Chapter Nineteen: Copper Bets

The lights were out. Voices of panic broke out, shouts of chaos. Lizzy stayed put, still in shock. What the hell had happened? Darcy had conned them all? They were all part of some bigger plan for him to take down his aunt? But he had failed at the last, had been outmanoeuvred by Lady Catherine?

"Hello, William, my dear nephew. I think it's time we put a stop to this nonsense is it not?"

Lizzy's laughter had subsided and now she was just silent. Her mind was whirring, all the pieces suddenly fitting together. She couldn't believe she hadn't seen it. Couldn't believe she hadn't been able to step back and work it all out. Before she could completely process what had just been revealed, Catherine was grabbing her by the arm.

"Come on, Miss Bennet." she said. "It's time to finish this. I want you to see it all, witness the great Picasso's downfall. Perhaps it'll discourage you from following in his footsteps."

She allowed herself to be led in the darkness for a few steps before the lights came on. For a moment it was chaos as people grabbed fistfuls of chips, but security soon flooded the floor, subduing the crowds. A shrill alarm sounded around the room and the fire evacuation message rang out around the room. The crowds began to be shepherded towards the door, their brief moment of rebellion firmly put down. Catherine however was dragging her in the opposite direction. They moved quickly across the floor.

"Lady Catherine!" Billy Collins appeared sweating next to them. "What's going on?"

"Move aside, Billy, this is grown up business." Catherine pushed him aside with a force that belittled her age. Lizzy shot a glance back to Charlotte who looked just as confused as she was and sent her a wide eyed shrug. Why was she being dragged into this?

They carried on, soon coming to a security door at the back of the casino floor. Catherine was let in immediately and they began to navigate a maze of corridors all buzzing with activity. Security and floor staff, maintenance and even waiters were rushing around. Catherine ignored them all and they parted like the red sea when she approached. Before Lizzy knew it, she was being pushed through a door and stumbling into a large room that was filled with computers and people working furiously. Lizzy looked around and her eye caught the wall at the far end. It was pure glass, giving a view into another, smaller and sparse room that only contained a table and three chairs.

It was an interrogation room.

"Wait here," Catherine ordered, plonking her down on a chair in the corner. "Do not touch anything, do not speak to anyone."

She did as she was told.

"Ok then everybody," Catherine addressed the room, every single person falling immediately silent. "Good work today, you've done me proud. Now, by the time I get back I want everyone who I haven't explicitly told otherwise to not be present here. Understand? Good."

With that she swept from the room, followed by pretty much everyone else. Soon only Lizzy and three others remained, two suits and a tech. None paid her any attention. That was fine, she had things to think about after all….

So, this is what had happened then, she went through in her head. Darcy had wanted to take Rosings Park for either money or for blackmail purposes to get Pemberley back. His way in had been Billy Collins and his stupid fucking laptop, she vaguely recalled that Billy was in London to oversee some security operation for Rosings. Obviously Darcy had discovered this and decided to hijack it somehow, but had needed a way to Billy when he was in London without raising any alarms. The whole story of his retirement and Charlie and Caroline's new crew had been a fabrication, designed to throw everyone off the scent. What was it he had said? Misdirection, that's what it was all based upon. Make someone look at the big show while the real stuff was going on behind them. Felt a brief flash of wonderment at the sheer effort they had gone to to achieve this. It was close to genius. However, any admiration was forgotten as she got to the part that involved her and her sister. They had needed a way to Billy, something that fit with their cover. So they had deliberately targeted the Bennets, knowing that Billy would be around them regularly, knowing that they could be too if they stayed close. And boy had they got close.

She felt a surge of anger that threatened to engulf her. They'd fucking targeted them, worse, they'd played a honey trap on her sister. Jane, the sweetest girl anyone could ever wish to know, a girl who'd been hurt before, who'd been abandoned as a child and had had no-one for the majority of her life. They'd played off her vulnerabilities all to suit their own ends. Charlie had fucking seduced her, flashed the right smiles, said all the right things, whilst all along he had been planning to drop her as soon as she served her purpose. She was disgusted by it. How dare he? How dare they? This was the lowest of the low, one of the worst things someone could do to someone. Jane had fallen in love with an act, because that's all it had been. They'd got what they needed. That Poker game. She knew it was off, the way Darcy had folded, the interruptions from Caroline and Louisa, the whole business with the laptop and the chair. They'd played a switch. They'd got what they needed and then left, the police attention a ready made excuse. Of course, those two weren't policemen, Lizzy sighed, another part falling into place. The information they got from the laptop had been enough for them to somehow hack the security, enabling those big wins tonight. They'd attempted to rig an entire Vegas casino.

