I can't believe Mr B would abandon his daughters to the care of their mother. I really dislike this man.

The Col has come without Darcy? Where has William/Darcy got off too? How cruel to leave us here. I can see Mrs B tell Collins Jane is soon to be engaged and heat put on poor Lizzy. Where is she to go, no father to step in.

More please soon.
Geri

Is Mr. Bennet mad? Leaving Lizzy and Jane to the tender mercies of their mother AND the Collins-Catherine duo. And you know how Jane says yes to anything.

Even with the Colonel riding up, I fear--no good can come of this. Cue ominous music.

. . .and where is Darcy?

Lacy is so right...nothing good can come of this!
I can't wait for the colonel to shed some light on the diappearance of William.

Chapter 16 is up, my dears. Enjoy!

Oh No, The Colonel gave Darcy/William a bad rap again.I feel a Hunsford coming.

Not to sound like a broken record--but where is Darcy?

Wasn't he heading to Rosings? We expected he would have arrived prior to the Bennets. Has he yet learned who he really is, namely, not William Collins the parson but Fitzwilliam Darcy, Master of Pemberley--and the hoped for husband of Lady Catherine's daughter.

And why hasn't the Colonel figured out anything yet? All the pieces are before him. I am perplexed and of course, intrigued beyond all measure to see the mystery solved. Will it be a simple answer like Darcy got delayed on the road or something? And his cousin is a bit dense and just doesn't get it? It looks as if you are generally following canon at this point, so if that is true, you are only one third of the way through this story.

Well, I'm enjoying it so more is better. Thanks until your next post!

We still don't know anything about William

I'm glad Collins didn't push for a marriage because spineless Mr B hit the road and Mrs B would bave pushed it.

So it is apparant that the Col still doesn't know what happen to Darcy? Why hasn't he showed up at Rosings yet? Please end my suffering and post again soon.

My thought exactly! I am on the edge of my seat. You have set him up for spectacular failure and I can't wait to see it. If he recognizes Elizabeth it won't matter thanks to Colonel Big Mouth. Thanks for the lovely chapter. Mrs. B was at her best and I enjoyed it all immensely!!

I imagine the Colonel exaggerated quite a bit regarding Darcy’s part in separating Jane & Bingley since Darcy stayed with the Bennets and not Bingley during his visit. And now with the Colonels big mouth, Elizabeth has a horrible opinion of Darcy! I’m assuming that Darcy has now regained his memory, so please get him to Hertfordshire or Elizabeth to Derbyshire before any marriage proposals are offered!


Come Back Soon!

Kindly go back to chapter 1 to find out whereabouts was Darcy at the beginning of our tale.

Anyway, thank you and all the other ladies for commenting. I am very happy you are following the story.
For those that find it too difficult to bear angst...We are getting closer to Hunsford and Pemberley is approaching...so I guess Darcy's reappearance cannot be too far away, can it?

Here it is, my dears, chapter 17. Enjoy!

Oops, broken link. Click here for Malena's new chapter.

Malena, among the many joys of your post today: "Yet, I daresay there is no greater lie than the blunt truth."

I think we can expect that Wickham for all his apparent charm and forthrightness, has the mother of all con games up his sleeve? Right next to the snake oil he always keeps on hand there, of course,

Clever plot twist--I doubt anyone saw that coming--and it is brilliant. And even if Wickham uses this as a way to convert himself into a truly honest man instead of as a way of sticking it to Darcy in some exceptionally fiendish manner--well, either way, you are brilliant.

I am all befuddled.
Good Lord, what is Wickham up to? I hope if it is decieving that he stumbles over himself.
Did the Colonel get a chance to talk to Darce before he went to Kent?
Is Georgie with the Colonel's family still?
When is Darce and Lizzy going to meet up again? Soon I hope.
Please don't let the Bennet ladies get stuck with the toad.
I want more!, More!, MORE!

Wow! Wickham is really slick! I was falling for his story even though I know his past

This is making me apprehensive! Poor Darcy! So many things are going on that he is unfortunately unaware of.

Wow! I didn't expect that!! Excellent!!!

I love this new twist on Wickham's role. Nicely done!

Thank you, my darling friends. I have great expectations on Wickham's intervention. I wonder where the muse will take me now. I have the last chapters finished but the ones in the middle are at the mercy of those twisted fairies of inspiration.

As to you , yes you, cowgirl... you must know that any typos in my writing will be worth reading as long that their existence had allowed you the time for grabbing your muse by the toes and finish up that wedding night once and for all. Expectation is killing me

Thank you for another mind-befuddling chapter, Malena. Not only am I perplexed about Wickham's true intentions, but worried silly that he will hurt Darcy somehow on the way to Pemberley. Furthermore, if he truly wanted to help, why not take Darcy back to London which is infinitely closer to Meryton? Now I have a splitting headache (but still can't wait for the next chapter).

I love this story. It has the charm of Tristram Shandy, Don Quixote and The Prince and the Pauper all rolled into one. Since it's a comedy, not a tragedy, I know all will be well -- and Wickham even might be rehabilitated!

