Welcome to the fourteenth installment of The Bennet Brother, the interactive group writing project from Austen Authors! At the end of this segment, you’ll have a chance to vote on what happens next. There are also extra details on Twitter, where this story has taken on a life of its own. Mr. Edward Bennet (@edwbennet) already has a notable presence and regularly interacts with readers, including this interview with Miss Leatherberry on Leatherbound Reviews:

Interview with Mr. Edward Bennet

See how it all started and take a few moments to enjoy the Bennets as children in Susan Mason-Milks The Bennet Children have an Adventure, prelude to The Bennet Brother.

Full details on Pride & Prejudice Reader’s Choice can be read by clicking to the page via the menu above or the icon to the left. Authors for upcoming scenes through August are now listed.

 

Voting for today’s installment will end at 6am tomorrow – Thursday, May 16th. Next week, the story continues with a new addition by Maria Grace. The previous thirteen installments can be read in order on The Writers Block.

 

Here is Scene #14 by Sally Smith O’Rourke ~~

Darcy looked around the room at family and friends. What must they be thinking? He could stand it no longer. As the sun’s descent cast shadows across the carpeted floor, he slipped out of the room. Passing a maid in the entry way, he ordered candles lit throughout the house.

Slowly he took the stairs down into the courtyard. Distracted, he wound his way across the lawns to the wilderness. The soothing sound of the rill drew him to the water’s edge; there, on the muddy bank of the river, he sat on a fallen tree. His mind was in utter chaos as he watched the obsidian water, a dark ribbon in the pale light of the new moon, as it slid around branches and twigs, lapping against unseen rocks.

Anger and mortification were heavy on his mind. His aunt, in her brazen attempt to control all of their lives, had broken the law and every rule of polite society… and in his house. He might have been pleased when the authorities took her away, but it removed the intense pleasure it would have given him to evict her, bodily if necessary, himself. He closed his eyes, trying to posit the best course of action to deal with the consequences that were sure to follow the matriarch’s criminal behavior.

He turned at the sound of crushed leaves and pine needles.

“Cousin.” He stood and made a shallow bow, and then took his seat again on the tree.

“It is my desire to be alone, Anne.”

She waited a moment before speaking, “I am sorry. It had been my intent to explain everything, but I had not expected their arrival so soon.” She paused slightly, and then repeated, “I am sorry.”

“Yes, so you said.”

“Are you very angry?”

“I am. I am humiliated and angry.”

“You do understand why I did it, do you not? I could not allow mother to have her way in this. I know you do not approve, Cousin, but I love Mr. Wickham with all my heart.”

“The man is a bounder.”

“If he was, his love for me has changed him.”

“Men do not change, Anne.”

“He has changed. He and Denny have owned the Lodge for more than three years now. He is a respected businessman.”

“So you think. He wants not but your portion.”

“I would have agreed with you if he had fallen in love with Anne de Bourgh, but he did not. When I met him at Ramsgate two years ago he knew not who I was, and though I recognized him, I introduced myself as Abigail Mason. He fell in love with me before he knew who I was or how much my marriage portion is. Knowing that mother will refuse to release it, he still wishes to marry me.” She paused to allow him to take in the information. “He does love me, Fitzwilliam; me the person, not the rich spinster.”

“So you are intent on marrying him?”

“Yes. The occurrences here stopped our planned elopement, as was mother’s intent. I admit, though, that I would much rather it be a proper wedding. But elopement or wedding, I shall have him.”

“And why are you telling me?” With the toe of one shoe Anne stirred the leaves at her feet, watching as the leather made swirls and divots in the dirt. “Anne?”

“You and I know that mother will not be prosecuted. The men she hired will pay for her crimes, but that does not negate what she has done. We will be unwelcome everywhere after this.”

“I am certain that Mr. Collins will be a great comfort to her.”

“Yes.” She smiled at the sarcastic comment. “But this situation makes you the family Patriarch, at least, you are the oldest male member of the family remaining. I want your blessing for my marriage to Mr. Wickham.”

“And thirty thousand pounds?”

She stomped her foot. “I want no money!” She knelt on the ground next to the fallen tree and put her hand on his. “I want you to accept him as family.”

“You ask a lot of me, Anne. If I am to believe you, he is now an upstanding citizen, but I am finding that more than difficult to accept. He is a degenerate cad.”