Attempted.

Because Catherine was obviously two steps ahead of them. She'd found out somehow, had stopped them just as they thought they were going to get away. This part, she didn't know about. Had no idea what had happened, how she had done it. But she had, and now Darcy's crew had been caught in the act.

Catherine stepped back into the room, her face alight with triumph. This was probably the most excitement she'd had in years. She glanced at Lizzy before moving over to talk to the suits out of earshot. The door opened again, and Anne De Bourgh slipped in quiet as a mouse.

"Ah, Anne, here you are, good." Catherine nodded.

"What's going on, mother?" Anne asked timidly.

"I've just stopped your dear 'cousins' from stealing everything we have." Catherine grinned evilly.

"What….." Anne asked, shocked.

"No time, Anne, no time. Right, you two," she directed towards the suits. "Time to start. Bring in Will Darcy."

"You want us to press him hard?"

"Oh, no, no, no," Catherine smiled. "I'm overdue for a chat with him….."

Lizzy sat in her new chair, fidgeting. Anne had beckoned her over to where she was sitting, nose almost touching the glass. She had explained that it was a two way mirror, they could see into the room, but the people on the other side could not see them. She felt a buzz of adrenaline course through her for some reason. Why was she even here? Heard Anne draw a sharp breath as Will Darcy was led handcuffed into the room, Catherine waiting for him.

"William." she greeted with a nod.

"Aunt Catherine."

"I'm not your real Aunt, William, as you have made very clear to me tonight." Catherine said, lightly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Darcy shrugged.

He was as composed as ever. Lizzy watched as he looked around the room nonchalantly, as if none of this was phasing him in the slightest. His gaze lingered on the glass, and Lizzy could have sworn that he made direct eye contact with her even though she knew it was impossible.

"So," Catherine began, smiling at Darcy the whole time. "The great Picasso, finally in handcuffs. It would appear that I have achieved what so many others before me have failed to do. I caught you, William. I caught you."

"You put me in chains," Darcy corrected. "That is not the same as catching me."

Catherine laughed loudly, almost manically.

"You're done," she stated. "Admit it, you've been outplayed. The stories, they all got back to me. All those stories about you. They said you were a genius, said you were always ahead of everyone. All just myths though in the end. I don't know, William, I expected so much more from you. I expected a challenge. But it's just as I'd suspected. Put you up against someone real, someone with half a brain, and you couldn't keep up."

Darcy said nothing, but his eyes stayed fixed on Catherine.

"I'm giving you the chance to admit it," Catherine leant into him. "Admit what you have done now, and things will be ok. You'll marry my daughter, go back to Pemberley, continue working for me and we'll forget all about this. See it as my last gift to your parents. But you will never get it back, you understand? Not after this."

Lizzy felt Anne tense next to her, but her eyes remained on Darcy. He hadn't moved a muscle, hadn't twitched, hadn't done anything.

"Nothing?" Catherine asked. "Maybe I can change your mind. Because underneath all this marble I know what you're thinking. 'How much has she got?' 'How much does she know?'. Well, I'll tell you all of it."

"Please, go ahead." Darcy said coldly.

"Maybe you think that you slipped up somewhere, that something in your plan threw up a red flag. But it's so much worse than that. You see, I've known about you from day one. I've known what you've always been after. At first, I even understood why you were so angry at me, why you wanted to take me down. You're so blinded by yourself, William, so blinded by that arrogance. Can't you see that you've never deserved your family's legacy? Your parents died tragically, I understand. Their loss hit me just as hard as you. I loved them, they were my best friends. I made a promise to look after you. But in all your selfishness you wouldn't listen. You left your sister at home alone whilst you went out and did your best to kill yourself. Drinking, drugs, fighting. I watched all of it, watched as you threw all the help I offered you back in my face. What else was I supposed to do? Let you destroy your family's name? No, I couldn't let that happen. So I took Pemberley from you. Be honest with yourself, William, if I hadn't do you think it would still be standing today? What would you have done with it? Turned it into your own haven of excess, I imagine, partying with your awful new friends whilst Georgiana cried herself to sleep upstairs."

Darcy showed no emotion whatsoever as he responded.

"You did the right thing. But then what? What happened when I cleaned myself up? You told me I had to prove myself, so I did."

