Section I, Next Section

Chapter 1

Posted on Wednesday, 8 November 2006

Liz stood on the large, flat rock by pond and kicked off her shoes. She took off her shorts and shirt and dove into the water. She broke the surface sputtering slightly, as the water was far cooler than she imagined it would be on such a hot day. She swam out over to the other shore, where water lilies were growing. Plucking several, Liz stuck them in her hair, kicked out, and floated on her back, looking up at the clouds as they drifted by. After ten minutes, she had drifted over by the rock again, and she wrung out her long hair as she got out of the water, took a towel out of her bag, and laid it on the rock. She also grabbed the novel she borrowed from the library the night before, and laying down on the towel, with her wet, lily bestrewn curls surrounding her like a halo, surrendered herself to the book.

When Elizabeth Bennet read, she was usually lost to the real world, and today was no exception. Although Darcy was attempting to be quiet, he barely restrained his gasp as he caught a glimpse of Liz getting out of the pond. He stood in shocked silence as she lay on the rock, reading a book. He licked his lips as he took in the sight of the flowers in her flowing hair, the drops of water laying on her naked stomach like dancers' jewels, her soft curves glistening in the dappled sunlight.

Liz was not like the usual women that hung around Darcy, or Pemberley for that matter. She was neither tall, blonde, nor "statuesque". Liz was trim and healthy, but was curvy to the point of voluptuous. At 5'5", she would never reach the height typical of the models, socialites, actresses, and other females that typically hung on Darcy's arm, batting their eyelashes at him in insipid flattery. Even though she was only in her underwear, Liz still wore more clothing than Darcy was accustomed to seeing when women went "swimming" and he found Liz's boy-cut bottoms and jogging-bra arousing. Then he noticed that, compared to the other women he'd known and seen, Liz always seemed to cover up much more. She always dressed more modestly in comparison to what was fashionable, "which is quite the shame ... a figure like that shouldn't be hidden from the world" he thought to himself with a smile. "Then again, if I were with her, I wouldn't want everyone to be able to see something that beautiful ... I would keep it hidden from the world too...I wonder if that's why she does it ... she doesn't want to share her beauty ... no ... I don't think Liz even thinks of herself as beautiful ...heh ... downright gorgeous... G*d ... what I wouldn't give to be able to go over there right now and kiss her...kiss the water off of her...if she only knew what she did to me..."

"But she wouldn't think anything like that, would she? No, she thinks I'm the most arrogant, womanizing man on the planet ... I have to do something about that ... change her mind about me ... get her to see that I'm not like that at all ... make her love me...*sigh*..."

Darcy stood there for a few moments more, watching Liz through the gap in the bushes he was behind. He had not meant to spy on her, in fact, he came down to this particular spot near the pond like he did when he was younger and wanted to get away from everyone for a while. As a boy, he had made the hollow in the bushes, installing a small bench for him to sit on as he read and listened to the sounds of nature. The day before he had overheard Liz speaking with some of the other guests at the house about him. What he had heard threw him into a spin and he needed to get away from everything and think.

He had noticed Liz the first time he saw her, but could not find a way to speak to her; he became invariably tongue-tied in her presence She intrigued him with her flashing eyes and smile, fiery personality and sparkling wit. It took little time for him to become bewitched by the dark beauty that had accompanied his best friend, Charles Bingley, and Bingley's girlfriend, Liz's sister, Jane.

Contrary to popular belief and gossip, Darcy was not a womanizer. He had a few girlfriends throughout his life, none serious or lasting more than a few months. While he was in college, he went through a more "active" period, mostly due to his innocence and curiosity, and tales of his "capability" were quickly spread throughout the sororities. He became more hunted than ever before, and quickly curtailed his libidinous experimentation. Darcy grew more cold and aloof around women after that. He did not want to be chased by gold-diggers or women looking for a famous conquest, and most certainly did not want any more gossip being spread about his personal life. It was mostly in vain though, for a rich, handsome man such as Darcy always attracted women and nosy photographers who constantly snapped shots of him at events and galas with women hanging off of him. Darcy was too much the gentleman to do anything but bear it all with stoic resignation.

Darcy bore most things with a near-grim determination. Aware of his status in society, he made a point to attend events and charity balls because it was expected of him, for his father did so before him, and he dutifully carried on the tradition as the CEO of Darcy Enterprises International, Inc. He threw lavish parties for the same reason; hence the fact that he was presently entertaining guests at his home. Darcy preferred smaller gatherings of family and friends. When he was comfortable, he was a warm, funny, loyal, and considerate friend; it was breaking down the barriers to reach that side of him that was tricky. Darcy did not open-up to or trust people easily.

His birthday was next week, and his cousin, Richard "Fitz" Fitzwilliam, Charles Bingley and his sister, Caroline, had talked him into having a large party at his estate to celebrate the "big 3-0". He reluctantly agreed and allowed his friends to plan the event. He was slightly amused and relieved that it was going to be a Masquerade Ball. Wearing a mask might have its benefits.

Darcy closed his eyes to the vision of Liz and thought back to what he had overheard:

"Oh, wasn't that the most delicious thing you have ever seen?", twittered Melody, referring to Darcy's toned physique they noticed during his earlier swim in Pemberley's large, in-ground pool.

"Mmm ... delicious like chocolate, although 100 times more rich!" said Nicole, and Darcy frowned.

"I wonder if he'd be so handsome if he were not so rich?", asked Liz, and Darcy could picture the smirk and arched brow that usually accompanied her sarcastic quips. He did not mean to eavesdrop, but was on the other side of the garden wall from the group of chatting women.

"Regardless of the money, Liz, you have to agree that Darcy's a certifiable Hottie!" cried Nicole.

"*Sigh*...fine, he is good-looking, to be sure, but looks are not everything, and cannot make up for deficiency of character," Liz stated with certainty.

Darcy's ears pricked up at this. "Deficiency of character?" he mused in astonishment.

"What on earth are you talking about, Liz?" Melody asked, nearly gaping.

"Yes, Liz ... what?" Darcy silently echoed.

"I know I am his guest here and all, and should be more polite about my host ... but Darcy is the most arrogant, conceited, and snobbish womanizer I have ever had the displeasure to meet. In fact, I cannot wait to leave here. I was only staying around because Jane asked me to, but I think I'll leave tomorrow..." Liz said, looking down and chewing her lip.

"WHAT!?" Darcy's jaw dropped open.

"What do you mean, Liz? " Nicole asked, astonishment evident in her voice.

"Well, I mean ... come on! You've both heard all of the stories of Darcy's "conquests". Quite a few of the girls staying here right now all talk about having "had" him at some time, a few of them in the past week alone. And the other night I saw that Emily girl coming out of his room in her underwear. And she left the next morning too, I bet you he made her leave after he got what he wanted. Pig ... and I told you about what he said about me the first night we were here, right?"

"I haven't heard anything about that," Melody said.

"Oh, Liz and I got a laugh out of that one!" Nicole chimed in. "Evidently, at the party Darcy had the first night we all got here, Liz overheard him making some smart remark about her to that Paul guy. Seems that Paul tried to get Darcy to ask Liz to dance, but she's 'tolerable, I suppose, but not at all my type, and not pretty enough to tempt me", Nicole said, sniggering and speaking in a lowered voice.

"Oh, he didn't!?" Melody said, aghast.

"He most certainly did!" Liz said, laughing merrily. "At first I was quite amused by the entire thing, and now I am thinking it was a complement of the highest order, as I am very glad I am not 'his type'. And after that he hasn't said one word to me that was friendly in any way. I know I'm only here because Charles wanted Jane to have me here, but as a guest, you would think he'd be capable of at least a modicum of civility. All he does is stare at me all the time. It just makes me want to walk over to him and ask him if I've turned purple or have something on my nose! I haven't done a thing to Darcy, and he looks at me like some bug that must be squashed," Liz said heatedly.

"D*mn! I didn't think she heard me! I only said that so that Paul would leave you alone ... he seems to derive some sick pleasure from seducing any woman I even look at ... I didn't want him going after Jane's sister ... Oh, Liz ... if only you knew..." Darcy mused dejectedly.

"Well, you can't leave, Liz. You've got to go to the Masquerade with us ... you promised! You're going to knock them all dead!" Nicole said.

"Hah! Knock who dead? As if there's anyway I can compete with all of the supermodel cannabis around here," Liz said with a mocking pout.

"Liz ... you know there are tons of men out there who don't like the whole "stick-bug look.." Melody said, with a tinge of jealousy, remembering the looks her raven-haired friend would get from men she would flirt with.

"Indeed..." Darcy mentally agreed.

"Whatever you say..." Liz said with some exasperation.

"Well, I am famished ... isn't lunch supposed to be served out on the patio today? Let's get over there now before the guys eat everything in sight!" Nicole said as the group moved out of Darcy's hearing and towards the house.

Darcy stood there for a while, clinging to the wall in despair. The woman he was hopelessly attracted to hated him. He would have to find a way to get her to stay long enough to change her opinion of him, let her see the real Darcy, not the façade he presented to the world-at-large and strangers. "But how to accomplish this...?"

Liz lay back and closed her eyes against the sun flashing through the leaves above. She placed her book by her side and stretched her arms above her head and arched her back, relishing in the warmth, before placing her hands under her head and resting for a moment. Darcy stuck his fist in his mouth to stifle the moan of desire that nearly slipped out.

Liz's contented smile began to slip from her face and she thought about returning to the grand house of the Pemberley Estate, as she imagined running into its illustrious owner. "No doubt he'd glare at me again, seeing me in this state ... oh well," she mused with her customary smirk returning to grace her lips, "I can only imagine the look I'd get for dripping water on his rugs!" With that, she slowly sat up and began putting her clothes back on her partially dried underwear, stowed her towel and book back in her back, and began to set off back to the house, humming as she went. Had she looked back, she would have seen the illustrious owner of Pemberley rising from a copse of bushes, looking after her with eyes full of passion and longing.

As Liz walked back through the woods, she would occasionally stop and think about the past few weeks she had spent at Pemberley. She had loved spending time with Bingley and her sister, and liked a few of the other guests she had met so far. Melody and Nicole, although a little flighty, seemed like very nice women, unlike the other women staying in the large mansion, who were all invited by Caroline Bingley. Caroline was a social climber/interior decorator, and loved to surround herself with the "beautiful people" of society and Hollywood. Although she hated the competition, she wanted to have as many "worthwhile" people here for Darcy's birthday.

