WITHOUT PREJUDICE IF NOT PRIDE

by Aunrea

Chapter 1

Elizabeth watched out the carriage window for the first signs of the

Parsonage along with Maria and Sir William Lucas. Elizabeth thought over

the past few months and all that had pasted. Her father had received a

letter from Mr. Collins, a cousin that her father had never met. Mr.

Collins was to entail Longbourn upon Mr. Bennet's death. He had wished

to come visit and make good with his cousin. Unknown to the Bennet

ladies he had also come to marry one of them.

Mr. Collins had immediately chosen Jane and had asked for her hand. She

would have excepted if it had not been for Elizabeth's insistence that

she would be making a big mistake and that she ought not to marry him.

Jane turned down Mr. Collins, which caused him to turn to Elizabeth

without wasting a moment. She also turned down his proposal.

Mr. Collins had been furious by being declined by two of his cousin's

daughters. He immediately quitted the house. Mrs. Bennet was in an

uproar. She complained that her two eldest daughters had no concern for

her nerves. She was even more put out when she heard that Mr. Collins

had asked Charlotte Lucas to marry him and that she had excepted.

Now Mrs. Bennet was left with five-unmarried daughter, with four of them

eligible for marriage. Lydia was not yet old enough to be out herself

until the following year.

Finally the Parsonage was visible. The garden sloping to the road, the

house standing in it, the green pales and laurel hedge, everything

declared they were arriving. Mr. Collins and Charlotte appeared at the

door, and the carriage stopped at the small gate, which led to a short

gravel walk to the house. In a moment they were all out of the carriage,

rejoicing at the sight of each other. Mrs. Collins welcomed her friend

with the most pleasure, and Elizabeth became happier for deciding to

come, despite having to spend more time with Mr. Collins.

Mr. Collins asked several questions about her family's health that

Elizabeth answered noticing Mr. Collins unchanged disposition. Upon

entering the parlor, after the delay by Mr. Collins to point out the

neatness of the entrance to the house, he welcomed them a second time

with too much formality and immediately repeated his wife's offer of

refreshments. The room looked neat and comfortable with a good view and

nice furniture.

They sat in the parlor long enough for Mr. Collins to point out every

article of furniture in the room, from the side board to the fender.

They barely were able to get in the account of their journey and all

that had happened in London.

Mr. Collins invited them to take a stroll in the garden where he pointed

out every little detail of every planet as to remove its beauty. Then he

led them on every walk and cross walk. He pointed out every view. His

most wonderful prospect was of Rosings. It was a handsome modern

building, well situated on rising ground.

From there Mr. Collins led them to two meadows. The ladies not having

proper shoes for such an adventure turned back to the house while Mr.

Collins led Sir William on. Charlotte gave her sister and friend a tour

of the house.

Later Mr. Collins made sure his guests knew that Lady Catherine was

still at Rosings and that they will meet her at church on Sunday. The

rest of the evening was spent talking about Hertfordshire news and

retelling what was already written.

Midway through the next day the whole house was in excitement. When

Elizabeth came down stairs from her room she saw Maria at the dining

room window. Upon looking out, Elizabeth saw two ladies in a carriage at

the garden gate.

Maria seeing Elizabeth exclaimed "That is Miss De Bourgh and Mrs.

Jenkinson."

Elizabeth looked at Miss De Bourgh with some pity. She was small and

thin and her complexion was very pale. She looked very sickly and cross.

Mr. Collins and Charlotte both stood at the gate conversing with the

ladies. Sir William stood in the doorway not sure if he should. The

ladies then left.

Mr. Collins came in and informed them that they had the great fortune of

all being invited to Rosings for diner the next evening.

"I confess," said Mr. Collins, "that I should not have been at all

surprised by her Ladyship's asking us on Sunday to drink tea and spend

the evening at Rosings. I rather expected, from my knowledge of her

affability that it would happen. But who could have foreseen such an

attention as this? Who could have imagined that we should receive an

invitation to dine there (an invitation more over including the whole

party) so immediately after our arrival!"

Scarcely anything was talked of the whole day or next morning, but their

visit to Rosings. Mr. Collins carefully instructed them in what they

should expect so that the sight of the grand rooms, so many servants,

and the splendid dinner will not overwhelm them.

Before the ladies could go off to dress for dinner, Mr. Collins spoke to

Elizabeth. "Do not make yourself uneasy, my dear cousin, about your

apparel. Lady Catherine is far from requiring that elegance of dress in

us which becomes herself and daughter. I would advise you merely to put

on what ever of your clothes is superior to the rest, there is no

occasion for anything more. Lady Catherine will not think the worse of

you for being simply dressed. She likes to have distinction of rank

preserved."

When they finally ascended the steps to the hall at Rosings, Maria's

alarm was every moment increasing, and even Sir William did not look

perfectly calm--Elizabeth's courage did not fail her. She heard nothing

of Lady Catherine that spoke her awful from any extraordinary talents or

miraculous virtue, and the mere stateliness of money and rank, she

thought she could witness without trepidation.

From the entrance hall, which Mr. Collins pointed out, with rapturous

air, the fine proportion and finished ornaments, they followed the

servants through the antechamber, to the room where Lady Catherine, her

daughter, her two nephews, and Mrs. Jenkinson were sitting. -Her

Ladyship, with great condescension, arose to receive them. Mrs. Collins

performed introductions of their party. Lady Catherine then introduced

them to her nephews, Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam, who stood and bowed.

Elizabeth found Lady Catherine to be a tall, large woman, with strongly

marked features, which might once have been handsome. Her air was not

conciliating, nor was her manner of receiving them, such as to make her

visitors forget their inferior rank. She was rendered formidable by

silence; but whatever she said was spoken in so authoritative a tone, as

marked her self importance.

Miss De Bourgh was pale and sickly; her features, though not plain, were

insignificant; and she spoke very little, except in a low voice, to Mrs.

Jenkinson, in whose appearance there was nothing remarkable.

Colonel Fitzwilliam was about thirty, not handsome but in person and

address most truly the gentleman.

Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth found, was a proud man who was tall, handsome and

had much to recommend himself but seemed to see himself as above the

present company and spent him time looking out the window.

The few minutes before dinner was spent listening to Mr. Collins talk of

the view from one of the windows. Lady Catherine then kindly informed

them that it was a much better view in the summer.

Dinner was finally served. Elizabeth thought it was too lavish and

served by too many servants. The conversation was taken over by Mr.

Collins and her Ladyship.

The woman then withdrew to the drawing room, which made Elizabeth (and

maybe even Charlotte) glad that Mr. Collins was to be left behind.

Although they still had to withstand Lady Catherine.

Chapter 2

Darcy tried to ignore Mr. Collins constant conversation, but without

prevail. He found Mr. Collins to be the best company for his aunt for he

gave her more compliments than she was worth. Darcy was relieved when

they finally joined the women. Then Mr. Collins will be too busy

pleasing Lady Catherine than to both Darcy with his incisive compliments

of his aunt.

Darcy immediately went to the window of the room and stared out in the

darkness. He accessed the company he was with. He found Mr. Collins

intolerable and his wife a fool for marrying him. Sir William was

amiable enough, and the fact that he had been knighted by the king made

Darcy think of him with some respect. Miss Lucas reminded him of his

sister in her shyness and fear of saying anything in front of Lady

Catherine. Miss Bennet he could not discern anything about, except that

she seemed unaffected by her surroundings. This, Darcy found intriguing.

There was little to be done but hear Lady Catherine talk, which she did

without any intermission until coffee came in. Darcy was very annoyed by

his aunt. He could not stand her excessive talking. Sir William, Miss

Lucas and Mr. Collins seemed enthralled by what she said. Colonel

Fitzwilliam sat by Miss Bennet; both looked bored by the conversation.

Lady Catherine finally brought the conversation to Miss Bennet. She

drilled Miss Bennet with questions about her family. She asked how many

sisters she had, whether they were older or younger than herself,

whether any of them were likely to be married, whether they were

handsome, where they had been educated, what carriage her father kept,

and what had been her mother's maiden name?

Miss Bennet remained composed throughout her interrogation, which

surprised Darcy. Most ladies would have been too nervous to really

answer a question with nothing but a quiet yes or no.

"Do you play and sing, Miss Bennet?" asked his aunt.

"A little."

"Oh! Then -sometime or other we shall be happy to hear you. Our

instrument is a capital one, probably superior to--You shall try it

someday. Do your sisters play and sing?"

"One of them does."

"Why did not you all learn? --You ought all to have learned. The Miss

Webbs all play, and their father has not so good an income as your's.

-Do you draw?"

"No. Not at all."

"What, none of you?"

"Not one."

"That is very strange. But I suppose you had no opportunity. Your mother

should have taken you to town every spring for the benefit of masters."

"My mother would have had no objection, but my father hates London."

"Has your governess left you?"

"We never had any governess."

"No governess! How was that possible? Five daughters brought up at home

without a governess! -I never heard of such a thing. Your mother must

have been quite a slave to your education."

Darcy turned to see Miss Bennet smile falsely at his aunt and assure her

that had not been the case. He was starting to find her interesting,

that he paid more attention to what was being said. He liked how Miss

Bennet took no offense from his aunt as if her opinions did not matter.

She was holding her own quite well.

"Then, who taught you? Who attended to you? Without a governess you must

have been neglected."

"Compare with some families, I believe we were; but such of us as wished

to learn, never wanted the means. We were always encouraged to read, and

had all the masters that were necessary. Those who chose to be idle,

certainly might."

As Lady Catherine rattled on about the benefits of a governess, Darcy

stared at Miss Bennet. She had a liveliness in her eyes he had not

noticed before. He had been impressed by her answer her answer to his

aunt. It was quite obvious that she was not an idle girl and probably

did much more reading than would be required of her.

"Are any of your younger sisters out, Miss Bennet?" continued Lady

Catherine.

"Yes, Ma'am, all but one."

"All but one! -What, four out at once? Very odd! -And you only the

second. -The younger ones out before the elder are married! -Your

younger sisters must be very young?"

"Yes, my youngest is not fifteen. She will be coming out next year.

Perhaps she will be full young to be much company. But really, Ma'am, I

think it would be very hard upon younger sisters, that they should not

have their share of society and amusement because elder may not have the

means or inclination to marry early. -The last born has as good a right

to the pleasures of youth, as the first. And to be kept back on such a

motive! -I think it would not be very likely to promise sisterly

affection or delicacy of mind."

"Upon my word, you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a

person. -Pray, what is your age?"

"With three younger sisters grown up," replied Miss Bennet smiling,

"your Ladyship can hardly expect me to own it."

Lady Catherine seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer.

Darcy was amused. Miss Bennet was one of the few people who had ever

dared to trifle with so much dignified impertinence.

"You cannot be more than twenty, I am sure, therefore you need not

conceal your age."

"I am not twenty."

When tea was over, the card table was placed. Lady Catherine, Sir

William and Mr. And Mrs. Collins sat down to quadrille; and as Miss De

Bourgh chose to play at casino, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Miss Lucas

joined Mrs. Jenkinson to make up the party. Miss Bennet sat and watched

Mrs. Collins with some concern. Darcy sat beside her.

~&~

Elizabeth wondered at Mr. Darcy bothering to sit beside her if he was to

remain silent. She tried to initiate a conversation, but he did very

little to keep it going. He answered all her questions as little words

as possible. She asked him where he was from, if he had any siblings and

if he often visited Rosings. She found that he owned an estate in

Derbyshire, that he had one sister (apparently with no name) and that he

only visited his aunt for Easter. She could get little else from him.

She decided to ignore him and pay attentions back to Charlotte whom she

had been watching all evening. Her friend seemed to be content with her

situation.

Elizabeth felt uneasy as if she was being watched. To her great surprise

she found that Mr. Darcy was starring at her.

"Do you mean to frighten me, Mr. Darcy, by staring at me so?"

"Do I frighten you?"

Elizabeth had not expected a question to her own. "You could not

frighten me even if you were not a gentleman."

"I apologize for my stare. I did not mean to."

He fell silent as he stared at his feet. Elizabeth was confused by his

actions. If she didn't know better she would think he was nervous. But

as she watched him she could not see it.

"Do you mean to frighten me with your stare?" he asked not even taking

his eyes from his feet.

Elizabeth blushed. She had not realized that she had spent some time

looking him over.

"I did not want to back down from your own."

He looked up with surprise in his eyes but his face still held the look

of indifference.

"Do you mean to challenge me, Miss Bennet?"

"I do not mean to challenge, but to return the incivility that you

showed towards me."

His eyes sparkled with amusement. Elizabeth discovered that she liked

his eyes.

"You think me uncivil?"

"I think your manners display incivility. Whether or not you are

actually uncivil, I can not discern at this time."

He smiled at her and then stared at the mantel in silence. Elizabeth

found it annoying that he did not make an effort on his part to be

sociable but seemed to want to talk with her. She thought that maybe he

thought himself above her and need not take the effort to keep the

conversation going.

~&~

Darcy couldn't understand why he felt so distracted. He was trying his

best to make conversation with Miss Bennet but could not think of

anything to say.

He gave a quick glance at her. She was looking at her hands with

confusion on her face. He didn't know what to do or say. He had never

been this flustered before. It had become even worse when she had looked

at him directly. Her eyes were lively with intelligence that took him

aback. He had never seen such fine eyes before in his life. He had

noticed that she seemed much more appealing in appearance on a closer view.

She looked at him as he again was staring at her. She stared back

questioningly as if she suspected he was going to say something. He

quickly thought of something to say.

"Do you have any siblings?" he asked realizing that that question had

already been dealt with at great length by his aunt.

She smiled at him. "Do you not listen when your aunt speaks?"

"I am sorry. You have already answered that question. Please forgive me."

He immediately stood up, gave her a slight bow, and went to the window.

He spent the rest of the evening staring out into the darkness. Miss

Bennet never left his mind the whole night. He wanted to look at her to

see what she was doing, but he could not do so for looking the fool.

How can a lady, a country girl, have me in such a state? He tried to

think of something else, anything else, but with no prevail.

He was very glad when the evening came to an end and his aunt's guests

took their leave. He did not sleep much that night as a pair of fine

eyes looked back at him questioningly.

Chapter 3

The next morning there was much talk of the dinner the night before.

Most of the conversation was carried by Mr. Collins with some

observations from Sir William and Maria. Elizabeth stayed silent through

most of it. Her mind was occupied with thoughts of Mr. Darcy and his odd

behavior. She did not understand the man. He seemed to want to be

sociable, but he ended up sitting in silence.

To clear her head, Elizabeth decided to go for a walk in the park. As

she walked she did not noticed the beauty around her. Her thought were

still focused on Mr. Darcy. She had come to the conclusion that Mr.

Darcy was shy, but she could not understand why. After all he was a man

of wealth and influence. He was well educated and well spoken. That is,

when he did speak. He was also very handsome and distinguished.

/How can such a man be shy?/ She asked herself. /Maybe he is only shy

around women./ She had noticed that he had no problem conversing with

Charlotte or Maria. So why the problem with her?

"Miss Bennet."

Elizabeth was startled out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Mr.

