An Alternate Perspective

by Wynne Mabry

  “Yes, I heard that some sort of machine is being built. By Mr. Hurst apparently. I can only assume that this person is from your reality as well. I have no objection to you coming here to use this machine when it is ready. Indeed, I want you to go back where you belong, and as soon as possible. Your attempt to influence Mr. Darcy into marrying beneath himself cannot be tolerated. That is why I want you to wait at Longbourn until it is time for you leave. If you do not, then I will tell Jane everything that I know. Whether or not she suffers is up to you.”

  “I shall go to Longbourn,” Elizabeth said immediately. “Will tomorrow morning be acceptable to you? I would first like to see Mr. Hurst before I go, so that he will not be worrying about me.”

  “Tomorrow morning will be fine,” Miss Bingley said with an air of generosity. “As long as you do not say anything to Mr. Darcy about this conversation.”

  Elizabeth agreed to this and then went to speak with Jane, who was feeling herself quite capable of travelling a mere five miles and had already been anticipating going home soon. She then spoke to Mr. Bingley about the carriage. It took a little effort for her to persuade him that she would be quite safe, but eventually it was settled that they would leave in the morning.

  It did occur to Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy would be willing to intervene if she told him what had happened, but she did not want to take any chances when Jane’s well being was at stake. Besides that, once she heard of their setback and the resulting delay, she was very happy to be spending that time elsewhere.

  “I should be able to finish the machine by Wednesday,” Mr. Hurst said. Perhaps Thursday, but no later, I am sure.”

  “If you do not mind, I think I will go to Longbourn for that time,” she said, without revealing that her plans had already been laid while they were out. “Jane is quite better, and she will think it strange if I want to continue staying here that many more days. Besides, you will work better without me interrupting, and Mr. Darcy has everything in hand.” She looked at him next. “Perhaps you could let me know when I am needed. I shall be ready to walk here at any time.”

  With that settled, she left the library, not wanting to give Miss Bingley any cause for suspicion. Mr. Hurst was already sitting on the floor, taking pieces from a box and laying them out in front of him.

  The rest of the day passed without any further unpleasantness. Mr. Darcy was not in the drawing room that evening, which Elizabeth thought was very much for the best. He would likely have talked to her again, which would have displeased Miss Bingley. Having no desire for any more interaction with that lady, or with this disappointing Mrs. Hurst, Elizabeth took up a book and spent the whole evening reading.

  On her way up to bed, she heard some noises coming from the library and hoped that Mr. Hurst was making good progress. Even a few days seemed like a very long time to wait. She had been trying to think of this time apart from her fiancé as being no different than if he had gone to London on some business, but she was longing to be reunited with him.

  The Truth Will Out

  On entering the house, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy ran into Mr. Bingley in the hall. “Jane has just gone upstairs to rest,” he told them. “Do not think that there is anything wrong with her though. It was just me being overly protective.” He grinned. “That was her description, but she is indulging me. Louisa went up with her.”

  “Then even if she does not need to rest, she will have good company,” Elizabeth said, smiling at Mr. Bingley’s affectionate concern.

  “How are you feeling?” Mr. Bingley asked, turning to Mr. Darcy. “Did you find what you need?”

  “I did not, but the drive did help to improve my mood. I have resigned myself to trusting Mr. Hurst.”

  “There is no better man to trust. He will not let you down.”

  They were about to go into the drawing room when a maid came looking for Mr. Bingley.

  “I was wondering, sir, if this might have been the thing you were looking for.” She held out a blackened hand, and in her palm, there was a twisted piece of metal.

  Mr. Darcy picked it up. “I believe it is,” he said. “It appears to have been damaged by fire, but it looks like the piece we were missing.”

  “It must have somehow fallen in the library fire,” Mr. Bingley said. “That was probably my fault. I looked around the fireplace when we were searching the room.”

  “No, sir,” the maid said. “I did not find this in the library fire.”

  “Where was it then?”