Besides Melody and Nicole, Liz got along with Darcy's cousin, Fitz, and with Darcy's sister, Georgiana. Georgiana was a bit shy, and Liz helped the poor young woman deal with all of the guests and people demanding her attention. The two had formed a friendship as they would escape the hustle and bustle of the mansion to go horseback riding around the estate. It was Georgiana who had shown Liz the pond and other quiet spots where one could hide.

Fitz was a handsome charmer, but a little too smooth for Liz's taste. She loved to joke with him and talk about various topics, but he was not someone she could ever take seriously or be attracted to. Besides, Liz felt that he would be perfect for Nicole, and they seemed to be hitting it off quite well.

Liz felt slightly guilty about her plan to leave, as soon as she mentioned it to Bingley and Jane, they immediately begged her to stay until the ball, at least. Jane did not understand Liz's dislike of Darcy, but realized that her sister was uncomfortable being there. Regardless, Jane did not feel that Liz should miss out on what would be a special and magical night, so Liz was talked into staying at Pemberley until the day after the party, much to Darcy's secret delight.

Liz's thoughts turned to her host. Darcy was quite the puzzle, and Liz was fond of puzzles, although the riddle of this one was a man she disliked. Although he had rudely dismissed her the night they first met, she did find some amusement in the verbal sparring they would engage in, on those rare occasions when he would speak to her. For some reason, she got the feeling that he enjoyed these "chats" as well; there was a small sparkle in his eyes when they crossed swords. Once, she even caught him trying to stifle a smile after she made a particularly good retort. The times when they did speak did not seem to last very long, as they were almost always shortly interrupted by Caroline or one of the other women he had hanging on him.

After stopping to smell the flowers that lined the back walkway to the house, Liz skipped up the stairs and into the cool hallway of Pemberley to go upstairs and change, relieved that she didn't see Darcy or Caroline on the way.

Liz stripped off her damp clothes and luxuriated in the large shower in the adjoining bathroom. After a long soak, she brushed out her hair and picked out something to wear for dinner that evening. It was to be relatively informal tonight, as the Masquerade was to be held the next evening. Deciding on a pair of black, tight-fitting slacks and silver top, she dressed quickly and went down the hall to find Jane's room.

Knocking on the door, Liz entered when she heard her sister's soft "Come in". Jane was sitting in front of her and Charles' room's fireplace watching a movie on the TV.

"Haven't you been out at all today, Jane?" Liz asked.

"I went for a walk early this morning, but I felt like resting for a while. I'm going to need all the spare energy I can muster for tomorrow. Charles promised me that I wouldn't sit out one dance," Jane said with a laugh.

"Promised or threatened?" Liz teased.

"Are you all set for tomorrow night?" Jane asked as she turned off the TV and walked over to her sister.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess. Considering some of the costumes some people said they'll be wearing, I might be a bit blasé and underdressed!"

"Not everyone is going 'all-out' Lizzy, so you'll be fine. I hope you have fun and really enjoy yourself. I'm sure you won't be sitting out one dance either," Jane said, trying to smooth her sister's ruffled feathers. Getting Liz to stay until the Ball was no easy task.

"Thank G*d I've broken in my shoes, then," Liz said with a smile. "So, are you coming down to dinner with me?"

"I guess I will, I was waiting for Charles to come back, but he's taking a while," Jane said, her smile momentarily slipping.

"Oh? Where is your better half then?"

"Down, the hall, going over some last-minutes details with Caroline."

"Oh ... happy thought indeed," Liz said dryly.

"Lizzy, I know you don't like her, but could you try to get along for Charles' sake?"

"I have never been anything but nice to that pit-viper, Jane, but for some reason she attempts to put me down at every turn. I'm ignoring it the best that I can, but if she keeps it up, says something about you or the rest of our family ... well, I will not be responsible for what I do or say at that point," Liz said levelly.

Jane just sighed and didn't press the point with her sister. The two young women were as different in temperament as they were in appearance. Jane was tall and willowy, with straight honey-blond hair and sea-blue eyes, and the demeanor and sweetness of an angel. Elizabeth was shorter, curvy as a 1950's film siren (she was often compared to Betty Page and Sophia Loren), with black curly hair and amazing, dark, hazel eyes that ranged from black to goldish-green, depending on what she was wearing and her mood. Right now, those eyes were black and flashing sparks, clearly a sign that Liz was upset. After a quiet moment of walking down the hall towards the stairs, the eyes began to turn back to a normal brown and the sparkle came back.

"So, do you think anyone will recognize you?" Jane ventured.

"Besides you and Charles, I don't really know. It's not like anyone else here has ever seen me wear a gown. Even though we've had a few 'formal' get-togethers while we've been here, nothing I wore then came close to being as nice as what I've picked out for tomorrow," Liz said with a mysterious smirk.

"Are you going to tell me what you've picked out?" Jane said with some exasperation, as Liz had never shown her the gown or mask she intended on wearing.

"I've told you, Jane, it's a dress ... and it's dark red ... and that's all you're getting from me. Just wait and see, I'm allowed some surprises, aren't I?"

"Knowing you and what you consider a 'surprise' is what has me slightly worried, Lizzy," Jane said with a smirk.

"Jane, I haven't done anything horrible for a while now. Give me the benefit of the doubt, will you?"

"I guess ... " Jane offered teasingly as they turned the corner to the dining room.

As they were walking downstairs and went into the dining room, neither of the Bennets noticed the silent form of their host following them.

"Red ... hmm ... that gives me some ideas..." Darcy mused with a smug smile gracing his lips.

He went into the large room and walked over to talk to some of his guests before going to the large chair at the head of the table. He gestured to the servants and waited for everyone to sit before dinner was served. As usual, the chefs at Pemberley performed wonderfully, and the meal was exquisite. Shortly after the meal begun, Charles and Caroline finally joined the party, and Charles sat between Jane and Liz, apologizing for his lateness.

"I really don't see why she took so long to go over things ... the details have been finalized for a week now ... all she pretty much did was ask me questions about Darcy." Bingley whispered to Jane with a puzzled look on his face.

"It is alright, darling, Liz came down with me," Jane said with a smile.

Liz had overheard Bingley's remarks and turned her attention to Caroline, who was sitting near Darcy. Caroline, after her loud apology for being late, immediately attempted to monopolize Darcy's attention.

"Oh l*rd, looks like Dirty Darcy is going to have another notch on his bedpost, if she hasn't already been one ... " Liz thought to herself, her lip curling in disgust.

Darcy caught the expression on Liz's face, and noticing her glancing at Caroline, gave a small laugh and matched Liz's expression. Liz saw this as well, and became slightly confused. "Does he not like Caroline at all or is he only disgusted with one of his past 'conquests'? They seem as if they would be perfect for each other though ... she's the fawning 'Barbie-doll' 'type that he's used to ... and he fits her dream of the 'rich and famous' ... " Liz fixed her eyes on her plate and attempted to finish her soup. After a while, her ears began picking up the conversation between Fitz and Caroline.

"Fitzy ... I cannot fathom how you believe that fashion is not important?"

"Well, Caroliney ... in the scheme of things, fashion compared to the environment, the economy, state of the nation ... well, there is no comparison. Clothing trends are not anywhere near as important to, nor have more impact on people than real events. How can you dare say otherwise?" Fitz said with no small incredulity.

Liz brought her napkin up to her mouth to stifle the laugh that was ready to escape. Her eyes flashed green and danced merrily as she fought to contain her amusement.

"Well," Caroline began with disdain, "I can understand how some people at this table do not realize the importance of fashion and appearance.." she finished, turning a haughty glance at Liz.

Liz noticed the look, and said "I know ... I just let myself go in such an appalling way ... *sigh*. I guess that I should have placed more time and energy into picking out my wardrobe instead of studying for the Bar and working to help people..." she finished with near-convincing sheepishness. Liz had worked hard through law school, graduated Magna Cum Laude a year early, and had quickly risen through the ranks in one of New York's top human rights law firms.

Darcy immediately clamped a hand over his mouth and tried not to choke on the mouthful of wine he just drank. He grabbed a napkin and almost had to stuff it in his mouth to quell his laughter. His eyes gave him away, though, and Liz shot him another confused glance.

"Oh, William, dear ... are you alright? Is the wine not good enough? Shall I get you something else?" Caroline asked, oozing obsequious attention to her host.

"No ... no, thank you, Caroline ... I am fine. And the wine is quite good, I did choose it myself, you know..." Darcy muttered. "Caroline's ... brown-nosing is really beginning to get on my nerves. I don't know how many times I've told her that nothing is going to happen between us ... but she never seems to get a clue!"

Caroline just sat there and batted her eyes at Darcy, and attempted to finish her conversation with Fitz, never summoning the wit to recognize what Liz had said.

Quickly overcoming his frustration with Caroline, Darcy's attention was once again focused further down the table. The steadiness of his gaze rendered his object uncomfortable and slightly annoyed, thinking it was again a mark of his disdain.

Dinner was finished quickly, and Darcy and his twenty-or-so guests followed him to the drawing room for some entertainment and drinks before the party retired early for the night. Everyone was anxious to get some rest in anticipation for the festivities and late night that was to follow on the morrow.

Liz walked over to Fitz and Georgiana with a glass of sherry, eagerly anticipating a chat with her two, new friends. Georgiana smiled when she saw her walk over and Fitz turned to throw a companionable arm around Liz's shoulders.

"So, darlin' ... are you going to save me a dance or five tomorrow night?" he asked with his usual wide grin and a wink.

Sliding out from under his arm, Liz laughed, "Smoother than the devil, aren't you ... Fitzy'?" she teased.

"Please never repeat that horrid name again, or I shall drink Drano.." he groaned and Liz and Georgiana laughed, saying 'Fitzy' many times under their breath.

"So, Georgie, what are you planning on wearing to the Ball? Not one of those hooped monstrosities with a powdered wig, I hope.." Liz asked.

"Oh no!", Georgie said in mock horror. "I'm taking a page out of your dear sister's book and going as an angel," she said with a shy smile.

"You will look absolutely beautiful ... divine even!" Liz said with a grin, causing the younger woman to blush.

"I am sure she will," said a low voice behind her, causing her to jump.

"William.." Georgiana said, blushing again and looking down at her feet.

