[Pride and Prejudice] Becoming Katherine Bennett

After asking Elizabeth to explain to her parents, Catherine and Darcy drove to London overnight in a carriage.

Late at night, the dew is heavy, and the journey in the dark and solemn night is not pleasant. The cold night wind cuts the faces of passers-by like knives.Catherine leaned against Darcy's arms, he hugged her all the way, intertwined his fingers, he bowed his head and kissed the ends of her hair from time to time, and said with pity: "It's okay, Catherine, everything will be fine with me. .”

Catherine nodded slightly.

When they arrived at Uncle Gardner's house, the distant sky had just turned bright white.

Because of Lydia, Uncle Gardner's family didn't sleep much all night.Hearing that the servant said that Catherine was coming, he quickly went downstairs to pick her up.

The heavy blow caused Catherine and Darcy to congratulate Darcy when they met for the first time after they had a marriage contract. They sat in the living room and discussed how to solve Lydia's matter.Not long after they sat down, Jane arrived in a hurry, and Mr. Walker was with her.

Jane had obviously cried bitterly, her eyes were red, and she hugged her sister tightly after seeing Catherine, not knowing what to say.

Uncle Gardner was still unwilling to believe that Lydia's character was so corrupt. He said to Catherine: "Maybe it's not as bad as you think. Lydia and Wickham should agree to get married, after all, she is not innocent." A helpless girl, Wickham has no reason to treat her like this. Does he think we will ignore this matter? Even if he only thinks about himself, it will be a great blow to his reputation."

Jane was refreshed after hearing this, and Catherine was relieved to see that Mr. Walker cared for Jane as before. He sat beside her, listened to the discussion of the Bennett family, looked at her with concern from time to time, and talked to her. Did not despise his wife because of Lydia's disqualification.

Catherine thinks differently: "I don't think Wickham will marry a girl with a dowry of only [-] pounds. He always dreams of getting something for nothing, hoping to use his handsome appearance to marry a rich girl and turn around financially. From his sudden pursuit of Miss Jin at that time, it can be seen that he was so shameless in the past. If it weren't for his erratic whereabouts and the inconvenience of communication, his viciousness would have been exposed long ago. As for the other things you said, I can only feel sad. Reluctantly admitted, he really thought we would ignore it. After all, he always went to our house and knew that we had no brothers, and my father didn't like Lydia very much. Even if he was willing to fight for Lydia and Wickham, Wick Mu isn't scared at all."

"We may not know Wickham that well, and we can't be sure about his behavior, but what about Lydia? She will never even want to marry, and she is willing to live with Wickham." ②

"She may not, but it's too easy for Wickham to deceive a young girl like her. To put it bluntly, Lydia has nothing to say about the two of them, and Wickham can use whatever rhetoric he wants." To play with her, the most urgent thing is to find them."

Darcy and Catherine sat on the sofa and listened quietly to her talking with her family without making a sound.It was only at this moment that he nodded and said, "I agree with Catherine, the most important thing is to find them first."

"What about after you find it?" Jane asked.

Catherine said in a deep voice, "I'll solve it."

"Kitty," exclaimed the rest of the family, "what are you going to do?"

Catherine didn't answer them, but turned her head to stare at Darcy, who said for her, "Please rest assured, Catherine and I have already discussed it, and I will come forward when the time comes."

Hearing what Darcy said, the Gardners and Jane were relieved.They trust Darcy not only because of his noble background and extensive connections, but also because of their belief in his character. Darcy has a stable and mature personality, and he is upright. He only realizes how amazing this character is when there is a crisis. feel at ease.

Several gentlemen quickly went out to inquire about news in different directions.

Catherine originally wanted to be with Darcy, but Darcy quickly persuaded her: "I will tell you as soon as I find them. Wycombe's whereabouts are unpredictable. It's hard to say where he will appear. Good area, I still need to take care of your safety, why don't I take someone to find it first. Just wait for me at home, and I will definitely discuss with you what to do next."

Catherine wanted to say something more, and Darcy hugged her gently: "Learn to rely on me and trust me, okay?"

Catherine stared at him for a long time, then nodded slightly.

