Thank you for your kind reviews! I try to not veer into crackfic territory, but I think I'll come close to it at times. I had a lot of fun writing this so hope it'll be fun to read (even if not quite serious). The next instalment should be posted on Friday.

Some months have elapsed since D&E last met, shall we see how they fare?

Case 3: Of Letters and Land

Hunsford, mid-March 1812

Elizabeth Bennet had travelled from Longbourn, along with Sir William and Maria Lucas, in order to visit with Mr and Mrs Collins at the latter's request. Her friend had asked for it on her wedding day and had reminded her of it lately in her letters, in such a manner that Elizabeth could not help but feel concerned for her. Upon her arrival at Hunsford, she was happy to see Charlotte again but soon learned that her friend had indeed another motive than the pleasure of her company to wish for her presence. Mrs Collins said nothing while leading the ladies and Sir William on a tour of the parsonage, nor during or after dinner, and waited until Elizabeth had retired for the evening to join her in her room. Once they were alone, she revealed her worries to her friend.

Soon after Mrs Collins had settled at the parsonage, strange things had begun to happen in Hunsford and its neighbourhood. Many people, seemingly unrelated to one another, had started to receive anonymous notes that were unpleasant enough to trouble the tranquillity of the villagers. Lady Catherine de Bourgh herself had been the recipient of such a letter. This had greatly displeased her and, consequently, her vicar. He had not felt dismayed at first by the disparaging notes he had himself received, but had changed his mind when his patroness had deemed them outrageous.

Her ladyship had decided to restore harmony, but nothing she had done had yielded results, and Charlotte Collins hoped that her friend would find something that would help them to identify who was writing those letters, thus stopping their reception for ever.

The various missives had been confiscated by Lady Catherine, but Mrs Collins mostly remembered who had received them and took Elizabeth to visit the recipients. Those she missed came to call at the parsonage on learning that some effort was being made to make the unpleasantness stop.

These people seemed to have nothing in common: Mr and Mrs Collins, the apothecary, the butcher, some of Rosings's tenants, possibly others. The letters, though unpleasing, did not appear threatening. Elizabeth was puzzled. As she spoke with their recipients, however, she began to discern a common occurrence. In each and every case, Lady Catherine had personally retrieved the letter. In one instance, she had still been visiting a family after the mother had fallen ill when a note arrived. The lampoons had, without exception, been sent to people in whom Lady Catherine took a personal interest or whose uneasiness she would easily notice.

"You told me that Lady Catherine herself received letters, Charlotte. Have other people at the manor house received some?"

"Yes. Dawson, her ladyship's abigail, has. As has Mrs Jenkinson, the lady who lives at Rosings with Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh."

"And Miss de Bourgh herself?"

"I do not believe she got one."

Elizabeth remained silent. After a moment, her friend asked: "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing yet, but it strikes me as strange. Why would everyone connected with Lady Catherine receive a letter, except for her daughter?"

"Perhaps she did receive one but feels her mother is overbearing enough and does not want to give her more reasons to meddle in her affairs?"

"Perhaps," mused Elizabeth. And perhaps Miss de Bourgh is enjoying a bit of freedom while Lady Catherine's attentions are focused elsewhere. "Mr Collins said we were to be invited for tea tomorrow. Do you think I shall have the opportunity to have a discussion with Miss de Bourgh?"

"I shall ensure that you can, Eliza."

Monday 23 March, Hunsford

Elizabeth had rejoiced when, during their last visit to Rosings, her ladyship had announced that her nephews were soon coming to visit. One of them was Colonel Fitzwilliam, the younger son of the Earl of —, the other was Mr Darcy. Her ladyship had frowned on learning that the company was already acquainted with the latter gentleman and went on to instruct Mr Collins on following Mr Darcy's instructions. Of Colonel Fitzwilliam, she spoke only a little. Elizabeth hoped Mr Darcy's presence would help throw a new light on the situation, for she had not made any additional progress in her enquiries. Maybe, if she joined forces with Mr Darcy, they would succeed in solving the problem that resisted her efforts. She only had two letters Charlotte had received and hid from her husband, and could not access the others, but Darcy certainly would be able to do so. She had also gleaned some unrelated gossip—the gentleman who had replaced the local solicitor was the younger son of a duke, Miss de Bourgh had been seen in company of a young man, a militia would stop in the village on its way to its summer quarters in Brighton, Mrs Jenkinson had made several trips to the apothecary by herself, and bets had been placed regarding the day when Mr Collins would make an interesting homily.

