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A Quest for Mr Darcy – Chapter Fifty
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Hello!
I'm Cass, and I write the sort of stories I love to read - heart-warming, character driven and strong on location. I lean heavily towards the upbeat in both my reading and my writing.
As one of my favourite authors, Jane Austen, once wrote, ‘let other pens dwell on guilt and misery’.
Cass Grafton - Writer 
Oh Cass… another beautiful chapter… I had tears in my eyes… You were quite lenient with Mr Bennet and I was a little crossed but then, he seems to suffer enough as it is without being chastised by Elizabeth. And Mr Darcy is more the White Knight in Shining Armour than ever… swoon….
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I think Mr Bennet is suffering for his mistakes, Nathalie, but he’s not the only one to blame here.
It would be rather nice to have ‘a Mr Darcy’ in one’s corner, wouldn’t it? ❤
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What no cliffie???? Ha Ha! Well, Bennet must be feeling pretty low right now. Why do I think that Lydia might have some words for him. And how Mrs. Bennet found out that she was still alive and then had a heart attack. I wonder how the man can even look himself in the face. Well, this was a great chapter pulling in some loose ends … though I’m wondering about Wickham’s letter. How does he fit into all of this with the supposed blackmail. Looking forward to next week.
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Yes, he’s feeling pretty low, Jen, but I don’t consider the situation entirely his fault. If you recall from the book (and up to the point I deviated, that’s what I base the characters and their actions on), Lydia gave no consideration to anyone else but herself or thought about the repercussions of her actions, so they both have things to regret and apologise for.
Even when she wrote to her father (in this story), she asks first for money to continue her pursuit of a husband before asking to come home.
Likewise, Mrs Bennet. If Lydia hadn’t cast off her family in pursuit of pleasure and (hopefully) a husband, then the rest wouldn’t have happened, including the stress it put her mother under right from the moment she eloped with Wickham.
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Oh, I don’t know if I can forgive Mr Bennet so easily. I am waiting for Lydia to arrive at the Grange to see what he will do next. And there is still the whole Wickham problem. But I feel like Elizabeth here, only thinking of her and Darcy! Now she is back at the Grange and he at Pemberley. I wish he would just propose so they can be engaged soon! Lydia was right, he will be a wonderful asset to the family! 😉
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I think when you are young and have fallen so deeply in love, despite what your family are doing around you (and let’s face it, this family is really doing some stuff!), you become consumed by it and spending time with the person you love. I doubt it was any different in early 19th century England to how it is today, Daniela! 😉 ❤
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That was a chapter I think we all needed…to understand Mr. Bennet’s pov to the whole debacle. Twenty-twenty hindsight is wonderful but when it comes to your family, the regret can be overwhelming. Now the way Mr. Bennet looked at Elizabeth when he arrived and asked how she was, I wonder if Wickham’s letter was in regard to her more than Lydia? Mr. Bennet was so appreciative of Mr. Darcy’s ‘protection’ of both his daughters. Only speculating here but I doubt he knew what truly happened to Lydia…So glad that Elizabeth feels ‘secure’ with Mr. Darcy knowing he wants to call tomorrow…I too am looking forward to Tuesday’s chapter and how the ‘reunion’ between Lydia and her father will go as well as the reveal of Wickham’s part. Thank you again for such a chapter!
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Glad you enjoyed it, Carole! 😀
Yes, point of view is interesting, isn’t it, and I’m sure we have all been in situations when someone else’s is very different to ours! 😉
Ah, Wickham. Let’s all ‘boo hiss’ and see if he comes out of the undergrowth!
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Yes, Mr. Bennet does seem to have a reasonable answer to his actions BUT we have not yet heard what all this has to do with Wickham. Thanks you for this long chapter and looking forward to Tuesday. Wondering how the residents around the Grange/in Derbyshire will accept Lydia and what explanation about her appearance will be given? Will she act more tame?
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Mr Bennet is telling the truth, Sheila. This is precisely what happened with regard to mistakenly thinking Lydia dead and how he found out she was not etc.
It was a bit too long, but there just wasn’t a natural place to break it (much as I tried to throw in a cliff hanger, of course!) 😉
Will Lydia act more tame? Good question!
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A revelatory chapter which explains so much! Yet we still have to address the Wickham blackmailing scheme….yikes!
This chapter definitely filled in some of the holes in Elizabeth and Jane’s knowledge of what happened to Lydia; I’m very curious about Lydia’s reunion with her father; it should be quite intriguing. 🙂
Thank you sooooo much for this amazing chapter; I so appreciate your sharing it with us!! 😀
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
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Yes, I felt this might be information overload, Susanne, so I had to stop at some point! LOL
Finally some answers, yes? 😉
I think I’m looking forward to Tuesday too! Have a lovely weekend! ❤
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Oh Cass 😃 You just escaped another scolding! Even if I honestly for a second thought you had killed off Mr Bennet as well in a sudden fit of annoyance or sort of thing 😂 But when will Darcy ask for Elizabeth’s hand from Mr Bennet?! Soon? 😃🎉👍🏻
I wonder how Ly… Sarah will react to seeing her father again? That’s going to be interesting can’t wait Cass 👏🏻
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LOL re killing of Mr Bennet. I almost stopped the chapter there in an evil cliff-hanger, but decided against it! 😉
Yes, I think we have a few fireworks to come back at The Grange. With Elizabeth back home, Darcy is no longer ‘protecting’ her on her father’s behalf, so he may well just go for it soon!