About two hours after they left, Mr. Bennett and Colonel Foster arrived in London. The two exchanged a few words with Catherine and the others, and joined the search for someone.

Aunt Gardner, Jane and Catherine were fidgeting at home, anxious and waiting patiently, every second was suffering.At around nine o'clock in the evening, the gentlemen who had been busy all day returned empty-handed with no news. Aunt Gardner ordered the chef to prepare delicious dishes, so that they could breathe a sigh of relief when they were tired.

The next few days were spent busy, and everyone brought some news one after another, but none of them was good.When inquiring about Wickham's whereabouts, everyone learned from different sources that Wickham probably owed more debts than they thought, and it would cost about [-] to [-] pounds to pay off all of them.Not only did he owe debts in Brighton, but he also had creditors in Longbourn and London, and his debts can be described as varied, including credit in stores and borrowing money from others. According to the law, this type of debt is The amount that must be returned is not too great.Most of them are gambling debts. He is a gambler and often loses all his money at the gambling table.

Hearing such a conclusion, even Jane could no longer hold hope.Who can think that a gambler is a gentleman of his word?

But Darcy, who was looking for someone alone, did not bring any news. He has never appeared on Grace Church Street since he went out.In the middle, he sent a message from his servant, saying that there were clues to the matter, but everything was still uncertain. He hoped that Catherine would not tell other people, lest everyone be happy in vain.

There has been no news of the process of finding someone. Colonel Foster still has official duties. He has been away from the militia for more than two weeks because of the Lydia and Wickham scandal, and now he must rush back to Brighton.Not long after he left, Elizabeth's letter arrived. In the letter, she told Catherine that Mrs. Bennet's health had improved a lot in the past few days. Although she still complained of a headache, she had recovered from the blow as a whole. .

After a few words of family affairs, she brought up two persons whom Catherine had not thought of at all.

The first is their good cousin.Mr. Collins first heard the happy news of Catherine and Darcy from his parents-in-law, and before he could write his reply, he heard the scandal.Now this gentleman finally found a place to express his emotions, and wrote a letter to Longbourn, in which he first said that the shame brought by Lydia could never be washed away, and that the sisters would never have the possibility of marrying into a good family. Fortunately, he did not reach a marriage contract with the Bennett family last year, otherwise he must be extremely ashamed.For a person like Lydia, it would be better to die early and never grow up. He suggested that Mr. Bennett completely sever parental relationship with Lydia to preserve the family's reputation. ③

If this part of the content is ridiculous and cold, but it is not difficult to understand considering his virtue, then the next part is so absurd that even Elizabeth can't help but blame it.It turns out that the cousin of this moral model, after "teaching" the Bennett family how to deal with Lydia, spent a lot of time explaining the disadvantages of the marriage contract between Catherine and Darcy he had heard.He wrote a lot, even longer than Lydia's part. He talked and talked to Catherine not to accept this engagement, otherwise there would be endless troubles.But looking closely at the bad things he wrote, it seems that there is only one reason: Lady Catherine will be very angry.

oh so what?What does she have to do with me being angry?

Catherine continued to read, only to find that Elizabeth wrote a special letter about this matter because Mrs. Catherine suddenly ran to their house!

Elizabeth said that the lady was desperate to find her, and when she learned that Catherine was not in Longbourne but in London, she left quickly.Elizabeth speculated that she had come all the way from Losings for Darcy's engagement with Catherine, after all she had always thought Darcy would marry her daughter.Elizabeth told Catherine to be careful that the lady would appear suddenly.

Catherine was disgusted enough by Collins.This kind of person, it's fine if they don't help others when they are in danger, but they just want to jump out and add trouble to them.Catherine stuffed the letter into the envelope, ready to ignore the two psychopaths.Unexpectedly, not long after, the servant said that a lady Catherine had arrived at the door.

Catherine guessed that the lady would not say anything good. Considering that she was Darcy's elder after all, and she was really in a bad mood now, she didn't want to bother to deal with it, so she asked the servant to answer that she had a cold and was afraid of infecting him. I beg the other party to leave, and I will visit her when she is better.

