I've been enjoying reading your stories for months now and I've been inspired to write my own. Please be kind, it's my first! Jenny Oh, there is much more to come, I'm just getting my wings wet! Who Framed Fitzwilliam Darcy? By Jenny B. Rated PG-13 A mystery/suspense story based on the Emma Thompson/Kenneth Branagh film ‘ Dead Again’ Summary: Fitzwilliam Darcy is convicted of his beloved wife Elizabeth‘s murder. Almost two hundred years later, a young woman arrives at a large estate in Derbyshire with amnesia, and only Will Darcy can help her find-out her true identity, and help her put-to-rest the violent nightmares that hold the key to an unsolved crime from the past. Author’s note: The movie from which this story is based on, deals with the idea of reincarnation, and people reliving their past lives through present trauma. I will not pretend to be an authority on this--I’m only a music teacher who’s a budding film buff. I certainly don’t believe in this, I was simply intrigued by the film and the concept. The names of characters in the past and present will be very similar, simply because I find it difficult to associate any other names with the protagonists, etc. I apologize for any ensuing confusion. I hope you enjoy! Jenny Prologue December, 26th, 1812 Derbyshire Tentatively the bedchamber door opens, revealing the Master of the Pemberley. He quietly strides over to his wife’s dressing table, where she is seated, gazing at the mirror, but not focusing on her reflection. She is brought out of her silent reverie by a gentle kiss on her neck and the warm breath of her husband. She closes her eyes as she feels his feather light kisses moving up her delicate neck until he takes full possession of her mouth. As he deepens the kiss, the sensations that only he can create in her completely wash over her. She is lost. She breaks free, gasping for air. When she opens her eyes, she sees a passion filling the eyes of the man she loves that she’s never seen before, causing her to blush becomingly. "Oh Elizabeth, I thought we would never be alone! I apologize for my behavior just now, but that carriage ride was intolerably long, and I…um, that is to say, I can wait no longer to make you mine! Please forgive me for what I am about to do". With that, Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley lifted his bride out of her chair into is arms, kissed her passionately on the lips before she could utter a sound, and gently placed her on the bed. ***************************************************************** Darcy awoke sometime later, with the incredible feeling of Elizabeth enveloped in his arms. He could not resist the urge to run his hands over the delightful curves of her body once more and he smiled wickedly when she stirred. "Mmmm, Fitzwilliam!" Elizabeth moaned, while still asleep. Darcy didn’t have the heart to awaken her, and placed gentle kisses upon her shoulder before grabbing his robe. He strolled out to the balcony overlooking the pond and leaned against the railing. Darcy reflected on just how fortunate he was to have secured Elizabeth’s affections. ‘If I hadn’t wised-up and attended to her reproofs, I don’t think I would be here with her today as my beloved wife.’ The idea of returning to Pemberley without her was unthinkable. She was as much a part of his home as his dear sister Georgiana. He thought about the long, twisted road that led to their courtship, and how this day almost didn’t happen. He recalled with anguish his first ill-timed and ill-judged, disaster of a proposal. ‘That she would ever speak to me again after that fiasco, is a miracle in itself. But I shall not think about that evening again. Elizabeth is mine from this day forward, and I shall strive for all my days to deserve her. I will bring her all the happiness that she has unwittingly bestowed upon me, just by allowing me to be in her presence!’ He sat contentedly upon one of the benches on the balcony, lost in his pleasant reverie, and was completely oblivious to what was going on around him. Darcy was unaware of how long he’d been sitting on the balcony until he noticed the sun peaking out above the rolling hills to the east. ’I should awaken Elizabeth, so that we may experience our first sunrise at Pemberley together’. Darcy strode into the master bedroom once more , and he saw his beloved lying in his bed ’Our Bed!!’ smiling, as he corrected himself. As he crept closer to the bed, an unexplainable feeling of alarm swept over him. ‘Why is her skin so white?’ He touched her face and it was cool to the touch. Darcy felt his blood run cold. "Elizabeth?" he said, shaking her lightly "Lizzy, wake up!!" he shouted with urgency, shaking her harder, still eliciting no response. It wasn’t until then that he noticed as he pulled his hand away, that it was covered in blood, Elizabeth’s blood! "Oh God! This is not happening!! ELIZABETH!!" Darcy noticed a large wound on Lizzy’s back, which was the source of the blood. There was a pair of shears upon the night stand, which was covered in blood. Darcy grabbed the shears and screamed, "ELIZABETH!!!!" SOMEBODY HELP US! PLEASE!! ***************************************************************** "Mr. Darcy, there’s an Inspector Crabbe to see you sir. May I let him in?" Darcy was in shock, staring blankly at the top of his desk. He had shut himself in his library for two days and had hardly spoken to anyone, let alone eat or sleep. After the authorities had removed Elizabeth’s body from the bedchamber, he couldn’t even think about returning to that room. "Hrmm…What? I’m sorry. What did you say, Mrs. Reynolds?" "There’s an Inspector Crabbe here to speak with you about…Mrs. Darcy, sir." "Um, yes, show him in." replied Darcy. The library door opened, and in walked a tall, heavy-set man, smoking a large pipe. "Mr. Darcy, eh? I’m sorry to hear about you’re wife. What a tragedy." the man sneered. Darcy stood, made a curt bow, and returned to his seat. "Do sit down, Inspector. Please forgive my for not receiving you properly just now." "Oh, think nothing of it my boy. It’s perfectly understandable. So… Did you kill your wife?" "What!?" Darcy exclaimed "Well sir, there is no evidence of an intruder, and your finger prints were all over the murder weapon. What do you have to say for yourself?" "How can you even suggest such a thing? I love Elizabeth more than life itself! Are you aware that this…event took place on our wedding night? Why in god’s name would I…murder my beloved?" Darcy exclaimed, struggling to keep his composure and the tears that were inevitably welling up in his eyes from spilling over. Crabbe sneered loudly, "Well sir, all of the evidence points to you, since you were the only one who had access to that room the entire evening, and no servants were reported to have entered the room prior to your scream. I’m afraid I am going to have to arrest you for the murder of Elizabeth Bennet Darcy." "You, you cannot be serious! You must be mad! There is absolutely no evidence here. I loved my wife!!" ***************************************************************** Chapter 1 December 28th, 2002 Derbyshire, St. Michael’s Home for Boys "No!! It is not true!! It’s all a lie! Help me somebody! Please!" "Shh, child, it’s alright! You’re perfectly safe here." Sister Katie said soothingly as she tried to calm the young lady down. "Is she alright?" asked Father Timothy Callahan as Sr. Katie closed the door to the girls room and began walking down the hallway. "That poor girl has been through so much. I wish I knew how to help her out." "I really don’t know Tim. She has no identification, nothing to help us find out who she really is or to track down someone who may know. She doesn’t speak unless it’s during one of her frequent nightmares. I really do not know what to do. I don’t think that we can be of much help to her alone." "I have a suggestion." said Fr. Timothy. "There was a young man who grew up here, a private detective, who used to be a cop, who may be able to help us. When he was with the force, he helped track down many missing persons, and he’ s one of the best. I’m sure he’ll be willing to help us." ***************************************************************** "Yeah, Charles, I went out with her. What can I say, I just don’t think that there’s anything there!…What?…Of course I did, what do you think I am an idiot? I mean it’s not like she had anything to complain about if you know what I mean!…What? Oh come on, like you have any room to talk Bingley for god’ s sake! For crying out loud all I’m looking for is a good time and Caroline was willing and able!…Like I said before, she didn’t have any complaints and she said I didn’t even have to call her, how do you like that!…Listen, you know as well as I do that I’m not looking for Ms. Right, I’m looking for Ms. Right Now!…Yeah, whatever Bingley. So who’s this new chick you’re seeing? Jane? Hmph! Is she hot?…Oh listen, Bingley I’ve got a visitor, I’ll talk to you later." "Come in!" Fr. Callahan gingerly peaked his head in as he opened the office door. "Will? Will Darcy?" "Yes?" Darcy said slowly, looking at the coffee mug on his desk as he poured himself a brandy. "A little early for that isn’t it son? It’s only 10am!" Darcy looked up, irritated. "Listen, buddy. I certainly don’t need some guy I don’t know, telling me what to…hey! Father! How’s it going? Please excuse me, I had kind of a late night last night." "Oh, think nothing of it son." replied Fr. Timothy "What can I do for you sir? Is there anything wrong?" asked Darcy "Well, yes and no Will." replied Fr. Timothy "A few days ago, a young woman was found on the property of the orphanage, attempting to break into the main building. She appeared to be fairly disoriented, and soon after she was apprehended by the security guards, she passed-out. We placed her in one of the spare rooms, where she slept for several hours, only to be awakened by her own nightmare which left her screaming. When she appeared to be lucid, Sr. Katie and myself asked her her name and what she was doing here. The young woman was unable to respond, and when the doctor examined her, he said that she was suffering from amnesia." "Well, that’s awful sir, but I’m afraid I don’t know what you want me to do about it." said Darcy. "Well, son, what I was hoping was that you could help to track