She was eager for his arrival, and her cousin's announcement, at breakfast, that the gentlemen's carriage had passed the gates shortly beforehand nearly made her dance with happiness. She counted the hours that would pass before she could expect a visit and willed herself not to be impatient.

The same day, the same time, Rosings

Very soon after he arrived, Darcy had an audience with Lady Catherine. His aunt had decided, at last, that she needed some external help to deal with the current blight on the local harmony. She explained to her nephew, in more details than in the letter with which she summoned him, about the situation and showed him the letters she had received.

Darcy took the offered letters and shuffled through them while wondering what Elizabeth Bennet would have said about them. For a flicker of time, he wished that she had married her cousin, for it would have meant that she would have been around to help him solve this case. No, poor thing would have gone mad within a month of marriage, and we would have another corpse to deal with. He wondered whether Colonel Fitzwilliam would be willing to help him in his endeavours. Not likely. My dear cousin could not escape to the billiard room soon enough when he realised what Aunt Catherine was about. Darcy sighed.

"You may want to stop at the parsonage," said Lady Catherine. "I have been told that Mrs Collins and her friend have made some enquiries. I do not believe their queries yielded anything, but you may want to know what they did in order to not waste your time by repeating it."

At this, Darcy perked up. "Mrs Collins—the former Charlotte Lucas?"

"Yes," said Lady Catherine with a huff. "I have been told that you met her, her family, and her friends, while you were visiting that acquaintance of yours."

"I did. Would you know which one of her friends is currently visiting?" The chances were slim, but still ...

"A Miss Bennet, who also happens to be a cousin of her husband."

Darcy could not quite believe his luck. "Miss Elizabeth Bennet?"

"Yes, yes. Can you believe that there are five Miss Bennets and that they are all out at once?"

Darcy was so caught in his happiness to have his Hertfordshire colleague nearby that he barely could answer in an appropriate fashion. He soon excused himself, put the letters away in his room, and prepared to go calling at the parsonage. Colonel Fitzwilliam, who had, on hearing noise in the hall, glanced outside of his sanctuary, was baffled by his cousin's cheerful behaviour and decided to join him. Darcy remained ebullient all the way to the parsonage.

Later that day, Mrs Collins's drawing-room

Colonel Fitzwilliam's surprise did not abate throughout the visit to the parsonage. Not only did he not expect to see his cousin as lively as he could be in other settings, but he would never have imagined seeing the man so absorbed with a young lady of unexalted parentage. After the ladies and Mr Collins had been introduced to the Colonel and greeted Darcy, the latter went to sit by Miss Bennet in a corner of the drawing-room where they had a hushed conversation. They spoke too softly for the Colonel to overhear them, so he turned his attention back to Miss Lucas and Mrs Collins.

Meanwhile, the two investigators were quick to delve into their main preoccupation.

"May I hope that you are here for the same reason that I am?" asked Elizabeth.

"You mean the strange happenings around Rosings?" On seeing her nod, he continued. "To own the truth, I often visit my aunt around this time of the year, but yes, she specifically summoned me in order to beg for my assistance. I do not believe she has ever done so in the past."

"Charlotte had invited me before her wedding, but her letters had become more insistent of late; she explained her reasons to me on the day of my arrival."

"I understand you did not make any progress?"

"Not much. We have determined a common denominator among the recipients, but it is tenuous at best. Moreover, I did not have access to the letters. The people I met could remember the essence of them, but it is not the same as seeing the original documents."

"I concur. Fortunately, Lady Catherine has entrusted me with them. Would you like to review them?"