"You will look absolutely wonderful tomorrow, dearest. And no doubt, you will keep Fitz and I busy the entire night, trying to keep you from being swamped by young men..." Darcy said with a slight lift of the corners of his mouth.

"Are you really going to take away all of her fun?" Lizzy said, arching her brow.

"Liz! You know he's only teasing ... " Fitz said with a laugh, trying to break the tension.

Darcy looked Liz in the eye, and once again, she felt uncomfortable under that unwavering gaze. This time, however, she had the feeling, that it was not a look of disdain, and she became flustered and broke the gaze. Darcy blinked as if coming out of a spell and quickly turned back to Georgiana.

"Of course I am teasing, dearest. I just hope that you save one dance for your 'over-the-hill' brother."

"I wouldn't want to dance with anyone else, except you, Fitz. I am sure all of my dances will be available for both of you," she said shyly. Darcy stepped over and kissed his sister's forehead.

"Silly girl..." he said with a smile, and then with another glance at Liz, who was still unable to meet his eyes, he turned away to speak to his housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds.

"Well, I think I am more tired than I thought, I shall retire directly," Liz said with a slight tremor, "good-night you two, I'll see you tomorrow."

After saying her farewells to her sister and friends, Liz climbed the stairs to her large bedchamber and got ready for sleep. As she sat at the vanity, brushing out her thick hair, she kept picturing Darcy's eyes in her mind, over and over. She could not discern the meaning of his looks that night and was troubled for some reason. Nearly throwing down her brush, she went over and got into the huge bed and tried to fall asleep. It was a long time before sleep found her that night.

Chapter 2

Posted on Thursday, 9 November 2006

Liz took her time getting ready for the Ball that evening. The party wasn't supposed to begin until 9, so that the guests could take advantage of the glorious, summer sunset, but Lizzy wanted to pull out all the stops for once. She was not one to get dressed up normally, but tonight, she felt almost like a princess, and was going to take advantage of the fairy-tale evening. She took a long bath, and luxuriated in the gigantic tub, using her favorite scented oils. After drying off, she worked on her hair, loosely piling it on top of her head with long, curling tendrils escaping to coil around her shoulder. Finally she slipped on her burgundy silk gown, delighting in the feel of the wispy material caress her. She slipped on her matching burgundy heels and walked over to the vanity where she put on liner and mascara to make her eyes stand out, and put on her black, sequined mask, tying the ribbons into her hair. As a final touch, she placed black feathers and red roses in her curls. Closing her eyes and walking over to the peer-glass, she took a deep breath, and looked at herself.

The woman looking back at Elizabeth Bennet was one she had never seen before, but had, at times, suspected lay within her somewhere, and was only allowed to come out due to the mask. Dark, sensuous, mysterious ... Liz swayed slightly and smiled as the silk danced about and caressed her legs. Turning around, she lightly blushed as she caught the reflection of herself in the mirror ... the side-slit dress was backless, dipping down to the small of her back. Facing front again, she decided that view was nearly as shameless, as the dress showed off a bit of cleavage, "but not enough to be considered 'tarty'" Liz thought with a smug grin. With a final twirl she opened her door and checked the hall for anyone coming. Quickly slipping into the hall, she took the back stairs and exited the house by a rarely-used side door.

Taking a deep breath and smoothing the silk dress down she collected herself and entered the grand back courtyard and gardens, which were breathtakingly decorated with candles, fountains, tables, and an orchestral band that was already playing soft music for the growing number of champagne-drinking guests. Grabbing a flute from a nearby waiter, she scanned the crowd for her sister and Charles. Spying them over by one of the fountains, she walked over, barely containing her amusement and anticipating their surprise.

Jane was a vision in diaphanous light blue and a golden mask made to resemble half of the sun, Bingley wore a midnight-blue velvet tux with a mask that looked like a sliver-moon. Jane turned from Bingley and noticed the woman in red approaching them, it took a moment for her to recognize her sister, and her jaw dropped. Bingley turned when he noticed Jane's speechless state, and his jaw dropped as well.

"Lizzy? You look gorgeous!" he finally was able to say.

"Oh, Lizzy, you look fantastic!" Jane said as she hugged her sister.

"Thank you, both of you. Wow ... I can't believe how amazing you two look!" Liz breathed out, holding Jane at arm's length and admiring her sister's gown. "You are a goddess Jane..."

"I know..." Bingley said with a wide smile, his eyes on his beloved. Jane cast her eyes downward and blushed.

"So, what else are we looking forward to this evening?" Liz asked. She had been trying to get the details of this night out of Bingley for weeks, and he was remarkably tight-lipped.

"Well, I should leave something for a surprise, but there will be an amazing dinner, tons of champagne, and the band will fully strike up for dancing later ... after that ... well, just wait and see!" he said with a chuckle.

"If you're going to be that way, I'll just see if I can find someone else to spill. Oh, there's Georgie ... and Fitz, I think. I'll go over there and pump them for info!" Liz said with a smirk, and turning on her heel left to go over to her friends.

Liz slowly approached the angel and a man dressed as a soldier from the 1800's. She came up behind the 'soldier' and tapped him on the shoulder. As he turned, she asked, "So, ... Colonel, are you here to subdue the discontented populous or are you here to defend Westchester County against the Canadians?"

'Colonel' Fitz threw his head back and laughed heartily. "My dear lady ... it would be this soldier's honor to protect your.." he halted, then widened his eyes, " ... Liz?" he finished with a whisper.

"Aw ... that was too quick," she said with a pretend pout.

"Forgive me for ruining your fun, darlin', but there is only one woman here I know with that rapacious wit," he said as he gallantly kissed her hand.

"Well, thanks Fitz, and may I say ... you make a dashing soldier," Liz said with a smile.

"At your service, Madam," he said with a sweeping bow.

"And Georgie, you are definitely giving my sister a run for her money in the angel department. You look lovely," she said, giving her friend a light kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you," Georgiana said softly. "You look wonderful, Elizabeth. You will certainly have many admirers tonight."

"I must admit that I am enjoying myself, and I look forward to the rest of the night. I wouldn't mind sitting out all of the dances, it would give me the time to do some serious crowd-watching," Liz said with a grin.

"Oh no, you are going to dance at least once, with me!" Fitz retorted.

"Oh, I guess ... so, what is planned for tonight?" Liz asked, attempting to appear nonchalant.

"I have already been warned by Charles that I am not to divulge anything, Liz, so you are not going to use your courtroom interrogation techniques on me! I have been trained to resist, you know...you couldn't possibly be any worse than my Mom or Aunt Catherine!" he said laughingly.

There was a low gong and Liz looked around with confusion. Seeing this, both Georgiana and Fitz took her by the arms and marched her over to one side of courtyard where most of the guests were gathering. "What is going on?"

"It's sunset ... just watch." Fitz said in a hushed voice.

The three friends just stood there for a while, watching the purples and pinks sweep through the darkening sky. Shortly afterwards, the sun was just a memory, leaving a hint of a glow on the horizon, and stars began to appear in the blackness overhead. There was another low gong, and the gathering moved towards the tables.

"Well ... that was very beautiful," Liz said with a dreamy expression.

"Yes, I do so love the sunsets here. It's William's favorite time of day," Georgiana added.

"If they are like that up here, I can see why. You can hardly ever see the sunset in the city. So what now, dinner?"

"It is supposed to be amazing...the cooking staff went all out for tonight. Unfortunately, I don't think most of it will be appreciated by ninety percent of the guests here..." Fitz said, and then in response to Liz's silent query, "do you really think most of the women here would eat non-rabbit food?"

Liz snorted and accepted Fitz's arm as he led her to the table. There were no name cards placed, the anonymity of the masquerade was to be enjoyed throughout the night. Liz sat down and carried on various conversations through dinner, thankful that she was sitting near Fitz, as her other neighbors were boorish and insipid. Georgiana had left to sit near the head of the table, where Darcy, the host and celebrant, was seated. After the sumptuous meal with cake for dessert, the crowd got up for more champagne in the courtyard, where the orchestra was warming up for the upcoming dancing. Liz had found Jane again, and went over to stand by her as everyone's attention was directed towards the stairs to the house. With a masked Darcy on the top step and the conductor's tap on the microphone, the crowd quieted.

Darcy stood rigidly; attempting not to shuffle or stammer ... he hated speaking to crowds. After clearing his throat and removing his mask, he said loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, friends and guests, I welcome you to Pemberley, on this night. It is not every day that one turns thirty, and I am glad that I am sharing this day with you (...'yea, right'...). Please, enjoy this evening," and with a bow he replaced his mask and turned into the house.

"It's a miracle he didn't just say 'Happy Birthday to me, now get out!'" Liz said with a smirk.

"Lizzy! I still have no idea why you are so determined to hate Darcy ... he really is a very nice man. Why don't you give him a chance?" Jane asked with a troubled look.

"I don't hate him, Jane, I merely dislike him. And it will pass soon enough, as soon as I leave here and never see him again."

"I admit that he made a bad remark the first night that you two met, but it isn't anything that you should hold against the man," Jane said, forever the peacekeeper.

"Well, after tonight I seriously doubt that I will ever see him again, except...perhaps...at your wedding?" Lizzy said with an arched brow. "And I promise to be on my best behavior on that day."

"Lizzy!" Jane said with a blush. Liz turned around and walked around the courtyard for a while, observing people and checking out the costumes. There was almost an even split in the number of guests dressed in classic formal wear or elaborate costumes, and Liz was having a wonderful time watching everyone and attempting to recognize people she had met. After a period of solitary crowd-watching, for she was oblivious to all of the admiring glances she was receiving and innocently ignored the men casting them, she walked over to the refreshment table to get a glass of wine. While waiting for a bartender to come over, she was startled by the appearance of a glass of sparkling white wine in front of her and a low, melodious, accented voice near her ear.

"A sweet, sparkling wine is the only drink to suit such a sparkling woman."

Lizzy turned without accepting the glass and remarked with an arch smile, "Now that is a line that I have never heard before."

"So do I get any points for originality, Madam?" the masked man asked with a slight smile.

"Perhaps..." Liz acceded, finally taking the glass from the mysterious stranger with a nod. She had turned slightly and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, sweeping his tall frame with her glance. He was dressed in a black tux, the jacket of which had a Nepalese collar and no lapels, a white shirt and old-fashioned cravat, and a vest of nearly the same burgundy as Liz's dress. His mask resembled the upper half of a skull, and his jet-black hair was smoothed back, with the hint of a curl near the nape of his neck. All in all, a devastatingly handsome man; especially with the accent and the slight curl to his full lips. Liz nearly melted in her spot.

