Dusk was always a good time for a walk. The air was not oppressively hot, nor was it too chilly. Elizabeth walked along the road as the sun slowly sank behind the hills of Hertfordshire when her thoughts wandered aimlessly to Mr. Darcy. The mysterious man who had called her 'barely tolerable' had found his way into her mind like an uninvited guest and refused to leave despite her protests. She remembered when he had told her he was to leave for Derbyshire on some sort of business regarding his sister when they had danced together a week or so before. She forgot what business it was because she was far too focused on his eyes at the time, marveling at their color. She was amazed at the beauty held in his handsome blue eyes and could not tear her gaze from them, until he turned and left her company. She missed his touch on her hand when he had let go of it, and she swore she saw him flexing it as he strode away from her. Every bit of her had wished to follow him to wherever he was going, but she decided not to. Her stubbornness reminded her heart that he was too proud for her liking and had called her 'barely tolerable'.

Mr. Darcy was a mystery to her. If he was too proud for her and had hurt her own pride, why was she so obsessed with him? Why wouldn't he leave her mind? She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the sound of hooves, and when she turned, she screamed when she saw a large black horse flailing it's hooves at her.

"Duskany!" cried it's master, and the horse threw him. She heard the man yelp in pain and the horse ran a few trots in the opposite direction before coming to a halt. Elizabeth's eyes fell to its master, letting out a gasp when she realized whom its master was.

"Mr. Darcy!" cried Elizabeth, running to his side. She tripped over a large rock and fell on top of him, causing a second yelp of pain to escape his lips. "Oh, Mr. Darcy! I am terribly sorry!" She slid off of him and turned his face to look at her. "Mr. Darcy, are you all right?"

"M-Miss Elizabeth?" he asked, and Elizabeth nodded.

"It is I, Mr. Darcy... Now are you all right?"

"Miss Elizabeth..." He rested his head against hers, and Elizabeth wondered if he had his sense knocked out of him.

"Mr. Darcy, please..." She tried to push him off of her, but he rolled over, grabbed her face and kissed her. Elizabeth felt weak, unable to push him off, but she did not exactly want to either. He broke the kiss and looked at her, then his blue eyes widened in horror.

"Miss Elizabeth... Forgive me..." He quickly jumped up and tried to run off, but he doubled over and collapsed, his arms wrapped around his damaged torso.

"Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth exclaimed, the kiss he had just bestowed upon her momentarily forgotten. "Mr. Darcy, please allow me to send for help!"

"I am fine, Miss Elizabeth. I insist," said Mr. Darcy, but Elizabeth paid him no heed. Despite her dislike of riding, she hopped onto his horse.

"Wait right here... I shall return shortly," said Elizabeth, and she quickly rode off. Mr. Darcy sat in amazement at her care for him, having previously thought she had hated him. While he was also humiliated at kissing her, he was thrilled that she had not turned him away. Mr. Darcy was not a stupid man; he knew he would not have been able to return to Netherfield on his own, and after kissing Elizabeth, he was certain that he would have been abandoned, possibly leaving him to die. The fact that she even overcame her dislike of horses for him made him fall even more in love with her.

Elizabeth rode as if Death itself were on her heels to Netherfield, leaping off of the horse as soon as she arrived and running into the mansion without giving her name. She demanded to know where Mr. Bingley was, and when she was informed that he and his sisters and brother-in-law were in the parlor, she burst into the door. "Mr. Bingley, you must come quickly!" she exclaimed. Mr. Bingley, Mr. Hurst, Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley all looked at her absolutely horrified at her unannounced entrance.

"How improper!" cried Miss Bingley. "Out with you!"

"Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy is hurt! Please come to him!" Elizabeth exclaimed, ignoring Miss Bingley. Miss Bingley gasped and Mr. Bingley leapt up.

"Mr. Darcy hurt? Oh, dear..." said Miss Bingley in a deceivingly upset tone.

"Where is he?" asked Mr. Bingley, rushing to Elizabeth in a few strides.

"About a mile up the road... His horse threw him and I believe him to have broken something," said Elizabeth.

"How did you get here so fast?" asked Mr. Bingley.

"I rode his horse here," said Elizabeth, not even thinking of her dislike of horses.

"I need the carriage immediately!" cried Mr. Bingley, then he turned to Elizabeth. "Wait here, Miss Bennet. I will have him here shortly." He ran out of the house and yelled at the servants to hurry with the carriage, then drove it himself with one of the servants about a mile up the road, where Mr. Darcy lay with labored breathing. He was nearly unconscious when Mr. Bingley arrived, and when he saw his fallen friend, he leapt off of the carriage and knelt down next to Mr. Darcy. "Darcy! Darcy, are you all right?"

"Miss Elizabeth?" said Mr. Darcy weakly.