"Oh, yes!"

Elizabeth's exclamation had drawn the attentions of the others. After an embarrassed pause, she continued in a quieter voice.

"I do not believe, however, that we could easily meet either here or at Rosings. There is a lane I favour for my walks in the park. Would you meet me there in the morning?"

Darcy agreed, and they quickly ascertained the location and time for their meeting before the gentlemen took their leave.

They had barely walked twenty yards when the Colonel elbowed his younger cousin.

"You are a brave one!"

Darcy did not answer.

"Courting a young lady under her ladyship's nose?"

"I am not courting anyone," was the only answer he received.

"What would you call it, then?" Colonel Fitzwilliam scoffed.

"Can I not have a discussion with a young lady without it being labelled as courting?"

Fitzwilliam smiled, but did not press his cousin further.

Elizabeth's favourite lane in Rosings Park, the following morning

Darcy walked towards the agreed meeting point, carrying a leather portfolio containing two dozen letters. Elizabeth, who was holding a couple missives as well, was already waiting for him.

"Mr Collins received another one this morning and would only give it to me after Charlotte convinced him it would end up in Lady Catherine's hands," she explained after they had greeted each other. "The other two were received earlier by Charlotte—she wanted me to look at them rather than rely on her memory, and thus did not give them to her ladyship. Did you succeed in collecting the notes she kept?"

"I did. I told my aunt that I wanted to peruse them, and she gave them to me at once. Anne made no difficulty in providing either."

"Miss de Bourgh? But she told me she received none!"

"It only came recently, I believe. She made me promise to not tell her mother about it."

"Did you?"

"I saw no need to inform my aunt," he answered with a shrug. "Anne does not need her mother to have one more reason to hover around her. Moreover, its contents were not nearly as awful as some of the others. See for yourself."

Several benches had been placed along the lane, and Elizabeth walked to the nearest one. Once seated, she took the portfolio from Darcy and perused the letters. They were all from the same hand, and the people with whom she had talked had recollected their substance well enough. The letters whose contents she had no previous knowledge of were neither tamer nor more vicious than the others Elizabeth had read, but Miss de Bourgh's made her pause. In the same hand that had written the other notes, the list of the young lady's non-existent accomplishments ran down the page, and the author concluded about the likeliness of her ending up an unloved spinster.

"This is strange," Elizabeth said once she had read the note twice.

"I do not see how."

"The note does not allude to some of her supposed wrongdoings."

"I doubt my cousin has many occasions to do much wrong, apart, perhaps, in misplaying her hand at quadrille."

"Were you aware that it is said she meets secretly with a young man during her rides in her phaeton?"

"It cannot be!"

"Whether this is true or not, the local gossip mill is certain about that—there were several unrelated witnesses to these supposed encounters. Those letters were all very precise in their denunciations. Why is Miss de Bourgh's different?"

"That I do not know, but it is of little importance. Should this rumour have any truth, be assured that I shall not let Wickham importune my family again!"

Elizabeth looked at him, eyebrows raised, lips pinched.

"You will have to lose this habit, sir. Mr Wickham is not always around wherever there is trouble."

"He should be. It would be simpler to elucidate matters if he were! In any case, I cannot see how it could not be him in this instance."

Elizabeth merely shook her head.

"Well, it is not him. First, he is fifty miles away with his regiment—"

"What is fifty miles of good roads? I call it a very easy distance."

"—second, the young man was said to be the son of Mr Lewis, of a neighbouring estate."

"Gunnings?"

"I think that could be it."

"Lady Catherine detests the family."

They both fell silent. Elizabeth put the letters back in the portfolio, when Darcy gasped. "Miss Bennet, I think I may have an explanation to this all."

"Do tell?"

"If Mr Lewis is paying court to Anne, he would not want Lady Catherine to notice it. My aunt has made her wishes clear where her daughter's future is concerned, though they do not coincide with those of the concerned parties. Therefore, the letters must be a distraction!"

