Elizabeth's Ordeal

by Charlotte Browning

  “Maggie, I have to attend tea at the Dower House, with Lady Catherine.” She informed the girl, with a slight frown. “What should I wear?”

  “There’s a yellow dress amongst the ones we brought from the treasure room I believe would be perfect, ma’am.” Suggested she.

  “Show it to me.”

  They went to the dressing room and after scrolling through the dresses, Maggie pulled out the yellow one. It was made of light velvet and it had a few white flowers embroidered into the dress’ bodice.

  “Yes, I believe this one will do. Please, order a bath for me and I shall need your assistance to comb my hair.” Said Elizabeth with a pleased smile.

  “Yes, of course ma’am, right away.”

  The next hour went by quite quickly as Elizabeth got ready for the tea invitation. Half an hour before the date, she went looking for Mr. Darcy to say goodbye.

  “I am leaving now, please wish me luck.” She told him from his studio’s doorway.

  Mr. Darcy got up and walked to meet her. “You look prettier than sunshine.” He muttered, picking up her hands and kissing them.

  “Oh thank you, kind sir, let us hope your aunt thinks the same.”

  “Try not to pay much attention to what she says and do not be late.” Advised he.

  “Believe me, I will leave as soon as possible.”

  “Allow me to walk you to the carriage.” He offered her his arm and after she had slid hers on his, they walked together to the main door.

  The coachman was already at the entrance waiting for his passenger.

  Saying goodbye to Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth hopped in and soon she was on her way.

  Chapter Five

  Darcy watched her leave, with his heart tightened. He had a very bad feeling about the whole situation, but so far, there was not much he could.

  He let out a heavy sigh and returned to the house, determined to go talk with his sister. She should be playing her pianoforte, and he did not like to interrupt her, but this time it was necessary.

  He walked into the music room and dismissed the governess.

  “Darcy, what are you doing here?” Georgiana asked him, stopping.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “What is going on? You usually do not interrupt my piano lessons.” The girl asked, with a slight frown, but Darcy was sure she knew exactly what had brought him there.

  “I was very displeased with your absence when I arrived.” Said he, standing next to the piano.

  “I am very sorry to hear that, but I really thought I would be home in time for your arrival.” She explained, with her eyes lowered, as she wriggled her hands over her lap.

  “You are lying, Georgiana, and that makes me very sad.” determined not to allow her to fool him.

  “I… no… I mean…” she tried to fix things, but she was so unfamiliar with lies, she was having a lot of trouble to explain it. “Aunt Catherine asked me to stay. She told me it would be a very convincing way to show you and your wife my disapproval.” She finally admitted.

  “Your disapproval? And what on earth do you disapprove?” asked he with a deep frown.

  “Your marriage, of course. You should have never married that woman, especially when you had compromised with Anne.” She spurted out, furious.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Aunt Catherine told me about Anne’s pregnancy and that you are the father.” Answered she, in a scolding tone.

  “And you believed her? Do you really believe I would have seduced Anne? She is almost like a sister to me.” retorted him, furious.

  “But… she said…”

  “How can you even think I would do a thing like that? Do you know me not?” he scolded her, very disappointed.

  “I believe you are blinded by your wife and refuse to admit the truth. Aunt Catherine would never accuse you of something like this if she was not convinced it was the truth.” Insisted she, standing up and walking a few steps away from him, before she turned to face him again.

  Darcy shook his head, incredulous. His aunt had done quite a good job with his sister. “I am not responsible for Anne’s pregnancy, and I am very disappointed with your distrust in me. I believe I have never given you reasons to think I would be capable of doing such a dreadful deed.”

  “That woman has conjured some sort of spell on you, brother. You have to admit it, otherwise you would have never married someone inferior to you and our family.”

  “You have no idea what you are talking about. In fact, I am sure you are only repeating Aunt Catherine’s words.” He walked to the door. “I shall prove to you I have nothing to do with this, while I solve all this mess.”

  Without giving her time to reply, he left the room, furious with his aunt for putting his own sister against him.

  It was imperative for him to solve this mess, otherwise, god knows what could possibly happen. The only way to solve it was going after the doctor. He had to find the man and bring him back, and there was no better moment than the present moment.

  He went up the stairs to his bedroom and called his valet. It was time to visit the Highlands.

  A few minutes later, he was leaving Pemberley, after leaving a short note to his wife, with a poor excuse for his absence.

  He dreaded the idea of leaving Elizabeth alone, especially so soon after their arrival to Pemberley, but he trusted their love to be strong enough to prevail against any attack from his aunt or his sister. He would be back as soon as possible, hopefully with the solution to this whole situation.

  It was a very short journey and only minutes later she was being guided to the drawing room where the older woman was expecting her.

  As usual, she was seated in an armchair, looking as regal as a queen.

  “Good afternoon, Lady Catherine, it is a pleasure to see you again.” Elizabeth greeted the woman with a slight curtsy.

  “I wished I could say the same.” The woman grumbled with a clear scornful scowl in her face. “Sit down, I hate talking with people standing next to me.” She pointed at the couch behind Elizabeth.

