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A Quest for Mr Darcy – Chapter Fifty One
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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 my goodness. Poor Lydia. She feels unloved, not appreciated but doesn’t see that she is creating this circle .
Wickham of n the loose with a stated threat to Elizabeth. And she is unknowingly placing herself in his path.
Can’t hardly wait for the next installment!
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Yes, poor Lydia indeed! I’m hoping her mood swings calm down soon, Carol. It’s not good for my nerves! 😉
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Oh I do hope we’re not in for Lizzy being abducted! (How many more chapters for ODC to find their HEA?
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No, I’m happy to report no abductions coming up. That’s not my style of writing, Katherine.
Not many chapters left now, so you’ll get the HEA soon!
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I am glad Lizzy won’t be abducted. I sure hope she, Darcy, and our good guys won’t be hurt. Of course, it is no loss if Wickham meets his end, at least from involvement. I always hate to see blackmailers getting what they want.
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Then I hope I can deliver all you want, Donna! 😉
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How can Lizzy be so naive and headstrong! Well, I suppose it is all in help of the plot. Wickham will get hold of her, there will be a lot of worrying and drama, thus allowing Darcy, with the Colonel’s help to come to the rescue. They will take care of the wicked one.
Time will help father and daughter to forgive each other… Alice, as we have seen before, is very clever and suspects Lydia of something…
I wish it was Thursday!!!
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Well, Lizzy is headstrong – even Lady Catherine knows it! 😉
She wasn’t in on the conversation about Wickham and his coming to the area, either.
No drama coming of that nature, Cristina. It’s not something I plan to do at all. I do, however, enjoy throwing out the odd red herring! 😀
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Great distraction manoeuvres there, Cass. I am relieved…that Lizzy will be well. I will sleep better for it. LOL.
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Lizzy going for a walk, I smell trouble with GW causing all the stink. Poor Lydia, but I’m glad she is back with her family. I only hope that Col Fitz and company are on their toes. Great Post. Thanks, Jen Red ♫
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Col Fitz is always on his toes, Jen! 🙂
The only smell may be fish, of course! 😀
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Dun dun duuuun! Now we know the threat from Wickham was concerning Elizabeth and she has decided to take a late afternoon walk by herself. (Don’t worry about me — I’m going to be hiding under my desk until Thursday.)
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LOL. It’s okay, Jan. There, there. All will be well. Trust me? 😉
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Cass …. *sigh* do I need to say it? AGAIN?! Really really a cliffhanger again?! When we know Wickham is on the prowl?! And WHY didn’t Darcy ask for Bennets consent while he was at it?! And why wasn’t Elizabeth sent for so she could see Darcy off?
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Ah, Sophia! We’re on Chapter 51. If you haven’t realised I use a lot of cliff hangers by now… 😉
You think Darcy should ask for Mr Bennet’s consent before he has ‘successfully’ proposed to Elizabeth and gained her own consent to marry him? lol Okay, just so you know, that’s not what I have planned!
All I will say is, you will like the next chapter (unless it becomes too long and another cliff hanger looms!) Mwahahahaha
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Ohhhhh Cass you are evil 😂😍 love, love this story sooooo badly!
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Lydia clearly still doesn’t take responsibility for her situation. No thought at all for how her actions affected the rest of the family (including her mother’s death). No apologies to her sisters for forcing them to leave Longbourn forever. I do feel bad for her that she was so starved for parental love and attention. But still, after all this she should show some remorse.
I am very worried for Lizzy’s safety. Why didn’t the menfolk at least warn them to be more careful until Wickham is found?
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Yes, Lydia is not quite seeing what she did yet, but she’s getting there. I think the remorse – which she mentioned to Darcy when she first saw him, in relation to her sisters – will resurface.
There was sadly no one there to warn Lizzy of the imminent risk. Darcy and the Colonel had gone and Mr B was asleep. But don’t worry! I won’t let her come to any harm, I promise!
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So glad to read that you promise no abductions! That was just what popped into my mind as Lizzy goes off alone. And Lydia: I am sorry but I have little sympathy for her. She continues to act the role of spoiled self-centered child. Mr. Bennet did do the best he could in those circumstances and even in yielding to blackmail is trying to protect his daughter as best he knows how. Lydia does not get it…that her acts ruin her sisters’ reputation also. And breaking china!!!! Still no manners or sense of propriety. Send her to a nunnery.
Waiting to read what is planned to trap Wickedhead.
Thanks for this chapter.
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LOL, Sheila, re sending Lydia to a nunnery! Loving that idea! 😀
Ah yes, I’m looking forward to Wickedhead (love that!) getting what is due!
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Noooo! Elizabeth must not walk out! What if Wickham is waiting to grab her?! Maybe she can outwit him!!!!
As for Lydia, I do feel for her. I think she needs to understand the consequences of her actions through Mr. Bennet. They need to both apologize to each other and also be warned about Wickham. Maybe Lydia will see him from a window if she wakes up and high tails it after him with something hard in her hands to clobber him with! I think she will feel so much better for it! She saves Elizabeth! Poor Mr. Darcy will be wishing it was him who saves Elizabeth!
Now what’s this with Miss Latimer asking Mr. Bingley to go riding with her?????
Thank you for a wonderful chapter…again! Looking forward to Thursday!
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LOL, Carole! Loving your scenario with Lydia clonking Wickham with something very hard!!!
Wickham was in Buxton, expecting to see Mr Bennet at 4 o’clock, so he can’t be in the area yet… can he? 😉
Ahaha! Miss Latimer indeed! 😉
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I believe that Miss Lattimer is looking for information on the colonel, so I am not worried at Bingley riding with her. However, Jane may not have a similar reaction. I do not know how far it is from Buxton to Pemberley, but Lizzy has been known to lose track of time. It would be a very bad thing for Wickham to come upon her unawares. I wish Darcy and Lizzy could have had their moment together. And though I hoped Lydia would be somewhat repentant, so far she still just needs a good swift kick or perhaps a spanking for her behavior! Cannot wait for Thursday!