"You may very well be right! He sent letters to everyone but Anne at first, only passing one to her on realising that this omission would draw attention to her … and of course he could not mention their meetings in it! If only we had a sample of his penmanship to compare with the letters!"

"I shall endeavour to get one," said Darcy. There was a moment of silence, after which he continued, "I should truly like it if we were to do this more often."

"What are you speaking about?"

"This," he answered, shaking his hand back and forth between the two of them. "I like working with you."

"I like it too. It is a shame that it cannot easily be done without flaunting propriety. This is where being a woman is an impediment," she sighed.

He did not answer, and when she looked at him, she thought he appeared lost in his thoughts. She elbowed him back to the present. He turned towards her and spoke slowly, as if he were giving voice to an idea that was being formed in his head along as he spoke.

"There is a case waiting for me in London for which I should appreciate your input. If I could find some way for you to be allowed to accompany me ... would that be agreeable to you?"

"It would," Elizabeth laughed. "I believe this would be easily done in having my aunt and uncle in the confidence."

It was his turn to sigh.

"However, if our investigations were to lead us out of town, you would not be able to follow."

"I am afraid you are right. Now, rather than discussing impossibilities, let us focus on the task at hand."

"I am afraid that you will not be able to do much. I shall enquire about this supposed suitor of Anne's, and endeavour to get samples of his writing."

"And hers," added Elizabeth.

"If you wish. I believe my aunt was to call your party for tea on Easter day. I should have found something by then. Will you continue taking your walks in the morning? I shall endeavour to meet with you as soon as I have learned more."

Elizabeth promptly agreed and they went each on their way.

The same place, some days after

Elizabeth knew that any chances she had to happen upon Mr Darcy were slim, since it was doubtful he would have concluded his enquiries so soon, but she had nonetheless gone out every morning and enjoyed her walks. She was on her way back to the parsonage when she heard someone approach her. She felt some anticipation but deflated on seeing it was merely Colonel Fitzwilliam. He told her he had taken advantage of Mr Darcy's absence to make the tour of the park and offered to accompany her.

"How long are you planning to stay at Rosings?"

"Till Saturday after Easter—if Darcy does solve this puzzle by that time. I am lucky that he does not appear to consider me at his disposal, as he did when we were in London. I believe you are the one I must thank for the relative freedom I enjoy now!"

"Are you seriously trying to tell me that Mr Darcy brought you here chiefly for the sake of having someone at his disposal?"

"He likes to have his own way very well, and before we came he compelled me into helping him to identify the source of some threats received by one of his acquaintances. I felt certain that he would have enrolled me in his quest to discover what troubles Lady Catherine, and I dare say he would have done so by now if your charms had not distracted him."

To this Elizabeth merely answered with a smile. If he only knew! Meanwhile, the Colonel continued his speech.

"You cannot imagine how tedious that time in London was. Dragging me here and there, expecting me to help him in his enquiries so that his friend would be reassured!"

"And was he?"

"No!" he laughed. "The puzzle was still unsolved when we left, and I believe Darcy was rather annoyed by the fact. My opinion was that this was a complete fabrication. You have contributed, I think, to lighten his mood, but I dread our return to London. Without the distraction of your lovely presence, he will drag me back to that affair. I wish he would find someone else than me to help him."

On glancing at Elizabeth, he saw a wistful look on her face.

"Or perhaps he will be so taken by you than he will offer for you and this will keep him to focus on things better left to underlings. I do wonder why he does not hire someone to assist him in his endeavours."

Elizabeth merely rolled her eyes and privately hoped that the Gardiners would allow her to second Mr Darcy in the quest that was waiting for him in London. A couple more steps allowed her to realise that she was jealous of his occupation. The Colonel continued to rattle on about how Darcy was lucky to do whatever he wished, when he himself was stuck to the limitations related to being a second son. Elizabeth said a word now and then when she felt it was needed, but her thoughts had returned to the present affair. It had been days since she had met Mr Darcy, surely he had learned something about Mr Lewis by now? Had he succeeded in acquiring samples of the pair's writing?