Darcy leaning against a tree ahead of her. He walked towards her and

gave her a small bow. Elizabeth curtsied in return.

"Good morning, Mr. Darcy."

He looked at her as if he wished to speak but he did not say a word.

"Do you often walk the park?" Elizabeth asked, hoping to get Mr. Darcy

to converse with her.

"Yes. It has always been a favorite pass time for me when I visit my

aunt." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Shall we continue

walking? That is if you do not mind my accompanying you?"

"I do not mind at all, sir."

They walked in silence foe some time before Elizabeth spoke. "Is

Pemberley as beautiful as Rosings?"

"Pemberley is more beautiful." Mr. Darcy went on at great length about

his estate. Elizabeth was surprised at his sudden open manner. He spoke

more during their walk than all the times previously. She supposed that

it was a favorite topic for him. Obviously he was very proud of Pemberley.

As Elizabeth's time with the Collins went by, she and Mr. Darcy walked

together almost everyday through the park. Elizabeth introduced many

subjects of conversation during there walks since Mr. Darcy seemed

disinclined to do so. His favorite subject was literature. He talked

with passion about the subject so Elizabeth made sure to bring their

conversation to the subject. They talked of their favorite authors and

works. Many of their view points were similar but on occasion they

debated on a point.

To Elizabeth it appeared as though Mr. Darcy enjoyed the debates more

than any other part of the conversation. During one of the debates, she

responded to his argument with "Mr. Darcy, do you enjoy debating with

ladies?"

This question surprised him. He had not expected such a response from her.

"Why do you ask?"

"You appear to enjoy our debates more than our gentle conversations."

"What makes you think I enjoy our debates more?"

"You say more and give you opinions more freely when we are at odds than

not."

"I must admit that I do enjoy our debates. It is only that no lady I

have encountered before would give her true opinion if it contradicted

my own. They all wish to be in my good opinion so they agree with

everything I say."

"And do you believe that I do not wish for your good opinion?"

"No. I believe that you don't care what my opinion is of you and

therefore you are more willing to voice your true thoughts."

"You would be correct in that belief."

Mr. Darcy smiled at her making her smile back. Elizabeth liked Mr. Darcy

a great deal but she wasn't about to entertain the idea of him wanting

more than a friendship. She knew that his standing in society was much

greater than hers and that he would never consider her as marriageable

material.

~&~

Darcy stood in his room, looking out the window into the night. He

watched as his aunt's guest got into a carriage. Mr. and Mrs. Collins,

Miss Lucas and Miss Bennet had dined at Rosings that night.

Darcy could not dispel Miss Bennet from his thoughts. He had do not wish

to. He realized that he was well on his way of falling in love with her.

He thought of the consequences of such a match. She has no dowry to

speak of, but he had no need to marry for money. It was true that she

was not as refine as the ladies of London society but that was what he

liked about her. She was not false in her manners or opinions. She did

not have an ulterior motive that dictated her every word and action. Her

only ambitions were to care for those she loved and to not be a burden

upon them. He believed that she would never marry for money.

He was not sure whether she would marry for security as Charlotte Lucas

had. If he understood correctly, Mr. Collins has offered for Miss Bennet

first. She did not take the security that the clergyman offered her.

That could have been that could not stand Mr. Collins.

The thought of Miss Bennet being married to Mr. Collins made Darcy feel

ill. He did not like Mr. Collins and his groveling nature.

The carriage disappeared into the darkness and Darcy turned from the

window. He readied for bed with help from his valet. As he laid in bed

his thought went back to Miss Bennet.

She was leaving tomorrow morning. Darcy had thought to ask her

permission to visit her, but he was not sure when he would be able to.

He had promised his friend, Mr. Bingley, that he would help find him an

estate to lease. He had no idea where the search might take him.

He could always visit Hertfordshire after he had help Bingley. He would

do everything he could to see Miss Bennet again. As he drifted off to

sleep he thought it would be much easier if Bingley were to find the

perfect estate not far from Miss Bennet's home.

Chapter 4

Darcy couldn't believe his luck. In early September he found himself at

Netherfield, an estate located just five miles from Longbourn. Bingley

was considering leasing the estate but was not sure if it was right for

him. They had visited some nicer estates in northern England. Darcy was

trying to convince Bingley to lease Netherfield.

“It is much closer to London, Bingley. Your sisters will find it much

more to their liking.” Darcy watched his friend as they strolled through

the grounds of Netherfield.

“Denmere is in better repair,” Bingley responded.

“Denmere is very large. Are you ready for the responsibility of managing

such a large estate? Netherfield is the perfect estate for you to learn

how to manage on your own.”

Bingley thought about this for many moments. Darcy felt a little guilty

for trying to persuade his friend into leasing Netherfield, although he

was quite right about Denmere. Bingley may have been able to manage it

but he would have to be very dependent upon Darcy from the beginning.

Netherfield would be much easier to manage. The more Darcy thought about

it, the less guilty he felt. Netherfield was the better choice for Bingley.

Bingley had come to the same conclusion. Netherfield was perfect. It was

also much more affordable. Once Bingley came to his decision to lease

Netherfield they immediately went in search of his solicitor. Before

Michaelmas the Bingleys had moved in, accompanied by the Hursts and Darcy.

Shortly after their arrival they were called on by Sir William Lucas.

Darcy found him not to his liking and was hoping that the rest of

Hertfordshire society was more sensible. A few other gentlemen called

upon Bingley, but only one of them was of any note according to Darcy.

That was Mr. Bennet.

Darcy and Bingley had retired to the billiards room and were just

finishing up a round when Bingley's butler had entered and handed

Bingley a calling card. Bingley read the card and instructed the butler

to show his guest to the library.

“So Darcy, would you like to join me in greeting my guest? Or would you

rather hide in here?” Bingley asked.

Darcy glared at his friend. “I do not hide from anyone, but I do not

believe I will be joining you. I have had enough entertaining the

country gentlemen of Hertfordshire.”

“I hear that this gentleman has five daughters. They are reported

beauties too. I hope to be introduced to them at the Meryton Assembly

tomorrow night.”

The mentioning of five daughter caught Darcy's attention. For Miss

Bennet had four sisters and if you were to count her that would be five.

“What is this gentlemen's name?”

“The card says Mr. Bennet. I believe he owns the Longbourn estate.”

“On second thoughts, I will join you.”

Bingley was confused by Darcy's change of mind, but as Darcy was quickly

ushering him out to head for the library, he did not have much time to

think on it. Upon entering the library they found a pleasant looking man

of middle age. He came forward for pleasantries and Bingley made the

introductions.

Mr. Bennet asked Bingley what he thought of the area and they spent a

quarter of an hour speaking on the subject. Darcy was growing anxious.

He had hoped to change the subject to Mr. Bennet's daughters,

particularly to Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Darcy was about to ask Mr. Bennet

about his daughters when Bingley beat him to it.

“Mr. Bennet, I hear you have five daughters,” Bingley said.

“That is true,” was the only response the Mr. Bennet would give. He was

smiling a sly smile at Bingley that Darcy recognized. It was the same

smile that Miss Bennet had when she teased him.

“I was wondering if you will do me the honor of introducing me to them

at the assembly tomorrow night?” Bingley asked.

“I never attend the assemblies,” Mr. Bennet said indifferently.

Bingley was not sure how to respond. He was disappointed to hear this

since he didn't realize that Mr. Bennet had meant that only he was not

attending. He had not specified whether or not his daughters were

attending. Darcy, however, had caught on to this since he knew the man

was teasing Bingley.

“But your daughters will be attending?” asked Darcy.

Bingley looked anxiously at Mr. Bennet, hoping for a positive answer.

“Yes. My wife always escorts our daughters to all of the assemblies.”

“How many of your daughters are out?” asked Bingley.

“All of them,” responded Mr. Bennet.

“All of them?” asked Bingley, quite shocked.

“My oldest is two and twenty and my youngest just fifteen. It would be

unfair to my youngest because my oldest had not married.”

Darcy tried to hide his grin without success, for Mr. Bennet's answer to

Bingley was much like Miss Bennet's answer to Lady Catherine.

Mr. Bennet was amused by Bingley's bafflement, but when he noticed

Darcy's grin he became curious about the man. He was much different than

Bingley. Bingley was friendly and open and Darcy was more reclusive. Mr.

Bennet had much hope for Bingley and his eldest daughter, Jane. He

believed they would be perfectly suited to each other. For Darcy he had

no such hope. He did not believe that Darcy would find any of his

daughters to his liking.

“Are any of your daughters spoken for?” asked Bingley.

“No. Although my two eldest, Jane and Lizzy, have had several suitors,

none of them were to their liking.”

“Good,” Bingley blurted without thinking.

Mr. Bennet was hard put to not out right laugh at Bingley. It seemed to

him that Darcy was having the same problem.

“I believe that you will find Jane very much to your liking, Mr.

Bingley. She is the most beautiful of my daughters and has the sweetest

disposition. My Lizzy, on the other hand, is quick witted and often

times will express her opinion openly. And my three youngest are the

silliest girls in all of England and maybe even Europe.”

Bingley turned towards Darcy and said, “It seems that you will not find

a lady to your liking, Darcy, among the Bennets. I believe you would

wish for a lady who is compliant.”

“I believe you are under a misconception Bingley,” responded Darcy. “I

would like a lady who is a gentle woman but who also has some

intelligence and who is willing to talk of important subjects such as

literature.”

Darcy realized that he had just described Miss Bennet and so did Mr.

Bennet. The latter was unsure what to say next. He was reluctant to

promote Elizabeth to this man. He not only did not know much about the

man, but he also did not want to lose Elizabeth.

Bingley, not knowing what had just happened, continued. “Are you saying

Darcy, that you want a lady who has her own opinions? Well you will not

find a lady like that in the ton. Well at least not one who will speak

her own opinions, and certainly not to you. Too many of them want to

have your opinions be theirs.”

“I know that, Bingley. Why do you think I have not wed? I find the

ladies of the ton too frivolous. I would much rather debate about

literature then talk about who was seen with whom.”

“I knew that but I did not realize you wouldn't mind debating with a

lady. I do not believe there is a lady who exists that would fit those

qualifications.”

“Ah, but there is. I met such a lady just last spring.” Darcy realized

what he had just said. He had not wanted to mention to Mr. Bennet that

he already knew his second eldest daughter.

This news caught Bingley by surprise. “You have met a lady who fits

those qualifications? Are you courting her? Do you plan on proposing?”

“I plan on asking her father for permission to court her as soon as I

find out whether or not she wishes to be courted by me.” Darcy hoped

that Bingley would change the subject but it was not to be.

“And who is this lady? Where did you meet her? Do I know her?”

“Bingley, you ask way too many questions.”

Mr. Bennet was very amused by the conversation taking place between the

two friends. He could see that Darcy did not want to answer Bingley's

question. He couldn't understand why, especially if he was planning on

courting the lady. Wouldn't Bingley find who she is sooner or later?

“Mr. Darcy, pardon me for intruding on your conversation, but is it you

do not wish to divulge who the young lady is? Is there some reason why

you need to hide her away? Or is this young lady Mr. Bingley's sister?”

asked Mr. Bennet with amusement in his voice and a smile not unlike

Elizabeth's teasing smile.

Darcy fidgeted a bit. He looked at Mr. Bennet unsure of what to say.

“There is no reason for me to hide the young lady from Bingley and she

is not his sister. On the contrary, the lady is Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

Mr. Bennet's smile left his face. How does he know Lizzy? Mr. Bennet

asked himself. He did not like the idea of Darcy meeting his daughter

without his knowledge. He also did not like the idea of Darcy courting

Lizzy. He didn't know why he didn't want him courting her, but he really

didn't care why.

Bingley was also confused on how Darcy had met Mr. Bennet's daughter.

“Where did you two meet? Weren't you at your aunt's house for the spring?”

“Yes, I spent all of the spring at Rosings. Miss Bennet was visiting her

cousin and his wife at the Hunsford parsonage. We met when my aunt

invited them to dine at Rosings. Miss Bennet and I became friends during

our walks through the parks.”

“I will save you the trouble, Mr. Darcy,” Mr. Bennet spoke, “of asking

permission to court Lizzy. I will not be giving you permission to do so.

Now if you don't mind, I believe I have spent a respectable amount of

time with you gentlemen and have to get back to my estate.”

Mr. Bennet took his leave from Bingley before Bingley and Darcy had time

to recover from Mr. Bennet's decree. Darcy was stunned at Mr. Bennet's

defiant answer. He could not understand why anyone would deny a man as

wealthy and prestigious as himself from courting their daughter. It was

most absurd.

Bingley recovered more quickly than Darcy. He poured them both a glass

of brandy and handed one to Darcy.

“I believe you will be needing this Darcy, if the look on your face

tells me anything.” Bingley took a sip of his brandy and then set what

was supposed to be a vexed appearance on his face as he spoke to Darcy,

“Is that why you were so adamant about me leasing Netherfield?”

Darcy groaned.

*Chapter 5*

Elizabeth groaned inwardly as the loud laughter of Kitty and Lydia

reached her ears. They had only been at the Meryton Assembly for half an

hour and they were already unruly. She hoped they would behave in front

of Mr. Bingley. As much as she hated to admit it, one of them was going

to have to marry someone soon, and a man of wealth would help. She was

hoping that maybe he would fall in love with Jane and Jane with him.

/That would make everything easier. Jane would get to marry for love and

Papa would not have to worry about our future/.

Elizabeth had danced the first set but sat out the second due to the

unequal number of gentlemen to ladies. She was talking with Mary when

there was a commotion at the door as the second set came to an end. The

Bingley party had arrived. Sir William went and greeted them as

Elizabeth tried to get a glimpse of Mr. Bingley. She couldn't see much

since she was near the back of the room.

Jane soon joined Elizabeth as Mrs. Bennet called the girls to her side.

From her new position in the assembly room she was able to see Mr.

Bingley, two women and one gentleman. Mrs. Bennet immediately spoke a

frenzy of compliments on Mr. Bingley's good looks and wealth. Elizabeth

stopped listening but was soon drawn from her thoughts when Mr. Bingley

approached them with Sir William.

"Mr. Bingley expressed an interested in being introduced to your lovely

daughters," Sir William pronounced to Mrs. Bennet.

With great excitement, Mrs. Bennet made all the introductions, pointing

out her three youngest from afar.

"Miss Bennet would you honor me with your hand for the next set, that is

if you are not otherwise engaged?" Mr. Bingley asked Jane.

"I'm not engaged, sir," Jane said bashfully.

Elizabeth smiled at her sister, very happy for her. As Mr. Bingley

escorted Jane to the set Elizabeth was afforded a better view of the

other members of Mr. Bingley's party. She finally noticed Mr. Darcy

standing by the door talking with one of the women, but she didn't

believe her eyes at first. As she was openly staring at him, his eyes

scanned the room and stopped when they had found hers. The stern

expression he had been wearing became softer as he smiled at her.

Elizabeth quickly turned away when she realized she was being quite

obvious with her stare.

~&~

Darcy had been uncomfortable since he got into the carriage with Bingley

and his sister. Miss Bingley had not left him alone for one moment.

