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 25

When Albert arrived at the office early to review the documents and contracts he and Mr. Gardiner had signed with important clients, he heard the bad news. Mr. Gardiner's sister had suffered a domestic accident and was apparently in serious condition. As expected, his partner wrote a short letter to Albert explaining what had happened and begging him to take care of everything for a few days.

The moment the message arrived, and even though it was almost time to sleep, Mr. Gardiner went to talk to his cousin Dr. Lewis and asked him to accompany them the following day to see Mrs. Bennet. Edmund's wife, Martha, offered to care for the Gardiners' children so that he and Madeline could travel immediately. So, early the following day, Jane, Elizabeth, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, and Dr. Lewis set out for Hertfordshire while Betty, Adam, and Luke went to spend a few days with aunt Martha and their cousins.

When Albert learned about everything, he became very concerned and wanted to travel to support his partner, friend, and family. Still, he understood that he should stay in charge of the business because they would have to sign two contracts with three of their most important clients in the next few days. The future of their company depended on these transactions, and he knew he would help more by staying in London than going to Longbourn.

In the last few days, he had thought a lot about everything that had happened in his life in the previous few months. He could not deny his profound admiration for Miss Elizabeth, but he did not know how to name that feeling. He could only realize that his rivalry with Darcy had influenced the horrible decisions he had made in recent days, and he was not happy with that. If he was honest with himself, at that moment, he could not explain if his feelings for Miss Elizabeth were romantic or friendship; the moment Darcy entered the equation, he felt that it was one more battle between them and that he must win it. Worst of all, Elizabeth had realized what was happening, making him feel miserable.

The day before, everything became even more confusing when Emily Daniels arrived at the Gardiners' house. She had behaved very differently from the last time they spoke, which annoyed him because he knew she could be pleasant when desired. He did not like to feel like she was playing with him, feigning interest one day and ignoring him the next.

After reviewing all the documents for the afternoon meeting, Albert realized that the budget and expense projections were missing. He assumed his partner had forgotten to send them due to the confusion generated by Mrs. Bennet's accident. Therefore, he went to his partner's house and asked the butler to allow him to inspect Mr. Gardiner's office to see if they were there.

Peter woke up in high spirits after the lovely afternoon with Jane. After much hesitation, he could finally be sure his feelings towards her were reciprocated, so he wanted to ask permission to court her. He had only three weeks to convince her of the sincerity of his affection, and he planned to make the most of them.

So after breakfast, Peter asked Emily to go with him to call on Miss Bennet, and she cheerfully agreed. She wanted to talk to Miss Elizabeth about her feelings towards Albert and know her opinion. She could not speak to her mother about a topic like that, and she needed the view of another woman whose opinion she respected. If Elizabeth and Albert were in love, she would forget about him forever.

"Thank you, Harris, for letting me into Mr. Gardiner's office. Please do not worry. I shall send him an express informing him of today's business. Also, I shall let him know that I had to come to his house to get these documents." Albert entered the office accompanied by the butler and found the documents on the desk, so he did not need to go through the drawers or other places.

"Do not worry, sir. I know my master trusts you," replied Harris.

Then, just as Albert was preparing to leave, Peter and Emily arrived. He explained everything he knew about the accident and promised to notify them if he had news.

"I cannot imagine how sad the whole family must be. I hope Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth can get to her mother's side as soon as possible," Emily said sorrowfully.

For his part, Peter stayed silent and listened to what Albert said as he planned what he should do. "Thank you, Reed. And please, whatever you know, let me know no matter what time."

After talking to Albert practically at the house's front door, Peter and Emily left, and Albert spoke for a few more minutes with the butler, offering his help if needed.

When Albert finally left the house, he met Mr. and Miss Darcy on the front steps. After greeting them both, he explained briefly. "I am sorry, Darcy, Miss Darcy, but the family is not at home…."

Albert was going to explain that they traveled to Hertfordshire due to an emergency, but Mr. Darcy cut him short: "Reed, I do not have time for your games. If you will excuse us, we are here to call on Mrs. Gardiner, not you."

Albert was infuriated by Mr. Darcy's arrogance, typical of a man from his class. He did not tell him what he thought of him, only because he was with his sister. "I just told you that the family is not at home," he repeated, exasperated.

"Mr. Reed," the butler said, walking out of the house. "When you put on your coat, you dropped this document," the butler explained as he handed him the paper.

"Thank you, Harris. I was explaining to Mr. and Miss Darcy that Mrs. Gardiner and her family are not home."

