Mr. Darcy pulled Elizabeth back, away from the smoke. After they were a clear distance away from the hut, they saw Miss Bingley emerge, covered with green dust, coughing hard soon afterwards. The door of the hut banged shut behind her. As soon as she had caught her breath, she screamed and kicked at the door, continuing for a long while, until at last she was hoarse.
But her effort was in vain. The door would not open. Finally, she abandoned her futile attempts and stalked toward a boat tied farther down the river.
“What should we do?” Elizabeth asked her husband, after they saw the boat leave.
“We have come this far. Let us inquire as to whether the witch will see us.”
“But what if she hurts us?”
“The maid said she was a good witch. It appears she did not hurt Miss Bingley, even after she threatened to kill her. That green smoke was probably just a diversion to force Miss Bingley out of the hut.”
Elizabeth nodded and placed her hand on his, willing to trust his judgment in the matter. Together, they walked to the hut and knocked.
The door opened immediately, but nobody appeared near the door. They walked in cautiously. The green smoke had all disappeared, so they could clearly see the old lady sitting in front of the table just as she had been before — calm and collected.
“Pray excuse us, Madam, but we are wondering if you are Ipswich the Good Witch?” Mr. Darcy asked.
“Yes, indeed. Do come forward. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy.”
The couple gasped, quite surprised that she knew who they were, even in disguise.
Darcy replied, “It is also our pleasure to make your acquaintance, Madam. I believe we have something of yours which we wish to return.” He took out the doll from a bag he was carrying.
“Ah, it is very kind of you to bring back the doll, Mr. Darcy. I like to reuse my materials as much as possible. It is good to the Earth for us not to be wasteful.”
“Then you are aware that Miss Bingley performed the… that wanton spell on my wife? We would be very much in your debt if you can assure us that there will not be any permanent effect upon her.”
“But, indeed, sir, there will be.” The old witch said.
They looked at each other and Mr. Darcy asked apprehensively, “What will it be?”
“Quite simply, the two of you will experience a forever-joyous union, well into your old ages.”
The couple blushed bright red and smiled at each other. Mr. Darcy then said, “Thank you, Madam. Although I do not think we needed a spell in order to be forever blissful together.”
“Perhaps not, but did Miss Bingley’s maid not tell you? My magic only works on people who deserve it.”
“Yes, indeed! Thank you, Madam. May I ask… what did Miss Bingley mean, when she complained that she was permanently cross-eyed and had a twisted nose?”
“She attempted to perform a second curse, but not according to the exact instructions, thus causing the curse to befall herself.”
“A second curse?”
“Miss Bingley came back here a day after she obtained the first package to ask for a second curse in particular. She was worried that the first one might not work. She wanted your wife to have crossed eyes and a twisted nose. But she performed the spell without any of Mrs. Darcy’s hair, so the last one to have touched the black candle bore the brunt of that second curse.”
“My Lord, I had no idea that she was so vengeful. Thank you, Madam, for explaining this all to us. We will leave you now.”
But Elizabeth interrupted, “Madam, is there truly no way to help Miss Bingley?”
“Bless you, Mrs. Darcy, you have a forgiving soul, in view of how badly the young woman wanted to hurt you.”
“She is, after all, the sister of my husband’s best friend.”
“Well, I am sorry to pain you, but she bargained with the Devil when she came for the curses in the first place. She still has to bear the forfeit of the bargain.”
“You are not saying… that you shall take her soul?” Elizabeth asked in a trembling voice. She had experienced so many losses and deaths recently that she could not bear to wish such a thing on even her worst enemy.
“Rest assured, I am a good witch… though a bit mischievous,” the elderly witch said, and grinned, “She will not ultimately suffer for her forfeit, provided she becomes a better person. Only then will the spell of that curse be broken. Now, off you go, the two of you.” The old woman then stood up and stepped into the other room.
Darcy and Elizabeth stayed in the neighbouring town for the night, for they wanted to make certain that Miss Bingley would not come back to harm the witch. But the next day, when they returned to the hut, the door stood open, and there was no sign of anything inside. It appeared that the witch had vanished.
Six years later
“Now, is it right or left?”
“Mother, you are hopeless! Come, William. We shall go and ask Papa to help her out.” Five-year-old Thomas ran away from the maze, with his three-year-old brother following hard on his heels.
“Wait!” Not being able to follow her sons, Elizabeth called after them “Do not let your Father know! Ask Mrs. Reynolds to come.” Elizabeth bit her lip and took a deep breath as she heard her sons running farther away, outside the maze, not even sure if they had heard her.
She had walked around the maze for a few more minutes, still without having found a way out, when Mr. Darcy suddenly appeared, a wicked grin on his face.
“Thomas and William asked me to come and rescue the damsel in distress.”
She walked past him. “I did not ask for you. I asked for Mrs. Reynolds. You should go back to the guests.”
He followed close behind her. “You know I cannot stand being in the same room as Miss Bingley. And by leaving, I am doing a good thing for every one in there.”
“Poor Fitzwilliam, you have to bear with her horrible smelling farts!”
“The Good Witch was truly naughty! That green smoke must have been a spell, for it makes Miss Bingley pass bad-smelling gas from time to time whenever she is in the presence of rich and handsome men, and her eyes are still criss-crossed and her nose twisted. How is she ever going to find a husband? It has been like this for six years now.”
“She does not fart when she is with Charles or Mr. Hurst.”
“Of course not. Charles is her brother, and Hurst is not very good-looking.”
“She only discharges smelly, loud gas in front of you or some of the other gentlemen. I am not entirely certain that ‘rich and handsome men’ are the requirements that set her off. But the Good Witch did say that Miss Bingley would not suffer, once she became a better person. I continue to live in hope.”
“Perhaps she will be willing to lower her quest and settle with a poor, ugly man. Then we will not need to hold our breath around her. Elizabeth, let us not waste any more of our time discussing Miss Bingley's problems. The fragrance here in the garden is fresh, and you, my dear, smell delicious. Come here to me, my love. It is a hot summer day. You will not catch a cold. I want an article of your clothing in exchange for the next turn out of the maze.”
“No. Fitzwilliam, you always detour, simply to get me as improperly attired as possible. It is broad daylight, and the children may come back. I shall try the method I learned recently, one which I read in a book. It said that if I follow the right, or the left, consistently at every turn, I shall be able to get out of any maze.”
“Have you had any luck yet, following the right consistently at every turn?”
Reluctantly, Elizabeth shook her head.
Darcy chuckled. “I told the nanny to keep the children indoors. And the Bingleys are taken up with a card game. Now give me your spencer. This is not the right direction.”