"Are you enjoying the evening so far?" the man asked, raising a glass of red wine and taking a sip.

"Yes I am. The dinner was wonderful and the sunset was breathtaking," she said with a small smile.

'Not as breathtaking as you are ... ' "Is this the first Masque that you have attended?"

"Is it that obvious?" Liz asked with a small pout that sent the man's heart beating wildly.

"No, not at all. I was only wondering if you have figured out all of the nuances such an event entails and were acting upon them?"

"Such as ... am I only wearing the mask, or is the me you see the masquerade?"

"Exactly," the man said with a large grin, showing off a set of marvelous teeth and dimples. "So? Which is it?"

"A smile like that shouldn't exist for real ... it is too devastating ... ," clearing her throat, Liz replied, "Oh, no. I cannot tell you, for isn't that yet another aspect of a Masque?"

"Hmmm, already a master, I see. So, my Dark Maiden, may I have the honor of this dance?" he asked with a bow.

Liz stood there for a moment biting her lower lip, then after taking a deep gulp of her wine, set down the glass and accepted the man's arm. He escorted her to the dance floor and the orchestra began a slow song. They danced in silence for a moment before Liz addressed her partner, "I believe we must have some conversation."

"Do you talk by rule, then, while you are dancing?"

"Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be entirely silent; and yet for the advantage of some, conversation ought to be so arranged, as that they may have the trouble of saying as little as possible."

"Are you consulting your own feelings in the present case, or do you imagine that you are gratifying mine?"

"Both," replied Liz with a teasing smile.

"This is no very striking resemblance of your own character, I am sure," said he. "How near it may be to mine, I will not say. You think it a faithful portrait?" the man asked, the corners of his lips curling upwards.

"I must not decide on my own performance," Liz said, feigning nonchalance.

The man threw his head back and laughed. Liz's heart beat faster, curiously enthralled with the sound. She blushed slightly and averted her eyes, berating herself for being so attracted to this complete stranger.

"So, Dark Maiden, are you fond of books?"

"Very much so, although I doubt that we read the same, or with the same feeling. And one certainly cannot talk of reading books at a ball," Liz said with a smile.

"I have a feeling that when you read you completely fall into the words. They pull you in, and you are submersed in an entirely new and different world. You envision the characters and scenes; you replay them in your mind, over and over. You are in love with the written word," the man said in a low voice.

Liz's eyes grew wide and she looked at him in awe and amazement.

"No, you are quite right. One cannot talk of reading books at a ball," the man said with an enigmatic grin.

Now it was Lizzy's turn to laugh heartily, drawing the admiring glances of many men nearby.

"That is just amazing. I do not think anyone has ever understood that about me before, especially not a masked stranger. If I am the 'Dark Maiden', then you are...?"

"You may call me anything you wish," he replied gallantly.

"How about Mr. Pink?" Liz said, biting back more laughter.

"Ah, a fan of the movie 'Reservoir Dogs'? An unusual choice for a woman; but then, you are not your usual woman, are you?"

At Lizzy's confused and mildly offended look, he said, "That is a complement, you know. Especially in this crowd."

"Whatever do you mean?" Liz asked, still annoyed. She had been teased and picked on throughout most of her life; first for being a tomboy as a child, then for not being 'ladylike' enough by her mother as she got older. Although she now held little stock in what others thought of her, she still became defensive about this old taunt.

"The women here, with a few notable and admirable exceptions, are creatures of art and artifice, using their contrived and insincere flatteries in the attempt to secure connections or status. They have no heart ... no soul; all they are under the surface is greed. You, on the other hand, are one of the exceptions."

"And how can you tell that? Do you know me, sir? How can you be sure that the mask I am wearing is the one on my face?" she asked, genuinely intrigued.

"I do not know you, yet I feel that I do. You must be aware that you have remarkable and beautiful eyes. The most beautiful eyes I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Who you are ... who you really are ... shines through them. It would take an utter, callous fool not to see that," he said solemnly.

Liz had to take a deep, steadying breath, and she could only pray that he couldn't feel her trembling in his grasp. "And how many points are you trying to rack up with all of this flattery?" Liz asked in an attempt to calm herself.

"It isn't flattery if it is the truth. And are you really going to call me Mr. Pink?"

"Why not? Would you prefer Don Juan?"

Now it was the masked man's turn to look mildly put-out. Taking a breath, he looked deep into Liz's eyes and stated, almost like a vow, "I am not an unrepentant womanizer or a seducer of women."

"I ... I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it," she said contritely.

"It is alright. I will peel a layer of the 'mask' for you. For some reason, I am often mistaken for a man such as Don Juan and that is not who I am, at all. I do not mean to sound conceited, but due to my ... assets ... I am often hounded by 'usual' women who want nothing more from me than my money or position. It disgusts me. I would like nothing more than to be liked ... loved ... for who I am, not for what I have; but so far, this has been merely a dream."

"Maybe you should go to more masked balls, then. No one would know who you are then, Mr. Pink," Lizzy said, attempting to lighten the mood. "So, the mask you are wearing is truly the one on your face?"

"Mostly ... " he replied with a smirk. "And you? Or is it impolite to ask a woman to give up her secrets?"

"Mostly ... as well..."

They danced for most of the evening, chatting quietly and drawing the attention of many other guests. It was very difficult not to notice the electricity between the masked and well-matched pair.

Shortly before what turned out to be the last song, the mysterious man took Liz by the hand over to the refreshment table. Grabbing two glasses of sparkling wine, he then escorted her over to a group of trees on the side of the courtyard. Tilting her head in silent and wary questioning, he said, "I swear on my honor as a gentleman, you are safe with me. Please, I would like to show you something."

Liz took a deep breath and followed him into what was an arched pathway to a secluded balcony by a small garden with statuary and a fountain. Setting down the glasses on the railing, he extended his arms, "May I have this last dance?" he asked with a smile, as the strains of a tango filled the air.

Liz walked up to him and gasped as his hand touched the bare skin of her back. He tightened his grip around her and brought her so close to him so that she nearly fainted from the warmth emanating from his body. She let out a small laugh as he quickly spun her and dipped her.

The two began to move together, Lizzy finding a rhythm that she dreamily thought echoed his heartbeat. They did not speak, no words were needed as they danced as one. She was caught up in his arms, in his eyes.

Her mysterious partner was feeling the same thing, reveling in the perfect communion existing between them, relishing the feel of her softness under his fingers, her scent; wishing it would never end, but knowing that it had to, and soon.

When the music ended, they stood there in each other's arms, looking at the other, intently. Taking a deep breath, the masked man led Liz over to the railing, allowing her to rest against it, while he stood behind her, breathing in the perfume of her hair, clenching his fists to fight against the overwhelming urge to kiss her neck.

"Thank you for a most wonderful and enchanting evening," he said, struggling to mask the sadness and regret in his voice.

"Are you leaving?" Liz turned and said with no little disappointment and concern.

"I must away..." he said, his voice thick.

"Oh ... " Liz said, biting her lip. "I had ... the most wonderful time ... will ... will I?"

"Yes, you will see me again ... someday..."

She tried to speak again, only to be silenced by his fingers on her lips. He smiled at her, and gently turned her back around. "Shh ... just watch," he whispered near her ear, depositing a soft kiss on her cheek, causing her to shiver.

Liz almost turned around again and jumped as the first of the fireworks was set off. She stood there in wide-eyed joy and amazement at the display. She was enthralled and glanced back with a smile on her face which quickly disappeared when she noticed she was alone ... the words "Farewell ... Dark Maiden.." still hanging in the air.

Liz searched the balcony, then followed the path back to the courtyard attempting to catch a glimpse of her masked man. Searching the crowd and hoping she didn't appear frantic, she didn't notice Jane, Bingley, and Fitz walk over to her.

"Lizzy! Are you alright? Where have you been?" Jane asked worriedly.

"Are you ... okay? I saw you walk off with that man you were dancing with ... where did he go? Did he ... do anything?" Fitz asked with no little concern.

"Oh ... no ... I'm fine ... I ... did you see where he went? He left without saying good-bye... "

"No ... I haven't seen him. Who was he? Did you know him?" Bingley asked.

"No ... and yes..."

"Well, which is it?" Fitz asked, his humor returning.

"What? I'm sorry..." she said with a small laugh. "I was enjoying myself so much I've been ignoring you all. Oh no! I forgot to save you a dance!"

"It's alright ... I'll survive my broken heart. But, are you sure you're fine?"

"Yes, I'm just a bit tired, now. It's been a long and wonderful night. Is that it, then? Were the fireworks the end of the party? They were amazing, by the way. You and Charles were right to keep them a secret."

"Yes ... that was the 'grand finale', so to speak. Its almost 3:00 a.m., you know. Not all of us are as young as we used to be and can't pull all-nighters anymore!"

"Did all of you have a good time?" Liz asked, still searching the crowd.

"I had a great time," Jane said softly, looking at Bingley. "He even let me sit down once or twice."

Everyone laughed and began walking towards the house when they noticed a man in a tuxedo standing on the steps. Raising his hands to get everyone's attention, he removed his mask and revealed himself as their host.

"Thank you again, everyone, for being here to celebrate with me. I hope that you all had an enjoyable evening. Thank you, and good night." And with the applause that followed, Darcy dropped a quick bow and walked into the crowd, shaking hands and saying farewell to his guests. More and more people followed his example and began taking off their masks. Liz quickly removed hers and kept searching the milling crowd, hoping for a glimpse of her evening's partner. After a while she gave up, and slowly walked back into the house.

On the way up the stairs she passed Darcy, fully expecting that she would slip by without notice. She was surprised when she felt a gentle touch on her arm.

"Elizabeth? I hope you had a pleasant evening?" Darcy asked softly.

"Yes ... I did," she said, her gaze becoming unfocused and dreamy; a wistful smile spreading on her lips.

"I am glad. Thank you for being here, tonight," Darcy said with a slight curve to his lips. "You look lovely, by the way."

Lizzy's eyes regained their focus, on Darcy. She was startled by his manner and receiving a complement from him.

"I am sorry I missed the opportunity of dancing with you ... but you were ... otherwise occupied, it seemed."