"By God, he needs medical help immediately," said Mr. Bingley to his servant. "Run off and get the doctor. As fast as you can! I will take Mr. Darcy back to Netherfield." The servant did as he was told as Mr. Bingley lifted Mr. Darcy into the carriage. To assure he was safe, he laid him down on the floor of the carriage. When Mr. Bingley arrived, Elizabeth and Miss Bingley were standing outside.

"Stand aside, Miss Bennet," said Miss Bingley, but Elizabeth shoved her aside and ran to Mr. Bingley's side as he was pulling Mr. Darcy out of the carriage. Mr. Darcy was now unconscious, and Mr. Bingley held him in his arms.

"Did you call for a doctor?" asked Elizabeth, trotting beside Mr. Bingley as he ran with Mr. Darcy into the house.

"Yes, the doctor must be on his way by now," said Mr. Bingley. He and Elizabeth ran to Mr. Darcy's room, Miss Bingley tailing behind them, and Mr. Bingley set Mr. Darcy down on the bed. "Caroline, fetch me some water. Miss Bennet, if you don't mind, I must ask you to leave so I can change him into his nightshirt." Elizabeth reluctantly agreed and waited for the doctor to arrive. When he did, Mr. Bingley joined her in the hallway so the doctor could tend to Mr. Darcy. "Thank you for alerting me, Miss Bennet, even if it was in a most improper way."

"Even if you personally carried me out kicking and screaming, I would have dragged you to Mr. Darcy's side," said Elizabeth. "How is he, Mr. Bingley?"

"Still unconscious, Miss Bennet, but I believe that he shall live," said Mr. Bingley.

"You are very loyal to him, Mr. Bingley," said Elizabeth.

"He is the closest thing that I have ever had to a brother, save Mr. Hurst, but what use is he other than eating every bit of food in his sight? Forgive me, I should not speak so negatively about my sister's husband..."

"When did you meet him?"

"Mr. Hurst? Or Darcy?"

"Mr. Darcy."

"A long time ago, Miss Bennet. I met him in London, perhaps when I was nineteen. I am now seven and twenty, so it must be eight years ago. Darcy was eighteen at the time, but still a very strong man, especially for his age. I was being hassled by some ruffians and it was Darcy who came to my rescue. He fought them off and carried me home, as I had been injured. He stayed with me until he knew I would be all right. He left no address, but when I heard his name, I knew he lived at Pemberley. I called on him to give my thanks, and we spent the day in his library talking and drinking brandy. Our friendship has been developing ever since. I remembered the sense of urgency he had had when I was injured, so I knew that I needed to possess the same in his time of need."

"Mr. Darcy has a heart?" Mr. Bingley laughed.

"Of course he does. The man I met in London is the man he really is. What you have seen of him and all my sister knows of him is the cold protective shell he has built around himself."

"For your sake, I hope he recovers quickly."

"Thank you, Miss Bennet. For your sake, I hope he does as well." Elizabeth did not feel the blush on her cheeks, but they were interrupted by the doctor exiting Mr. Darcy's room.

"How is he?" demanded Elizabeth and Mr. Bingley together.

"He has several broken ribs, but he will recover. He was conscious when I left," said the doctor, and Elizabeth and Mr. Bingley burst into Mr. Darcy's room together.

"Darcy! How are you?" Mr. Bingley demanded.

"Settle down, Bingley. I am fine," said Mr. Darcy.

"You could have died! Darcy, you're the closest thing I have to a brother and I can't let you go!" Mr. Bingley exclaimed, sitting on his bed next to him.

"I appreciate the affection, Bingley. Honestly, I do," said Mr. Darcy.

"Miss Bennet and I were both frightened out of our minds... We were both, I dare say, afraid of losing you." He looked at Elizabeth. "I do hope I am not speaking for myself..." He turned his gaze back to Mr. Darcy. "I swear it, Darcy, you'll be the death of me." He got up and embraced his closest friend tightly.

"Easy, Bingley... The doctor says I have several broken ribs," said Mr. Darcy.

"Certainly. I ought to go and assure Caroline, Louisa and Mr. Hurst that you are all right. Miss Bennet, I shall leave you to watch over him," said Mr. Bingley. He kissed her brow and quickly left the room, leaving Elizabeth standing alone in Mr. Darcy's gaze. When she met his blue eyes, she felt her legs go weak, and she had to sit down in a nearby chair.

"Miss Elizabeth, please bring that chair beside me and sit," said Mr. Darcy to her.

"Oh, Mr. Darcy, I assure you that I am quite fine where I am," said Elizabeth.

"I insist." Elizabeth did as he asked and he took her hand and kissed it. "I must thank you, Miss Elizabeth, for you possibly saved my life by fetching Mr. Bingley." Elizabeth blushed.

"Really, Mr. Darcy, it was nothing..."

"To me, it was more than nothing. Much, much more, and you will forever have my gratitude."

"Oh, Mr. Darcy..."

"Miss Elizabeth." He sat up and drew nearer.

