It was the warmest of days. The sun shone brilliantly without a single cloud to conceal it. The Bennet household was particularly hot, and it's inhabitants drenched in sweat. Elizabeth Bennet sat in a chat by the open window, her eyes closed and the breeze lifting her dampened hair. She was enjoying the peaceful sound of the breeze whistling through the air, an open book on her lap.

"Elizabeth!" said a voice that sounded very similar to that of her beloved's, and when she opened her eyes and turned, she found her smiling Mr. Darcy outside of the open window.

"Fitzwilliam!" she exclaimed, taking his hand through the window and kissing it. "I expected you this morning!"

"I know, my dearest. I apologize deeply, but I am happy to be in your presence now," her fiancé responded.

"Do come inside! You must be rather warm out there in the sun!" Elizabeth told him, and she ran to the door to greet him. He rushed to her and lifted her into his arms, burying his lips in her hair and holding her. He happily followed her inside, then sat beside her on a sofa, her hands in his. "Did you sleep well? How was your morning?"

"My Elizabeth, I cannot sleep soundly until you are mine."

"Oh, but I am! My dear Fitzwilliam, I am yours." She brought his hands to her lips and kissed them.

"I mean until you are tied to me in chains made from the heavens above; chains that would keep you tied to me forever and for the rest of eternity."

"Fitzwilliam, do you doubt my love for you? I love you unconditionally... Is that not enough to settle your nerves?"

"I must be married to you in order to rest easy, dearest. Now how did you sleep?"

"Oh, just about the same... I am quite the hypocrite, calling you out on your nerves when I possess them myself."

"Dearest, you have no reason to doubt my never-ending love for you."

"Perhaps you ought to listen to yourself as well." He laughed, then slowly leaned into her, both of their eyes closing, their lips mere millimeters away...

"Is Mr. Darcy here, yet, Elizabeth?" came Mrs. Bennet's voice, interrupting their impending kiss. Elizabeth let out a sigh.

"Yes, mama, he is," she said, her eyes meeting Mr. Darcy's. Mrs. Bennet waltzed into the room, overjoyed to see her soon-to-be son-in-law. Mr. Darcy rose to receive her affections.

"Oh, Mr. Darcy! What a pleasure to see you again!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed, taking his hands and forcing him to bend down so she could kiss his cheek.

"It is quite the pleasure to see you again as well, Mrs. Bennet. How is Mr. Bennet?" Mr. Darcy asked her.

"Oh, in the library as usual... He is quite well. Lydia is coming, along with her husband, Mr. Wickham! They wished to congratulate their sisters on their engagements! Oh, I must check the menu again!" She rushed out of the room, clearly oblivious to Mr. Darcy's paled face. Elizabeth, however, was quick to catch it even though he forced the color to his cheeks as he returned to her side.

"He is married now and Miss Darcy is not here to see him," she told her fiancé.

"Yes, but you yourself almost fell into a relationship with him. I cannot rest easy while he is in the same room as you."

"I shall make sure that he comes nowhere near me, and if he does, I shall seek your company."

"Please, my dearest." He kissed her brow, then stood when Jane Bennet entered the room. "Good morning, Miss Bennet."

"Good morning, Mr. Darcy! Did you come alone?" asked Jane.

"Indeed I did. Mr. Bingley is to follow shortly. He had some arrangements to settle," Mr. Darcy replied. Jane blushed at the mention of her fiancé.

"I must make sure mama is not fretting over dinner again. She has checked the menu thrice already," said Jane, and with a curtsy, she left. Mr. Darcy again took his seat beside his fiancée.

"Your entire family seems to have warmed up to my company," he said to her.

"Yes, they must, for you are to marry me and become a part of their family. Jane never had a negative opinion of you, Fitzwilliam."

"Perhaps I ought to have asked for her hand instead."

"Oh, you're retched, Mr. Darcy!"

"I only tease, for I love you perhaps more than the biblical lovers even did." Elizabeth kissed his cheek after blushing, then rested her head on his shoulder.

"Oh, the feelings you give me, my Fitzwilliam..."

"Are they strong enough to allow you to kiss me?"

"They have been begging you to kiss me." Again, he leaned into her face, and he was mere millimeters from her face yet again when they were interrupted.

"They're here! They're here! Oh, Mr. Bennet! Jane! Kitty! Mary! Elizabeth! They're here! My Lydia and her Mr. Wickham!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed. Elizabeth let out a sigh and kissed her paling fiancé's cheek, then stood and took his hand in hers.

"Come, my Fitzwilliam. We must face our demons together. It shall be good practice for when we are married." He agreed, but only when she agreed to let him kiss her when they were alone, if they found the time. Together, they stood and greeted Mr. and Mrs. Wickham as they entered the Bennet house.