"Um ... er ... yes..." she stammered, confused. "Excuse me ... I think I shall retire now." She turned and continued up the stairs, stopping in the doorway. "Mr. Darcy? It was a lovely party," she said quickly, and before he could respond, she had disappeared inside the house.

"Yes ... a lovely party ... indeed..." this thought, and a dreamy sigh was unknowingly echoed .

Chapter 3

Posted on Saturday, 11 November 2006

The next day found most of the guests at Pemberley still abed at 10:00 in the morning, except for Liz. Although she was still tired from the previous night, and could barely find any sleep with visions of masked men running through her head, she was never one to lay about in bed. She dragged herself out from under the covers, took a bracing shower, and dressed. She trudged downstairs to the breakfast room, praying that there was fresh coffee. It appeared that she was the only one up. She ate a few pieces of fruit, and grabbing a mug, walked to the library. "Well, if I can't sleep, I may as well lose myself in a book ... hmmm ... 'in love with the written word' ... I dare say that I am... she mused with a smile.

Selecting a fantasy fiction anthology, which she was surprised and amused to find in Darcy's library, she curled up on the large couch in front of the fireplace and read. Shortly afterwards, she began to drift off back to dreams of a tall, masked man, the book slipping from her fingertips.

Around noon, the door to the library was opened, and the master of the house quietly slipped in, closing the door and leaning against it, letting out a sigh.

"Why couldn't Caroline sleep all day ... " Darcy muttered, then walked over to his desk. Sitting down he began to peruse through the mail that had accumulated over the past couple of days which was ignored due to the party. Hearing a soft moan he started and looked around the room. Not seeing anything, he rose and walked over to the couch, where he saw Liz curled up, fast asleep.

He stood there frozen for a moment, before tentatively reaching out and brushing a curl away from her face. She smiled and turned, causing him to freeze again. When she settled down, he placed a blanket over her still form and watched her for a few moments.

"Oh ... Elizabeth ... how can I get you to stay ... will you stay? I don't want you to leave ... " he whispered., then rose and left the room, wanting to remain and watch Liz in her sleep ... dreading his return to his other guests, but knowing his duty.

Liz opened her eyes, still half-asleep. "Hmmm? Stay? Of course..." she murmured. Looking around the room and finding herself alone, she laughed at herself and realized she had been dreaming of her Masked Man, begging her to stay with him. Stretching and picking the book off of the floor, she got up and went down the hall to the dining room, hoping there was lunch to be found.

Upon entering, Liz saw that most of the guests were up, and quickly found a seat next to her sister. The party was somewhat subdued, due to mostly everyone being tired, but happy and chattering away about the previous evening. Liz was quiet, which drew the notice of more than one person.

"So, Eliza ... did you enjoy the evening? I must say that I didn't see you among the crowd," Caroline said smirking, gloating that she had not seen Liz in the groups of "worthwhile" guests. Liz had spotted Caroline the night before (it was hard not to, that shade of orange doesn't exist in nature), and had avoided her.

"I enjoyed the party very much," Liz said softly, a dreamy smile on her face.

"I would imagine so! You were monopolized the entire night! Broke my heart, dear girl..." Fitz said teasingly.

"Yes, who were you dancing with all night? I didn't recognize him?" Georgie asked with no little curiosity.

"I do not know who he was ... I did not recognize him and he never said his name," Liz answered, trying not to let her disappointment show.

"Did you just say 'Hey, you!' all night, then?" Bingley quipped, trying to cheer her up.

"No...I called him 'Mr. Pink'," Liz retorted, her sauciness returning.

"Mr. Pink?" Georgie asked, confused, the corner of her brother's mouth twitching.

"It's a character in one of Lizzy's favorite movies," Jane offered.

"Wait a minute ... Reservoir Dogs! Am I right? Isn't that one of your favorite movies, as well, Darcy?"

Liz looked up at Darcy and almost caught the fleeting look of panic on his face before he regained his famous outward calm.

"It is ... Tarantino is one of my favorite film-makers, and I have all of his movies," he said softly.

"Really?" Liz asked, interested.

"Even 'From Dusk 'til Dawn'" Darcy said with a small smile.

"I remember that movie ... you made me watch it, Will. It was horrible," Georgie said, making a face.

"It wasn't so bad. Tarantino's movies are campy on purpose, its part of what makes them so fun!" Liz said.

"So, which one is your favorite?" Darcy asked Liz shyly.

Surprised that William Darcy, of all people, was speaking to her again, Liz didn't answer right away. After glancing at Darcy to ascertain if he was interested or merely attempting to be civil and finding the former, she said, "Pulp Fiction ... hands down."

Darcy quirked an eyebrow at this. Feeling that he was once again criticizing her, and not in the mood to deal with it after the wonderful night she had, Liz spat out, "Got a pair of pliers and a blowtorch?"

To her utter astonishment and that of the entire room, Darcy threw his head back and roared with laughter, in between gasps muttering "Bring ... out ... the Gimp!!"

Caught up in his mirth, Liz began to chuckle. Finally catching his breath and wiping a tear from his eye, Darcy said "Now that's a great movie ... you should see my wallet, sometime," before he looked down at his plate, hoping no one saw the blush on his cheeks.

"Oh my G*d ... don't tell me ... does it really say 'Bad Mu...?"

"Ahem!" Fitz coughed loudly, interrupting Liz. With an amused glance at his cousin he said, "I can say that it most certainly does! I was with him when he had it made. You should have seen the look on the salesman's face when Darcy ordered it. From Brooks Brothers, no less!"

Liz nearly choked on her mirth, and Bingley laughed as well. Caroline looked disgusted at everyone, except with Darcy, of course, and no one else seemed to get the joke. Shortly afterwards, conversation dropped and people focused on their lunch. When the meal was finished, Liz grabbed the book she had been reading and rose to go to her room.

"Are you heading up to pack now, Lizzy? Do you need any help?" Jane offered.

"Um...actually I was just going to find a place to read..." she said, shifting in her spot.

"Oh? Planning on leaving after dinner, then?" Georgie asked. "You can always stay another night if you're still tired from yesterday.

Relieved that she didn't have to find a way to state to her hosts that she had changed her mind about leaving so soon, she said "Oh, thank you! I really didn't realize that the party would last that late...I am rather worn out. If it's not too much trouble, would it be terribly inconvenient for me to stay another night?" Liz was silently hoping that her mystery man would return to Pemberley. He had told her that she would see him again, and not being able to recognize 'Mr. Pink' among anyone currently staying at the house, did not think he would be able to find or contact her if she wasn't there.

"No...no inconvenience, at all, Liz!" Georgiana said brightly.

"Thanks!" Liz said, perking up. With a wave to the room she left for her bedchamber to change. The perfect place to read and dwell on her thoughts was the pond, and this time, she didn't want to swim in her underwear.

"Well...you are too kind, Georgiana ... allowing her to stay another night," Caroline said in clipped tones, entirely missing the glare sent her way by Darcy.

"Excuse me," he said in a low voice, and left the dining room. Wanting to get away from everyone in his house, he quickly ran up the stairs to his room and put on something more suitable to going for a walk in the woods.

On his way out, he caught a glimpse of Liz heading towards the pond. Although he knew that he would have a perfect opportunity to watch her from his spot while she was there, he also knew that if he caught her swimming again, he would not be able to control himself. Shaking images of an undressed Liz out of his head, he sped up his pace to catch her.

"Elizabeth?"

Turning her head to see who called her, Liz stopped and became mildly irritated. She waited for Darcy to meet her, wondering if he was coming to retract his sister's invitation to stay another day.

"Elizabeth ... I ... I just wanted to say that you're welcome to stay another night ... you are welcome to stay for as long as you wish to.." Darcy stammered, forcing himself to meet her eyes.

"I ... I thank you," Liz said, confusion apparent on her face. Taken aback by his hospitality, she had to wonder if Georgie or Fitz had forced him to be polite and extend the invitation himself.

"You're welcome," he said, with a slow smile. "I see that you found my old book," he said with a nod to the anthology in the crook of her arm.

"I was surprised to find it, actually. I didn't think you would read Sci-fi/fantasy stuff." At Darcy's silent query she added, "You don't seem the type."

"Well, 'never judge a book by its cover'," he said softly.

"Pot? This is kettle. You're black," Liz said with a snort, and turned to walk away.

Darcy sighed and jogged to catch up with her again. Walking by her for a few paces and attempting to ignore the indignant look on her face, Darcy softly said, "We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot, Elizabeth."

With a glare at Darcy next to her, she said heatedly, "And I wonder why that is...William..." and picking up her pace, attempted to get away from the infuriating man.

"I'm sorry," he shouted after her.

Turning around, Liz planted her fists on her hips and arched her eyebrow, her mouth in a set line.

"For whatever it was that offended you, I am sorry," Darcy said more softly, looking her in the eyes. He would not let her know, yet, that he had overheard the conversation she had with Melody and Nicole.

"Offend me? Oh, certainly not. How could you offend someone who is only tolerable?" she said, her eyes shooting fierce sparks.

Darcy bowed his head, thinking again on how his remark must have sounded to her, and shamed that he had hurt her, even though the comment was meant to protect her. Taking a deep breath, he asked Liz, "Do you know Paul Webster well?"

"No. I never met him before I came here.." she said in a low voice, annoyed and wondering where this was heading.

"I've known Paul since school. For some reason he always tries to one-up me in some way. Grades, awards, cars, business ... he calls it 'friendly competition', I don't understand it ... anyway, this competitive streak of his runs to women of my acquaintance. If he thought that I was at all interested in you, he would have imposed himself on you. By telling him that you weren't my type, I thought that I was sparing Bingley's friend from Paul's harassment. I didn't know that you overheard my remark, and I'm sorry that you took it the wrong way," he said, looking into Liz's dark eyes intently.

As Liz continued to glower at him, he sheepishly asked, "Anything else?"

"Well, your story explains away why you were rude to me ... at first. I know that I'm not someone who you would usually associate with ... I'm not of 'your circle', as Caroline likes to remind me daily ... but you do realize that this is probably the longest conversation we've had the entire time I've been here. You don't have to like me, you don't have to go out of your way to be friendly, but a modicum of civility would have been appreciated."

"How have I lacked in civility towards you, exactly?" Darcy asked, stung.