With tears beginning to fill her eyes, Anne declared, “He is not.” She stood up. “You do not know him as I do.”

“And you do not know him as I do. He may not have been responsible for the highway robbery, but he did steal my horse.”

“Yes. He is sorry about that; escape was the only thing on his mind so he took Charlemagne. He had every intention of returning him. It was one of the reasons he met with Georgie.” Darcy was unable to stifle a “harrumph’ that Anne ignored. “He is not the monster you think him.”

Emotionally drained by the events of the day, he had no desire to hear his cousin’s irrational and ignorant claims, but Anne had shown a side of herself that he had never seen, and respect for the forthright nature of her appeal forced him to listen.

“You said returning the horse was one of his reasons for wanting to see Georgiana. What was the other?”

“He always thought of her as his young sister and the incident at Ramsgate has preyed on his heart for months. In spite of your suppositions, he was not there to attempt an elopement with her. He did not know she would be there. When you arrived and saw them together it was innocent as I am sure Georgiana told you.” She looked at him and raised an eyebrow, knowing full well that he had not believed his sister or his father’s godson.

He had to admit that his sister had denied the elopement. “If that is true, why did he not defend himself, explain himself?”

Quietly she said, “He was protecting me. I told mother that the sea would do wonders for my health. She allowed me to travel there with Mrs. Jenkinson. It is at Ramsgate that we met and where we became engaged.” She dropped her head, “He was there to see me.” She paused, “Mr. Wickham allowed you to believe he had designs on Georgiana so you would not suspect the truth.”

Darcy looked up at Anne, her pale skin glowing in the dim moonlight. Was it the truth? Had he been wrong? Suddenly he realized that his assumptions had been a blatant accusation of his sister as well as Wickham. If, in fact, this was true, Georgiana must hate him for it.

His mind was reeling and his head was aching. He stood and took Anne’s arm, but said nothing. After a short distance along the river bank she said, “Tell me you will think about it. Tell me I will not lose my family if I follow my heart.”

Unable to think of anything to say he agreed, “I will think about it.”

She squeezed his arm, “Thank you.”

They walked in silence until they reached the lawn. Anne had needed the extra time to form her next words carefully. “Promise me something, Cousin.” She waited. He said nothing. “Promise me,” she insisted.

“What is it you want me to promise?”

“That you will follow your heart and not your staid attitudes about what is expected or acceptable in society.” She waited for the words to register before continuing, “She is beautiful, intelligent and strongly independent. I believe she is the kind of woman who could make you happy. Do not allow her limited connections and finances temper your love. Open your heart as I did.”

“And who is this lady?”

Anne looked up at her relative and laughed, “Why do you suppose mother tried to bribe Mr. Bennet? It was not simply because she saw his interest in Georgiana, but the obvious affection you have for his sister, Elizabeth. The Bennets and Mr. Wickham were in the way of her ultimate plans for you, me, and Georgie.” She waited a mere moment, “Your stoic demeanor does little to hide your true feelings, Fitzie.”

Startled by her use of the nickname, “Do not call me that!”

“It did not used to bother you.”

“We were children then.”

“Yes, we were, happy children who found joy in life and the world around us. Shall I tell you a secret?” She did not wait for an answer. “Mr. Wickham often makes me feel like a child again. Happy, content with what life has to offer without thought of money, property or connections.”

“And that is a good thing?”

“A very good thing, Fitzie.” Visibly he cringed at the name. “You don’t want me to call you that because you are embarrassed by it. I use it because I love you. Does my love embarrass you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why should my term of endearment?” He had no answer, for he could not tell her he was afraid people would laugh at him and he did not want to be thought of as ridiculous.

Anne continued, “Do you remember that summer you spent at Rosings and several of my father’s hunting dogs had litters?”

“Yes.”

“I often think of that day when all the puppies were climbing on us and we were on the ground giggling as they tickled us. We were unafraid to show our feelings then. And shall I tell you, it is often how I feel now when I am with Mr. Wickham.”

Darcy smiled at the memory of the small, furry creatures licking their faces, their tiny claws tickling their necks. The joy of it lightened his heart.

“I saw the look on your face when you watched Miss Bennet nuzzle Charlemagne. She was not the least embarrassed for anyone to see her do it, and you liked it.” A quiet aside, “Her playfulness would be a good counter to your priggishness.”

