Beginning, Part Two, Section III, Next Section

Chapter 13

Posted on November 5, 2009

Emboldened by her full night's sleep, Elizabeth arose the next day and, after breaking her fast with her father, left the house for a walk, determined to make the most of the beautiful day and her improved mood. She was quite happily engrossed in her surroundings and so did not notice the rider arriving at the house, or his subsequent actions as he dismounted and followed after her.

Darcy had come on behalf of Bingley who had, in a fit of romantic nonsense, convinced Georgiana to help him host a picnic at Netherfield. Darcy had been charged with inviting the Casterton's as Bingley had gone himself to Longbourn to invite his "angel". Darcy was happy to carry out the request and had ridden over to Willoughby just after breakfast. Riding up the driving he had spotted Elizabeth walking and had smiled to himself, pleased to see her venturing out alone. He had been disappointed at the lack of opportunity he had had to speak to her at the dinner and decided to greet her now; he left Toby with a groom and followed the path Elizabeth had taken.

Elizabeth was so busy daydreaming that she did not realise that she was being followed until he was but a few feet behind her. Suddenly hearing his resolute step she jumped, spinning around and letting out an involuntary scream on perceiving him standing there. Her reaction greatly disconcerted him and he started and paled, quickly coming forward. Elizabeth, who had turned white with fear, looked at him with wide eyes and attempted to regain her composure now that she had realised who it was that had followed her; despite her best efforts, a few tears still escaped.

"Miss Casterton," Darcy murmured in anguish. "Please forgive me; I was not thinking."

"You startled me, that's all," Elizabeth replied, trying to wipe away her tears with a shaky hand.

"I have frightened you," Darcy countered gently, looking regretful, stepping closer; so close that the front of his coat almost brushed against the front of her dress. "Forgive me."

"I forgive you," Elizabeth assured him; she looked up into his eyes and caught her breath when he reached out, using his thumb to tenderly wipe away her tears.

"Thank you," she whispered, her heart pounding; could he hear it?

"You are welcome," Darcy replied just as quietly. He reluctantly lowered his hand and asked, "You are well?"

"Yes, I am now," Elizabeth replied before blushing at what she had just said.

"Really?" Darcy pressed, unconvinced. He watched as she opened her mouth to reply before shutting in again, her bottom lip trembling in a telltale way.

"No," Elizabeth finally admitted brokenly; the tears began to fall unabated and she attempted to turn away but was prevented by his gentle but determined hold upon her as he grasped her arms and drew her towards him.

Darcy, who had thrown caution to the wind, pulled her up against his chest, tucking her head under his chin and wrapping his around her shoulders in a tender embrace. He could initially feel her tension at being held thus by him, but after a few moments she relaxed into him, her entire being softening. Her hands came up, one grasping his coat lapel as the other innocently slipped inside, her palm resting on the material of his waistcoat, just above his heart. She can probably feel it pounding, Darcy thought absently. He was equally as conscious of where his own hands were and could feel her shaking as her tears began to soak into his clothing. He was greatly affected by her anguish and did his best to console her, rubbing her back in soothing motions and mumbling comforting phrases into her hair. He felt himself a cad, but as he held her he could not deny that he was almost as affected by the feel of her in his arms as he was by her tears. By the rightness of holding her. She fit against him perfectly and for the life of him he did not want to let her go. Fortunately for him, she did not seem inclined to go anywhere.

Neither was sure how long they stood thus engaged, but eventually Darcy realised that Elizabeth was no longer crying; she gave the occasional hiccupy sniffle but seemed content to simply rest in his arms. When she rubbed her cheek against his chest in a tender and trusting manner, Darcy thought his heart would burst.

"Elizabeth."

It was almost an involuntary reaction and Darcy was hardly aware of what he had said. He had whispered her name so quietly though that Elizabeth almost hadn't heard him; but she had. Raising her head she looked up at his face (so close to hers!) and into his eyes, noticing for the first time all the different shades of blue, her reasons for tears suddenly completely forgotten. She took a shaky breath as his eyes held her captive and the warmth of his hands on her back made her tingle from head to toe; when his eyes slowly slid down over her face, resting on her lips, Elizabeth was sure her heart stopped. And when he began to lower his head towards her she was immensely grateful for his sure hold upon her. Her heart fluttering like a frightened thing, she tried to decide whether she wished for him to kiss her, doing nothing to stop him.

Darcy only realised what he was about to do at the last moment and, though he dearly wished to follow through on his desire, he held himself back. This was not how it was supposed to happen; he was not a man to take such liberties and knew that with Elizabeth especially he had to show her the utmost respect. And that did not include kissing her in her father's garden. His lips hovered mere inches from hers for an impossibly long moment until he eventually summoned the willpower to pull himself away.

Elizabeth watched him straighten with a profound feeling of regret that left her confused and awkward. She averted her eyes and mutely attempted to move away, surprised when he only let her go so far as to capture both of her hands with his. When he reached up and once again wiped away the traces of her tears, his hands cupping her face in a touch that was so soft it was almost reverential, she was surprised that she did not feel embarrassed, struck by how right it felt. She felt safe with him; protected. Loved. The way she imagined a woman should feel when in the arms of a man, as different from the comfortable familiarity of her father's embrace as could be imagined.

"Better now?" Darcy asked tenderly, breaking into her thoughts.

"A little," Elizabeth admitted. She smiled and attempted to joke, "I must look a fright."

"Well," Darcy pretended to consider her for a moment, "besides your puffy eyes and red cheeks, I would say that you look remarkably well."

He was pleased when Elizabeth chuckled at his tease, her eyes dancing as she admonished, "It is most uncharitable to mention such things."

"You brought it up," Darcy retorted with a grin; he laughed when she looked indignant for a moment before eventually smiling as well.

"I am sorry you had to witness that," Elizabeth breathed after a moment, frowning delicately. "I am not entirely sure what happened but I never intended to so totally lose my composure."

"But do you feel better for having done so?" Darcy questioned, believing he knew the answer.

"I do," Elizabeth admitted with a weak smile.

"Then I am glad of it," Darcy replied before frowning darkly as he added, "though I wish you did not have occasion for tears; he has no right to such power over you."

"I feel like I cannot escape him," Elizabeth whispered, surprising her companion.

She looked so miserable that Darcy seriously considered pulling her into his arms again. He settled instead, reluctantly, for stroking his thumb over the back of her hand, silently encouraging her to confide in him.

"He is always there; at night, during the day, in my sleep, here right now."

"Right now?" Darcy repeated with dismay.

"Well," Elizabeth amended with a shy smile. "Perhaps not right now. But when you first came upon me, I thought you were him. And before that, as I was walking, I kept seeing him in my mind." She looked both upset and angry as she concluded, "He is everywhere and I hate it!"

Darcy was thoughtful for a moment after her revelation before quietly asking, "So, is he here now, with us?"

"No," Elizabeth assured him.

"So he does not trouble you when in company?"

"Rarely," Elizabeth agreed, silently adding, and never in your company.

"Then," Darcy suggested, "allow me to accompany you now." He offered her his arm. "Let us walk together and see if we can banish his memory."

Elizabeth hesitated for a moment before accepting his suggestion and taking his arm. "Where do you suggest we walk?"

"Are there any places which you particularly enjoy and would like to visit again?" Darcy asked sensibly; Elizabeth beamed at his sensitivity as she replied,

"I do have a few favourite places that I have long since wished to return to."

"Then lead on, madam," Darcy teased with a flourish. He suddenly became shy as he added, "That is, only if you are comfortable with me accompanying you?"

"I would happily share them with you," Elizabeth assured him with a welcoming smile, her own shyness diminishing in light of his. She smiling encouragingly at him and was pleased when he smiled in turn and the set off together, arm in arm.

"So tell me," Darcy inquired after some minutes of quiet companionship. "Where are you leading me first?"

"Not astray," Elizabeth quipped, "never fear."

"Pity," Darcy replied with an impish gleam in his eye.

Elizabeth looked at him in surprise and he smiled, arching a brow at her. She silently accepted his challenge and resolved to enjoy his company and focus on her charming companion rather than any memories that tried to intrude.

"So," he prodded again. "We are going...where?"

"I am not inclined to tell you," Elizabeth replied pertly. "You shall just have to wait and see."

"Hmmm," Darcy pretended to look disapproving. "Not astray indeed."

Elizabeth laughed and remarked, "You sound just like papa."

Darcy smiled and replied, "I shall take that a compliment."

"Do you really see it as such?" Elizabeth asked suddenly, utterly serious.

Darcy halted their progress and turned to face her as he replied, "I do. Your father has impressed me from the very first as a fine gentleman and I enjoyed the time we spent together. Unfortunately I was too stupid then to realise that his value far outweighed society's opinion of your family and let my mistaken notions get in the way of our friendship. I was made to realise the error of my ways, however," he added with a meaningful look, "and I feel fortunate and honoured to count him amongst my friends. And his lovely daughter as well," he added gallantly; he smiled when Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him although she did thank him for his words about her father.

"Truly, Miss Casterton," he added once they had resumed their walk. "I mean what I say; and I hope that you will soon see the truth of my words."

"I hope so too," Elizabeth replied truthfully. She looked troubled and so Darcy quietly asked,

"What is it?"

Elizabeth sighed and took a moment to put her thoughts into order. "It is...difficult for me to trust you," she admitted finally. She glanced up and caught his hurt expression and tried to explain. "I have spent most of my life having to cope with the opprobrium of those around me and I daresay I do it quite well. But when you arrived here last autumn...I had never before been so decidedly dropped by anyone, and it hurt."

Darcy instinctively knew how much it had taken for her to make that confession and his voice was filled with remorse as he replied,

"I am so sorry. I have so many regrets from that time, but never more so than when I think of the way I treated you. You deserved so much better; I am sorry I did not realise it at the time."

Elizabeth nodded, her eyes downcast. They were silent for a long moment until she eventually said,

"I believe that you have since changed and I am glad of it; but until I can see for myself that you respect me and my father as much as you claim, I will still have my doubts."

"I know," Darcy breathed, and he really did. "You have said before that you need time; and I believe I have said before that I will wait for as long as it takes."

A part of her sincerely wished to ask him why he was so determined to change her opinion of him but she shied away from the question, not wishing for the additional pressure his reply would (she imagined) necessarily put upon her to resolve the question of her own feelings.

"I've neglected to mention why I called this morning, haven't I?" Darcy commented after some minutes of silence.

"You have," Elizabeth agreed, following his lead. "How very remiss of you."

"Charles is hosting a picnic," Darcy revealed with a long suffering expression.

"Oh really?" Elizabeth replied, charmed by the idea. "What brought this on?"

"I have not got the faintest idea, I assure you," Darcy grumbled. "It appeared to simply come to him one evening and my sister, for some unfathomable reason, decided that it was a wonderful idea. That was all the encouragement he needed."

"I take it," Elizabeth replied, restraining a laugh. "That you do not enjoy picnics."

"How can one enjoy lounging around on the floor in the scorching hot sun, attempting to consume one's lunch?"

"Well, when you put it like that..." she shot a sideways glance at him and he frowned at her obvious amusement.

"I suppose you enjoy them," he surmised; in truth it was becoming hard not to laugh, her playfulness was infectious.

"They can be a very agreeable way to spend the afternoon. When the sun if not too scorching, naturally, nor the food too runny or crumbly. That can quite ruin the entire affair."

"I sense you are mocking me," Darcy replied.

"Maybe a little," Elizabeth agreed disarmingly. They shared a laugh before she added, "I am sure it will be delightful though. Who else is invited?"

"Just the Bennet's," Darcy revealed, smiling at Elizabeth's look of comprehension.

"Is there a special occasion for this picnic?" She inquired and Darcy chuckled at her tactful avoidance of asking an explicit question.

"For you and I, I fear not," he replied with a twitch of his lips. "Though I cannot say the same for all of those invited."

Elizabeth caught his intimation and her entire face lit up with joyous anticipation on behalf of her friend. "Oh, how wonderful!" She laughed and then admitted, "I almost wish you had not told me that; I will have to bite my tongue next time I see Jane. Fortunately for you I am good at keeping secrets."

"That is a relief," Darcy replied; "I am not sure Charles would appreciate Miss Bennet being prepared in advance for what he intends to ask her."

He was greatly surprised when Elizabeth gave his arm an affectionate and excited squeeze and exclaimed, "Is it not wonderful? I am so happy for them."

"As am I," Darcy agreed with genuine and sincere warmth. "And I am sure they will both be very happy with their unconventional marriage."

Elizabeth smiled at the allusion to their past conversation.

They had been walking steadily throughout their conversation and it was only when Darcy glanced behind them that he realised how far they had come; the house was no longer in sight and the more manicured gardens had given way to much more natural meadows and the occasional copse of tall trees. Elizabeth led him along a path which he would have missed had he been out walking alone and they entered into the shade of the trees. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden change in light and he smiled with delight when he eventually perceived their surroundings.

"I have loved this place since I was a child," Elizabeth confided in a hushed voice which seemed appropriate given their setting. The stillness and calm was remarkably soothing; Darcy felt as though they were completely alone in the world. "I always found it somewhat magical. I could easily imagine fairies living here."

Darcy smiled tenderly at her confession, picturing in his mind how she might have appeared as a girl. She, like him, had been an only child growing up and he felt that he could understand her more because of it.

"It is very peaceful here," Darcy replied eventually as they slowly followed the overgrown path. "There is a similar place at Pemberley where I often ventured as a boy."

"Alone?" Elizabeth queried, looking up at him.

"Most of the time," he replied. "A little solitude is nice, sometimes."

Elizabeth nodded her agreement, thinking of how often she had run here to escape the presence of those in the house. Or rather, the presence of one particular person.

"It was my secret place for many years until I eventually shared it with my father and Jane. And Alex too," she added with a smile.

"Alex?" Darcy repeated.

"Yes," Elizabeth blushed and explained. "I should not call him that now, but he has always been Alex to me. He is the son of my father's friend, the Duke of Felmore."

"Felmore?" Darcy repeated again, his surprise evident.

"Yes, do you know him?" Elizabeth asked, noticing his reaction.

"A little," Darcy admitted slowly. "My Uncle, the Earl of Matlock...they are neighbours in town."