"Cleaned yourself up?" Catherine scoffed. "You just got yourself caked in a different kind of dirt. You traded in your self destruction for little more than a slower demise. You became a grifter, a parasite, nothing more than a thief, someone who was unwilling to live in the real world and earn their place."

"I am not a thief." Darcy said through his teeth, the first sign of any anger let out.

"You said it yourself, all those codes and rules you live by are just to help you sleep at night. They are not reality, you're kidding yourself. You must know that. You must know that you're the lowest of the low?"

"You do not get to judge me."

"Why not?" Catherine smirked. "Who can if I can't?"

"Whatever. Can we just get on with it? Explain to me just how clever you are." Darcy bit, sarcastically.

"With pleasure. You came to me when you'd 'cleaned yourself up' as you put it. Said you were ready to take it back. I was sceptical, of course I was. So I asked you to prove yourself."

"Which I did! I turned over more money than anyone ever has at that place! More than my father, my grandfather…."

"And I was so happy," Catherine sighed. "You were turning into the young man your mother always knew you could be. But then, the whispers got back to me. I didn't believe them at first, I mean, why would you do it? Why would you become a con man? You had a home, a successful job, the future was all yours. I was planning on giving it back, as you said, you were proving yourself at Pemberley. Then the whispers became shouts. What you, Richard and the Bouzid's were doing with your spare time. Neglecting Pemberley, however much money it was making, but worse, neglecting your sister, so you could roam around the world ripping off the rich. How selfish can one man be? So brazen with it as well, you and Richard didn't even try to hide it from me, wearing it like a badge of honour. Christ, we openly discuss it at the dinner table! Then I discovered another one of your grimy little schemes. You were bribing my staff to spy on me, funding desperate attempted robberies on my businesses, looking for any way to hurt me."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Darcy said, but even Lizzy could hear the sudden uncertainty.

"Yes you do," Catherine said, simply. "I let it slide for all these years, putting a stop to it subtly when it was in danger of getting out of hand. Because as I said, I understood for a while. You were young, had a sense of injustice that only youth ever harness. I decided to let you get it out of your system. You'd come around eventually, that's what I told myself. But the years passed, and it was still the same. I realised last year that you were never going to stop. I decided to do something about it."

"Billy Collins….." Darcy shut his eyes and sighed, a look of defeat finally present.

"You think I'd let that imbecile handle a security overhaul for Rosings Park?" Catherine smirked. "He created PathSafe, his name looks good on the door, that's it. The idea struck me just as your latest attempt had failed, two years ago now. It was time you were taught a lesson, time I cut my ties with you. I'd been patient enough. I put it about that Rosings Park had been robbed and made sure Richard heard about it. I knew he'd go running to you and that you'd rush through the opening, so sure of your 'genius'. I promoted Billy to Head of Security, again whispered in the right ears that he would be overseeing a security overhaul in London. I hoped against hope that you'd seen sense, but no, you fell straight for it. It was all a set up, William! I knew you'd try something big, knew you'd attempt to rig my casino. So I let you do it. I let you think that you had outsmarted me, that you held all the cards. I guessed every single move you would make, right down to blackmailing me to sign over Pemberley to you. Then, it was just a waiting game. I didn't know when you were going to hit over the last two weeks, I couldn't risk surveillance in your rooms or anything like that. Couldn't even risk inspecting all those machines and tables you'd rigged in case word got back to you. Credit where credit's due, you would undoubtedly pick up on anything like that. I'm sure you have some spies in my casino that I know nothing about. I had to catch you in the act, and I did! I let you think you were winning, let those rigged machines pay out for a while. There's the evidence. Then I cut the electrics, made sure my security team was on top of it all. This will be handled quietly by police officers I trust, word will never get back to the gaming commission. Rosings will continue on and you'll be rotting in a cell."

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out." Darcy said, emotionlessly.

"What's going to happen when I open those rigged games, William? What am I going to find? What's going to happen when my techs go through all those computers you had in room 1176? I'll tell you what, all the evidence I need. I'm going to wrap you up in a bow and drop you at the nearest police station. You'll get ten years at least for this, all of you. Such a shame, as one comes out, one goes in…."

"Do not speak about my sister!" Darcy stood up angrily, his chair flying back.

"When does she get out? Next month? No-one to welcome her at the gates, no home to go back to. Congratulations, William, you have now managed to completely ruin her life yet again. Because I'm done with her as well. Both of you may as well be dead to me now, all because of you. The choices you've made."

