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Part Eleven, Coming Face to Face in Kent
Elizabeth thought about events of the past several months as she packed her belongings in preparation of her trip to visit Charlotte. Darcy had made good on his word. He brought combat masters from all over the world to Hertfordshire to train her. Just meeting these men and women was a fabulous experience. The masters were amazing in many ways. The most notable quality that they all shared was a cool demeanor that invited no question as to who they were. She guessed their origins from clues of language, dress, and manner. They treated her privacy with equal respect.
From these people, she had learned proficiency with a variety of knives, spears, guns, swords, axes, and other weapons. A wooden version of a Chinese tiger spear trident became a great favorite for use on patrol. She had also become proficient in many forms of combat and defense. Elizabeth carefully packed a selection of her best weapons and favorite training texts among her clothes.
The strangest thing that had happened in recent months was a decline in the number of vampires in Hertfordshire. After the night Lizzy and Darcy had dispatched three vampires and Giles later chased after two others, no more vampires were seen at Netherfield Park. The number of vampires in Meryton even declined to the point that Darcy only made his trips to Hertfordshire once each week. More often than not he brought a person to assist in Lizzy's training along with him. It seemed to Lizzy that he went out of his way to avoid their being alone together. She felt a renewed coldness in his manner.
Regardless, the Winter holidays were extremely pleasant, especially with the addition of her aunt and uncle Gardiner and their children to the family party. Elizabeth enjoyed the chance to return to a normal life even for short periods of time. She greatly looked forward to the summer. Her aunt and uncle had promised to take her with them to see the Lakes.
Jane returned to Gracechurch street with the Gardiners after the holidays. The one unpleasant call Caroline Bingley made at the Gardiner's home left Jane more convinced than ever that Charles Bingley would soon become engaged to Georgiana Darcy. She struggled to overcome her broken heart. Elizabeth could see Jane's sadness in every word of her many letters. Elizabeth worried for her sister's health and happiness. She tried to dream up ways that she could help her sister recover. After Easter the sisters would be together again.
For now, however, Elizabeth was preparing for her visit to Kent.
She dreaded the explanations she was going to have to give Charlotte. Having considered all the facts and her instincts, Lizzy had come to the conclusion that Mr. Collins was a vampire. Telling her friend that her spouse was undead—and dispatching said spouse—these were things Lizzy honestly dreaded. But she did not see a way out of it.
Therefore, Elizabeth was greatly shocked when the mid-afternoon sun revealed Mr. Collins awaiting their arrival at Hunsford Parsonage alongside his wife. There were hugs and smiles all around as Charlotte greeted her father, her sister Maria, and Elizabeth. Mr. Collins took his father-in-law and sister-in-law to see his gardens and bee hives while Charlotte and Elizabeth greeted each other affectionately.
As Elizabeth and Charlotte walked toward the parsonage, Elizabeth heard Maria remark, "Is that garden entirely for garlic?" Mr. Collins replied that the garlic garden was Charlotte's.
Elizabeth looked wonderingly at her friend. Charlotte seemed content. Charlotte said, "When he finally greets the day, Mr. Collins spends a great deal of time in his gardens." Squeals came from the gardens as Maria fled Mr. Collins' vicious bees. Charlotte led Elizabeth into the house and into a small sitting room.
"He spends much of his time indoors in his study. It offers a view of the road so that he can see when Lady Catherine or her daughter drive by." Charlotte continued. "This is the room I use during the day. Though it is small it affords a much better prospect than Mr. Collins' study. So, you see, many a day passes that we spend only a few minutes in one another's company. I find I can bear the solitude quite well."
Elizabeth nodded in understanding at her friend's arrangement.
Over the next several days the friends spent a lot of time exploring the beautiful countryside. Elizabeth had hoped that time out of doors would cause her to have fewer nightmares than she'd had throughout the winter, but her dark dreams only seemed to worsen.
She continued to watch Mr. Collins. She was puzzled by him. He ate like a bird. He kept very odd hours. Elizabeth knew that the same could be said of her, but she had no understanding of what caused Mr. Collins to do so. The strangest thing of all was that he did not ever seem to go into the church. Each Sunday brought a new visiting vicar to make the sermon and lead worship. Mr. Collins seemed to be a curate who left his parish utterly neglected. Elizabeth did not know how to bring this up to the others without seeming harsh though. Mild and tactful inquiries were soundly rebuffed by Charlotte.
An invitation came for the Hunsford party to take tea at Rosings Park. As they approached the house, Mr. Collins grew more strangely animated all the time. He fairly danced about the others, squawking on about the grandeurs of the house the entire way. When he saw Elizabeth adjust her bonnet he said, "Do not trouble yourself about the simplicity of your outfit, Cousin. Lady Catherine does not expect for you to be attired with the same elegance as herself and her daughter. She likes to see the distinctions of rank preserved. She will be very well pleased to have you here!"
Elizabeth saw that Charlotte looked distressed. She asked, "Charlotte! Are you well?" Charlotte only nodded in reply.
The house was grandly furnished, but the appointments were almost garishly ornate. There was little light. Through the semi-darkness they went into a room with an enormous mural. Elizabeth gasped when she saw it. It depicted every bird of prey of which she'd ever read. It was truly horrific.
Maria and Sir William were struck dumb. The entire party, save Mr. Collins, sat very close by each other on the sofa. Elizabeth squeezed Maria's shaking hand. Maria looked at her, eyes wide with fear. She smiled at Maria reassuringly.
When the clock struck the hour, Lady Catherine appeared in the doorway.
Lizzy nearly laughed aloud despite herself. Lady Catherine's headdress contained the strangest looking ornaments she'd ever seen. It looked like nothing so much as an ugly, dead bird. Her ladyship looked at her guests sharply. Maria uttered a small squeak. Lady Catherine smiled and swept across the room to a rather throne-like chair before the company.
She looked over her guests and rasped, "Welcome to Rosings Park." She looked at Elizabeth, squinting her eyes as she examined her closely. Elizabeth struggled not to giggle.
Lady Catherine turned to Charlotte and said, "Your friend seems a prettyish, gentile sort of girl, Mrs. Collins. I believe Mr. Collins is to inherit her father's estate?" Charlotte nodded. Lady Catherine smiled again. She continued, "Do you have any brothers or sisters, Miss Bennet?"
The others looked to Elizabeth as she replied easily, "I have no brothers, your Ladyship. I am the second of five girls. Our estate is entailed on Mr. Collins."
Lady Catherine snorted, "Hmph. I see no reason for property to be entailed away from the female line. There is no such provision in my family." Elizabeth smiled in reply. Lady Catherine continued, "Have you a governess?" Elizabeth shook her head. The older woman looked startled, "Your mother must be quite a slave to your education, then."
Elizabeth repressed a smile as she replied, "I assure you that is not the case."
Lady Catherine suddenly looked quite serious, her expression dark. "Then you tell me that there is no one who looks after your education? No one who trains you and guides you?"
Lizzy's smile disappeared at this question. She replied, "Each of my sisters is responsible for her own education. We each pursue enlightenment in our own way."
Lady Catherine stared at Lizzy. Then she broke away from the gaze and continued casually, "And are any of your younger sisters out?"
Elizabeth replied, "All of them."
Lady Catherine's eyes bulged in surprise, "What! All five out at once? Surely your youngest sisters are quite young to be in company…"
Elizabeth conceded this point, saying, "My youngest sister is perhaps full young, but I think it would be quite hard not to allow younger sisters their share of pleasure because the older have not the means nor inclination to marry."
Lady Catherine leaned forward, stared directly into her eyes and said, "You pronounces your opinions quite assuredly for so young a person. What is your age?" She stared at Elizabeth as though this were a matter of the greatest import.
Elizabeth smiled enigmatically. Inside her reticule, she laid her fingers against Dominique's broach. Calm flowed through her. She replied, "Her ladyship cannot expect for me to own my age with three younger sisters out."
Lady Catherine seemed to throw a minor fit for no apparent reason. She cried out, "You cannot be more than one and twenty!"
Elizabeth said mildly, "I am not yet one and twenty."