Carry on! I await your next chapter with eager anticipation.

Enjoy chapter 18 of this amazingly clever, well-written and fascinating story.

Oh no, nothing at Pemberly has triggerd William's memory and that rascal Wickham has too much control over him. Please send someone to the rescue.

I just hope Wickham doesn't tell Darce that he is engaged to his cousin Anne. Darce would believe him and probably want to get married to her out of propiety and family honor. Ugh!
I still can't believe Wickham is good. Why doesn't Darce go to his study and look at previously written letters. It would give him some clue of where he stood with his family at least. I guess if you had amnesia that might not be something you would think about.
I'm very glad he wrote that letter to Lizzy. It was very endearing.
teb

Malena
You are a tricky one I thought maybe with Wicky confession to Darcy that maybe he want to start a new.

But it is clear he has a new plot and keep Darcy away from his family is key. However Christmas is growing near Miss Darcy will return what will happen then. Or see as she is in Ramsgate did that not happen.

Oh I've got to go back and read the beginnin I thougt that is what kept Darcy from traveling with Bingley.

Great story I look forward to more.
Geri

I don't trust Wickham and it seems neither does anyone except Darcy. I can't wait to see how you fix that! Loved Dsrcy reverting to his Longbourne behavior and feeding the animals. Thanks for the very sweet chapter!

I too wonder what Wickham is up to. Its a good thing Darcy is to good at heart to not follow what he believes is right. But why wait so long to go back for elizabeth? Is he waiting to regain his memory?

Chapter 19 is up, my dears. Enjoy Mr Darcy's humanity and Mrs Gardiner's wisdoms on the male species.

Cara Malena, you're just so amazing.

Wickham is the fox in the henhouse. Such compassion Darcy has retained in his demeanor but his memory is coming back. Can Lizzy's trip come soon? Please

She will, Irene...But first there's someone else on the way to Pemberley...and he/she is quite annoyed by all this befuddlement...

Okay, Malena, I think I was slow to get the point, but now I think I have it. You have painted a Darcy who was arrogant and above his company but whose time spent with the Bennets thinking he was someone else has changed him forever. So when Wickham tries to get him to act as if he is too good to get his hands dirty, that's just not the way Darcy feels anymore.

I am stumbling a bit, I think, because we JAFF lovers sometimes assume that Darcy is such a good master that he would also be kind and attentive to his tenants, even without the experience of thinking he had been a parson. But I think I see the point you are making.

Is Mr. Reynolds upset because Darcy wants to wear old clothes and interact so closely with the tenants, or is he upset with Wickham? And what is Wickham's deal? I can see he is trying to manipulate and control Darcy--almost as if he is trying to remake Darcy in his own image. *shudder* and horrors!!

But why? What does Wickham hope to achieve? Okay, you would probably say, keep reading to see, .

Darcy seems to be getting tired of Wickham. Why doesn't someone--Mr. Reynolds or his wife, maybe--just tell Darcy he hates Wickham and always has?

I'm looking forward to Elizabeth meeting the man she thinks is perfect and finding out he is also the man she hates.

Ok. I will try to answer all your doubts one by one...
1) To my mind, being a good master has nothing to do with going personally to attend his tenants' affairs. I am sure no rich master attended such things with their own presence on the spot. They have stewards to do that.Quoting from Mrs Gardiner "these rich men are never at home...".Indeed, after reading many classic books on R England, a man of the station of Mr Darcy would be no Heathclif if you know what I mean. There is a funny annecdote that some member of the aristocracy is said to have asked Mrs Sympson(the American lady that married the Prince of Wales after a scandalous divorce)if her husband used to go hunting or fishing or what. Mrs Sympson answered that her husband did none of such things. The Lady asked very astonished how did she put up with a man all day long at home, at what Mrs Sympson answered very dryly that her husband had a 'job', something a lady of her ladyship station would have never imagined. So, to make a long story short, gentlemen, rich gentlemen, did nothing in those days, and would have found being thus occupied simply outrageous and beneath them. I strongy believe that if Mr Darcy would have lived in our days, he would have been a rich snob, probably like the rider authoress BelenP so accurately portraits in "Obstacles to Overcome"


2 I strongly believe manservants as well as maids did not use to interact with their masters, especially in those days. Please, watch "The Remains of the Day" to get a picture of my idea. Of course, they will gossip downstairs but will never, ever say a word to their masters.

3 Wickham wants money of course. What else? Perhaps he hopes to get that living he lost back or even marry Georgiana.

4 Ditto. Plus, the servants have not been told that Mr Darcy's memory is not well. They have an idea, but have not been officially informed.

Well. I have enjoyed myself with all this clarification. Thank you for commenting and asking the questions, I love the interaction and please, forgive the typos.

Malena, you said some other person was on their way to Pemberley and they weren't happy with Darcy. I'm gonna guess its Lady C since he didn't make his trip to Kent. Love the chapter and looking forward to the next.

teb

Thank you for your response and your wonderful story--and for sharing your talent with us.