Catherine didn't naively think that the other party would really stop looking for her if she said this, but at least she could say it a few days later, who would have thought that Mrs. Catherine would open Catherine's bedroom door very rudely.

Catherine was taken aback when she saw her. It was the first time she saw the very arrogant and arrogant lady in the elder sister's mouth, and the impatience and contempt on the other side's face did not intend to cover up after seeing her.

"Miss Bennett, I'm sure you know why I'm here today, please don't waste my time, go find my nephew with me as soon as possible, and break off your engagement." Madam Catherine condescending and angry appearance.She had completely lost the etiquette she was so proud of, or she didn't think it was necessary for Catherine.

Catherine saw that the visitor was not kind, so she was not polite, she asked politely: "Who are you?"

Lady Catherine was offended.She probably didn't expect that she was willing to lower her status to talk to the other party, but the other party pretended not to know her, and she shouted angrily: "Miss Bennett, I have been guessing what kind of person you are on the way here. My nephew forgot his identity and status because of you. Now it seems that my judgment is correct. You are a shameless and shameless wild girl who used some dirty means to seduce Darcy's heart! You and your mean sister look on par!" ④

Lady Catherine's words made Catherine's face sink.

What happened to Lydia already upset her, and her emotions were on the verge of exploding.Now Lady Catherine's vicious words aroused her anger even more.Catherine maintained her smile, and even though the nerves on her face were jumping with anger, she still put on a calm tone: "Oh, you don't understand, Mr. Darcy's affection for me may only come from one place , that means I am in good health. You are so honorable, don’t you know that good health is an important criterion for nobles to choose their fiancée?"

Catherine deliberately emphasized her health, which was naturally mocking Miss De Boer's sickness.Mrs. Catherine valued her only daughter very much. Catherine's words made her face flushed with anger, and she couldn't say a word for a long time.

"I'm not feeling well, please forgive me for not being with me." Taking advantage of this time, Catherine also got up and left the room.

She really didn't want to be alone with Lady Catherine anymore, she was afraid that she would make her angry.As soon as she opened the door, she saw Aunt Gardner's worried face. The latter gave her a wink and signaled her to avoid it for a while.Catherine left obediently, and when she went downstairs, she was very surprised that she didn't hear Madam Catherine's angrily insulting.She quickly figured out the reason. Madam Catherine's sanity might have returned, and she remembered that she was a lady, and acting like a shrew would not do her reputation any good.

Catherine hid in the small compartment of the study on the first floor, sat behind the sheer curtain by the window, and was satisfied to see Mrs. Catherine leave in a huff.

After a while, Catherine saw Mr. Darcy riding a horse, coming towards her from a distance.

Catherine jumped up and ran to the door. Darcy dismounted and stood in front of her, whispering in her ear, "I found them."

Catherine's pupils tightened suddenly, she clenched her teeth tightly, and her body trembled uncontrollably.Darcy stepped forward and hugged her: "It's okay, I'm here for everything."

An hour later, Catherine and Darcy, accompanied by his servants, arrived in front of a small hotel in East London.

As they alighted from the carriage, a man who had been keeping an eye on Wickham and Lydia came up and told them that they were still in the upstairs room.

"I have taken care of the boss, and there is no one else in the hotel. Let's just go up." Darcy held Catherine in his arms, and tied her coat tighter.

Catherine glanced at the surrounding environment expressionlessly, the polluted air, the dark gutters, the dirty ground, the ragged pedestrians... She looked at the dilapidated hotel in front of her again, feeling sad and puzzled, unable to figure it out. Understand what Lydia is for.

"Isn't love supposed to make people better and better? Why does Lydia live like this?" Catherine couldn't help saying this question on the way back to London with Darcy.

At that time, Darcy didn't answer, but let her lean on his shoulder with one hand, and put the other hand in front of her eyelid: "Don't think about it, go to sleep."

In the swaying carriage, Catherine leaned against Darcy's arms. The fragrance of men's cologne and Darcy's temperature permeated through her skin, warming her blood and giving her the most peaceful sleep in the past few days.

At this time, looking at the dirty and chaotic everything in front of her, Catherine felt deeply puzzled once again when she thought of Lydia's most beautiful and vain character.