Lady Catherine nodded, sat back, and snorted again. She looked at Elizabeth pensively.
After the party from the parsonage left Lady Catherine took up some paper and wrote a short note. It read, Final condition met. Slayer has not passed seven years three times. We may proceed. Prepare your legions. Darkness comes. She clapped her hands. A large crow flew into the room and took the note from her hand.
A few moments later the crow flew into a cave's entrance. It landed on a rock next to Darla. She took the note, read it to The Master, and smiled.
Sir William left for Hertfordshire the next morning. That afternoon Charlotte, Maria, and Elizabeth were walking down the lane between Hunsford and Rosings. Elizabeth was remarking on the beauty of their surroundings when the three were startled to hear Mr. Collins approaching.
"Charlotte, Charlotte!" he cried. "Lady Catherine's nephews, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy, have arrived at Rosings. They pay us great honor! They are come to call upon us!"
Charlotte looked at Elizabeth bemusedly. She asked "When?"
Mr. Collins replied, "Even as I speak they are arriving! They are hard upon my heels! Make haste! Make haste!" He practically danced as he gestured for them to run back to the house with him. Maria followed his instructions immediately.
Charlotte picked up her skirts and made to follow, saying, "This must be a compliment to you, Lizzy. Mr. Darcy would never come to wait upon me so soon."
Lizzy replied, "I am sure that you are wrong, Charlotte. I know that he dislikes me very much." She was surprised that Mr. Darcy would come to Kent. He knew that she was here to visit Mrs. Collins.
When they entered the parlor, Elizabeth was struck uncomfortably by the intense look on Darcy's face. She was distracted from it as she was introduced to his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Colonel Fitzwilliam had an easy, delightful disposition. He seemed the kind of person who could be at ease in any company. She liked him immediately.
Darcy stared at Elizabeth as she sat next to his cousin. He had forgotten just how beautiful she was in sunlight. The golden light of the afternoon sun lit her rosy cheeks and caused her hair to glisten. He was so overwhelmed by her that he could hardly breathe. To think he'd nearly convinced himself he could dismiss his attraction to her!
He was barely conscious of Mr. Collins. The little man knelt to his side, paying obeisance in a most officious way. All Darcy knew was his enchantment in watching Elizabeth. He openly stared at her, one of his hands pressed back against his lips. She gracefully leaned towards Fitzwilliam as she laughed at something he'd said. Darcy felt a jealous pain slash through his heart.
Charlotte smiled in amusement as she watched Mr. Darcy. He'd been unable to take his eyes from her friend since Elizabeth had entered the room. Charlotte muttered to herself mockingly, "Oh yes, Elizabeth. He dislikes you very much!"
Elizabeth felt very uncomfortable under Darcy's gaze. She did not know what to make of it. She turned to her new friend and asked, "Do you know why Mr. Darcy stares at me so? What can I have done to offend him?"
Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed at this, thinking her very coy. He replied, "You would have to apply to him for the answer to your question, Miss Bennet. To my knowledge he is not in the least offended by you. He has spoken of you in terms of highest praise."
Elizabeth laughed, "I sincerely doubt that! Mr. Darcy is my severest critic."
Colonel Fitzwilliam replied with a smile. He had been eagerly looking forward to meeting Miss Elizabeth Bennet. In their journey together he'd seen his cousin betray strong attraction and regard for this young woman in his every comment and look. Fitzwilliam doubted that even Darcy knew how deeply his feelings ran.
Darcy realized that he had as yet to greet Elizabeth. Conscious of the need to address her properly before others, he stood and walked over to her saying, "Good afternoon, Miss Bennet. I hope that you and your family are well."
Elizabeth's temper flared at the mention of her family. Something she'd not discussed with Darcy suddenly came to mind. She replied, "Thank you, Mr. Darcy. We are all well. My sister Jane has been in London visiting our aunt and uncle these three months. Have you happened to see her there?" She looked him in the eye challengingly.
Darcy was thrown off balance. He replied, "I have not had the pleasure." Then he did not know what to say. He stood before her awkwardly. After a long silent moment he turned and went back to his seat on the sofa. He sat back down and resumed staring at Elizabeth.
She turned to Fitzwilliam and said, "You see Mr. Darcy and I are not the best of friends."
Fitzwilliam replied, "I am surprised to hear it." He was both amazed and amused to see his cousin behave in so inept a fashion before this young woman. Darcy always seemed to be the soul of self-control. His loss of composure was astonishing!
Elizabeth continued her conversation with the Colonel. "So, you and your cousin come to Rosings every year at this time?"
Fitzwilliam's smile was nearly a grimace. He said, "Yes. We find that the time passes more quickly if we come together. Though Darcy says hardly a word at Rosings, he's lively enough as a traveling companion. The problem with Rosings is that nobody plays or sings. My aunt does talk a great deal, but I am glad to see that you will add pleasantly to the conversation. Time passed more quickly when the Bingley family used to come here at the same time. Mrs. Bingley told the most fantastic ghost tales!"
Elizabeth smiled, "Then you know Mr. Bingley!"
The Colonel smiled, "Oh, yes. Pleasant chap."
Elizabeth wished to hear more of Bingley and his family, but the clock's chime caused Fitzwilliam to say, "Oh, Darcy! We must be off to Rosings. If we are late for tea Lady Catherine will lecture us on the importance of proper timing for the rest of the day!"
The Colonel kissed each lady's hand gallantly as he took his leave. Darcy bowed stiffly, entranced by the sparkle in Elizabeth's eye. The two gentlemen left reluctantly.
The party from Hunsford was invited to dine at Rosings two times each week. During the days, the gentlemen returned many times to visit the parsonage, most often together. Occasionally one or the other would appear as Elizabeth walked about the countryside in the afternoons. In the evenings Elizabeth and Darcy met outside the parsonage and continued her training. His manner puzzled her exceedingly.
One afternoon she met up with Colonel Fitzwilliam. He said, "Unless Darcy delays it again we are to depart tomorrow. I am taking my annual tour of the park. Would you care to join me?"
Elizabeth smiled and took his arm. She said, "You said that you knew the Bingleys, did you not?"
The Colonel smiled, "Yes. Their family was close friends to Darcy's. I believe he takes good care of young Charles."
Elizabeth asked tensely, "Does he?"
The Colonel replied, "Yes, indeed. Since their mothers died together in a carriage accident, Darcy has taken responsibility for the Bingleys. I know that he has taken especially good care of Charles. He told me not long ago that he removed Bingley from a very dangerous situation—something involving a certain young country miss, I believe." The Colonel chuckled.
Elizabeth's head jerked up and she replied in a strained voice, "Did he say why he felt Mr. Bingley to be in danger?"
The Colonel replied, "Something to do with family connections, I believe."
Elizabeth colored deeply. Jane had suffered heartbreak because of the situation of her family! From what the Colonel said, Darcy bragged of this! 'A certain young country miss' indeed! How dare he speak of Jane with contempt! Elizabeth was afraid that she would inadvertently hurt the Colonel in her rage.
The Colonel noticed her trembling and the change in her complexion. He asked with great concern, "Miss Bennet! Are you ill?"
She replied briefly that she must have walked too far and that she felt a headache coming on. The Colonel gently led her back to the parsonage.
That night after the rest of the party had gone to Rosings for dinner, Mr. Darcy came to the parsonage. He found Elizabeth in the parlor, reading over letters from her sister. He asked, "Are you unwell?"
She replied curtly, "I am much better, thank you."
He said, "If you would prefer not to train this evening, I would understand."
She stood and said, "I think I would like very much to practice combat techniques!"
As he waited for her, Darcy paced back and forth before the mantle in the parlor. He looked up, startled when Lizzy quickly returned. They left the parsonage and went out to a nearby grove. Lizzy had brought two swords. She tossed one to Darcy and assumed a stance of readiness.
The fight was fast and furious. Darcy was hardly a match for his enraged Slayer. It took all of his concentration to avoid fatal injury at her hand. He found this difficult as he was teetering dangerously on the edge of surrender to his feelings for her. He faltered slightly as this thought crossed his mind.
