Alternate Ending to Pride and Prejudice, Written by Me!

Elizabeth was madly in love with Darcy. She just didn’t know if he wanted her. She scolded herself for  turning his offer down when he offered her his hand in marriage. She had just let that mouth of hers get in the way again. How could she have been so foolish? She decided to walk in the park, as she had done when Darcy had given her the truth. She hoped to see him again, and maybe have a joyful reunion.

So off she went, walking in the park. It was beautiful and windy out, with fall leaves flowing through the wind. The trees looked like a perfect fall picture, with oranges and reds and yellows. She looked around the lake that was sparkling in the center of the park for Darcy, but she could not see him. She didn’t understand. She knew Darcy’s route, and he always walked around the lake at this time. What was so different today?  Just then, she heard carriage wheels on the path behind her, going fast. She leaped out of the way just in time. As she looked onward down the road, she realized it had been Darcy. Another girl was with him!

Elizabeth felt angry and sad at the same time. She couldn’t believe he was with- with THAT. She had clearly seen the face of the girl. It was Diana, a very pretty girl who was popular in town. She had a large home and poofy dresses. She was very sad. How could Darcy do this to her! How dare he go and date some other girl, while she was there, wanting him desperately!

Elizabeth took a moment to vent, and then reminded herself that it was she who had refused him, not vice versa. He had every right to date another girl- just WHY, oh WHY did it have to be Diana? She walked home sadly.  Jane saw her sister’s sad face and asked “Why the long face?” “Because, Jane, Darcy has left me. And not just for any girl. For Diana,” was the stiff response

Jane stood speechless for a second. She knew that now was not the time for sisterly talk. She simply said “Oh.” She decided it was best to let her sister hang loose for a little. She had once been through heartbreak too, so she knew what it was like. She also knew that she had wanted nothing to do with her family either during her period of heartbreak. Elizabeth would have to find a new boyfriend.

Elizabeth ran up to her room and cried. She couldn’t believe her awful luck. What else could go wrong on this day? She sobbed to herself. Bad move. Just then, Jane ran upstairs, distraught. “There was a carriage accident in the park,” she sobbed. “Darcy was in it.” “What?!?” shrieked Elizabeth. “Oh nooooooo!” she wailed. “Things did get worse!”

Jane looked at her questioningly. “Huh?” she said. “Nevermind,” said Elizabeth. With that, she grabbed her coat and ran out the door to go to the park. She saw the carriage accident far ahead. She ran as fast as she could towards it. She could see Darcy being pulled from the wreck. No… She saw that he wasn’t moving… a mangled body underneath the carriage… and then fumes, awful  fumes …. And then black nothingness.

When  Elizabeth woke up, she was on a paved sidewalk. People were gathered around her, staring down at her. “Huh? Where am I?” she asked, confused. This didn’t look like England! This didn’t look like her time period even!  These people were strangely dressed, with long, flowy shirts and ripped denims.  There were strange smells of foods she had never tasted, and clothing and people of different cultures she had never heard of! Woman were wearing pants!This was terrible! “Your in NYC, and it’s 2012, darlin’,” said one woman.

“NYC?” asked Elizabeth. “What’s that?” “My goodness, the poor girl don’t even know what NYC is!” exclaimed the woman. “I’m Betsy Fellowfield.  I run the local inn. I can give ya a place to stay. Come with me.” Elizabeth followed Betsy. She was a small, heavy-set woman in a flowery shirt and khakis. She had short brown hair and a tan complexion.  “I don’t know what happened, one second I was in 1864, watching a carriage accident, and then there was smoke, and then I was here!” said Elizabeth.

“My heavens, what part of the world?” said Betsy. “Old England,” replied Elizabeth. Betsy laughed. “My good heavens,” she said, smiling. “I’ll show you England as it is now.” She sat down at her computer and showed the astonished Elizabeth pictures of England. “Wh-What about my mom and sisters and dad?” she asked. “Give me their names hone,” said Betsy. “Alicia and Ralph,” said Elizabeth.