His surprise was complete. They continued in silence.

The house stood in the near distance; torch light creating a shroud of serenity that Darcy certainly did not feel.

Finally Anne said, “You have not promised.”

Distracted he questioned, “Promised?”

“That you will open you heart.”

“You are asking much of me this evening, Anne. I can only say with certainty that I will think about all of it.” He paused, “You should go in now so that the chill does not…” He stopped himself. She was not the frail flower needing special care that his Aunt had wanted all to believe. She was fiercely independent, and he was proud of her. Rather than suggest she needed to be out of the cool air, he told her he needed to be alone for he had much to think about. She reached up and kissed his cheek. He smiled at her, and when he was certain she was safely inside, he turned away from the house.

He walked; his head down. He rubbed the back of his neck. Since their days at Cambridge, he had believed Wickham to be a blackguard of the worst kind. Wickham’s refusal of the living offered by his godfather was an insult Darcy could not abide. He had been sure that the cad had taken the money in lieu of the living and used it for debauchery and his dissolute lifestyle. Had he used it instead to buy into a legitimate business? Had he been wrong all these years? Had his obstinate nature caused him to accuse his sister, as well as Wickham, unfairly? What sort of man did that make him? He realized now that he had created many of the problems he had blamed on Wickham and his aunt, and for which he was now in search of a resolution. The answer was simple. He was the resolution. Anne had said it, he was head of the family and it was his responsibility to rectify all of it.

He continued his ramble around the grounds of his estate while attempting to determine how best to proceed, and decided he needed to sleep first and deal with it in the bright light of the new day.

Finally pushing aside the many concerns he would need to address in the morning, he came upon a small garden that he often looked out on from his library, and the pleasant memory of Elizabeth Bennet in this garden overrode all other thoughts. Not two days before, he had watched Miss Bennet playing with his dogs here. He had walked to the window in order to see the whole of the scene and there she was running in the garden with his Irish Wolf Hounds. It was an amusing sight as the animals were much bigger than the slight, dark haired woman. She was laughing in enjoyment, alone with the animals. He had almost laughed with her when she knelt on the ground and hugged the necks of the giant dogs.

If he took Anne’s suggestion to ignore her low connections and lack of dowry he could find no flaws in her. Like everyone, he supposed she had some, but he had seen little evidence of them. Even her impertinence at their first exchange, having been triggered by his arrogant insult, could hardly be considered a flaw.

While initially he saw nothing pleasing about her looks he had, for some time now, considered her; his thought process paused, beautiful, yes, as Anne said, she is beautiful.

She is a voracious reader which, luckily for him, meant she had been capable of rendering aid at a critical moment. He smiled to himself; if she were to stay at Pemberley for any length of time he suspected she would spend an inordinate amount of time in his library… his favorite room in the house. He had already found her there once. It was a happy thought.

As though they could read his mind, his dogs, Hermes and Hera, sauntered into the garden. An instant later he looked up in the direction of light footsteps. She seemed to float toward him as she came out of the veil of evening mist surrounding Pemberley House.

He stood and bowed and as she reached his position, “Miss Bennet.”

She curtsied. “Mr. Darcy.”

“What brings you out into the night air, Miss Bennet?”

With a hand on the head of one of the dogs and the other on the neck of the second dog, she said, “We saw you from the library window.” She saw the small smile that curved his lips and wondered at its meaning, but continued, “I feel it necessary to apologize for my part in the recent,” she paused not sure what to call the occurrences, “events that have so distressed you.”

He looked at her quizzically. “Your part, Miss Bennet?”

She bowed her head. “My meddling was largely responsible for all of it. Had I but observed propriety and stayed with the ladies during the robbery I would not have found the watch. Had I not found the watch, I would not have shown it to you, forcing you to rise from your sick bed so that your recovery was delayed. Nor would you have assumed Mr. Wickham was a party to the incident.” Absently her hand rubbed the neck of the dog. Was that a chuckle she heard come from him?

Ire started to rise within her when he said, “Miss Bennet, your meddling, as you call it, is responsible only for saving my life, for which I will be eternally grateful. I hold no one but my aunt and myself responsible for the actions that have brought disgrace on my home and family. Trust that you had no part in any of it.”