After they had entered the assembly room he had hoped she would leave

him be, but instead she had stayed by his side, commenting on the

society. Darcy withdrew inwardly, trying to ignore Miss Bingley. He

scanned the room to see if Miss Elizabeth was there. It took him several

scans before he saw her staring at him not far from where he was

standing. He smiled at her.

"I am glad you agree with me." Darcy started when he heard the end of

Miss Bingley's comments.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I heard what you were saying."

"I was saying it was awfully rude of that woman to stare at you openly.

It just goes to show that the society in Hertfordshire is lacking in

manners."

Darcy just nodded at her and tried to think of how to get away from Miss

Bingley. Finally he gave up being polite to her. "Excuse me," he said as

he quickly walked away, heading towards Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was talking to an older woman. He could have sworn that as he

got closer he heard the woman say in a very loud whisper, "He's worth

ten thousand a year," but he wasn't sure. He didn't believe that

Elizabeth was after his money so he must have been mistaken.

Darcy arrived at Elizabeth's side. He looked at Elizabeth with a smile,

"Miss Bennet, would you do me the honor of dancing the next set with me?"

Elizabeth smiled back at him. "Yes, thank you."

"Mr. Darcy, you do us a great honor," exclaimed Mrs. Bennet.

Darcy was surprised by the woman's declaration. /This woman is not Miss

Bennet's mother, is she? She is much too vulgar to be related to her./

He was searching for something to say in response to the woman when

Elizabeth introduced them.

"Mr. Darcy, this is my mother."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Madame," was the only response Darcy could

think of. /How could this woman be mother to Elizabeth?/ To Elizabeth,

he said, "I hope you have been well since I last saw you?"

Elizabeth blushed. She appeared embarrassed by his question. /Why should

she be embarrassed about me asking about her health for the past several

months?/ He quickly found out why.

"Lizzy!" Mrs. Bennet cried out. "You and Mr. Darcy have met before? Why

did you not tell me?"

Elizabeth, still embarrassed, mumbled "Mama!" She then smiled at him and

said, "I have been well, and you? Have you been well?"

"Yes." Darcy didn't know what else to say. Mrs. Bennet was staring at

him intensely and it was making him quite uncomfortable. He was hoping

that she would leave them alone so they could talk. Elizabeth was

looking at her hands, fidgeting. She appeared to be waiting for him to

say something. "I hope your travel home was well."

Elizabeth looked up at him with a smile that made Darcy feel a little

more confident. "Yes, I got to visit with my aunt and uncle in London

for a few days before coming home."

Mrs. Bennet started ranting about her brother, Mr. Gardiner, and how

good he was to her daughters in letting them visit in London. Darcy

blocked out the sound. He watched Elizabeth go through a variety of

emotions, most of them dealing with her distress over her mother's rant.

At least that was what he hoped she was distressed about. He hoped that

it was not his presence that had distressed her.

/Did Mr. Bennet tell her about not giving me permission for me to court

her? Would she dance with me had he told her? He probably hasn't said

anything to her./ Darcy was happy when the current set ended and he

could finally lead Elizabeth to next set. They started the dance in

silence, but shortly Elizabeth spoke up.

"Mr. Darcy, I want to apologize for my mother's- For my mother. She gets

herself worked up sometimes."

"No need to apologize Miss Bennet. I also have relatives that are..." he

quickly tried to find a word that wouldn't be insulting to Elizabeth's

mother, but the only words he could think of were /vulgar, rude, and

ill-mannered./ Finally, Elizabeth supplied an answer.

"Boisterous?"

"Exactly."

They fell into silence once more. Darcy wondered if he should ask

Elizabeth's permission to court her. /Would she allow me to court her

without her father's permission? Maybe she could change his mind to

accept my suit./ He decided that once the set was over he would ask to

speak to her in private and tell her of his wish to court her. /Would

she accept my suit? Does she already have a suitor who may soon ask for

her hand?/ The thought of Elizabeth being married to another man sent a

fury of jealousy through him. His face became stern as he tried to

suppress his emotions.

~&~

Elizabeth had been happy to see Mr. Darcy at the assembly. She had not

expected it since she did not know he was a friend of Mr. Bingley. She

had missed him over the summer months and had thought of him on many

occasions. She had not known, until her mother told her, that Mr. Darcy

had his own estate and was worth ten thousand a year. She should have

guessed since Lady Catherine was his aunt. She didn't care if he was

wealthy or not, she only cared that he was good company, even when he

was shy. But tonight he seemed withdrawn. Even when he was speaking to

her he seemed not to be enjoying himself. She noticed that his face

became stern.

/He no longer wishes to be in my company after meeting my mother. I

shouldn't really blame him, who would want my mother as a

mother-in-law?/ Elizabeth started at where her mind had taken her.

/Where did that come from? How could I think that his appearance here

would mean he would ask for my hand in marriage? Do I want him to ask?/

Elizabeth contemplated the answer for the rest of the set. When the set

ended she expected him to lead her back to her mother's side and go

spend his time in more civilized company. She did not expect him to ask

"Miss Bennet, could I speak to you in private?"

Elizabeth was shocked that he still wanted to spend time with her after

they had danced most of a set in silence. She was curious about what he

might say. She didn't even consider the impropriety of the request when

she answered positively. He led her to a quiet corner where there were

some chairs.

They sat down and Elizabeth waited for Mr. Darcy to speak. He seemed to

be struggling for words and Elizabeth smiled at him. /It is quite

charming that a man as prominent as he is cannot think of what to say./

She was still worried about what he would say but she would try to make

it easier for him. She took his hand and he looked up at her with a smile.

"Miss Bennet, I am very glad I have a chance to see you again. When

Bingley invited me to Netherfield I was very happy to join him, knowing

that you lived quite near. I planned on calling on you tomorrow to ask

you this but I found that I may not be allowed to." He paused and

Elizabeth waited with anticipation. "Would you... I was hoping that you

would... I was wondering if you..."

Elizabeth tried not to laugh. She was amused that he was a loss for

words and it made her more curious about what he was trying to ask her.

"Would I what?" she asked gently.

He looked into her eyes and said, "Would you allow me to court you?"

Elizabeth was stunned. She had not expected that. She had been wishing

that he would court her but after the dance she had her doubts. "I thank

you and would be happy to allow you to court me."

Mr. Darcy looked unsure and this made Elizabeth wonder why. "Is

something wrong Mr. Darcy."

"I cannot hide this from you, Miss Bennet, but your father called on

Bingley yesterday. I asked him permission to court you and he turned me

down. I should not have defied your father and asked you. It is just

that I enjoyed our time together at Rosings and wanted to spend more

time with you. I'm not sure how to proceed but I believe you wouldn't

want me to court you without your father's agreement."

He fell silent. Elizabeth didn't know what to say. She was furious with

her father for turning down Mr. Darcy. He had no reason to do so. He

could have at least asked her if she wished to be courted by Mr. Darcy

but instead her father had refused and had not mentioned it to his

daughter. /His favorite daughter. Does he wish for me to be unhappy?/

Her thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Darcy released her hand and

looked away from her. His actions hurt her. She was suddenly confused

and not sure what was happening.

"My father had not mentioned your request to court me. If I had known I

would have tried to persuade him to allow it. As I said, I would be

happy to have you court me."

Mr. Darcy turned and looked at her with a smile. /Did he think I had

changed my mine? Is that why he had let go of my hand and turned away?/

As if to answer her question he took her hand once again and spoke. "Do

you think you could change his mind?"

"I am not sure, but I could speak to him tomorrow."

"Would you like me to call on you and we could speak to him together?"

"I think it would be best if I speak to him alone. Will you be attending

the Lucases party?"

"I believe that Bingley was planning on attending."

"I will try to change my father's mind before then and I will let you

know the outcome at the Lucases. Meanwhile, I will allow you to court me

for the rest of the evening, if you wish."

Darcy's smile grew making Elizabeth feel warm all over. She looked shyly

at their entwined hands. "Are you sure? I would not wish to make you

uncomfortable by being more than I have a right to be."

"If my father knew how much I want this he probably would not have said

no. He probably thinks that you were not serious since he heard nothing

of you from me."

"Well, then, may I dance the next set with you?"

She looked up at him and answered, "It would be my pleasure."

~&~

The Bennets had arrived home, disturbing Mr. Bennet's reading. Mrs.

Bennet immediately started relating the events of the evening.

"Oh! My dear Mr. Bennet, we have had a most delightful evening, a most

excellent ball. I wish you had been there. Jane was so admired, nothing

could be like it. Every body said how well she looked; and Mr. Bingley

thought her quite beautiful, and danced with her twice. Only think of

that my dear; he actually danced with her twice; and she was the only

creature in the room that he asked a second time. He seemed quite struck

with Jane when they were introduced. So, he asked her for hand for the

next. And Lizzy! She did very well for herself. She spent all of her

time with Mr. Darcy. He would only dance with her and no other."

Mr. Bennet interrupted, "Mr. Darcy! Lizzy, Mr. Darcy danced with you?"

"Yes, Papa," answered Elizabeth.

"Oh yes!" continued Mrs. Bennet, "Mr. Darcy seemed very pleased with

Lizzy. They even sat off alone and talked. Everyone was speaking of it.

They are so sure that it will not be very long before Mr. Darcy asks for

Lizzy's hand. And he's worth ten thousand a year!"

"Lizzy, how did you and Mr. Darcy meet?" asked Mr. Bennet. "And how well

do you know him?"

"Mr. Darcy is Lady Catherine de Bourgh's nephew. We met at Rosings

during my visit with the Collinses. I know him well enough that when he

asked me for permission to be courted by him I accepted."

"Did you? And did he tell you that he had already asked permission from me?"

"Yes he did. He told me that you said no."

"What is this?" interrupted Mrs. Bennet. "Mr. Darcy asked permission to

court Lizzy and you told him no. How are we to ever have our daughters

married comfortably if you are turning down wealthy suitors? You will go

to Netherfield tomorrow and tell Mr. Darcy that he can court Lizzy."

"Mrs. Bennet," Mr. Bennet replied, "I will do no such thing. He will not

be allowed to court Lizzy. If he wants to court one of our other

daughters than I will agree to but not my Lizzy."

Elizabeth was astonished by her father's declaration. /Why isn't Mr.

Darcy allowed to court me?/ She stayed silent, deciding that she would

speak to her father in private in the morning. She told her family she

was tired and went off to bed.

As she tried to fall asleep all she could think of was what if her

father refused to allow Mr. Darcy's suit. /Would I be willing to defy my

father? Do I want Mr. Darcy's suit enough to do so?/ Elizabeth decided

to try her father first then if he continued to say no she would worry

about what to do. After deciding on her next actions she was able to

fall asleep.

~&~

Darcy was thinking along the same lines as Elizabeth as he lay in bed.

/If her father continues to deny my suit will she be willing to defy

him? Would she elope? Wait a minute, where did the idea of marriage with

Miss Bennet come from? Do I want to marry her?/ Darcy continued to think

this way well into the night. When he did finally fall asleep, he slept

restlessly.

Chapter 6

Elizabeth woke early the next morning, eager to speak to her father

about Mr. Darcy. She quickly dressed and headed for his study. She

entered the study to find that her father was not there. After

questioning Hill she discovered that he had gone out on estate business.

Elizabeth decided to go for a walk instead of pacing her father's study

as she was about to do. She took up her bonnet and reticule before leaving.

Elizabeth made her way towards Oakham Mount. During her walk she thought

about Mr. Darcy. She played over all her favorite moments with him, last

night being the main feature of her thoughts. It had been wonderful to

dance with him, and to have her hand kissed before she left with her

family.

By the time she reached the Mount she was smiling a smile that lit her

face and eyes in such a way that if Mr. Darcy had been present he would

have been hard pressed not to kiss her. She took in the scenery around

her in a quick spin that made her dizzy, and fell to the ground with a

laugh. She was very happy. She had never felt this way before and

unbeknownst to her she was very much in love. She lay in the sun for

some time before she stood up and skipped back to Longbourn.

At that moment, Mr. Bennet was standing in his study after returning

from his business. He looked out of the window, taking a sip of tea,

wondering where Lizzy was. He wanted to talk to her about her behavior

the night before. He saw Elizabeth arrive home skipping and smiling. He

hadn't seen her act in such a way since she was a child. He could hear

her laughter as she entered the hall and headed for his study. When

Elizabeth entered the study she smiled at her father but then became

more serious. Mr. Bennet felt a loss when he saw that his daughter's

carefree moment had passed.

"Papa, I wish to speak to you about Mr. Darcy."

Mr. Bennet gestured for her to sit and he sat himself behind his desk.

"I also wished to speak to you on this subject. I was not happy to find

that Mr. Darcy had gone behind my back and courted you regardless of my

decision."

"Papa! He told me what you had said to him. He didn't want to go behind

your back. I really like Mr. Darcy. I wish you would change your mind.

Please Papa."

Mr. Bennet did not like to see his favorite daughter begging for his

permission. He sighed and stared out of the window for a moment before

speaking.

"Tell me how you two met."

"We met in Kent. He is Lady Catherine's nephew and was visiting his

aunt. Mr. Darcy enjoys morning walks, as I do. We spent a lot of time

together on these walks, talking about books, music, art, and politics -

anything we found of interest. I enjoyed my time with him. You cannot

imagine how happy I was when I saw him last night. I thought I would

never see him again, and I did not realize how much I hated that idea."

"Mrs. Collins allowed you to spend all that time alone with a gentleman?

I thought she had more sense than that."

"Oh, no, Charlotte did not know that Mr. Darcy and I were spending a lot

of time together. She may have suspected it but I do not believe she

knew for certain."

"Lizzy. I do not like this. I know nothing of Mr. Darcy. You have never

spoken of him. I was very much surprised to find, upon meeting him for

the first time, that he was quite well acquainted with my daughter and

wished to court her. How am I to respond to such a situation? I know

that some day you will marry and leave me, but I would like to know the

man before it happens. How long were you going to keep me in the dark?"

"Papa, please. I thought I was never going to see him again so it did

not seem important to tell you. I would have told you if I had thought

Mr. Darcy and I would continue our acquaintance. It is not as though he

is asking for my hand in marriage. He is just asking to court me."

Mr. Bennet was silent. He thought over all the consequences of the

decision before him. /If I give him permission to court my Lizzy, it

does not mean I have to give him permission to marry her. It will be

easier if I give in now and fight the more important battle later./ With

a decision finally made he turned back to his daughter.

"Lizzy, the next time I see your Mr. Darcy, I will give him my

permission to court you."

Elizabeth was overjoyed. She jumped up from her seat and gave her father

a quick kiss on the cheek and quickly left the room before her father

could change his mind. /Now all I have to do is wait for the Lucases'

party. Oh, but Father will not be attending. Maybe I could convince Mama

to invite the Bingleys for dinner. Yes, that will do nicely. /

Elizabeth went in search of her mother and found her, together with

Jane, Mary, Kitty and Lydia, in the breakfast room. Elizabeth sat down

and poured herself a cup of tea.

