Prologue

Meryton, 1795

Doctor Sean Abernathy shook his head sadly as he watched the pretty little girls, six years old and four years old, playing in his walled garden. He turned to the man who had been his roommate and friend during their Cambridge years. "I'm sorry, Thomas, but it is as I feared. The disease itself left no damage, but the fever was too high and of such duration that it has done permanent damage to her mind."

Thomas Bennet nodded stiffly, wiping suspicious moisture from his eyes. He heard his two eldest giggle and felt tears. Wiping them away roughly, he joked, "Well, Fanny was never exactly brilliant. And my dear little Jane does take after her in appearance." He sipped the doctor's scotch from a glass tumbler and watched his Lizzy lead her elder sister in circles around a clump of rose bushes.

The doctor winced. He had been one of several who had counseled Thomas against marrying Frances Gardiner. In the end he had stood up with his friend at his wedding anyway. From what he had heard during the intervening years, the match had begun to deteriorate rather quickly. Nevertheless, Mr. Bennet mourned his wife and their unborn fourth child when the epidemic struck. Mr. Bennet's three daughters had survived, but the eldest, Jane, had been touch and go. Her fever had risen to a dangerous level, but she had finally recovered. Sadly her mental development appeared to have stalled.

"There is one relief: Jane has such a naturally sweet and loving disposition that you needn't fear some of the more aggressive behaviors sometimes exhibited by those effected. But Thomas... that also means that she will always be especially vulnerable... if you were to place her in an institution..."

"Certainly not!" Thomas snapped, slamming his tumbler on the wooden table. For a moment the two girls looked toward the noise. When little Lizzie's intelligent eyes saw nothing of concern, she resumed the game with her sister. "You forget that I toured one of those places with you during your training. No child of mine will ever be subjected to such a place."

"Your wife's sister does not seem amenable to keeping Jane at her house."

"Then Jane... and Lizzy will return to Longbourn with me."

"And Mary?"

"For now at least she will remain with Harriet. She is the only mother Mary can remember and Mary is the only one of my three whom Mrs. Phillips seems to appreciate." He scoffed, "My Lizzie is already too smart for the woman and too challenging."

"I bring this up only because you must always be aware of it: even though Jane's impairment did not develop until her illness, some will label your family as having tainted blood. It is foolish and ignorant, but that is how our society is towards those with impairments."

Thomas Bennet looked particularly fierce as he declared, "Then I will have nothing to do with those people... and they had better stay far away from me and my daughters."

Ramsgate, 1810

Fitzwilliam Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam moved quickly and deliberately towards the couple walking away along the sea wall. Darcy knew how his one time friend turned bitter enemy thought. The man was deliberately appearing in public with Georgiana in order to insure that the rumors of a match were spread far and wide. George Wickham almost certainly reasoned that Darcy's hand would be forced and he would have no other choice but to consent after the elopement.

George Wickham was a fool. Darcy knew the man and his ways with women altogether too well. He would rather see his dear sister disgraced then ever allow that man to have her defenseless in his clutches. He was only thankful that Georgiana had been able to slip a letter past her scheming companion and Wickham. Another day would have been too late.

Darcy would remember the next minutes with horrible clarity for the remainder of his life. George Wickham glanced over his shoulder. When he saw his two pursuers, his eyes widened in shock. Georgiana had been holding his arm as they walked precariously close to the edge of the wall. In a moment of panic, George yanked his arm away to run... and with flailing arms Georgiana fell from the wall onto the rocks below.

Chapter One – Wildflowers

Two pleasant female voices floated on the breeze, catching the ears of the two mounted men. As a caution, they slowed their canter to a trot and rounded the bend of the road. Walking towards them were two very lovely young ladies, arms wound together and each with a basket full of wildflowers. The taller of the two was blond with light blue eyes and a very womanly figure. The second was shorter, with curly chestnut hair peaking out of her bonnet, a pixie face, and green eyes. Her figure was not as voluptuous, but certainly pleasing to look upon.

