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 23

"Anne, I do not know why that man spends so much time in this house. Of course, I understand he is taking over all his father's affairs, but he does not need to spend so much time in this house. Do you not think, Anne? "Lady Catherine asked without much interest in hearing her daughter's response.

"I think ..." Anne tried to say, but Lady Catherine kept talking.

"Besides, that man is fat enough, and I do not want to feed him daily. Although I do not blame him for wanting to dine in this house, he will not find a better table in Kent or all of England, I dare say. But, Anne, what did you do all afternoon?"

"I was…"

"I hope you had a good nap because spending so many hours awake is unhealthy. Especially for a lady as delicate as you." Lady Catherine kept speaking with her daughter and Mrs. Jenkinson while they dined.

For years, Horace Watson was Sir Louis de Bourgh's old friend and the family solicitor. A year ago, Horace passed away, and his son Herbert assumed all his late father's responsibilities. As part of his new position, eleven months ago, he traveled to Kent to introduce himself to one of the important firm clients and met the most wonderful woman in the kingdom, Anne de Bourgh.

Herbert was rather shy and insecure because he was always chubby and not very agile despite being very intelligent since childhood, as were most of his friends. He was known as a disciplined student in Oxford but was never good at sports. But to his surprise, Miss de Bourgh, although very fearful at first, gave him a chance and unknowingly began a friendship that, in a month, turned into a passionate romance that lasted more than ten months.

To Anne, Herbert was the most handsome and intelligent man she had ever met. Like her, he was withdrawn and entertained himself by reading mystery books and observing others. Anne, unlike Herbert, was extremely thin because the food at Rosings, contrary to what her mother always said, was horrible and not varied. She loved when Herbert, who visited her every month, brought her delicious cheeses, cakes, and fruits she had never tasted. One of Herbert's great passions was baking, and Anne dreamed of living with him so they could bake together.

"Anne, you have not eaten anything. Are you not hungry, or are you ill? You must take great care of yourself and preserve your natural beauty and elegance. Darcy will visit us in less than a month. What a beautiful couple you make; he is so handsome and distinguished, and you with your natural elegance," said Lady Catherine enthusiastically.

'I am not pretty, and Darcy is very handsome but dull and arrogant. You cannot compare him or anyone else with my dear Herbert, mother,' Anne thought, wishing she could say all that to her mother, yet she only dared to reply, "Yes, mother."

Finally, after tolerating her mother for over an hour and being completely exhausted, she pretended she was ill and said she would go to her bedroom. Without anyone noticing, she went to a back room on the house's ground floor where Herbert was waiting for her and where they used to see each other.

"My love, my little princess, tomorrow I shall leave very early, but I shall be anxiously waiting for you in what will be your house."

"My beloved Herbert, I cannot wait to be with you," Anne said as she passionately kissed the man she loved. "I have a plan, and I think my cousin Richard can help us. In any case, I am old enough to get married, and no one will convince me otherwise."

"Neither do I, my beautiful little princess," Herbert replied. After that, he and his beloved continued kissing and saying how much they loved each other.

P&P

"I shall report you to the magistrate for this cowardly assault, Fitzwilliam," Wickham said, trying to escape Richard.

"Please do it, Wickham. Then, of course, when you call him, Darcy and I shall give him all your debts that he has bought throughout many years of your miserable life." Richard was trying to calm himself to do what he had to and not get carried away by anger, and Wickham could run away.

While wiping the blood from his nose, Wickham threatened Richard with a sneer in his voice. "Neither you nor your ridiculous cousin will report me because if you dare to interfere with my plans, I shall ruin the reputation of your dear and stupid cousin Georgiana."

Richard could no longer control himself and landed another blow on Wickham's face, and he fell back to the ground. "Damn you bastard, you are brave with a girl like Georgie, but you behave like a coward against a man."

