AN: Hey everybody. Well, I'm sure you weren't expecting this. Yeah, I wasn't either but a lot of people were asking for me to go on. I'm making my readers of a HSHS wait for the next chapter until I get 37 reviews. I'm at 36 right now but no one else is reviewing, so I decided while making them suffer, I'd give you a little treat. If any of you out there are reading my other story, please remember that I love reviews and I'll give you a special shout out if you are the 37th reviewer. I'm desperate, I know. Don't judge. It isn't nice. Enjoy.


Mud Puddles and Proposals Contin'd

With Elizabeth—his Lizzy—safely ensconced back at the parsonage, Darcy walked back to Rosings with a skip in his step. She may not have accepted his hand but a courtship could change that. Still being the same Darcy, he was confident in his ability to make her love him. That's what he truly wanted. He wanted her to love him as dearly as he loved her. A marriage without equal affection didn't appeal to him and if the meant that he had to wait for Elizabeth forever, he would. She made him want to be a better man. The thought stopped him. He had promised to fix things with Bingley and Miss Bennett. Darcy groaned and slid a hand down his face. He thanked Heaven he would not inform Charles in person. It would be painful enough through correspondence. As soon as he arrived back a Rosings, he took the stairs two at a time to his chambers.

The letter was indeed painful to write and although he had no wish to lose Bingley's friendship, that was a better alternative to losing Elizabeth forever. His aunt wasn't going to be happy to hear about his agreement with Lizzy but what did it matter? She was agreeing to give him a chance and that's all he wanted. He pulled out the brown hair ribbon he had stolen from her as she chased him into the rain. It was still damp but it smelt of Lizzy. He slipped it back into his pocket and went back to his business.

Back at the parsonage, Lizzy was deciding whether or not to inform Charlotte of the events that had taken place in the rain. She was playing with Mr. Darcy's handkerchief that she had "forgotten" to give back to him. Her fingers traced the elegant embroidery of the intertwined F and D. His sister must have done this for him. Suddenly she pictured herself embroidering an ED onto one of her handkerchiefs and making a matching one for him. The thought startled her. She hadn't even agreed to marry him and yet she was picturing domestic life with him. He was her equal in intelligence and with a little coaxing, she believed she could get him to laugh and smile more. It was certainly a pretty picture.

"Lizzy," Charlotte exclaimed, coming into her room. "Lady Catherine had invited us to dinner again. Please, hurry and get dressed. You know how Mr. Collins can be."

"I understand, Charlotte," Lizzy smiled. "I shall be down presently."

"Thank you, dearest Lizzy," Charlotte breathed her thanks and rushed back downstairs. Lizzie shook her head and rang for the servant to help with her hair.

"Richard," Darcy called back at Rosings. "I must talk to you before the party from the parish arrives."

"What about, old chap," Colonel Fitzwilliam asked.

"I intended to monopolize Miss Bennett's attentions tonight," Darcy warned. "I know you don't like to show your preference to Anne to Lady Catherine, but tonight you cannot use Miss Bennett."

"I happen to enjoy Miss Bennett's company," Richard said as if affronted. "She's got nothing on my Annie though."

"Why thank you, Richard," an amused voice said from the doorway. Anne de Bourgh glided gracefully into the library and smiled at her beloved. "Darling, I still believe we should elope. I'm in complete control of my fortune. Mother cannot stop me from inheriting Rosings. Why must we wait?"

"Because I do not want to give the old girl a heart attack," Richard replied, kissing Anne's nose. "We'll warm her up to idea, my love, and then ask for her blessing."

"Not her permission?" Anne clarified.

"Not her permission," Richard smiled.

"Good," Anne said. Darcy cleared his throat to remind the young lovers of his presence.

"And of course, Darce here has to get married first," Richard added.

"Don't worry on that account, "Darcy beamed. "Elizabeth Bennett has agreed to enter into a courtship with me and I will not stop until I make her my wife."

"Good for you." Richard clapped him on the back.

"I'm very happy for you William," Anne said.

Darcy rolled his eyes. "No you are not. You're just happy that I've cleared the way for Richard."

"I did not say that," she laughed. "Even if it is true." The cousins shared a good natured laugh and retired to the drawing room to await their guests.

"Now you must be on your best behavior, Cousin Elizabeth," Mr. Collins told her as they walked to Rosings Park. "Lady Catherine has shown great condescension in inviting us here and we must not insult her."

"I understand, Mr. Collins," Lizzy said demurely with a sideways glance at Charlotte. She shrugged her shoulders and grinned at her friend. Lizzy looked down to hide the smile that was growing on her lips. They were quickly brought into the drawing room, where Lady Catherine, Anne, the Colonel, and Mr. Darcy awaited them. Lizzy kept her eyes firmly on the floor and she did not see the brilliant smile that covered Mr. Darcy's face. She was vaguely aware of Mr. Collins's insipid greeting of Lady Catherine and her barely perceptible nod. Lizzy rolled her eyes. The great lady had about as many manners as Mrs. Bennett did.

They proceed into the dining room. Darcy was slightly frustrated at not being seated anywhere near Elizabeth but she kept casting sly glances his way, so he couldn't bring himself to feel too bereft. At one such moment, he caught her eye and mouth "I love you," causing her to look down and blush. A few minutes later, she caught his eye and mouthed "perfectly tolerable, I suppose." Darcy covered his laugh by coughing into his napkin.