The shorter young woman looked at the approaching men with caution, measuring them as a a potential threat. The blond looked up and smiled a brilliant smile in greeting.

The rider on the brown horse returned that smile with one of his own, immediately smitten by the blonde's beauty. He was also blonde, with curly hair and happy brown eyes. "Hello Ladies. How are you on this fine day?"

"We're picking flowers," the blonde responded cheerily.

"And they are certainly beautiful," Charles Bingley replied, though his eyes had never left the lady herself.

Second rider, a tall, dark-haired man mounted on a great black charger, saw something in the taller young lady's expression which immediately reminded him of another. His glanced to the shorter of the pair and he immediately noted the brilliance and intelligence of those green eyes. Without knowing how, he knew that the young lady saw his reaction to the other lady and was now waiting to see what he would do next.

Fitzwilliam Darcy already had enough complications in his life at the moment. Besides, it was highly inappropriate for the foursome to hold any manner of conversation here on this dirt road. They had not been formally introduced. He touched his right hand to the brim of his top hat and said, "Ladies." Then, turning to Bingley, he said, "Charles, we should continue on."

Bingley's smile faded slightly, but he touched his own hat and followed Darcy past the ladies and down the road.

"I say, Darcy. I have never seen two prettier girls. The deuce! Why did we have to ride off so soon?"

"The material point is that they are ladies, though from the style of their dresses I would assume that they are the daughters of a minor landholder. It is improper for us to speak to them without proper introductions, especially out in the middle of nowhere on the side of a road."

"The blond was an angel!" Charles exclaimed, lost in a dream world, "Did you see her smile?"

Darcy merely nodded. He withheld judgment for the moment, but the resemblance in those slightly vacant eyes and innocent expression made his heart ache. Why am I here?

He knew the answer, of course. He was here to throw off the scent and to keep to people he loved safe. Until a better solution could be found, he needed to be far away from where he truly wished to be. He became aware that his friend had continued speaking about the blonde. Let him ramble for now. Perhaps he will be lucky and I am wrong. The darker one was pretty, I suppose, but not of sufficient station to merit my attention.

Far behind them now, Elizabeth Bennet frowned at the memory of the taller man's expression of proud disdain when he looked at her dear Jane. He may be handsome, but I could sense his arrogance from a mile away! Insufferable man, looking at Jane like she is something less! Beside her Jane skipped merrily along, singing a wordless tune she was most likely composing on the spot. Music was one of Jane's greatest loves and while her two sisters played very well from the compositions of others, Jane could sit for hours crafting her own music out of thin air.

Jane asked, "Can we go see Mary today?"

Elizabeth tried not to wince. Aunt Phillips had taken all three girls in after her sister's demise. When it became apparent that Jane's mind was damaged, she had pushed their father to have the girl sent away to protect the family name. What followed was a bitter argument that had forever created a rift between Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Phillips. He withdrew Jane and Lizzy from his sister-in-law's care, but left the infant Mary. Since the Phillips never had any children of their own, Mary became their child. Despite the rift, Mr. Bennet never withdrew Mary from their care.

Now there existed a tenuous relationship. Mrs. Phillips knew that she could not deny the Bennets access to Mary or Mr. Bennet would take the girl away, yet she did not like to welcome Jane into her home in case Jane's illness might be catching. So each week Mary would walk or ride to Longbourn four days a week to learn from the music master with Elizabeth or to practice with both her sisters. And whenever to two eldest went into town, they were allowed to visit with Mary in the back room.

On occasion, usually about once or twice a month, Aunt Phillips would get a bee in her bonnet about Elizabeth's unmarried state. "You are twenty now, Lizzy! Why both your mother and I married when we were seventeen! You don't even have a suitor! You must take more time away from your sister so that you can meet with young men and flirt. You are accomplished, with a respectable dowry of ten-thousand. You must marry!"