  “Thank you, milady.” She took a seat and waited. This was not starting very good.

  The old lady rang a small bell she had on the table next to her chair and a couple of maids entered carrying the trays with the tea and some pastries.

  “Please, serve the tea. I’m too old to hold that kettle up.” She ordered, and Elizabeth complied, willing to do all in her power to appease the woman.

  The following minutes went by almost in silence, while Elizabeth served the tea and they enjoyed it. But as soon as they were done, Lady Catherine revealed the reason behind her invitation.

  “I invited you here because I needed to have a private conversation with you.” The woman said in a stern tone.

  “How can I be of help?” Elizabeth asked, a little surprise. What could she possibly have to tell her? Her past conversations with the woman had not been long enough to establish any kind of bond between them.

  “I want you to grant Darcy a divorce.” The words were so ominous that for a few seconds Elizabeth thought she had imagined them.

  “I beg your pardon?” she asked for confirmation.

  “You heard me, girl. I want you out of my nephew’s life as soon as possible.” The woman insisted.

  Elizabeth held back the hysterical laugh pleading to come out of her lips. “And why would I do that?”

  “Well, because it is the right and decent thing to do.”

  “I am afraid I do not agree with your opinion.” Retorted she, trying to stay as calm as possible.

  “It is not my opinion. It is what it is: the decent thing to do.” Insisted she, with a bitter tone. “This marriage must end at once.”

  “I am afraid you are deluding yourself if you truly believe I shall ever agree with that.” Elizabeth said in her coldest tone.

  “You will, if you are as decent as I think you are.” The woman sighed. “I am afraid Darcy is the one to blame for this terrible situat
ion. I told him, at the time, he should not marry you, under any circumstance, but he was stubborn and married you anyway.” She made a pause, as if to let the words sink into her audience. “Of course, at that moment I had no idea what was going on underneath my own roof, otherwise I would have exposed him before allowing him to marry you.”

  “You are not making any sense, Lady Catherine.” Elizabeth spurted, impatient.

  “Oh, but I will, I am sure.” The woman assured her. “During the time previous to this ill-fated marriage, Darcy stayed in Rosings for almost a month. He used to spend a lot of time with my daughter Anne, and I started to think I was finally going to see my dearest dream come true.” She started explaining. “What I did not know, was that Darcy was abusing my hospitality by seducing my daughter under my own roof.”

  For a tiny second, Elizabeth felt as if the old woman had dropped a bomb at her feet. Common sense quickly rushed to help her and she realized the woman was lying or at least, spreading a lie.

  “Darcy would never do such a thing. He is an honourable man, who would never even think about ruining a young woman’s future, especially, if that woman is also his cousin.” She refuted Lady Catherine’s words.

  “My own daughter assured me this happened. And she has an unmistakable evidence.” Insisted she.

  “Evidence? What evidence could she possibly have?” Elizabeth slightly raised her tone.

  “She is with child.” The woman’s tone was triumphal.

  This bomb shook Elizabeth to her core. Even so, she refused to believe it. “That does not mean the child’s father is Darcy.”

  “My daughter says it is, and that is more than enough for me. She has no reason to lie to me in such a delicate matter.” She kept insisting.

  “Well, I am afraid I do not have the same blind faith in your daughter you seem to have.” Elizabeth replied. “This entire story sounds as if taken out of a sordid little novel and I surely will not ruin my marriage in the account of it.” With those words, Elizabeth got up and she was about to walk out the door when Lady Catherine stopped her again.

  “My nephew has recognized his fatherhood.”

  “I do not believe you.” Elizabeth almost shouted.

  “And yet, it is true. He is very ashamed of his ignoble acts, but he cannot act as he wants because he is trapped in this senseless marriage with a woman beneath him.” The woman insisted. “He wishes not to harm you or your family, despite the fact we all know there is not much to harm in your family.” The insult was clear.

  “I still do not believe you. I need to hear this story from Darcy himself.” She took a step out of the room but the woman stopped her again.

  “There is no use in doing such a thing. He will deny it all, since he believes he has to maintain his commitment to you.” Explained she, with scorn oozing out of her mouth in every single word.

  “Then, there is nothing else to say, right?”

  “How can you be so cruel and so soulless? This is an innocent child we are talking about here and the terrible future he might face if you persist with this dreadful marriage.” Lady Catherine attacked again.

  “He will be one in a million, I’m sure. And I am not obliged to save him as well I am not obliged to save them all.” Retorted she. “Have a good day, ma’am.”

  Quickly, she left the room and stormed out of the house, happy to see the carriage was still in the front yard.

  She hopped in and just seconds later they were on their way back to Pemberley. In her mind, Lady Catherine’s words swirled in a maddening pace and she tried to keep her calm as much as she could. She knew her husband. He would never do such a thing, especially not to his cousin. But the woman sounded so convinced, so sure of herself it was hard not to doubt. Why had he not mentioned this to her? He should have guessed why his aunt wanted to see her.

  The carriage finally reached the house and she went straight to his studio. But the place was empty.