"The Matlock's are your aunt and uncle?" Elizabeth asked. She laughed as she realised, "Of course, Colonel Fitzwilliam. I should have realised but I had forgotten their surname; it has been many years since I have visited his Grace."

"You know my aunt and uncle?" Darcy queried, stunned by this development.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I have never personally met them, though I have heard of them before now. Is it not strange to think," she added with a smile, "that we could have been introduced before now and never realised it?"

"Yes," Darcy breathed, more diverted by the realisation that the Casterton's were an apparently intimate acquaintance of the Fraiser family whilst the Fitzwilliam's had tried repeatedly, with only limited success, to gain entrance into his Grace's inner circle.

Realising that he had been quiet too long and that Elizabeth was looking at him oddly, he cleared his throat and asked,

"You said your father and his Grace are friends; did they attend university together?"

"They did," Elizabeth confirmed. "They have stayed friends ever since and stood up for one another at their respective weddings. His Grace is also my godfather," she added, smiling, utterly unaware of Darcy's inner amazement.

This just keeps getting better and better, he thought bemusedly. If only his Uncle were here to hear this, to know that the Casterton's had succeeded where he had failed. It would serve him right for the harsh words he had directed at the Casterton's when Darcy and he had last spoken to one another.

"Mr Darcy?" Elizabeth wondered why he was suddenly so thoughtful.

"Forgive me," he flashed a brief smile. "I must confess I am somewhat surprised to hear of your relationship with his Grace; I have not heard it mentioned before now."

"That does not surprise me," Elizabeth replied honestly. "The entire family has been on the continent for the past few years and before that..." She sighed and admitted, "and before that, my father was very reluctant to involve his friend in his own disgrace. Uncle Lewis, his grace," she added quickly when Darcy looked confused, "protested vehemently but papa was determined and greatly reduced the time our families spent together. And then they left for the continent, and we have not seen them since. That is all to change, however," she concluded brightly, "as they have returned and we are due to travel to their estate in around a month's time."

"Your father will no doubt be glad to see his friend once more," Darcy surmised with a smile.

"Oh, undoubtedly," Elizabeth agreed. "And I cannot wait to see Alex again; besides Jane, he was my closest friend when I was growing up. And the rest of the family is wonderful as well; Uncle Lewis remarried when Alex was 12 and Maria is a lovely woman. They have two more children, Sophia and Frederick and I cannot wait to see how they have grown in all this time."

Darcy, who had only vaguely been listening, unsettled by the uncomfortable feeling of unease he had felt at her obvious fondness for "Alex", managed a somewhat coherent reply,

"I am sure they are equally excited at the prospect of seeing you and your father once more."

"I hope so," Elizabeth admitted with a sigh. "Though I shall have to practice my forms of address before we leave; with a duke, a duchess, a marquess, a lady and a lord all under one roof, it wouldn't do to confuse them all!"

"No," Darcy agreed, unable to help smiling at her playfulness. "I don't suppose it would."

"So, you are leaving in a month?" He queried, trying to sound nonchalant and only just succeeding.

They had come to the edge of the woods and had to step across a small trench to reach the opposite meadow. Elizabeth went first and turned back to him as she replied,

"Well, three weeks I think is more exact."

"For how long?" Darcy asked, preparing to step across, wondering if he could possibly remain at Netherfield long enough to be here when she returned. He nearly stepped in the trench when she caught him off guard and replied,

"At least until the end of the summer, but Alex has been attempting to persuade my father to stay longer, and maybe even travel to London with them at the beginning of the season."

Darcy was beginning to feel seriously worried by this point, struck by the unhappy suspicion that the Marquess had more than a friendly interest in Elizabeth. And he hadn't even seen her yet, Darcy reminded himself was a further sinking heart. The man would be a fool to not want to claim her for himself when he did. And Elizabeth certainly appeared to hold him in high regard...

"We have not yet decided however," Elizabeth went on. "It all depends on my father's health really."

"Of course," Darcy replied solemnly.

Elizabeth could not help but notice his drop in spirits and, as they continued on their walk in silence she wondered what it could mean. Was he perhaps sad that they would soon be parted? Although she felt wicked for it, she couldn't help but hope so.

"How long do you think you will stay at Netherfield?" She asked him quietly, trying not to look like she was watching him as carefully as she was.

"Our plans are not fixed," Darcy replied stiffly. "Though will we most likely return to town for the season."

"Perhaps we may see one another there," Elizabeth suggested hopefully; she blushed at her forwardness but her effort was rewarded when he looked at her warmly and quietly said,

"I would like that very much."

"As would I," she admitted shyly, averting her eyes in an attempt to hide her blush, although not before she glimpsed his happy smile. Perhaps it was the thought of their being parted that affected him so after all.

They lapsed into silence again, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, both wishing to say more and yet holding back for fear of saying too much. Eventually they realised the time and set off back in the direction of the house, chatting amiably the rest of the way back. They were happy and becoming increasingly comfortable in each other's presence, and if their glances tended to linger and their smiles held extra warmth, neither of them was of a mind to complain.

Chapter 14

Posted on November 12, 2009

"Do you love me?" Elizabeth whispered; she looked so beautiful and lovely, staring up at him with wide eyes that Darcy could not resist stroking his finger over the smooth skin of her cheek.

"Oh, Alex!"

Darcy woke with a start. He sat up quickly, his breathing heavy, his chest rising and falling in a staccato rhythm. The covers tangled around his legs were clear evidence of his disturbed sleep and he sighed heavily, running a hand through his unruly curls. Shaking his head to clear it of the last vestiges of sleep, he tossed the covers aside and climbed out of bed, pulling on a robe. Walking to the window he drew the curtains aside, realising from the dim light that it must have been nearly dawn. He stood watching in silence as the sky slowly lightened, the horizon turning a rosy pink. He willed the quiet contentment of the dawn to infuse itself into his mind but to no avail; the memory of his dream would not leave him.

I should have told her how I feel, he lamented inwardly. I should have made my intentions clearer. His desire to give her time was all well and good, but not if it came at the expense of their being no closer to an understanding by the time of her departure. He needed to tell her how he felt if only to allow her to consider it, to let her decide whether she desired anything more from him than simple friendship.

But what if she decides that friendship is all she wants. He shuddered at the thought, his mind tormenting him with the memories of her prior rejection of him. The thought of the faceless "Alex" also pained him and he realised he had been a fool to believe that he was the only man who would be interested in Elizabeth. She was everything that was lovely; why wouldn't her friend want her for himself? And to marry the eldest son of a duke! The Fraiser family was one of the most prestigious in town and very few would dare to give them the cut direct, even with a connection to the Casterton's. No, married to the Marquess Elizabeth would be quite safe from society's open scorn, safe for perhaps the first time in her life. Such an inducement would be hard indeed to disregard.

Perhaps I should just leave. It was a tentative, cowardly thought and Darcy instantly recoiled from it. Was that the sort of man he was? And did Elizabeth mean so little to him?! No, he would stay and he would fight for her until the very end, until all hope was lost. He would make her see that he loved her no matter what it took. He would earn her love and the honour of her hand and the right to spend the rest of his life devoted to her happiness. He would do it!

Pleased with himself and his firm resolution, Darcy nodded decidedly before returning to his bed, deciding that he should at least attempt to get some more sleep. It would not do for him to appear inattentive at the picnic today, not at all. It wouldn't fit in at all well with his plans.

A few miles away, Elizabeth lay awake watching the sky outside her window slowly lighten. She had woken from a vivid dream and the blush it had brought to her cheeks was only now beginning to fade. Closing her eyes she pictured again her amorous imaginings, her skin tingling as though he were really there, running his hands over her back and sides, his lips trailing hot kisses down her neck and down further into the valley between her...

Elizabeth gasped and her eyes popped open, ashamed that her imagination had once again run wild. She should not have been having such thoughts about him; she was a lady for goodness sake! She would have expected such wanton behaviour from her mother, but Elizabeth knew she was better than that.

Even as she mentally chastised herself for having such thoughts, Elizabeth couldn't quite quell the sense of warm pleasure she felt as a result of her dream. She had felt for some time that her head and her heart were at war with one another when it came to Mr Darcy, but this latest development seemed to assure victory for the latter. She could still vividly recall the feeling of being in his arms, her nervous anticipation when she thought he was going to kiss her; he had awakened something within her and, though it was somewhat disconcerting, it made Elizabeth feel womanly and confident. Her dream, she supposed, was the result of her new awareness and, though she told herself she should quell such...urges, Elizabeth blushed and admitted that she had rather enjoyed the fictitious Mr Darcy's attentions. Her knowledge of what took place between a man and a woman was perhaps unsurprisingly much more complete than most other young ladies as she had, on several occasions, inadvertently been witness to some of her mother's more amorous encounters. That being said, however, she was not entirely aware of all the ins and outs of male/female relations and her dream had resultantly been a combination of stirring clarity and innocent ambiguity. She was most intrigued.

Climbing out of bed and moving to the window seat, Elizabeth studied the view as she thought over the situation with Mr Darcy. By the time she had come to a decision the sun had come up and the house had stirred to life but considering the possible repercussions, Elizabeth felt it only right that she had taken such time to make her choice.

"Good morning miss," her maid greeted her suddenly, surprising Elizabeth from her thoughts.

"Good morning Sophie," she replied with a smile. "It looks to be a lovely day, does it not?"

"It certainly does miss," Sophie agreed. "A fine day for a picnic."

"Yes," Elizabeth replied, adding to herself, "and a fine day to begin anew."

"Would you like to dress now?" Sophie asked, already expecting an affirmative answer.

Elizabeth nodded. "I would; you must help me chose what to wear today though Sophie," she confided with a happy smile. "And we must find a way to hide these marks as best we can."

"They aren't all that noticeable now, miss," Sophie assured her kindly.

"Perhaps not," Elizabeth replied, "but I particularly wish to look my best today."

Sophie was too polite to ask, but Elizabeth could tell that she was curious and, truth be told, she was fairly bursting with the need to confide in someone. She also knew that she could rely on Sophie's discretion.

"Yes. You see I...I have spoken to you of Mr Darcy before now, have I not?"

"Yes miss," Sophie agreed. "When he was here before, and again now that he has returned."

Suddenly curious, Elizabeth asked, "Have you heard anything more of him? Do the servants speak of him?"

If she was surprised that her mistress was suddenly inclined to gossip, Sophie didn't show it.

"Well, I haven't heard much, although my brother did say that he takes very good care of his horse."

Elizabeth smiled to herself; Sophie's brother worked at the stables at Netherfield and his life began and ended with horses.

"And he is always polite apparently; often takes a moment to speak with old Mr Greaves and never makes unreasonable demands, not like..."

Sophie trailed off guiltily and Elizabeth pressed, "Not like...?"

"Mr Bingley's sisters, miss," Sophie admitted eventually. "I've heard plenty about them if you wished to hear it, though none of it very good."

"That doesn't surprise me," Elizabeth replied with a laugh. "I'm glad to hear that people think well of Mr Darcy though," she added, "for you see, I think quite well of him too. Quite well indeed."

Sophie was quick to catch on and smiled happily for her mistress. "Oh miss! How nice for you."

"There is nothing settled," Elizabeth thought she ought to make that clear. "We have not come to an understanding but I hope, with time, that perhaps we could one day."

"Oh, I am sure of it miss!" Sophie assured her enthusiastically, making Elizabeth smile. She blushed when Sophie smiled and added, "He is very handsome, isn't he miss?"

"Yes, he is," Elizabeth agreed, suddenly shy. She shook off her unusual timidity and declared, "So now you see why I wish to look my best."

"Certainly miss," Sophie replied, moving to the wardrobe, "and I am sure I know exactly which dress will suit."

Elizabeth smiled and allowed Sophie to work her magic, deciding on her plan of action. Now that she had decided to trust Mr Darcy and the feelings she had for him she was determined to make him aware of her willingness to put the past behind them and permit him to court her. She just hoped that her assumptions about his feelings were correct; given his recent behaviour, however, she was fairly convinced that he held her in some regard and it was only out of respect for her wishes that he was holding back. She was tired of restraint, however, tired of being afraid of taking risks and breaking out of her comfort zone. It was time to take a leap of faith; fingers crossed that he would be there to catch her!

Charles Bingley was not a man usually prone to nerves but it was not every day that he intended to ask the woman he loved to marry him. Everything was in readiness for the picnic, the blankets laid out and the baskets stocked. The weather had co-operated, providing a day not too cold or too hot; perfect indeed for the intended purpose. All in all, everything was as it should be, with the exception of Charles himself who was as jittery as Darcy had ever seen him.

"Really, Charles," Darcy chided his friend, trying to be sympathetic. "You must pull yourself together."

"But what if she does not accept?" Charles fretted, pacing back and forth as they waited for Georgiana to join them.

"I am sure she will," Darcy assured him; he stepped up to his friend and placed a firm hand upon his shoulder. "It seems quite obvious to me that you both care for one another very much; I am quite certain that she will accept. As," he added with a smile, "I will remind you, were you until this morning."

Charles knew that Darcy was right and took a steadying breath. Every since he had decided to host the picnic he had felt assured of the success of his endeavour, his two meetings with Miss Bennet since that time further adding to his resolve. It was only now, now that he stood on the brink, that he was unsure of himself; he told himself to listen to Darcy's sensible advice and focus on what he had to do. He had already arranged everything with Darcy; Charles would ask Miss Bennet to walk with him once they had eaten and Darcy would ask Miss Casterton also, acting the part of chaperone. He would then conveniently lose Charles and Miss Bennet, giving his friend the chance he needed to make his addresses. Yes, it was all planned and thought out.

Georgiana appeared then and came to join the two men; Bingley stepped up to her and offered her his arm.

"May I escort you outside, Miss Darcy?" He asked with excessive gallantry.

"Why, thank you Mr Bingley," Georgiana replied in kind, smiling prettily.

"It is I who should be thanking you," Bingley corrected as they fell into step together, Darcy following behind them. "For agreeing to help me host this picnic."

"It is my pleasure," Georgiana assured him. "I am happy to help wherever I can."

Bingley smiled and looked over his shoulder at his friend as he teased, "You have the ideal sister here Darcy; would you mind very much if I stole her for myself?"

"I would," Darcy replied solemnly; Georgiana smiled happily at him and he nodded in response.

"Are you sure you can't be persuaded?" Bingley pressed, "I have two to spare; we could trade."