"All you do is stare at me! As I said, you've hardly spoken two civil words to me before today ... Seriously! I know I'm not "high society" ... I know I'm not a model or an actress, or even Jane ... but I'm not a freak of nature by any means. What offends you so much about me that you glare at me so whenever we're in the same room? Am I green? Are there small creatures coming out of my ears?"

Darcy shifted in his place, staring at his feet, kicking leaves about, and nervously twisting his pinky ring.

"I..." he stammered, then taking a deep breath, blurted out, "I'm not good with people."

"No ... really," Liz retorted, her voice dripping with disdain.

Shooting her a wry glance, "I mean ... I'm really not good with people. Family and people I've known for years ... fine. Business associates ... I can deal with them as long as we stick to business. People I don't know and the charming sisters of my best friend's girlfriend ... not so good," he said, looking away and praying that he wasn't blushing.

Liz's mouth dropped open. "Did he just say I was ... charming?" Standing there in utter bewilderment, she shook her head and tried to clear it. "No. I don't believe it. William Darcy saying that he's just shy? How can someone with his reputation be 'not so good with people'? What kind of sick game is he playing?"

"How can a man of sense and education, who has lived in the world, and is the CEO of a major corporation be ill qualified to recommend himself to strangers?'' she asked incredulously.

Darcy paced nervously. He did not intend for this conversation to happen. Although he knew that Elizabeth found him rude, conceited, and flawed, he did not realize that her dislike of him ran so deep. It would take a large amount of effort on his part to change her opinion of him, but he also felt that she was worth it.

"Ever since I was in high school I've been surrounded by people who wanted to be my friend only because I was a 'Darcy'. Girls would hang on me because of my money. All of this got much worse when I was in college, and then when my father died five years ago and I had to take over the company ... *sigh* ... I guess I'm saying that all of this caused me to shut down. I really don't have many friends or people I can trust, and because of my past experiences, I've become somewhat resentful. My good opinion once lost is lost forever. My life has revolved around the company and taking care of Georgiana ... I haven't had the time to practice being more friendly."

"Being friendly? You seem to have the propensity to hate everyone!"

"And you willfully misunderstand them!"

Taking a deep breath, Liz muttered, "Good day, Mr. Darcy," and turning on her heel, stalked away towards the pond, desperately needing to get away.

Darcy stood there stunned at the outcome of the conversation with Liz. He attempted to let her know the truth behind his remarks and actions. However, his explanations merely seemed to infuriate her more. Running his fingers through his hair and kicking a stone nearby, he stalked off towards the stables, in need of a long, hard ride to help clear his head. "This has gone all wrong!"

Liz stormed through the woods on her way to the pond. She didn't stop until she reached the rock, she threw her bag down and stomped her foot in anger.

"Ohhh! Insufferable, hateful man!" she said aloud. Picking up stones by the pond she threw them into the water as hard as she could.

"Willfully misunderstand, do I? 'Shy Mr. Darcy' my foot! 'Practice being more friendly'?" Muttering to herself, she stripped down to her bathing suit and dove into the pond, hoping the water would cool her temper. She did several laps before getting out and sat down heavily on the rock, thoroughly exhausted. Due to the party the night before, getting little rest, and having an argument that mentally drained her, Liz fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Several hours later she was woken by Jane, calling her name worriedly.

"Lizzy? Lizzy!? Are you ok?" she asked frantically, throwing a blanket over her sister's bathing suit-clad form.

"Jane? Where am I? What time is it?" she mumbled, her head aching.

"It's almost sunset, Lizzy. Have you been down here the entire time? Oh my! You're burning up! Charles? Help me get her to the house, quickly! I think she's ill!"

"I'm not sick, Jane," she said weakly. "Just a bit woozy ... oh!" she exclaimed, her legs crumpling under her as she tried to stand.

"Elizabeth! I've got you! Charles, grab her things! It's alright, Jane, I've got her. I'll call a doctor as soon as we get to the house!"

Liz opened her eyes in shock. She was picked up as if she weighed nothing and was being carried back to the house by Darcy. Her head was pounding and before everything went dark, a thought came unbidden into her mind ... that it felt very nice in his arms.

She slept through the entire next day. The doctor Darcy called came and went, giving the diagnosis of flu and exhaustion. Liz was to sleep as much as possible, take plenty of fluids and not travel for the next few days.

When she finally woke up, Liz immediately heard her sister's voice next to her.

"Lizzy? How are you feeling? Is the headache gone?"

"Mmmm. Jane? Where am I?"

"You're in your room at Pemberley. Do you need anything?"

"No. I don't think so. What happened?"

"You must have fallen asleep down at the pond. The doctor thinks that the exertion of the past few days and you falling asleep in a wet bathing suit gave you a chill which turned into the flu. Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm still tired and achy. The headache's gone, though. I hate being sick! Can you take me home, Jane?"

"No, Lizzy. The doctor said you're to go nowhere for a few days, at least until the fever has broken."

"I most certainly do not want to be stuck here!" she said, trying to sit up which caused a wave of dizziness.

"See there," Jane began, noticing Liz turning green, "that's one of the reasons why you're to stay in bed!" she said with a teasing smile. A sick Lizzy was a cranky Lizzy. "You are not going anywhere for a while except to sleep."

"Yes, Jane," Liz grumbled.

"Go back to sleep, Liz. I'll have some soup ready for you in a while," Jane said softly, and after kissing Liz on the forehead, left the darkened room.

Liz slept fitfully, tossing and turning and dreaming of masked men rushing by her, laughing. She turned and ran, stumbling, and before she fell she was caught up by a pair of strong arms.

"Elizabeth? It's all right ... shh..." said a soft voice.

Liz tried rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "Jane?"

"Jane is resting now. She stayed up most of yesterday to take care of you," said a low voice.

"Darcy?" Liz cried out, trying to sit up.

"Here now ... let me help you. I've brought some soup, it's still warm and you haven't had anything to eat in a while," he said, standing up to help Liz sit up in the large bed. He held her, gently, and arranged the pillows behind her back. He then grabbed the tray of food and sat it on her lap, handing her the napkin, which she held onto, looking at him in consternation.

"Wh ... what are you doing here?" Liz said in a raspy voice.

"You are a guest in my home ... you're sick ... and I," he began, looking away, "I hope we can be friends."

"Friends? Can a man like you.." she started and then was cut short by Darcy placing his hand over her mouth.

"Before you make yourself worse by shouting your head off, you should really eat something," he said, before giving her a fixed look and got up to leave. As he closed the door behind him, he noticed Liz looking after him in openmouthed astonishment.

Stomach grumbling, she ate the soup as fast as she could, mumbling "blasted man" in between swallows. Putting the tray on the night stand, she heaved herself out of the bed and staggered over to the bathroom. She drank as many glasses of water as possible without bursting, and turned on the shower. After quickly bathing, she wrapped herself up in flannel pajamas and a robe and went back to bed.

Several hours later, Jane came back to check on Liz. Liz woke up at her light touch and smiled at her sister.

"Better?"

"A bit ... I still feel like utter crud. I did eat something, although the wait staff was to be wanting."

"Don't tell me Caroline came in here!" Jane said in mock horror.

"No," Liz said with a weak laugh, "Darcy."

"Lizzy ... I told you to give the man a chance. He really is a nice person, it just takes a while for him to warm up I believe. He's always been nice to me."

"Do you really believe that? Do you think he's shy?"

"Charles always told me that William was better in small groups of people he knows. He didn't speak much to me, at first, but after meeting him a few times with Charles, he began to open up a lot more."

"Oh..." Liz said, chewing her lip. She was stubbornly determined not to believe Darcy, but if her sister believed him to be shy, she was forced to accept the possibility.

"And if it weren't for him, who knows when we would have found you. The house was in chaos as most of the people were finishing packing to leave, no one had seen you or Darcy in a while. I had no idea where you went off to. I guess Darcy had gone riding for a long time, and as soon as he heard you were missing he went running down to the pond. Charles and I couldn't keep up with him."

"Really?" Liz asked in a quiet voice.

"Really, Lizzy. Sometimes you are too stubborn for your own good. And don't look at me like that. I love you, but it's the truth. You are so much like Dad at times, its scary!"

"And you're an angel," Liz said with a pout.

"Well, I'll be your guardian angel for a while, go back to sleep now," Jane said with a smile, as Liz bundled under the sheets and nodded off.

It was the morning of the second day after Lizzy fell asleep by the pond. She was woken by the sunlight streaming in through the window. Seeing a shadowy form in the chair next to the bed, she blinked her eyes against the light. The sunlight shone through short, dark curls, making a halo around the head of the man sleeping in the chair. When her eyes adjusted she saw Darcy's face.

She noticed that his face was wan, as if he had not been sleeping much lately. Quietly slipping out of her bed and padding past him she went to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She felt a lot better, but was discomfited by him being in her room. She didn't sleep the entire night through, and during her moments of wakefulness, thought long and hard about her conversation with Darcy and what Jane had said about him. She was chagrined to realize that her dislike almost entirely originated with his remark about her being 'tolerable'. If he was shy like he admitted and Jane deduced, it could explain his behavior towards a relative stranger in his home. Then she remembered that while he was not speaking much to her, he was not speaking much to anyone else either, other than Georgie, Fitz, Charles, or Jane. Everyone else staying at the house seemed to have been invited by Caroline.

And Jane was right about another point. If Darcy had not found her, who knows when she would have been discovered. Instead of coming down with the flu, she could have ended up much worse. Sighing, she brushed out her hair and washed her face. She didn't want anyone seeing her in this state. She had been ill for a few days and felt that she looked it, as well. She would wait to take a shower when Darcy left.

After putting on a bit of makeup and straightening her pajamas, she quietly walked back into her room. Darcy was still sleeping in the chair and mumbling something softly. When Liz heard him say "Elizabeth ... no..." she gently shook him.

"Darcy? Da ... William? William, wake up."

He jolted awake, startling her. "Elizabeth? What are you doing out of bed? Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, trying to escort her back to the bed by her arm.

She gently removed his hand from her elbow and shushed him away. "I'm fine ... much better, thank you," she said softly.

"Are you sure? Do you need anything? Some aspirin, a glass of water, perhaps?"

"I'm fine, Mommy," she said with a wry grin.

Darcy started and blinked his eyes several times. Was she actually teasing him?

"Mr. Darcy ... William," she began with a small smile, "thank you."

"For what?"