  “Mrs. Reynolds!” she called out, eager to find him. “Mrs. Reynolds!”

  “Yes, ma’am? Is there a problem?” the woman appeared coming from the kitchen with a slight frown on her face.

  “Have you seen my husband, Mrs. Reynolds?” asked she, with a faint smile, trying her best to keep her temper under control.

  “He left the house, ma’am, almost right after you. He received a message from the administrator of his property in Scotland. He left you this note explaining.”

  The woman handed her an envelope and picking it up, Elizabeth thanked her and headed to her own room. She needed privacy to read it, that was for sure.

  Closing the door behind her, she ripped the envelope and started reading:

  Chapter Six

  “My dear Elizabeth,

  The administrator of my property in the highlands required my presence there with urgency, due to some serious problems with the neighbours. I know you are still recovering from our last journey, so I considered it would be better to go by myself. This should give you more time to establish better relationships with my sister.

  I promise I will be back as soon as possible.

  Take care, my love.

  Darcy.”

  No, this could not be happening. Why did he have to leave in a moment like this? Was he eluding her? What was really happening here and how was she supposed to deal with it?

  She wrinkled the letter in her fist and walked towards the window, eager for some fresh air.

  Still squeezing his letter, she made a resolution. She was going to ignore Lady Catherine’s revelations and wait for Darcy to arrive. Once face to face, they would discuss the situation and adopt the pertinent measures to solve them.

  It was the best she could do, so she would not go insane in his absence.

  In moments like this, she missed her sister Jane terribly. Being able to discuss matters this important with someone else was a blessing and not being able to do it increased her apprehension.

  At dinner time, she considered if joining or not her sister in law, but she finally decided this was her house now and she was not allowing a young girl to dictate her actions around the house.

  With Maggie’s help, she got dressed and went down to the drawing-room. She immediately missed his presence there and pleaded to god he would be back soon.

  But, tonight she was there alone and she was determined to make the best of it.

  Walking to the small table with the beverages and glasses she poured a glass of white wine for her. She was taking the first sip when Georgiana entered the room.

  “Good evening, Georgiana. May I get you something to drink while we wait for dinner?” asked she, assuming the host’s role.

  The girl stopped as if shocked to see her there, and in such disposition, what made Elizabeth think she was aware of her aunt’s plans.

  “No, thank you, I can get it myself.” Replied she, in a very rude tone.

  “As you wish.” Elizabeth took another sip of her drink and walked to the window, willing to enjoy the splendorous sunset.

  “I thought you had visited Lady Catherine for tea.” The girl finally blurted out, clearly too confused to stay silent.

  “Yes, I did.” She confirmed it but added nothing else.

  “You did? But…” she stopped and took a deep breath. “Did you have a good time?”

  She wanted to know what had happened, but Elizabeth was not giving her the pleasure of seeing her uncomfortable.

  “Yes, of course. The tea and the pastries were quite delicious.” Assured she, holding back the laugh inside her bubbling to come out.

  “Oh, I see…” but she clearly was not seeing anything.

  Elizabeth was now sure the girl was involved in the sordid conspiracy, and for a moment she felt sad. She really had been willing to become a good friend to Georgiana.

  The butler announced dinner was ready and both women went to the dining room. The meal went by almost in complete silence, filled with suspicious looks from Georgiana, as if she could understand how Elizabeth coul
d look so calm and undisturbed.

  When the meal was over, she bid good night to the girl and headed to the library. She was going to need a good book, capable of making her travel to a world of fantasy, away from all the problems stalking her mind.

  After a few minutes scrolling through one of the shelves, she found an adventures book and with it under her arm, she headed to her bedroom.

  She was about to go up the stairs when Georgiana came down the hallway in her direction.

  “Going to bed?” asked she, with a faint smile.

  “Yes, of course. Though, I am sure I shall not sleep, not with all the things happening around me.” Replied she, in a bitter tone.

  “Oh, is there a problem? Is something wrong?” Elizabeth asked playing the ignorant role.

  “Do not play stupid with me. My aunt told me everything about the way you seduced my brother into marrying you and forgetting about his duties to my poor cousin Anne.” She spurted out, quite enraged.

  The older woman had no common sense bringing the young girl into the plot meant to be played only by the participants.

  “You should try to listen to both sides of the story, Georgiana. That will prevent you of a lot of suffering in your life.” Elizabeth warned her as she walked around the girl, determined to go to her room.

  “I know the truthful side of the story. There is no use listening to a bunch of lies.” The girl insisted, following Elizabeth up the stairs.

  “It must be good to be able to determine when people are really telling you the truth. Is it a gift? Or is there a way to learn that skill?” the sarcasm in Elizabeth’s tone was quite obvious, but the girl did not seem to notice it.

  “That is called trust and faith in your family and your own blood.” She assured her.

  Elizabeth sighed and asked herself if she had ever been that naïve. She doubted, her mother’s histrionic acts had soon taught her people loved to twist the truth to fit their own needs.

  “Blind faith can be very dangerous. You should be careful.” She advised the girl, opening up the door to her room.