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Ah, Lizzybel, I love your confidence regarding Miss Latimer! 😉
You will get your wish regarding Darcy and Lizzy; as for Lydia… well, this is not her story, it’s Darcy’s, so I’m hoping she backs down and moves off the page pretty quickly! 😉
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I feel somewhat sorry for Lydia, yet it is her selfishness that has put her in this place. I feel somwhat sorry for Mr. Bennet although his neglect contributed to Lydia’s fall from grace nearly as much as her selfishness. And Lydia seems to have forgotten that while Mrs. Bennet admired Jane’s beauty, she doted even more so on Lydia, giving her everything she ever wanted.
Obviously, Mrs B. saw herself in Lydia…as did Mr. B. which contributed to his disdain for his youngest daughter who reminded him day after day of his foolish choice to marry based on beauty and flirtatiousness (if that’s a word, LOL!) rather than marrying a woman of true kindness and intellect. His regrets were always sitting right there at table with him every day in the form of Lydia, and his disdain for her was obviously something that Lydia felt keenly despite her apparent nonchalance.
But Lydia obviously made poor decisions, and she will have to own up to them if there ever is to be peace at The Grange…just as Mr. B. will have to face his treatment of Lydia and of all of his family with the possible exception of Elizabeth.
Elizabeth’s going out for a walk concerns me; I have a feeling that she may encounter Wickham if he came directly to The Grange after Mr. B. missed their rendezvous.
I can’t wait to see what happens next!! I am soooooo enjoying this story!! Thank you for writing and for sharing this wonderful story with us!
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
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Susanne! Thank you for your detailed comments!
I feel sorry for both of them too, but I’m feeling a bit less tolerant of Lydia right now because it’s time she grew up and faced up to a few things! Mr Bennet feels more as if he has been realising his mistakes and acknowledging his own responsibility.
I like your thoughts on how Lydia was a constant reminder of the mistake he made in marrying Mrs B, too!
Elizabeth may well encounter someone on her walk, but it may not be Wickham! There; is that enough of a teaser for Thursday? 😉
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Hope miss latimer hasn’t set her sights on Bingley.
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Now that would complicate things, Fran!
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Glad you are promising no abductions. That was also my first thought when Lizzy decided to go walking by herself.
Are Darcy and the Colonel secretly watching the Grange and waiting for Wickham? I can see them hiding and waiting for him to show up…Then they will see Lizzy venture out and keep watch over her too.
Ready to see Wickham get his just desserts. 🙂
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Yes, sorry about that, Maureen. I realised it might read like that, but it’s not where this story is going!
I’m ready to give Wickham his just desserts too! 😉
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Thank you for another lovely chapter Cass, and I do hope that we get this long-awaited kiss on Thursday. I imagine Mr Darcy still close to The Grange, hoping he might see Elizabeth… He might even propose… This said, Lydia has not changed much and is still acting like a petulant child. Please let her have some epiphany and realise she should be grateful to have been taken care of, even after what she did to her family. She has made me a little seasick with her dramatics, and I am not sure I can endure it for too long.
Now you have me intrigued with Miss Latimer and Mr Bingley… And what is Colonel Fitzwilliam doing at The Grange… I do love the good Colonel and I am quite partial to a Jane-Colonel romance (just a little hint… although I am sure you know where you are going and it is useless… sigh….)
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I forgot that I was puzzled by something: when Lydia arrives at The Grange, how would Darcy know what Longbourn looks like? In canon, he does not visit Longbourn until he returns to Netherfield with Bingley, after Lydia’s marriage. Have I missed something?
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No, you haven’t missed anything! 😀 It’s the sort of slip that happens in a first draft of a novel but won’t be there in the final version! lol Thank you for pointing it out, though!
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I hope we get that kiss too! Oh wait… I know whether we do or not! 😉
Lydia is a pain in the neck right now. I am sorry she made you a bit seasick!! I don’t think anyone is going to endure her much longer. I’m just waiting to see which character is going to give her a good talking to!
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I see that you play your cards very close to you chest when it comes to the Colonel… Mmmm…. 😦
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LOL re the Colonel. I don’t mean to. I do have plans for him, but he’s a challenge! He might decide he doesn’t like my intentions and forge his own path! I’m afraid it’s one for the Epilogue though, as this story needs to end!
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Bungley and Miss Latimer? Does that leave the field open for Jane and the Colonel? Hmm, wheels within wheels. Probably neither of those couples will get together and I’m getting a strong smell of coloured fishes!
In a way, Lydia’s reaction is quite understandable, given her personality, but once she’s recovered from her experiences physically, she really needs to start getting her head around the fact that she’s not blameless in this.
I wanted to be a fly on the wall for the rest of Darcy and the Colonel’s talk with Mr. Bennet!!! Can I pretend to be Lydia, stamp my foot and have a tantrum? No? OK, I’ll behave! Obviously a plan has been put in place that involves dealing with Wickham when he crawls out of the slimy hole he hides in to find out why Mr. Bennet missed their meeting.
So pleased to hear there’s no abduction in Elizabeth’s future. I feared that when Elizabeth announced she was off for a walk but I’m now hoping that she’ll meet a certain someone else instead. Hoping he didn’t ride straight back home but hung around the area instead hoping for a glimpse of his beloved.
Now, I’m really hoping to catch tomorrow’s chapter on time for a change! No work, no vet visits, supermarket shop done today. I’ll be dog sitting for some of the day, so hopefully it’ll be then.
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