Wickham was scared. He knew he could not confront Richard. Since they were children, he could never cajole or take advantage of him as he did with Darcy. "Let me go, Fitzwilliam, forget I exist, and I shall forget about you and your cousins," Wickham lied. The truth was, he was planning to send Darcy a letter to blackmail him.

Richard saw that other men were leaving the bar and were watching the fight. So he knew he had to act fast, so he took Wickham by his jacket and started punching him. Wickham tried to defend himself, so Richard had to punch him again, but this time in the stomach. When Wickham fell to the ground, he hit his head and was unconscious for a few seconds. Richard took the opportunity to search inside his jacket pocket, where he found a series of papers that he quickly took and put in his greatcoat's pocket.

Wickham regained consciousness, and when he saw people leaving the bar, he began to scream for help. Unfortunately, most men were drunk and saw a poor innocent being attacked by a smartly dressed man.

Richard was coming from a social gathering dressed as an elegant, high-class gentleman. So, the men ran to Wickham's aid and pounced on Richard. He defended himself the best he could, but luckily, Randall and his men also stepped in to help Richard. A fight of significant proportions ensued, and everyone fought against each other.

Wickham took advantage of the confusion, sneaked away, and fled. After fifteen minutes, everyone got tired, and the fight was over. Most of the men returned to the bar to continue drinking, and Richard took the opportunity to thank Randall and his men and say goodbye.

"Thank you, my friends. It was a good fight, and everyone fought bravely," Richard said, giving each man who helped him a firm handshake.

"It was a pleasure for us to help you, Colonel," Randall said, smiling.

"I must go now, but I shall be back in a few days to invite all of you to a few rounds of the best brandy this bar offers," Richard said merrily and left.

He supposed that his cousin had probably already returned to his house, so he went directly to Darcy House to tell him everything he had experienced in the last hours.

Mr. Darcy was in his office, sitting in front of the fire, drinking brandy and thinking of Elizabeth and the wonderful evening he had spent with her. At that time, he had decided to propose, but he was not entirely sure she reciprocated his feelings. However, he did not blame her. After how he had behaved, he knew it would not be easy to convince her of his true feelings.

"Darcy, what are you doing looking at the fire, or rather, who are you thinking of?" Richard said with his natural good humor. "You do not need to get angry or answer my question because I know WHO you were thinking about."

"Have you looked yourself in a mirror? Instead of laughing at me, you must explain why you disappeared from Lady Grace's meeting. Your mother was incessantly asking me where you were. And now, you appear in my house, looking like a ruffian."

"Darcy, pour me a brandy, and I shall tell you what happened to me. Please make it double because I have had a long night." Mr. Darcy poured the brandy for his cousin, and he began to tell him everything.

"Do you have the letters? What happened to Wickham?" asked Mr. Darcy nervously.

"Yes, here I have them. But in the confusion of the fight, Wickham managed to slip away." Richard gave his cousin the letters, and after they made sure they had all of them, they threw them into the fire and were relieved, knowing that Wickham could not use Georgiana anymore to get money from them.

"I shall tell Smith to begin the hunt for Wickham. Now that I know he cannot harm Georgiana, I want him behind bars," said Mr. Darcy forcefully.

"Yes, it is time for that scoundrel to pay for everything he has done. Also, Darcy, would you allow me to rest here tonight? If I go to my parents' house, my mother will not let me rest peacefully with her questions and complaints."

"Of course, your bedroom is always ready, and you have everything you need there."

The cousins talked for a few more minutes before retiring to their chambers. They were both exhausted and knew there was still much to do. Richard wanted to mention Anne's situation to Darcy, but his superior officer ordered him to report to the regiment outside London the following day. He was also ordered to cover the officer in charge for a few days because he was ill.

Richard said goodbye to Georgiana and Mr. Darcy and left as soon as he could. He was unsure if Anne was serious when she told him she would flee Rosings to marry her solicitor or if it was all a whim to get attention. She had asked him to communicate everything to the family, and he was willing to do so if he saw that the romance was serious. Anne had always been a good girl but was oppressed by a mother who did not give her a second of freedom.

