Dear readers: Please keep in mind that this story has 28 chapters and an epilogue. Once I've finished rewriting it, I'll leave it for two days and remove it from this site.

Chapter 15

Albert was disappointed to see Mr. Gardiner arrive accompanied only by Jane. Mr. Gardiner explained that his daughter was ill, and his wife and niece cared for her. Immediately, Peter and Emily wished little Betty a speedy recovery.

But Albert was uncomfortable with the situation. He had a hunch that he did not like. "Miss Bennet, is Miss Elizabeth well?" Albert asked as soon as he had a chance to speak to Jane.

"Yes, only Betty is a little ill, and Lizzy wanted to help our aunt." Jane did not like the tone in which Mr. Reed asked about her sister. But she was even more surprised by the following question.

"And is Miss Darcy still at the house?" Albert knew that if Mr. Darcy's sister was still in the Gardiners', it was most likely that her arrogant brother was there taking advantage of the situation to bother Elizabeth.

"Yes, she is still at home recovering," Jane replied briefly.

"And how much longer do you think she will have to be with the Gardiners to recover and return to her house?" Albert did not like the presence of that young lady. That meant Mr. Darcy would be hovering around that house permanently.

Jane was stunned. Mr. Reed used to be kind and friendly, and at that time, he questioned her impertinently. "I do not know; the doctor is the one who should determine that."

"Darcy is such a wealthy and important gentleman, but he cannot take his sister home and hire an army of nurses to care for her. Is that not curious, Miss Bennet?" Albert asked sarcastically. "I cannot believe that falling in the park running with children is such a serious accident that this girl cannot even move," Albert added in the same tone.

Jane did not comprehend why Mr. Reed spoke in that forceful manner, but she did not want to quarrel with him either. "Dr. Lewis prescribed rest, and he knows better than you or I about such things."

Albert noticed that he had vented his ideas too vehemently, and to calm himself a little and not make Miss Bennet feel uncomfortable, he added conciliatorily. "I suppose you are correct, Miss Bennet."

Fortunately, Peter Daniels approached them at that moment and began to tell Jane about his estate in Derbyshire. There was a large painting of the beautiful mansion in the drawing room, and he described it, talking about the surrounding area and the vast forests so typical of Derbyshire.

Seeing her brother so excitedly chatting with Jane, Emily seized the opportunity to converse with Albert. "How have you been, Mr. Reed?"

"Well, thank you, Miss Daniels," Albert replied absently.

Emily tried to talk more with Albert, but he did not pay much attention to her until Roger Daniels joined the group. That made Albert calm and start conversing more pleasantly.

Unfortunately for all the guests, Dorothy Daniels came to dinner to watch over her children and prevent Roger from surrounding them with tradesmen. She had worked hard to make her son and daughter accepted into society and did not want her father-in-law to jeopardize their future.

The first thing that caught Dorothy's attention was seeing her son happily conversing with a beautiful young lady. She also did not like that Peter had invited Mr. Reed. That man was quite unpleasant, always bragging about his family's accomplishments and showing little respect for the upper classes.

Finally, Lady Grace arrived at the dinner, and Dorothy moderated her inquisitive and inappropriate comments.

Lady Grace liked Jane and Mr. Gardiner. They were both cordial and had interesting conversations. In addition, they did not ingratiate themselves with her after knowing who she was, but rather the opposite. They continued treating her with the same naturalness as the rest of those attending the dinner.

"Miss Bennet, what is the name, and where is your father's estate?" Dorothy asked Jane. She knew well that her son was a good catch for a woman looking for a husband.

"It is in Hertfordshire, and its name is Longbourn, Mrs. Daniels," replied Jane, a little intimidated. She did not understand why that lady spoke to her with such a harsh tone.

"It must not be important because I have never heard of it," Dorothy replied dismissively.

Peter was furious with his mother. She had probably noticed his interest in Miss Bennet and decided to intervene. But he was not a coward and would not tolerate her trying to meddle in his personal affairs, "Mother, I believe the estate of Miss Bennet's father is very similar to that of your family."

Dorothy blushed a little and could not answer her son as she wished because Lady Grace intervened and invited Jane and Mr. Gardiner to her musical meeting. "I shall be waiting for you and looking forward to meeting your wife, Mr. Gardiner, and your sister, Miss Bennet."

"Thank you, my Lady, we shall be there without fail," Mr. Gardiner replied cordially.