"Mr. Darcy, you will hurt yourself even more-" Mr. Darcy's gaze silenced her. He thought that, if he had gotten away with kissing her once, he could get away with kissing her again. While rather ungentlemanly, he truly did not care. He placed his hand on the base of her neck and pressed his lips to hers. Elizabeth did not fight him, but instead, she melted into the kiss. Meanwhile, Miss Bingley had returned with a basin of water for Mr. Darcy when she walked in on them kissing. She gasped, but neither heard her, and she ran to her brother.

"Charles! You must see what Miss Bennet has done to Mr. Darcy!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Mr. Bingley shouted in anger, and he stormed into Mr. Darcy's room. "Miss Bennet! Out of the goodness of my heart, I allow you to st-" His words were cut off when he witnessed Mr. Darcy kissing Elizabeth. Even he noticed that it wasn't Elizabeth who did the kissing. Mr. Darcy broke the kiss and looked at Mr. Bingley absolutely shocked, and Elizabeth looked absolutely horrified. She buried her face in her hands and started to sob.

"It was I who kissed her!" Mr. Darcy exclaimed to protect Elizabeth. "She had nothing to do with it..."

"Darcy... You have just been observed compromising Miss Bennet!" Mr. Bingley exclaimed.

"Yes, but you will not say a thing," said Mr. Darcy with full trust in his friend, pulling Elizabeth closer and trying to console her. She pulled herself from his touch and strode to the other side of the room, her back to him.

"Darcy, it was not I who saw it first. Caroline did, and she will talk," said Mr. Bingley, and Mr. Darcy let out a sigh. "I am sure you understand what that means..."

"Yes, I do... It means I shall have to marry Miss Elizabeth."


Elizabeth prayed that her father would deny Mr. Darcy her hand, when he could finally stand and make the trip to Longbourn, but when Mr. Darcy greeted her in the parlor, she knew that he had indeed gotten his consent. "Miss Elizabeth, it is up to you to select our wedding date," said Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth pushed past him to go into the library. Her father would not speak of it and asked that she leave him alone, and when she returned to the parlor, she found that Mr. Darcy had left. She would have liked to put the wedding off as long as possible, but by the time Mrs. Bennet convinced Elizabeth to make it sooner, the wedding was three weeks away. Elizabeth wanted as much solitude as she could possibly gain, but accepted Jane's company whenever it was offered.

Mr. Darcy occasionally called on her during the three weeks before their wedding, usually just to see how she was faring. Elizabeth usually answered him coldly and pretended not to see the heartbreak in his eyes. When he called, his visits were short, and he never stayed for dinner.

On the evening before the wedding, Mr. Bennet called Elizabeth into the library to see him. Elizabeth wondered if he despised her for getting into such an improper marriage, but he seemed as caring as he always had. "I am sure, Lizzie, you are wondering why you have been called in here," he asked his daughter. Elizabeth nodded. "I must ask you if you believe yourself ready to be the mistress of the various Darcy estates."

"Not even a little," said Elizabeth. "I wish he had never kissed me... I wish I had been smart enough to stop him."

"Lizzie, there is no use in regretting the past. What is done is done, and you will be marrying Mr. Darcy tomorrow."

"I wish I wasn't."

"I understand. When he spoke to me, he sounded very much in love with you. He will, I believe, stop at nothing to make you happy."

"Well, he never will." Mr. Bennet knew his daughter and her stubbornness well, so he had no doubts in Mr. Darcy's words.

The wedding was a quiet one, and certainly not a happy one. Elizabeth would not look Mr. Darcy in the eye, and she muttered her vows quietly. She had not the happy look the usual bride would have when the pastor announced her as Mrs. Darcy, and she did not accept Mr. Darcy's aid when he attempted to hand her into the carriage. They sat in silence for an hour before Mr. Darcy finally spoke. "Surely, you must not be holding such a grudge against me, Mrs. Darcy," he said to his newlywed wife.

"I had never said anything of holding it against you, Mr. Darcy," answered Elizabeth, not removing her gaze from the window.

"I must remind you that I had bestowed two kisses upon your lips. Not once did you tell me to stop."

"I knew you would not have listened to me."

"Do not accuse me of such a thing!" Elizabeth looked at him. "I would never bestow something upon you that you did not want!"

"I did not want this wedding!"

"We had no choice! It was either we marry or you spend the rest of your life unable to catch a decent husband due to the actions you committed with me. I would have gotten away easily, but you would have been the one to suffer. I married you for your own sake whether you enjoy it or not. Many women would be thrilled to be in your place!"

"Then let them! I wish not to be in this place that I have been forced in!"

"I would have it no other way, Elizabeth. I either must be married to you or remain a bachelor until my death." Elizabeth was silent, unable to think of a response. She instead looked out of the window, and Mr. Darcy did the same. Both Mr. and Mrs. Darcy looked very forlorn.