The bit of anger gone, she added a further plea, “I must be allowed to apologize for my brother as well. Had he not insisted upon my sister and I being included in your most generous invitation, your aunt would not have felt compelled to take so drastic an action for the security of her family.” Elizabeth looked up into his dark eyes. Was that affection she saw? Was it possible after the events of the day? “I am sorry for all of it. Please accept the apology and tell me you will not hold any of this against Edward who holds your friendship in such high regard.”

Completely astonished at her words Darcy said nothing. “Mr. Darcy?” It was a question, a question he needed to answer. He took a shuddering breath.

“I do assure you, Miss Bennet, that your brother is no more responsible for any of it than are you. So please do not distress yourself.”

“When Mr. Wickham stole Charlemagne, Edward made such a mess of it. I fear you cannot excuse that so easily.”

“Yes, Miss Bennet, that too. My cousin Anne has explained the circumstances surrounding the theft and I am prone, at present, to acquit Mr. Wickham of all crimes. Edward holds no fault in the matter.”

Darcy watched Elizabeth, did he sense desire or was it simply the torch light glistening amongst the gold specks in her honey colored eyes? He almost laughed; it was his own desire to envelope her in an embrace that he felt. Anne was right about one thing. Elizabeth Bennet was very likely the one woman with whom he could be happy in his life.

The turmoil of the last few weeks left much to deal with, and now was not the time to offer his hand to a woman he was not certain would accept it. However, he was unable to stifle the urge to touch her. With a feather soft touch he brushed an errant curl from her cheek, and then followed the contour of her jaw with his thumb before dropping his hand and asking her to walk with him.

Lizzy’s stomach jumped when his hand touched her face, and she was unable to stop the shiver that ran through her body as he took her arm.

 

What twisty-turn will happen next?

1. Darcy agrees to give Wickham a chance and host the wedding at Pemberley. Perfect scenario for love to bloom and family to visit!
2. Inspector Holmes reports that Lady Catherine was attacked by the bandit Sullivan, wounded in the scuffle, and now lies near death. Will Anne de Bourgh soon inherit Rosings Park and her fortune?
3. Caroline Bingley witnesses the exchange between Darcy and Lizzy, and in desperation conceives of a plot to rid Pemberley of the Bennets for good.
4. To Darcy’s annoyance, he is separately drilled for information on The Bachelor – Edward Bennet – by Lady Colette Fitzwilliam, Georgiana, and Caroline Bingley!

 

 

Thanks to Jennifer Young for the use of the lovely landscape Roots. And as always a special thank you to Janet Taylor for Elizabeth and Darcy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the thirteenth installment of The Bennet Brother, the interactive group writing project from Austen Authors! At the end of this segment, you’ll have a chance to vote on what happens next. There are also extra details on Twitter, where this story has taken on a life of its own. Mr. Edward Bennet (@edwbennet) already has a notable presence and regularly interacts with readers, including this interview with Miss Leatherberry on Leatherbound Reviews:

Interview with Mr. Edward Bennet

Full details on Pride & Prejudice Reader’s Choice can be read by clicking to the page via the menu above or the icon to the left.

 

Voting for today’s installment will end at 6am tomorrow – Thursday, May 9th. Next week, the story continues with a new addition by Sally Smith O’Rourke. The previous twelve installments can be read in order on The Writers Block.

 

 

Following on the heels of Colette Saucier, I begin by stepping back a few days to reveal an important, clandestine meeting between two prime players in today’s scene. Tying up a few loose strings was important, plus a wee bit of intrigue is a positive boon to a dramatic story, right? So get ready to have your socks knocked off! (I hope)

 

Here is Scene #13 by Sharon Lathan ~~

 

Seven days before the Bennets’ departure…

“Are you sure you want to be alone with him, Miss? He is dangerous.”

“I am sure, and he isn’t dangerous.”

The jailor shook his head, and then shrugged. “Whatever you say, Miss. I’ll be right outside this door if you need me.”

“I won’t, but do appreciate your concern.” The cloaked woman nodded toward the lock and said no more as the jailor turned the key. Once opened, she breezed through and headed straight for the cell indicated by the jailor’s point.

George Wickham stood as she approached. Surprise and happiness flooded his face, a smile springing forth even though she could tell he fought it. His words of greeting conveyed the mixture of his emotions. Continue reading →