"Mama, I was just thinking that maybe we should invite the Netherfield

party for dinner one night."

Mrs. Bennet went into raptures about how that was a perfect idea. She

immediately began planning the dinner with the cook and sent out

invitations (she absolutely had to invite the Lucases, the Phillips, and

the Longs too). Elizabeth spent the rest of the day reading, or at least

trying to read. She, more often than not, found herself thinking about

the handsome man who had danced with her the night before.

To Elizabeth's slight dismay, the dinner was planned to take place the

Wednesday after the Lucases's party. <i>Why can it not be sooner? </i>

thought Elizabeth. She was glad, however, that she would at least see

Mr. Darcy at Lucas Lodge in five days time.

The five days could not go by fast enough for Elizabeth. During those

five days, Elizabeth was occupied by the ladies of Netherfield calling

upon those at Longbourn. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst obviously did not

enjoy their stay. They spoke in a superior manner for the whole half

hour. Two days later the ladies of Longbourn called upon Netherfield.

Elizabeth had hoped to catch a glimpse of Mr. Darcy but the gentlemen of

Netherfield had gone hunting for the day. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst

were even more superior in their own environment.

During this time Elizabeth did not speak with Jane on the matter of Mr.

Bingley because she had not noticed anything between Mr. Bingley and

Jane. She was too busy thinking of Mr. Darcy to realize that whenever

Mr. Bingley was mentioned Jane would suddenly be very attentive. The

only thing she did realize was that five days was a very long time and

that she missed Mr. Darcy's company very much.

Finally the day of the Lucases' party arrived. Elizabeth took her time

dressing and attending to her toilette, making sure she looked her best.

She was very anxious to see Mr. Darcy again.

Upon arriving at Lucas Lodge, Elizabeth immediately looked for Mr.

Darcy. It totally escaped her notice that Jane did the same for Mr.

Bingley. Elizabeth spotted Mr. Darcy speaking to Mr. Bingley near the

fireplace and headed in that direction with Jane following. Both ladies

met up with the gentlemen together.

Elizabeth smiled at Mr. Darcy and he smiled back. For a moment they were

without words. It wasn't until Mr. Bingley asked Elizabeth a question

that she realized that he and Jane were there too.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bingley, I did not hear what you asked," responded

Elizabeth.

"I was just asking after your health."

"Thank you, I am very well."

"That is good."

That was the full amount of time that Mr. Bingley was able to devote to

someone other than Jane when she was in his presence. Needless to say,

the rest of the night Mr. Bingley and Jane never left each other's

company. The same was true for Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth except for the

small amount of time that Elizabeth had allotted to greeting the

officers that had recently set camp in Meryton.

While Elizabeth spoke to Colonel Forster and his wife, Darcy spent his

time watching his friend dance with Jane. He was lost in thought about

dancing with Elizabeth when he realized that he was no longer alone.

"What a charming amusement for young people this is, Mr. Darcy!"

exclaimed Sir William to Darcy's dismay. "There is nothing like dancing

after all. I consider it as one of the first refinements of polished

societies."

"Certainly, Sir," Darcy responded, "and it has the advantage also of

being in vogue amongst the less polished societies of the world. Every

savage can dance."

Sir William had not a clue as to what Darcy meant so he just smiled.

"Your friend performs delightfully; and I doubt not that you are adapt

in the science yourself, Mr. Darcy."

"You saw me dance at Meryton, I believe, Sir."

"Yes, indeed, and received no inconsiderable pleasure from the sight. Do

you often dance at St. James's?"

"Never, Sir."

"Do you not think it would be a proper compliment to the place?"

"It is a compliment which I never pay to any place if I can avoid it."

Sir William said nothing to this but then realized that Elizabeth had

been standing behind the two gentlemen for some time. He turned to her

and said "My dear Miss Eliza, why are you not dancing?"

"I was taking such delight in hearing Mr. Darcy tell of his dislike of

dancing, although he danced almost every dance at Meryton," teased

Elizabeth.

Mr. Darcy turned to her with a smile. "How could I refuse to dance with

such beauty before me? I was happy to dance with /very/ desirable partners."

The way Mr. Darcy had spoken the last had made Elizabeth feel warm all

over. This may have been due to an excessive amount of blushing on her

part. Elizabeth was suddenly shy with Sir William present.

"Ah, Mr. Darcy," Sir William spoke, "I see you take my view on the

matter. Miss Eliza has much beauty even if she does not wish to believe it."

Darcy, seeing Elizabeth's blushing decided to change the subject by

asking Elizabeth to dance. Elizabeth agreed and they both joined the

others on the dance floor. The couple remained silent until after the

dance started.

"Mr. Darcy, you are paying such a compliment to the Lucases by dancing

at their party," Elizabeth teased.

"It is more a compliment to you than the Lucases."

"How so, Sir?"

"If it were not for your presence I would not pay such a compliment."

Elizabeth was unsure how to respond to such a compliment upon herself.

So she spoke of a different matter.

"I spoke to my father."

"Has he changed his mind?"

"At first he was adamant against it. He was quite angry that you had

spent all your time with me at Meryton. I told him how we met and how

much I enjoy your company, and finally he succumbed. He will give you

his permission the next time he sees you."

"He would not happen to be in attendance this evening, would he?"

"No, my father rarely attends social events. He will, however, be at

dinner on Wednesday."

"I would hope so, since dinner is at Longbourn."

"Are you teasing me, Mr. Darcy?"

"Most certainly, Miss Bennet. Am I not allowed to?"

"Mr. Darcy. You may tease me whenever the impulse arises."

"Am I to wait until I speak to your father before I can formally court you?"

"You could always call on me tomorrow."

"I cannot call on /you/ without your father's permission to court you,

but I could very well call on the whole family."

"I often walk up to Oakham Mount in the morning."

"I believe you are changing the subject, /Elizabeth/," Darcy smiled.

"No, I do not believe so. Were we not talking about you calling on me?"

"And what does where you walk in the morning have to do with my calling?"

"Oh, you are insufferable."

Darcy laughed at her. "I believe I may be taking a walk tomorrow

morning. Do you suggest Oakham Mount as a pleasant walk?"

"I most certainly do."

"Good. Then I believe I might see it for myself. Perhaps I will stop at

Longbourn on my way back to Netherfield."

"Oh, you certainly must."

Darcy and Elizabeth continued with their amiable conversation and danced

several more dances before taking a break. It was during this break that

Elizabeth finally noticed Jane's preoccupation with Mr. Bingley. She had

been looking for her sister to tell her how well she got along with Mr.

Darcy. She found Jane with Mr. Bingley, of course, in deep conversation.

Instead of interrupting the couple she spoke to Mr. Darcy.

"Mr. Bingley seems quite taken with Jane."

"Yes. Ever since he met your sister he has thought of nothing else but

Miss Bennet. If it were not for the fact that I am just as distracted by

you, I believe I would be rather annoyed."

"Do you think Mr. Bingley might fall in love with Jane?"

"I believe he is already in love with her. What of Miss Bennet?"

"By all appearances, she appears on her way to falling very much in love

with him."

"I am glad to hear it."

Darcy and Elizabeth spent the rest of the evening pleasantly in each

other's company. Elizabeth felt a great loss when her family departed,

but then she remembered the 'accidental' meeting they planned for the

morrow. She went to sleep with sweet dreams of the man she unknowingly

loved.

Chapter 6 Continued...

~&~

Darcy's return to Netherfield was not as pleasant as Elizabeth's return

to Longbourn. Upon entering the drawing room with the rest of the party,

Miss Bingley started her tirade. She talked of Sir William and his

presumptuous conversations, about Miss Lydia and Miss Kitty's

rambunctious behavior. She then asked Mr. Darcy his opinion.

"How insupportable it is to pass an evening in that manner. I was never

so annoyed! The insipidity and the noise; the nothingness and yet the

self-importance of all those people! What would I give to hear your

strictures on them, Mr. Darcy?"

Darcy did not respond to Miss Bingley. He stared into the fire, thinking

of the meeting planned with his Elizabeth. Miss Bingley continued,

regardless of Darcy's silence.

"You spent much of your evening in the company of Miss Eliza, I believe.

She is tolerable in appearance, but she has not much to recommend

herself. She seems to have become a favorite of yours. Pray when am I to

wish you joy?"

Darcy, upon hearing his Elizabeth mentioned, turned to Miss Bingley. "A

lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from fondness to love, from

love to matrimony in a moment. I knew you would be wishing me joy. I

have only just begun courting Miss Elizabeth and have yet to know her

well enough for matrimony."

Miss Bingley fell silent. She had not expected him to be courting the

country bumpkin. /How did this come about? They have only been together

in company twice. Maybe he is seeing her clandestinely./ This thought

made Miss Bingley smile. She now knew what she would do.

"So Darce," Mr. Bingley spoke, "Mr. Bennet finally gave you permission?

He seemed quite against you when I met him."

"Yes he did. Eliz- uh Miss Elizabeth talked with her father. She

explained to him how we met at Rosings."

"Rosings?" asked Miss Bingley. "What was she doing at your aunt's estate."

"Her cousin, a Mr. Collins, is my aunt's clergymen. He recently married

Miss Elizabeth's good friend Mrs. Collins, nee Lucas. She was visiting

her friend during my yearly visit to Rosings."

/That sneaking hussy!/ thought Miss Bingley. /How dare she use her wiles

on Mr. Darcy behind my back? I will just have to tell Lady Catherine

about this./ She decided to retire for the night so that she could think

through her plan to win Mr. Darcy as her husband. There was no way she

was going to let a 'lady' of no fortune and connects to steal her Mr.

Darcy!

Chapter Seven

Darcy walked quickly towards Oakham Mount, impatient to see his

Elizabeth. That is how he thought of her, as his. Unlike Elizabeth, he

knew he was in love, but he was giving her time to be courted before

expressing his feelings towards her. He arrived at Oakham Mount and took

in the scenery as he waited, his thoughts full of Elizabeth.

He thought to ask Bingley if he would mind inviting Georgiana, Darcy's

sister, to stay at Netherfield. Darcy wanted his sister to meet

Elizabeth - he was sure his beloved would help Georgiana overcome her

shyness. She had been even more reticent recently due to an unpleasant

incident that had happened in the summer - Georgiana had been deceived

by a man she thought of as a friend and would have been ruined had her

brother not paid a providential visit when he did. At the time she had

been in the care of a Mrs. Younge, whom both the Darcys had trusted.

Darcy hoped that Elizabeth would be able to help his sister overcome her

grief over the whole affair.

"Mr. Darcy."

Darcy came out of his musings and turned to see his beloved standing

behind him. She looked beautiful, her eyes aglow from the exercise of

walking. He stepped close to her, bringing his hand to her cheek.

"Miss Bennet, you look very lovely today."

Elizabeth blushed at Darcy's compliment. She smiled at him.

"How fortunate I am to have encountered you on my morning walk."

Darcy smiled at her teasing. "I would have to agree. We are of like

minds, I believe."

"I hardly think so. But we may be of like minds when it comes to morning

walks."

"You believe there are some things upon which we may not agree?"

"I am sure we will have different opinions on some subjects. We had many

debates at Rosings, did we not? Our courtship would be very boring if we

were always to agree on everything."

"That is quite true. For if I wanted to court a lady who always agreed

with me, I could find many such ladies in London."

"And surely you would have already married such a lady, if that were true."

"Since I am still unwed, then it must prove that I look for something

more than acquiescence in a lady."

"And what do you look for in a lady?" After asking the question,

Elizabeth realized how inappropriate it was. "You do not need to answer,

I am only teasing."

"I do not mind answering. A lady must be knowledgeable in the running of

a house. She must possess a certain manner in her air, her tone of

voice, her address and expression that is polite but also lively. She

must also add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind

by extensive reading."

"You look for a lot in a lady. I fear you may never find one who will

fulfill your qualifications."

"Elizabeth," Darcy whispered, "I do not know of your knowledge in the

running of a house, but I do know that you fill all my other

qualifications."

Elizabeth was quite taken aback by his declaration and his use of her

name. She had never supposed him to be so forward. She turned away from

him blushing.

"Will you escort me back to Longbourn, Mr. Darcy?"

Darcy offered her his arm and they headed off towards Longbourn. They

talked of general subjects the whole walk. Elizabeth was still

embarrassed by Darcy's disclosure. She had not thought his feelings

towards her so strong. She needed time to think and could not wait until

she could go to her room to meditate on what was said.

Darcy was disappointed by Elizabeth's avoidance. She had changed the

subject and had barely spoken a word for the rest of the walk. He was

afraid that he had scared her with his brazen admission. He had hoped

her feelings were as strong as his own. He supposed that they had only

known each other for a short time and that she might not yet be ready to

deal with such feelings.

They arrived at Longbourn and Elizabeth politely invited Darcy in for

refreshments. He decided not to accept because he had yet to talk to her

father who was out on his estate. Darcy returned to Netherfield in a

morose mood.

~&~

The Netherfield residents arrived at Longbourn shortly before dinner two

days later. They were the last to arrive - the Lucases, Longs, and

Phillips were already waiting in the drawing room. Mr. Darcy immediately

looked for Mr. Bennet but saw that he was not in the room. Elizabeth was

there, however, and he greeted her warmly.

Elizabeth was livelier in her greeting than she had been at the end of

their walk two days before. She was in a much better state of mind. She

had thought through her feelings about Darcy and realized that she felt

as strongly for him as he did for her. She would welcome his addresses

when he deemed it was appropriate to make them.

Darcy was delighted that Elizabeth was in better spirits. He had worried

for the past two days that she might have changed her opinion of him. It

was apparent upon her greeting that he had worried for naught. Darcy and

Elizabeth spent the time before dinner talking about Georgiana. Darcy

had spoken to Bingley about Georgiana coming for a visit and Bingley had

agreed. Darcy immediately wrote to his sister. She was to come to

Netherfield in a fortnight. He was just informing Elizabeth of this when

dinner was announced.

Darcy and Bingley were both seated next to Mr. Bennet. Jane was, of

course, seated next to Bingley and Elizabeth next to Darcy. Miss Bingley

and Mrs. Hurst had the pleasure of being seated next to Mrs. Bennet.

Needless to say, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst did not enjoy dinner.

However, Darcy and Bingley found the dinner most enjoyable. The food was

good and the company better. Darcy spoke with Mr. Bennet about

Longbourn, Pemberley and books. Elizabeth would sometimes join in.

Bingley and Jane were occupied with each other. Darcy did not speak to

Mr. Bennet about the courtship, having decided it would be more

appropriate to do so when they had some privacy. He would do it right

after dinner when the ladies left the men.

Mr. Bennet found Darcy very agreeable which irritated him. He did not

want to like Darcy but he could not help doing so. He now understood why

Elizabeth liked him so much. After the ladies had left for the drawing

room, Darcy had requested a private audience with him. They took their

brandy into the library. Mr. Bennet sat at his desk and Darcy paced the

room. Bingley, finding himself alone, decided to join the ladies early.

He did not mind spending more time with Jane.

"Mr. Bennet, I believe you know why I asked for a private audience."

"Do I?" teased Mr. Bennet.