Maria and Teb,
Maybe it is LC,maybe not...Hopefully we will get to know it before long. It all depends on the availability of my dear beta...Thank you both for commenting. It is just as important as posting for it feeds my ego and spurs my muse

I am so glad he got a part of his memory back. Now I hope he remember how much he hates Wickham! Thanks for posting. I am always delighted to get a new chapter of this fun story!

Maybe with a little help of his friends...
Thanks for commenting, Lucy!

I was so happy to see another chapter up. I'm glad Willaim is still his own man and stands up to Wickham. I hate that he has listen to him as much as he has so far. I don't trust Wickham he could be using this time to cause and do a lot of damage.

I like for him to have a one on one conversation with Mrs Reynolds.

Lizzy is in for a shock when she finds out who William is. Lets hope with Jane actually being their on the trip will help resolve any misunderstandings quickly.

Please post again soon.
Geri

1) Fear not. Wickham's days of happily cuddled at Pemberley are counted...

2) That is not going to happen. In this story Mrs Reynolds is beneath him. She would never dare to speak to her master, and he would certainly not dim himself to ask her for advise.

3) She certainly is...Hundsford/Pemberley will be sort of entwined, I guess...

4) ASAP
Dear Geri, thank you for commenting. I am sorry I only saw it today!!

It just occurred to me that whoever was on their way to Pemberley would definitely be upset once they saw that Wickham was there.
Maybe someone wrote a note and told them.
Maybe it's Georgie and she's mad at William because he hasn't seen her in a while.
I am glad to read that he is starting to get his memory back. Hopefully he will get it all back soon and put Wickham out with the chamber pot waste.
This is such a good tale. I like the fact that William learned his goodness and kindness by losing his memory and being humbled that way. I hope he looks at it the same once he regains his memory.

teb

Indeed!

My dears, chapter 20 is up. It's stormy, to put it mildly. But you will so enjoy what happens to Wickham...

Darn! The Colonel didn't do Wickham in. That means he will be back for revenge. At least, Darcy memory is finally returning. The scene with the hot poker was just depicted in an episode of "The Tudors" here in the US. Ugh. Malena, More please.

Seems that Darcy’s memory is returning but not fast enough. Will the Colonel now turn his wrath upon his cousin and beat Darcy into remembrance!
Will Wickham make his way back to Hertfordshire?
Will Darcy be at Pemberley when Elizabeth arrives?

The scene with the hot poker was just depicted in an episode of "The Tudors" here in the US.

Was it? Tudors huh? Is it by the BBC? Never seen it. I read the anecdote in a historical novel called "The Three Edwards" Edward II is said to have suffered the horrible treatment, but as I pointed out in the note it was probably political gossip meant against Isabel, his wife and supposed murderer.
Thank you for the supportive comment!

So many questions...stay tuned! And thanks for commenting! It means a world to me!

Thank God Georgie will not have to face the vile Wickham. And now Wickham has sworn venges on both of them unfortunately he is aware of Darcy's partiallity to Elizabeth.
Can't wait for more
Geri

I breathed a loud sigh of relief as Colonel Fitzwilliam--not the brightest bulb, is he?--FINAllY figured it out. The way you set up his character is very funny.

My heart raced as I read and it was wonderful--all the angst you had built so expertly was exploding in happy revelation.

....But then. Will and his cousin fighting about Wickham? Why did Will stop the Colonel from sticking that hot poker where the sun don't shine--or, otherwise finishing him off? Is it because his time as a purported man of God makes Darcy squeamish about murder and mayhem--okay, I understand that.

I have so many questions. You must post as soon as conveniently possible for you, in order to save me from imploding upon myself with curiosity. You will save me, won't you? Seriously, this story is wonderfully fresh and surprising and EXCELLENT!!

I am most gratified by your words, my dear. I thank you.

Indeed, Wickham did not deserve such horrible treatment. , and the colonel was ,I am convinced, just bragging about it. And Darcy is not squeamish, mind you. He is simple reluctant to murdering people in his main parlour.

Be safe, I will save you. The chapter is already written. It only takes my dear beta to read it once. She is a sweet dear lady and surely will do it over the weekend.
Tha you again and again. Your words certainly invigorates my muse.
Male

"...taste the flavor of your own blood..." Brilliant! Great chapter!

Thanks, sweetheart! I have forgotten the hateaur that Wickham can inspire.

The colonel is not much appreciated, either. In most stories the poor man usually ends up contenting himself with Darcy's leftovers. I have not been very generous with him either. Must rectify this sometime and write about a good Wickham and a vindicated Colonel Fitzwilliam. But...will anybody read such a story?

I must admit a certain prejudice when it comes to Wickham. A good Wickham? Hmmm. . .

I am perfectly happy to see Colonel F as a hero, perhaps of a tale that focuses upon him. But, Wickham? You would really need to explain the premises of such a story to me because it is not immediately obvious.

But, given your talent, I think you would be able to persuade us.