Hunsford parsonage, later that day

Lady Catherine, after the Maundy Thursday services, had unexpectedly bid the inhabitants of the parsonage to come for tea. When Charlotte, Maria and Mr Collins prepared themselves to go to Rosings, Elizabeth declared she would stay home. She hoped Darcy would conclude she wished to talk to him and, indeed, an agitated Darcy called at the parsonage soon afterwards.

"Forgive me for not having seen you before," he told her after he was settled in the drawing-room. "You had gone back from your walk when I could leave Lady Catherine, and a call at the parsonage would not have allowed us to talk freely."

"You are here now, and we have enough privacy to talk. This is what matters. I surmise that you have made some progress."

"I have. Acquiring letters from Mr Lewis and Anne did not prove to be that difficult. I have yet to receive an additional report about young Mr Lewis, but he does not seem to be a bad sort of man."

Mr Darcy sat, laid the portfolio on a nearby table, and instead of taking the samples out, went up and walked about the room. Eventually, he turned towards Elizabeth.

"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. You must allow me to tell you how earnestly I value and esteem you."

She knew not what to answer to this declaration, but it did not appear as if he expected her to do so, for he continued speaking. He was no less eloquent on the subject of admiration than of propriety. His sense of her superiority—of it being an asset he would be foolish to lose—of the scorn they and their families would face should they run together all across England, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the greatness of the obstacles they would face were they to work together in any other setting than London, the only place where they could do so without creating some sort of scandal. It did nothing, however, to enlighten Elizabeth. She could not help but being moved by his compliments and would not deny that she would rejoice at a chance to build a more lasting partnership with the gentleman and solve mysteries at his side; however, what he said about the harm that would come to her family were it known that she travelled all over England with a man was true. What was he about, then?

She tilted her head and frowned, studying his face, trying to decipher what he meant. Taking a deep breath, he walked to her and took her hand in his. She started and lowered her gaze.

"Would you say we made a good team? Would you regret it if we had to part ways because of what is deemed proper?"

"Yes to both," she drawled, still looking at their joined hands in puzzlement.

"You are better than me when it comes to interacting with people. I do not doubt that you would obtain more information from a dance with a gentleman than I should while spending a morning at the club with him. And I do not even mention my ability to converse with the ladies."

She smirked. "Them expecting a proposal after any conversation that would involve speaking of anything else than the weather would not help, I suppose."

"Quite," he said, smiling back. "Therefore, I can only see one solution: we shall have to marry."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Do you not see?" he said enthusiastically. "It would allow us to easily travel together or isolate ourselves to talk, and nobody will raise an eyebrow."

Elizabeth appeared, if possible, even more doubtful.

"Do not take this wrong, but this seems a dreadful idea."

"How so? It would solve the problem of propriety perfectly!"

"What would Society say on seeing Mr Darcy of Pemberley, grandson of an Earl, marry Miss Bennet of nowhere, granddaughter of a solicitor?"

Darcy shrugged. "I am a gentleman, you are a gentleman's daughter, so far we are equal."

Elizabeth's astonishment was beyond expression. She stared at him and realised that, though he was smiling and spoke assuredly, as if in no doubt of a favourable answer, his countenance expressed apprehension and anxiety. She blushed and, understanding that he was expecting an answer, eventually spoke.

"I should never have dreamed of such an offer. I am grateful that you esteem me enough to consider applying for my hand, but are you certain this is what you want? We have already elucidated this mystery, and once we do so with the next, we shall be bound together for the rest of our lives. You cannot guarantee that there will always be something to occupy us."

"Do you not read the scandal sheets?"

"Certainly not!" she huffed.

"I shall pretend to believe that."

She glared at him.

"So, the scandal sheets. They are full of intrigue and … unsavoury behaviour, but now and then a mysterious death is reported. However, there is no proper institution in charge to deal with those cases. It all depends on the abilities of the local magistrate, and with powerful families involved, enquiries may not go too far."

"Yes?"

"Well, this guarantees that, once we are married, we shall always find some new case to enquire about."

"What of the times where there are none?" she insisted.