P&P

Sarah Wilson took advantage of Lady Grace's friendship with her father to join the group that would meet that morning at the orphanage. Emily told her father's friend about their work with the children, and Sarah joined them because she desired to meet Jane Bennet and discover her intentions with Mr. Bingley.

As Mrs. Gardiner had promised to visit Georgiana with Elizabeth, she could not accompany them, but Emily asked Jane to go with her, and she could not refuse. Also, Emily had planned with her grandfather to get together later for tea so Peter could see and spend time with Jane.

Emily was happy to share time with Jane. She had always wanted to have a friend and a sister. Miss Bennet was very considerate and generous, and she was convinced her brother was very much in love with her. But also, she had been pleasantly surprised with Miss Wilson. At first, she did not understand why she had insisted on accompanying them. Still, after an hour in her company, she realized she was just as intelligent and cultured as Lady Grace, although sometimes cold and distant.

Sarah took every opportunity to speak to Jane and get the information she needed. "Where are you from, Miss Bennet?"

"I am from Hertfordshire, and I am spending the season at my uncle's house," Jane replied.

"And do you like London?" Sarah asked to continue questioning her.

"It is a place that offers many opportunities, but I also enjoy the serenity of life in the country. So I enjoy both places," Jane replied as she played with some children from the orphanage.

Sarah managed to get the information she wanted. She knew that Mr. Bingley had leased an estate in Hertfordshire and probably met Jane there. She just needed to know whether or not she was interested in him. But she could not deny that the day had been enjoyable because all the women were kind and friendly. But most of all, she enjoyed Lady Grace's company.

Once they finished their visit to the orphanage, they went to have tea and converse. Lady Grace told the three young ladies that she had become a very young widow and never wanted to marry again.

"Why do you never want to marry again?" asked Sarah.

"Because as a widow, I got the freedom I always dreamed of and did everything I always desired, like studying and improving my musical abilities," explained Lady Grace, smiling. "Have you ever thought about what you would like to do if women had the same freedom as men?"

The conversation became lively, and each of the young women explained what their dreams were. "I wish I could take over my grandfather's business," Emily gushed.

"I wish I could be free to choose how to live my life," Jane said sheepishly.

They all looked at Sarah because she seemed to be thinking about her answer. "I do not know, but I agree with all your wishes. Of course, I would like to study as you have, Lady Grace. But I would also like to enter the business world. Lately, I have been learning about the subject, and I think it is exciting." Then, looking at Jane as if identifying with her, she added. "I would also like to have the freedom to decide what to do and not be forced by circumstances to do things that do not make me happy."

"My dear young girls, I always dream of the day when we women shall be completely free and in control of our lives," said Lady Grace a little emotionally. "And I shall confess something, my dear Sarah. I also like the business world, and thanks to that, I could recover my fortune," said Lady Grace, winking at the girls.

The conversation continued while they drank tea and ate delicious tarts until two young ladies interrupted them. They said hello and tried to cajole information that they could share with other women, who were just as gossipy as they were.

Miss Green and Miss Powell could not avoid making a poisonous comment. They had always envied Sarah because all men admired her. She was beautiful and well-educated, and her father was an influential man. "Sarah, my dear, is that the dress you wore the other day when I saw you at Mrs. Burton's house?" Both friends looked at each other and smiled maliciously.

Sarah blushed and could not answer. Due to a lack of funds, she had been unable to renew her wardrobe, but Emily, Jane, and Lady Grace intervened on her behalf.

"My dear Miss Wilson, the red looks spectacular on you. If I looked so good in a dress, I would also wear it whenever I could," said Lady Grace, looking at the two harpies to see if they dared to contradict her.

"Women as beautiful and elegant as you, Miss Wilson, always look lovely. It really does not matter what you wear," added Emily.