As usual after dinner, Lady Catherine demanded that Elizabeth play the pianoforte for them. She reluctantly agreed, thinking that Colonel Fitzwilliam would accompany her to turn the pages, as she normally did. Instead, she saw Darcy throw the Colonel a pointed glance and then follow her to instrument. He sat down beside her and turned to pages as she played. Every so often, his arm would brush hers or his hand would lightly tap hers as she played.

"I love you," he whispered once as he leaned across to turn the page. She rolled her eyes and continued playing. "You don't believe me?" he asked, leaning in again. "How shall I prove it to you, dearest?"

She laughed quietly. "Sir, I daresay you've already shown me how…enthusiastic you are in your feelings but such a display would hardly be proper in a drawing room, especially not in front of Lady Catherine."

"Yes, but if I did so happen to make such a display, we'd be forced to marry," he replied. "As much as I do not want to force you into anything, the idea sounds better and better with every word my aunt speaks."

"Who knew that you had such an acerbic wit?"

"Richard certainly does," he said. "He's usually on the receiving end of it." They shared a good natured laugh but then they were interrupted by Lady Catherine, who demanded to become a part of the \conversation.

Lizzy travelled to London a few days later where she was surprised to happen upon Mr. Bingley on his way out after visiting Jane. When Darcy followed Lizzy to Town, she rewarded him by running into his arms almost knocking him down.

"I'm not complaining," Darcy laughed, "but what has made you so happy, my love?"

"You," she answered, smiling up at him. She had explained everything to her aunt and she knew that they would be left alone for about ten minutes.

"What I have I done to make you smile so brightly?" he inquired.

"You told Mr. Bingley," she replied. "He was leaving just as I was arriving. I think he is proposing even as we speak."

"Good for him," Darcy nodded and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her curls. She laid her head on his chest and sighed.

"Thank you," she told him.

"I don't want your gratitude," he muttered into her hair. "If you are doing this out of some mistaken sense of gratitude, I wouldn't be able to bear it." She hugged him a little tighter.

"I am grateful, William," she said. "But I'm embracing you because you have become very dear to me." He pulled away slightly.

"How dear?" he asked, a faint smile on his lips.

"Very," she answered with an impertinent smile of her own.

"Dearest, loveliest Elizabeth," he whispered and pulled her to him again. "My Lizzy, I love you."

"I love you too, William," she murmured, resting her head on his chest while he put his cheek on the top of her head. They stood like that for a long time. Eventually, they heard the footsteps and were forced to pull apart.

"Does this mean that you'll marry me?" he questioned, after Mrs. Gardiner had checked on them and after finding them a suitable distance apart, left.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "I've found that people tend to become more chaperoned when they're engaged than when they are simply courting."

"Shocking reply," he teased. "But if we're engaged we can set a wedding date for a month from now and invite Bingley and Miss Bennett to participate in a double ceremony."

"Is that a proposal, Mr. Darcy?" she asked archly.

"Indeed it is," he declared. His hand crept behind her head and he captured her lips with his. They separated only when the need to breathe became too much. "Can I take that as a yes?" he asked, gasping for breath.

"Yes," she smiled.

"Yes?"

"Yes."

"Yes!" he exclaimed and twirled like he did that day at the temple. He proceeded to smother her face with kisses while she laughed.

"And to think, a week ago you were dropping me into mud puddles," she joked.

"And to think, a week ago you said I could not kiss you into submission," he returned with a smile. "I believe you were proven wrong."

"I am never wrong," she sniffed, but her eyes twinkled. "You did not kiss me into submission. You kissed me into acquiescence."

"Those mean the same thing, love."

"They most certainly do not!" A dictionary was produce and it was found that the two words indeed meant the same thing.

William and Lizzy's engagement was announced soon after they all returned to Hertfordshire. Lizzy and William had discovered early on in their engagement that if they met early enough in the woods, there would be no chaperones. That's where they spent time getting to know one another and falling deeper and deeper in love. Yes, there was kissing and occasionally, when they got caught in a rainstorm, he would still drop her into more mud puddles. They still quarreled occasionally and the engagement certainly wasn't accepted by everyone. Caroline Bingley was so livid she broke one of the windows at Netherfield. Lady Catherine de Bourgh paid the Bennetts a visit and demanded that Lizzy release William from the engagement. Needless to say, Lizzy refused and Lady Catherine left disappointed, which we all know was not a feeling she was accustomed to. She received an even greater shock a few months later when Richard Fitzwilliam asked for Anne's hand in marriage. Lady Catherine refused her blessing and with a fortnight the young couple was gone to Gretna Green.

The wedding of Jane and Elizabeth Bennett to Charles Bingley and Fitzwilliam Darcy was probably the biggest event that Hertfordshire had ever seen. The two couples could not have been happier with how the story had all turned out. The tradition of dropping Lizzy into mud puddles continued long into their marriage and their nine children all participated at least once in the quirky little custom. Once, Darcy had even gotten Charles to participate with his children but not Jane. He was too kind-hearted to drop his dear sweet wife into dirty water. Darcy had no such reservations especially because Lizzy always struck back in her own mischievous way. Suffice it to say that William was soaked and muddy just as much as Lizzy was. Their marriage wasn't perfect but it was theirs and that's all that mattered. They lived a long, happy life and when they passed within ten minutes of each other, their loving family stood by them. And it all started with a mud puddle and a proposal.


I hoped you enjoyed it but I'm seriously done this time. Thanks everybody. Please review!