"He's done for." Anne whispered sadly from next to Lizzy, suddenly bringing her round. She had been so engrossed in the back and forth, she had almost forgotten where she was.

"It would seem so." she managed to reply.

"We're on shaky legal ground though," Anne worried. "She hasn't phoned the police yet, hasn't abided by any protocols….."

"Is she serious?" Lizzy asked. "Is she going to turn him in?"

"My mother never says something she doesn't mean," Anne shrugged. "It's no less than he deserves."

"You're ok with this then?"

"No," Anne admitted. "I love him. Not like that, but you know. He's one of the only people to have ever treated me as a real person. With him, I'm not just Lady Catherine De Bourgh's strange daughter. But he decided to do this. He has to accept the consequences."

"He's scum." Lizzy nodded, venom laced through her tone.

"Perhaps." Anne conceded, before falling silent again. Lizzy turned her attention back to Catherine and Darcy. Darcy had sat back down, his head in his hands.

"No comment." he was saying.

"That's fine," Catherine barked. "Let's see if your other little friends have anything to say for themselves. One of your rules, is it not? 'Always look out for number one'? Let's see if they listened to their great leader…

Catherine swanned back into the room a few minutes later, looking younger than ever before. Lizzy could tell the adrenaline was pumping through her, could tell the vindication was so sweet for her. She plonked herself down next to Lizzy.

"Showtime, boys!" she exclaimed to the two suits who Lizzy had forgotten were even there. "Break them for me!"

"Mother," Anne piped up, timidly. "We're in dodgy territory here. You need to notify the police."

"Not until we get what we need!" Catherine waved her off. "I want this to be watertight."

"That's just it," Anne said. "Procedure's need to be followed to the letter, we don't want to give them anything they can use in court. Holding them here without telling the police is borderline illegal."

"The evidence will be too much."

"Do you want them to get off on a technicality?"

"I'm not notifying the police yet," Catherine asserted. "I want to see the whites of their eyes, I want to see all of them realise just how well I beat them. Particularly Richard. What can we do?"

"Ok, first thing is we need photographs of them, timed and dated. This'll prove that no harm came to them when they were here. Secondly, we need temporary holding forms. Casino's can hold anyone suspected of a crime on their premises as long as the police are notified immediately. We'll doctor the times and everything on them, say that we had to lock down the casino as we suspected there were more people involved. That along with our police contacts should make sure everything appears in order."

"What about them though," Lizzy butted in. "They'll tell the police and their lawyers that you questioned them before."

"As long as the paperworks in order and the evidence is as damning as it is, then no jury will believe them. Just make sure all the CCTV in here is wiped before we hand it over to the cops." Anne said.

"Anne, darling!" Catherine hugged her. "You truly are my daughter!"

"Thank you mother." Anne beamed, her supposed love for Darcy evaporating in an instant, Lizzy thought wryly. It was funny, the things some people would do for a mothers approval. She'd been the same herself a few years back with Frances until she realised it was never going to be enough. She was sure that one day Anne would come to the same conclusion.

"I'll get straight on it." Anne said breathlessly before rushing out the room.

"I'll make a De Bourgh out of her yet!" Catherine slapped Lizzy on the arm as they were left alone. "Now, let's see what Charles Bouzid has to say."

Very little as it turned out. Charlie put on the bewildered act, gave his best mid 90s Hugh Grant impersonation, the bumbling Englishman who had no idea what was going on. He attempted to charm his way around the two interrogators, who were having none of it. But Charlie wasn't put off, he kept going off on ridiculous tangents, frustrating the suits to no end. He was now explaining to them just how to make the perfect Mocha….

"And then, you sprinkle a little bit of chocolate over the foam!" he was saying. "Not too much mind! We don't want it to be abrasive!"

"For the last time, Mr Bouzid, what were you doing in Rosings Park this evening?"

"Sorry, old sport, I just can't remember!" Charlie frowned with a smile. "I think it's all the cheese…"

"The cheese?" one of the suits sighed.

"Yes, you see last night I ate this massive cheese platter with a couple of brandies and it gave me the worst nightmares….."

Lizzy had to hide a laugh, but she was soon back to barely concealed rage. Her knuckles were white from clenching her fist as she was forced to look at this man. The man who had honey trapped her sister and forced her to fall in love with him, all for his game. It was sick. She was pleased to see that he didn't look particularly well, he was thin, his cheeks were hollow, his fingers were nicotine stained. Good, he deserved it. She knew she should feel more angry with Darcy probably, he had been the mastermind, and she did, but it was Charlie who had actually done it. He was a fucking prick and Lizzy swore then and there that she'd get revenge on him one day.