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I think one of the attributes that makes Darcy so swoon-worthy is that he values Elizabeth’s opinions. Mr. Bennet professes that he does the same, but he refused to listen to her (Brighton debacle), refused to acknowledge his error (it’s taken him a year to admit he should have listened to Elizabeth), and if he had not been confronted with the information that Jane and Elizabeth knew about Lydia would have refused to tell them anything about Lydia. He has had a heavy burden to carry for the past year, but I can’t help but think he should have trusted his two oldest daughters with the truth. However, what’s done is done and he only did what he thought at the time to be the best. I’m giving him some leeway since that was the way of men during that time — women had to be protected from the harsh realities of life. His meeting with Lydia should prove to be quite interesting.
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I think Mr Bennet doesn’t realise he’s talking the talk but not walking the walk, Jan! 😉 I suspect he thought it best to tell no one anything, and as you say, with things how they were in the early 19th century, he wouldn’t feel obliged to share any of his dealings with any of the females in the family.
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Oh poor Mrs Bennet. She essentially died alone and with a broken heart. No wonder the Phillip’s were so mad at Me.Bennet and accused him of killing her. Me thinks judgement day would be scary with all the nefarious happenings. 😨
Well I kept waiting for the blackmail letter to evolve in conversation between the Bennets and it seems that I will be waiting a bit longer. And really, I would hope by the passing of time that Lydia would understand why she could not go back home. And now they have to keep that burial covered up.
Well, you know what they say… a lie begets a lie, begets a lie, begets a lie. Lol
Good reading! Your chapter did not disappoint! 😊
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There was so much information in this chapter, Trez, I decided to keep the blackmail discussion to another one! 😉
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This was another fantastic chapter. Many answers have been provided and some about Whickham soon to come, hopefully. I agree with other readers that the reunion between father and estranged daughter should be interesting: they were both at fault. Perhaps some forgiveness is in order and making the best arrangements that can be done for Lydia. That would be satisfying.
However, what would be even more satisfying is an ‘ardent’ love declaration and a proper kiss…;)
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You are right, they were both at fault, Cristina, and they both need to accept that if they are going to salvage the situation.
LOL. Oh yes, that pesky first kiss… coming soon!
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A very good chapter. Mr. Bennet did the best he could–when forced to do so, but the guilt he has lived with must have been debilitating. It is also sad to think of Mrs. Bennet’s end, but, again, Mr. Bennet had no real choice in the matter. It will be interesting to see if Lydia has learned anything from her actions. She is mad at her father, but I hope she will grow enough to recognize that she created the problem and didn’t give him any other opportunity to do his best for all involved. I am still anxious to know what will happen with the Wickham situation, but more so for him to gain his “just rewards.”
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I believe Mr Bennet did the best he could, too, Lizzybel. It was a nightmare situation but at least he didn’t cut Lydia off totally!
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It was good to get some more answers to questions regarding Lydia.
I was a bit scared when it looked like Bennet was having some kind of episode. Glad that was a false alarm!
Darcy was again being so accommodating. At least Bennet recognizes this. I wonder what the reaction will be when Darcy finally declares himself.
Looking forward to the next chapter and finding out what’s going on with Wickham.
The Colonel has been noticeably absent from much of the recent action. What can he be doing….I have my suspicions. 🙂
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LOL re the Colonel, Maureen! It’s a bit hard to keep up with each character when so much is going on centre stage, but I’m sure he’ll be back very soon!
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Wow, that was a chapter and a half, literally and figuratively! I’m so glad that Mr. Bennet didn’t know Lydia was still alive when they held her “funeral”. That would have been so cold on his part. He’s still holding secrets, though. That letter from Wickham still has to be explained and if Mr. B. wasn’t at the rendevouz at the appointed time, surely there has to be fallout from that, too?
As Maureen said above, I too had a little flutter of my nerves when Mr. B. appeared to be unresponsive in the middle of the chapter but his acerbity seems to be starting to resurface, perhaps sooner than it should, as it always does. I guess he did his best once the”Lydia situation” arose. He didn’t after all, cut her off completely, which he could well have done and I can even understand him not telling his wife because it wouldn’t have remained a secret. Let’s hope Lydia’s situation has changed her so that it’s not all me, me, me any more.
I’m hoping Elizabeth and Darcy get at least a little private time when he calls to bring Lydia later in the day. Off now to find out.
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Haha! Yes, the chapters have become very long (too long!) They started off around 2-2,500 words each, then crept up to 3,000+, now 4,000+. Can you tell I’m trying to get this story finished? LOL
Yes, not one for keeping quiet was Mrs Bennet! Faults on all sides, but I do think he did more for her than some fathers would have done in those times.
Lydia is still harbouring the petulant child approach, but I suspect it will lessen, and I believe she has learned in many ways.
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