"Jane! Elizabeth! Oh, where are my engaged sisters? I must congratulate them!" Jane stepped into Lydia's open arms and Elizabeth stepped forward, much to Mr. Darcy's dismay. He caught Mr. Wickham's eye, their gazes clashing. Mr. Darcy's seemed threatening, Mr. Wickham's suspicious. He was distracted when he felt Elizabeth's hand on his arm and turned his gaze to her, who was far more suitable - and deserving - for his eyes.

Mr. Bingley arrived about an hour after the Wickhams, as he was to dine with the Bennets as well. Dinner arrived shortly after, and Elizabeth made sure Wickham was seated as far from her as possible for Mr. Darcy's enjoyment. Thankfully for her, that put her beside Mr. Bennett and across from Mr. Darcy. She was disappointed to have to sit beside Lydia, who was showing off her glass of wine to Kitty beside her. When Lydia set it down and started chatting about bonnets, Elizabeth switched her sister's wine with her water.

"Silly Lizzie, I saw that!" said Lydia, taking the wine back before Elizabeth could take a sip. She blushed when Mr. Darcy stifled a chuckle at her attempt. Dinner was eaten quickly and everyone met in the parlor. On the sofa, Mr. Darcy sat on the far left with his fiancée beside him. Jane sat next to Elizabeth and beside her on the far right of the sofa was Mr. Bingley. Mary sat by the pianoforte playing, Mrs. Bennet was sitting on a smaller sofa between Mr. Bennet and Kitty. Lydia sat in the chair by the window, Mr. Wickham hovering above her. Mr. Darcy noticed his eyes flitting around nervously. The room was silent, save Mary's playing, and Mrs. Bennet chatted quietly to Kitty. Mr. Darcy leaned over to Elizabeth.

"Can we not go for a walk? I cannot stand being in the same room as that scoundrel," he whispered in her ear.

"Neither can I. Please, let us," she whispered back, and they stood and announced that they were going for a walk. Jane and Mr. Bingley offered to join them as chaperones, and as the two couples were about to exit the room, they were stopped by a fit of coughing.

"Lydia!" Mr. Wickham exclaimed, and the couples turned to see her hands on her throat and her face turning blue.

"My Lydia!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed, running to her youngest daughter as she fell to her knees. Lydia was dead by the time Mrs. Bennet arrived by her side, her glass lying on the floor and its contents spilled. Mrs. Bennet was in fits, Mr. Wickham was too shocked to comprehend what had just happened, and Mr. Darcy was quick to investigate the cause of her death. He lifted the glass, sniffing it, then turned to face the rest of the room.

"I dare say she has been poisoned," he announced. Kitty gasped, Mary dropped her hands on the keys of the pianoforte, Mr. Bennet dropped his book, Jane hid her tears in Mr. Bingley's coat and Elizabeth was too shocked to react. Mr. Wickham, however, stood and pointed an accusing finger at Mr. Darcy.

"Then it was YOU! You killed my beloved! How else would you have known she was poisoned?" he exclaimed. Elizabeth ran to his side and took his arm.

"It was not my Mr. Darcy! He only knew the difference between poisoned wine and unpoisoned wine!" she shouted.

"Elizabeth! She switched the glasses! I saw her!" Kitty exclaimed.

"Kitty! I switched the glasses because I felt it unnecessary for her to even drink wine! She switched them back before I could take a sip!" Elizabeth shouted in her defense.

"Oh, my beloved..." said Mr. Darcy, pulling her into his arms and pressing his forehead to hers. "It could have been you lying on the floor tonight just as easily..."

"Better Lizzie than my Lydia!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed through her tears.

"Mama!" Jane exclaimed, her head resting on Mr. Bingley's chest.

"Well, someone here did it!" Mr. Wickham shouted.

"Yes, and standing here pointing fingers at each other shall not tell us who did it," said Mr. Darcy.

"How will we determine who did it?" Elizabeth asked her fiancé. He pressed his lips to her brow and separated himself from her, slowly walking around the room.

"Someone in this room is a murderer," he said, addressing the crowd.

"Yes, we have established that already, Darcy!" Mr. Wickham exclaimed.

"I'm sure we all wish to know who it was that poisoned poor Miss Lydia's cup. Perhaps we ought to first learn where everyone was before dinner tonight," said Mr. Darcy, ignoring Mr. Wickham's outburst. "Who shall we start with? Miss Jane? Would you please tell us what you were doing before dinner tonight?"

"She didn't do it, Darcy!" Mr. Bingley exclaimed in a threatening manner, squeezing his beloved tightly.

"My dearest Charles, he is not accusing me. He was simply asking me to explain myself. Any one of us could have done it, so for now, we are all suspects," Jane explained to him. Mr. Bingley sighed.

"All right... Carry on..." Jane cleared her throat.