realized he was with Miss Carter. Somehow, he had to pretend that nothing that had happened with Elizabeth had affected him. Luckily, she was reasonably and discreet and did not ask any questions.
As expected, Mr. Darcy completely forgot about the book he wanted to buy. Once Ruth found what she was looking for, they decided to return to the tea room, where the rest of the ladies were waiting for them. When he left the bookstore, he saw what tormented him. Elizabeth was walking on that man's arm, and they were talking and laughing like they were best friends or maybe even more.
"Why do I feel betrayed? Who is that man, Elizabeth?" Mr. Darcy felt that Elizabeth somehow had promised him something, that they had some kind of understanding. He dreamed of how she told him she would always love him several times, and in a way, he felt that it was true. Of course, like the rational man he was, he rejected the idea that such a thing was possible, but he could not avoid feeling uneasy.
After finishing the third brandy, he called his valet to ask a few questions. He questioned him many times, but he needed to talk to someone. "Damn memory; I do not know why I feel like something important happened during those months that I cannot remember."
When he was starting the fourth brandy, Howard entered the library. Seeing his Master so distressed, he thought he knew why he was concerned. Though he had never told him, and of course, he had not asked, Howard knew that Mr. Darcy had difficulty remembering some of the events after the horrific attack.
"Thank you for coming, Howard," Mr. Darcy said, sitting in the chair by the fireplace, staring into the fire. "Sit down, please. I need to ask you a few questions."
"If you do not mind, I feel more comfortable standing," the valet replied. Mr. Darcy gave him a nod of approval, and the questioning began. He responded the same way he had done on numerous occasions, but since he esteemed his young Master so much, he did not care if that helped him.
"So you never accompanied me on those trips you say I regularly did?"
"No, sir."
"Why?"
"You never asked me to accompany you, sir. Of course, I packed your bag, but you never needed many clothes."
"And you say the coachman does not know where I went either?"
"No, sir. As I explained before you asked me, he left you in a little park and retrieved you in the same place two or three days later."
Mr. Darcy had been to that place twice, but there was nothing around it but warehouses and shops. "I understand; thank you, Howard."
"You are welcome, sir. You know you can count on me for whatever you need," the faithful servant said, bowing and preparing to leave the study when Mr. Darcy asked him one more question.
"Howard, do you remember seeing me reading any particular book at that time when I was traveling so much?"
"You have always read more than one book at a time, but now that you mention it, I remember you were very interested in a book about trade and war."
"And where is that book?" Mr. Darcy asked automatically.
"I put it in one of the book chests you keep in the sitting room of your bedroom, sir. The coachman found it in the carriage. You took it with you when you traveled to Ramsgate," Howard explained.
"Thank you," Mr. Darcy said, sipping what was left of his brandy. Then he told his valet he should go to sleep and immediately went to his room searching for that book. When he opened the trunk near a small desk, he first saw that book.
'War and Trade,' he said breathlessly. 'The same book Elizabeth Bennet was reading at Netherfield.'
He immediately sat on the chair near a lamp and opened the book, unsure what he was looking for. The first thing that struck him was a series of annotations on the sides of some pages. He was cautious with books because his father had always taught him that a book was sacred and should remain intact. He remembered it as if it was yesterday when he wrote his initials in a book that Aunt Victoria gave him, and his father punished him for several days, for which he did not have access to any books.
But when he looked better, he realized that it was not his handwriting, but someone else's that seemed to answer the questions he asked on each page. But he was almost paralyzed when a message on the book's last page said, &&&&&&&'I love you, and I shall miss you very much.'
'What is this?' said Mr. Darcy, horrified, putting the book back in the trunk.
After several hours of trying to remember and drinking too much, he threw himself on the bed and fell asleep exhausted. But unfortunately, he could not rest because he dreamed of all kinds of atrocities. He first saw Elizabeth singing to him, then reading next to him as she smiled, and finally, he dreamed that they were passionately kissing.
'What is that sound, my sweet love?' Mr. Darcy said between kisses.
'It is the river, William. Do you remember our park, where we first kissed? Look, my love, it is next to a river."
Mr. Darcy looked and saw himself in a park that he had never seen before but that seemed very familiar. He was surprised to see how the sun's rays reflected on the river.
'You are right, my dear Elizabeth. It was in this park that I kissed you that afternoon. I remember that afterward, you ran to your aunt and uncle's house like a frightened child.'
'Elizabeth?'
Mr. Darcy turned around, and suddenly everything was dark. The sun was no longer shining; worst of all, he saw the woman he loved walking happily away from him with another man.
'Elizabeth, please come back, do not leave me. I cannot live without you... Elizabeth, Elizabeth... Nooo, ELIZABETH..."
Mr. Darcy shouted desperately in a dream that had become an endless nightmare.
P&P
Thanks to everyone who leaves comments and enthusiastically follows the story.
In the next chapter, Mr. Darcy begins to suspect everything and everyone. Also, he will meet Elizabeth again in Kent, and something very similar to the original book will happen :)
See you soon!
Saludos,
Yo