"No offence Charles," Darcy replied with a grin, "but your two aren't worth half of my one."

Bingley laughed at Darcy's unexpected honesty and assured his friend, "I take no offence at all; I prefer to see your reply as evidence of your regard for your sister, rather than your disregard for mine."

"That is perhaps wise," Darcy retorted knowingly. He was surprising himself with his good humour and Bingley was likewise impressed.

"I shall certainly have to compliment Miss Casterton today when I see her; she is working wonders on you!" He joked laughingly, although the look he sent Darcy was telling.

"I believe I was capable of making a joke before I met Miss Casterton," Darcy pointed out with offended dignity.

"Oh, of course," Bingley agreed in a tone that clearly said that he did not agree.

He and Georgiana shared a look and Darcy, feeling unusually magnanimous that morning, rolled his eyes at their feeble attempts to hide their smiles. After all, who was he to attempt to deny that Elizabeth had had a positive effect on him, when he knew for a fact that she had?

"Remind me again why I agreed to this?"

Elizabeth laughed at her father's grumpy tone before replying, "You promised Mr Bennet that you would attend and I doubt he would forgive you if you reneged on your agreement."

Her father huffed, "Picnics are for young people. What am I going to do?"

"Enjoy the scenery," Elizabeth suggested; she smiled and added, "And no doubt make the most of my distraction to sample all of the delights Mr Bingley's cook has to offer."

"Ah, yes," her father breathed, suddenly smiling. "I had not thought of that; good thinking my dear."

Their carriage came to a smart stop in front of Netherfield, just behind the Bennet's, and Lord Casterton stepped out before turning to assist his daughter. Elizabeth thanked her father and then turned to address Mr Darcy who had, upon realising that Bingley and Georgiana were occupied with the Bennet's, moved to greet the Casterton's.

Elizabeth had felt herself a little silly after spending so much time on her appearance that morning but her efforts were vindicated when Mr Darcy, after bowing formally, seemed unable to tear his eyes away, even as he returned her father's greeting. Elizabeth blushed with pleasure and smiled warmly, happy with his attention. Lord Casterton looked between the two of them and only just managed not to roll his eyes, feeling himself somewhat superfluous. Fortunately the other's then moved to join them and Mr Bennet was quick to claim his company.

"If nothing comes of this foolishness," he muttered to his friend. "I am holding you responsible."

"Which particular foolishness?" Mr Bennet replied with a smirk, "Yours or mine? Personally I think this may prove to be a very good day for me."

The two of them watched as Bingley eagerly offered Jane his arm and began to lead the company to the designated picnic area; Mr Darcy and Elizabeth followed suit and the rest of the ladies fell into step behind them. Mrs Bennet, handkerchief aflutter, hurried over to her husband and in a strident whisper proclaimed,

"Come Mr Bennet, come! We must not keep Mr Bingley waiting!"

"Alright, dear," Mr Bennet sighed, giving her his arm. He shot his friend an exasperated look before following after all the young people.

Lord Casterton watched them go for a moment before realising that he was not alone; Miss Darcy was quietly waiting for him and he smiled at her kindness.

"It was good of you to wait for me, Miss Darcy, though by no means necessary; run along with the other young people, if that is what you wish."

"I believe I would rather walk with you, my lord," Georgiana replied honestly. She was relieved when his lordship silently offered her his arm and they set off across the lawn together.

"The Miss Bennet's can be somewhat overwhelming when one is confronted with all of them at once," Lord Casterton observed knowingly.

Georgiana blushed. "I am so obvious?"

"No, not at all," Lord Casterton assured her with a fatherly pat to her hand. "I have long been a studier of character, however, and flatter myself that I tend to notice things that other's do not. There is also the fact that your brother is not entirely comfortable in large groups of people," he added with a smile, "and so it is not entirely surprising that you share the same trait."

"I have been attempting to overcome my shyness in company," Georgiana confessed; there was something about Lord Casterton that encouraged confidence. "My aunt tells me often that I must learn to not be so silent. It is not proper."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Lord Casterton countered. "I firmly believe that in these cases less can be more. At least when you speak you say things of sense and import; so many others prattle on endlessly and yet manage to say very little at all. No, I think you do very well as you are," he concluded kindly. He smiled as he teased, "And as I recall you were not very silent the other day whilst visiting with us."

Georgiana smiled at his observation and they conversed quite happily as they walked a little way behind the others. Their interaction was noted by Elizabeth and Darcy who shared a smile on observing it.

"She likes your father," Darcy revealed. "He does not intimidate her as others do."

"I find it hard to imagine my father intimidating anyone," Elizabeth replied with a smile, "unless of course he expressly wished to. And the thought of anyone wishing to intimidate your dear sister is equally hard to imagine!"

"True," Darcy agreed. "But more often than not it is unintentional."

"I suppose you would know," Elizabeth teased; he looked confused and so she laughed and said, "Come, Mr Darcy, surely you must see how intimidating you are! Why, I remember the very first time I saw you, at the assembly, my first thought was that you were a very tall, dark and imposing gentleman."

She did not add that she had also thought him a very handsome gentleman but still blushed slightly at the thought.

"And it did not help that you were silent as well," she went on. "Such a combination and I'm afraid widespread intimidation was assured, intentional or not."

"I had not realised I had made such a bad first impression," Darcy replied. He smiled ruefully on perceiving her challenging look and amended, "Or rather, I had not realised that I had made such a bad first impression before I compounded it with my rude behaviour."

Elizabeth chuckled to herself at his candour, the insult long forgotten. She was surprised when he said,

"I never did apologise properly for what I said that night, did I?"

"What did you say that you feel you need to apologise for?" Elizabeth replied playfully, trying to show him that it really did not matter to her anymore.

"I said that you were only tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me," Darcy quoted sombrely, ashamed of himself.

"And that you were in no mood to give consequence to young ladies who were slighted by other men," Elizabeth reminded him impertinently. Seeing that her teasing was not having the desired affect she laid her hand on his hand and assured him, "Please do not trouble yourself sir; it has long since been forgotten."

"I still should not have said it," Darcy countered. "It was rude and ill-mannered."

Elizabeth smiled patiently before saying, "I believe, sir, that you should learn something of my new philosophy; think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure. You need not trouble yourself over things you said and did then, certainly not on my account."

There was a pause as Darcy considered what to say in reply, but Elizabeth got there first. She took a deep breath and eventually said,

"There is something I have been meaning to tell you, Mr Darcy."

"Yes?" Darcy prompted when she fell silent and did not say more.

"I have been thinking about everything you've said and I..." she looked up at him, "and I forgive you." Seeing his surprise she quickly looked down and explained, "I want...I would like very much for us to start afresh, to put the past and all our misunderstandings behind us and begin again. I know you have said as much yourself but I am ready now to truly give you a second chance, if you still want it?" She concluded nervously.

"I do," Darcy replied hurriedly. His reward was a glowing smile which took his breath away. "More than anything."

He smiled when Elizabeth blushed at his reply, a full smile that displayed his dimples and filled Elizabeth with happiness. Neither knew quite what to say next and were saved from the necessity of thinking of something by the realisation that they were lagging behind the others; they picked up their pace to catch up, stealing glances and exchanging shy smiles with one another as they went.

Eventually the group reached the picnic area and all were suitably impressed with the arrangements. Whilst Mrs Bennet loudly exclaimed her delight with each and every detail, the younger Bennet's settled themselves onto the blankets whilst Mr Bennet and Lord Casterton happily took the chairs Bingley had thought to have brought out for them. A large umbrella had been set up to one side, casting shade over a small portion of the blankets and Elizabeth playfully tugged Mr Darcy in that direction.

"So that you may avoid the scorching hot sun," she told him, her eyes laughing up at him.

Darcy pretended to be affronted but put up no protest, happily seating himself besides Elizabeth and next to his sister. Bingley sat nearby with Miss Bennet at his side and from the look on their faces, both were very happy with that arrangement.

"I must congratulate you both," Elizabeth said, looking between Georgiana and Mr Bingley. "This all looks lovely."

"Thank you," Georgiana replied, stifling a giggle when Jane had to nudge Mr Bingley to get him to reply.

"What? Oh, yes, well, it was mostly Miss Darcy's doing."

"But it was your idea," Elizabeth reminded him and he eventually accepted her praise.

The baskets were opened and some time was spent selecting which food to eat. True to her prediction, Elizabeth's father made the most of the situation and happily selected all of his favourites which had been denied to him for so long. She sent him several scolding glares but to no avail; he happily ignored her and tucked into his lunch, conversing with Mr Bennet. Admitting defeat Elizabeth focused on her own companions, listening happily as the others spoke and occasionally contributing. She could see how pleased Mr Darcy was with Georgiana's ease with the present company and smiled herself with affection for the younger girl; it seemed both of the Darcy siblings were determinedly working their way into her heart.

So happily engaged were the two couples and Georgiana with their present companions that they almost forgot about the others; that is, until they were abruptly reminded that they were not alone. Darcy, Bingley, Georgiana and Elizabeth all winced when Mrs Bennet interrupted their conversation and loudly exclaimed,

"Oh, Mr Bingley, you have excelled yourself! We are so honoured that you thought to include us in your little party, aren't we girls? Thank Mr Bingley Lydia, Kitty, Mary. And you Jane, thank the gentleman," she added with a non-too-subtle look at her eldest daughter.

What could have been an extremely awkward moment became instead merely a mildly embarrassing one as, to the surprise of many, Mr Darcy leapt into the breach and replied,

"I am sure my friend needs no thanks madam. We would have been a very quiet party indeed without the addition of your family; your coming is as much a kindness to him as his initial invitation was to you, I'm sure."

The reactions to this little speech were as varied as the individuals who displayed them. Lord Casterton was impressed by Darcy's deft handling of the lady whilst Mr Bennet was amused by the grossly exaggerated sentiments expressed. Bingley was simply surprised that Darcy had spoken and Jane was simply happy to accept the compliment. Elizabeth and Georgiana shared a glance and a smile, the former appreciative of the gentleman's tact. And Mrs Bennet was simply stunned, first by the gentleman's addressing her so directly and second by the compliment he bestowed upon her family. She was so stunned, in fact, that she did not say another word for ten minutes at least.

Conversations resumed and Elizabeth, seeing that the others were occupied, leant towards Mr Darcy and quietly complimented him, "That was very well done."

"Thank you," Darcy replied.

Sat beside one another on the blanket, they were closer than propriety usually allowed and Darcy leisurely allowed his eyes to wander, starting, as always, with her beautiful eyes before descending further. She looked particularly lovely today, the cheery yellow of her light summer dress complimenting her looks, her stylish and yet simple coif accentuating her striking features.

Elizabeth's quiet voice interrupted his intense study, "I wonder what you mean, Mr Darcy, by watching me so very closely."

"My attention is not the result of inattention, I assure you," Darcy replied equally as quietly, not wishing for others to hear or intrude upon their private conversation.

"No?" Elizabeth queried, smiling slightly.

"No," Darcy assured her before admitting, "I was thinking how lovely you look today Miss Casterton; this colour suits you very well."

"Thank you," Elizabeth replied softly, boldly holding his gaze. "I am happy you think so."

Delighted that she should value his opinion, Darcy was about to reply when he was addressed by Lord Casterton,

"Darcy, the book you leant Lizzy was the latest one by Robert Owen, was it not?"

"Yes, my lord, that is correct," Darcy replied, reluctantly turning away from Elizabeth.

"Thomas is interested in reading it," Lord Casterton explained; he looked to his daughter and asked, "Have you finished it yet my dear?"

"Oh yes, long since," Elizabeth replied. "I would happily let you have it Mr Bennet, if Mr Darcy does not mind, of course."

"Not at all," Darcy assured her. He turned back to face her again as he asked, "How did you find it?"

They quickly fell into an intent discussion of the work, the rest of the company forgotten, unaware that they were a subject of interest to two of the party. Lord Casterton and Mr Bennet listened to them spiritedly argue their points of view, their enjoyment of the exercise clear to see; turning to his friend, Mr Bennet smiled and pointed out,

"I must say it is a very bizarre form of courtship; not many young men attempt to win the heart of their lady love through well reasoned argument, let alone well reasoned political argument!"

"I daresay he knows her well," Lord Casterton replied; Elizabeth laughed at something Darcy said and he smiled at the sound. "I am sure more conventional forms of courtship would have limited resonance with Lizzy. By engaging with her in this manner he is showing her that he respects and admires her intelligence, a compliment that she will surely appreciate."

"She is perhaps not immune to all the conventional forms of courtship," Mr Bennet noted dryly, observing Elizabeth's shy smile and blush of pleasure at some comment of Mr Darcy's.

"No, perhaps not," Lord Casterton agreed with a chuckle; it heartened him to see his daughter the subject of such admiration. He had long felt that she was a beautiful young woman and it pleased him that Mr Darcy had obviously realised it, and was not afraid to share his opinion with Lizzy.

"I must confess that I am surprised Mr Darcy," Elizabeth was saying. "I would never have expected us to have read so many of the same books, nor with the same feelings."

"Not always with the same feelings," Darcy reminded her, knowing that they had often disagreed in their interpretations.

"Perhaps not," Elizabeth agreed with a light laugh. "I plead innocence however; I do not simply express differing opinions for the sake of being contrary. At least not all of the time," she added with an impertinent grin.

"You need not apologise to me," Darcy assured her. "I greatly enjoy our debates. And at least this way there is no want of subject; we will always be able to find something to disagree on, I'm sure."

"Hopefully within reason," Elizabeth replied, enjoying herself immensely. "When one of us attempts to argue that the sky is orange I believe we had better find a new past time."

"You have so little faith in your arguing skills?" Darcy teased. "I am sure that I could manage it."

"And I am sure that you could do no such thing!" Elizabeth argued back laughingly.

Her reply caught Bingley's interest and he paused in his attentions to Miss Bennet long enough to ask, "What could Darcy not do?"

"Convince us that the sky is orange," Elizabeth replied succinctly; Darcy looked a shade embarrassed as her father laughed and noted,

"And here I was thinking you were having an intelligent conversation! Now I know better."

"In truth, father," Elizabeth defended herself and the gentleman, "it has only just now descended into the ridiculous."

"Well, that is some comfort I suppose," her father granted, smiling at the pair of them.

