My take on the forced marriage idea, the premise of which starts from a scene in the 2005 movie; one that had the potential to happen but did not, and builds from there. In my version, Wickham is not discussed, so the letter is not written or read.
As usual, I'm not Jane Austen, so I don't own any of her characters.
It had been quite a morning for Miss Elizabeth Bennet! First to find out from Colonel Fitzwilliam that Mr. Darcy had caused undue pain to her most beloved sister; and now, standing before her; that same Mr. Darcy professing his most ardent love for her! Her anger, still fresh from the former, didn't allow her to be even slightly proud to have attracted such a catch as he. And there he stood insulting her, saying that he had been trying overcome his feelings for her, as her connections were poor and her family, improper. She withstood his onslaught as long as she were able and then answered him, in her most vehement voice.
"From the first time I met you, " she told him, her eyes wide and glaring, "your arrogance, your conceit convinced me that you were the last man I could ever be prevailed upon to marry"!
For a second, he looked shocked. Then some other emotion cast a shadow over his face and Elizabeth caught sight of a vulnerability in him that she'd never seen before, almost enough to feel sorry for him, but not quite.
"Forgive me madam, for taking up so much of your time". He said, his voice catching. She watched as his gaze dropped from her eyes to her lips, his face dangerously close to hers, so much so that she could feel his breath on her face. His head dipped closer, and his lips just barely touched hers. She felt the kiss softly like a light feather against her lips and was momentarily shocked by the tenderness in the middle of such a harsh argument. And then, just as suddenly, he backed away from her, bowed, turned and left.
Elizabeth watched him leave and was glad to see him go; for his kiss had left her breathless and she hated herself for being intrigued by it. She knew she should have slapped him soundly for it, and wondered why she did not.
A bit of a ways away, stood a single figure. He was most soaked and was sure to be nursing a cold, if not worse, by days end. But it would be worth it of that he was also sure. He was only sorry he did not know the identity of the man; but the woman he knew to be Miss Elizabeth Bennet. She had made a fool of him once, and now it would be his day of redemption. There was someone else who he knew would be most interested in this tale of impropriety, and he would hurry now to tell them. He almost smiled through the raindrops at the thought of laying this most delicious piece of news at the great Lady's table. Oh, she would have plenty to say of it; and if it removed forever his dear cousin from his wife's life, a little rain was worth catching a cold over. Mr. Collins could not help but thank providence for the fact that his carriage had gotten stuck in the mud at such a fortuitous moment,(a predicament he had cursed only moments before) and that it would be in precisely that place where he would see his cousin Elizabeth, not only in the company of a man, unchaperoned, but also in the shameful act of kissing him!
Okay, so it's way short, but the next chapter will be longer, promise.