Naturally, Elizabeth was reluctant to subject herself to her aunt's diatribe again. It had almost been a month since the last time, so it was due. The truth was that Lizzie doubted that she would ever marry. Unless a man was willing to accept Jane as a permanent member of his household, he would have no chance with Elizabeth. Of course it wouldn't do to say that to her Aunt Phillips.

"Yes, dear. We will stop in and see Mary. If she is not occupied, perhaps she can walk with us to get a treat. After all, it is almost her birthday."

Jane beamed and then began reciting all of the birth dates of her family and friends. One of the odd results of her illness was that, while in most ways she had the mind of a little child, her memory for details was near-perfect. "... and your birthday was on January twenty-first. And then my birthday was on August first. And next is Mary on September fifteenth. She will be nineteen. And then..."

Elizabeth let her mind wander down a dark path as Jane rambled on. Jane is twenty-two. She is so very beautiful and kind. If she had not had the fever, she would certainly be married by now and I would be an aunt. She would have been such a wonderful mother. Maybe she would have married someone like the blond man. He certainly noticed her beauty immediately.

Her minds-eye kept bringing the other man's image despite all attempts to quell it. Finally she allowed herself to admit that he was certainly the handsomest man she had ever seen. Too bad he is so arrogant and quick to judge.

"Lizzy!" Aunt Harriet exclaimed when the two sisters stepped into their aunt's sitting room. She only nodded to Jane and offered no further greeting. "Such news! Netherfield Park is let at last! And by a single young man of five-thousand a year! His name is Bingley, and he will take ownership around Michaelmas! He has two sisters, one who is married. The other shall accompany him to the estate and act as his hostess. Such a fine thing for you and Mary!"

Elizabeth fought the urge to sigh and roll her eyes. For a young single man of good income must be in want of a wife!

~~~~ooooOOoooo~~~~

Author's notes: To be honest, I have had this story in my head for some time, but was hesitant to present it. Anytime that someone writes about controversial issues, somebody else will be offended. In this case I will be dealing with mental handicaps and specifically the way that they were viewed during the early 1800s. Of necessity, there will be derogatory and prejudicial terminology spouted by some of the characters. There will also be vile attitudes and actions by people who should know better. Please understand that I am attempting to offer this story in the context with which it might have happened in that time period. There is also the element of a truly twisted person working behind the scenes, which will make matters even more dramatic.

The characters of Jane and another (revealed later in the story) are based upon three people with mental handicaps who I have known personally, two of them very well.

The one who I knew the best was a true character in the affectionate use of the word. He was a healthy boy until a childhood disease swept through his community. Due to an extremely high fever of an extended duration, he suffered brain damage that impaired his continued mental growth. Although he had a second-grade comprehension level, his memory was truly astounding. He knew every birth date of every person he met. It was always one of the first things he would ask them. He would also remember the details of their interactions. He remembered things about me as a child that I did not even remember.

The second was a unique case. I attended a large school during high school. It had its own separate building for Special Education and the lead teacher had a doctorate. His focus was on providing the students with the skills necessary to go out in the world, get jobs, and live independently. Due to my experience with the first man I wrote about, I volunteered and became a teacher's aide. One of the students was perhaps one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen, and that is not hyperbole. She had sustained a serious head injury in her early childhood which impaired her learning, but unless you spoke with her you would never know. Unfortunately, she was so attractive that she drew the attention of a dangerous character who had tried to snatch her while walking home one day. For the next two months until they caught the man, the building was under constant guard. The scariest part was that they caught the guy in his car a block away from the school.

The third was also a girl, normal in appearance, who was also mentally handicapped, but who eventually married, had children, had a job, and lived a good life within the compact world she had built for herself. I do not know what first caused her impairment, but I suspect it was a head injury since she died far too young of a sudden and completely unexpected brain aneurysm.

I hope that you enjoy this story. At times you might wish to hunt down a character and commit murder... just as long as it isn't me, I will be happy.