Elizabeth saw her opening and leapt forward, knocking Darcy to the ground. She pinned him there with her body and held him down by the wrists, her fingertips barely brushing his open palms. She was about to cry out in victory when she realized that his eyes were filled with passion for her. She could feel the quickened beat of his pulse at his wrists and the heat of his body. Startled that he should have such feelings for her, Elizabeth scurried back from laying across him and stood quickly.
Darcy struggled to his feet and blurted out, "In vain I have struggled. It will not do! I must tell how ardently I admire and love you."
Elizabeth was stunned. She paled and then blushed as she listened to him. He considered this sufficient encouragement.
He continued, "Almost from the first… I knew I loved you. Everything revolts against it, but it cannot be helped! Watchers are to train and guide Slayers, not fall in love with them. Even beyond that circumstance, we are from entirely different spheres. You have a complete lack of connection and fortune. I know that I will be going against the wishes of my family, my fellow Watchers, my duty, and even my own conscience, but it cannot be helped! I beg you most fervently… and anxiously… to relieve my suffering and consent to become my wife."
Elizabeth looked at him. Jane's tearful face was before her and her anger burned fiercely. She could see that Darcy had no real doubt of a favorable answer. He spoke of anxiety, but his countenance expressed security. This made her even angrier.
She said, "In such cases as this, it is, I believe, the established mode to express a sense of obligation for the sentiments avowed, however unequally they may be returned. If I could feel gratitude, I would now thank you. But I cannot--I have never desired your good opinion, and you have certainly bestowed it most unwillingly. I am sorry to have occasioned pain to any one. It has been unconsciously done, however, and I hope will be of short duration. The feelings which, you tell me, have long prevented the acknowledgment of your regard, can have little difficulty in overcoming it after this explanation."
Mr. Darcy, who was leaning against a tree with his eyes fixed on her face, seemed to catch her words with no less resentment than surprise. The disturbance of his mind was visible in every feature. He was struggling for the appearance of composure, and would not open his lips until he believed himself to have attained it.
At length, in a voice of forced calmness, he said, "This is your reply! Why, with so little civility, am I thus rejected?"
"I might as well inquire,'' replied she, "why, with so evident a design of offending me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will? Was not this some excuse for incivility, if I was uncivil? But I have other reasons. Do you think that any consideration would tempt me to accept the man, who has been the means of ruining, perhaps for ever, the happiness of a most beloved sister?"
As she pronounced these words, Mr. Darcy changed color; but he listened without attempting to interrupt her while she continued. "I have every reason in the world to think ill of you. No motive can excuse the unjust part you acted there. You have separated Mr. Bingley from Jane, causing her heartbreak and attempting to force him into a marriage with your sister!"
She paused, and saw with indignation that he looked at her with a confused smile.
"Can you deny it?" she repeated.
In a stilted manner he replied, "I did everything in my power to force my friend to leave Hertfordshire."
"But it is not merely this affair," she continued, "on which my dislike is founded. Long before it had taken place, my opinion of you was decided. Your character was unfolded in what Mr. Wickham told me of your dealings with him. On this subject, what can you have to say?"
"You take an eager interest in his concerns," said Darcy angrily.
"Who that knows what his misfortunes have been, can help feeling an interest in him?"
"His misfortunes!" repeated Darcy contemptuously; "His misfortunes have been great indeed."
"And of your infliction," cried Elizabeth with energy. "You have withheld the advantages which you must know to have been designed for him. You have deprived him of that inheritance which he deserved. You have done this! Yet you can treat the mention of his misfortunes with contempt and ridicule."
"This," cried Darcy, as he walked back and forth before her, "is your opinion of me! I thank you for explaining it so fully. My faults, according to this calculation, are heavy indeed! But perhaps," added he, stopping and turning towards her, "these offenses might have been overlooked, had not your pride been hurt by my honest confession of the scruples that had long prevented my forming any serious design. But disguise of every sort is my abhorrence. Nor am I ashamed of the feelings I related. They were natural and just. Could you expect me to rejoice in the contempt of my peers, both among Watchers and in Society? To congratulate myself on the hope of relations, whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own?"
Elizabeth grew angrier and angrier, yet she tried to the utmost to speak with composure when she said, "You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way, than as it spared me the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner."
She saw him start at this, but he said nothing, and she continued, "You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it."
Again his astonishment was obvious; and he looked at her with an expression of mingled incredulity and mortification.
She went on. "From the very beginning, from the first moment I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners, your pride and arrogance, disgusted me. Your selfish disdain of the feelings of others and subsequent actions further justified my feelings. I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry."
Darcy replied, "You have said quite enough. I perfectly comprehend your feelings, and have now only to be ashamed of what my own have been. Forgive me." He turned to walk away, attempting to sort through the things she'd said.
As he left she called out, "Mr. Darcy!"
He turned back and looked at her with sudden dread, knowing what was to come. She continued, "I believe I should have another Watcher. How do I accomplish that?"
He looked at her with pain-filled eyes and replied quietly, "I shall compose the necessary correspondence."
Darcy entered Rosings moments later, her words still ringing in his head. He ran past Fitzwilliam with barely mumbled excuses, up the stairs to his chamber. He sat down at his desk and put his head down in his hands. Then he sat up. Indeed he would do as he had said. He would compose the necessary correspondence.
His first letter began with the words, Be not alarmed, Madam, on receiving this letter, of its containing any repetition of those sentiments, or renewal of those offers, which were tonight so disgusting to you. He sat back and considered what to write next.
Part Twelve, Darcy's Letter
The next day Darcy walked into the grove in search of Elizabeth. He found her finally and was not surprised when she turned to walk away from him instead of speaking. He said, "Will you do me the honor of reading this letter?"
Elizabeth took the letter from Darcy's hand. For an awkward instant, she met his gaze. He tore his eyes away and turned to leave. Facing away from her he stopped and said, "I have written the other letter, the one you requested. In it, I tender my resignation as your Watcher. You will continue working with them and I will not, so I did not wish for there to be any cause for concern between you and your next Watcher." He walked away a few paces further and then continued, "But just so you will know… I would give my life for you." That said, he walked away from her quickly, continuing on to the parsonage to take his leave.
Weakly, Elizabeth sat down and read.
Be not alarmed, Madam, on receiving this letter, of its containing any repetition of those sentiments, or renewal of those offers, which were tonight so disgusting to you. I write without any intention of paining you, or humbling myself, by dwelling on wishes, which, for the happiness of both, cannot be too soon forgotten. I would have spared you the discomfort of reading this, had not my character required it to be written and read. You must, therefore, pardon the freedom with which I demand your attention; your feelings, I know, will bestow it unwillingly, but I demand it of your justice.Two offenses of a very different nature, you last night laid to my charge. The first mentioned was, that, I had detached Mr. Bingley from your sister with the intent of matching him with my own; -- and the other, that I had, in defiance of honor, ruined the immediate prosperity, and blasted the prospects of Mr. Wickham.
If, in the explanation of them which is due to myself, I relate feelings which may be offensive, I can only say that I am sorry. -- The necessity must be obeyed -- and farther apology would be absurd.
I had not been long in Hertfordshire, before I saw, in common with others, that Bingley preferred your eldest sister to any other young woman in the country. But it was not till the evening of the dance at Netherfield that I had any idea of his feeling a serious attachment. I had often seen him in love before. At that ball, while I had the honor of dancing with you, I was first made acquainted, by Sir William Lucas's accidental information, that Bingley's attentions to your sister had given rise to a general expectation of their marriage. He spoke of it as a certain event, of which the time alone could be undecided. From that moment I observed my friend's behavior attentively; and I could then perceive that his partiality for Miss Bennet was beyond what I had ever witnessed in him. Your sister I also watched. Her look and manners were open, cheerful, and engaging as ever, but without any symptom of peculiar regard, and I remained convinced from the evening's scrutiny, that though she received his attentions with pleasure, she did not invite them by any participation of sentiment. If you have not been mistaken here, I must have been in an error. Your superior knowledge of your sister must make the latter probable. If it be so, if I have been misled by such error, to inflict pain on her, your resentment has not been unreasonable. But I shall not scruple to assert that the serenity of your sister's countenance and air was such as might have given the most acute observer a conviction that, however amiable her temper, her heart was not likely to be easily touched. That I was desirous of believing her indifferent is certain.