During this time, Bingley had been surveying the gathered company and had realised that Mrs Bennet and her three youngest daughters were still quite occupied with their lunches whilst he, Miss Bennet, Darcy, Georgiana and Miss Casterton had all finished eating. Spotting his opportunity he surprised everyone by suddenly exclaiming,

"I feel like a walk! Would anyone like to join me? Darcy?"

Darcy suppressed a smirk at his friend's lack of subtlety but dutifully played his part.

"Yes, I believe I would," he replied. He turned to Miss Casterton and his sister and asked, "Would you like to join me ladies?"

Looking suspiciously between the Darcy siblings and noticing their attempts to appear straight-faced, Elizabeth looked over at her friend. Mr Bingley was helping her to rise, his smile as bright as she had ever seen it. Suddenly realising what this meant, Elizabeth looked to Mr Darcy; his brows rose and he nodded slightly, returning her smile.

"I would like that very much," she replied, remembering that she had yet to do so.

Darcy rolled to his feet with athletic grace and held a hand out to assist his sister up. He then turned and performed the same courtesy for Miss Casterton, pressing her hand and holding it for a moment long than was needed.

"Nobody asked me if I should like to take a walk," Mr Bennet pointed out drolly.

"Nor I," Lord Casterton concurred, pretending to be put out.

"I should be happy to walk with you," Georgiana offered shyly and the two older gentlemen smiled at her sweetness.

"Do not mind us, my dear, we are only teasing. You enjoy your walk," Lord Casterton replied kindly.

"Are you sure papa?" Elizabeth asked, wanted to be sure.

"Quite sure Lizzy. Now run along."

They did as they were bid, leaving Mr Bennet and his family and her father to enjoy the rest of their lunch. They were only just out of earshot when Mrs Bennet abandoned her plate of food and began to frantically fan herself.

"Oh, Mr Bennet! This is it! I can feel it, I know this is it. Oh, my darling girl, my beautiful Jane. She has done so well for herself, I cannot..."

"Mrs Bennet," her husband scolded her in one of his rare displays of husbandly authority. "Will you be quiet! I do not want to hear one more word about Jane and Mr Bingley. Is that clear?"

Mrs Bennet nodded and went back to fanning herself agitatedly and finishing off her glass of wine in a succession of quick gulps. Lydia and Kitty giggled to themselves and Mary sat reading her book, leaving the two gentlemen in relative peace.

"Do you think your wife is right?" Lord Casterton asked in an undertone.

"We will know soon enough, no doubt," Mr Bennet replied with a sigh. "Although I hope for my sake that she is. I know not how much more of this I can take."

"You do know that there is still the wedding to plan?" Lord Casterton reminded his friend; this earned him a withering glare from Mr Bennet who huffed and tucked into another pork pie.

A little way away from the picnic Mr Darcy, Georgiana and Elizabeth were walking together, attempting not to watch Mr Bingley and Jane but failing miserably in their attempts to give the couple privacy.

"It is so romantic," Georgiana breathed, her relative youth in evidence. "Do you think he will go down on one knee?"

"Georgiana," Elizabeth teased, "I thought you said you did not enjoy romantic novels?"

"I don't," came the quick reply, followed by a blushing smile as her brother and friend looked at her knowingly.

"I doubt he will wish to make such a display of himself," Darcy commented. "Not with such a large audience."

"You are probably right," Elizabeth agreed. She abruptly turned in the opposite direction. "Come, let us leave them alone. They are probably incapable of being angry at anyone, but I am sure they would not appreciate us watching them at such a moment."

The Darcy siblings agreed and they walked instead in the opposite direction. They were silent for a long moment until Elizabeth, overcome with curiosity, pointed out,

"Of course, if they did not know we were watching them..."

She trailed off when Mr Darcy began to laugh, hitting his arm as she defended herself,

"Stop it! I have known Jane my whole life, she is like a sister to me. I cannot help it if I am anxious to see her happiness secured," she concluded with a smile at her silliness.

"See being the operative word," Darcy replied with a smile.

Elizabeth was about to reply when the gentleman was distracted by the sight of a servant running towards them. Excusing himself from the two ladies, he strode over to meet the man, accepting a letter from him. Elizabeth and Georgiana exchanged a glance as the rest of the company, Mr Bingley and Miss Bennet included, noticed the new arrival and curtailed their conversations, wondering what it could mean.

Elizabeth watched with an uncomfortable feeling of foreboding as Mr Darcy hastily tore open the letter and began to read through its contents; even from a distance she saw him pale and his look of anguish broke her heart. Georgiana saw it too and called out,

"Brother? What is it?"

She began to move towards him but stopped abruptly when Darcy turned from his letter to look at her. She suddenly had her answer and whispered, "Richard?"

Darcy nodded slowly, his own shock upon learning the news as yet unabated and rendering him temporarily incapable of thought. Fortunately Elizabeth kept her wits about her and was able to catch Georgiana before she hit the ground. Darcy snapped back to life and hurried to his sister's side as everyone seemed then to leap into action. Jane hurried over to help Elizabeth with Georgiana as Bingley ran to his friend's side, aware that something terrible must have happened. Lord Casterton quickly joined them whilst Mr Bennet attempted to calm his overwrought wife.

"Georgie," Darcy murmured, holding his sister's hand.

Elizabeth helped him rouse her and he breathed a sigh of relief when she eventually recovered. Her eyes opened and fell upon him; there was a moment of confusion before her face crumpled and she began to cry, her body wracked with sobs.

"Oh William. Richard! I cannot believe it. He cannot be dead..."

"Georgie, he is not dead," Darcy replied alarmed at her misunderstanding. "He is wounded, gravely, but he still lives."

"Oh thank god," Georgiana cried, throwing her arms around her brother. Elizabeth and Jane moved back to allow the siblings a moment.

When she was sufficiently calmed, Darcy helped Georgiana to stand; Elizabeth was immediately by her side, wrapping her arm around the younger girl's waist, encouraging her to lean on her. Darcy took a moment to silently thank her with his eyes before turning to Bingley and Lord Casterton and saying,

"The express is from my uncle. Richard arrived in Portsmouth five days ago on a casualty ship; a captain in his regiment had sailed with him and sent word to my uncle of Richard's arrival and injuries. He is in town now, at his parent's house; I must travel there at once."

"Of course," Bingley agreed. "Let us return to the house and I will help see to the arrangements."

"My sister," Darcy began, knowing that she could not come with him now and yet conscious of the fact that he did not want to leave her.

"I will escort her to London first thing tomorrow," Bingley replied without hesitation.

"Thank you my friend," Darcy replied gratefully. He turned to Lord Casterton, "Would you be so good as to make my apologies to the Bennet's? I fear I am in no fit state."

"Of course, do not trouble yourself. And I pray that you have a safe journey, and that your cousin is well," Lord Casterton replied soberly.

"Thank you my lord." Darcy held out his hand and the two of them shook.

Elizabeth and Georgiana had listened in silence as the men made their plans, the former troubled by how the latter trembled. Deciding that the best thing for the younger girl would be to see her inside and resting, Elizabeth waited for Mr Darcy to turn to her and suggested,

"I think I should see Georgiana inside whilst you prepare to depart."

"Shall I come with you?" Jane offered; her mother could be heard in the distance and so Elizabeth decided that her friend's presence was needed more here than inside.

The four of them, Mr Darcy, Mr Bingley, Georgiana and Elizabeth headed back in the direction of the house, their pace slow on account of Georgiana. Elizabeth could see however how agitated Mr Darcy was and after a few minutes said,

"I will take care of your sister, sir; perhaps you and Mr Bingley should go on ahead."

"I would not wish to leave you," Darcy replied, looking at his sister.

"Go, William; do not worry about me," Georgiana told him in a surprisingly strong voice. "Aunt and Uncle need you, you should go to them."

Accepting her decision, Darcy took a moment to press his sister's hand and bestow upon Elizabeth a fervent look before gesturing for Bingley to follow him as he quickly strode across the lawns. The strong presence of her brother now departed, Georgiana began to cry softly and it was several minutes before Elizabeth could calm her enough to walk back to the house. Eventually they reached Netherfield and Elizabeth quickly saw Georgiana settled into her room, a soothing herbal tea administered and consumed before the young girl, emotionally exhausted, allowed herself to be tucked into bed.

Elizabeth was sat in a chair beside her when Mr Darcy quietly entered the room. He still had not fully regained all his colour and the weight of his concern was physically apparent in his bearing and drawn features. He softly approached the bed and asked,

"Is she well?"

"Yes," Elizabeth assured him. "She was simply tired after her...ordeal."

"It is my fault," Darcy muttered guiltily. "I made her think Richard had been killed; it was so thoughtless of me."

"You were in shock, you cannot blame yourself," Elizabeth protested in a sympathetic and yet determined undertone.

Darcy nodded absently and Elizabeth then noticed that he was wearing riding clothes.

"You are leaving soon?" She surmised quietly. He nodded again and remained silent. "I shall leave you so that you may say goodbye," she offered, feeling out of place.

"No," Darcy replied quickly; adding in a gentler tone, "No, please stay. Your presence will be of great comfort to her," he explained, inwardly wishing that he could wrap her up and take her with him so that she might comfort him.

"As hers was once to me," Elizabeth replied quietly.

He nodded again before moving to the other side of the bed. He regarded his little sister for a moment before bending to press a brief kiss to her forehead. He straightened and looked at Elizabeth; unbeknownst to him, such a loving display had won him yet another chunk of Elizabeth's heart.

"Please tell her that I said goodbye; I do not wish to wake her."

"I will," Elizabeth assured him, somehow managing to find her voice.

He looked as though he would say more but in the end only bowed and said,

"Good bye, Miss Casterton. And thank you."

"Good bye Mr Darcy," Elizabeth replied breathlessly, overwhelmed by the way he looked at her.

She watched as he strode from the room, wondering when she would see him again. She sighed at the perverseness of her feelings, which now longed for the continuance of their acquaintance but would formerly have rejoiced at its termination. Faced with his imminent departure she realised that she did not want him to go, that she did not want to be parted from him. It was a selfish desire but she could not help but lament this cruel twist of fate that would separate them at such a time; when she had had such hopes, and yet hope was all there was. There was nothing concrete, nothing decided, no reason indeed for her to believe he would ever come back.

Propelled from her seat by the thought of never seeing him again (the irrationality of this belief would she would later realise), Elizabeth hurried from Georgiana's room, intent on catching Mr Darcy before he left. She had not expected to come across him almost immediately, barely ten feet from his sister's door, just exiting his own chambers.

His surprise at her appearance was evident, more so when she suddenly implored him,

"You will write to us, won't you? I should like to know how your cousin does, and to hear of you. And Georgiana of course," she added hurriedly with a blush.

"Of course, I will write to your father," Darcy promised her. His mind was fixated on the fact that she had sought him out once more for the purpose of ensuring their continued communication. "And I am sure Georgiana will willingly correspond with you."

Elizabeth nodded distractedly before suddenly saying, "And you will be careful, won't you, on your journey to town."

"I will," Darcy assured her gently, taking a step closer. He claimed one of hands, cradling it in his larger one and stroking his thumb across the back of it. "You need not worry about me."

"I will anyway," Elizabeth contradicted him. She had the impossible urge to stroke his cheek, to sooth away some of the lines of worry that marred his handsome face so easily within reach.

"Elizabeth," Darcy breathed. It sounded like an intimate caress and Elizabeth shivered involuntarily. "There is so much I wish to say to you."

The sounds of the house seemed to fade into silence as they stood together, entirely caught up in one another.

"I can wait," Elizabeth whispered. She smiled tremulously at his relieved expression. "Your family needs you; you should be with them now. We will meet again in time, I am sure."

"We will," Darcy vowed, pressing her hands.

Their moment was interrupted by Bingley's call from the front hall, "Darcy! Your mount is saddled and ready."

Slowly releasing one another's hands, Darcy and Elizabeth separated and looked at one another for a long moment, neither knowing what to say. "Goodbye" just seemed somehow inadequate. In the end both concluded that words just weren't enough and allowed their eyes to speak for them. Eventually Darcy pulled himself away and Elizabeth watched him turn and walk down the hallway; he only got a few steps, however, before he stopped, turning to look back at her over his shoulder.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, why he had stopped, but her words were transformed into a soft moan when he covered the distance between them with dizzying speed and pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It was not a chaste kiss at all, but a kiss filled with longing and barely suppressed desire that left Elizabeth incapable of thought, let alone passivity. Her hands wound around his neck, sliding into the hair at his nape as waves of sensation washed over her. It was over all too soon for her and left her senses frazzled as he pulled away.

Starring down at her, Darcy memorised every inch of her face as his eyes burned her with their intensity; he stroked her cheek with his fingers as he proclaimed, his voice thick with passion, "I love you Elizabeth, and I will come back and I will win you even if it takes me a lifetime."

When his friend called for him again he abruptly tore himself away, leaving Elizabeth standing alone, feeling bereft. She watched him disappear and touched her fingers to her lips, her whole body still tingling as she whispered to the empty hallway,

"You've already won."

Chapter 15

Posted on November 20, 2009

The arrival of Darcy's express and the subsequent commotion put an end to the picnic and it was not long after Darcy departed that the Bennets followed suit. Elizabeth remained upstairs with Georgiana, waiting for her to awake whilst Lord Casterton kept Bingley company as he waited for his daughter. Elizabeth was glad of the excuse to stay with Georgiana, if only to give herself a moment to recover from the startling events in the hallway. He had kissed her and said that he loved her! It seemed incredible and yet she was quite sure she hadn't imagined the whole thing; no, it had happened and it must have been true. Mr Darcy was in love with her.

Suppressing the urge to spin in a circle, Elizabeth could not stop herself smiling with happiness. Her joy was somewhat diminished by the worry she felt over Colonel Fitzwilliam and his injuries, but it was not every day that a handsome, wonderful, amazing man kissed her passionately and proclaimed his love for her.

"He loves me," she whispered dreamily; Georgiana stirred in her sleep and Elizabeth bit her lip. No matter how much she may have wished it, it would not do to shout the truth from the rooftops. No, she would keep this intelligence to herself; it would be her memory to cherish.

Georgiana woke not long after and, though she was disappointed not to be able to say goodbye to her brother, understood his desire to leave as quickly as possible. She thanked Elizabeth for staying with her for so long and promised to write to her once she was in town. Mrs Annesley came to take Elizabeth's place and she bid Georgiana farewell, promising to keep the Colonel in her prayers.