"For finding me, for helping me, for staying with me," Liz said earnestly.

"There is no reason to thank me for that, Elizabeth," he said, looking away.

"Alright, how about thank you for not smacking me when I blew up on you the other day."

He jerked his head up and looked at her intently. "So not only am I rude, arrogant, and hate everyone, you think that I am a woman-beater, as well? Hmm, quite a list."

Liz bowed her head and started chewing on her lip. "About that ... I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Pardon?"

"I'm sorry!" she said loudly, not looking at him.

"Like I said, we didn't get off on the right foot. Friends?" he asked, sticking out a hand.

"Okay ... if you want to be friends with a crazy woman," she said sheepishly, shaking his hand.

"Crazy Woman ... William Darcy. Pleased to meet you," he said, grinning triumphantly.

Liz laughed and dropped his hand. "Charmed, I'm so sure. Elizabeth Bennet at your service, Liz or Lizzy to my friends."

"William or Will, to mine."

"Oh? I thought it was 'Bad Mutha ... ?"

The two burst out laughing. At this curious sound, Jane knocked and came in. Amazed to find the two of them sitting on the bed, merrily chortling away, she grinned and said, "I take it you're awake?"

"Jane!" Lizzy said, extending her hand to her sister.

"Feeling much better, I see. Good. Your fever is gone now too, are you hungry?"

"No, Nurse Jane, I'm fine, can I have a lollipop?"

Standing up, William excused himself and left the giggling sisters alone.

"So what did you and the man you 'hate' find so amusing?" Jane asked curiously.

"Ok, so he isn't that bad and I apologized for snapping on him the other day. We've kind of made up and we're starting over, trying to be friends ... at least for your sake."

"For my sake ... sure you are, Lizzy," Jane said with a smirk. "You were wrong, just admit it for once."

"Fine! I admit it..." she said grumbling.

"Why the long look now?"

"I always thought that I was a good judge of character, Jane. I guess it's somewhat disconcerting to know that I could be wrong."

"No one is perfect, Lizzy. And you did think that you had some reason to be set against Darcy in the beginning, although you did overreact."

"I did not! Alright, so I did ... a bit. I will concede that. I guess my ego was more bruised than I wanted to admit," Liz said with a pout.

"So, are you going to give Darcy a chance now?" At Liz's small nod, Jane decided to drop the subject, "Good girl. So, do you really feel alright? Think you're up to getting out of bed for a while today?"

"I feel much better now, thanks sis. Thanks for watching over your sick little sister. I think I'm going to take a shower, get dressed, grab something to eat and go outside for a bit. Fresh air will do me good, you know how I can't stand to be cooped up for long."

"You were out and about and trying to run through the yard the day after you broke your leg and had that huge cast on," Jane said with a fond smile, remembering the antics of Liz as a young girl. "Just be sure that you grab a sweater if you're going outside, I don't want you catching a chill," she said giving her sister a light squeeze. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I'll see you downstairs."

"How is Bingley doing, Jane?"

"He's fine," her sister replied with a dreamy smile. "I've been watching over you, and he's been watching over me."

"Good. Knowing you, you would have worn yourself thin trying to take care of me. You need someone to take care of you, too."

"I wasn't alone in taking care of you, you know that. Darcy spent as much time with you as I did. I told you he was a nice guy," and with that, Jane left.

After a long, hot shower, Liz slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed a long-sleeved flannel, and went downstairs to see if lunch had been served yet. She was still a bit wobbly, but thought that with some food in her, she'd be right as rain.

When she entered the dining room, she saw that the only people remaining in the house were her sister, Charles and Caroline Bingley, Louisa and Horatio Hurst, the Bingley's sister and brother-in-law, Fitz, and Georgiana. Sitting down next to Georgie, she dug into her lunch as if was the first meal she had eaten in a month.

"Got your appetite back, I see? How're you feeling, kiddo?" asked Fitz with no little concern.

"Much better now, thank you! And I'm starving!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes to her sister's amusement.

"Eliza, you should show better table manners than that. Just because you had a cold ... really!" snorted Caroline.

Bingley looked at his sister indignantly and opened his mouth to say something when he was beat to it by the man sitting behind the unfolded Wall Street Journal.

"It wasn't 'just a cold', Caroline. Elizabeth had severe influenza and was running a fever of 104! It is understandable that she is very hungry, and if she wants to stuff herself silly, I'll grab a shovel and help her!" Darcy deadpanned, neatly folding his paper in half.

Caroline sat in mute shock while everyone else looked on in surprise.

"A shovel? Really?" Liz asked in mock amazement, looking at her plate. "Don't you think a back-hoe would be better?" At this comment, Bingley and Fitz erupted in laughter.

"Excuse me," Caroline spat out, and stiffly left the room, followed by Louisa.

When the laughter settled down, Liz asked Jane, "Did I really have a fever that high?"

Sobering quickly, Jane answered, "Yes. The doctor said that if it didn't come down, you would have to be hospitalized. You were really quite ill. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I didn't want you to worry."

"Oh..."

"Well," Darcy said, clearing his throat, "you're much better now, so do not dwell on it, please?"

Georgiana timidly touched Liz's arm, "Yes, you're much better, and you are to stay here until you are fully recovered. I couldn't bear it if you took ill again and we could prevent it," she said softly, looking towards her brother for agreement.

"Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way," he said, nodding.

Liz smiled shyly at her host and the girl next to her, and not having anything to say, focused on her plate.

After lunch, Fitz escorted her to the veranda, where she could rest in the warm sunshine. Wrapping herself in her oversized flannel shirt, she looked around for something to read. Finding nothing but magazines, she was about to get out of her chaise to find a book when she was startled by Darcy handing a book to her.

"You should really take better care of books, you know. I found this one in danger of drowning," he said with a teasing smile.

"Uh ... thank you. Oh, I didn't drop it, did I?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Looks that way. It's alright, don't worry about it," he said and sat down next to her. "So ... now that your fever is gone ... how ... how long do you think you'll stay here?"

"Another day or so, I imagine," she said looking over the gardens, remembering a certain spot where she danced a tango. "I should get back to town soon. I'm sure the work is piling up at the office."

"Well, you're welcome to stay longer. Charles and Jane are planning on another week, then Fitz and I have to go back to the office, as well. Georgie has school starting in a couple of weeks, then this house will be empty again."

"I thought you would prefer it that way."

"I don't like a crowd of people I don't know in my house, but I like having friends stay with me. This house is too big for just me and Georgie. When my parents were still alive, they'd have friends and family over all the time."

"How old were you when you mother died? Oh, I'm sorry ... I didn't mean..." she stammered, seeing the pained look on Darcy's face.

"Oh, it's alright. I just miss her, even after all these years. She died when Georgie was ten, then I lost my father four years after. It was my mom that would get everyone together. Fitz and his parents would always come over, and my other aunt and cousins ... it was nice," he said softly.

"So, you've raised her by yourself all these years?" Liz asked in amazement.

"Fitz and I ... we have joint guardianship ... but it was mostly me. My aunts and uncle would help out when they could."

"Wow ... I don't think many people could do that ... raising a sister and taking over a company ... especially at that age ... I know I couldn't."

"Oh, I'm sure you could. You'd be amazed at what someone can handle when they have to," he said with an attempt at a smile.

"Maybe Jane could ... she's the angel, not me," Liz said wryly.

Darcy laughed, "I'll leave you to your book now, I've got to catch up on some things. I'll see you later."

"Ok ... " she said as she watched him get up and walk away. Shaking her head at the thought that she was now becoming friends with William Darcy, the 'rude, conceited, arrogant, womanizer', she dove into the book, and read happily for a few hours in the warm sunshine.

Darcy had gone back to his library to once again attack the pile of mail on the desk. He wasn't making any headway on this day, either. Thoughts of Liz swirled in his mind. Had he actually sat on her bed and laughed with her? Did she really say that they could be friends? The past few days had been an emotional roller-coaster for him, and he ran his fingers through his thick hair and wept for a moment. Quickly drying his eyes, he leapt up, walked over to the fireplace, and leant against the cool marble of the mantel. His mind wandered back to the other night when he spent his vigil by Liz's bedside; placing cool cloths on her burning face, speaking to her softly as she was thrashing about in her fever. He had never felt so helpless since his father died. Taking a deep breath to collect himself, he returned to his work, a smile gracing his lips after a while. If one were to press their ear to the library door, they may have heard the distinguished master of the house mutter, "bad mutha ... " to himself.

Dinner was a quiet affair and Liz went to bed right afterwards. Even though she was feeling better, she still tired easily. The next day was filled with more reading and resting. Liz battled staying a few more days in hope that she would hear from or see her masked man against returning home. She was on better footing with Darcy, but she still felt uncomfortable around him and knew the workload was only growing back at the office. The following day, the fourth after falling ill, Liz decided that she probably wasn't going to hear from Mr. Pink, and she began packing. It was now Thursday and she thought having the weekend at home would help her get back into things before going to back to her firm on Monday.

As she was packing, Darcy walked by her open door. Knocking on the door frame, he entered and asked if she needed help with anything. Replying in the negative, she turned back to her suitcases, biting her lip.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing...?" she answered, diffidently.

"There's something wrong. You've been distracted since Sunday, and I don't think it all had to do with you being sick," Darcy asked as he settled down on the bed.

"Well ... heh ... you remember the night of the ball? You said that I had been "otherwise occupied" all night. I never found out his name or anything, but he said that I would see him again...someday. I know it's really pathetic and sappy, but I was kind of hanging around hoping he'd show up," Liz said blushing and looking away.

"You're right ... that is sappy! You don't read those romance novels by any chance, do you?" Darcy said with a grin.

Throwing him a glare, she said "Well, sappy or not, at least I'm not entirely desperate. After five days, the likelihood that I'll hear from him is pretty slim. I accept that. And, I do have a ton of work to get back to, so I figured I'd get back to town before the weekend, use it to catch up a bit."

"I hope you do hear from him again, Elizabeth. He'd be a fool to let you go," and getting off the bed, he helped Liz close her suitcase and left the room. Liz was too confused by his complement to say anything in reply. He seemed to be paying complements and making flattering remarks more often over the past few days. She could only surmise that the complements must be him making up for being rude to her before, his practicing being 'more friendly'. She should tell him not to take a page out of his cousin, Fitz's book. Darcy wasn't the kind of person to pull off 'smooth'.