My objections to the marriage were not merely those which I last night acknowledged to have required the utmost force of passion to put aside in my own case; the want of connection could not be so great an evil to my friend as to me. But there were other causes of repugnance; causes which, though still existing, and existing to an equal degree in both instances, I had myself endeavored to forget, because they were not immediately before me. The situation of your mother's family, though objectionable, was nothing in comparison of that total want of propriety so frequently, so almost uniformly, betrayed by herself, by your three younger sisters, and occasionally even by your father. -- Pardon me. -- It pains me to offend you. But amidst your concern for the defects of your nearest relations, and your displeasure at this representation of them, let it give you consolation to consider that to have conducted yourselves so as to avoid any share of the like censure is praise no less generally bestowed on you and your eldest sister, than it is honorable to the sense and disposition of both.
The part which I acted is now to be explained. During my encounter with the vampiress called Darla, I happened to give her the name of the family who owned Netherfield Park. I cringe in shame now as I recall her expression at that knowledge I so carelessly betrayed. For, you see, Bingley and his sisters are children of the vampire Slayer, Victoria Bingley. My excellent father was privileged to serve as Watcher to that lady. They had ten years of successes until the night that she died defending my family from a pack of vampires. While returning to Pemberley by carriage my mother and sister were set upon. Though my mother made it to the yard, she died within sight of the house. That night was the first occasion on which I slew a vampire. For whatever reasons, it is true that vampires will hunt those they know to be connected with the Slayer and the Watcher. I realized on the night of the dance at Netherfield that I had placed the Bingley children in danger. I have done everything in my power since that realization to rectify my error.
Bingley left Netherfield for London, on the day following, as you, I am certain, remember, with the design of soon returning.
His sisters' uneasiness at the thought of his connecting himself with your family had been excited. I admit that I took advantage of their fear. I pretended that my concern equaled theirs. They were sensible that no time was to be lost in detaching their brother. We joined him directly in London. There I engaged in the office of pointing out to my friend, the certain evils of such a choice. I described, and enforced them earnestly.
But, however this remonstrance might have staggered or delayed his determination, I do not suppose that it would ultimately have prevented his returning to Hertfordshire, had it not been seconded by the assurance, which I hesitated not in giving, of your sister's indifference. He had before believed her to return his affection with sincere, if not with equal, regard. But Bingley has great natural modesty, with a stronger dependence on my judgment than on his own. To convince him, therefore, that he had deceived himself, was no very difficult point. To persuade him against returning into Hertfordshire, when that conviction had been given, was scarcely the work of a moment. I cannot blame myself for having done thus much.
There is but one part of my conduct in the whole affair, on which I do not reflect with satisfaction; it is that I condescended to adopt the measures of art so far as to conceal from him your sister's being in town. I knew it myself, as it was known to Miss Bingley, but her brother is even yet ignorant of it. That they might have met without ill consequence is, perhaps, probable. Perhaps this concealment, this disguise, was beneath me. It is done, however, and it was done for the best. On this subject I have nothing more to say, no other apology to offer. If I have wounded your sister's feelings, it was unknowingly done; though the motives which governed me may to you appear insufficient.
I do not know the basis for your accusation that I therefore sought to further a match between Mr. Bingley and my own sister. I can only presume that it results from further machinations on the part of his sisters. Though I admit to considering the possibility of such a match previously, I have known for some time that there is no passionate regard between them.
With respect to that other accusation, of having injured Mr. Wickham, I can only refute it by laying before you the whole of his connection with my family. Of what he has particularly accused me, I am ignorant; but of the truth of what I shall relate, I can summon more than one witness of undoubted veracity. Mr. Wickham is the son of a very respectable man, who had for many years the management of all the Pemberley estates; and whose good conduct in the discharge of his trust naturally inclined my father to be of service to him; and on George Wickham, who was his god-son, his kindness was therefore liberally bestowed. Old Wickham's murder by vampires weighed on my father greatly. My father supported the son at school, and afterwards at Cambridge; -- most important assistance, as his own father, always poor from the extravagance of his wife, would have been unable to give him a gentleman's education even had he lived.
My father was not only fond of this young man's society, whose manners were always engaging; he had also the highest opinion of him, and hoping the church would be his profession, intended to provide for him in it. As for myself, it is many, many years since I first began to think of him in a very different manner. The vicious propensities -- the want of principle, which he was careful to guard from the knowledge of his best friend, could not escape the observation of a young man of nearly the same age with himself, and who had opportunities of seeing him in unguarded moments, which Mr. Darcy could not have.
Here again I shall give you pain -- to what degree you only can tell. But whatever may be the sentiments which Mr. Wickham has created, a suspicion of their nature shall not prevent me from unfolding his real character. It adds even another motive. My excellent father died about five years ago; and his attachment to Mr. Wickham was to the last so steady, that in his will he particularly recommended it to me to promote his advancement in the best manner that his profession might allow, and, if he took orders, desired that a valuable family living might be his as soon as it became vacant. There was also a legacy of one thousand pounds.
Within half a year Mr. Wickham wrote to inform me that, having resolved against taking orders, he hoped I should not think it unreasonable for him to expect further monetary assistance. He had some intention, he added, of studying the law, and I must be aware that the interest of one thousand pounds would be a very insufficient support therein. I rather wished than believed him to be sincere; but, at any rate, was perfectly ready to accede to his proposal. I knew that Mr. Wickham ought not to be a clergyman.
The business was therefore soon settled. He resigned all claim to assistance in the church and accepted in return three thousand pounds. All connection between us seemed now dissolved. For about three years I heard little of him. He later applied to me for additional assistance, which I refused on the grounds that all business between us had been settled. His resentment was in proportion to the distress of his circumstances -- and he was doubtless as violent in his abuse of me to others, as in his reproaches to myself. After this period, every appearance of acquaintance was dropt. How he lived I know not. But last summer he was again most painfully obtruded on my notice.
I must now mention a circumstance which I would wish to forget myself, and which no obligation less than the present should induce me to unfold to any human being. Having said thus much, I feel no doubt of your secrecy. My sister, who is more than ten years my junior, was left to the guardianship of my mother's nephew, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and myself. Last summer she went with her governess to Ramsgate; and thither also went Mr. Wickham, undoubtedly by design; for there proved to have been a prior acquaintance between him and Mrs. Younge, in whose character we were most unhappily deceived. By her connivance and aid he so far recommended himself to Georgiana, whose affectionate heart retained a strong impression of his kindness to her as a child, that she was persuaded to believe herself in love, and to consent to an elopement.
She was then but fifteen, which must be her excuse; and after stating her imprudence, I am happy to add that I owed the knowledge of it to herself. I joined them unexpectedly a day or two before the intended elopement; and then Georgiana, unable to support the idea of grieving a brother whom she almost looked up to as a father, acknowledged the whole to me. You may imagine what I felt and how I acted. Regard for my sister's credit and feelings prevented any public exposure, but I spoke to Mr. Wickham, who left the place immediately, and Mrs. Younge was of course removed from her charge. Mr. Wickham's chief object was seemingly my sister's fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds. However, that very night my sister was attacked by a vampire in her bed chamber. I arrived at the sound of her scream and only saw the demon from behind. I believed it to be George Wickham. The care of my wounded sister was my primary concern at the time, but I swore to someday discover the truth.
At the least I count the man as a fortune-hunter and a scoundrel, at the worst he is a demon. Either way I cannot help supposing that the hope of revenging himself on me was a strong inducement. His revenge would have been complete indeed.
This, madam, is a faithful narrative of every event in which we have been concerned together; and if you do not absolutely reject it as false, you will, I hope, acquit me henceforth of cruelty towards Mr. Wickham. I know not in what manner, under what form of falsehood, he has imposed on you; but his success is not, perhaps, to be wondered at. Supposing he is a demon, in life, his powers of persuasion and charm were great. I should imagine an entry into the world of the undead would only enhance such abilities.