After a few moments research, Elizabeth was told that Alicia and Ralph Bernfelt died together of cancer at ages 97 and 101. Elizabeth sobbed into Betsy’s shoulder. “Oh,” she moaned. “My mom- my dad- my sister-r-r-rs.” She cried bitterly for many weeks after finding this news out, knowing that this odd time warp had made her skip her life. She was so upset, she left the inn after the few weeks without  even thanking Betsy for her kindness. 

Elizabeth wandered the streets day and night, tired and worn. It was dreadful, with horrifying back alleys were criminals lurked and rabid cats ran. She could not use her strange currency, and as she was so queer, it was hard for her to get a job. She tried walking into grocery stores, but the bratty college kids would not accept her money. “Are you stupid?” “Get a life!” “Weirdo!” were among many of the things Elizabeth heard from day to day.

One day, when it was especially dreary, Elizabeth stumbled into an old general store in a back alley. A kindly old woman looked at her and smiled. “Well, it looks like you’ve seen better days my dear,” said the woman, smiling. She had white hair and a few teeth missing from her mouth, and was dressed in a plaid dress with an apron.

 It was the closest thing Elizabeth had seen to people dressing from her time period since she had been in 2012. “May I have some food for these coins?” asked Elizabeth, holding out her old fashioned money. When she did, the woman gasped.

“What?” said Elizabeth. “Are you going to laugh at my money again?” “Laugh?” the woman exclaimed. “Why, good heavens no, dear! You have thousands and thousands of dollars in your hand, why should I laugh?”  Thousands of dollars? Thought Elizabeth. That sounded promising! “What do you mean?” she asked cautiously. “Listen here, my dear, those coins are worth thousands, maybe even millions of dollars.” said the woman. “Collectors pay for things like that. I suggest you go down the street to Richard Mullent’s house; he will pay a fine price for one of those. Good luck, my dear!”

Elizabeth turned tail and got out of the general store. She decided she’d have to pay this Mullent a visit, and see what he’d pay for these coins. She ran down the street to the address the woman had given her. The house was a gigantic, old, beautiful one, with a sturdy fence surrounding it. She knocked on the gate, and a guard answered. Before he could say anything, she showed him one of her coins. His jaw dropped and he nodded. He then escorted her into the house of Richard Mullent.

The inside of the house was even better than the outside. It was lavishly decorated with antique furniture, and fancy lighting fixtures. ‘How splendid it must be to have a house like this’ thought Elizabeth. Richard Mullent then stepped into the hall. He was a tall, older man, with graying hair and a long beard that ran almost to his knees. She showed him the coin. Mullent didn’t say a word. He looked at the coin and nodded. He handed her a check. She looked down. $50,000 was written. “He has a speech problem,” explained the guard, breaking the silence. “THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!” screamed Elizabeth. She was very happy.

TEN YEARS LATER

Elizabeth was now a multimillionaire. She had sold off all of her coins, and was now a rich heiress. She had many luxuries of this new age: Electronics, pets, cars, and fancy clothing. She had long since forgotten about Mr. Darcy. But yet, he would still play an important role in her life.

 One day, she went up in her attic, were she had stored some documents that needed to be seen. While searching, she came across a photograph of Darcy that she had in her dress pocket. Memories came rushing back to her, memories of how she had loved him so, and how she had never seen him. She then remembered the time warp, and wondered how it had happened.  Surely she should be able to hire scientists with all of her money, right?

She brought in 2 of the world’s greatest scientists- John  Dedresphere and John Hungrofugus. John D. was a young man with a knock-them-dead smile, and fluffy blonde hair, almost like a model. He had a strong build, and was dressed in a stiff white scientist coat. John H. was a crusty old man with dentures, white hair, and a feeble body. He wore a white coat that was stained with bright chemicals, like a mad scientist.

She told them her situation, and ordered that they find out the reason for this time warp. Meanwhile, Elizabeth remembered that she was still single, and felt a little lonely after seeing Darcy’s picture. She knew that many men adored her- but not for who she was, just for her money.