Sighing, she finished stuffing her bags to the point of bursting, and placed them out in the hall for the butler to have taken out to her car. The butler, Mr. Weston, was an older man with a merry twinkle in his eye, which years of stoic service had never dimmed. When he saw Liz placing her bags in the hallway, he bustled over to her.

"Miss Lizzy? I have something for you here. It was just brought by courier. Most interesting ... it didn't give a name for delivery, just a description. To the 'Raven-haired Woman with the Alluring Eyes and Radiant Smile' ... I assume one could only mean you, Miss Lizzy," he said with a chuckle.

Liz's heart skipped a beat, collecting herself and her curiosity, she said, "Thank you, Mr. Weston. How are you and the rest of the staff dealing with the aftermath of the party? I hope nothing was too difficult for you."

"We're all doing fine, Miss. Mr. Darcy hired some extra help and the catering service did the entire cleanup. We haven't been put out too much by it all, and we don't mind it. It was Mr. Darcy's birthday, after all ... a special day. We would have done anything for the lad," he said, nodding his head.

"Really?" Liz asked with curiosity and astonishment.

"Of course! He's such a good employer and a better man. Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper, the cook and I...we've been here for so long we all had a part in raising him. Like our own son, he is, and he's never treated us as anything but family. Now, I'll have these bags taken down, and if I don't see you before you leave, it was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Elizabeth, and have a safe trip."

"Thank you, Mr. Weston," Lizzy said softly, and kissed the old man on the cheek. Blushing, the butler left the hall. Chuckling to herself, Liz looked down at her hand to see what Mr. Weston delivered. It was a large envelope of fine paper. Turning it over, she saw that it was sealed in the old-fashioned way, with wax and a seal. Tucking it in her arm, she went downstairs and out in the garden. She wanted to read it away from any prying eyes, her heart beating wildly at the thought of who had sent it.

Prying open the seal without breaking it, Liz hurriedly opened the cream-colored page she took out.

My Dear Dark Maiden,

I apologize for not contacting you sooner, and I hope that this paltry missive finds you not only still at Pemberley, but in good health.

I had to leave the night of our magical ball to take a late flight for business, which unfortunately cut our time together short.

I will be on the east coast again, exactly when, I cannot say, for my business may keep me here far longer than I anticipate.

I write to you, my bewitching dance partner, with a strange request. The anonymity of the Masque was something that I have never before so enjoyed. I related to you one of my wishes; that I could be liked for who I am, not for what I have. Therefore, my request is that we continue this little masquerade for a while, allowing us to get to know each other without revealing our names or our occupations. That information would lead to discoveries of our public selves, our faces that we must present to the world, and I would rather we discover each other as we really are. A strange request, but I humbly beg you to consider it. It may actually be quite fun, and certainly enlightening.

Please be my secret correspondent. If you wish to contact me further, my e-mail address is: mrpink@quanta.com

Affectionately yours,

Mr. Pink

Liz's smile was growing throughout her reading of the letter. At the end she laughed and clutched the letter to her chest. She felt like she was walking on air. It wasn't quite a love letter, then again, since they had only met for a few hours, a missive extolling her virtues and declaring passionate love for her would have sent her scrambling for a restraining order, regardless of how charming and handsome the man was.

Skipping and whistling to herself she went up the stairs and into the house. She was planning on leaving shortly after lunch, and had yet to say good bye to all of her new friends. Liz had made sure she got Melody and Nicole's addresses before the ball, and had phone numbers for Fitz and the Darcys in New York.

She entered the dining room with a Cheshire grin and plopped down next to her sister, who noticed Liz's mood.

"So, Sunshine, having a good day?" Jane teased.

"Hmm? Oh yes, a really good day," she said, handing Jane the letter and staring at her plate.

Jane read the letter, her eyebrows rising. "What is it, dear?" Charles asked in curiosity.

"It seems that Lizzy received a letter from her mysterious stranger.." she said.

"So, Liz's masked bandit finally said something? If he had completely dropped her after the ball without a word, I'd hunt the jerk down and give him a beating for being so stupid!" Fitz said, laughing.

"Fitz..." Liz growled, arching a brow.

"Settle down half-pint, I'm just teasing. But he would be pretty stupid for not trying to get a hold of you."

"Well, at least he's not asking to meet you again," Jane began, biting her lip in the Bennet way.

"At least?" Liz asked.

"You have no idea who he is, Liz. Granted he showed you nothing but respect at the party, but you were surrounded by people and security guards. You don't know him well enough to meet him alone, not yet, at least, and he won't know your name or where you live. It is good that he wants to write for a while, it will allow you to get to know another and give you both time to stop if it doesn't pan out."

"Jane! Why, for a minute there you sounded suspicious and untrusting!" Liz said in amazement, and everyone chuckled, Jane's easy-going and sweet nature being known to everyone.

"Lizzy ... I know you feel I don't have a harsh thought about anything, but even I know how things are in this day and age. I just want you to be careful. You don't know this guy from Adam," she said seriously.

"Ok, Jane. I'll take your advice and take this slowly, and limit it to emails only for a while."

"Good, that should leave you time for your other friends, then. Since we all get along, why don't we plan on meeting up in the city when we all get back home? Meet up for dinner once a week or something? I would love to hang out with you guys, Lord knows I can barely get Darcy to keep me company for anything!" Fitz said with a teasing wink at his cousin.

"That's because your idea of fun is to drag me to someplace where one can't hear the person next to you, even if they were screaming, and I usually get mobbed," Darcy said grumbling.

"And your idea of a good time is dragging me somewhere to look at blotches of paint done by some guy who died hundreds of years ago ... Boring!"

"Will you two just agree to disagree and knock it off!" Georgiana said, laughing. "I'm sorry everyone, but these two never stop. You would think they were younger than I am, the way they squabble."

"Well, men are only grown-up little boys!" Liz said, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Isn't that the truth.." they heard Louisa Hurst mumble under her breath, causing everyone to glance at Mr. Hurst and snicker.

"Well, the food was great, as usual, but I've got to finish getting everything in my car and be on my way if I want to beat the traffic back," Liz said getting out of her chair.

"Do you need any help with anything?" Darcy asked, rising as well.

"Oh no, but thanks. I've just got some little things to grab."

"It's no problem, really."

"Oh ... fine," Liz said with some exasperation. "I am a big girl, you know. I think I can handle it."

"I know, but what is a friend for?" Darcy asked with a smile at Liz, causing Caroline to glare.

"Well I hope your trip is as smooth as it can be in that little car of yours, Eliza. Then again, you probably can't afford a new one, so have to make do. At least you didn't have to take the bus," she said snidely.

"The bus runs up here? Can I get a schedule from you, then? Might have to take it next time I come up, then, you know ... save the trees and environment. That's the reason why I still have my car, can't find another one with such good gas mileage," and turning on her heel she left the room with Darcy, both of them stifling their laughter at the look on Caroline's shocked face.

"That was a good one," Darcy whispered, as they were climbing the stairs.

"Thank you. I don't know how you've put up with her all of these years. And why did you let her organize your party, for G*d's sake?"

"She is the sister of my best friend, what could I do? I didn't want to make Charles uncomfortable. And although she is snobbish and overbearing, the party was actually kind of fun. I could have done with less people, but she did organize everything pretty well."

"What kind of fun did you have? I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I didn't see you the entire night except at the beginning and very end. Did you dance, at all, or just hide?" Liz asked, blushing at her admission.

"I danced for a while, talked to people I knew. Mostly I just watched the crowd. Some people went over the top, thinking that just because they were wearing a mask, they could get away with outrageous behavior. It was entertaining, for the most part."

"You said that you were going to ask me to dance?"

"I was, but you were 'involved' with your Mr. Pink the entire night. I didn't feel comfortable enough to step in," he said, looking at his feet.

"Well, I already owe Fitz a dance, so now I owe you one too. Maybe when we all get together some night in the City, we could go out dancing?"

"Sounds like an idea ... just, please, make sure its not at one of those obnoxious places they call 'clubs'," he said with a wry grin.

"Oh come on! Sometimes they're fun. You don't know what you're missing, you know. If you never give something a try, how would you know if its something you'd actually enjoy?"

"I told you, I wasn't good with people.."

"And? If you're going with us, why bother with anyone else there? You'd be part of a group that you know and are comfortable with. Don't be afraid, we'd protect you!" she said laughing, giving him a jab on the arm.

"I'll think about it..." he grumbled, rubbing his arm. "Ok, so what do we need to grab?" he asked when they reached her room.

"I can get the garment bag if you grab those two small ones. I think that's it, Weston already saw to my suitcases."

"Why is it that women always pack so much? Is your entire closet in your trunk?" Darcy asked one of man's oldest questions.

"Were you never a boy scout? Always come prepared," she said with a triumphant grin.

Darcy brought her bags down to her car which was parked in by the front stairs. Everyone had come out to farewell her, Caroline and the Hursts begrudgingly.

"I hope to hear from you soon, Elizabeth! Here's my new school address, I'm so happy I picked a college nearby!"

"Of course, I'll call Georgie! You will have to join us all for dinner some night," Liz said before she was swept into a bear-hug by Fitz.

"Take care, kiddo! And you'll hear from me or Darcy soon after we get back to the city if we can. Who knows what's awaiting us at the office!" Fitz was President of Darcy Inc., and in charge of domestic affairs in New York. They both had offices at the Derby Building in downtown Manhattan.

"It was good to meet you, Fitz! Take care, and call soon."

Darcy had stood back while everyone said their good-byes. As Liz turned to him, he stepped forward and walked her to her car.

"I am really glad that you came, Crazy Woman," Darcy said, extending his hand.

Liz shook it, got in the car and asked him if he had a good birthday after all.

"I did, actually, and I got one of the best presents I've ever received," he said with a small smile.

"Really? And what would that be, a new Mercedes? A small country?" she asked with a saucy look

"No ... a new friend," Liz looked up at him wide-eyed. "Take care and have a safe drive," and closing her car door, Darcy watched her drive away.

"C'mon Darcy ... you'll see her again," Fitz said to his cousin in a whisper.

"Hmmm? I know that, we're all planning on getting together, aren't we," Darcy said, somewhat defensively.

"I know you like her, Cuz, doesn't take a bonafide genius like me to see that," and Fitz turned to Georgiana, leaving Darcy standing there in mute surprise.

Continued In Next Section