Catherine sighed and rapped the glass in front impatiently. She'd obviously had enough. The suits nodded towards the glass and led Charlie out of the room.

"I'm awfully sorry I haven't been any more help chaps, I don't know what's got into me. Forgetfulness runs in my family, I remember one time when my father took me to London Zoo and….

"Can you confirm your name please."

"Caroline Bouzid."

"Also known as Caro Bingley?"

"Correct."

"Appears you've got yourself in quite the situation, Caroline."

"If you say so."

She was shifty, Lizzy thought. If someone was going to break, it was going to be her. From everything she'd observed of Caroline, she was the most selfish, the most likely to put her own interest above her friends, even her own brother. Of course, Lizzy knew that Caroline had played her, but she wasn't that good an actor. No, the person she met in London was real enough, that was who she was. Catherine sensed it also as she leaned forward.

"You need to start doing yourself a favour, Caroline. You've been caught, there's no getting around that. You're all going down, whatever happens. So you have to decide if it's worth it. Is it worth ruining your whole life just for that whole honour amongst thieves bullshit?"

Caroline looked around nervously.

"I can't." she said.

"Why not?"

"Do you know who he is? How powerful he is? If I speak, I'll be hounded for the rest of my life, always looking over my shoulder….."

"You mean Will Darcy? We can help you," one of the suits said kindly. "But you have to help us first."

Caroline looked up at the ceiling, before shutting her eyes tightly. Lizzy saw a tear run down one cheek…..

"This is it!" Catherine murmured, excitedly, before they were interrupted by the door opening.

"Mother, the paperworks ready, just need your autograph." Anne bustled in.

"Not now, Anne!" Catherine shouted. "She's about to give them all up!"

"Now, mother!" Anne asserted, surprising Lizzy. She tapped twice on the glass, causing the interrogation to stop, much to everyone's annoyance. "I will not let your victory be tainted because you would not observe the correct practice!"

Catherine looked at her coldly for a minute, before breaking out into a broad smile.

"It is our victory, darling!" she said, with more warmth than Lizzy thought she was capable of. "You have done me so proud tonight, Anne my dear."

"I'm glad," Anne grinned. "Now just sign on the bottom here, all four of them. This should give us everything we need. They're going down mother! All of them!"

"Yes they are." Catherine nodded as she signed off quickly, barely glancing at the forms, such was the love in her eyes for her daughter and the excitement of knowing Caroline was about to turn. It was perversely quite sweet, Lizzy thought. God, this lot were fucking dysfunctional, made the Bennet's look like the Waltons.

"Ok, I'll get these along to legal," Anne was saying. "But you need to call the police within the hour. I'll then go downstairs to the techs and get the CCTV in here shut down and wiped. I don't trust you not to make secret copies to gloat over later…."

"You truly are my daughter!" Catherine roared in laughter. "Such insolence, do you see, Miss Bennet? I think I have a new candidate to take over Pemberley for me…."

"We're not done yet," Anne warned, but her delight was apparent. "No mistakes."

"Don't worry, Anne. Miss Bouzid is about to give it all up."

"That'll certainly make it easier in court," Anne nodded. "Ok, I'll run these down to legal."

Anne exited, rapping on the glass twice more before she left, allowing the suits to continue.

"So as we were saying, Caroline, It's time to help yourself."

"Ok," Caroline put her head in her hands, looking older than she had ever done before. That perfect face was now a mess of tear tracts and worry lines. "But you need to protect me! Do not underestimate what that man is capable of."

"We understand. Start from the beginning…"

"You've caught me, you've worked it all out." she cried.

"What have we worked out?"

Caroline's head was still in her hands, shielding her face from everyone as she muttered something so softly that no-one could catch it.

"Can you repeat that please, Caroline."

Lizzy and Catherine leaned so far forward that their noses were touching the glass.

Face still hidden, Caroline spoke up, this time her voice as clear as day.

"I'm Becky with the good hair."

There was a beat of silence.

"Excuse me?" one of the suits asked, confused.

Caroline looked up at them, the tears completely gone, the shaking mess suddenly as composed as could be. And she was smirking.

"The Beyonce song? 'He better call Becky with the good hair'? Yeah, it's me."

"Beyonce?"