down this young ladies family. Put her picture in the paper, do whatever you think will work." "I…um, suppose I could do that, for you Father. I certainly do owe you one! At least!" said Darcy. "Thank you, William! I always knew you would turn-out well, despite your early set-backs!" said Fr. Timothy gratefully. "Don’t mention it." said Darcy with a wry smile. "Lead the way Father!" Chapter 2 As Darcy drove though the Derbyshire countryside, memories flooded through him. Memories of his youth spent living at St. Michaels with the only people he could call family. Darcy had never known his parents, and his home had been the orphanage. He knew that he was deeply indebted to Fr. Timothy for making an effort to straighten him out so that he could be of some use to society. As the great building loomed ahead, Darcy slowed down to a stop, to appreciated the view. He never tired of seeing the beautiful prospect from this point of the drive. He had never seen a building before, or since, for which nature had done more to accentuate it. Darcy resumed his drive to the house and pulled up to the front of the building and parked. A young nun walked out to greet Darcy and Fr. Timothy "Sr. Katie, this is Will Darcy, the young man I was telling you about. He is going to help us with our lady friend upstairs." "It’s good to meet you Mr. Darcy. Thank you for agreeing to help us out with this situation. As much as I would like to be of service to this young lady, I ’m afraid we can no longer allow her to stay here." said Sr. Katie "I’m happy to be of some use, Sr. Katie. I don’t know where I would be if Fr. Timothy hadn’t taken it upon himself to straighten me out while I was living here!" replied Darcy, chuckling. Sr. Katie led the men into the great house, towards the room the young lady had been occupying. They noticed that she was presently out of the room, and Darcy quickly made his way towards a pile of clothing laid upon a chair. He crouched down to examine them. "Hmmm, only one glove, and ring, a garnet cross, and some…lingerie." Darcy picked up the camisole, and the faint smell of lavender enticed him to examine the article further. "Mmmm…Oh, excuse me, I was just um, trying to determine the brand." said Darcy quickly as he noticed Sr. Katie entering the room. "Yes, Mr. Darcy, and how did the label, smell ?" Darcy smiled sheepishly, and was about to reply, when a sudden motion in the doorway startled him. Into the room, wearing a bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her hair, entered the young woman in question. Darcy had never beheld something so beautiful in his life. He blinked several times to ensure he wasn ’t dreaming. "I…um, believe these are yours, Madame. I apologize for invading your privacy." Darcy handed the articles of clothing he was holding to the young woman. When their hands met for the briefest moment, he felt a spark of what was most likely static electricity. "Sorry about that. It’s that time of year I guess." Darcy said apologetically, raking his hand through his dark tousled locks as he gazed into her eyes. ‘Her eyes look as though they are dancing! She is the most beautiful creature I have ever beheld! Lord, I’m beginning to sound like Bingley!’ The young woman gave a small smile that made Darcy’s heart leap. "Oh, um I almost forgot. I believe this is yours too. This is an Irish wedding band. If you wear it with the crown pointing out it means you’re taken. If you wear it pointing towards yourself, it means you’re available. How, um are you wearing it?" Darcy asked as he gazed at her. The young woman placed the ring on her finger when he looked away briefly, and pointed the crown towards herself, and smiled. "Mr. Darcy, I will help her get ready and we will meet you downstairs." said Sr. Katie. "Ah, yes, well. I will go back downstairs, and once you’re ready Madame, you can come with me. I’m going to try to help you find out just who you are, and how you ended up here at St. Michaels." The young lady nodded and as Darcy, Fr. Timothy and Sr. Katie exited the room, she closed the door. ***************************************************************** "Well, listen, if you need anything, just give a holler. Er..um, or I suppose you could just give a wave or something. You know, it’s really nice to be with someone you don’t feel you have to yak to all the time, you can just enjoy the silence!" ‘Darcy, just shut up now!! You’re making a complete ass of yourself’ Darcy said to himself. "Does any of this look familiar to you?" Darcy asked as they were driving down the expressway. The young lady shook her head sadly. "Well, I’m sure it will all come back to you soon enough, don’t you worry." Darcy said as he smiled, revealing a very nice set of dimples. "We’re going to stop by my cousin Richard’s place before we head to County Hospital. He works for the paper, he’s a photographer, and we’ll see what we can do to figure out who you are!" As they drove down the expressway, Darcy turned the stereo up as he heard Sting‘s ‘Brand New Day’ come on the radio. "I love this song!" Darcy exclaimed, and he began to sing along rather badly. "Yeah, I know it’s easily out of my range, but