  “At the back of the fireplace in Miss Bingley’s room. We were late in sweeping the bedrooms out this morning,” she said apologetically.

  “Of course you were,” Mr. Bingley said. “I would not have expected otherwise when everybody was busy helping me. You cannot do two things at once.”

  “No. sir.”

  “In fact,” he added, “I have been thinking about how to reward all the staff for their extra effort today and yesterday. Some sort of treat is deserved.”

  “Thank-you, sir,” she said, beaming at him.

  After she had left, Mr. Bingley said, “I suppose it must have become caught on Caroline’s clothing and then somehow fallen into her fire.”

  But Mr. Darcy said, “The back of her fireplace, Bingley? That is what the maid said, and the bedroom fireplaces are quite deep.”

  Mr. Bingley stared at his friend. “You would probably have to throw something in for it to fall at the back,” he said after a moment.

  “I believe one would.”

  “So this was deliberate?”

  “It looks as though it was.”

  “But why? Why would Caroline have intentionally broken the machine? She knew how important it was.”

  “Some grievance with Mr. Hurst perhaps?”

  “There is not one that I am aware of. It must have been an accident, Darcy. She cannot have wanted to strand him in another reality.”

  “She might have wanted to strand Elizabeth.”

  “But you said she did not know about that.”

  “Louisa and I did not tell her, but perhaps she overheard us talking.”

  “Or us,” Elizabeth said. “The door was open when we were in the library yesterday morning.”

  He looked at her. “She could have heard that there is nothing between you and your Mr. Darcy and decided that you were no threat.” Then he looked at his friend. “You know how upset she was about my engagement, Bingley.”

  “Yes, but it is hard to believe that she could have done this.”

  “I am sorry, but I think she could.”

  “What about the portal?” Elizabeth asked. “It went to the right place, and then suddenly it switched.”

  “While we were all looking into it,” Mr. Darcy said. “All she had to do was turn one of the knobs. I told her how important it was for them not to be touched.”

  “After the portal closed, she was standing closer to the machine,” Mr. Bingley recalled.

  “She was,” Elizabeth agreed. “I remember asking her to move back.”

  “And she came into dinner a few minutes after us. She could have gone back to the library and taken the piece.” Mr. Bingley sighed heavily. “The evidence suggests that you are right, Darcy. I just wish it did not. It is dreadful that my own sister could do something so cruel. She did not even care what Louisa would have suffered. It was more than cruel. It was evil.”

  Neither Elizabeth nor Mr. Darcy could counteract this statement.

  Mr. Bingley turned about and stormed into the drawing room where his sister was sitting on her own, looking through a magazine. “I know what you have done,” he cried.

  “Do you?” Miss Bingley asked calmly. “What have I done?”

  “You broke the machine so that it could not be used to bring Elizabeth home.”

  “I do not know what you mean about Elizabeth. She is right here, is she not? And I did not break anything. You saw how anxious I was for Mr. Hurst to be rescued.”

  “I saw how anxious you were for Darcy t
o be rescued. I do not recall that you showed so much concern for Hurst. You only said that it was interesting to watch.”

  “Well it was, but that does not mean I was not worried about him.”

  “You turned the knobs so that the portal changed.”

  “You know that I could not have done so. I was never that close to the machine.”

  “You were. Just after Darcy was sucked into the wrong reality.”

  “Well, I must have stepped forward because I was concerned to see Mr. Darcy disappear. You are making a great deal out of nothing, Charles. I did not turn the knobs, and I did not take the missing piece.”

  “It was found in your chamber.”

  “Then it must have caught on my clothing and afterwards fallen into my fire. It was just an unfortunate accident.”

  “I did not say that it was found in your fireplace. You have just confirmed everything. You threw it on the fire, Caroline.”

  Her complexion paled instantly. She was silent for a moment, and then she said, “Well, then, I did. I wanted her gone. She took Mr. Darcy away from me.”

  “It was nothing of the sort. He never showed any interest in you.”