"Look, you can't tell anyone, ok?" Caroline cried dramatically, thoroughly enjoying herself. "If it gets out that I admitted it, Jay will go mad! He could kill me or something! You know he used to be a drug dealer, right?!"

"Alright, I think that's enough." one of the suits sighed.

"But please!" Caroline shouted as she was led out of the room. "I didn't mean to, it just happened! If anyone finds out, then I'm dead! I'm…"

Fair play, Lizzy thought. That was pretty funny. Glanced across at Catherine, who didn't seem to agree.

"One to go."

If the Bouzid's weren't going to talk, then Lizzy was sure that Richard Fitzwilliam wasn't. And it appeared she was correct. Richard was batting every question away with a smile and a quip, not seeming to take any of it seriously. How could they all be so calm, Lizzy wondered? They were caught bang to rights, they were going away for a long time. They had lost. But by the way they were acting, it was as if this was nothing but a minor inconvenience. It must just be bravado. She was impressed by their loyalty, however. None of them had ratted, none of them had turned on their friends. She wondered how many of her friends would do the same for her. Jane and Charlotte certainly, but the others? They probably wouldn't, she thought sadly. But would she do the same for them, for anyone who wasn't Jane and Charlotte? She didn't know.

A loud sigh from Catherine brought her back round to what was going on. The suits were now onto the clothes Richard was wearing. She'd been curious about this, they were all dressed as housekeeping.

"Why are you dressed as a butler then, Mr Fitzwilliam? Why were all of you dressed like this, if not for dishonest purposes?"

Richard laughed loudly.

"Well, it's a bit embarrassing really….."

"What do you mean?"

"It's kind of a ….. um …, let's just say it's a sexual thing." Richard grinned.

"A sexual thing?"

"Yes, me, Darcy, Caro and Charlie, we're into all that. Fetishes and stuff, swapping partners, multiple partners, that kind of thing."

"Mr Fitzwilliam…."

"We decided to have a bit of fun while we were all in Vegas," Richard continued on. "The uniforms were a bit of a turn on for Caroline. She was the naughty maid…."

"You're saying that you met up in a hotel room to engage in sexual acts? With two people who are siblings?"

"Hey," Richard smirked, holding his hands up. "Whatever turns people on!"

"Stop playing games, Mr Fitzwilliam!"

"Funny, that's exactly what I said to Caroline when she brought out the whipped cream….."

"ENOUGH! What about the computers, eh? What are we going to find on them when our techs work their magic?"

Richard's mask slipped slightly for a moment, it was barely noticeable, but it had happened.

"Um….. Porn?" he replied, a glint back in his eye. "We put it on to get us in the mood."

"Twenty screens of porn?"

"It's a beautiful thing!"

The suits both stood up with a huff and looked towards the glass, one of them giving the wrap up signal. They weren't going to get anything out of these people, that much was obvious. Catherine sighed next to her, before recovering quickly, rapping on the glass to agree with their conclusion.

"No matter," she breezed. "I'll let them have their fun. It's the last bit they'll have for a long time."

Lizzy looked at her, and suddenly felt tired. She'd discovered the whole horrible truth now, the itch was scratched. Now she didn't want to be anywhere near these people. Like at the Poker game with Darcy, she just wanted to go home. Forget about this whole mess, forget about the Bouzid's, Richard Fitzwilliam and William Darcy. She was done.

"Can I go now?" Lizzy asked.

Catherine looked at her, and she saw a hint of kindness there.

"I like you, Miss Bennet," she admitted. "Despite the arrogance and the ignorance. You're straight to the point, you're strong, you don't put up with any nonsense. I wanted you to watch this tonight because I wanted you to realise the consequences of what you do. I do not want another William Darcy in this world. You may think that it's all a game, you may even be impressed by their little performance today. I hope you realise just how pathetic it has been. Rats clinging on to their arrogance. Don't be like them, be smarter. Go and live a life, make something of yourself, but do it honestly. Work hard and get the reward. And do it on your own terms. You're capable, I can see that much."

Lizzy didn't know what to think.

"I'll get someone to escort you out. You fly home tomorrow morning?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Remember what I said."

Catherine moved to the door, opening it slightly, before turning back.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Elizabeth, but I hope to never see you again."

And with that, she was gone, leaving Lizzy alone in the room. She was ready to go now. She was ready to go home. They were all going to prison and that was the end of it. It was done.

She was done.

AN: Hello, apologies for the delay but we're back! Hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think if you have the time!