While her scientists were hard at work the next day, Elizabeth decided to stroll in the park. Even though it was a muggy day, it brought back memories of her old life. She sighed and sat down on a bench at the side of a path. Little did she know, there was a burglar watching her every move. The thief knew she was rich, and was planning to steal her purse. He came closer…

“Stop, thief!” yelled a voice, and a young man leaped off the pathway and fought the thief before he could steal the purse. The thief got away, but Elizabeth still had her purse. The young man smiled. “Hello, my name is Jacob Crestfelt. Nice to meet you.” “My name is Elizabeth,” she said. She took a moment to admire the young man. He was tall and well built, with fuzzy brown hair and deep blue eyes. He reminded her slightly of Darcy. She smiled.

Jacob had invited her to his house for dinner that night. Elizabeth hummed a love song as she dressed herself into a long, pretty dress. She put on a string of pearls and went to her car. Upon arriving at Jacob’s home, she discovered he was no tycoon. It was a normal house, with normal insides. But when Jacob opened the door for her, she felt happy.

After about a year of dating, Jacob proposed to Elizabeth. “I know that I’m poor,” he said, “But I think that you’d give up your wealthy life to come and live my humble one. You are gracious like that, and I was willing to take the chance that you’d say no. But Elizabeth, please marry me!” Elizabeth just stood there, dumbfounded.  “I-I’ll have to think about it,” was her response.

Elizabeth drove straight home and went to her room. Would she be able to give up her riches that she was so attached to? Her cars, her clothing, her electronics? At least the pets could come with her. But what about her house and her maids and everything she had ever earned and worked for? Was she truly ready to give up her riches for love?

Elizabeth decided to take her mind off of the situation by checking up on her scientists. “Any news?” she asked. “Yes,” said John H. “I have learned that the dust on your clothing was a strange particle. It is mostly likely you ran into fumes, and when they connected with the particles on your clothing, it created a time warp. Strange as it seems, that is the only logical explanation for your condition.”

Now Elizabeth had the problem of her marriage. Should she marry Jacob? Or should she stay with her riches? She just couldn’t decide. She went for another walk in the park. As she was walking she saw a rich couple strolling down the path.  This made her stop and think, “why should I give up my riches? He never gave me good reason! I shall have to ask him. Here I’ve been, deciding over a stupid mistake.”

Elizabeth went straight to Jacob’s house. She walked in and asked him: “Why must I give up my riches for you?” Jacob opened his mouth and closed it. “Well, I would feel very uncomfortable in a large house like yours. I have never been one for maids and butlers either. I like peace, quiet, and independence. I don’t like the idea of lazing about a mansion, having things done for me. I want to get out and live!  I was hoping you would travel the world with me, and maybe we could have a happily ever after.”

Elizabeth sighed. She had to tell him what her real goal was, right now. “Jacob, your dream sounds lovely, and I understand you,” she started. “But my dream is to go back to my period in time, and save someone very dear to me. I would rather save that person from death than stay here as a millionaire. I am very sorry, but I can’t accept your marriage offer. It wouldn’t be right to me if I am able to fix things in the past.”

She went home to her scientists. “I need to go back to my time period,” she announced. “Yes mam,” said the scientists. “It appears that you just need to scrape up enough of that dust, and then we need to re-create the fumes and you’ll be good to go,” said John H. “Oh, good!” said Elizabeth. “How long will it take?” “We figured you would ask that. We have created a chamber that will re-create the fumes and send you back. The machine will go with you. You can grab your lover and come back, but only those trips. No more will be possible to make.”

Elizabeth stepped into the machine. It was titanium on the inside, and it had a soft armchair with straps on it. It was almost like a metal room, with bullet-proof glass windows, and a little table. There was even a coffee machine for the traveler. “Impressive,” she said. She sat down and closed the door. She flipped the time travel switch to her time, and off she went.

She arrived in the park, just as the carriage was about to crash. As it flipped over, she jumped into the rubble and dragged Darcy out. He was unconscious.  She tossed him into the machine and went back as fast as she could. “Quick!” she yelled as she jumped out. “This man needs the paramedics, and fast!”

Darcy woke up in the hospital with the same feeling Elizabeth had had when she had first traveled. He was confused by the smell of the medicines he had never known, and by the sounds of nurses rushing and machines beeping. He felt a stabbing pain in his arm and saw there was a needle in it. His first instinct was to pull it out, but a pale hand stopped him.