Joining her father and Mr Bingley in the latter's study, Elizabeth assured them that Miss Darcy was quite well if rather worried about her cousin.

"We will leave for London first thing tomorrow," Mr Bingley replied. "Hopefully being with her family will lessen her unease."

"I am sure it shall," Lord Casterton assured him. He turned to his daughter and asked, "Are you ready to return home?"

"Yes, Mrs Annesley is with Georgiana now. Thank you for a wonderful day, Mr Bingley," she said, turning to her host. "I am sorry it ended so unhappily."

"As am I," Bingley replied heavily, thinking of his friend but also of his missed opportunity with Miss Bennet.

"Do you plan to return immediately?" Elizabeth asked, sensing his disappointment.

"I am not certain," Bingley replied slowly. "I have been putting off a trip to town for some time now, and it would I suppose make sense to stay for some duration when I get there instead of returning straight away, only to have to leave again."

Both Elizabeth and her father smiled sympathetically at this rambling speech.

"Well, I am sure we can spare you for a few weeks, sir," Lord Casterton replied cheerfully. "We are not going anywhere, after all. Everything we still be here whenever it is that you chose to return."

"Well," Elizabeth corrected with a smile. "We won't be, but I'm sure you can manage very well without us."

"You are leaving also?" Bingley questioned politely, his mind occupied elsewhere but feeling obliged to hold up his side of the conversation.

"In ten days," Lord Casterton confirmed. "We are to Dorset, to the estate of a good friend of mine."

"Well, in case I do not see you again before you go, I hope you have a pleasant trip," Bingley offered in his genial manner.

"Oh, I am sure we shall," Lord Casterton replied with a smile. "I shall enjoy seeing my friend again and Lizzy is very fond of his children, particularly his son," he added with a teasing grin at his daughter.

"Not very fond, father," Elizabeth corrected so Mr Bingley would not get the wrong impression. She suddenly worried whether Mr Darcy had similarly been misled as to the extent of her affections for Alex. "We are simply friends, nothing more."

"Indeed, quite so," her father agreed easily. He turned back to his host. "Well, thank you again for having us. Do give Darcy and his family my best when you see them."

"I will my lord," Bingley replied. He saw the Castertons to the door and waved them off before returning to his study.

Collapsing heavily into his chair he frowned and quietly cursed, "Blast!"

Thoughts of his own ill-luck retreated as his mind turned to his friend and Colonel Fitzwilliam. They had only met on a handful of occasions but Bingley had always found Darcy's cousin a lively fellow, easily likeable and very adept at making fun of his dour cousin. He knew that Darcy felt a brotherly affection for Richard and hoped for everyone's sake that he would be well.

Darcy felt afterwards that it was a miracle that he had reached London unscathed. The first leg of his journey he had been consumed with thoughts of Elizabeth, of their kiss and his declaration and what it would mean for the future. His heart raced and his hands shook slightly when he relived the moment in his mind, the taste, smell and feel of her...lord, he was lost! And yet what bliss, what happiness he felt at surrendering to his love for her.

As he approached London his thoughts naturally turned from Elizabeth to Richard, rereading the words of his uncle's express in his mind. He had not been explicit, had not said anything beyond Richard having been gravely injured, but the tone was so desperate, indeed strikingly so for a man of his uncle's disposition, that Darcy could not help but fear the worst.

By God's grace (and Toby's surefootedness) Darcy reached London in one piece and went straight to his uncle's house. He was met by sombre faced servants and quickly led into one of the parlours. His aunt, uncle and cousin were all there and turned to him with matching looks of grief. His aunt was the first to greet him, hurrying over to him and embracing him tightly. In stature she was a tiny woman, barely reaching his shoulder, but she had always made up for it in spirit; carefully leading her back to her seat, Darcy was saddened by how frail and vulnerable she seemed. He shook hands with his cousin briefly before turning to his uncle. The last time they had seen each other was the day before Darcy and his sister had left London for Hertfordshire, and the two men had argued. That was all forgotten now.

"Fitzwilliam," his uncle greeted him; his voice sounded gravely and he looked as though he had not slept in days. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"We are family," Darcy replied simply. Worried about his uncle he suggested, "Won't you sit down?"

For perhaps the first time since Darcy had known him, his uncle appeared willing to have someone direct him and silently took the seat beside his wife. She turned her face into his shoulder and he put his arm around her. Darcy's heart was in his mouth as he looked upon the pair. He had never seen his aunt and uncle display affection so openly before; he dreaded what it meant for Richard.

Looking up and over to his cousin, he silently nodded to the window, relieved when Graham got the message and moved away from his parents.

"This is a bad business," he sighed when Darcy joined him. Darcy was eight years his junior but the gap between them had always felt much larger.

"Is he very bad?" Darcy asked equally as quietly.

"Yes, he..." Graham stopped himself and shook his head. "I think it best that you see for yourself and speak to Dr Dowson."

Darcy agreed and the pair excused themselves from his aunt and uncle. As they moved through the house Darcy felt the air of sadness that seemed to inhabit every corner of it. It was almost eerily quiet and any servants they passed kept their eyes averted, totally silent.

"I must warn you Darce," Graham said just as they were reaching Richard's room. "He is...it is not a pleasant sight."

Darcy nodded. "Will you come in with me?" He asked.

Graham shook his head. "No, I...I will return to my parents."

Darcy nodded and watched his cousin retrace their steps down the hallway before steeling himself and knocking upon the door and requesting entry. Dr Dowson came to meet him and he exchanged sombre greetings with the elder man whom had seen to many a bump and scrape of the Fitzwilliam brothers.

"How is Richard?" Darcy asked, getting straight to the point.

"How much do you know?" Dr Dowson asked carefully.

"Next to nothing. My uncle's letter simply said that Richard had been badly hurt and asked me to come as soon as I was able."

Dr Dowson nodded; he reached up and removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could not blame the Fitzwilliam family for leaving this task up to him, but still, the responsibility of relating the truth to Mr Darcy was a heavy burden to bear.

"It was a cannon blast," he said eventually. "Fortunately he was partially turned away from it otherwise he would most likely be dead. As it is, he is only injured down the left side of his body."

"How bad is it?" Darcy questioned, dreading the answer.

Dr Dowson took a deep breath and reeled off the list of Richard's injuries. "He has a number of deep lacerations on his chest and there is extensive and potentially life-threatening bruising on his abdomen. His face is also bruised and cut and will likely be quite badly scarred. His leg escaped largely unscathed bar a wound on his thigh that has been stitched up and which should hopefully heal well. His arm, however..." he avoided Darcy's eyes as he confessed, "was too badly damaged to save. It was amputated above the elbow whilst he was at the medical camp awaiting transport back to England. Whoever the surgeon was did a good job; the only danger now is that of infection."

Darcy braced himself against the wall for support. The news was devastating and he needed a minute to compose himself. Fortunately the good doctor was a tactful man and allowed Darcy the time he needed. When he eventually straightened Dr Dowson almost smiled proudly at the younger man's self possession as Darcy asked,

"Is there anything I can do to help? Anything at all?"

"Everything has been seen to," Dr Dowson assured him, though he felt that Darcy had already known the answer.

"Is he at great risk from infection?" Darcy asked worriedly, knowing that it was the most common cause of death amongst injured men.

"He has been extremely lucky so far," Dr Dowson replied. "He avoided infection at the camp and appears to have done so during the voyage; he does have a slight fever but that is to be expected after his body has undergone such a traumatic experience. I will of course watch carefully for any other signs."

"Of course," Darcy replied quickly. "I did not mean to imply that I doubt your abilities doctor."

"I take no such implication from your questions Mr Darcy, I assure you," Dr Dowson replied with a kind smile.

They were silent for a moment until Darcy finally made himself ask, "Will he recover?"

Dr Dowson sighed before giving him his honest opinion, "I cannot say at this point. The injuries that appear the worst- his arm, his face, the wounds on his chest- are in fact in many ways only superficial and the least of our concern right now, beyond the risk of infection. No, what concerns me most is the bruising- it could be a sign of internal damage that could prove fatal. There is no real way of knowing, however. You have my word, though, that I will do all I can for him."

"Thank you," Darcy replied humbly. He mentally braced himself and asked, "May I see him?"

Dr Dowson nodded and led Darcy into the sickroom.

The next day Georgiana and Mr Bingley arrived in town a little after lunch. It had been agreed before her brother left Netherfield that Mr Bingley would escort her to the Darcy's townhouse rather than her aunt and uncle's and Darcy was there waiting for them when they arrived. Mr Bingley stepped down first and handed Georgiana from the carriage; she very nearly lost her footing on the step when she got her first look at her brother.

"William," she exclaimed, barely noticing how Mr Bingley steadied her with a hand under her arm.

She hurried up the steps and he opened his arms to her; he was pale and tired looking and his expression was so sad that it was heartbreaking. He held her so tightly that it almost hurt, but Georgiana could tell that this was what he needed and held him tightly too.

Eventually they drew apart and went into the house with Mr Bingley in tow. Her brother thanked his friend for escorting her and the two friends spoke for a few minutes before Bingley took his leave with wishes for their cousin's swift recovery. Georgiana watched her brother's reaction to this and was dismayed to see him mutely nod, his lack of optimism obvious.

"How is he?" She whispered into the silence left in Mr Bingley's wake.

"It is not good, Georgie," her brother replied eventually. His voice cracked and he cleared his throat and squared his shoulders before going on. "He was caught in a cannon blast and his injuries are quite severe. He has...they were unable to save his arm," he admitted finally.

"What do you mean?" Georgiana asked, her brain refusing to accept what it had just heard.

"It was too badly damaged," Darcy explained quietly. "They amputated it above the elbow."

Tears began to spill over Georgiana's cheeks and she rushed to her brother for comfort. He held her as she cried, tenderly rubbing her back and laying his cheek against the top of her head.

"Can I see him?" Georgiana asked after a moment.

"I do not think that is a good idea," Darcy replied; he felt her trying to pull away but he held her where she was. "You can see him soon, perhaps in a few days, but not now. Trust me on this Georgiana," he concluded seriously and, though she was reluctant to, Georgiana acquiesced to his decision.

"Have you seen him?" She asked after a moment. She felt her brother nod. "Was it...?"

"It was awful," Darcy croaked. He felt his sister tighten her arms around him and almost smiled at the gesture, wishing it was enough to push the memory away.

Lord Casterton spotted his daughter walking across the lawn from his study and went over to the window and called to her,

"Lizzy!"

"Yes papa?" Elizabeth called back once she had located the source of the voice, halting her progress.

"You have a letter here for you!" Her father replied; he knew that she had been waiting to hear from Miss Darcy and was not surprised when she abandoned her walk and turned back towards the house.

Walking back to his desk, Lord Casterton picked up his own missive from the other Darcy sibling and decided to read it as he waited for Elizabeth.

Dear Lord Casterton,

Forgive me for not writing before now; I am sure you can appreciate that I have had a lot on my mind. Both my sister and I reached town safely and are likely to remain here for some duration. My cousin is worse than I feared; he was injured in a cannon blast and was wounded in his chest and leg. He also lost his arm as a result of his injuries. He has so far escaped infection but remains unconscious at this point. Dr Dowson, the Fitzwilliam family doctor, whilst remaining realistic about Richard's chances has tried to encourage us to be positive; this has been a great comfort to my aunt and uncle who are very concerned about their son.

Bingley has decided to remain in town for the next two weeks to complete some business that he had been putting off. He has, I believe, written to Mr Bennet of his intention and hopes that he will share this news with the rest of the Bennet family. You of all people will undoubtedly understand his desire to avoid any misunderstandings about this matter.

I hope this letter finds you and your daughter well. Please give my regards to your daughter; we took leave of one another in haste and I did not have the chance to say goodbye and thank you for making my time in Hertfordshire so pleasant. I also wish to thank you both for your kindness to my sister; we both sincerely appreciate the friendship of you and your daughter. I look forward to seeing you both again at some point in the future, I hope under more pleasant circumstances than I can currently foresee.

Yours,

Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Lord Casterton finished reading and refolded his letter thoughtfully. Elizabeth appeared then, her face slightly flushed and her hair somewhat in disarray.

"Did you run back?" Her father teased, surprised when she nodded and replied as she came forward,

"Yes, for the last bit at least. And then I could not get my silly bonnet off; poor Hall did not know quite what to make of me I'm sure."

Her father handed her her letter without further ado, watching as she eagerly opened it and sank into the nearest chair to devour its contents.

Dear Elizabeth,

Please forgive me for making you wait so long before writing to you. I am in town and am currently staying with my aunt and uncle Matlock at their townhouse. I wished to remain at home with William but my presence is of comfort to my aunt so I am required to stay here; it does not seem to matter that my brother needs comforting too. He says that he is fine but I can tell that he is not. I have not been allowed to see Richard yet but I know from William's reaction and from what he has told me of his injuries that our cousin is gravely ill. My aunt and uncle and cousin Graham are devastated and I can sense my brother's grief; I am almost glad of my comparative ignorance of Richard's state. Oh, how I pray for him to be well again!

I am worried about my brother. He is working himself too hard. Either he is here with our cousin Graham, helping him see to his father's business, or at home seeing to his own. When he is not working he sits with the family, endeavouring to keep my aunt and uncle from despairing and it is heartbreaking to see him trying so hard only for all of his efforts to come to almost nothing. He is busy from dawn till dusk and yet has still spent most nights since our arrival sitting with Richard. My aunt and uncle do not visit Richard much at all and it seems to me that William is the only one able to bear the sight of him in his condition; he therefore takes it upon himself to sit with our cousin. I fear that it is all too much for him but he will not listen to me! I find that I am very easily ignored; the plight, I fear, of a younger sister. I truly do not know what to do, but I cannot bear to see William make himself ill when Richard is already so sick.

I have been remiss; I have not asked how you are. I hope you are well, and your father. I find myself missing your company; I liked Hertfordshire very much and should like to return there someday soon. Perhaps when Richard is well again we can visit Netherfield once more; if Mr Bingley will have us of course, though I doubt he is even capable of feeling resentment, even over a ruined proposal! He is such a dear man and truly a good friend to William; he brought me to London without a word of complaint, though I know that he did not wish to leave Miss Bennet. I hope he proposes when he returns, William and I would love to see him happy and long for some good news.

