| Subject: Pride : part 19 |
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rooster
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Date Posted: 19:26:10 02/05/08 Tue
Alternative Universe
Summary: Harm and Mac act out Pride and Prejudice
Disclaimer:
feedback is welcome
Author's note : The next section isn't covered very well in the book or the movies. I examine what might have happen between the Darcy and Wickham characters. Why did Wickham run away with Lydia? Why did Darcy help him?
part nineteen Panic and Disgrace
Friday
23 July
Longbourn
Mr. Mackenzie wasn't happy. He didn't like his evenings being disturbed especially as he was getting ready for bed. A rider from Colonel Foster had informed him that his youngest daughter had run off from Brighton with Mr. Turner.
He knew Mattie was a very silly girl prone to do some very stupid things, but he thought she had grown up enough to know better and not to run off with an officer and get married. What had Colonel Foster been doing?
He had left Mattie in the Colonel's charge. He was supposed to keep an eye on her, to keep her out of trouble. Sarah had been right. Mattie was out of control. She didn't understand what it meant to be an adult.
Now she had disappeared in London, a place large enough to hide and not be found. If he didn't find her, his life would be never be the same because his wife's nerves would never be the same again.
They were bad enough now, he couldn't put up with her nerves all the time. He would go to town. Mr. Burnett would join him in a few days. With his help, hopefully they would find her before it was too late.
Tuesday
27 July
Longbourn
Two days later Sarah and the Burnetts arrived at Longbourn. During the trip Sarah didn't know which she spent more time thinking about, Mattie running off with Mr. Turner or never seeing Mr. Darcy again.
She had seen Pemberly and she loved it. She had seen Mr. Darcy at his best and she like what she saw. Allison had filled her in about the depth of his love for her. He had a special sister who she liked very much.
Damm Mattie for ruining her vacation with her aunt and uncle. Damm her for curtailing her time with Mr. Darcy. He had been a wonderful host. The time they had spent together was better than ever because they were able to talk and share their feelings.
She believed he was still in loved with her and wanted a relationship with her. She didn't know if she was falling in love with him or not, but she did know she liked spending time with him now that he was more open and communicative.
She wondered why Mattie had run off with Mr. Turner. Yes, he was good looking and had a pleasant easygoing personality, but he was much too old for her. Sanderson or Denny made more sense to her.
They were both much younger than Mr. Turner. Their personalities matched Mattie's. She couldn't understand why. Mattie was very pretty and got a lot of attention from the young men in the militia and in Meryton.
She liked socializing with many of the officers in the militia. Why then did she choose to run off with Mr. Turner? What was the hurry? Did she understand that her behavior would have to change after she was married?
Surely Mr. Turner wouldn't want to see her flirting with every other officer in the militia, many of whom were much younger than he. Did she really understand the responsibilities of being married?
She hadn't like the look on Mr. Darcy's face when he left. She wasn't sure what his emotional state was. Her best guess was he was disgusted and disappointed. He looked at her as if she had a disease. (silly sisters)
She wondered if she would ever see him again. Her belief was that she wouldn't. Why would he want to associate with her now? If he had been disgusted with her family's behavior before, he surely would be more so now.
There was no way now that he would ever ask her to marry him again. But why did that concern her? She didn't love him, did she? She no longer knew the answer to that question. The only thing she knew was she like spending time with him this week.
Longbourn
The Burnett spent the rest of the day at Longbourn before returning to town the next morning. They wanted to check in with Mrs. Mackenzie to make sure she was alright. Mrs. Mackenzie was grief stricken. Her baby girl had run off to get married.
She didn't understand why Mattie had done so. She wasn't ready to be married. She was also afraid that Mr. Mackenzie would get killed if he fought Mr. Turner. Mr. Burnett also wanted to know if there was any more news. Had Mr. Mackenzie sent another letter back to Longbourn?
Mrs. Burnett had wanted to talk to Mrs. Mackenzie about Sarah and Mr. Darcy. She wanted to tell her what a charming young man Mr. Darcy was and what a generous host he had been. She wanted to tell her that she believed that Sarah and Mr. Darcy were in love.
But she didn't. Now wasn't the time to tell Mrs. Mackenzie about Sarah and Mr. Darcy because of their concerns about Mattie running off. Maybe after Mattie was found and everything was made right she would talk to her sister about Sarah.
Wednesday
28 July
Longbourn
The next day Sarah wanted to talk to Jordan. Her visit to Pemberly had caused so many changes in her thinking, her emotions, and what kind of future she wanted to have, a future with Mr. Darcy.