When dinner was served, the whole group headed to the dining room. Peter escorted his mother and took the opportunity to say a few things to her discreetly. "Mother, if you came to this dinner without being invited, I shall ask you not to speak to any of my guests like you did to Miss Bennet again."

"Peter, even though you are thirty, you are very innocent. You do not know Miss Bennet, and she ..."

"One more word, Mother and I shall be forced to ask you to leave my house. I already told you many times that I do not want you to meddle in my affairs, and I hope this is the last time I have to remind you."

Dorothy understood it was better to keep quiet for the moment and not make her son angrier. On his part, Peter preferred to hide his interest in Jane for the rest of the evening. He did not want to ruin his grandfather's dinner by reprimanding his mother in front of the guests.

Thanks to the exciting conversation between Roger and several of his friends, Albert enjoyed the night, but he had Elizabeth present in his mind. For her part, Emily stayed close to her grandfather all night to avoid her mother. She only watched Albert for the rest of the night and could tell that he was uncomfortable for some reason, and she wondered what or who occupied his thoughts.

P&P

The following day, Mr. Darcy awoke even earlier than he usually did. The cordial conversation with Elizabeth and seeing his sister a little calmer finally let him relax and sleep, which he had not done in many days.

When his valet saw that he was awake, he delivered a message that had arrived at night while he was sleeping. Mr. Darcy opened it immediately when he saw that it was from Richard.

Darcy,

I traveled as fast as I could. I am at my parents' house. Come have breakfast with me so you can tell me what happened to Georgie.

R.F

Mr. Darcy shaved, washed as fast as he could, and headed to his Uncle's house. He was grateful that his cousin was there because he would demand his Uncle and Aunt not to spread rumors about Georgiana among their friends. After all, there was no reason these people should learn what was happening in their private lives.

When he arrived at his Uncle's house, the butler informed him that the Colonel had arrived quite late, so he was just getting up, but he would be ready in half an hour. But his Aunt and Uncle were already having breakfast, so he joined them and decided to broach the subject of Georgiana with them.

He knew his Aunt had come to his house the day before to invite him and Georgiana to dinner and that the butler had told her the official version of Georgiana's whereabouts.

"I believe you are right, Darcy. Anastasia, telling all your friends that my niece had an accident is completely inappropriate. No one in my family should become the talk of a group of gossiping old women," said the Earl emphatically.

"I only told one person, but I see that I cannot trust anyone," said the Countess, defending herself.

"Indeed, that is the way these people are. The best thing is to avoid airing our private lives," Lord Matlock concluded, looking disapprovingly at his wife. But once he finished reprimanding her, he attacked his nephew. "I have something to ask you, Darcy, and I hope you will consider it. Is it true that Georgiana's friends live in Cheapside and are the daughters of a tradesman? Darcy, what kind of people are you allowing your sister to associate with? I know your mother taught you better!"

Mr. Darcy could not help but feel annoyed. His Uncle did not even know those people and judged them so lightly. "The Bennet sisters are daughters of a gentleman, Master of the Longbourn estate in Hertfordshire. I met them a few months ago when I spent time in that county, and they are visiting their uncle who lives near Cheapside. He is the tradesman, not the father of Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth. Besides, Georgie's friends are two exemplary ladies who have welcomed her with affection and cared for her greatly."

"I do not care how nice or good those two ladies are. My niece is currently staying at a tradesman's house. I hope you bring her back to Darcy House as soon as possible," ordered the Earl, hoping his nephew would obey.

"Good morning, father, mother, Darcy. I could not help but hear what you were saying, Father. Let me clarify that Georgiana's guardians are Darcy and me, and if he says that Georgie's friends are valuable people, I support him. I hope you do not make me remind you why uncle George did not leave you as my cousin's co-guardian." Richard knew his father would cease bothering his cousin Darcy with those magic words.

George Darcy did not trust Henry Fitzwilliam because he knew he was ambitious and irresponsible with finances. It was a dangerous combination to leave a daughter with a dowry of thirty thousand pounds in charge of him.

Richard and Mr. Darcy ate breakfast in relative silence. At the same time, the Countess spoke incessantly about fashion, gossiped about an unfaithful woman, and, of course, her favorite subject, how magnificent Emily Daniels was.

For his part, the Earl matched his wife's ability to speak nonsense. He was a man who boasted of being intelligent and highly educated, but he was nothing more than a braggart. Half of the things he said were inaccurate or just plain wrong. Richard always said that his father read the first and last pages of books to pretend that he was a great reader, when in reality, what entertained him was playing cards and talking about how to spend the money he did not have.

