Hidden under a cloak of darkness, five people hurriedly gather under a large tree. Although they have come from very different walks in life, they all have the same goal. This is their first time meeting each other in person, but they realize the urgency and secrecy, so begin to work on their elaborate scheme. After only a few minutes, they hurry back to their respective homes, before anyone can notice their absence.
Elizabeth interrupted. "I confess I cannot feel so much compassion for him. He has other feelings which will soon drive away any regard he felt for me."
She started as she realized something. "You do not blame me for refusing him?"
"Blame you? Oh no."
"But you DO blame me for speaking so warmly of Wickham?"
Jane quickly answered her. "No! How could you have known about his vicious character? If indeed he was so very bad. But I cannot believe Mr. Darcy would fabricate such a dreadful slander...involving his own sister too! No! It must be true! Perhaps there has been some terrible mistake."
"No Jane. That won't do. You'll never be able to make them both good. There is just enough merit between them to make one good sort of man. And for my part, I'm inclined to believe it's all Mr. Darcy's."
Jane couldn't help but notice her sister's tone when she said this. She also noticed the look that passed on her face. Almost as if she regretted how things had turned out. "Maybe she wishes she had given him more of a chance," she thought to herself. Out loud she said, "Poor Mr. Darcy...Poor Mr. Wickham! There is such an expression of goodness in his countenance!"
"Yes, I'm afraid one has all goodness, and the other all the appearance of it!"
"But Lizzy, I'm sure when you first read that letter you could not have made so light of it as you do now."
Lizzy quickly grew serious and looked down at her hands. "Indeed I could not. I was very uncomfortable. Till that moment, I never knew myself...and I had no Jane to comfort me. Oh how I wanted you!" To shake off the black mood she felt coming on her, she leaned over and gave Jane a hug. "There is one point on which I want your advice. Should our general acquaintance be informed of Wickham's true character?"
Jane thought for a moment. "Surely there can be no occasion to expose him so cruelly. What is your own opinion?"
"That it ought not to be attempted. Mr. Darcy has not authorized me to make it public, especially as it regards his sister. And for the rest, who would believe it? The general prejudice against Mr. Darcy is so violent, and Wickham will soon be gone. I believe we should say nothing about it at present."
"Yes, I agree. Perhaps he is sorry now for what he has done, and is anxious to reestablish his character in the world. We must not make him desperate."
"Oh, Jane," Elizabeth said, laughing, "I wish I could think so well of people as you do!"
After a few minutes more of conversation, Elizabeth left the room to go to bed. Jane sat pondering all her sister had told her. She knew that Lizzy was leaving something out, but she wasn't sure what it could be, and she definitely wasn't going to push. And with that thought, she blew out her candle and went to sleep.
The other charge leveled at me, is that regardless of the sentiments of either party, I separated Mr. Bingley from your sister. I have no wish to deny this.
Here she stopped reading. She knew it wasn't right to read Lizzy's letter, especially the one from...she looked at the signature to make sure...yes, she was right. It was from Mr. Darcy. But she couldn't help herself. She wanted to know what else he said about Mr. Bingley. Did he give his reasons? Maybe she should just wait and ask Lizzy? But no...she couldn't do that. Feeling like she was committing a horrendous crime, she began reading the letter again.
I have no wish to deny this. Nor can I blame myself for any of my actions in this matter. I had not been long in Hertfordshire before I saw that Bingley admired your sister. But it was not until the dance at Netherfield that I suspected a serious attachment. His partiality was clear, but though she received his attentions with pleasure, I did not detect any symptoms of peculiar regard. The serenity of her countenance convinced me that her heart was not to be easily touched. I did not believe this because I wished it. I believed it on impartial conviction. As to my objections to the marriage, the situation of your family, though objectionable, was nothing in comparison with the total want of propriety so frequently betrayed by your mother, your younger sisters, and even occasionally, your father. My friend left for London the following day. There I pointed out to him the certain evils of his choice of your sister as a prospective bride. It was not difficult to convince him of your sister's indifference to him. I cannot blame myself for having done thus much. There is one part of my conduct in the affair that I do not reflect with satisfaction. That is, that I concealed from him your sister's being in town. Perhaps this concealment was beneath me. But it is done, however, and it was done for the best. On this subject I have nothing more to say and no other apology to offer.
She sat there, stunned for a moment. Her thoughts were tumbling around in her head. Bingley loved her? He didn't know she was in London? Mr. Darcy convinced him she was indifferent? On and on it went. Finally, she put the letter back where it had been and went back to her room.