Darcy stopped his pacing in front of the desk to look at Mr. Bennet with

all seriousness. "I have asked you before if I could court your

daughter, Miss Elizabeth, and I ask you once again. Will you give your

consent to allow me to court her?"

"I have one question for you first, sir. What are your intentions in

courting her?"

Darcy stared at Mr. Bennet. Should he tell him about his wanting to

marry her? He was unsure of how he should respond. "I... I like your

daughter very much. I wish to get to know her better-"

"How much better?"

"Mr. Bennet! I am a gentleman. I will not ruin your daughter. I only

wish to know her character more so that I may better judge her opinion

of myself."

"Why do you wish to know her opinion of yourself?"

"I wish to know whether she has a good opinion. It would be foolish of

me to propose without knowing her feelings."

"You wish to propose to her?"

"If I am sure of an affirmative answer, then yes."

"Well, Mr. Darcy, I will agree to you courting my daughter, but do not

assume that I will agree to you marrying her. I would wish to know you

better before I could give my consent for that."

Mr. Bennet left the room, leaving behind a stunned Darcy. He had not

realized the full ire Mr. Bennet held against him. After recovering he

left the library and joined the ladies. He told Elizabeth that he had

received her father's consent. They had agreed that he would call on her

the day after tomorrow for the next day he and Bingley were to visit

with the officers of the --shire militia.

The whole night went well. Jane had received an invitation from Miss

Bingley for her to dine with Bingley's sisters. Mrs. Bennet was in

raptures for not only did she find out about the invitation but also

Elizabeth had told her that Darcy was now formally courting her. Of

course Elizabeth waited until the guests had left before informing her

mother. She did not wish to subject Darcy to her mother's reaction.

~&~

The following day Jane went to Netherfield on horseback, for her mother

saw that it was going to rain. She thought that the Bingley's would

never allow Jane to return home in such weather and so she would have to

spend the night.

It did rain, but it rained while Jane was still on her way to

Netherfield. She arrived soaked through and Miss Bingley ensured she was

given dry clothes. During dinner Jane fell ill and was escorted to one

of the guestrooms. She was then entreated to stay the night and a

message was sent to Longbourn.

The next morning, Elizabeth received a letter from her sister:

My Dearest Lizzy,

I find myself very unwell this morning, which, I suppose, is to

be imputed to my getting wet through yesterday. My kind friends

will not hear of my returning home till I am better. They insist

also on my seeing Mr. Jones--therefore do not be alarmed if you

should hear of his having been to me--and excepting a

sore-throat and head-ache there is not much the matter with me.

Yours, &c.

Elizabeth was anxious to see her sister. Since there was no other way,

she decided to walk to Netherfield. Her mother was appalled.

"How can you be so silly as to think of such a thing, after all this

rain! You will not be fit to be seen when you get there."

"I shall be very fit to see Jane--which is all I want."

"What of Mr. Darcy. He is to call on you this afternoon. If he should

see you in such a state, he will end his courtship."

"If he does so, then I do not wish to know him. I will go and see Jane."

Elizabeth left Longbourn with Kitty and Lydia who were to walk as far as

Meryton with her. She arrived at Netherfield just as the occupants were

finishing breakfast. Mrs. Bennet was correct on how Elizabeth would be

seen, her stocking were dirty, her petticoat muddy, and her hair was

wind blown. This all escaped Darcy; he only noticed that her eyes were

brighter due to the exercise. He found it endearing that Elizabeth had

walked three miles to see her ill sister.

Elizabeth was shown to Jane's room. She had heard from Miss Bingley that

Jane had slept ill and was feverish. Elizabeth attended her sister, but

was soon joined by Bingley's sisters, to her discomfort. Mr. Jones came

and declared that Jane had caught a violent cold and that she must get

plenty of rest. After the apothecary left, Jane's fever worsened.

Elizabeth stayed with her sister until three when she thought she must

go, but did not wish to leave her sister. She was grateful when Miss

Bingley invited her to stay at Netherfield. Of course the invitation

only came after Jane's expressed her wish that she did not want her

sister to leave.

During this time the gentlemen had decided to go hunting. Darcy had

originally planned on not going with Bingley and Hurst, but since

Elizabeth was busy with her sister he had nothing else to do. They

returned to the house to find that Elizabeth had been invited to stay

until her sister was better and that a servant had been dispatched to

Longbourn to notify the family and to return with a supply of clothing.

Darcy was delighted to find that his beloved would be spending some time

at Netherfield. He realized that she would probably spend most of her

time with Miss Bennet, but sometimes she would need a break and Darcy

intended to ensure that he would be there to help her with anything she

may need. He headed for his rooms to change for dinner, ascending the

stairs with energetic steps.

Chapter 9

Elizabeth spent the whole night at her sister's bedside. Shortly after

dawn there was a knock at the door and upon answering it she found Mr.

Darcy. He had risen early knowing that Elizabeth most likely was still

there.

"Good morning Miss Bennet. I hope your sister is doing better."

"She is a little better."

"I am glad to hear it. I was hoping that maybe you would join me on a

walk in the gardens. You have been locked up in the house since

yesterday morning and would do well to take in some fresh air."

"I believe you are right. Just allow me to get my things."

Elizabeth found a maid to sit with Jane and she went to her room for her

gloves and bonnet. She met Darcy in the front hall. They stepped outside

and Elizabeth took a deep breath.

"I hope you do not mind my appearance. I have yet to change from last

night."

"It does not matter. You always look lovely."

Elizabeth blushed. "I assure you that is not true. You should see me

with my hair all tangled after I have slept."

"It would be my pleasure to see you in such a state." Darcy then

realized what he had just implied. He looked at Elizabeth and saw that

she was blushing. Her eyes were on the ground. "I am sorry, Miss Bennet,

that was very improper. I only meant that the state of your clothing or

hair does not matter, to me you will always be lovely."

"I thank you sir," she responded demurely.

He took her hand in his. "Would it be too much for me to ask you to call

me Fitzwilliam?"

Elizabeth looked at him. "Only if you would call me Elizabeth in return."

He slowly kissed her hand. "It would be my pleasure ... Elizabeth."

"And mine ... Fitzwilliam."

They smiled at each other. Each was pleased to hear their name from the

other's lips.

"You must be tired Elizabeth. We should probably return to the house so

you may get some rest."

"I am not so very tired."

"Did you not stay awake at your sister's side the whole night?"

"I must admit that I fell asleep in my chair for a good part of the night."

"You are very devoted to your sister."

"I love her dearly. She has such a sweet soul. How could anyone not want

to nurse her?"

"Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst may agree that Miss Bennet is sweet but

they would not bring themselves to help her. They do not believe your

sister is good enough for their brother."

"And what do you think?"

"I believe your sister would be good for Bingley. He has often fallen in

and out of love, but I see that it is different with Miss Bennet. He

might be inclined to settle down for once. You and your sister are very

kind souls, you are not false like the ladies of the ton."

"Does that mean you also approve of me?"

"If I didn't, I would have never asked to court you."

"That is true."

"Elizabeth, have you had anything to eat since dinner?"

"No. I have been too busy with Jane to think of food."

"Then will you join me for some breakfast? Miss Bingley and the Hursts

will still be abed. Bingley may be awake but usually I eat breakfast alone."

"Yesterday you were eating breakfast with the others when I arrived."

"Only because I was waiting until the appropriate time to call on you. I

had decided to wait it out in the breakfast room. I now realize my

mistake in doing so. Miss Bingley and her sister were not at all pleased

with your appearance. They thought you impertinent and wild."

"And what did you think of me?"

"I thought it was quite admirable for you to walk all that way to visit

your ill sister. Also your fine eyes were very bright due to the exercise."

"You think my eyes are fine?"

"For me your eyes are the finest I have ever seen. They are most

beautiful when you are teasing me as you are now, but they are not your

only fine feature."

Darcy would have continued praising Elizabeth's features but they

arrived at the breakfast room to find Bingley as the only occupant.

Elizabeth gave him the same answer to his inquires about Jane as she had

given to Darcy. She then requested to have a note sent to Longbourn,

desiring her mother to visit Jane to form her own judgment of her

situation. Bingley, of course, sent a note immediately. The three spent

a pleasant breakfast talking about Jane and, to her embarrassment,

Elizabeth's qualities.

They were later joined by Miss Bingley and the Hursts. Elizabeth excused

herself to bathe and dress. Miss Bingley was about to voice her opinion

on Elizabeth's dress but thought better of it when she remembered what

Mr. Darcy had said the evening before.

Late in the morning a carriage from Longbourn arrived. It did not bring

Mrs. Bennet as Elizabeth had requested, but her father. Mr. Bennet was

shown to Jane's room where he found Jane to be much recovered from her

fever the night before. Mr. Jones, who had also arrived, advised that

Jane should not be moved at this time. Mr. Bennet agreed that Jane

should spend one more night, but that Elizabeth should come home with him.

"Papa, I would be of more use here with Jane than I would be at

Longbourn. Can I not stay with my sister?" Elizabeth asked her father in

earnest. She did not want to leave Jane to the care of Miss Bingley and

Mrs. Hurst.

"I'm sorry Lizzy. I had not expected you to stay at Netherfield. It is

very improper for you to be staying in the same house as Mr. Darcy."

"It is not as though I am the only lady here. Miss Bingley and Mrs.

Hurst are adequate chaperones."

"I'm quite sure Miss Bingley would not allow any lady to be left alone

with Mr. Darcy, with the exception of herself, of course."

"Papa!"

"Lizzy, you are coming home with me. I will hear no more of this." Mr.

Bennet left Jane's room to tell Bingley of his decision.

Elizabeth looked to her sister, who was sleeping, and sighed. <i>At

least he could let me stay until Jane wakes</i>. She gathered her

belongings and packed them in her trunk. She sat down next to her sister

and awaited her father's return.

Mr. Bennet returned with two footmen and a maid. He directed the footmen

to bring Elizabeth's trunk down to the carriage. The maid took

Elizabeth's seat as the latter followed her father downstairs. Mr.

Bingley and Miss Bingley were waiting for them.

"Miss Bennet," Mr. Bingley said. "It has been a delight to have you here

to care for your sister. I wager that it was due to your vigilance over

her that she is regaining her health. Mr. Darcy told me that you stayed

up all night with your sister."

"Oh, how admirable of you Miss Eliza," Miss Bingley added, "staying up

with dear Jane when she is ill."

"Thank you Mr. Bingley, Miss Bingley for your hospitality in letting me

stay at Netherfield. I hope you take good care of my sister."

Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth took their leave. As they were entering the

carriage, Elizabeth wondered where Mr. Darcy had gone. Once they were

both seated in the carriage, Mr. Bennet questioned his daughter about

her stay.

"So Lizzy, did you enjoy your time with Mr. Darcy?"

"I barely saw Mr. Darcy. I saw him at dinner yesterday evening, and for

the short time I was in the drawing room afterwards. Everyone was at loo

so I only sat and watched. This morning I had breakfast with Mr. Darcy

and Mr. Bingley."

"How did Mr. Darcy know that you stayed with your sister during the night?"

"He assumed so and I confirmed it when he mentioned I must be tired due

to being up all night."

"You were never alone with Mr. Darcy?"

"We went on a short walk in the garden before breakfast, but we were

never out of sight of the house. Mr. Darcy has been the perfect

gentleman throughout our acquaintance."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Nothing more was said on Mr. Darcy and the rest of the trip to Longbourn

was spent on bringing Elizabeth up to date on the goings on at home.

Chapter Ten

Darcy had been surprised and disappointed when he discovered Elizabeth

had left Netherfield. At first he was hurt that she had not said

good-bye to him, but then he learned from Bingley that Mr. Bennet had

rushed her out of the house. He planned to call on her the next day but

did not when he noticed that Bingley was pacing the house like a caged

animal. Instead he spent the day hunting with Bingley and Hurst.

It was a good thing he did, for when they returned they learned from

Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst that Mrs. Bennet and two of her daughters

had paid a visit. She had proclaimed that Jane was more ill than Mr.

Bennet had described and that Jane would have to stay longer at Netherfield.

Of course Darcy realized straight away that it was just a ploy to keep

Jane in Bingley's company for longer, but Bingley became even more

concerned about Jane's health.

The following few days, Darcy found himself keeping Bingley occupied. He

had no time to visit Elizabeth and this greatly depressed him. His

concern for his friend was important and he knew he would always be able

to visit his beloved once Jane had returned to health. That reasoning

was the only thing that kept Darcy from riding to Longbourn and leaving

his friend to deal with his distress on his own. But then he realized

that he would not want to be left in the company of Bingley's sisters

while feeling such distress over someone he cared for greatly, so he

stayed with Charles to help him not to think about Jane. It was harder

than Darcy had realized.

Finally, Mr. Jones declared Jane well enough to travel and Bingley made

his carriage available to take her home. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst

spent the rest of the day complaining about the inconvenience that the

Bennets had caused them. Darcy and Bingley decided to call at Longbourn

the following day to see how Jane was faring and, of course, so Darcy

could see his Elizabeth.

~&~

Elizabeth was not in a good humor. She was angry with her father for

rushing her from Netherfield. She was also angry with Mr. Darcy for not

calling on her for several days. However, despite her bad humor she was

glad to see that Jane was well and had returned home.

She and her sisters decided to walk to Meryton. It was a wonderful

autumn afternoon and the exercise would help Elizabeth relieve some of

her anger. She spent the entire walk talking to Jane. Upon arriving at

Meryton, Lydia and Kitty immediately spotted Mr. Denny, who had been

away in London for some time. He was with a handsome young gentleman to

whom the two girls wished to be introduced. On the pretense of wanting

to look in the window of the shop the two gentlemen were passing, the

five Bennet girls, led by Lydia and Kitty, met up with Mr. Denny and his

acquaintance.

Mr. Denny introduced the young gentleman to the Miss Bennets as Mr.

Wickham, who was to join the militia in Meryton. This information made

the two youngest Bennet girls very happy. As Lydia and Kitty flirted

with Denny and Wickham, two riders approached the group. Mr. Darcy and

Mr. Bingley had been riding through Meryton on their way to Longbourn

when they had spotted the Miss Bennets.

Bingley had immediately dismounted to talk to Jane, but Darcy had

noticed Wickham before he had followed Bingley. Darcy looked angrily at

Wickham while Wickham looked back with surprise and just a bit of fear.

He gave Darcy a nod of greeting which Darcy did not return. Darcy had

thought to ride on but then he realized that Elizabeth was among the

group. So, to Wickham's surprise, Darcy dismounted and walked over to

Elizabeth.

Elizabeth had seen the exchange between Darcy and Wickham and was quite

curious about their actions. She was still angry with Darcy, but was

glad to see him dismount, for she had doubted for a moment whether he

would. He came towards her, took her hand and kissed it.

"Elizabeth," Darcy said in a low voice so that no one but she could

hear. "I must apologize for not calling on you since your departure from

Netherfield. I have been occupied with Mr. Bingley. He has been quite

depressed by your sister's illness."

Elizabeth was no longer angry with Darcy. She now realized her

selfishness in the situation. Of course Darcy would be concerned for his

friend.