He looked up and saw Elizabeth standing there with him, and he smiled. He was content as long as she was there with him. He had just had minor bumps from the accident, and was feeling better now. “Where am I?” he asked Elizabeth. “You’re never gonna believe me, but you’re in the future,” was her answer.

He gasped. “Oh my god this cannot be happening!” he said. “Are we OK, are we safe, and where is Diana?!?” he asked. “Why do you ask about HER?” said Elizabeth. “Were you going to marry her?” “Why, no,” said Darcy. “They only reason she was in the carriage with me was because she was helping me plan how to propose to YOU!”

Elizabeth stood still. She hadn’t seen THAT coming! Darcy wanted to marry her again? How had that happened? How had she not seen it coming? She should have known Darcy wouldn’t do something like that to her. Elizabeth’s brain got so overwhelmed that she collapsed with a thunk onto the hospital’s hard tile floor.

When she woke up, she remembered about Darcy. “He actually wanted to marry me!” she thought to herself. “I knew he wouldn’t just run off with the pretty rich girl!” She was so happy she wanted to jump up off of the hospital bed and shout, but she knew she shouldn’t for her health’s sake. A joy like the one she felt had never been felt by anyone else before. She was so overwhelmed; she faded right back into a deep sleep again.

Darcy was allowed to get up and walk around within a few days time. He was fascinated by all electronics and monitors, and the different dressing style and how people talked. The different medicines were just so interesting! A few times he had to be brought back to his room because he was nosing around behind the nurses’ desk, looking at the computers and monitor screens. Everything fascinated him. He hadn’t even seen cars and buses yet!

When Elizabeth woke up, she was able to walk around and explain things to Darcy. She explained the reaction to the dust, and the fumes making her time travel. She explained how she had become a tycoon, and how she had desperately tried to get back to her own time period to save Darcy. He was amazed at all she had done. “I hope this won’t change my proposal to marry you,” said Darcy. “It shouldn’t,” laughed Elizabeth. It was the first time she had laughed in a long time.

The wedding was a wonderful event, with flowers and cakes and exquisite dresses, and a guest list of 1500 people. It was held in the most beautiful church that anyone could ever see. It had large fountains outside, in a garden where there were benches and holy statues and a lot of roses. Inside there was a lot of stained glass windows, many with flowery scenes. When the sun shined down, it made little spotlights as Elizabeth walked down the isle. The service was spectacular, the choir sounded like angels, and Elizabeth looked amazing in a designer wedding dress with glittering miniature diamonds all over it.

The following reception was wonderful. Elizabeth had hired a very good caterer, and the food was delicious. The cake was the best, however. It was 20 layers, each a different flavor. The cake itself was all colored white for a wedding theme though.  The mountain of wedding presents towered over the bride, and consisted mostly of silken towels, checks, long curtains, expensive jewelry, gift cards, silver platters, and a lot of other things that normal people would never dream of owning.

Driving home that night, Elizabeth smiled to herself. She had everything she had ever hoped for.  She had money, wonderful living situations, and now she had her Prince Charming. She even had more than she wanted- she was in the future! But how she could explain things to her children, should she ever have them? She and Darcy made a promise that they would never tell their children about the time travel.

EPILOGUE

It was many years later, 10, to be exact. Elizabeth and Darcy had 3 children: Emily, who was a pretty girl with dark brown hair who looked a lot like her mother, Tricia, who had softer hair and a MUCH softer temper, and Edward, 3 years old. They had managed to keep the time traveling secret to themselves… for now. Now that Emily and Tricia were older, they wanted to explore the attic… where Elizabeth’s old diary from the 1800’s was.

One day, Emily and Tricia decided they were going into the attic whether their parents liked it or not! They wanted to know what was stored in this mysterious place, find their parents secrets. So one day, when their parents had taken Edward to the doctor, they crept up the stairs and into the attic. It was musty and dusty, and actually quite horrid. There were spider webs in the windows that were tainted with age, and rats scurried to and fro from an old slice of pie that was left rotting.