"Yes, sir, they left very early this morning. Now, if you excused me," was all the butler said and reentered the house.

A visibly frustrated Mr. Darcy had no choice but to ask Reed. "Do you know where they went and when they will return home?"

"They traveled to Hertfordshire, and I do not know when they will return," Albert replied. Just then, the Daniels' carriage passed, and Emily stared at him. He was unable to meet her gaze, knowing what he was planning to do was wrong.

"Lizzy and Jane have returned to their home?" Georgiana asked, very surprised.

"Yes, and their Aunt and Uncle accompanied them. Now, If you will excuse me, I have a lot of things to do, and I have to go." Albert said goodbye and left without telling them about Mrs. Bennet's accident. He guessed Mr. Darcy's intentions and was not ready to lose.

P&P

Ever since Lady Grace spoke to her, Sarah felt like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She constantly worried about her family's economic situation and was willing to do whatever was possible to avoid ruin. The irony was that her father had spent much of his fortune entertaining the Ton, and now none of them were willing to help them.

Sarah was hopeful that Lady Grace would aid them. She was also grateful that she had helped her grow into the person she truly felt she was, not the false and arrogant societal lady everyone expected her to be.

The last days, she spent most of the hours of the day thinking about a new life and the brave Colonel Fitzwilliam. He was not particularly handsome like his cousin Darcy or Mr. Bingley, nor was he a wealthy heir, but despite that, she thought he was infinitely more attractive.

He called on her family the day before and spent almost two hours conversing with Lord Wilson. She had a fantastic time listening to the young officer's anecdotes and experiences, and for the first time in her life, she thought it could be possible to marry for love.

She was so lost in her pleasant thoughts that she almost did not notice when the butler announced the visit of two of her supposed friends, Caroline Bingley and Louisa Hurst.

"My dear Sarah, you have abandoned us for many weeks," Caroline said as she falsely smiled.

"We miss you so much, my dear," Louisa added in the same tone.

"Caroline, Louisa, please come in. I am really sorry, but I have been busy lately." Sarah told Mr. Bingley's sisters about her work at the orphanage and her ideas to help that institution.

Louisa listened carefully to Sarah and was even about to offer her collaboration, but she preferred not to say anything when she saw her sister's countenance. Caroline was unhappy with the course of the conversation because she was there for another reason, and she did not wish to continue wasting her time with trivialities. But her boredom turned to anger when she learned that her soon-to-be sister-in-law had been spending time with Jane Bennet and her Aunt.

"I am so glad, my dear Sarah, that you have found an activity that keeps you entertained. But let me tell you that you should be more careful with whom you associate with. Jane Bennet is a woman who, on the surface, seems very sweet, but she is just a fortune hunter, and her aunt is nothing more than a tradesman's wife. I cannot understand how and where you met such low-class women, but I recommend you stay away from them." Caroline was sure that Jane had sought to befriend Sarah to keep her away from her brother.

For her part, Sarah was outraged to hear how malicious Caroline could be, whom she one day sought out as a friend out of convenience. But she calmly wanted to clarify that despite all her faults, she had never been a gossip. "My dear, let me explain that my opinion of Miss Bennet and her aunt is different from yours. They are two ladies whom I have known for a short time, but I deeply admire their intelligence and kindness. And it was Lady Grace who introduced them to me, and I trust her excellent judgment."

Caroline was furious and would not let Jane Bennet interfere with her plans again. "I do not know what that woman told you about us, but be careful, dear, because she is very good at playing the role of the kind and innocent." Louisa was going to support her sister's words, but she saw that Sarah had become angry, so she preferred not to participate in the conversation.

"The truth, Caroline, is that Miss Bennet never said anything about you or your family. She is not the type of person who speaks ill of others; I am sure that if she does not have something positive to say about someone, she prefers not to say anything. And that is a quality that I respect and admire very much." Sarah stared at Caroline, hinting she did not want to continue discussing that.

The visit lasted another twenty minutes, and Caroline invited Sarah to dinner, but she excused herself, saying she was busy for the following two weeks. Caroline and Louisa left the Wilson house feeling that they had probably lost an important connection and that the growing friendship between them and the Baron's daughter was over.

P&P

When he got home, Peter ordered his valet to prepare his trunk as he was leaving for Hertfordshire the next day. On the carriage ride home, he told Emily he wanted to accompany Miss Bennet in that difficult moment and offer his support. Emily begged to allow her to accompany him, and he gladly accepted.