  “He would have eventually. I am just the sort of person he should marry. I have all the accomplishments that Lady Catherine expects in her nephew’s wife.”

  “I do not care about accomplishments,” Mr. Darcy shouted.

  “I have an excellent fortune as well,” Miss Bingley continued. “Miss Eliza has nothing. She is nothing.”

  “She is the lady whom I love,” Mr. Darcy said.

  Miss Bingley smiled. “She was. Now she is just gone. I may not be able to have you after all, but at least she will not either.”

  “That is despicable,” Mr. Bingley said. “And what about your own sister? How could you think of keeping Mr. Hurst away from her?”

  “She will be better off without him. He is the dullest man in England. Always going on about science. I am sick of hearing about his experiments and his research.”

  “He is a brilliant man.”

  “He is a selfish one. We spent almost all of last winter in Cambridge just because that was what he wanted. I was never so bored in my life.”

  “He was doing some important work.”

  “You all keep saying that. Everything is always about him. Nobody ever thinks of me.”

  “Louisa does. Quite frequently. When I was looking for an estate, she asked me to find a house with a good ballroom because you would like it if we could hold balls.”

  “I want to dance at balls in London. I am sick of the country.”

  “You will be lucky to dance at any balls in the future,” Mr. Bingley decreed. “In London or anywhere.”

  “I will do exactly as I wish. If you do not let me, then I will tell your precious Jane that her real sister is gone. In fact,” she said, suddenly brightening up, “I will tell her if Mr. Darcy does not renounce his engagement and then announce that he is engaged to me instead. That is my condition for keeping quiet.”

  Her eyes swept across them with a look of triumph.

  “Darcy is not going to marry you,” her brother said firmly. “If you tell Jane, it will not be to any useful purpose.”

  “Then perhaps I shall tell her just for the fun of it.”

  “No,” said Mr. Darcy. “For Jane’s sake, I will consider your terms.”

  “There is no need for that,” Mr. Bingley said. “I will tell Jane myself before I let you sacrifice yourself.”

  “You must not tell her,” Mr. Darcy insisted. “Look how this has affected me. It will be too much for Jane to endure.”

  “It will,” Elizabeth agreed. There is no need for that. Leave Jane out of this, and I will tell my parents tomorrow that I want to end the engagement. We can send a notice to the newspapers on Monday.”

  “How very good of you. Jane does have a loyal sister, does she?” Miss Bingley said mockingly. “And you can send the notice about us, Mr. Darcy.”

  “He cannot send another announcement immediately,” Elizabeth pointed out. “No gentleman would do that. At least wait a couple of weeks to preserve something of his reputation.”

  “One week,” Miss Bingley said. “I can be a little bit patient.”

  “Very well, then. One week,” Elizabeth agreed on Mr. Darcy’s behalf.

  “But I cannot accept any of this,” Mr. Bingley insisted.

  “It is the best thing for Jane,” Mr. Darcy said. “I will not discuss it further, Bingley.”

  “You heard him,” Miss Bingley said to her brother. “Stop trying to tell him what to do. You should be pleased that I am going to be married.” She smiled happily. “Now if you will excuse me, I want to get another of my magazines. There was a dress in it that will be perfect for my wedding.”

  Mr. Darcy got up and held the door open for her to leave the room. Knowing now that she had an inclination for eavesdropping, he remained there for a moment, and then he opened the door to check that she had really gone to look for a magazine.

  It was only when he was certain of this that he walked back to Elizabeth and Mr. Bingley, who then said, “This is madness, Darcy. You do not have to marry Caroline. After the way she has behaved, I would not wish anybody to marry her. I will tell Jane myself rather than let you do this.”

  “I am not going to marry her,” Mr. Darcy said. “I only said that I would consider her conditions, not that I accepted them. She was the one who drew that conclusion, and Elizabeth helped to keep the pretence.”

  Mr. Bingley looked at her.

