Pride And Prejudice, The Sequel

Chapter 10

For once in a long time, Elizabeth felt some hope, a hope that he still loved her, that he could not have possibly ran away with his cousin.

She questioned the guards who had seen him the night of the wedding and they all admitted that they did not get a close look, they assumed it was him because he came in his carriage,with the coachman. Darcy and Wickham had the same height and build, they could so easily be mistaken for each other. Ella's words came back to Elizabeth,

"I saw my Papa yesterday, he came to me and whispered, my dearest Anne."

It had been no dream at all, the girl had indeed seen her father that night. Except that when he had called for 'my dearest Anne' he had not been calling for his daughter but for his lover. Georgiana affirmed that before her mother's death, Anne had spent a big part of her time at Pemberly and had been well acquainted with Wickham. It was very easy to convince a girl who saw no prospects of a marriage to run away with a man, even if he was already married. Lidya being Lidya had not cared to look for Wickham or pass word around that he had disappeared. Everything fell into place, except one thing, "Where was Darcy? "

"He must have come up with a way to get rid of him," Georgiana said.

Elizabeth's heart almost stopped at the implication, she refused to believe that he could be dead. Though she knew Wickham was very much capable of murder, she did not fancy it his style of handling things. Wickham was more likely to deceive and lie, to use his appearance of perfect manners to get all he wanted. However,she did not think Darcy was a fool enough to be deceived by Wickham, but the coachman must have been.

Her first step was to go to Lidya. She left Georgiana in charge of Pemberly and hurried of in her plainest carriage, so as not to alarm Lidya's neighbours who had little to do but gossip. She arrived at her sister's house very late in the day, and Lidya was very much surprised to see her.

"Lizzy, I thought not to see you again until the day Anne or Ella died," Lidya said in her welcome.

Elizabeth struggled not to comment as Lidya kept on rambling about so many abominable things. She was ushered into the house, which was very small, and rendered even smaller by Lidya's disorganised manners. Lidya kept only one servant, a young girl of about twelve, who needed no pay except the food she ate, and who did her work very badly because she knew not any other way of doing work, and Lidya did not trouble herself with teaching her.

"Where are the children,"Elizabeth asked, in an attempt to find a common ground of conversation with Lidya, who was telling her all about her neighbours and their servants.

"Did I not tell you? Kitty and that husband of hers came by and took Louisa and Penelope, I have only little Margaret left with me here and she sleeps most of the time. She got a charming husband Kitty, he is nothing like that fellow of yours, it is hard to believe them related. "

Elizabeth felt not upset by Lidya's words. Darcy was a solemn fellow, especially in company as abhorrent as Lidya's. She was surprised by Kitty and Colonel Filtzwilliam taking Lidya's two daughters away, though he had risen to the highest rank in the army, he also had a son to provide for, but he was one generous soul, and having heard of Elizabeth taking the twins despite her troubles might have felt obligated to do what was right. Elizabeth did not worry much about them, he was a younger son yes, but a younger son to a count, with a very high position in the army.

"You must miss them, your children, and with Wickham gone, it must get lonely, " Elizabeth said kindly.

Lidya laughed loudly, "Miss them? My dearest Lizzy, whoever gave you that idea? With them gone, I can now eat a full meal a day, I wish Margaret was grown too, I am sure Jane or Mary would like to have her. "