"Besides, you are pleasant and clever, and many people consider that much more important than any other thing," complimented Jane, taking Sara's hand when she saw her on the verge of tears.

Miss Green and Ms. Powell understood that they would not be successful in their desire to harm Sarah and said their goodbyes after speaking a few more words. On her part, Sarah was sincerely grateful and excited, not because of what the pair of harpies had said but to discover that there were good women in her acquaintance, not just cold harpies.

She had spent so much time being melancholy, pretending she was a foolish, frivolous, calculating woman to please others, creating a false image she had always detested. "Thank you for everything," she told her new friends while shedding some tears of heartfelt emotion.

"Well, today is a day to be happy, so let me tell you how I learned to play the guitar with a handsome and very nice Spanish teacher," said Lady Grace as all the young ladies listened attentively.

Just then, Peter and Roger arrived and joined the group. Unsurprisingly, Peter sat near Jane and chatted with her almost exclusively. Emily told her grandfather what they had done at the orphanage, and Lady Grace took the opportunity to say something to Sarah in her ear. "Darling, you and I have to speak."

Sarah looked at her, smiling and a little surprised, but she sensed what she wanted to say and only replied, "It is always a pleasure to speak with you, my dear Lady Grace."

P&P

While Mrs. Gardiner conversed with Georgiana, Mr. Darcy took the opportunity to speak to Elizabeth more privately. "I hope your Aunt liked the flowers we sent her. Georgiana and I wanted to thank her for all her kindness."

"Yes, she loved them. But, in any case, I know she was worried about Georgiana and wanted to see her. She is very fond of your sister because my aunt has a motherly personality," Elizabeth said, a little nervous in the presence of this new and kind Mr. Darcy.

"You know, I wanted to tell you that I shall ask Dr. Lewis to do me the honor of being our family doctor when we are in London. I hope he honors us and accepts my staff and us as his new patients," said Mr. Darcy. After learning why Dr. Baker had ceased to be the Darcy family doctor, he wanted to repair that mistake and thought the best way to do it was by helping his closest disciple.

"Uncle Edmund has a lot of patients. So it will not be easy to convince him," Elizabeth explained.

"I know, but I think he will accept my proposal after I talk to him." Mr. Darcy explained to Elizabeth that he planned to offer him an excellent salary so that he could continue treating all those patients who could not pay.

Elizabeth appreciated Mr. Darcy's good intentions and wished him success. Every day, she was more surprised by how changed Mr. Darcy was. Undoubtedly, he was still reserved but more cordial and friendlier than before.

Georgiana was pleased listening to Mrs. Gardiner's advice and grateful for her care and protection. "My brother asked Mrs. Annesley to stay with her sister for a few days more. She is good company, and in two more days, she will return. I am eager to see her and resume my piano and all other lessons."

"It seems excellent to me; you must forget everything that happened with that evil man. But the first thing you need to do is get out of the house; you need to put that incident in the past and get over your fears," Mrs. Gardiner said affectionately.

"I do not know; I am scared if people see my face ..." Georgiana tried to excuse herself.

"Your face is almost completely recovered; no one has to know what happened to you, and the more natural you act, the less curiosity you will provoke," explained Mrs. Gardiner.

"I promise I shall try," Georgiana replied.

Some maids brought a tray of tea and fruits to serve the visitors. Then, with Elizabeth's help, Georgiana served the tea, conversing animatedly.

Mr. Darcy decided to speak with Mrs. Gardiner and ask her to intercede with Dr. Lewis. She was impressed with Mr. Darcy's insistence and could sense that it was probably related to her father. "I shall speak with my cousin; I am sure he will be honored to know you think so highly of him."

Mr. Darcy, seeing Elizabeth and Georgiana talking spiritedly, dared to ask some things that he did not want anyone else to hear. "Mrs. Gardiner, thank you so much for accepting my invitation. I am delighted to know that you and your entire family will be coming to my house in a couple of days. I am curious if Miss Elizabeth intends to stay in London for the rest of the season with Miss Bennet, of course."