"How was your trip Sarah? I'm sorry that it had to be interrupted and cut short." asked Jordan.
Sarah looked different to her somehow. Something must have happened on her trip. There was a radiant glow to her face yet she was quite sad.
"It was a very nice trip. We saw a lot of beautiful places and visited some of the finest houses in Derbyshire." she replied.
"Pemberly is in Derbyshire." Jordan informed Sarah.
"Yes it is. And it is very beautiful. I have never seen a place more beautiful than Pemberly. It is a place where I could see myself spending the rest of my life." replied Sarah wistfully.
Jordan laughed, she was surprised to hear such a declaration from Sarah. What did it mean? Had her feelings for Mr. Darcy changed? She noticed the change in Sarah's demeanor. She knew something must have happened while Sarah was there.
She wondered if she met up with Mr. Darcy again. Only Mr. Darcy could caused such major mood swings in her sister like one she was seeing now.
"He was there. He wasn't supposed to be there." Sarah continued to ramble.
"Who wasn't supposed to be there?" asked Jordan with a smile.
"Mr. Darcy. He was everything a young man should be. He was the perfect gentleman and host." replied Sarah in a trance like state.
As much as Jordan was surprised by Sarah's commentary of Mr. Darcy, she was even more surprise by the look on her face. She looked like a woman deeply in love. But how could that be, Sarah didn't like Mr. Darcy.
"He was very polite to Aunt Marie and Uncle Edward. He invited Uncle Edward to go finishing with him. He talked to Aunt Marie about Lampton. He invited us to dinner two or three times while we were there.
I met his sister Georgiana. She everything Allison said she was and more. She plays so beautiful." continued Sarah.
"Allison?" questioned Jordan wondering if .....
"She was there at Pemberly with the Boones ..... and Mr. Keeter. We talked about Mr. Darcy. It seems she knew that Mr. Darcy had gone to Rosings last spring to ask me to marry him." Sarah was beginning to ramble.
She didn't really know what she was saying. It was more like she was saying what she was thinking. While Jordan thought it was interesting, she wanted to know more about Mr. Keeter. She wondered if she should ask Sarah about him.
"Mr. Keeter asked about the family. He wondered if everyone was okay. He mentioned that it had been eight months since he had seen me last. He did say it was the best two months of his life." concluded Sarah.
"Do you think Mr. Darcy is still in love with you Sarah." asked Jordan.
"I don't know. He seemed to be happy to see me after we got past the awkwardness of seeing each other for the first time in months. He was so different Jordan." replied Sarah.
"How so Sarah?" Jordan asked.
"He seemed to be more at ease, almost happy. He was a gentleman. He wasn't like he was last year, proud and arrogant. He was more like Mr. Keeter, happy and attentive." replied Sarah.
"Do you think you'll see him again? asked Jordan. She thought that if Mr. Darcy came to visit Sarah, maybe Mr. Keeter would come along too.
"I don't know. He didn't seem to be very happy when I told him about Mattie. He did say it was his fault. He never did care much for our family. I can't imagine it was helped by Mattie's scandalous affair." replied Sarah.
"He's in love with you Sarah. He might not think much about what Mattie did, but I don't think he would hold that against you Sarah. He knows that you aren't your sister's keeper." replied Jordan.
Friday
30 July
London
Harm left Pemberly a few days after Sarah left. He needed to take care of some business before he left. He also made his apologies to the Keeters and Boones for cutting their visit short. He needed to go to town for some very important business.
He didn't explain to them what it was, but Allison felt it must have something to do with concerning Ms Sarah. She had left unexpectedly a few days earlier. It was clear to her that he was in love with Ms Sarah.
It took a few days, but Harm eventually caught up with Ms Young. Georgiana had been left in her care last year. She was the one who was responsible for helping to arrange for Turner and his sister to run off together when she was only fifteen.
If there was anyone in town who knew where Turner was, it would be her. She was probably his only friend that he didn't owe any money to. Whether or not he could convince her to help him was another story.
"Where is he?" demanded Harm as he forced the door open.
"Where is who?" replied Ms Young feigning ignorance. She could see the anger on Darcy's face and in his tone. It frightened her.
"Don't play games with me Ms Young. You know who I mean. Where is Mr. Turner?" bellowed Harm.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him. If he's here in town, he might be staying at the Hickory Dock Inn. It's commonly known that he stays there whenever he's in town." replied Ms Young.