I must leave off now for my aunt has need of me. Please write back soon.

Your friend,

Georgiana Darcy.

Elizabeth finished reading and then re-read the whole letter again, and then again went back to read the parts pertaining to Mr Darcy. Georgiana's worry for her brother was palpable and Elizabeth's troubled expression upon reading of it prompted her father to ask,

"Not quite what you were hoping for, Lizzy?"

"What I was hoping for, no," Elizabeth admitted sadly. "But what I was expecting, yes. Colonel Fitzwilliam is very ill, it seems."

"Indeed," her father agreed. He hesitated a moment before handing her Darcy's letter. "Here, read for yourself. It is from Darcy," he explained when Elizabeth looked at him in question.

Elizabeth took the letter from him before handing him her own. "You should read what she says about her brother."

The two fell quiet as they read each other's letters; both wore almost matching expressions when they finished and looked to one another.

"Poor Colonel Fitzwilliam. And poor Mr Darcy," Elizabeth breathed sadly, looking down at the letter in her hand; in an unconsciously loving gesture she stroked her fingers over his signature before looking back up to her father.

Lord Casterton, who had seen what his daughter had done, schooled his face into an impassive expression as he replied, "His despondency is palpable, but with his cousin in such a state it is perhaps unsurprising."

"But what of what Georgiana says about his working himself to exhaustion? Surely we must do something."

"What would you suggest?" Her father queried calmly.

"Well I for one mean to write to Georgiana and tell her that she should make herself be heard," Elizabeth replied resolutely. "She may be younger than him but she is still his sister and no-one has more right to take him to task than she. And what about the rest of their family?!" She added spiritedly. "Why must it fall to him to take care of them all whilst they wallow in their grief? What of his feelings? Why is Georgiana the only one who seems to be thinking of him?"

Lord Casterton noted his daughter's fierce protectiveness towards the absent gentleman with a mixture of happiness and resignation; he knew that she usually reserved such feelings for those she loved and realised that Mr Darcy could now be counted amongst the happy few who had earned such devotion from his daughter.

"Write your letter Lizzy," he said after a moment, walking around his desk and taking a seat. "I shall reply directly to Darcy's; though how you expect me to convince him to take care I do not know."

"Thank you papa," Elizabeth replied; she stood and made to leave the room but stopped when her father called to her. "Yes father?"

"Do take care, Lizzy," her father replied meaningfully, glancing down at the letter in his hand, hoping that she would take his meaning. He did not want her getting ahead of herself, could not bear to see her hurt.

"I think it is too late for caution father," Elizabeth replied honestly.

Georgiana looked between her letter and her brother and back to her letter again. She read the most pertinent part one more time for courage.

...As an only child I can only pretend to understand the relationship you have with your brother Georgie, but I know that when it comes to my father (whom is responsible for me in the same way Mr Darcy is responsible for you) I refuse to let his authority over me, and my respect for it, get in the way of my concern for him. He can be as stubborn as a mule but with his recent health problems I have refused to take no for an answer and I daresay that he loves me as much as ever in spite of my refusal to let him have his way; in fact I believe he loves me even more because he sees how much I care for him.

Do not let your respect for your brother prevent you from doing what you have to to be heard Georgie; if he is truly on his way towards making him ill then you must make him see reason. He will thank you for it in the end, I promise.

Steeling herself for a confrontation, Georgiana looked to her brother and called for his attention. "William?"

"Hmmm?" He replied absently, still reading through some paperwork of their uncle's and not looking up at her.

Not satisfied with this, Georgiana firmly said, "Will you stop reading that for a moment; I have something I need to speak with you about."

"Of course," Darcy replied, laying aside the document and giving his sister his full attention. What passed for his full attention at least when he had a hundred things on his mind and was attempting to survive on only a few hours sleep. "What is it?"

"I would like...I want you to let me sit with Richard tonight," she stated calmly. "You are exhausted and you need to sleep."

"I'm fine," Darcy argued. "And you are not sitting with him," he added firmly, expecting the matter to be closed.

"Then at least have Graham do it, or uncle," Georgiana argued reasonably. "You need your rest."

"I said, I'm fine," her brother bit out shortly and, for the first time in years, Georgiana lost her temper and practically shouted.

"Yes, I heard you the first time! But you can keep telling me that you are fine until you are blue in the face, I still won't believe you!"

"Georgiana!" Darcy shouted, angry and shocked by her outburst.

"William!" Georgiana shouted back, inwardly wondering what kind of monster she had unleashed. "I won't sit by and watch you work yourself to death, I won't! One family member confined to his sickbed is bad enough, let alone two. You will make yourself ill if you do not start taking care of yourself, or until you start letting me take care of you. I may be your baby sister but that does not mean that you can ignore me or my concerns; I know you are worried about Richard," she added in a softer tone. "But can you not see how worried I am about you?"

Georgiana finished her piece and abruptly burst into tears, utterly shocked at her own conduct. She had never shouted at her brother before. Oh, what would he think of her?

Darcy hurriedly went to his crying sister, sitting down beside her and pulling her close. Her words and subsequent tears had hit him like a knock to the head and he was suddenly ashamed at how blind he had been to her concerns and obvious distress.

"Georgie, poppet, I'm sorry," he murmured. "Please, poppet, don't cry."

"You promised you wouldn't call me that," Georgiana reminded him, sitting back and trying to wipe away her tears.

"I also promised that I would stop treating you like a child," her brother replied as he handed her his handkerchief. "It seems I have failed to keep my word to you." He smiled sadly as he admitted, "I have been so caught up in keeping myself busy that I've failed to see what was going on right in front of me. I'm sorry for worrying you so much poppet."

"It's alright," Georgiana replied. "As long as you take better care of yourself from now on," she amended, making her brother chuckle lightly.

"What happened to my quiet little sister, hmm?"

"She grew up," Georgiana teased before adding, "and met Elizabeth Casterton."

"Elizabeth?" Darcy repeated; he noted Georgiana's surprise and corrected, "I mean, Miss Casterton; what has she to do with this?"

"I wrote to her of my concerns," Georgiana admitted, "and she wrote back telling me that I had to make you see reason. Her words were quite inspiring."

"I noticed," Darcy replied dryly. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "How is she? I had a letter from her father this morning but he only said that they were both well. But now that I think of it," he added suddenly, forgetting his desire to hear of Elizabeth as he remembered, "his lordship did make several subtle hints about taking care of myself; apparently you've instigated a veritable conspiracy against me Georgie."

His sister looked a little bashful at this observation but remained firm as she replied, "It is only because I care about you."

"I know," Darcy assured her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "And thank you."

"Elizabeth said you would thank me in the end," Georgiana replied happily.

She knows me well, Darcy thought inwardly. "How is she?" He asked again.

"Looking forward to seeing her friends again," Georgiana replied, glancing over her letter. "Did you know that her godfather is the Duke of Felmore?"

"I did," Darcy affirmed; the reminder of the upcoming visit recalled his potential rival to his mind. "Does she mention any other family members?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"The Duchess is apparently a lovely woman," Georgiana replied; she laughed and added, "And the youngest son, Fredrick, is apparently a handful. She looks forward to getting up to lots of mischief with him."

Darcy smiled at this, the first genuine smile that had graced his face since his return to town. He allowed his mind to travel back to his time in Hertfordshire, to picture her face and eyes smiling up at him. A feeling of contentment washed over him and it was with great reluctant that he pulled himself back to the present when Georgiana addressed him.

"Elizabeth seemed quite worried about you brother; I shall be happy to tell her that you have listened to reason and will be taking better care of yourself."

Darcy took this proof of Elizabeth's concern for him to heart, tucking it away for future reference, knowing that he would need happier things to dwell on in the days and weeks to come. His dearest wish (besides that of seeing Richard recover) was to see her again, to be able to speak to her and see her smile and hold her in his arms. During the few precious hours he managed to sleep each night his dreams were all of her and kept him going throughout the day. His worries about Alex would creep up on him every so often but on the whole he respected Elizabeth too much, and had too much faith in her integrity to think her capable of allowing him such liberties whilst considering another man.

"I shall write back soon," Georgiana was saying. "She has given me the address of the Felmore's estate so that I may write to her there; I hope that they have a pleasant journey to Dorset, it is quite a way to travel."

Darcy nodded absently; an idea had sprung to mind and refused to be pushed aside, despite his attempts to tell himself that it was the height of impropriety. His sister unwittingly weakened his resolve as she innocently suggested,

"Will you write back to Lord Casterton soon too? Perhaps we can send our letters together."

Darcy nodded again; he cleared his throat and hoped he didn't sound too guilty as he agreed, "That seems a good idea. I cannot recall whether Lord Casterton included the Felmore's address so I will add my letter to yours. Perhaps you could bring it to my study when you are ready and I will see that it is sent."

Georgiana agreed easily and their conversation turned to other things; namely what Darcy was going to do now that he had agreed not to take so much upon himself. Darcy tried to keep up with the conversation but inwardly he was grappling with himself. He had found the necessary means to write to Elizabeth; the question was whether he could bring himself to do it. Consciousness of the impropriety of such an action was his biggest concern, as well as the disrespect it showed Lord Casterton; his lordship would no doubt be extremely offended if he discovered a clandestine correspondence going on between Darcy and his daughter. Any yet the thought of not speaking to or hearing from Elizabeth for weeks was almost intolerable to him. Especially now given his impetuous actions in Hertfordshire; he could not simply kiss her and then remain silent, giving her a chance to doubt him!

"William?"

Georgiana's tentatively inquiry brought him back to himself. "Sorry poppet, I was lost in thought. What did you say?"

"I asked if Richard is any better today," Georgian replied quietly, hopefully.

Darcy wished he could tell her what she wanted to hear. "I am afraid not; he is no worse though, which is something to be glad about," he added with forced optimism.

"Yes, I suppose so," Georgiana replied with a feeble attempt at a smile.

Neither sibling had convinced the other and they sat in unhappy silence, feeling thankful for the fact that they still had each other.

Chapter 16

Posted on November 25, 2009

It was a long journey between Willoughby and Arundel, the ancestral home of the Duke of Felmore, but neither Elizabeth nor her father were feeling their tiredness as their carriage entered the park and rolled towards the great house. They had added two extra days to their journey on account of Lord Casterton's health and their anticipation had subsequently been heightened to almost irrepressible proportions; pulling to a stop in front of the house their smiles were bright and joyous as the Fraiser family stood waiting to greet them. Fredrick, the youngest at eleven could not be restrained and ran forward as soon as Lord Casterton stepped down.

"Uncle Casterton!" He cried, laughing when he was swept up and around in a circle. He had been young when his family had left for the continent but could well remember Lord Casterton's kindness and willingness to play with him.

"Good grief, you've grown so much! Quite the strapping lad now, aren't you? And you've learnt to pronounce my name I see," Lord Casterton added with a chuckle, remembering with fondness how the young lad had called him "Caseron" for many years. He set Fredrick on his feet and turned back to the carriage, "I have someone here who's been looking forward to seeing you again."

He helped his daughter step down and was pleased by Fredrick's reaction; at first the young boy appeared confused, that is until Elizabeth smiled and recognition dawned.

"Lizzy!"

Elizabeth laughed and hugged Fredrick to her before making him step back so that she could look at him. "You've sprouted Fred; you'll be as tall as me soon enough."

"I wish I was taller," Fredrick surprised her by lamenting. "I want to be as tall as Alex but he's older so I'll never catch up with him."

Elizabeth was about to point out that people did in fact stop growing at some point but a glance at her old friend persuaded her to keep her silence. The rest of the Fraiser family was moving to greet them and Elizabeth allowed herself a moment to look them over before she was overwhelmed.

His Grace was much the same as she remembered; a huge bear of a man with sandy brown hair and hazel eyes. He had never really been a handsome man but looked very well for his age, the streaks of grey and the wrinkles around his eyes giving him an added air of distinction. His wife Maria was as beautiful as Elizabeth remembered, her black hair and olive skin contrasting with her husband's more traditional English colouring. She was several years younger than her husband but they still appeared as happy with one another as ever, surrounded by their family. By Maria's side was their daughter Sophia who was just 15, with her mother's hair and her father's eyes. She was already a beauty and Elizabeth smiled inwardly at the thought of the number of ardent suitors she would have. And finally there was Alex. She was struck by how different he appeared and, judging by his expression, he was equally struck by the changes she herself had undergone. He had been a young man of 21 the last time she had seen him, fresh from university and in many ways still growing. And he had indeed grown, Elizabeth thought with a smile as she remembered Fred's lament; he was easily as tall as his father and had a very similar physique. He was much more handsome than she remembered though, and much handsomer than his father; no doubt thanks to his mother who had been a beautiful woman (though there had been little else to recommend her). She was relieved to find though that his smile was exactly the same as she remembered it.

"Michael, my friend, it is so good to see you again!" His grace enthused; he dwarfed his friend but that did not stop him from pulling him in for a bear hug, making Elizabeth laugh at the picture they presented.

"Oh Lewis, put him down!" Maria chided smilingly. She hurried to Elizabeth and embraced her before pulling back and laying a hand on Elizabeth's cheek, her eyes glowing with happiness. "It is so good to see you again my dear. And I have to say that you are absolutely lovely."

Elizabeth blushed at her praise and that was before his grace pressed an affectionate kiss to her cheek and triumphantly pointed out, "I always said she would be a beauty. Didn't I son? Didn't I always say so?" He looked to Alex to support him.

"Yes father, you did," Alex replied calmly; he had inherited his father's stature but not his gregariousness.

"And?" His grace demanded with good natured impatience. "Was I right?"

"Yes father, you were," Alex replied obediently but his smile told Elizabeth that he was sincere.

Deciding to save his daughter's blushes Lord Casterton held his hand out to the young Marquess.

"It is good to see you again Alexander; I see that Fred is not the only one to have grown," he noted with a smile.

Alex happily greeted his father's oldest friend and his godfather. "It is good to see you as well my lord, it has been far too long."

"You're certainly right about that son," his grace agreed, patting his friend on the back. He sobered quickly as he added, "I'm very glad to see you again Michael, and looking well too. You had us all worried about you."