Mrs. Gardiner noticed Mr. Darcy's nervousness and was unsure how to respond. "They came to spend the season and will return home before the end of this month."

"That means that she… they will be in town for at least three more weeks," Mr. Darcy said as if he were planning something.

"We enjoy their company because we love them very much. They are good girls and deserve the best," Mrs. Gardiner said dryly. She could not understand Mr. Darcy's interest in Elizabeth and his real intentions.

"I agree, Mrs. Gardiner. I ... my intentions ..." Mr. Darcy could not finish what he was planning because Georgiana invited the visitors to the music room to listen to a piece she had prepared for them.

After half an hour, it was finally time to go, and Mr. Darcy regretted Elizabeth's departure. He wanted to spend more time with her but could not find any excuse to hold her longer. He also knew that Mrs. Gardiner had to return with her children. Therefore, he could only think of accompanying them to their carriage.

Fortunately for him, Mrs. Gardiner forgot a doll that Georgiana had sent to Betty to wish her a speedy recovery and went back for it, leaving Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth outside the house waiting for her.

"Miss Elizabeth," Mr. Darcy said, briefly caressing her hand.

"Yes," Elizabeth replied without avoiding his touch.

"I was wondering if it would be possible to call on you tomorrow. I would like to talk with you about... many things. But of course, if you have another commitment, I understand. If that is the case, perhaps I could visit you the day after tomorrow, of course, if I am not inopportune." Mr. Darcy's heart was pounding so hard, and he felt very nervous but delighted to see how Elizabeth looked back at him.

"I am not busy tomorrow and not the day after also," Elizabeth replied.

Mr. Darcy saw Mrs. Gardiner approaching them, and before she arrived, he murmured to Elizabeth, "Tomorrow, I shall go to see you."

"We shall be waiting for you," replied Elizabeth, blushing. She could not understand why she acted like a fool in front of that man.

Finally, Mrs. Gardiner reached their side, and Mr. Darcy helped them into the carriage and said goodbye. Without knowing why, he stood there watching the carriage drive away, smiling, full of hope and happiness.

P&P

Wickham had been in hiding with one of his few friends for several days. Mrs. Morrison's house was in a relatively exclusive part of town about eight blocks from Darcy House, and he was sure nobody would look for him there.

Fortunately, he could escape Colonel Fitzwilliam's beating, although he still had marks on his face and felt pain all over his body. However, he was a resourceful man, so he had hidden in the house of an old friend, a widow in her forties who enjoyed the company of young men.

Fortunately, she had taken pity on him and let him sleep in one of the servants' quarters.

Angela Morrison married a banker many years her senior and was now enjoying her life thanks to her late husband's money. Wickham had been her lover for a while, but she left him because he could not be faithful to anyone, and she did not like to share her men with other women.

Wickham was filled with anger and resentment, and when he realized that Richard stole Georgiana's letters from him, he knew that he must find other ways to collect money to enact his revenge on everyone in that damn family. So, he grew a beard and, wearing his friend's late husband's clothes, headed to the park in front of his nemesis's house to get closer to Georgiana and force her to elope with him.

However, his surprise was significant when he saw Elizabeth Bennet leaving that house in the arms of the pompous Darcy. But he was even more shocked when he saw them speak almost intimately and later saw how he watched the carriage drive away like a fool in love.

'I always knew you liked the beautiful Elizabeth; even in women, we have similar taste, Darcy. If you only knew how much that woman despises you, but it is what you deserve. No one can ever love you if it is not for your money,'mumbled Mr. Wickham angrily.

But suddenly, his face lit up, and before anyone saw him, he hid behind a tree. 'I know what I must do to ruin your life, Darcy. If I cannot be happy with your money, you will not be happy with the woman you admire so dearly.'

P&P

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

In the next chapter, Albert will talk to Elizabeth.

Saludos,

Yo