She thought that Lydia must love Wickham very much, just because she was willing to live in this environment for him, there was no doubt about it.But why is their love so unbearable, dragging each other into the unbearable mud, building on the pain of others, and facing a perhaps tragic ending...

Darcy did not answer the question.

Fortunately, Catherine is not obsessed with the answer: "Take me up."

Darcy took her hand: "I'm here."

Catherine took a deep breath and held his palm tightly.

When the door was opened, Wickham and Lydia were still lying on the bed, wine bottles were scattered everywhere on the floor of the room, and the air exuded a foul smell.

Darcy immediately covered Catherine's eyes, and he also turned his head sideways.While Wickham and Lydia were woken up, they rubbed their eyes in dissatisfaction. When they found a group of strangers coming, they both cried out. Soon, the servant restrained the two of them so that they could not speak any more. sound.

Darcy and Catherine then entered the room.

When the two struggling people saw them appear, they were all silent for a few seconds, and then struggled more violently.

Catherine didn't look at Lydia, but just stared at Wickham without saying a word, with a cold and cruel look in her eyes.

At this time, Lydia took advantage of the maid's unpreparedness and wiped off the pouting cloth. She yelled at Catherine: "What are you doing, let us go!"

Catherine looked at her now.

"Why are you crazy!" Lydia said dissatisfied.

Catherine walked towards her slowly, taking off the sleeves gently but decisively as she walked.She stopped in front of Lydia and looked down at her.

The latter has none of the embarrassment of such a sisterly reunion.Still hungover and absurdly dazed all night, she yelled, "Let me go, Kitty, how could you do this to us, Wickham's your sister..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Catherine slapped her hard.

Lydia was still a young girl, and Catherine's slap didn't show any mercy, and she fell to the ground with her whole body.After the crisp applause, the room was extremely quiet, no one made a sound, only Lydia's breathing became heavier and heavier.

When the pain came, Lydia was slapped until her head was buzzing, and she couldn't recover.And when she realized what kind of treatment she had received, she exploded in anger, covered her face and sat up straight angrily, and shouted at Catherine: "You are..."

Following her words came another slap.Catherine remained merciless.After being slapped three or four times in succession, Lydia burst into tears of grievance.However, just as she shed a few tears, Catherine raised her hand again, and Lydia immediately held back her tears, not daring to make a sound.She stared at Catherine with hatred and fear, covered her face, and kept leaning against Wickham, looking at him with great aggrievedness, trying to find protection and comfort from her lover.

To her disappointment, however, Wickham was clearly more frightened than she was.

As a person who wanders in the gray area all the year round, Wickham is much more knowledgeable than her.When Catherine slapped Lydia hard and fast with a blank face, he realized that something was wrong.He couldn't help looking at Darcy, hoping that the other party would stop him.Who would have thought that Darcy didn't say a word, just stood aside quietly, letting Catherine handle it, and he just stared at her intently.

Wickham's heart sank suddenly, and he guessed that things might be bad.

If only Miss Catherine, or other members of Bennett's family came, he would not have the slightest fear, because he knew that they had no power and power, and even if they hated him to death, they would have nothing to do.If it was only Darcy who came, he would not be afraid. He knows what kind of person Darcy is. Don't look at him when he slanders the other party outside, but the irony is that he is actually the right one. Darcy's kindness and generosity are one of the most trusted people, otherwise he would not be so unscrupulous.He knows who to mess with and who not to mess with.

But if Darcy's power and the hatred of the Bennett family... the fourth lady of the Bennett family who exposed him face to face and made him feel ashamed was so cruel to her own sister, and she didn't mean to be lenient at all, then What about him?

Wickham suddenly panicked.When Lydia approached, he subconsciously ducked to the side.

Catherine sneered: "See that, Lydia?"

Lydia said nothing.

Catherine ignored her, and she signaled the maid to take Lydia away. Lydia wanted to resist, but Catherine glanced at her indifferently, and she resigned herself to letting them take her away.When she had gone, the other servants withdrew, leaving only Catherine, Darcy, and Wickham in the room.