She didn't want Mr. Darcy to be mad at her. He could make her life very miserable. Her life style depended upon being a governess to well to do families, the type that socialized with Mr. Darcy. She didn't want to lose her livelihood.
"He better be, you don't want me to be coming back here." Harm threatened her.
Harm left and walked in the direction of the Hickory Dock Inn. He thought about waiting until the following morning, but he was worried that Ms Young would make an effort to warn Turner that he was in town.
An hour later Harm was at the Hickory Dock Inn. He found out what room Turner was staying in from the front desk. He went to the room to confront Turner. He knocked on the door. Turner was surprised to see Harm standing there.
"What are you doing here? I heard you were at Pemberly." greeted Turner with a smirk.
"I was until I heard about what you had done. Ms Mackenzie, you will come with me. Your family is worried about you. You will be staying with the Burnetts until all matters have been resolved. You better be here when I get back." Harm told Turner.
"I'm not going anywhere. I've been waiting for you to show up." smirked Turner.
"But I'm suppose to be marrying my Tumbleweed(her pet name for Turner)." protested Mattie.
"All in good time Ms Mackenzie, but first you need to be with your family. Mr. Turner and I have some business to conduct before you get married. We have some arrangements to make." he told her.
Mr. Darcy hailed a horse drawn carriage to take him and Mattie to the Burnetts. A half-hour later they had reached Grace Church Street. Mr. Darcy knocked on the door. Mr. Burnett was surprised to see Mr. Darcy standing there.
"Mr. Darcy, what a pleasant surprise. What may I asked is the purpose of your visit?" greeted Mr. Burnett.
"I've found a wayward waif, I'm returning her to you." replied Mr. Darcy as he stepped aside to reveal Mattie who had been hiding behind him.
"Who is it dear?" yelled Mrs. Burnett from another room. She was helping her young children clean up.
"It's Mr. Darcy dear. He has a surprise for us." replied Mr. Burnett. "Won't you come in Mr. Darcy. I think we have some things to talk about."
Mr. Darcy and Mattie entered the apartment and were soon joined by Mrs. Burnett. She was happy to see him again. She thought he was a very nice young man who was perfect for Sarah. She thought they made an excellent couple.
"Mr. Darcy! How nice it is to see you again. I see you found our missing niece." Mrs. Burnett greeted Darcy.
"Mattie, why don't you go into the other room with your cousins." requested Mr. Burnett.
Mattie did as she was told, but she wasn't very happy about it. She wanted to be with her Tumbleweed, but she was being treated like a little girl who had misbehaved. She had the impression that they were going to be talking about her future without her input.
"Is Mr. Mackenzie still in town?" asked Mr. Darcy.
"No, he left yesterday to return to Longbourn." replied Mr. Burnett.
"How did you find her? Was she with Mr. Turner?" asked Mrs. Burnett.
"I knew someone who was close to him last year. I tracked her down and she told me where I might find him. They aren't married yet. It seems he has some logistics he needs to work out first. I'm going back there to talk to him." explained Mr. Darcy
"I'd like to come along with you if you don't mind." offered Mr. Burnett.
"That won't be necessary Sir. This is between Mr. Turner and me. It goes back several years. I'll handle everything. You take care of your niece. I shall return tomorrow with the particulars Sir. I'll make sure he does the honorable thing and marry your niece." replied Mr. Darcy.
Mr. Burnett wasn't exactly pleased with Mr. Darcy's decision. He thought he should be included in any decisions that were made regarding Mattie's future. A member of the family should be there.
He wondered what happen between them that Mr. Darcy was taking full responsibility. At first he wondered why Mr. Darcy had gotten involved. It didn't concern him. He didn't have a vested interested in the matter. Then he remembered what had happened last week.
They were at Pemberly. Mr. Darcy had invited them to dinner three times and had included them when his friends had come to Pemberly. He had been a charming host. Why? His wife suspected that he was in love with their niece, Sarah.
If there was any question about whether or not he loved Sarah, that question had been answered. What other reason would he had gone out of his way to find Mattie for them? He must be in love with Sarah.
"Did you have a talk with Mattie?" Mr. Burnett asked Mrs. Burnett.
"I did. I tied to explain to her that what she had done was wrong, but I don't think she listened to me or cared about what I had to say. She only sees Mr. Turner and his red coat. She doesn't understand why or how she has hurt her family." replied Mrs. Burnett.
"Well at least Mr. Darcy found her. I'm sure my sister and Mr. Mackenzie will be greatly relieved." offered Mr. Burnett.