"I accept your apology, Fitzwilliam."

She smiled at him and he could not help but step closer. He then

remembered that Wickham was there.

"Elizabeth, I must warn you about Mr. Wickham. He is not a good man. I

cannot explain right now, but if you would meet me on Oakham Mount

tomorrow morning, I will explain. You must keep an eye on your sisters

when in his company."

Elizabeth was concerned. Darcy sounded very grave. There was obviously

some animosity between Darcy and Wickham. She was very curious to find

out why.

"Of course, I'll meet you. I wanted to apologise for leaving Netherfield

without saying good-bye."

Darcy smiled at her. "No need to. I understand why you didn't. Your

father obviously thought that you were in danger being in my company all

day."

"I don't know what has got into my father lately. He should be happy

that I have found someone who is intelligent, gentlemanly and very

rich," she teased. "Not to mention handsome..."

"You think I'm handsome?" Darcy asked smiling.

Elizabeth laughed which caught the attention of Wickham.

"If I didn't, do you think I would allow you to court me?"

"So you only care about a man's appearance?"

"Of course!"

The mischievous smile that Darcy gave Elizabeth made him look boyish

which she found very charming.

"Well then, I will have to make sure no other handsome men come near you."

"You do not have to worry, Fitzwilliam, for I find you the most handsome

man in England."

"Then I will only have to be wary of foreigners."

Elizabeth laughed once more. By this time Wickham had moved as close as

possible to them so that he could overhear their conversation. He was

quite surprised by what he heard. <i>Darcy flirting with a young lady? I

had thought it impossible</i>.

"You need not worry about foreigners, either."

"I believe now, Elizabeth, that I do not have to worry about you being

attracted to other men. However, since you are more beautiful than any

other lady of my acquaintance I shall be worried about other men

pursuing you."

Elizabeth blushed and looked away. Darcy then noticed a look of shock on

her face. He looked in the direction she had turned and saw Wickham was

close enough to eavesdrop. By the look on Wickham's face Darcy was able

to determine that that was exactly what Wickham was doing.

Before Darcy could do or say anything, they were interrupted by Bingley

who stated that he had offered to walk the ladies home after their visit

with their aunt. Darcy was glad that his friend had done so. He could

make sure that Wickham stayed away from all of the Miss Bennets, for

naturally he would accompany Bingley in escorting the young ladies that

afternoon.

Denny and Wickham decided to take their leave at that moment, to the

disappointment of Lydia and Kitty, who unsuccessfully tried to invite

them to their aunt's. Darcy and Bingley escorted the sisters to Mrs.

Philips house where they were invited to join them the following evening

for a night of cards - an invitation they both accepted. They did

however decline an invitation to join them at that moment for they both

thought it would be inappropriate to intrude on a family visit that was

originally attended for other guests. They did promise to return to walk

the young ladies back to Longbourn in two hours and spent those two

hours enjoying a ride in the countryside around Meryton.

They returned at the promised time, but found the ladies not yet ready

to leave. The hour for tea was approaching and the ladies' aunt

entreated the gentlemen to stay for tea. This invitation they accepted.

If any of Darcy's other acquaintances had seen him at the Philips'

house, they would have been quite surprised that a man of his stature

would find himself in such quarters. Darcy, however, had paid no

attention to anything but Elizabeth and never even noticed the lower

living conditions.

He sat with Elizabeth on a small sofa. For the first few minutes, as tea

was being served by Mrs. Philips, Darcy looked only at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was becoming self-conscious at his stare.

"Mr. Darcy, do you stare at me so that may find something to ridicule?"

she asked teasingly.

He grinned at her. "Elizabeth," he whispered, "I stare because I cannot

take my eyes from you. You have quite bewitched me."

Elizabeth looked down at her teacup. "Fitzwilliam, if you continue to

praise me in such a way, I shall become very vain."

His grin deepened, showing his dimples, which Elizabeth had never

noticed before. She found them quite becoming on him. "You could never

become vain. You are too pure of heart for such unfavorable traits."

"If you put me so high a pedestal you will be unable to reach me."

"You need not worry, for when I am in your presence I feel as though I

could do anything. I will climb to the top of your pedestal if I must."

By this time, Elizabeth had blushed such a deep shade of red that the

rest of the party had noticed. Jane cleared her throat, which got

Darcy's attention, and he noticed that he and his beloved were under

scrutiny by all. He quickly took a sip of his tea and asked Mrs. Philips

how she liked living in Meryton. The rest of tea was spent chatting on

all sorts of matters that Darcy could not remember. He did not venture

to talk to Elizabeth privately again.

After tea, Darcy and Bingley escorted the ladies to Longbourn. Once

again, Darcy did not try for a private conversation with his Elizabeth.

Instead he made every attempt to include others in his conversation.

Elizabeth was quite relieved, for she was uncomfortable with what Darcy

had divulged. She needed time to think about her relationship with him

as she was not exactly sure of her feelings for Darcy. All she knew was

that she greatly enjoyed his company and that when he was not there she

thought of nothing else but him. <i>Am I in love?</i> Elizabeth had much

to think about and it was best she thought it all through before their

meeting on Oakham Mount the following morning.

Arriving at Longbourn, Darcy and Bingley were invited to stay for

dinner. Darcy had wanted to give some time for Elizabeth to think about

what he had said, but since Bingley had accepted the invitation, he also

accepted. Elizabeth did not mind, she always enjoyed Darcy's company.

The evening was spent pleasantly and after the two gentlemen took their

leave, Elizabeth went to her room to think. She lay in her bed for many

hours trying to sort out her feelings for Darcy. Finally, well after

midnight, she fell into a peaceful sleep her dreams filled with the man

she now knew she loved.

--

Extraordinary Men <http://www.ussstardust.com/em>

Chapter Eleven

"Mr. Wickham is the son of my late father's steward. My father was Mr.

Wickham's god-father and trusted him implicitly. He supported him at

school, and afterwards at Cambridge, for his own father - always poor

from the extravagance of his wife - would have been unable to give him a

gentleman's education. Mr. Wickham's manners were always engaging and my

father had the highest opinion of him, always enjoying his company. He

wished that Wickham would make the Church his profession and he intended

to provide him with a living when it became available."

Darcy paused. He and Elizabeth were at the top of Oakham Mount. They

were both sitting on the ground, close to each other. Of course Darcy

had offered his coat for her to sit on but she had refused. Her dress

was already dirty from walking, so she did not mind getting more dirt on

it, if Darcy did not mind. Of course he did not mind - to him her

disheveled appearance was rather appealing. He was about to continue his

tale when Elizabeth interrupted him.

"If Mr. Wickham expects to gain a living, why did he join the militia?"

"I was getting to that point."

"I am sorry. Pray continue."

"From almost the beginning I had known the true nature of Wickham, to

which my father was blind. The vicious propensities - the want of

principle, which he was careful to guard from the knowledge of his best

friend, could not escape the observation of a young man of nearly the

same age with himself. I had many opportunities of seeing him in

unguarded moments, which my father could not have."

Darcy paused again, but only because the next part was painful to speak

about. Elizabeth read this in his eyes. She placed her hand upon his and

gave it a squeeze.

"You do not have to tell me anything you do not want to."

"I want to tell you this. You must know Mr. Wickham's character. It is

hard for me to talk about this to anyone. You do make it easier,

especially when your hand is upon mine."

She left her hand on his and waited patiently for him to continue.

"My father died five years ago. His attachment to Wickham was strong to

the end. He never learned Wickham's true nature. In his will my father

recommended to me that I help Mr. Wickham in his chosen profession. If

Wickham took orders and desired the living, I should grant it to him

when it was vacant. There was also a legacy of one thousand pounds. Mr.

Wickham wrote to inform me that, having resolved against taking orders,

he was to study the law and wished that I would support him in his

cause. I wished to believe that he was sincere. I knew that he ought not

to be a clergyman."

"Why not?"

"What?"

"Why did you think he should not be a clergyman?"

"I thought I explained that."

"You did?"

"Yes when I mentioned his vicious propensities and want of principle."

"Well I do not understand what you mean by that. Was he ungentlemanly?"

"He was definitely no gentleman. He gambled, he drank, and he..."

"He?"

"I can not speak of it to a lady. It is indecent."

"Oh."

Darcy waited and when he received no more questions he continued.

"Wickham received three thousand pounds and resigned his claim on the

living. All connections between us were then dissolved. I thought too

ill of him to invite him to Pemberley, or admit his society in town.

Studying the law was a pretense. Being free from all restraints,

Wickham's life became one of idleness and dissipation. For three years I

heard little of him. When the living became vacant Wickham wrote to me

once more. His circumstances were bad. He had found the law a most

unprofitable study and was now absolutely resolved on being ordained."

"You refused, did you not?"

"Yes I refused to give him the living. He had given up his chance by

receiving the three thousand pounds. From that time he hated me and most

likely abused me to others. I know not how he survived, but once again

he disappeared."

He stopped for a moment. Elizabeth knew she should not speak. He needed

a moment before he could continue. She squeezed his hand once again,

bringing her other hand to move a wayward curl from his forehead. He

looked at her with an expression that Elizabeth thought might be love.

<i>Does he love me in return? </i>

Without taking his eyes from hers he continued. "This past summer, I

would wish to forget. The only thing that brought me through it was the

thought of seeing you again. By that time I had planned to find you no

matter what I would have to do. I was with Bingley, looking at estates.

While I was away, my sister, who I have told you about, went to Ramsgate

with her governess. There too went Mr. Wickham, whom I found later was

previously acquainted with Mrs. Younge. She had recommended Mr. Wickham

to Georgiana, whose affectionate heart retained a strong impression of

his kindness to her as a child. She was persuaded to believe herself in

love." Elizabeth squeezed his hand tightly. "She consented to an elopement."

"She is fifteen?"

"Yes, which must be her excuse for being naive."

"She eloped with Wickham?"

"No. I arrived unexpectedly at Ramsgate a day or two before their

intended elopement. Georgiana, who looks up to me not only as a brother,

but also as a father, told me everything. You may imagine what I felt

and how I acted."

"I am surprised that Mr. Wickham still lives."

Darcy smiled at her. "That thought had crossed my mind, but what would

happen to my estate if I ended up in prison or dead? And what would

happen to you?"

"I am quite sure I would have survived," she teased.

"Really? You would not miss my company?"

"No," she answered in a very unconvincing lie.

"You are lying."

"What happened? Did you beat Mr. Wickham?"

"Do you promote violence?"

"Not unless it is necessary."

"I did not beat Wickham. He had left the place immediately. Mrs. Younge

was removed from her charge, of course. Georgiana learned a hard lesson.

She had truly thought that Wickham loved her. To find out that he did

not and that he had only convinced her he did so that he could have my

sister's fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds, mortified her."

"Do you think he might have also done it to anger you?"

"That thought had crossed my mind. It might even have been his stronger

motive. I do not know for sure."

"How is your sister?"

"She is doing better than she was directly after the incident. She is

currently in London with her new Governess, a Mrs. Annesley. I had

planned on bringing her here, but now that Wickham is in residence I do

not believe it would be a good idea."

"She should not live her life afraid of Mr. Wickham. You should proceed

with your plans. I would greatly like to meet Miss Darcy. If you wish I

will remain in her company at social gatherings and keep Wickham at bay."

Darcy scowled. "You are right, she should not be afraid of Wickham. I

will write to her and ask if she would be willing to visit even if

Wickham is in the neighborhood. I will also write that you wish to meet

her. She may be willing to face Wickham with you and me at her side. But

I do not wish to leave either of you alone, or even together, in his

company. If he is in our society I would prefer that you stay near me."

"Really? I believe I can take care of myself," Elizabeth teased lightly.

Darcy scowled even more. "Wickham saw us together yesterday. He may try

something to get to me. I do not want you to get hurt."

Elizabeth could see the concern in his eyes so she just nodded her head.

She squeezed his hand once again. He lifted her hand to his mouth and

kissed it.

After several moments of just holding hands, Elizabeth spoke up, "I had

better return home. I have been gone for far too long."

"You are right. We will see each other tonight at the Philips'."

Darcy escorted Elizabeth back to Longbourn. He took his leave, while

both were wondering when they should tell the other how they felt.

Elizabeth thought it best she wait for Darcy, while Darcy was not sure

about Elizabeth's feelings and thought it best to wait until he was.

Both thought that the time would come soon and nothing could go wrong.

~&~

The Bennet's arrived at the Philips after all but the Netherfield party

had arrived. Elizabeth was eagerly awaiting Darcy's appearance. She was

sitting on a sofa near the fireplace when Mr. Wickham sat beside her. At

first he seemed absorbed in watching those in attendance, but then he

turned towards her. Elizabeth was not at all happy with this turn of events.

"How long have Mr. Bingley and his friends been in the neighborhood?"

Elizabeth considered not answering him, but realized that would be very

rude. "About a month," she answered concisely.

"Is Netherfield very far from Meryton?"

"About two miles."

Elizabeth focused her attention on Mary playing the piano, trying to

dismiss Wickham. Of course this did not work.

"Do you know Mr. Darcy very well?"

Elizabeth did not know if she should answer that question. Just as she

was about to make a response, Mr. Darcy himself answered. He had just

arrived with the Netherfield party and as soon as he saw that Wickham

was with Elizabeth he made his way towards them. He only heard Wickham's

last question.

"I am courting Miss Elizabeth."

Wickham was startled to see Darcy. He had been focusing on Miss

Elizabeth and had not noticed Darcy's approach. Wickham stood up quickly.

"I, uh, need to speak to Denny. Please excuse me." He directed all of

his speech to Elizabeth. He did not even glance at Darcy.

After Wickham had walked away, Darcy took the seat next to Elizabeth.

His hand gently brushed hers - purposely. He wanted to hold her hand. He

knew it was improper to do so, even if they were courting, at least it

was improper in society. Actually he really wanted to kiss her, but that

would have to wait until he proposed.

Elizabeth was staring at him. She was very glad he had arrived when he

did. She did not want to be in Wickham's company. She smiled at Darcy

with such gratitude that Darcy stopped caring about propriety and took

her hand into his. As he brought her hand to his lips Elizabeth's eyes

widened in surprise. When he did not release her hand afterwards she

spoke to him.

"Fitzwilliam, it is improper," she whispered.

He just smiled at her. "Elizabeth, I wish we could be alone right now."

"What?" she asked, a little nervous.

"I wanted to talk to you about... I cannot to talk to you here."

"We were alone just this morning. You have more you wish to say to me?"

"Elizabeth, I always wish to speak to you alone," he answered smiling.

Elizabeth blushed. "Mr. Darcy you are quite forward this evening."

"It is hard not to be forward when you are in love." His voice was so

quiet that Elizabeth almost did not hear him. She stared at him in shock.

"You are in love?" she asked just as quietly.

"Yes, my dear Elizabeth, I am in love. I am in love with you."

"I... I do not know what to say."

"You do not?" he asked teasingly.

She blushed again. "We are not alone."

"Do you wish we were alone?"