Unfortunately, his mother was at home, and when she discovered her son's plans, she began asking impertinent questions until she got the answer she wanted.

"I shall visit and offer my assistance to Miss Bennet because her mother has just had a serious accident," Peter said as calmly as he could manage.

"You do not realize, Peter, that if you do that, you can generate expectations, and her family can think that there is some kind of understanding between you and that chit. You know very well that a woman like her cannot be the future Mrs. Daniels. You do not know me if you think I shall allow you to ruin your life by making a foolish decision," Dorothy said defiantly.

"You shall not let me what...? Who do you think you are to come to my house and tell me what I can or cannot do? I am almost thirty years old, and I do not ask permission from anyone to do whatever I want. Also, Miss Bennet is a woman from a very similar background to yours, and if you were the appropriate woman for my father, she is for me," Peter said flatly.

Dorothy changed the tone of her voice. She realized she would not get what she wanted, defying her son. "Peter, I am your mother and desire the best for you. Why can you not understand that?"

"Do you really want the best for me, Mother? How? You do not remember that you wanted to force me to marry Lady Emma, knowing that she was the mistress of a married man just because she is the daughter of an Earl. A woman who would have married me just for my money and to have a father for her son."

Peter saw Dorothy's discomfort and continued, "So you thought she was in love with me? Now you knew her real intentions. I did not tell you before because I did not want to soil a woman's reputation."

"Son, if I..." Dorothy tried to explain.

"But that is not all, Mother. In the last few months, you have constantly harassed Emily to force her to marry a man who has no interest in her just to create an alliance with a titled family that needs our money. And all this not because you are interested in our happiness but because you assume that what your children desire in life must be aligned with your own desires."

"Son, I never thought you could talk to me like that," Dorothy replied, almost crying.

"Whenever you try to interfere in my life or my sister's thinking in your own interests, I shall respond as I just did. Furthermore, if it bothers you so much that my grandfather is a tradesman and you disrespect him again, I shall cut your allowance to less than half since a large part of that money comes from his company. Our estate barely produces enough to support itself, so my grandfather and I stay active in trade to allow you all the luxuries and money you love so much." Peter was patient but would no longer tolerate his mother's horrible behavior.

Roger and Emily listened to the loud argument and preferred not to intervene. When the screaming stopped, they entered Peter's office and saw Dorothy sitting on the couch crying. "Peter, Grandfather will accompany us to Hertfordshire. He has a friend who lives near the Bennets, and we can stay at his house," explained Emily.

"Thank you, Grandfather," Peter said a little more calmly. He went to speak to his valet, and Emily joined him. She knew her brother well and knew it would do him good to talk to her after arguing with their mother.

As Peter and Emily left the office, Roger approached his daughter-in-law and said with genuine emotion, "Dorothy, I lost my son when he was the same age Peter is today. You do not know how much I miss him and how I have regretted all those moments I was not with him because I was busy working. You have two wonderful children who also love you very much. Do not keep pushing them away from you. You might regret it later." Roger left the office, and Dorothy thought and analyzed her relationship with her two children for the first time in years.

P&P

Countess Matlock spoke to the housekeeper and asked her to talk to the cook to simplify the menus. Many of the dishes that Mrs. Gordon loved to prepare included ingredients that the Matlocks could no longer afford. At the same time, the Earl had fallen asleep reading a history book he would later tell everyone he read with great interest.

But suddenly, the Countess's conversation and the Earl's nap were interrupted by a woman's loud voice. She entered the house shouting demandingly. "Where is my worthless brother?"

Lord and Lady Matlock immediately went to the drawing room where the cries came from, cursing their misfortune and praying that Lady Catherine would stay in someone else's house but not theirs.

As soon as Lord Matlock greeted his sister, she scolded him. "Do you not know what your nephew has done?" But, of course, Lady Catherine did not wait for her brother's response and continued speaking. "He will not go to Rosings like he does every year because Georgiana is supposedly recovering from an accident. And this is all your fault, Frederick, because you have allowed him to avoid his duty. But it is time that you demand him to marry Anne."

Lady Catherine continued speaking for several minutes until, finally, her brother could interrupt her. "Catherine, please, I do not know what you mean. I know Georgiana had an accident, but neither Darcy nor Richard told me they had canceled their visit to Rosings."

"I could tell you I am surprised, but I would not lie. You have always been a wimp that no one respects, so Darcy does whatever he pleases."

"How dare you come to my house to insult me..." The Earl was furious with his sister, and as always, since they were young children, they began to shout and insult each other for almost half an hour.