You may wonder why all this was not told you last night. But I was not then master enough of myself to know what could or ought to be revealed. For the truth of every thing here related, I can appeal more particularly to the testimony of Colonel Fitzwilliam, who from our near relationship and constant intimacy, and still more as one of the executors of my father's will, has been unavoidably acquainted with every particular of these transactions. If your abhorrence of me should make my assertions valueless, you cannot be prevented by the same cause from confiding in my cousin; and that there may be the possibility of consulting him, I shall endeavor to find some opportunity of putting this letter in your hands in the course of the morning. I will only add, God bless you.
FITZWILLIAM DARCY
Part Thirteen, The Circle of Darkness
Elizabeth did not return to the parsonage for a long time. She wandered about the countryside, reading over Mr. Darcy's letter again and again. At first it only made her angry. She dwelt on the insults to her family and on his presumptions regarding the feelings and inclinations of others.
Yet, when she thought about his last statement to her before leaving, she cried. She began to see the deceptions she had enacted upon herself. Each time she reread the letter she recalled another misunderstanding. She saw herself and her own actions in a light that she didn't much like.
At mealtime she returned to the parsonage and was told by the others that the gentlemen had called to take their leave, Darcy only briefly, but the Colonel for some time. Elizabeth found that she did not have much appetite. After a small meal, she adjourned to her room and again read Mr. Darcy's letter. Setting it aside, she turned to Dominique's diary in search of comfort. Since completing Dominique's final diary, Lizzy had gone back to the very beginning of the Slayer's career and begun reading through her many other diaries. She had reached Dominique's fourth year as Slayer, the year she met The Master.
Dominique's explanation of the hierarchy of vampires was much easier for Lizzy to digest than that contained in many of the other tomes Darcy had given her for study. Dominique wrote,
Any vampire who kills a Slayer is given the title Master. Only an exceptional vampire can do so. The Slayer has the strength and the skill to kill almost any vampire. Few intelligent vampires ever confront a Slayer, unless they possess the safety of numbers. That is one of the reasons it is so important to patrol consistently. It is far better to meet one or two vampires in a night rather than several at one time. Note the words: 'to find them where they gather and to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers.' There is simple logic to the concept.
Elizabeth nodded at Dominique's words. They made sense of many of the things she'd read over past months.
Dominique continued,
THE Master is a vampire who is nearly a thousand years old. He is awesomely powerful and strong, but gets minions to do most things for him. There is not much mention of him in Watcher or Slayer diaries because he either does not bother with a Slayer or he destroys her. He seeks destruction of large magnitude. It is his mission to destroy the entire human world. Any number of Master vampires will serve THE Master from time to time, but they do not seem to be favorites of his. Competition is a strong force between powerful vampires. Demons rarely feel loyalty, you know. When they work together it is more dangerous, so it is fortunate that it does not happen often.This, of course, leads me to what I hope will prove to be one of my most painful challenges as Slayer—for I know not whether I could survive worse. I have not written here in a very long time. I met The Master and I was enthralled. It is a painful admission. He turned my emotions in on me and nearly destroyed me—and Monsieur D'Arcy.
Lizzy skipped over the text idly until the following caught her eye,
Monsieur D'Arcy looked at me and said in the most proper of voices, 'Mademoiselle, I think that it would be best if you concentrated on your training instead of on your seductions.' His condescension, his aloof demeanor, his scorn… It all piled upon my feelings to create a maelstrom.Caught up as I was in The Master's thrall, I felt my anger flow through me until it was stoked into a murderous rage. I turned on Monsieur D'Arcy, lashing out at him with all my Slayer strength. The first blow sent him crashing into the stone wall of the garden. His cry of pain only inflamed me more.
I lifted him up and tossed him against a tree, some distance away. The impact left him bruised and bloody. Ah! It was the sight of his blood that broke through the haze of my anger. That, and the broken look in his eyes that tore through me as nothing else can. As my anger fled, I turned and caught sight of The Master's demonic visage. I then realized my error in trusting that 'man.' I put myself between the demon and my injured Watcher. Realizing his power over me ended, The Master departed immediately to ready plans for our next confrontation.
The next night he returned. With him were a host of demons the like I have never seen. They were assassins he'd brought especially to end my life. The Master does not like to have his grand schemes interrupted. The battle was long and fierce. I was successful against so many, yet it seemed that there were ever more. T'was the light of the sunrise that saved my life. Monsieur D'Arcy and I fled together. We have much to overcome, this Watcher and I.
Lizzy wondered how she would fare in facing such tests.
After a day filled with painful contemplation coupled with tales of the trials of a Slayer, she felt discouraged. She was unable to sit indoors any longer. She hid Darcy's letter inside Dominique's diary and ran outside to take in the beauty of the day. Try as she might, however, self-reflection could not be avoided for long.
Much later, Mr. Collins found Elizabeth sitting on a tree stump, deep in thought. He said, "Cousin Elizabeth, here you are! We've been looking all over. It is time to go to Rosings Park for dinner. It is a special evening. Miss De Bourgh will be joining us."
Elizabeth thought it very strange that Anne De Bourgh had been absent during her cousins' visit. That she should return the very evening that they left made it seem all the more odd. This supposed fiancee of Mr. Darcy's piqued her curiosity. Elizabeth stopped short as she realized that, of course, Mr. Darcy was not engaged. He never had been. He was entirely too proper to have express an attraction to her if he were betrothed to another. It was yet another blow as she realized that she had no question regarding his honor when she considered him rationally. She had been almost as enthralled as Dominique had been!
Mr. Collins turned back in annoyance as Elizabeth stopped in her tracks. He looked at her. Noticing her heightened color, he said, "Come along, Cousin. You will feel better once we have dined." She followed him, entirely absorbed in her thoughts.
Her thoughts raced at an incredible pace throughout the entire evening. Miss De Bourgh did not join them for dinner, though Lady Catherine assured her guests that her daughter would grace the party with her presence afterwards. Elizabeth did not have much conversation to contribute during dinner. She looked back over the whole of her relationship with Fitzwilliam Darcy. With each moment, she realized more and more errors on her part. She began to feel ashamed.
Lady Catherine eyed Elizabeth and said, "You are very dull this evening, Miss Elizabeth Bennet. But then, you will be going away soon yourself."
Elizabeth attempted to reply with civility, "Yes, Ma'am." Her distraction was plain to the entire party.
Lady Catherine smiled and urged Elizabeth and Maria to stay in Kent for an additional month. Elizabeth declined on their behalf. Maria let out a sigh of relief. Elizabeth glanced at her in amusement.
As the party prepared to leave, Elizabeth told Lady Catherine, "I am sorry that we have not had the opportunity to get to know your daughter." Lady Catherine smiled frostily in reply.
At that moment the object of their discourse, Anne De Bourgh, walked through the doorway. She spoke directly to Elizabeth, "How very gracious of you to say, Miss Bennet. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Anne De Bourgh. I have looked forward to meeting you." As she smiled, Anne's fangs showed slightly, gleaming in the candlelight.
Elizabeth looked at her in fascination. She was a pale and sickly looking version of the woman Elizabeth had imagined her to be. The striking thing about her was that this was the first time a vampire had ever behaved in such a brazen manner before her. Wickham had disguised his identity within his thrall. Even the vampiress Darla had avoided confronting her directly. That this vampiress neither bothered to attempt disguise nor even cared that the Slayer knew of her identity was quite apparent.
Anne smiled again at the company, turned, and left without another word. Lady Catherine prattled on, saying nothing. Finally, a servant told them that the carriage was ready. The drive back to the parsonage was uneventful, though Lizzy was on her guard. Maria said, "Did you ever see such a sight as Miss De Bourgh? She is so little and delicate, quite elegantly dressed, too." Charlotte looked at Lizzy unsmilingly as she nodded at her sister's comment.