Catherine said calmly to Wickham, her tone was like in Longburn's living room, rather than such an awkward situation: "Mr Wickham, if I guess correctly, you escaped from Brighton to avoid debts, Right?"

Wickham looked at her vigilantly, then at Darcy, and was hesitating how to answer. Catherine slowly took out a knife about seven or eight inches long from her pocket. The sharp edge of the knife reflected a cold light.She held the knife, with a smile on the corner of her mouth, and looked at him nonchalantly, while Darcy on the side seemed to see nothing.

"Huh? Can't talk anymore?" Catherine asked with a smile, trying to imitate the appearance of extreme characters in the horror movies she had seen.

Wickham immediately said in a jerk, "You're right, I'm here to avoid debt."

"I have already found out that there are some people you can't afford to offend among the debtors, and the other party's methods are very cruel, so you have to run away. You said that I will tell the other party your whereabouts, and you still have to pay the money. , what are you going to do?"

"Miss Bennett, I wouldn't do this if I were you."

"Why not?"

"Because if something happens to me, who will marry your sister? If she doesn't get married, how will she live in the future?"

"You guess our thoughts are very comprehensive. Then I might as well guess your thoughts. If Mr. Darcy didn't show up today with a loyal and strong servant, your original plan would probably be to leave my sister alone, yes Is it?"

"Of course not, I love Lydia very much."

"Very well, you will go to church to get married tomorrow."

Wickham said nothing.

"Why? Don't you love her? Why, remember that her property is only a thousand pounds, which is far from making you rich, and you don't love her anymore?"

"No, I just think it's rushed."

"A man like you uses such an excuse. Do you have the money for a fancy wedding, Wickham. If so, I have good news for you. You don't have to worry about it. You won't get married."

Wickham narrowed his eyes: "Miss Catherine, have you ever asked your sister's opinion?"

"I don't need to ask, sir. If you want to threaten me with her, then you are very wrong. There is a prerequisite for throwing a mouse, and you and Lydia don't meet it. She is an ignorant girl of 16 years old. No mistake is unforgivable, we will give her a chance. As for the love you thought, she is still young and has a lively personality. After you disappear, she will probably be sad for a while, but she will not be unforgettable to you forever Even so, there is nothing wrong with it, at least she is alive and well. And you, it is not necessarily the case. "

Wickham realized that Catherine was not joking, and quickly suggested: "I have an idea, maybe we can get a happy ending."

"Ok?"

"I love Lydia very much. If it weren't for the gambling debts that made me feel that I couldn't give her happiness, I would marry her instead of taking her away like this. If you can help me pay off the gambling debts and change my position for me , presumably my marriage with Lydia will be very happy."

Catherine was amused by him and chuckled: "I don't have such ability, you think highly of me too, sir."

"You don't," Wickham pursed his lips lightly. He looked at Darcy with a certainty of understanding in his tone, "but Darcy did."

Wickham, who had grown up with Darcy, thought he knew something about the gentleman, and he was confident of a satisfactory answer.However, to Wickham's surprise and embarrassment, Darcy shook his head and refused: "No, Wickham."

Wickham looked at him in shock.

Darcy said seriously: "If I hadn't been too lenient to you before and let you get what you deserved, you can't do the same thing again now and ruin another girl's life."

Catherine's tone was sharp: "What dream are you dreaming of? You kidnapped my sister, and you expect her family to settle your gambling debts and duties, so that you can continue to be a decent person? I never knew you were so capable." Mr. Imagination."

Wickham was completely panicked now.He originally thought that there would be no unbearable consequences for abducting Lydia. When he saw Darcy, he found that although things had changed, at least he could make a fortune from it, but things were not what he thought at all.

He is no longer on the terms, and he realizes that some compromises may have to be made today.Wickham rolled his eyes and said, "I am willing to marry Lydia, and I don't ask for anything else. I just hope you don't blame me for bringing her a poor life."

However, it was Catherine's sneer that answered him.She walked up to Wickham, picked up the extremely sharp saber, and stroked his face back and forth, as if thinking about how to strike better.At the same time, her tone was cheerful and gloomy: "Marry my sister? What beautiful things are you thinking about?"