Meanwhile, the Countess had an idea. She could use Lady Catherine to help her end his nephew's infatuation with that insignificant woman. Then, she could continue promoting a rapprochement with Emily Daniels.

"Catherine, I think I know why Darcy is behaving so irresponsibly."

Lady Catherine immediately stopped yelling and cursing and listened attentively as her sister-in-law gave her a brief account of everything that had happened in the last few months. "I think that woman is abusing Darcy and alienating him from his family, and we do not know what kind of tricks she has used to entice our nephew."

"I shall never allow Darcy to forget what he owes to his family and not do his duty, much less for an infatuation. What is that chit's name?" she asked furiously.

"Elizabeth Bennet," the Countess replied with feigned concern.

P&P

After several hours of traveling, they finally reached Longbourn. Dr. Lewis immediately saw the patient, while Mr. Bennet told his daughters and the Gardiners more about the accident.

Kitty and Mary were happy to see their older sisters, while Lydia did not want to come out of her bedroom to greet them. In a way, she felt guilty and preferred to avoid the subject of her mother's accident. Also, her mother's accident could ruin her plans, and she was concerned.

After twenty minutes, the doctor met with the family and explained the patient's state. "Mrs. Bennet has several broken ribs and a minor fracture on her right arm. The blow to her head was quite severe, but she is awake, which is a good sign. Nevertheless, she will have severe headaches for several weeks. Her recovery will be slow; it will take several months, but I can say she has a good chance of recovering. Considering the magnitude of her accident, I can say she is well."

Everyone was relieved, including Mr. Bennet, who was extremely worried. Finally, the doctor told them they could visit the patient for a few minutes but let her rest.

Mrs. Bennet was in pain, and the doctor had given her laudanum, so she was sedated. She was more than excited when the newcomers entered her room. "Oh, Lizzy, I am happy you are finally here," cried Mrs. Bennet. "Lizzy, forgive me for punishing you for not marrying that idiot Collins."

"Mama, please do not worry. Now you have to rest, forget about all that."

"Oh Jane, my sweet Jane. You do not have to marry Mr. Bingley!" she said. "I do not care anymore if you marry or not that man who left without even saying goodbye." Jane went over to her mother, kissed her forehead, and took her hand, but she did not say anything. She understood very well that she was under the effects of the laudanum.

"Madeline, Edward, how nice to see you. Did you bring me a gift? But it does not matter if you do not; I still love you both very much, even if you did not bring anything. So please stay with me until I fall asleep."

"Of course, my dear," said Mr. Gardiner, moved to see his sister hurt and suffering. She had always been a very capricious girl, but he knew that deep down, she had a good heart.

P&P

Albert was uneasy. As much as he tried to convince himself that it was not his obligation to inform Mr. Darcy of the reasons why Elizabeth returned home, he knew he should have said something. But what did not let him rest was that he knew he had hidden that information for selfish reasons.

He had always thought his eternal battle against Darcy and men like him was just. They had always looked down on people like him. He was convinced that one day, the merchants and people in business would be the ones who would rule the society. The landlords had had their chance, and all they had done was take advantage of the families who worked for them simply by right of inheritance, and there was neither merit nor justice in a system like that. Also, they viewed the emerging class as a threat to their privileges, and because of that, they despised them.

His greatest pride was his family, which, in three generations of hard and honest work, had become an example for anyone who knew them. So Albert decided to walk in the park near his house to ease his conscience. As he walked, he saw a couple who reminded him of his parents, and he felt nostalgic. He missed his family and needed his father and brother's good advice.

But he also thought about his life and if he could find a woman who wanted to grow old with him and be the mother of his children one day. He thought about Elizabeth Bennet; she was undoubtedly a beautiful woman with a charming personality, but she liked the country life where she had grown up. He needed a woman who loved city life and could understand the complex world of a tradesman. At that moment, he remembered his conversations with Emily Daniels and how she had always looked at him. 'Would it be possible?' he wondered, but someone he did not know interrupted him.

"Excuse me, sir, you do not know me, but I know your family very well. I need, no, I demand that you listen to me," said the stranger.

Albert was stunned by the man's rudeness and asked, "Excuse me, but who are you?"

"My name is Oliver Morgan, and I am the son of Steven Morgan, the man your family swindled over thirty years ago by stealing practically everything he owned," the man said as tears streamed down his cheeks.

P&P

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

In the next chapter, Albert discovers something that will change many things he believes to be true.

Saludos,

Yo