Though his grace was loud and surprisingly boisterous for a man of his position and rank, those who knew him well knew that he was possessed of one of the kindest souls and had a heart of gold. Indeed Elizabeth had often reflected that he and Jane had a lot in common when it came to their innate goodness, though the comparison invariable ended when his grace gave way to laughter, as he was frequently want to do. In fact, his grace in many ways seemed to her a less ridiculous version of Sir William Lucas.

"I'm sorry to have worried you Lewis," Lord Casterton replied sincerely. "But as you see, I am well now."

"And long may you remain that way," his friend replied firmly.

Maria came to claim her husband and suggested that the whole party moved indoors. Fred ran on ahead of his parents and Lord Casterton and Alex fell into a conversation, leaving Elizabeth and Sophia to themselves. Elizabeth smiled at the younger girl, knowing that of the whole family she was the most shy; the two of them embraced and then linked arms before following behind the others.

"I am so glad you are here Lizzy," Sophia breathed. "We have been away for so long that I feel as though I know no-one here; it will be nice to have at least one friend."

"I am sure you will make friends soon enough Sophia," Elizabeth assured her. "And I am also sure that your old friend's will be eager to see you once more. I know that I certainly was!"

The family and their guests conveyed in one of the drawing rooms for some refreshments whilst Elizabeth and her father's things were unloaded and taken to their rooms. Everyone was talking at once, caught up in the happiness of reunion and it was some time before the servant at the door could catch anyone's attention. In the end it was Alex who went to him and then announced to the room,

"The rooms are prepared."

"I suppose you would appreciate the chance to refresh yourselves after your journey," his grace realised, looking between his two guests.

"That would be nice," Elizabeth admitted, thinking that a change out of her grimy dress would be most welcome. Her father was also agreeable and they arranged to meet back in the drawing room once they were ready.

"Come, I will show you the way," Maria offered, rising. "We have recently had them redone and I want to see what you think of them."

Elizabeth and her father promised to be back as soon as possible and followed Maria upstairs. Noticing the changes that made been made to the house, Elizabeth asked,

"Is it strange to be back after all this time? And with the house looking so different?"

"It is a little strange," Maria admitted with a smile. "Though many things are still the same as I remember. Arundel has been our home for many years, however, and it is wonderful to finally come back to it. We never stayed in one place very long whilst we were on the continent so it is going to be nice after all these years to have a real home again. Although that being said," she added with a laugh, "with the season starting up again soon I doubt we will be here for very long at all!"

"Are you looking forward to returning to town?"

"To seeing my friends, yes," Maria replied honestly. "And to visit all of my favourite places. I feel as though I could do without all of the other accompanying aspects of the season but we shall have to see how it goes; Lewis has said that he will happily leave again if we are not enjoying it, so I have no worries on that score."

Elizabeth smiled at the lady beside her, pleased that in her time away she had not become any less candid or genuine. Maria was not from a rich family and her marriage to the duke had been a love match; unlike many women in her place she had not put on any airs or gained any pretentions on her marriage and remained grounded and sincere. Elizabeth had liked her immensely as a younger girl and had a feeling that Maria would be a wonderful friend now that she was older.

"Here we are my lord," Maria said as they reached her father's designated bedchamber in the family wing of the house. The door was open and her father's trunks were piled neatly in the centre of the newly decorated room. "I hope it is to your liking; it is surprisingly difficult to redecorate via letters!"

"You have done an admirable job your grace," Lord Casterton replied, smiling. "Though I believe you know me well enough not to rely too much on my opinion."

"Yes, I know you are just as bad as Lewis!" Maria replied playfully. She turned instead to Elizabeth and asked, "What do you think Lizzy?"

"I love the colour," Elizabeth replied enthusiastically, admiring the striking blue wallpapering and upholstery.

"Ah yes, blue is your favourite isn't it," Maria replied, earning herself a smile from Elizabeth.

"Well remembered," Elizabeth complimented, "although I have to admit I do have a slight partiality for yellow now as well."

"Perfect!" Maria exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Come along and see your room. Shall we see you downstairs my lord?" She added over her shoulder to Lord Casterton.

"Yes," Elizabeth's father just had time to reply before the pair disappeared. He chuckled to himself before turning himself over to the attentions of his valet.

"Here we are!" Maria opened the door of Elizabeth's suite with a flourish. She led her guest inside and asked, "What do you think? I was worried it would be a little too overwhelming but I think the overall effect is quite charming."

"Your grace," Elizabeth breathed, looking around the beautifully appointed yellow room, admiring the expanse of windows and the amount of light they let in; the whole room seemed to glow with light and warmth. "This is lovely. I could not ask for better, thank you."

Maria smiled happily as she admitted, "I must confess that I had you in mind when I designed this room. Sophia is just next door you see and I thought it would be nice for the two of you to be close. And Alex is just next to your father."

"It is wonderful your grace, thank you," Elizabeth said again, touched by her thoughtfulness.

"You are more than welcome my dear. But what is all this "your grace" nonsense?" Maria asked briskly. "I was always Lady Maria when you were younger, if not simply Maria. Why has that changed?"

"I am not a little girl anymore," Elizabeth reminded her quietly, about to add that such informal address would not be proper but beaten to it by Maria who smiled and said,

"Yes, I can see that for myself. You really are a beautiful young woman Elizabeth; your darling father must be so proud!"

"I hope so," Elizabeth replied shyly. She hesitated before asking, "Do you think that I look at all like her?"

"In some ways, I suppose that you do," Maria replied honestly before kindly adding, "but only in a very superficial sense. Your figures are similar and from certain angles you have the same features, but your mother was so conscious of her own beauty that it somehow diminished it. She never looked happy or pleased with anything but herself and I have never met a vainer person. Your beauty, by contrast, rather than being so obvious and striking, is more of a kind to sneak up on a person. And your lack of awareness of it is truly refreshing."

Thinking of how Mr Darcy had initially thought little of her looks but now seemed decidedly admiring, Elizabeth smiled and felt herself blush slightly. Seeing her reaction Maria smiled and told her,

"Oh, do not be embarrassed my dear, I only speak the truth as I see it. And I must own that I enjoy lavishing compliments on you so you might as well get used to my praise!"

"I will try," Elizabeth agreed.

"And will you try also to call me Lady Maria?"

"I will," Elizabeth agreed again with a light laugh. Maria smiled and patted her hand,

"Good girl. Now I shall leave you to refresh yourself and change if you wish; do come and find us once you are ready."

Elizabeth had just about finished and was about to go down and join the others when there was a knock at her door; thinking it was her father she called for him to entered as she re-pinned a section of her hair. Seeing Alex enter in her mirror she quickly dropped her hands and turned towards him.

"I'm not intruding am I?" Alex asked quietly, glancing around and seeing they were alone.

"Not at all," Elizabeth assured him.

They silently looked one another over before their eyes met and they both smiled; Elizabeth wasn't sure who initiated it but in the next moment they were hugging one another like the old friends that they were.

"Christ, I missed you Liz," Alex breathed into her hair, the top of her head only just reaching his chin.

"It's your own fault for staying away so long," Elizabeth teasingly reminded him. They pulled back and she smiled and added, "It is so good to see you again though."

"I almost didn't recognise you when you first stepped down from the carriage," Alex admitted, smiling warmly. "My father is right, you are beautiful. Your father must be beating them off with a stick."

"I think you know that is not the case Alex," Elizabeth replied wryly.

"Fools," Alex retorted, only half joking. He became serious as he asked, "They are still disparaging your father then?"

Elizabeth shrugged, "We have not spent any time in town since before you left and so know little of what people say of us."

"You have not made your debut?" Alex asked, surprise evident.

"I have not," Elizabeth replied, pulling out of his arms. "Nor do I wish to. It would be a pointless exercise. I refuse to waste my time attempting to live down my mother's reputation whilst attempting to live up to their ridiculous expectations of me. You know I have always hated the superficiality of society Alex," she added in a gentler tone. "And though I am better now than I was, I still cannot entirely forgive them for their treatment of my father."

Alex looked at her confusedly, "What do you mean you are better now than you were?"

"I..." Elizabeth hesitated before admitting. "I became very bitter and angry at my lot in life Alex, but I was made to take a long hard look at myself and realised I did not particularly like the person I had become. I have a new philosophy now though, and it is helping me see things differently," she concluded with a playful smile.

"Oh? And what is this new philosophy?" Alex asked, intrigued.

"Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure," Elizabeth replied succinctly.

"I have a lot of pleasant memories of the past," Alex pointed out, coming forward and taking her hand. "And a lot of them are about you. I truly have missed you my friend," he quietly admitted as Elizabeth smiled tenderly up at him.

"I have missed you very much as well; I could have used a friend like you these past few years," she confessed a little sadly. "But now you're back and we have plenty of time to catch up."

"We certainly do," Alex agreed; he smiled playfully and asked, "Anything particularly important that I ought to know?"

"I..." Elizabeth was torn between keeping her secret and confiding in her friend. "Nothing that cannot wait for later," she said eventually, deciding that this was not the time.

"In that case, we had better go down," Alex said, offering her his arm. "I should warn you though, my father has been getting ideas," he told her as they walked together.

"Ideas about what?" Elizabeth asked, confused.

"Us," Alex replied simply. He smiled at Elizabeth's shocked and slightly worried look.

"I don't understand; where did your father get such an idea? We have not seen each other for years and have never been more than friends."

Alex smiled at her lack of understanding. "Your father is his closest friend Elizabeth, and my father loves you as much as he loves any of us. There is no-one he would rather have as a daughter-in-law."

"Oh," Elizabeth breathed before smiling ruefully. "Now I almost wish that we could love one another; I do not want to make him unhappy."

"You won't," Alex assured her, inwardly wincing at her unknowing rejection. "He would not dream of interfering; he just wants to see us happy, and is convinced that we would be happiest with each other."

"I confess I think my father once entertained similar ideas," Elizabeth mused with a smile at some of his thinly veiled hints; before Mr Darcy's appearance of course.

"Only once?" Alex replied, pretending to be offended. "Does he not think me good enough for his daughter? He does know I going to be a duke one day, doesn't he?" He teased, making Elizabeth laugh.

"He knows," Elizabeth assured him before adding impertinently, "and could not care less."

Alex laughed heartily at this, "Somehow, that does not surprise me!"

Elizabeth smiled up at her friend, glad to finally be reunited with him and almost bursting with her need to tell him about Mr Darcy. She knew that she would have to wait, however, and devoted her attention to Alex and the rest of Fraiser family, listening with eager interest to their tales of the continent. Fortunately the others were so occupied they did not notice if she occasionally fell quiet, her thoughts far away with a certain gentleman and his family.

The first week of their stay passed in a blur for Elizabeth, she was just so busy. Letters had continued the two family's friendship with one another but five years was a long time to be apart and there was so much for them all to talk about. And then there was Fred who kept Elizabeth very well entertained when she was not with the adults, and Sophia who was quickly growing up and eager to talk with her about "ladies" things. She sometimes felt herself pulled in two directions at once by the siblings but fortunately that was usually when Alex chose to step in, spiriting her away for a walk around the grounds or a covert game of billiards.

It was during one of their games that Alex finally noticed the faint mark on Elizabeth's check, the only remaining evidence of Wickham's attack. The light had fallen across her face as Alex helped her correct her technique and he frowned slightly and asked,

"Did you cut your face Lizzy?"

Elizabeth startled and straightened abruptly. Alex straightened too and looked at her with surprise, "Liz?"

"I..." Elizabeth stammered, not entirely sure what to say. How did one admit to such a thing happening?

"Elizabeth what is it?" Alex asked, worried now. "What happened?"

"I was attacked," Elizabeth whispered; she saw Alex's anger and hurried to add, "Not badly, and the man responsible is no longer in the country."

"But, why?" Alex asked. "I do not understand."

"It is a very long story," Elizabeth admitted with a tired sigh. She was not wholly surprised when her friend took her hand and led her from the room. They climbed the stairs together and went to the gallery, where they had spent many an hour talking and sharing secrets. Alex sat her down at one of the window benches and sat beside her and said,

"Tell me everything."

To Elizabeth's surprise, that is exactly what she did. She told him first of the attack, assuring him that she was quite well before relating to him the events preceding it. Soon the whole story of Mr Darcy and their acquaintance came pouring out of her, along with what had happened to Colonel Fitzwilliam. She could see that at points Alex struggled to remain silent and appreciated him all the more for simply listening to her talk. When she shyly confessed to him her last moments with Mr Darcy she felt such relief at finally being able to speak of it that she overlooked Alex's reaction to the news.

"..and so here I am," Elizabeth concluded finally with a resigned smile. "Awaiting to hear from Georgiana about how her cousin does, and whether her brother listened to her advice. I am so glad for father and you all Alex, for I am sure I would be quite pathetic otherwise," she joked, though she knew that there was some truth in her words. "It is hard not being able to speak to him," she admitted quietly.

Alex smiled a little sadly as he nevertheless replied, "I cannot imagine you becoming pathetic over anyone Liz; you must truly love him."

"I do," Elizabeth whispered, tears shining in her eyes. "So much has happened in this past year and I am so different from the girl I was then; I feel better for it though. Loving him and knowing I am loved in return...I can hardly describe how that makes me feel Alex."

"I am happy for you Elizabeth," Alex told her earnestly; he sighed at the thought of losing her to another man before pushing such thoughts away and joking, "I hope you know, however, that this Mr Darcy is going to have a rough time of it."

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked a trifle sharply.

"Well, he may have won over your father," Alex replied cheerfully, smiling at her protectiveness. "But he has yet to win over mine. And I'm not exactly of a mind to just let him take you without proving himself first."

"He's already proved himself Alex, in so many ways," Elizabeth pointed out before adding, "and he has proved himself to me. Few know me better than you Alex; do you really think I would have let myself fall in love with him without fighting against it tooth and nail first?"

"No, perhaps not," Alex granted with a chuckle.

"I have made it so hard for him," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "And yet he has weathered it all; he came back even after all the terrible things I said to him and has told me himself how he has changed for my sake. And he loves me Alex, in spite of my family's reputation, in spite of everything! I cannot fight that, not anymore."

"As long as you are happy," Alex replied after a moment. "That is all I ask."

"I am," Elizabeth assured him before amending with a rueful grin, "or at least I will be when I next have word of him. This waiting is interminable!"