Finally, the Colonel and Mr. Darcy excused themselves, saying they would visit Georgiana. Once in the carriage, Richard could finally ask all the questions he wanted.

"My mother said that Georgiana had gone to a park and that she had fallen running. I must confess that I was amazed to learn she had become friends with two young ladies you met in Hertfordshire. If I remember correctly, you told me you had met no one worthwhile in that place, just unsophisticated and rather vulgar people. Although, knowing you, I can believe that they probably were just regular folks with no money or connections," Richard said with a laugh.

"Also, I remember well that when I asked you about the ladies, you told me that none of them were worthy of your admiration, so I assume that Georgie's new friends must be terribly ugly," Richard laughed again. "Do not look at me like that; I am not as demanding as you. I have neither your money nor your romantic novel hero appearance, so I am sure that they will be at least tolerable for me."

"Did you finish teasing me? I assure you that what happened to Georgiana is much more serious than you can imagine," said Mr. Darcy.

"Tell me then," the Colonel said in a commanding voice. Seemingly, things were more complicated than he initially thought. Mr. Darcy told him the whole truth about what had happened, that the Bennet sisters were not Georgiana's friends before the incident, that Elizabeth had seen her only once, and that they found her in that park after Georgiana had gone to see Mr. Wickham.

Richard, barely able to control his anger, said, "Damn Wickham, I shall kill him! Trying to force Georgie to elope with him! That young lady and I shall have a long conversation once she is recovered."

"She is aware of the seriousness of what she did but also very sorry. There is something I have not told you yet. When Georgiana refused to elope with him, Wickham slapped her face more than once."

"Wickham is a dead man. As soon as he falls into my hands, I shall send him straight to hell," Richard said. The rest of the journey to Cheapside was almost silent. The Colonel did not want to speak. Instead, he kept thinking about what he would do to locate Wickham as soon as possible.

When they arrived at the Gardiners', Mr. Darcy introduced his cousin to Mrs. Gardiner, and after knowing all that the lady had done for Georgiana, he thanked her profusely. "Mrs. Gardiner, I humbly offer you my sincere friendship, and please do not hesitate to seek my assistance when you need it. I shall do my best to help you and your family. I shall be indebted to you for the rest of my life for what you have done for my dear cousin."

Mrs. Gardiner was touched by Richard's words. His gratitude was sincere and full of emotion, starkly contrasting Mr. Darcy's dry and cold words when he thanked them. "My dear Colonel, all the citizens of this country are indebted to men like you who fight to maintain the greatness of our kingdom. You do not owe us anything; we are the ones who are obliged to you. But we shall have time to chat more later. I imagine you want to see your cousin. Please, let me escort you to her room. My nieces are with her now."

"Thank you, madam," said Richard and Mr. Darcy.

When Richard entered the room and saw how pale Georgiana was and her face still swollen from Wickham's slaps, he had to make a great effort not to shed some tears. Jane, Elizabeth, and Mrs. Gardiner saw how affected Richard was, so they made the required introductions to distract his attention.

"It is nice to finally meet you, Colonel," said Elizabeth, smiling.

"Finally? Georgie, what have you been saying about me?" The Colonel said as he affectionately kissed Georgiana on the forehead, and she hugged him very excitedly.

"Richard, do not worry; I told them that you are amusing and always keep us entertained," Georgiana said, smiling.

"So your friends might think that I am a clown?" Richard asked, pretending to be offended.

"Do not worry, Colonel. I have the same reputation," Elizabeth added.

"How so, Miss Elizabeth?" Richard asked. He could not believe his foolish cousin said he had not met any attractive women in Hertfordshire. Jane Bennet was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and her sister Elizabeth was also pretty and quite charming.

"You know, one who fell out of a tree trying to win a competition or fell into the mud with pigs trying to retrieve a ball. People always remember this sort of tale and forget about all your qualities," Elizabeth explained as the Colonel and Georgiana laughed heartily.

"Indeed, the adventurous spirit is always criticized in this world," Richard added.

"The problem is that in my sister's case, the adventurous spirit always meant problems," added Jane, also laughing.