Jane sat down on her bed to think. How could Mr. Darcy have done such a thing? Did Mr. Bingley really believe her to be indifferent to him? To think she thought of him only as a friend or a brother? It was too horrible for words!
Such were her thoughts for a little while, but soon her sweet nature caused her to think differently towards Mr. Darcy. "He was just thinking of his friend's welfare. I would do the same thing for Lizzy if it happened to her. Even though he was mistaken, I understand why he did it. I'm sure he wouldn't have, had circumstances been different," she rationalized.
Her mind was immediately snatched away from her thoughts by the sound of Elizabeth going into her room. Slowly, she got dressed and went down to breakfast.
"Won't you speak to Papa, Lizzy, about our going to Brighton? You know he listens to your advice!" whined Lydia.
"You flatter me Lydia, but in any case, I should not attempt to persuade him. I think it's a very good thing that the regiment should be removed from Meryton...and that we should be removed from the regiment!"
"Oh Lizzy! How can you say such a thing?!"
"Very easily, mum. If one poor company of militia can cause such havoc in our family, what would a whole camp full of soldiers do?"
"A whole camp full of soldiers!" Lydia sighed, a wistful look on her face.
Mrs. Bennet spoke, "I remember when I was a girl. I cried for two days together when Col. Miller's regiment went away. I thought I should have broke my heart!"
"Well, I'm sure I shall break mine!" cried Lydia.
"And I!" said Kitty.
Both girls and their mother looked to their father for some sort of reaction. Finding none, Mrs. Bennet spoke up.
"There, there my dears. But your father is determined to be cruel."
"I confess I am. I'm sorry to be breaking so many hearts, but I've not the smallest intention of yielding."
"I shall not break my heart, papa." Mary said. "The pleasures of Brighton would have no charms for me. I should infinitely prefer a book."
Lydia sighed, exasperated.
"Mrs. Forster says she plans to go sea-bathing," said Kitty, hoping to soften their father.
Lydia joined in, "I'm sure I should love to go sea-bathing!"
Mrs. Bennet, determined that they should go, added, "A little sea-bathing would set me up forever!"
Finally, Mr. Bennet could take it no more and stood up to leave. "And yet I am unmoved. Well, well, I'm glad you're come back Lizzy. I'm glad you're come back, Jane." And with that he left the room.
As soon as he had left, Lydia began to pout and stomp. "Oooh...I want to go to Brighton!" and threw her spoon and napkin on the table.
When breakfast was finished, Jane decided to walk outside to gather some flowers. Her thoughts from earlier continued to plague her. Even if Mr. Darcy was trying to do his friend a favor, why couldn't he have just let him find out on his own? Or did he think that her mother would have forced her to marry him if she didn't care for Mr. Bingley? Did he think she was just after his money? No, it couldn't be. Mr. Darcy never said anything about that in the letter. She finally came to the conclusion that he must have thought her mother would have made her marry him, regardless of her feelings. But she knew her feelings to be quite the opposite of what he thought. And now she knew that he felt the same for her as she did for him! She felt that her heart would burst for joy. Surely, somehow they would get through this misunderstanding.
Hearing someone coming close, she stopped her thoughts and looked up to see Elizabeth. All of a sudden, she felt very guilty about reading the letter. Not that she read all of it; but that she had obviously read something that her sister didn't want her to know about. She smiled at her, in a fruitless attempt to look happy.
"You are not happy, Jane. It pains me to see it."
Jane searched desperately for something to say, not wanting to tell her sister that her real reason for sadness was for reading the letter.
"It's just that I did...I'm afraid I still do prefer Mr. Bingley to every other man I've ever met, and Lizzy, I did believe he...well, I was mistaken. That is all. I'm resolved to think of him no more. There. Enough. I shall be myself again. As if I had never set eyes on him. Truly, Lizzy, I promise I shall be well. I shall be myself again. I shall be perfectly content." Smiling at her sister to show her she was in earnest, she turned and went back to the house, passing her mother on the way.
After she had put the flowers in a vase of water, she went to her room. She was amazed at how true she sounded when she told Lizzy that she was upset about Mr. Bingley. Well, perhaps it was partly true. But she couldn't believe that Lizzy still didn't say anything about Mr. Bingley. After all that she had just told her about him not caring for her. Well, obviously, Lizzy was trying to keep from hurting her, but she still wished she would at least hint around about it!
She also noticed that Lizzy seemed unhappy as well. She wondered if it could have anything to do with Mr. Darcy. Hmm...there was a thought.
A knock sounded at her door, startling her out of her reverie. It was Elizabeth.
"Jane, you will never believe it! Mrs. Forster invited Lydia to go to Brighton with her as her "particular friend," and papa is letting her go!"