  “I said that I would talk to my parents, which is not even possible,” she pointed out. “And I bargained for Mr. Darcy to keep him from having to make any promises.”

  “We were just buying time to protect Jane, and possibly others,” Mr. Darcy said. “I fear that there is something seriously wrong your sister, Bingley.”

  “Very wrong indeed,” Mr. Bingley agreed with a heavy sigh.

  “It occurred to me that it would be safest for everybody to give her the impression that her demands would be met. I hope you do not mind that we deceived her.”

  “No, certainly not. You were quite right to diffuse the situation.”

  “You are going to have to do something with her, but I suggest that you keep her from comprehending your intentions until the last moment. Nothing can be done until Monday at the earliest, and you do not want her to get any idea that we are not really going to meet her terms.”

  “No, we do not. I shall have to talk with Louisa and decide what is the best thing to do, but in the meantime, it will be best if Caroline thinks that she is going to get her own way.”

  “I think it will also be wise for Jane and I leave,” Elizabeth said. “Our presence might be provoking to her. That is another reason why I said I would talk to my parents tomorrow. It gives us an excuse for going to Longbourn in the morning.”

  “That is an excellent idea,” Mr. Bingley said. “I do not want Jane here. Not now that I know how wicked Caroline can be. I really think she is capable of harming somebody to achieve her own ends. It is a very distressing situation.”

  “We will all help you through it,” Mr. Darcy promised.

  “But what about sending Elizabeth back,” Mr. Bingley said. “She needs to be here to wait for Mr. Hurst’s portal.”

  “I can fetch her whenever it is necessary. It will only be a small delay.”

  With their plans settled, they all behaved as unsuspiciously as possible for the rest of the day. That evening, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth each read a book, sitting at a good distance from each other and saying very little. Mr. Bingley sat with Jane again, while Mrs. Hurst listened to her sister’s wedding plans.

  She had been told everything and was devasted to hear what had happened. Elizabeth did her best to offer the comfort that her other self would have given her good friend. At least that was easy to do, since she liked Mrs. Hurst very well.

  They had decided to tell Jane part of the truth, which inv
olved Mrs. Hurst admitting that she feared her sister was becoming unhinged. Jane was warned that Miss Bingley considered herself to be engaged to Mr. Darcy and understood that the pretence was to be kept up.

  “This is dreadfully sad,” she said to Elizabeth. “Poor Mrs. Hurst. And poor Miss Bingley. It is shocking that her disappointment has affected her in such a drastic way.”

  It was shocking indeed. And on top of being very concerned for her new friends, Elizabeth was also wondering if the Miss Bingley in her reality was also liable to become unhinged if she did not have her way.

  In the morning, Elizabeth and Jane were able to leave without any further difficulty. Miss Bingley was completely confident of her plans and did not perceive any reason to concern herself with their departure.

  “You must come to my wedding,” she said just before they got into Mr. Bingley’s carriage. “It is going to be a very grand affair.”

  “I do not like leaving our friends,” Jane said to Elizabeth in the carriage. “But Mr. Bingley insists that I will be better off at Longbourn.”

  “You will, and he will have less distraction while deciding how to manage this business,” Elizabeth said, while feeling rather the same way. “And Darcy has promised to help Charles and Louisa in every way. You can count on him to give them all the support they need.”

  “I am sure I can,” Jane said a little more cheerfully. “He is a very good man.”

  “He is indeed,” Elizabeth agreed. “Mr. Bingley could not have a better friend.”

  “Or you a better husband. We have both been very lucky.”

  Elizabeth agreed. Her counterpart had undoubtedly been lucky to meet Mr. Darcy. As for herself, who knew what the future might hold.

  PART FOUR

  Something Like Home

  In both realities, Mr. Bingley’s carriage conveyed Jane and Elizabeth to Longbourn after the morning service on Sunday. Both Elizabeths looked out with curiosity as they passed through Meryton and travelled along the lane to Longbourn. There were a few small differences here and there, but for the most part, things looked about the same to each of them.