For months, Charlotte had wondered why Mr. Collins so desired Lizzy's presence in Kent at this time. She feared that the answer to that puzzle was at hand. She would certainly be relieved when her friend returned to Hertfordshire.
Lizzy saw Charlotte's nervousness and grasped her hand reassuringly. She looked into Charlotte's eyes with determination. When they reached the parsonage, Lizzy quietly adjourned to her bedchamber. When the noises of the house quieted down, she slipped from her room and left the house. She walked towards Rosings, stake in hand. With all the turmoil of her thoughts, a hunt seemed a very appealing option. Slaying would hopefully turn her mind from her troubles.
When she reached the house, she walked around to the back. Off in the distance, she saw Anne De Bourgh disappear through a doorway into a dark section of the house. She recalled Mr. Collins describing it as the Old Great Hall. He'd talked of its chimney piece as though it was the greatest work of art ever created.
Lizzy cautiously approached the open door. It was very dark inside. She found a torch in a holder outside the door. She lit it and eased into the hall tentatively. She did not see Anne De Bourgh or anyone else, only an empty hall. It seemed familiar to her though. She could tell that Anne had not gotten far. The feeling in the pit of her stomach grew more intense.
Her instincts warned her to return by daylight. As she turned to leave, the chimney piece caught her eye. She chuckled as she moved closer to it and leaned in to admire the exquisite workmanship. It was intricately carved and exquisite. She muttered, "I believe that I owe you an apology, Mr. Collins. I doubted the veracity of your account. It is truly magnificent."
From behind her, Mr. Collins swung a club as hard as he could, striking Lizzy squarely in the back of the head. As she fell to the ground he said, "No, my dear cousin. You owe me no such apology." He turned as Anne, Darla, and Wickham entered the hall. "Good evening, minions of The Master. I give to you the Slayer."
Lizzy struggled to her feet, the room seeming to wobble before her. With a chill of horror she remembered Dominique's words, Few intelligent vampires ever confront a Slayer, unless they possess the safety of numbers. Anne De Bourgh was obviously no fool. Looking about her, Lizzy saw demons appear at every door and window. She saw Wickham, Anne, and Darla in front of her and backed away gingerly. Darla ran forward and struck her hard across the face. Lizzy struck Darla with a hard left jab and then a chop squarely to her right temple. Darla staggered from the blows. Wickham moved in to assist his sire. Lizzy angrily kicked his legs from beneath him. Anne threw herself on the Slayer, howling and hissing ferociously. Lizzy threw her backward and slammed her against the chimney.
Suddenly Lizzy felt a presence swooping in from behind her. She leapt straight up in the air to avoid the tackle from behind. With a snarl Angelus crashed into Wickham as he passed where the Slayer had stood only a second before. Mr. Collins moved in at Lizzy on the same side as Angelus. Lizzy ducked down and grabbed a stake from the pouch at her leg. She blindly jabbed up and back hard and looked up with sickened fascination as Mr. Collins yelped in pain. Collins did not disappear in a cloud of dust. The blood flowing from his upper chest seemed to distract Anne, Darla, and Wickham for the moment, but Angelus seized opportunity and struck the telling blow that rendered Lizzy unconscious.
Darla smiled as she took Lizzy by one arm. Wickham took hold of the other. He winked at Darla playfully as they lifted Elizabeth. Collins crawled to one side of the room and pulled the stake from his chest, muttering spells amidst oaths at his pain. After a few moments he had healed himself. He stood up awkwardly. Anne regained her footing and looked in wonder at the fallen Slayer. She grinned.
Angelus dragged two six foot metal beams and a set of chains out from behind a pile of wood. Two muscular vampires entered the room, just ahead of The Master and Lady Catherine. They nodded with pleasure at the sight before them. The Master was extremely pleased. He walked over to Anne and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.
Mr. Collins scuttled up to Lady Catherine and whined, "It was as I said, Mistress. She did not sense me. It was my doing, not theirs."
Lady Catherine cackled as she patted Mr. Collins on the head. With a wave of her hand, the fresh blood stains disappeared from his clothing. He bowed in admiration. She said, "I am attentive to all such details." She nodded in greeting to her daughter. Anne coolly nodded in return, staying close by The Master.
The Master motioned his servants to the beams, pointing them to specific locations in the room, six feet apart. Each of these vampires took a beam and drove it into the ground with tremendous force. The Master tested the strength of their placement himself. He was satisfied. Mr. Collins scurried forward dragging the chains. Lady Catherine nodded and he fastened them to the beams. Darla and Wickham dragged Elizabeth to the upright beams. The Master chained her there tightly, hanging upright by her wrists. He stood back and sighed. Lady Catherine walked a circle round and round the chained Slayer. As she passed them, torches lit with a sudden flash. Mr. Collins fastened Lizzy's ankles to the beams in manacles.
The Master's voice boomed forth, "Come forth, children of Darkness. It is time to welcome the Slayer into our midst. We will slay her and make her Mistress of the Dark. With her blood we will be made strong. The Witch will work the spell of perfect Darkness and we will be rid of Slayers for all time. With the Slayer undead, we will be hunted no more." As The Master spoke, vampires flooded through the doors. They were a company of sixty three demons, one witch, her apprentice, and one Slayer. When the Slayer was made demon they would be sixty six. The Master laughed again and stood just behind Lizzy. Lady Catherine moved to her position, six feet in front of the Slayer. The other demons stood to form a sixty-foot circle around the chained Slayer. It was perfect.
When Lizzy regained consciousness she saw flames throwing horrid shadows up on the walls and heard the sounds of the gleeful coven. She heard Lady Catherine leading them, chanting in an unfamiliar tongue. A vampire loomed up before Lizzy. She found herself looking directly into the dark evil of The Master's gaze. His eyes were black, flat, and soulless. She recoiled, desperately and vainly trying to free herself. He leaned down to her, whispered, "Welcome to the Darkness, dear Slayer," and broke the skin at her neck with his fangs.
Part Fourteen, A Vision of the Utmost Horror
Darcy sat before the fire in the Library of his London home watching the flames die down. He could not sleep. Since he'd left Hertfordshire he'd felt hollowed out, as though his heart was bruised and beaten. Georgiana had been so disturbed by his apparent melancholy that she'd stayed up late into the night talking to him. His distraction was great and he'd heard little of what she had to say, but he appreciated her presence.
He tried in vain to find a sense of peace. He was trying not to remember the disastrous proposal he'd made the day before, but images and words from that dreadful encounter ran through his mind again and again. This contrasted sharply with the longing he felt for Elizabeth. His desire for her was so great that he ached. A sense of loss threatened to overwhelm him. He closed his eyes and sighed sadly as an image of her beautiful eyes cut through his mind. All that he'd ever hoped for was gone from his life.
Suddenly, Georgiana's shrieks sounded loudly throughout the house. He'd never heard anyone utter such noises. He ran at full speed through the hall and up the stairs to Georgiana's room. He crashed through the doorway.
As he ran into her room, she cried out, "Darcy!" He stopped in his tracks, stunned. Georgiana was sitting straight up in bed, hands clutched convulsively about her throat. She screamed over and over, each scream more shrill and terror-filled than the last. Tears flowed down her face and she sobbed uncontrollably. Darcy knew at once that Georgiana had experienced a vision, one of the utmost horror.
He pushed Mrs. Annesley out with assurances that he would comfort his sister's fears and closed the door. He strode across the room. Georgiana's doll, Mrs. Moppet, had been thrown to the floor in panic. He picked up the doll and handed it to Georgiana. She clutched her doll tightly and sobbed. Darcy held her in his arms, telling her that all would be well. It was several minutes before she could stop sobbing. Every so often she whimpered.
When she'd calmed sufficiently he asked, "What did you see, my dear?"
Georgiana's crying resumed. Darcy stroked her hair gently and tried to hide his impatience. She sniffled, "Horror, William. I have never seen… such horror." He hugged her tightly. She continued, "It was not just my fear this time. She was so scared!" Darcy's heart pounded in furious dread. His teeth clenched together tightly.