 They saw the trunk with the old fashioned treasures in it and ran to it. They flipped back the lid, and gasped. There were old fashioned books in this chest, with old oil lamps and wallets. In one wallet there was a carriage license for a Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, 1862. Another was for Ms. Elizabeth Bernfelt. But the most shocking part about it was that the pictures on the licenses were pictures of their own dear, beloved parents!

The first words out of Emily’s mouth weren’t “Omigosh!”. They weren’t “I can’t believe it!”. The first words out of Emily’s mouth were: “I told you Mom and Dad had a secret. You owe me $20, O Tricia the Wise!” Tricia was indeed wiser than Emily. She was also a lot more surprised. “This is incredible!” she screamed. “OUR PARENTS ARE OVER 100 YEARS OLD! THEY MUST BE WIZARDS, AND WARLOCKS, AND FAIRIES!” She then grabbed Elizabeth’s diary and began reading it.

March 18^th, 1861

Hello Diary! I just got you today for my 16^th birthday! I have wanted a diary for a long time now, and I have finally got you! You have a nice, soft, leather cover and delicate white pages. I feel like SUCH a young lady when I write in you. Someday, I will be a proper lady with children and I will live in a house as large as Mother and Father’s, if not bigger. I cannot wait for that day!

March 20^th, 1865

I finally found you! I had lost you for over a year- and right after my birthday too. I am so sorry! Let me catch you up on my life now. I have fallen in love with the lovely, gorgeous Fitzwilliam Darcy! I hate him, and yet I still love him! Maybe there is still hope for him though ….

“And it goes on and on and on ….” Said Tricia dreamily.  She had calmed down and was getting absorbed into her Mom’s story. “Great. You dug up Mom’s love life. She sure has some explaining to do …. What’s the last entry?” said Emily. “Um… it’s from 1864,” said Tricia. “Here:  “Today I am going to walk in the park in hope of seeing my love, Darcy. Hopefully love shall once more bloom between us… if it does, then this shall be my last entry. Diary, you’ve served me well these few years. Goodbye.”

“Wonderful. Hey, what are these keys for?” exclaimed Emily. She ran to a cabinet on the far side of the room and unlocked it with the key. “Hey, there’s some weird sort of machine back here!” she yelled to her sister. She grinned and stepped inside. Tricia followed her in. Suddenly, the doors closed. The lights dimmed, and the sisters felt a jolt.

“Hey, what happened!?!” yelled Emily. She banged on the doors. They didn’t open. She hit the door open button on the machine. Nothing happened. The sisters had stepped into the one and only time machine, and had accidently turned it on. They had banged on so many buttons that the machine had frozen them in time, and they were permanently stuck.

“Um, Tricia, what do you have in your backpack from lunch?” asked Emily. “A carton of yogurt and 2 chocolate bars,” said Tricia. “Chocolate?!” screamed Emily. “Mom let you take CHOCOLATE to school!?!” “No, I snuck it out,” said Tricia. “Oh,” said Emily. She was starting to get frightened, stuck in this weird compartment with no lights or anything. She hoped her parents would come home soon.

Elizabeth and Darcy were on their way home. Edward was sound asleep, and Elizabeth and Darcy were tired too. They pulled into their driveway and walked up to the house. “I wonder how the girls got along,” commented Elizabeth. She stepped into the house. “Girls, we’re home!” she called out. No answer. She called out again, just in case they hadn’t heard. After a few minutes, she realized they weren’t in the house.

Darcy was frantic. “Were could they have gone!?” he wondered aloud. He ran upstairs and saw the attic door hanging open. “Oh, no,” he muttered. He ran upstairs and saw the cabinet opened. He quickly called Elizabeth. She smiled and said, “They probably hid in the machine, thinking it was a closet or something.”

She stepped into the cupboard and looked for the contraption, but it wasn’t there. She paled. “I don’t see the machine!” she cried, worried. “By some weird miracle, the machine must have started again, with the kids inside, and they are now somewhere in time!”

TO BE CONTINUED…….

Those kids deserved what was coming to them. They snooped into their parent’s personal space, which isn’t good. Maybe death is a little harsh, especially starvation… but they shouldn’t have gone up there in the first place. Kids, ALWAYS respect your parents wishes.