"We should let them know she is safe." replied Mrs. Burnett.
"I think we should wait until Mr. Darcy returns tomorrow. I think he wants to handle things. I think we should find out what his plans are first." said Mr. Burnett.
Hickory Dock Inn
It wasn't long before Harm had return to the Hickory Dock Inn. He went up to Turner's room to have a talk with him.
"What the hell is wrong with you! What possible reason could you have to take off with Ms Mackenzie. She's only sixteen years old. Her family has no money. What could you possibly expect to get out of marrying her?" bellowed Harm.
"You!" replied Turner to a shocked Darcy.
"Me? How did you figure you were going to get me?" asked Harm a bit confused.
"I needed to get your attention. Before I left for Brighton I had a nice talk with Ms Sarah about her trip to Hunsford to see her friend Harriet Lucas. She told me she had met up with you. I got the general impression from her that her opinion of you had changed.
She had a look on her face that said things had changed quite a bit between the two of you, that she even liked you on some level. We both know what that means, she will if she hasn't already, fall in love with you. It's just a matter of time." replied Turner.
"What in the world are you talking about?" asked Harm a bit confused.
"Come on Darcy, what woman can refuse you. You're rich, good looking, and then there is Pemberly. Once she has seen Pemberly, any reservations she might have had about you will be gone. She will fall in love with Pemberly and thus you.
Ms Sarah is a very special lady. She's beautiful and very intelligent. She's everything any man could want in a wife. I have no chance of ever being with her, I have nothing to offer her, but you have everything.
While Ms Mattie isn't as special as her sister, she is quite special in her own right. Her enthusiasm for life is intoxicating." answered Turner with a smirk.
"What is it that you want?" asked Harm. He believed that Turner might be right about Sarah. She did seem to be quite happy while she was at Pemberly.
"I have gambling debts that I can't pay off." replied Turner.
"This is the last time I'm going to help you, but there will be a few stipulations. You will marry Ms Mackenzie, you will not gamble anymore, and you will be joining the regulars. I know someone who can arrange for you to have a commission.
I'll arrange to have all your debts paid off. I'll give Ms Mackenzie a small dowry of ten thousand pounds. Her father will pay you one hundred pounds a year as long as he is alive. Do we have an agreement?" asked Harm.
Turner sighed, he had gotten pretty much everything that he had hope for except he had not planned on marrying Ms Mackenzie. She had been only a tool to get what he needed. But he was in no position to argue with Darcy so he agreed to the conditions.
"If the Mr. Mackenzie agrees to pay one hundred pounds a year and any debts you owe in Meryton, you will marry Ms Mackenzie on the eighth." ordered Harm.
Saturday
31 July
Grace Church Street
The next morning as promise Harm headed back to the Burnett's residence. He had talked with his contact and had arranged for Turner's commission in the regulars. Turner would hand in his resignation to Colonel Foster of the militia.
He would be assigned to a regiment stationed in New Castle, eighty miles north of Pemberly. They would be a long ways from Longbourn. It would be a lonely life for Mattie as she learned the hard lessons about life as an officer's wife.
"Good morning Mr. Darcy, have you some news for us?" asked Mr. Burnett. He wanted to make sure his wife was there to hear the news.
"Good morning Mr. Burnett, Mrs. Burnett. I've had a talk with Mr. Turner. He's to resign his commission in the militia and accept a commission in the regulars.
I have arranged to pay off any and all debts he has occurred in town and in Brighton. He does have some debts to be paid off in Meryton, which I'm sure Mr. Mackenzie can handle.
I've arranged for a small dowry of ten thousand pounds for Ms Mackenzie. And finally he has agreed to have Mr. Mackenzie pay one hundred pounds per year for as long as he lives.
If this is agreeable to you and Mr. Mackenzie, I will tell Mr. Turner. I have also arranged for a wedding service for next Sunday the eight of August." explained Mr. Darcy.
"I'm sure it will be okay, it sounds quite reasonable. I can send a messenger to Longbourn with a letter containing the details." agreed Mr. Burnett.
"Good, here's a list of the creditors he owes money to in Meryton." replied Mr. Darcy as he noticed Mattie entering the room.
"Can I see my Tumbleweed now?" asked Mattie.
"We're working out the details Ms Mackenzie. If everything goes as plan, you and Mr. Turner will be married Sunday. You can see him then." replied Mr. Darcy.
"But I want to see him now!" whined Mattie, but no one heard her.
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