ehh, who cares right? What kind of music do you like?" Darcy asked and then colored quickly as he remembered how thoughtless and inane his question was. "Sorry, that was a really stupid question. Really, I’m not as thoughtless as I appear, I assure you. I just tend to make a rather poor impression on people--no matter the circumstances." Darcy said and smiled sheepishly. They rode on in a companionable silence, interrupted briefly by songs Darcy felt compelled to sing along to. The young lady simply smiled to herself and looked out of the windows as they drove along. ***************************************************************** "Phew! Darce! You’re just going to drop her off at County? Are you nuts? I wouldn’t let a beautiful woman like that out of my sight for ten minutes? You should take her home to stay with you until someone claims her!" "Richard!" Darcy cried. "Oh right, I forgot. You can’t take her home because she might mess with your stuff! Ooh, my stuff, my stuff!" "No, no just keep your voice down, that’s all." said Darcy quietly. Darcy and Richard Fitzwilliam were cousins and best friends. Richard had joined the force with Darcy, and had likewise quit for other pursuits. Richard had always had an affinity for photography, and decided he would like to find a job taking pictures for a local newspaper. Luckily his timing couldn ’t have been better, and found a job instantly. Since Darcy had been helping to track down missing persons, he often asked his favorite cousin, Richard for help by asking him to place pictures of the missing person in the newspaper, along with a description. Darcy knew that this tactic usually found good success. He and Richard were currently in Richard’s darkroom, developing a headshot of the unnamed young lady. "Hey, Darce! Isn’t it nice that you don’t have to worry about forgetting her name! She’s already forgotten it for you!" Richard said, laughing Darcy just rolled his eyes and opened the door of the darkroom and walked out into the living room. He saw the young lady sitting on the couch, with her arms wrapped around her legs, as if to give herself comfort. Darcy wished with all his heart that he knew what to say to ease her mind. He also wished he knew what to call her! ‘Even though there is profound sadness in them at this moment, she has the loveliest eyes I have ever seen. She does remind me of someone though.’ Darcy thought as he gazed at her. His pleasant thoughts were interrupted by Richard’s sudden entrance. "Well Darce, here it is. I’ll have them put this in the morning edition tomorrow. Don’t you worry Miss. You’re in excellent hands. Darcy here is one of the best. I’m sure we’ll know everything real soon." Richard said as he took her hand, and brought it to his lips and gently grazed the back of her hand with a kiss. The young woman blushed becomingly and Darcy rolled his eyes in disgust. ‘Some things never change!" he thought. "Thanks for all your help Richard." Darcy said as he shook his cousin’s hand. "Oh believe me, it was my pleasure, Darcy!" exclaimed Richard, as he cast a meaningful glance at the young lady With that, Darcy and the young woman left. ***************************************************************** As they rode up the crowded elevator at County Hospital, Darcy could feel his stomach churning inside him. Any time their eyes met, Darcy felt his stomach drop to his feet. He unconsciously ran his fingers through his hair as he looked at the others in the elevator. ‘Come on Darcy! You were a cop for Christ’s sake! It’s not like any of this is new to you!’ he thought to himself. But he couldn’t help but feel protective of Elizabeth (as she’d began to be known as in his head). Once they’d reached the 13th floor, the door opened revealing utter chaos. "Dr. Romano! Dr. Greene! Dr. Ross! Code Red, I repeat Code Red! Please report to the Psyche Ward, Stat!" Darcy immediately hit the down button as the elevator doors closed. He exchanged wary glances with Elizabeth as the elevator began it’s decent to the ground level. "I think it’s safe to assume that you’d be better off staying with me." Stated Darcy wryly. Elizabeth smiled and nodded slightly. ***************************************************************** "Well, here it is, my humble abode." Darcy said as he opened the front door to his apartment and turned-on the light. "Make yourself at home. Oh! You must be starving! There’s plenty of food in the, um, fridge there." Darcy said as he pointed in the direction of the kitchen. He led her to his bedroom. "I have plenty of extra clothes if you need anything." Darcy noticed Elizabeth eyeing his favorite chair. "Oh you like that piece? The table and the desk in the living room are from the same period." Darcy colored as he heard himself speaking these insipid words. "Well anyway. Please come and get me if you need anything. I’ll be right out here." Elizabeth smiled at him as she closed the door and quickly secured Darcy’s favorite chair beneath the doorknob, blocking the door. "Duh, the table and the desk in the living room are from the same period! Argh! What an asshole!" Darcy said as he flopped-down on the couch in disgust.