Mr. Darcy was smiling happily, unable to take his eyes off Elizabeth. At that moment, he felt like kneeling before her and asking her to be his wife. He wanted to take her Gretna Green so he did not have to wait another day to enjoy her happiness, sweetness, kisses, caresses, and love. At that moment, he could do anything to enjoy her company, send all his prejudices to hell, and have a little enjoyment in a life full of loneliness, loss, and duties.

Mrs. Gardiner noticed how Mr. Darcy looked at Elizabeth. She was intelligent and mature and immediately understood what was happening. She was not at all surprised that a gentleman as serious and formal as Mr. Darcy was attracted to her niece, a pretty and cheerful lady. But she was a little concerned because she knew that Lady Anne's son could never have a formal relationship with a girl like Elizabeth. She was neither wealthy nor well-connected, which was probably what the Master of Pemberley sought in a wife.

Elizabeth was fascinated by the Colonel's presence. He reminded him a bit of Mr. Reed in his cheerful and friendly spirit, although he was not as handsome as Albert was. She suddenly felt that someone was watching her, and her gaze met Mr. Darcy's, who this time did not look at her seriously as he used to but with a slight smile. She saw a different sparkle in his eyes and was dangerously drawn to him. But when she realized she was blushing, she immediately avoided his gaze and ignored him.

Mr. Darcy could hardly breathe as Elizabeth stared at him, and when he saw her blush, he felt his heart pound so hard it would leap out of his chest. Richard, like Mrs. Gardiner, had also observed his cousin and thought he understood many things after watching him ogle the lovely Elizabeth Bennet. "Do you not think, Darcy?" Richard asked surprisingly.

"I suppose so," was the only thing he said since he had no idea what he had been asked.

Mrs. Gardiner and her nieces excused themselves and left the three cousins so they could speak privately.

Mr. Darcy was relieved and disappointed to see Elizabeth leave the room. On the one hand, he wanted to keep looking at her, but on the other, he needed to maintain his composure to converse with his sister and cousin.

Richard immediately sat beside Georgiana, stroked her hair, and kissed her forehead. "My little princess, I am glad to see you so happy. I must confess that such pleasant company makes me want to pretend to be ill so that these lovely ladies take care of me."

Georgiana laughed at Richard's comments, hugged him tightly, and cried uncontrollably. "Richard, I hope you can forgive me and still love me. You and William are all I have."

The Colonel and Mr. Darcy looked at each other sadly and guiltily. But they both comforted Georgiana until they managed to calm her down. "I shall always love you, my dear little princess," Richard said, his voice cracking with emotion.

P&P

"I am sorry, dear, but you cannot stay another day here even if you pay what you owe us," Sally said flirtatiously.

"My dear, my friend still has not paid me what he owes me. Tell your husband to extend the credit for a few more days. You know very well that I do not want to be away from you either," added Mr. Wickham in a sensual and honeyed voice.

"George, I think you should better leave as soon as possible. My husband is suspicious of us, but that is not the worst." Sally Jackson was a flirtatious twenty-five-year-old woman married to John Jackson, a rather moody and jealous forty-year-old man.

"My dear Sally, I know you have a talent for convincing your husband to do whatever you want," said Mr. Wickham, kissing the flirtatious woman's hand.

"George, my husband loves me as much as he loves money. But please do not interrupt me because I have something important to tell you. My sister told me that in the tavern where she works, a very smartly dressed man accompanied by two gentlemen was looking for someone with your description."

"Are you sure?" asked Mr. Wickham, concerned.

"Yes, and they offer an excellent sum of money for someone who can tell where you are. If he asks my husband, do not doubt he will tell them you are here. So it would be best if you leave immediately," Sally said, a little sad.

"Thank you, Sally," replied Mr. Wickham very seriously.

"George, who is looking for you and why?" Sally asked.

"I do not know, my dear. I guess I should better go." Mr. Wickham said goodbye to Sally, packed his few belongings, and left the Jacksons' inn. At the moment, he did not quite know where he could hide, but he would find somewhere because he was resourceful.

He needed to think about when he would implement the next step of his plan. "Darcy, Darcy, by now, you should know I shall always be two steps ahead of you. I have all the love letters that your silly sister sent me. If you are unwilling to pay what I ask, I shall have to sell them to the best bidder."

Thinking of all the money he could collect, Mr. Wickham wandered down a dark street full of seedy slums.

P&P

Many thanks to everyone who leaves supportive comments and enthusiastically follows the story.

In the next chapter, Mr. Darcy is in for a big surprise when he learns a little more about Mrs. Gardiner's life.

Saludos,

Yo