Georgiana breathed in and out, trying to gain control of herself. She could not stop shaking. She began, "It was very dark. In the distance I saw the flickering light of a great fire. All around me were demons. A large, terrible demon came at me and drank blood from my neck. He told me I would be his bride and we would be joined in every way on the third night. On that night I would become Mistress of the Darkness. No matter how I struggled I could not free myself from the chains. The beams were driven into the earth too deeply." Georgiana leapt up and paced about the room, clearly panic-stricken. Darcy's stomach was knotted with tension. He sat on the edge of the bed, outwardly calm but for his convulsive grip on the bedclothes.
"One by one, each of the other demons drank from me. There were so many of them! The wounds were all over me. Wickham was there…" Her voice trailed off as she avoided his gaze.
Her voice nearly a whisper, she continued, "And there was a beautiful demon who shoved Wickham away and kissed my lips passionately. He pressed his body against mine, holding me tightly. He spoke, 'You may as well relax and enjoy yourself, Slayer. No one knows you're here and you've no hope of escape.' As I struggled, he kissed me again and again."
Georgiana stopped when she saw the look of rage in Darcy's eyes. Looking at his face, she hesitantly said, "He laughed when I screamed and then he… drank… Then there was a horrible… woman… She struck me and bit me and turned to the other, hissing, 'Got a taste for Slayers, don't you, Angel? That could get you into trouble one of these years.' Then I was unchained, but too weak to fight. I was put in a… coffin and… I couldn't escape… and it closed and I felt myself lowered into the ground..."
Tears flowed down Georgiana's face as she recalled these sights and sounds and the terror of it all. She still felt the pain and fear of the person who lay in the coffin. Georgiana cried, falling to her knees weakly.
Darcy could barely breathe. He knew that Elizabeth lay in the earth, wounded beyond his imagining and filled with fear. He struggled to control himself as he pictured all Georgiana had described. He stared at his sister starkly, begging, "Where is she? Did you see anything that would tell you that?" He pulled her up and looked into her eyes pleadingly.
Georgiana closed her eyes and concentrated. It was difficult to see beyond the faces of the demons. The fear they instilled nearly blinded her to all else. The only thing she had seen clearly was that there was an enormous fire. Suddenly her eyes flew open, "Lady Catherine! She was chanting something and waving her arms about before the fire… that chimney piece in Rosings' old great hall!"
Darcy kissed Georgiana's cheek gratefully and pulled away to leave. She grabbed hold of his sleeve and said, "Take care, please."
He kissed her again, said, "I love you," and ran from the room. He nearly knocked over a concerned Mrs. Annesley in the hallway. She watched him, puzzled, as he ran down to the cellar. Mrs. Annesley went to Georgiana's room and gave comfort to her young charge. Georgiana began to cry again.
Darcy went directly to his cellar weapons room. He looked about at his assortment of weapons and thought, "What would stop so many vampires?" His eyes lit up as he began to load sticks of dynamite into a sack.
Part Fifteen, The Battle of Rosings Park
In the weapons room at his London house, Darcy filled sacks with dynamite and with an assortment of arrows, bolts, bows, daggers, and guns. He also dragged out several barrels filled with flammable powder.
He sent a servant to the Giles' cottage with a note. The note read, Slayer needs assistance. Giles came back with the servant immediately.
While they were putting together a supply of weaponry to take with them to Rosings, Georgiana came and joined them in the weapons room. Darcy looked at her in surprise. She looked completely calm and focused, not at all as she'd appeared after seeing the vision of the Circle of Darkness. She held out a book and several small bottles. She spoke in a knowing and confident way, "Only light can defeat the darkness, brother. I have prepared a spell. It will help even the odds a bit."
Giles took the bottles and read their labels. He sat back with a sigh and asked, "When did you get involved with witchcraft, Miss Darcy?"
Georgiana looked seriously at Giles and Darcy and said, "I was born a witch. Ladies of the Fitzwilliam family have been witches for many centuries. Apparently Lady Catherine has embraced the side of evil. I must step forward on the side of good."
Darcy took the book of spells from her hand and looked over the text. It was open to a spell entitled Light from the Darkness. He read over the instructions. There were several puzzling and intricate spells involved. Even with his years of study of the occult he was not familiar with it. He handed it to Giles for him to read over. Giles looked at Darcy and shook his head, indicating his own lack of familiarity with it. Darcy looked at Georgiana's calm expression.
Georgiana spoke quietly, "You cannot break the Circle of Darkness alone. You will need my help. If Lady Catherine has cast her spell correctly, you will not even be able to enter the great hall. I can cast this spell and make it possible for you to reach the Slayer and bring her out."
Reluctantly, Darcy accepted the truth of her words and instructed her, "You will retreat to safety once we enter the hall." Georgiana smiled slightly and nodded obediently.
The two Watchers carried the bags and barrels to the hallway outside Darcy's weapons room. Darcy ordered servants to load the carriage and make it ready for immediate departure. An hour later, Darcy's carriage pulled up before the house of the Earl of Matlock. Darcy ran inside, past the startled servants into the breakfast room, and cried, "Come along, Fitzwilliam. We're going back to Rosings."
Fitzwilliam saw that there was no point in arguing. He grabbed his coat and hat and followed his cousin to the waiting carriage. Once inside the carriage, he greeted Giles and Georgiana in a puzzled way.
As they rode along, Fitzwilliam watched the others. Georgiana was intently studying her book. The men were tying sticks of dynamite to arrows. Fitzwilliam asked, "You said we were going to Rosings. Do you intend to blow it up?"
Darcy looked up grimly and replied, "If necessary."
Fitzwilliam asked, "Necessary to what?"
Darcy replied, "To the rescue."
With a glance at Georgiana's face, Fitzwilliam asked, "And who are we going to rescue?"
Darcy replied, "Miss Bennet. They have her."
Fitzwilliam asked, "Who has Miss Bennet?"
Darcy looked at his cousin assessingly and replied, "Vampires. A lot of them."
Fitzwilliam sat back and studied his cousin. He'd always thought Darcy a bit odd, but this was extraordinary! He asked, "Vampires?" He looked at Georgiana, waiting for her to exclaim at Darcy's words. She patted Fitzwilliam's hand understandingly.
Giles turned to Darcy, "Are you sure it is a good idea to bring him?"
Darcy grimaced and replied, "We need his help. He is the best marksman I know. We cannot possibly defeat them alone. We are not Slayers, only Watchers… former Watchers. We are not strong like she is."
Giles asked, "Former Watchers?"
Darcy dismissed the question, "Later." He felt the eyes of all his companions on him and angrily avoided meeting their eyes.
Fitzwilliam looked reflective. "Ah, the Slayer. I remember the tales of the Slayer that Mrs. Bingley used to tell us. She told wonderful ghost tales. Scared us all to death, you most of all."
Darcy replied, "That's because I knew that they were true." Fitzwilliam raised an eyebrow.
Darcy said, "Do you remember when we used to play in the old hall? We would pretend that it was us against an army…"
Fitzwilliam said, "I remember."
Darcy answered, "It is time to play for real."
That Fitzwilliam did not believe what was happening did not really concern Darcy. Fitzwilliam agreed to help with the preparations, and that was all that mattered for now. He seemed especially pleased to know that he would be the one to set off most of the explosions.
Giles looked took measure of his companions. As the carriage stopped and the party approached Rosings Park, Giles prayed for their safety. He saw Darcy glance at him and join in when he began muttering the words of the Watcher's prayer, "Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me. Awake to help me, and behold. Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble."
Fitzwilliam was getting more nervous by the minute. Darcy and Giles' muttering seemed to give both of them a measure of calm, but it only served to make him more apprehensive. When they reached the doorway to the great hall, Fitzwilliam pulled the door open and moved to step through it. He immediately bounced back as he met an invisible barrier. Fitzwilliam looked back at his companions in confusion. Neither Giles nor Darcy seemed surprised. They returned to the carriage and began to unload it.
Georgiana knelt on the ground, turning her face up to the rays of the sun. She closed her eyes and prayed silently for guidance and success from God above. Then she arranged her things around her carefully. She began to utter strange words in a language Fitzwilliam had never heard. He stood there staring at her as the reality of their situation began to sink in for the first time.