"Yes," she was able to get out before Mrs. Bennet came over. They passed

an hour with Mrs. Bennet questioning Darcy on every aspect of his life

that she had yet to ask. Both Elizabeth and Darcy could not wait until

she took her leave of them to speak to someone else. When she finally

did leave, they were approached by Charlotte; then Mrs. Philips. For the

rest of the evening they had no time to even speak to each other, alone

or otherwise. Both were very disappointed, and before Elizabeth

departed, Darcy promised to call on her on the morrow.

Chapter 12

While Darcy was calling upon Miss Bennet in Hertfordshire, Lady

Catherine was being called upon by a Mr. Wickham, a name she did not

recognize. After telling her butler to remove the man from Rosings, she

returned to her tea without another thought of her unexpected caller.

She was therefore quite perturbed when the butler returned with a note

and the request that Lady Catherine read it. She did so to be rid of the

man, but what she read alarmed her to such an extent that she instructed

her butler to show Mr. Wickham into the sitting room.

It had been a long time since Wickham had last been inside Rosings. He

noticed that nothing had changed. The house was still as pretentious as

ever and Lady Catherine was her usual self.

Lady Catherine did not stand to greet her guest for she still did not

know who he was. She was not going to show any courtesy to a man who

just might be bamboozling her. She decided to come directly to the point.

"In your note you said that you have recently seen my nephew in the

company of a young lady, and you assert that he is courting her. Where

was it that you saw him?"

Wickham sat on a sofa opposite Lady Catherine. He was quite at his ease

and took his time answering her question.

"I saw them together at a Mrs. Philips house in Meryton. Mrs. Philips

is the young lady's aunt."

"In Meryton? I have never heard of any place by the name of Meryton."

"It is a small town near Netherfield, where Mr. Darcy is staying with

his friend Mr. Bingley."

"And this young lady, she lives in Meryton?"

"No. She lives on her father's estate, Longbourn."

"And does she have a fortune?"

"Almost none. She has four sisters and no brothers. Her father's estate

is entailed-"

"You do <i>not</i> mean Miss Elizabeth Bennet, do you?"

"Exactly, my Lady. Mr. Darcy himself told me that he was courting Miss

Elizabeth."

"He did? At this Mrs. Whomever's house?"

"Yes. He has been seen with her a great deal."

"Mr. Wickham, do you know a Miss Caroline Bingley?"

"Yes, she is Mr. Bingley's sister."

"My nephew is staying at his house, you say?"

"Yes, my Lady."

"So her accounts were correct. She wrote to me a week ago, informing me

that Mr. Darcy was seen much in company with a young chit. It appears

that she was telling me the truth."

"I believe, my Lady, that Mr. Darcy may be proposing to Miss Bennet very

shortly. I heard him declare his love for her."

"You did? How did you hear this?"

"He did not realize I was standing behind him as he spoke quietly to

her. They were holding hands and he told her that he loved her. He plans

to call on her this morning. Of course I immediately came here as soon

as I heard him declare thus."

"You believe he will propose to her today then?"

"It is most likely my Lady."

"Then I shall go to Hertfordshire post-haste. You will attend me."

Lady Catherine stood as the butler returned. "You will have my carriage

ready," she ordered. The befuddled butler left to do as she ordered.

Mr. Wickham did not move. "Will I be compensated for my disclosure and

attendance?"

"What?" Lady Catherine turned to him. "Oh yes of course. What are you

asking?"

"Three thousand pounds."

"Three <i>thousand</i> pounds!" Lady Catherine fell back into her seat

quite shocked. "You are asking for three thousand pounds for information

that had already been disclosed to me?"

"But my Lady did not believe this disclosure until she heard it from

myself."

"Well I will not pay three thousand pounds!"

"Then I will go to London. I am quite sure that many of the society

papers would pay such a sum."

Her ladyship thought it over. Three thousand pounds was not as great a

sum as she had thought. She wrote a cheque to him for the amount as they

waited for the carriage to be readied. They then made their way to

Hertfordshire at a much slower pace than Mr. Wickham had made to Rosings.

~&~

Darcy's plan to call on Elizabeth was thwarted by none other than Mr.

Bingley who decided to make calls throughout the area to deliver

invitations for a ball. He requested that Darcy join him and his sisters

for these calls. They did not stay long at Longbourn when they had

finally made their way to that estate, and upon their arrival Darcy was

disappointed to find that Elizabeth was out walking. He left a message

with Miss Bennet that he planned to call on the following day.

These plans, too, were thwarted when it rained everyday from then to the

ball. The day before the ball Darcy decided to go to Longbourn despite

the rain. His sister, Georgiana had arrived late in the morning and she

was eager to meet Miss Elizabeth. Shortly after luncheon the two set out

for Longbourn in Darcy's carriage.

Upon their arrival they found the house in an uproar. Miss Lydia and

Miss Kitty had been in high dudgeon all morning over which dress was

whose, with Lydia claiming that a particular green muslin dress belonged

to her and Kitty claiming likewise it was hers. In truth the dress was

Elizabeth's but she had escaped to her father's study and had not

noticed the source of the argument. Mrs. Bennet had taken to her room

with a headache. Mr. Bennet was in his study working on estate papers.

Jane and Mary were the only Bennets available to greet Mr. and Miss

Darcy. After Darcy introduced the two sisters to his own sister, Lydia

came bursting into the sitting room holding the dress in question, with

Kitty following. Kitty was screaming for Lydia to give it back, while

Lydia was stating that Kitty looked horrid in green. Neither of the two

arguing sisters noticed the Darcys. Jane was trying her best to get them

to settle down without success.

Elizabeth heard the loud yelling of her two sisters and decided to bring

an end to it. She entered the sitting room to find Mr Darcy looking

quite shocked and a young lady who was also surprised but more demure.

She turned to Lydia and Kitty who were now playing tug-of-war with her

dress, while Jane did her best to ask them politely to stop.

"Kitty! Lydia! We have guests." Elizabeth walked over to them as they

stopped to look at her. She then noticed her dress. "What are you two

doing? Are you trying to destroy my dress?"

Lydia and Kitty both looked at the dress at the same time, both coming

to the realization that it was not their dress they had been fighting

over, but Lizzy's. They both dropped it at the same time. Elizabeth

picked up the wrinkled dress, folded it and placed it on a nearby table.

She then turned to Mr. Darcy.

"Mr. Darcy I apologize for my sisters behavior."

"You do not need to apologize for their behavior Miss Bennet. It is they

who should do so."

"You are quite right." Elizabeth turned to her two sisters, who, under

Elizabeth's glare, quickly gave an apology and then left the room.

"Miss Bennet," Darcy addressed Elizabeth. "I would like to introduce you

to my sister, Georgiana."

Elizabeth curtsied and Miss Darcy returned it. "Please seat yourselves.

I will have tea brought in. We did not expect visitors on such a rainy day."

"We just could not wait for the weather to change to come for a visit,"

responded Mr. Darcy as he sat on a sofa near where Elizabeth stood. Miss

Darcy sat herself next to her brother. She was feeling shy after such an

outburst of chaos from the Bennet sisters. She was also surprised by her

brother's easy manner. She concluded that it was Miss Elizabeth's

presence that made him this way.

Elizabeth left the room to order tea. While she was gone, Jane made

inquiries about the rest of the Netherfield party. Darcy saw that she

really only wanted to know about Bingley and answered thus:

"Mr. Bingley has not been himself these past few days, quite restless in

fact. I believe that not being able to call upon others due to the

weather has caused him to be in a rather irritating mood."

Jane, of course, understood what Mr. Darcy meant. She smiled at him and

responded, "I hope he has not been as bad as that."

Just then Elizabeth returned to the room, with a maid following with

tea. Elizabeth sat in a chair near Darcy, while Jane went about the

business of serving tea to their guests and themselves. During tea they

talked of the weather, the ball, and asked Miss Darcy questions about

herself. This led to the topic of music, which was the only part of the

conversation that Mary attended to. During the entire visit there was no

opportunity for Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth to have a private conversation.

Darcy had planned to propose to Elizabeth before the ball so that they

might announce it there. Now he would have to wait until the ball to ask

her. It would perhaps be possible for him to ask her father's permission

and still be able to announce the engagement during the ball. As the

Darcy's travelled back to Netherfield in their carriage, Mr. Darcy came

up with several different scenarios for how this could be accomplished.

He hoped that one of them would come to fruition.

~&~

Mr. Wickham was not having a good week. He had just lost a hundred

pounds playing piquet with Lady Catherine today and two hundred yesterday.

Due to Lady Catherine's request for a slow pace her carriage had stopped

at an inn on the way to Hertfordshire. When they awoke the next morning

to rain she decided it was best not to travel. It was now two days later

and the rain had not diminished, so Mr. Wickham was left with the duty

of entertaining Lady Catherine in the shared parlor during their

prolonged stay at the inn. He did not like it at all.

Finally on the fourth day the rain had stopped and the weather had

turned into a warm autumn day. Perfect weather for travelling. It was

slow going due to the mud, but they finally made it to Hertfordshire and

arrived at Netherfield by nightfall.

They were somewhat surprised when arriving at Netherfield to see many

carriages were lined up to let out their occupants. There seemed to be a

large party at Netherfield this night.

They waited for some time for their carriage to reach the front doors of

Netherfield where a footman opened their door and handed Lady Catherine

from the carriage. Mr. Wickham descended from the carriage without

assistance, he was very eager to stretch his legs. As he was doing so,

Mr. Denny approached him.

"Lord, Wickham what have you been about? Disappearing and returning in a

regal carriage. Where did you go? Colonel Forster is not too happy. You

had best not let him see you."

"Denny, I have had a ghastly time. I was stuck entertaining Lady

Catherine de Bourgh at an inn these past few days. We were unable to

travel due to the rain."

"Why ever were you with Lady Catherine?"

"Mr. Darcy is her nephew. I had informed her of his impending nuptials.

She paid me a fine price to escort her to Hertfordshire so that she may

visit with her nephew."

"Mr. Darcy's aunt? Why ever would you inform her of his betrothal?"

"Because he is betrothed to Lady Catherine's daughter."

"A fitting revenge then?"

"Very fitting. He ended my betrothal to his sister and I will end his

betrothal to Miss Bennet."

"All is fair in love and war."

Lady Catherine then called upon Wickham to escort her into the house. He

complied and let her hold his arm as they walked up the steps. Upon

entering the house they found a receiving line and made their way

towards it. When they reached Mrs. Hurst she was quite surprised to see

two people she did not recognize.

"Mrs. Hurst I am Mr. Wickham from the Militia. This is Lady Catherine de

Bourgh."

Upon hearing this Miss Bingley turned towards her, forgetting to welcome

the Lucases. "Lady Catherine! It is such a surprise to see you here. I

had not expected you to travel all this way. I am Miss Bingley and this

here is my sister Mrs. Hurst."

"Where is my nephew?" Lady Catherine commanded. "Where is Mr. Darcy?"

"Aunt Catherine!" exclaimed a surprised voice. "What are you doing here?"

Chapter Thirteeen

Darcy paced the entrance of the Netherfield ballroom. He was eagerly

anticipating Elizabeth’s arrival. Bingley and his sisters were greeting the

arriving guests, with Miss Bingley constantly looking Darcy’s way. He did not

notice this but Miss Darcy did. She was standing near her brother, trying her

best to calm him.

“Why are you so nervous Fitzwilliam?”

“I am not nervous.”

“You are. Do you fear Miss Bennet will decline your proposal?”

“Yes. No.” He stopped and turned to glare at his sister. “What makes you

think I plan to propose tonight?”

“Why else would you be pacing the floor? I know you love her very much. She

also loves you. I do not believe you have anything to fear.”

“I thought I would never have to see the day when I would need my little

sister’s support. Thank you Georgiana.” He pressed his sister’s hand and

smiled at her. “You must reserve me a dance.”

“Dance? I am not out yet.”

“I believe you can be allowed one dance with your brother.”

“Thank you Fitzwilliam.”

At that moment there was a loud commotion as the Bennet family arrived. Mr.

Darcy immediately looked for Elizabeth and found her. He took her hand, bowed

over it and kissed it.

“Miss Bennet, may I have the pleasure of the first dance?”

“Of course,” she smiled.

He led her to the floor as the first set of the evening was beginning.

“Miss Bennet, you look very beautiful this evening,” Darcy said as they

danced.

“Thank you, Mr. Darcy.”

Of course this was not what Darcy wished to talked about but he could hardly ask

for her hand whilst they danced. Instead he waited until the set was done and

asked her to join him on a stroll about the room. As they reached the door to a

hallway which Darcy was to lead her out, Mr. Bennet came upon them.

“Lizzy, I believe you mother wishes to speak to you on some urgent

business,” Mr. Bennet said. He glared at Darcy as he did so.

“Mr. Darcy if you will excuse me, I should go find my mother,” Elizabeth

spoke to Darcy.

“Yes, of course.” Darcy bowed over her hand and then watched her go. He was

about to continue on to find his sister when Mr. Bennet spoke up.

“I wish to speak to you Mr. Darcy. I believe there is a place where we can

find some privacy?”

“Mr. Bingley’s study is just across the hall.”

Darcy led Mr. Bennet across the hall to the study. A fire was lit as if they

were expected. Darcy did not wish for Elizabeth to be cold while he proposed,

but that was now all delayed.

“Mr. Darcy I believe you know the reason why I wish to speak to you.”

“I do not, sir.”

“You do not? It has to do with the way you are treating my daughter. You are

publicly compromising her with your stares and indecent holding of hands. I will

not have it! I do not wish to see you any where near my daughter for the rest of

your stay in Hertfordshire. You will leave her alone.”

“Mr. Bennet, I love your daughter. I planned on asking for her hand this very

evening-“

“You will not! Do you think I would allow you to marry her? You are lucky that

I allowed you to court her. The courtship is over. Go find some other lady you

can trifle with.”

“I was not trifling with Miss Elizabeth. I am quite serious about my

intentions.”

“It does not matter. My daughter deserves better than you. I understand how

the London ton can be. You probably have a mistress. I will not allow my

daughter to be used to breed heirs. She will be married for who she is.”

“By marrying Elizabeth I will be going expressly against the wishes of my

family and friends and, I hardly need that, my own better judgment. The relative

situation of our families is such that any alliance between us must be regarded

as a highly reprehensible connection. The lack of a dowry of significant would

be degradation to my status as a man of prestige and wealth. Almost from the

earliest moments of our acquaintance I have come to feel for your daughter a

passionate admiration and regard. Elizabeth is no lady to purely beget heirs; I

would not wish to marry her if that were the case. The only reason I can

understand is that my love for her can, despite all my struggles, overcome my

rational thoughts. That she is much more than a lady to give me children, but a

lady to live with and to share my life with. You may not understand this since

your own marriage intolerable to you. Elizabeth is anything but intolerable. And

I will have her as my wife no matter what you have to say on the matter.”

By the time Darcy finished his speak Mr. Bennet was fuming. “How dare you talk

of my daughter as if she is beneath you! I should tell her what you had to say

on the subject.” With that Mr. Bennet left the room.

“What did I just do?”