"Perhaps he believes her capable of behaving herself while there?"
"No, Jane! Don't you see? She will ruin us all with her wild behavior! She has already exposed us to ridicule...imagine how it would be if something were to happen! It would be hopeless!"
Jane was beginning to see why her sister was so upset. Of course, the supposed ridicule was from Mr. Darcy...but what would be hopeless? Unless...could she be hoping for another chance? Could she really be in love with him?
"Well, Lizzy, the only thing we can do is respect father's decision. If he is letting Lydia go, then obviously he has thought a lot about it first."
"Jane, how can you say that? How can you just resign yourself to it? I don't know about you, but I'm not going to let her go without papa hearing my opinion on it!"
"Lizzy..." Jane began, but Elizabeth had already stormed out of the room.
What if they were able to meet again? It was probable that neither of the gentlemen would be returning to Netherfield in the near future. So, how to get them to meet? Then it hit her. Lizzy was about to go with her aunt and uncle Gardiner on a trip to the Lakes! A plan began to form itself in Jane's mind, and soon she sat down to write a letter to Mr. Darcy's sister, Georgiana.
Dear Miss Darcy,Please don't think me too forward for writing you like this, especially since we have never met. But my reason for doing so is because I believe that we can help each other. No doubt you are trying to figure out who I am right now. Well, let me help you on that subject. My name is Jane Bennet, and I live in Hertfordshire with my four sisters. My closest sister, Elizabeth is closely acquainted with your brother If I may be so bold, may I enquire if you know any of the particulars of their dealings with each other while they were in Kent? My sister has told me already, and seems to regret it, but I wanted to know if your brother told me. Please forgive me, but may I also suggest that you try your best to get him to tell you, if he has not?
I have an idea that might cheer them both up, but I will need your help with it. I promise to explain more in detail as soon as I can. Thank you for all your help.
Yours, etc.
Jane Bennet
Jane posted the letter the very next day, and within a short while, she received a reply.
Dear Miss Bennet,I'm so glad you wrote to me, for I don't get a lot of interesting news! To be quite honest with you, my brother has been quite difficult since his return from aunt Catherine's. At first I thought it was because she had been pressuring him to marry Anne, but when I received your letter, I began to think differently. I sought him out to ask him about his trip, and although he was hesitant at first, finally told me all of the details of his trip. Including his proposal to your sister. I must admit that, at first, I was angry and frustrated that she would turn him down so hatefully, and I told him so. But he began to defend her violently, saying that it was not her fault, and he was grateful for it. He then told me what he had said to her, and now I understand perfectly. ) Although it is hard for me to see him the way he described himself to me.)
You say that your sister seems to regret it? Well, I know for sure that Fitz does. He mopes around all day, barely eats, and receives no visitors. I feel that I shall lose my mind!
Please tell me of your plan, and I will do everything in my power to help, so long as he is happy again!
Yours, etc.
Georgiana Darcy
After Jane had finished reading the letter, she sighed with relief. Maybe things will actually work out for Lizzy! But, before she could write to Georgiana again, she must work out all of the details of the elaborate plan. And with that, she began to work.
A couple of hours later, Jane sat up and stretched her aching back. She had been leaning over her desk the whole time, and the only reason she stopped was because of the fading light. Looking at the clock, she realized she was going to be late for dinner, so she briefly freshened up and went downstairs.
"But papa! Lydia says that they are having all sorts of fun and that she has been sea-bathing nearly every day!"
"And what, my dear, does this have to do with you?" said her father.
Well, of course, this took Kitty by surprise, but she recovered quickly.
"Because Lydia gets everything. She does everything she wants. It's not fair! I want to do what I want too!" and she jumped up and ran out of the room.
No one said much after that, and soon Jane left the table to go to bed. She wanted to write to Georgiana again, but she knew that Lizzy would be coming in her room soon, so she waited.
About fifteen minutes later, a soft knock was heard on the door. "Come in!" Jane called. Lizzy came in the room and sat down, saying nothing.
"Lizzy, is something bothering you? You haven't been yourself lately."
"Oh, Jane, if you only knew. Sometimes I wish that we could go back in time and change our lives. Relive them and make different decisions. But, I guess we are stuck with them, aren't we?"
"I suppose we are. But you can always make sure that you never repeat them. And rest assured that whenever you make a mistake and someone sees it, or finds out about it, they know that you are only human. You need to understand that people are a lot more forgiving than you think."
"You know, Jane, you never cease to amaze me. No matter what I say, you always have something else to say to make me feel better. Thank you."