Alex laughed at her impatience and noted, "I think seeing you in love is going to prove quite entertaining."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him as she playfully warned him, "Just wait for your turn Alex. Just wait until you fall head over heels for some girl, then we'll see whose laughing."

They laughed together, Alex relieved that Elizabeth did not seem to notice how strained his own laughter was.

That night at dinner, following a brief conversation with her father during which she admitted to sharing the truth with Alex, Elizabeth and Lord Casterton decided to tell Lewis and Maria about what had happened to Elizabeth. They waited until the children had gone to bed to relate the story and were not surprised by the respective reactions of the duke and duchess; Lewis was outraged and the fact of Wickham's deportation did little to calm his anger and Maria was all attention to Elizabeth, fussing over her as though the attack had happened only yesterday. Elizabeth was touched by the couple's obvious attachment to her and did her best to reassure them that she was indeed quite well.

It was some time after Lord Casterton's initial disclosure that the duke remembered something.

"Did you say that a Mr Darcy came to Elizabeth's aid?"

"I did," her father confirmed, thinking that he knew where Lewis was going and adding, "Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire. He is the Earl of Matlock's nephew."

No one seemed to notice Alex start and his look of dejection when Lord Casterton said that Mr Darcy was from Derbyshire. She could not have chosen a man who lived further away from Dorset if she'd tried, he thought sadly. The idea of her marrying another man was disappointment enough, but the thought of not being able to see her often, simply as friends, made matters seem so much worse.

"Ah," his grace breathed, nodding. "I thought I recognised the name. You are well acquainted with him?"

"Yes," Lord Casterton replied with a smile. "He is a friend to both Lizzy and myself."

He noted his daughter's slight blush and Alex's frowning observation of it, wondering what was going on between his daughter and her friend. He turned his attention back to Lewis as his friend remarked,

"Hmm, he can't be much like his uncle then if he is friends with you. Ridiculous, pompous ass," he added, causing his wife to rebuke him,

"Lewis! Language, please."

"You like him no more than I, my love," her husband pointed out.

"And yet I still refrain from using such coarse language, especially in the presence of ladies," Maria replied calmly and her husband looked appropriately chastened.

"Forgive me," he said, bowing slightly to Elizabeth.

"Is the Earl really so bad?" She asked, curious about Mr Darcy's relations and Colonel Fitzwilliam's father.

"In the grand scheme of things, I suppose not," his grace admitted. "Though I would not recommend him as a neighbour. He thinks far too much of himself and places far too much weight on rank and title for my tastes; not much different from the rest of society though really, when you think about it. But the man is such a bore!" His grace protested. "It's all money and consequence with him, nothing else."

"Have you ever met his younger son?" Elizabeth asked, "Colonel Fitzwilliam?"

"Ah, yes," his grace replied, suddenly smiling. "Matlock's one redeeming feature, though I suppose his wife is not all that bad. I like the Colonel though; lively, jovial fellow, just my cup of tea. Why do you ask Lizzy, have you met him?"

"I have," Elizabeth replied. "I was in Kent visiting the Gregory's when he and Mr Darcy were visiting their aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourg. I liked him very well also; it is so sad what has happened to him," she added quietly.

"What do you mean?" His grace asked, looking to Lord Casterton. "Has he been injured?"

"I'm afraid so," Lord Casterton replied, relating the particulars.

"Damn," his grace muttered, ignoring his wife's frown. "Now I regret having spoken so harshly of the Earl; wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Poor chap. Will his son pull though, do you know?"

"Their doctor is unsure at the moment."

"Damn," his grace said again.

They were all silent for a moment until Elizabeth announced that she was going to retire. Alex also excused himself, needing to look over some paperwork for his father. Once alone the parents all looked at one another, waiting for someone to say something. His grace, typically, was the first to leap into the breach.

"How good a friend are you with this Darcy fellow, Michael?"

"We know each other quite well by now," Lord Casterton replied. "And I like him very much. He is a worthy young man."

"More open-minded than his uncle then?"

"Yes," Lord Casterton agreed, smiling wryly and adding, "Eventually."

"Ha!" Lewis laughed. "Took some time to win him over then; fool!"

"I daresay Elizabeth had more to do with it than I," Lord Casterton admitted honestly. He saw that he could not leave it there and added, "The story is not mine to tell, but needless to say Elizabeth gave him a good talking to about some of his...notions. He has amended his ways considerably since then and has thrown himself wholeheartedly into being a good friend to us."

"And have you accepted him wholeheartedly in return?" Maria asked quietly; she smiled and corrected herself with keen perception, "Or rather, has Elizabeth accepted him wholeheartedly? I believe that is the issue in question here."

Lord Casterton bowed his head slightly in recognition of Maria's discernment; Lewis was the last to catch on and looked at his friend with surprise.

"There is an attachment between them?"

"No," Lord Casterton replied. "They are simply friends, nothing more. Though I cannot say that the gentleman does not wish for more. Lizzy though, she is...she is as yet unsure about the gentleman," he concluded.

He knew it was not the complete truth but wanted to protect his daughter's privacy. The Fraiser's may have been their closest friends, but he did not want Elizabeth to feel any pressure from any quarter, even if it came in the form of congratulations from their friends.

"I suppose it would be a good match for her," Lewis begrudging admitted; Maria sent him a warning look, privy to his hopes for Alex and Elizabeth. "Though he is not titled."

"Don't be such a snob Lewis!" Lord Casterton laughed as he pointed out, "I seem to remember you disparaging Matlock for such an attitude not half an hour ago."

"That's different!" Lewis protested. "I'm allowed to be biased when it comes to my favourite goddaughter."

"She is your only goddaughter," Lord Casterton reminded him.

"Even more reason for me to favour her," Lewis quipped. "Seriously though, you know I simply wish to see her happy. We both do," he added, looking to his wife who nodded.

"I believe that she could be very happy with Darcy," Lord Casterton replied thoughtfully, "should anything come of it. But as I said, she still seems undecided and nothing is settled. And it is all very well Darcy showing an interest in the country; it is another thing entirely for him to do so in town," he admitted with a resigned sigh.

"You think he will drop her?" Lewis asked, sounding indignant.

"No," Lord Casterton replied, "not really. He came back after all, when he did not have to. But it will surely require great fortitude to face society should anything come of his and Elizabeth's relationship; from what I have heard he is an extremely good catch and for him to attach himself to her...it will be a trial."

"If he loves her he should willingly weather whatever storm to be with her," Maria pointed out sagely.

Husband and wife shared a glance before Lewis breached the subject that had been a topic of much conversation between them.

"Michael," Lewis said, drawing his friend's attention. "Have you given much thought to my offer to come with us to town?"

"Some," Lord Casterton admitted. "I see the sense in your arguments."

"It has been two years since her death my friend," Lewis went on. "And at least eight since the worst of the scandal. Do you not think it is time to stop hiding?"

"They will not have forgotten Lewis," Lord Casterton pointed out wearily. "And as soon as I reappear all the old stories will make the rounds again."

"Then you ignore them!" Lewis argued. "It is different now, she is dead! She can no longer add fuel to the flames. The stories will grow old and there will be no new ones to replace them and soon something else will come along of more interest. And you are forgetting that not everyone is the same Michael; you had friends who cared nothing then for what Viola did and who will care nothing now."

"How can I face them after all these years?" Lord Casterton asked, almost speaking to himself. "How can I face them after what she did?"

"You face us well enough Michael," Maria pointed out quietly. Her husband nodded and added, "You don't have anything to be ashamed of."

"She was my wife!" Lord Casterton shouted suddenly. "How can I not be ashamed? I was married to a filthy w..." he bit off what he was going to say, conscious of Maria's presence. "I have never made a worse decision than I did the day I married her, and everyone knows it."

"Nobody cares Michael," Lewis replied. "At least no one who matters."

"What about Elizabeth?" Lord Casterton asked after a moment. "You know that she will be made to suffer in my stead."

"Isn't she suffering now?" Maria surprised him by asking. "Hiding away as though she is ashamed to show her face. As though she has a reason to be ashamed. She should be out there with her head held high, showing them she has done nothing wrong and they have no right to judge her! You can blame yourself all you like for making a mistake Michael, but the fact is that Elizabeth has done nothing wrong and you have been making her live as though she has."

If Lord Casterton had not known her to be incapable of it, he would have thought that Maria was willingly manipulating him; there was nothing that would sway him so easily as the thought that he was somehow hurting Elizabeth was his actions. The thought had occurred to him on more than one occasion that he was denying Elizabeth the life she deserved but his own desire to protect her, and her willingness to stay with him had prevented him from really considering it properly. Being confronted with the truth so directly was troubling to say the least, and he lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

"You know you won't be alone in this my friend," Lewis assured him after some time. "I have written to the old crowd already and they are eager to welcome you back. You are not unprotected Michael, and have some powerful allies."

"You should not have to do this," Lord Casterton protested.

"Oh, put aside your wounded pride you old fool!" Lewis replied. "The man I knew at Cambridge would have leapt at the chance to show them what you're made off. Come, Michael, what do you say? Let's take on the ton and make them see you're not going to hide anymore."

"Now who's the old fool?" Maria remarked amusedly, smiling at her husband's animation.

"You're forgetting one thing Lewis," Lord Casterton pointed out. "We have yet to ask what Elizabeth thinks of all this. It is very likely she wants as little to do with the ton as I do."

"For shame Michael," Lewis rebuked him. "I never thought I'd see the day that you used your daughter as an excuse!"

Maria glared at her husband and stepped in before Lord Casterton could reply, "I am certain that is not the case Lewis. But I shall speak to Elizabeth about it at any rate; if she agrees then it will be up to me to sponsor her and we will have much to discuss."

Still somewhat angry with his friend Lord Casterton simply nodded and excused himself soon afterward. The duke and duchess watched him go before turning to one another once they were alone.

"Honestly Lewis," Maria sighed, exasperated. "How you have managed not to learn an ounce of tact in all your years is quite beyond me."

"He doesn't need tact," Lewis replied, "he needs a kick up the backside. I love him like a brother but it frustrates me to no end how he has behaved over this whole thing. The entire situation would have been so much better had he dealt with the scandal head on, faced them down."

"It is easy for you to say so my love," Maria pointed out. "But do you really think you would have found it so easy had you been in his place, had I been the one to sell myself to other men and engage in such debauched activities?"

Lewis winced and his face took on a grim aspect. "No," he admitted with a sigh. "No, it would not have been easy. I suppose I forget sometimes what he has been through- I cannot imagine how it would feel if you betrayed me in such a manner."

"You never need do," Maria assured him, stroking his cheek and encouraging him to lower his head so that she could kiss him.

"We are doing the right thing, aren't we?" Lewis asked as they separated, thinking of how troubled his friend had appeared throughout the discussion. "I want to help them but if they are happy as they are then...?"

"I will speak to Elizabeth," Maria assured him. "Michael will be happy as long as she is. If she does not wish to come to town and be introduced then we shall have to accept her decision."

"If Alex marries her then she will have to be introduced," Lewis pointed out. "She would not need to worry then; as the Marchioness her acceptance would be secured."

"Something tells me, my love, that we may have to abandon that hope," Maria replied. "I know how much you want her for Alex," she added when her husband looked like he was about to protest. "But we will simply have to accept it if she is in love with Mr Darcy."

"There is still time for her to change her mind," Lewis pointed out hopefully before sighing and reluctantly admitting. "But you are right, of course. If she is in love with this Darcy fellow already then there is little we can do about it. I just hope he deserves her."

"As do I," Maria agreed.

They soon retired to their chambers and went to bed, but Lewis was unable to find sleep right away. He lay staring up at the ceiling, his hand absently stroking his wife's shoulder as his mind travelled back through the years to a night long forgotten.

"Michael! There you are; I've been looking for you all night!"

From his place by his wife's side Lewis stared at the empty doorway, awash with anger and shame for his friend. He listened with his jaw clenched as what was left of Michael's reputation and good name were ripped to shreds, quite sure that if given the chance he could have quite happily throttled Lady Viola Casterton for what she had done.

Looking down at his peacefully sleeping wife, Lewis sighed to himself thinking that he had been too hard on his friend. The years spent on the continent had made him forget what it had been like for Michael when his wife was alive and at her worst...

That night had been a warning of things to come. Before then she had remained somewhat discrete with her lovers although stories of some of her antics had begun to seep out. She and Michael had kept up a facade though for many years, living together and occasionally attending parties and dinners with one another. Many marriages amongst the ton weren't exactly renowned for their warmth and their dislike for one another had gone unremarked for years. It was only as Lady Casterton became careless that the trouble began. She began to flaunt her lovers openly, arriving with them in tow at events in town, some of which Michael himself was attending. She would drink to excess and shame herself openly, flirting indiscriminately and often leaving with a different man than she had arrived with. Michael had argued, pleaded, threatened and cajoled but to no avail; her behaviour could not be curtailed. The final straw for him had been the day he returned from his club to find a parlour full of men half in their cups, his wife sat in one of their laps and his precious Elizabeth, barely fourteen at the time, looking scared out of her wits as one of the men attempted to speak to her. When his friend had arrived on Lewis's doorstep with a crying Elizabeth he was still in a rage and it had taken considerable effort to calm him down. He had wanted to challenge the blackguard for daring to lay a finger on his daughter but Lewis had convinced him that any whiff of a scandal around Elizabeth would be disastrous; she would be written off as cut from the same cloth as her mother.

Following the incident Michael had cast his wife out of the house, refusing to let her anywhere near their daughter. He had paid her off and signed over to her a huge allowance as well as a significant upfront sum which she had proceeded to spend on a house in town which soon became known for its notoriety. Michael had attempted to go on as though nothing were amiss but in the end it had all become too much for him. His wife and her latest lover, a man named Blackwell, bothered little with society at large, happy with their own pursuits and pleasures; Michael though had been left to face the scorn of the ton and was openly ridiculed and insulted. Unable to bear it any longer, and worried about his daughter, he had retreated from his friends and eventually returned to the country. Lewis himself had left with his family at this time to visit Maria's family on the continent and had only learnt of Lady Casterton and Blackwell's deaths when a friend had written to him of it. When Michael had eventually written of it himself, it was obvious that he was struggling with unchristian feelings of relief; personally, Lewis could not think of anyone who deserved to suffer such an end more than Viola Casterton.

Continued In Next Section