<center>~&~</center>

Elizabeth was also having a bad evening. Her mother did wish to speak to her…

on the subject on how to catch Mr. Darcy as her husband.

“You must go to the conservatory with Mr. Darcy. There you will allow him some

liberties. A kiss. Yes that will do nicely. I will arrive there in fifteen

minutes and catch him compromising you. Then he will have to marry you.”

Elizabeth just sighed heavily and walked away. She went looking for Darcy, but

could not find him. Instead she ended up dancing a set with Mr. Denney. As the

set came to an end, her father came to her and pulled her aside.

“Lizzy, you will have nothing more to do with Mr. Darcy.”

“Papa! Mr. Darcy is courting me. I cannot just ignore him.”

“Your courtship is over. I have already spoken to him on the matter. If you

knew what he truly thinks of you then you would have ended it on your own.”

“What do you mean?”

“He doesn’t think very highly of your family. He believes that the match is

reprehensible.”

“Reprehensible?”

“Those were his words. You will stay away from him.” Mr. Bennet then

continued on to find some amusement in the card room.

Elizabeth was not sure what to do or think. <i>Does Fitzwilliam truly believe a

match between us is reprehensible?</i> She continued on her search for Mr.

Darcy to ask him herself.

<center>~&~</center>

“Fitzwilliam.” Darcy was stopped by his sister calling his name as he

reentered the ballroom.

“What is it Georgiana?”

“I must speak to you.”

“What?”

“In private.”

Darcy led her into the study in which he had just vacated. He sat down and

watched his sister pace as she tried to find her words. “Georgiana?”

“You cannot marry Miss Bennet.”

“What? Why? Do you not like her?”

“She is pleasant enough. But she plans on catching you into a marriage through

deceit.”

“What do you mean?”

“I over heard her talking to her mother. They were planning on having you

caught compromising her and being forced into marriage.”

“But I wish to marry her. There would be no forcing.”

“But everyone we know will believe otherwise. Do you wish to be known as a man

forced into marriage because you compromised an innocent?”

“Georgiana, what do you know of such matters.”

“I’m not as innocent as you think. Not anymore. I do not wish to be caught

by some gentleman again.”

“Are you sure Miss Bennet is part of the planning?”

“I heard her mother tell her to take you to the conservatory. She is to give

you the liberty to kiss her. He mother will then arrive to catch you and force

you into marriage.”

“And what did Elizabeth say about these plans?”

“She said nothing. She just went looking for you.”

“I will not believe Miss Bennet is a part of this planning. I will go find her

and ask her myself.” Darcy left the room to go looking for Elizabeth. He found

her talking to Jane.

“Miss Bennet, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Elizabeth hesitated before answering. “Yes.”

Darcy was leading her towards the study when he realized that Georgiana might

still be there and that Mr. Bennet might find them. “We cannot go to the

study. We must find some other location.”

“What about the conservatory?” Elizabeth suggested. “It’s at the back of

the house. No one will disturb us there.”

Darcy hesitated. “Yes.”

They walked down the hall towards the back of the house. They entered the

conservatory where fall flowers were still in bloom. Darcy led Elizabeth to the

very far end of the conservatory where they couldn’t be seen from the door.

“Why do you believe,” Darcy started, “that you must capture me in

compromise to get me to marry you?”

“What?” Elizabeth exclaimed. “I would do no such thing. I would not wish

to marry a man who thinks my family connections are reprehensible. To think I

enjoyed your company. You are just as arrogant as the rest of the ton!”

“If you were not planning to capture me into marrying you then why did you

have me join you in the conservatory?”

“If you remember correctly you asked me to join you, not the other way around.

I was just suggesting a place where we might have some privacy.”

“And what of your mother? We will not have privacy once she arrives.”

“Why would my mother come to the conservatory?”

“To catch me compromising you.”

There was a rustle of sound from the door. “Where could that girl have gotten

herself,” asked the voice of Mrs. Bennet. She finally appeared around a potted

plant. “What is going on here? Mr. Darcy alone with my daughter? This is not

done. You have compromised my daughter Mr. Darcy. You must marry her.”

“No!” exclaimed both Darcy and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth ran out of the conservatory with Mr. Darcy following at a distance.

“Well that did not go as planned. When will Lizzy start listening to my

instructions?”

<center>~&~</center>

Georgiana Darcy stood off to the side of the ball room wondering where her

brother and Miss Elizabeth had disappeared to. She had a feeling of where they

might be and hoped she was wrong.

She heard a familiar voice in the entry hall where the Bingley's were still

greeting guests. She at first could not place the voice until it got louder.

"Where is my nephew? Where is Mr. Darcy?"

<i>Aunt Catherine!</i> She walked into the hall and she had been correct. Lady

Catherine was standing there, all eyes on her.

"Aunt Catherine!" exclaimed Georgiana. "What are you doing here?"

Georgiana started forward and then that was when she saw Mr. Wickham. She froze,

and turned deathly pale. Lady Catherine did not seem to notice her condition and

directed her inquiry to her niece.

"Georgiana, what are you doing here? Where is your brother?"

Georgiana tore her eyes from Wickham and looked at her aunt. "Fitzwilliam is in

the ballroom," she lied and hoped that Darcy would appear soon.

Without a word, Lady Catherine entered the ballroom and scanned the crowd.

"I do not see him Georgiana. Where did you last see him?"

"He was dancing. He may have gone for refreshments in the adjoining room."

Lady Catherine cut a path through the ballroom with Georgiana and Wickham in

tow. She looked into the adjoining room where guests were partaking of Champaign

or lemonade.

"He is not here. We will search every room if necessary."

As Lady Catherine was about to go through the door leading to the hall she was

blocked by Miss Bennet and not far behind her Mr. Darcy.

“I will speak to you Darcy,” Lady Catherine spoke over Elizabeth. “Tell

me, are you engaged to Miss Bennet? For I hope not. She is beneath you. She

could bring nothing to a marriage. She has no money. No connections. You owe it

to your family to marry well and not some country bumpkin. Do you forget that

you are already engaged to my daughter?” There were gasps from the guests who

were close enough to over hear Lady Catherine’s bellowing voice.

“I have not forgotten, Lady Catherine,” Darcy spoke clearly, “that you

wish for me to marry your daughter. I have never made any promise or suggested

that I would do so. I have never wished to marry Miss de Bourgh. I am also not

engaged to Miss Bennet, but I will not tolerate you speaking ill of her. I do

not care if Miss Bennet has any money nor connections. She would bring

intelligence and liveliness to a marriage, which both are very important to me.

More important than any wealth.”

“Intelligence and <i>liveliness</i> will not feed nor cloth you.”

“You are correct. It is very fortunate that I have my own wealth which is more

than sufficient to provide for a family without need of any dowry. If I chose to

marry Miss Bennet it is none of your concern.”

“Miss Bennet,” Elizabeth spoke, “would not marry Mr. Darcy if he were the

last man on earth.” She pushed past Lady Catherine and headed towards her

sister and Mr. Bingley.

“Well now that that is settled,” Lady Catherine continued, “you can

explain to me why Miss Darcy is at a ball.”

Chapter Fourteen

Elizabeth Bennet was not happy. <i>What was I thinking? Fitzwilliam

loves me. He has not said so but I believe he would have if I had

not gone on the defense. He had every right to question me. Although

he should have never had doubted my attentions towards him. I would

guess that a man with a great wealth would have to be careful. So

when he heard what my mother said… He had to ask whether he truly

though it of me or not. I should ask him if he truly thinks I would

capture him in marriage and if he really thinks a match between us

as reprehensible. Why had I not asked him at the Netherfield ball?

</i>

She became frustrated with her thoughts. She finally wrote a letter

to Mr. Darcy and had decided to deliver it herself to Netherfield.

As she came downstairs with her bonnet and gloves in hand she heard

a gasp from the sitting room. She entered the room to see Jane

holding a letter and looking rather out of sorts.

"What is it Jane?" Elizabeth sat beside her sister.

"This is from Caroline Bingley," Jane held up her letter,

"what it

contains, has surprised me a good deal. The whole party has left

Netherfield by this time, and are on their way to town; and without

any intention of coming back again. You should hear what she says.

She writes that their having just resolved to follow Mr. Bingley to

town directly, and that they mean to dine today in Grosvenor street,

where Mr. Hurst has a house. Here you must read this."

Elizabeth took the letter from her sister and read the passage she

had pointed out. It read:

<blockquote><i>When my brother left us yesterday, he imagined that

business which took him to London, might be concluded in three or

four days, but as we are certain it cannot be so, and at the same

time convinced that when Charles gets to town, he will be in no

hurry to leave it again, we have determined on following him

thither, than he may not be obliged to spend his vacant hours in a

comfortless hotel. Many of my acquaintance are already there for the

winter; I wish I could hear that you, my dearest friend, had any

intention of making one in the crowd, but of that I despair. I

sincerely hope your Christmas in Hertfordshire may abound in the

gaieties which that season generally brings, and that your beaux

will be so numerous as to prevent your feeling the loss of the

three, of whom we shall deprive you.

I do not pretend to regret any thing I shall leave in Hertfordshire,

except your society, my dearest friend; but we will hope at some

period, to enjoy many returns of the delightful intercourse we have

known, and in the mean while may lessen the pain of separation by a

very frequent and most unreserved correspondence. I depend on you

for that.

Mr. Darcy is impatient to get to town, where his sister may return

to her studies. She is very near of age and we are all eager to see

her well settled in marriage in the years to come. She inspires

affection in Louisa and myself, that is heightened into something

still more interesting, from the hope we dare to entertain of her

being hereafter our sister. I do not know whether I ever mentioned

to you my feelings on this subject, but I will not leave the country

without confiding them, and I trust you will not esteem them

unreasonable. My brother admires her greatly already, he will have

frequent opportunity now of seeing her on most intimate footing, her

relations all wish the connection as much as his own, and a

sister's

partiality is not misleading me, I think, when I call Charles most

capable of engaging any woman's heart. With all these

circumstances

to favor an attachment and nothing to prevent it, am I wrong, my

dearest Jane, in indulging the hope of an event which will secure

the happiness of so many?</i></blockquote>

Elizabeth was shocked. <i>Fitzwilliam has left for London and is

never to return. He does not wish to marry me.</i> It was several

moments before Jane interrupted her sister's depressing thoughts.

"It is evident by this that he comes back no more this

winter."

Elizabeth scolded herself for being so selfish and not considering

her sister's own feelings. "It is only evident that Miss

Bingley

does not mean he <i>should</i>. Why should he not return?"

"I can think of no reason. It must be his own doing.—He is

his own

master. It does not signify. Is not Miss Bingley clear

enough?—Does

it not expressly declare that she neither expects nor wishes me to

be her sister; that she is perfectly convinced of her brother's

indifference, and that if she suspects the nature of my feelings for

him, she means (most kindly!) to put me on my guard? Can there be

any other opinion on the subject?"

"Most willingly." Elizabeth was overcome with doubt, "Oh,

Jane, I

had thought that Mr. Bingley had a deep affection for you. No one

who has ever seen you together could doubt his affections, but you

may be right; although I would not trust Miss Bingley's

friendship.

She has her own ambitions for herself and her brother.

"I believe that I may have misread Mr. Bingley's attentions.

That he

is not to return to Hertfordshire and that his attentions are

towards Miss Darcy."

"I believe you would make Mr. Bingley a much better wife than

Miss

Darcy. I mean no slight to her but she is very timid which would not

do well for such a lively man."

"And what of you Lizzy? I thought for sure that Mr. Darcy would

ask

for your hand at the Netherfield ball. What happened?

"Mama and papa are what happened. It all started with papa asking

to

speak with him. From what I gathered from papa, later, is that the

conversation did not go well and that papa refused permission to ask

for my hand. Mr. Darcy had told him that he had thought our match

reprehensible. That was when I let my pride guide me. I thought the

worse of Mr. Darcy. But now… Now I believe he had every reason to

think so. Our match would not be good for him.

"Later Mr. Darcy had somehow heard of what mama had spoken to me

about. She had told me that I must let him compromise me so that he

would be forced to marry me. She had it all arranged. I was to take

him to the conservatory and let him have liberties."

"No! Mama did not…"

"She did. I left her side shortly and then made my gravest

mistake.

Mr. Darcy had wished to speak to me in private and I unthinkingly

suggested the conservatory. Needless to say our conversation was not

pleasant. We both jumped to conclusions, but I did so without any

evidence and Mr. Darcy had every right to think that I was trying to

trap him into marriage. To make matters worse, Lady Catherine

arrived and pointed out all the reasons Mr. Darcy <i>must</i> not

marry me. Again I let my pride blind me. I wish I had never run away

from him. Now he has every reason to think the worse of me!"

"Oh, Lizzy, it can not be so bad. Maybe you are right and Mr.

Bingley will return. Then would not Mr. Darcy also return?"

"I am not so sure. He may wish to be as far away from me as he

possibly can."

~&~

Fitzwilliam Darcy paced his study. He had been doing so for several

hours. He could not get Elizabeth Bennet out of his thoughts. <i>Why

did she do it? Why did she want to force me into marriage? I was

going to ask for her hand that night, but now… now I will never

see

her again. She hates me. SHE HATES ME!</i>

He had followed Bingley to London, hoping to recover from such a

blow as having his dear Elizabeth run away from him. It had been a

long drive to the city. It had been rather cold but he had chosen to

ride his horse rather than ride in the Hurst carriage. He could

stand the cold more than he could stand Miss Bingley's advances.

He still felt cold. He had bathed in hot water and was now dressed

in his warmest clothes, but he still felt cold… <i>and empty.

Yes.

Cold and empty; and it is Miss Elizabeth Bennet's doing. Why was

she

trying to force me into marriage? Why does she hate me for accusing

her of doing so, unless… she really was not trying to trap me.

What

if she does not share the same mind-set as her mother? Then I made a

grave mistake.</i>

Darcy stopped his pacing and raced towards the door. He stopped as

he turned the door knob. "What am I going to do? Show up at

Longbourn and ask Elizabeth to marry me? She hates me; she probably

wants nothing to do with me."

Darcy went to his desk and slumped into his chair, resting his head

on his desk. "I will never be married to Elizabeth Bennet."

~&~

"I'm sorry Charles," Darcy spoke to his friend, "but

I will not be

returning to Netherfield. I cannot."

"Why not Darcy?" Charles asked. "You seemed to enjoy your

stay

there, especially in Miss Elizabeth's company."

Darcy had gone to Charles house to tell him of his intentions of

going to Derbyshire for Christmas.

"I am no longer courting Miss Elizabeth. She broke it off. She

very

well hates me and would not wish to see me. I cannot stand being in

the same country as her and not seeing her."

"Darcy, I had not realized you were so well in love with her."

"I had planned to ask for her hand, but now that will never

happen.

I intend on spending Christmas at Pemberley. Will you not join me

and Georgiana for the holidays?"

"I had planned on returning to Netherfield, but both Caroline and

Louisa have refused to join me. Now it seems I would be returning

alone. I think I would better wait until after the holidays to go to

Netherfield and best take you up on your offer."

"We will be very glad to have you."

to be continued...

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