Darcy called out, "Fitzwilliam, please assist us. It would not do to distract Georgiana. We will not be able to enter the hall until she has broken the spell."
Fitzwilliam shook his head in wonder and turned to help the others. They prepared their awesome arsenal.
It took the rest of the morning for Georgiana to break Lady Catherine's spell. Finally, pale and drawn, she stood and walked past the anxious men into the great hall. The barrier had been removed.
When they entered the great hall, they saw fresh embers in the fireplace and two large beams driven deeply into the ground, chains hanging from them. There was also a tremendous board held in place by huge boulders.
Fitzwilliam started walking across the room. Darcy grabbed him and said, "Don't walk over the board." His voice caught in his throat and he held to Fitzwilliam. Giles walked around the board and the boulders, carefully taking measure of the hall. Georgiana looked around the room, eyes wide in remembered fear.
Fitzwilliam noted, "The boulders sit at the points of a pentagram. What do you suppose is at the center beneath that board?" Fitzwilliam looked at Darcy and was startled at how enraged he looked. "Darcy? What is it?"
Darcy knelt at the edge of the board and placed one hand down upon it gently.
Giles said, "The Slayer is under there, Colonel. This is what we must rescue her from."
Darcy carefully walked over to the two large beams. A scrap of cloth caught his eye. He leaned down and picked it up. It was the handkerchief he had given her the night they met, the one she'd made into a stake pouch. He held it tightly in his fist.
Fitzwilliam pushed against one of the boulders. It did not budge. "I do not see how we are going to move these aside. Is Georgiana going to whisk them away somehow? Or are you planning to blow them up?"
Darcy closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them again and stared down at the area in the center of the pentagram. He looked about the hall and said, "Neither. Georgiana has done all that she can, and I cannot risk the Slayer being harmed in an explosion. It is my intent to let the vampires who put them there move them."
Fitzwilliam looked surprised. He said, "And then what? Are you going to thank them and ask them politely to give you your lady so you can both go?"
Darcy laughed darkly, "Then we are going to kill them, Fitzwilliam." He pointed to an area high up in the rafters. "Do you remember our crow's nest? That is where you are going to be. You will be able to escape out the window onto the roof of Rosings, and into the night. From your perch you will fire the arrows we've fashioned… and, of course any other projectiles of your choosing."
Darcy walked over to the chimney piece and pressed on one of the carvings. "I will use the secret door here in the chimney piece to enter and exit the room. You will cover for me and I will bring Miss Bennet out this door through the tunnels to safety. I will take her to the parsonage. It will be our meeting place." He looked at Giles and Georgiana, "The two of you will wait for us there. Mrs. Collins will receive you once you explain that you seek Miss Bennet."
Fitzwilliam looked about the room. He said, "The powder kegs will go over there?" pointing to a section underneath several large wooden beams. Giles walked over to inspect the beams more closely.
Darcy nodded. "Yes. When either you or I fire at them to set them off they will explode, beams will fall, many will die. The door on that side leads to the cemetery. I would expect that many of them are sleeping there today."
Fitzwilliam picked up a powder keg and moved it to the other side of the room. He looked at Darcy gravely as he returned to his side. "If we are about to face an army of demons, we should prepare. Don't you think?"
The three men changed the hall into a death trap for vampires as the day passed by. As the sun began to set, Giles followed Darcy's instructions and led Georgiana away to the parsonage. Fitzwilliam climbed up to his perch, weapons at the ready. Darcy closed himself behind the secret door in the chimney piece. It was time to wait.
The last rays of light left the sky. The second night had come. The Master's guards entered the great hall slowly. It was their job to move the boulders and bring forth the Slayer. Though they were exceptionally large and strong, it took their combined efforts to move each of the stones. After the fifth stone was moved, they turned and walked to the edge of the board the stones had held in place. They dragged it aside, revealing the coffin. Mr. Collins walked in and stood over the pit, intoning incantations.
Darcy quietly slipped out from his hiding place. He walked toward the two vampires and the witch's apprentice. They heard him at the same time and turned to see who approached. They stared at the mortal before them in amazement. He stopped when he was about thirty feet from them. An arrow hit the first vampire... then another arrow hit the second. The lit dynamite attached to each arrow exploded, destroying the vampires instantly. Mr. Collins squawked in alarm and transformed himself into the form of a crow. He flew upward away from Mr. Darcy. Fitzwilliam's next arrow caught him in mid-flight. Black feathers fluttered to the ground.
Darcy ran forward, jumped into the pit, and pried the lid from the coffin. He heard the noise of other creatures entering the room and many explosions. As Fitzwilliam fired arrow after arrow at the vampires around them, Darcy removed his coat, lifted the inert Slayer into his arms and wrapped her carefully inside the coat. He ran to his exit, turned, and fired his gun at the powder-filled barrels. They exploded with enough force to kill the demons nearest them and created a wall of fire separating Darcy and Elizabeth from the rest of the room. A chain reaction began as the fires from the exploding barrels spread.
Darcy ran past the flames, through the tunnel, and out the door to his horse. He could feel a pursuer gaining on him. He threw Elizabeth over the saddle and turned to fight the demon that had followed them. It was Anne De Bourgh's governess, Mrs. Jenkinson. Darcy started in surprise. Then he drew his sword and swung it at her head as hard as he could. The demon grabbed hold of the sword, attempting to wrest it from his grip. She howled and hissed furiously. She was so intent on the sword that she didn't see Darcy pull the stake from his waistcoat. Darcy drove the stake into Mrs. Jenkinson's heart and watched with sorrow-filled satisfaction as she disappeared into a cloud of vampire dust. He said, "Rest in peace, dear lady," and resheathed his sword.
Darcy turned and leapt onto Leicester, holding Elizabeth before him. Explosions rang out through the old hall as he galloped away as hard as he could. He could see figures standing just outside the doorway. They watched him ride away into the night. It only took him a minute or two to cross the lane to the parsonage. He saw Charlotte standing at the doorway looking at the flames and listening to the explosions in alarm. Darcy grabbed Elizabeth and ran to the door, shoving Charlotte inside before them and securing the door.
Georgiana ran up to him and embraced him gratefully. He gave her a small smile of greeting. Then, he moved swiftly through the hallway and laid Elizabeth down on a couch in the parlor. There was a loud banging on the door. Fitzwilliam cried out "For God's sake, open the door!"
Charlotte went to open it. Fitzwilliam pushed roughly past her. Fitzwilliam stopped short as he came face to face with the point of the bolt in Giles' crossbow. He yelped as he saw Giles preparing to fire… and then ducked. Giles fired and hit the vampire standing just outside the open door. Charlotte closed and bolted the door, panting as she lay back against it.
Darcy asked, "Have you ever invited a vampire into this house?"
Charlotte went very pale and replied, "I do not know. I suspect that so many of the people in this area are not what they seem."
Darcy grimaced and said, "Fitzwilliam, Giles, see to the windows and doors. We shall have to keep watch until the sun comes to our aid."
Charlotte pulled a basket from beneath the table. It was filled with garlic strands. She began to place them around the windows. Georgiana moved to help her.
Fitzwilliam looked very apologetic as he glanced at Charlotte. He said to Darcy, "Um, Darcy? I shot that crow. I think I killed it."
Darcy looked at Charlotte in concern and asked, "Are you aware that your husband…???" He was unsure of what response to expect from Charlotte.
Charlotte smiled and held her hand to her heart as though in disbelief, saying, "I am free of him. Thank God." She embraced the Colonel warmly, crushing a fist of garlic between them. He looked stunned, shaking his head at this latest surprise.
Charlotte, a happy smile on her face, continued decking the windows.
Darcy only nodded in acknowledgment as he returned his gaze to Elizabeth. He unwrapped her from his coat carefully. The others gasped in horror. Elizabeth was covered with wounds. Her face was bruised and bloody. Her entire body shook with spasms. Darcy closed his eyes and pulled her close very gently. He whispered, "It's all over now. You are safe." Slowly Elizabeth's shaking subsided.