Jane just smiled and gave her sister a hug. "Goodnight, Lizzy."
"Goodnight, Jane."
Jane waited for a few minutes to make sure that Lizzy wouldn't come back to her room. As soon as she was sure, she sat down at her desk and began to write.
Dear Miss Darcy,I am glad that your brother told you what happened, for I feared I would have to tell you myself, and risk Lizzy's anger! But I am sincerely sorry for your brother's sorrow, and I hope that what I have in mind will help them both.
My sister is planning on touring the Lakes with my aunt and uncle Gardiner throughout August. They are planning on stopping in Derbyshire to visit some of my aunt's friends in Lambton. My plan is to get my aunt and uncle to stay in Derbyshire and not go to the Lakes. What I would need you to do is to get your brother to come to Lambton somehow in hopes that maybe they could meet. Maybe at the Peaks? I haven't quite figured out where, but I'm sure that together we can think of something. If you have any ideas, please tell me.
As soon as I hear from you again, I will write to my aunt and explain our plan. Thanks again for your help.
Yours, etc.
Jane
Dearest Miss Bennet,I think your plan is wonderful except for one thing. I don't think they should meet at the Peaks, but at Pemberley! I have already talked to the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, and the steward, and they have agreed to help us.
We (my brother, Mr. Bingley and his two sisters and brother-in-law, and myself) are scheduled to go to Pemberley on the 10th of August, but I have asked the steward to call my brother home early for estate business. If it is at all possible, can you get your aunt and uncle to come to Pemberley on the 9th? My brother will be there by himself, so he will be able to talk to your sister. We will arrive as planned on the following day.
Please let me know what you think of this.
Yours, etc.
Georgiana
Meet at Pemberley! How perfect! Jane picked up her pen and began to write.
Dear Miss Darcy,I think your idea is a wonderful one, and now I need only to ask my aunt and uncle for their assistance in our little conspiracy. Thank you so much!
Yours,
Jane
Then she immediately began her next letter, which would also decide whether or not this could go through. It was to her aunt and uncle.
Dear aunt Gardiner,I am writing this letter in the utmost secrecy, so I'm asking you to show this only to uncle, and above all, don't mention it to Lizzy!
I am about to relate some events to you about Lizzy that she probably has not told you. I'm sure she has spoken of a Mr. Darcy to you before, and I'm also sure that she has told you that they do not get along. The truth is that they have a battle of wits every time they are together. What she has probably NOT told you is that Mr. Darcy is quite in love with her.
While she was in Kent, visiting Charlotte Lucas-Collins, Mr. Darcy came to visit his aunt, who happens to be Mr. Collins' patroness, Lady Catherine DeBourgh. While there, Mr. Darcy proposed to her. I know you are shocked. So was I. Of course, she refused him. But, I have come to believe that she regrets her refusal. She is very sad, and whenever his name is mentioned, it gets even worse. I do not know all that she told him, but I do know that she was pretty harsh on him. His conduct during the proposal was wanting as well, but the next day he approached her with a letter and asked her to please read it. In it he explained why he said the things he did the previous day and apologized. He also told Lizzy how he was connected with George Wickham. Aunt, though I cannot say all, please believe me when I say that Mr. Wickham is not at all what we had believed him to be. He is a villain in every sense of the word, and treated Mr. Darcy horrendously.
Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm telling you all of this, and breaching confidence with Lizzy. Well, as I said earlier, I believe that she regrets what happened at Hunsford and would like to apologize. The only problem is that, to our knowledge, he is not planning on coming to Netherfield again. I thought that maybe if we could get them to meet each other, they could set things right between them. It hurts me to see her this way.
Now, I'll get to the point. I know that you were planning on touring the Lakes with her, but would it be too much to ask for you to postpone the trip and go to Derbyshire instead. I have taken the liberty of writing to Miss Georgiana Darcy (Mr. Darcy's sister, and a very sweet girl!) and she has informed me that her brother has also been out of spirits lately. She told me that she, her brother, and Mr. Bingley and his sisters and brother-in-law are planning on going to Pemberley on August 10th. She has already obtained the help of her housekeeper and the steward. Her plan is for the steward to call Mr. Darcy home a day earlier than the rest of the party, and for you to take Lizzy to see Pemberley that same day. We have not given the go-ahead yet, and so eagerly await your reply.
Please let me know what your opinion is on this matter. I trust that you will understand and wish to help as much as possible.
Yours etc.
Jane Bennet
Sitting back, Jane smiled to herself. Things seemed to be coming together rather smoothly. She then stood up, put her letter from Georgiana in her desk, and went downstairs to give Hill her letters to post.