The gentleman shrugged "Maybe you could study? I have spoken about that extensive library of mine, have I not?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"What I had not said, because it is supposedly not something said in front of young ladies, is that I have the latest medical and anatomy book."

"Oh?" she stopped fidgeting and looked at him intently.

"And many of books about botany, of course."

Elizabeth's eyes brightened. "Truly? How did you know this was an interest of mine?"

"It would be difficult not to when most of your endeavours, be they reading, embroidery, or attempts at drawing—yes, I did see those when I was at Longbourn—revolve around this topic. Now, Miss Bennet, will you agree to join forces with me to fight crime all over the Kingdom?"

"I should like it, but, if I may speak plainly, what about children? They are a natural consequence of marriage, but I do not wish to be slowed down by confinements; this would be most inconvenient!"

"Do you have no other objection?"

"None."

"You do know that marriages do not automatically result in babies?"

"I know," she sighed. "Aunt Philips has no children. However, she suffered several miscarriages, and I do not want those either."

It was his turn to sigh. He also began to blush. "What I mean is that we do not need to consummate the marriage."

She looked at him dubiously. "Would that not open grounds for an annulment? I would rather not deal with that kind of scandal later on."

"It would not."

"And you will not mind not having heirs?"

"My uncle, the Earl, is always trying to match me with a young lady or another, but I do not need to have children," he said, shrugging. "I have enough responsible cousins and my estate is not entailed; my current heir is my uncle Darcy's second son. Depending on who Georgiana marries, that may change."

Elizabeth did not answer at first and pondered all that she had been said.

"Well," she said eventually. "I should be happy to accept your partnership and your proposal."

He beamed at her, and she chuckled, extending her hand which he shook firmly.

"To our partnership, Miss Bennet. I look forward to working at your side."

"Now, as satisfying as this alliance is, it was not the object of this meeting."

"Indeed not. Here are the samples you required. I own I was surprised: it appears Anne herself wrote the letters."

He gave Elizabeth the portfolio, and after having compared the documents within, she agreed with his conclusion.

"Did you discover whether Mr Lewis could be a fortune hunter?"

"He certainly has an interest in my cousin's inheritance—uniting Gunnings and Rosings would make it one of the greatest estates around—but I know no ill of him. Everything I learned until now tend to hint that he would be a proper husband for Anne."

"So, this letter campaign could be merely a diversion to distract your aunt and present her with a fait accompli. Lady Catherine will not want anyone around Miss de Bourgh since she wants her to marry you. As a result, Anne and her suitor will have devised a way to redirect her attention in order to carry their affair in secret."

"I do not like that. It could mean that they plan elope and Anne will end without a marriage contract as a result."

"Which is why we shall go to Rosings now, speak with her, and try to arrange the matter."

"Perhaps we should wait until after Easter in order to be certain of our facts. My last informant should report to me very soon. It would not do to arrive, expose our theory, and find out that we missed some important detail."

"I agree. Shall we meet on the lane every morning until then?"

"Yes. I believe that, if young Mr Lewis is confirmed to be an acceptable suitor for Anne, we could then announce our engagement. With you and I marrying, Aunt Catherine will be more amenable to give them her blessings, and there will be no question of his taking advantage of my cousin."

Rosings, Sunday 29 March, after Easter Services

Elizabeth stayed a little behind when her party entered the halls of Rosings. Darcy had been waiting for her, and they engaged in a whispered conversation before entering the East drawing-room usually favoured by Lady Catherine. Her ladyship, annoyed at their lateness, began to berate them as soon as they came in. She suddenly interrupted herself.

"Why are you arriving together in the first place?"

"We have been working on identifying who sent the anonymous letters, Aunt Catherine, and have reached a conclusion."

"Have you? Do not stand stupidly, have a seat! Now, tell me all. Anne!" she shouted on seeing that her daughter had risen. "You may indeed be excused. There is no reason for you to be exposed to such evil."

"I am sorry to contradict you, your ladyship, but Miss de Bourgh must stay. She has been deeply involved in this and could well be the main instigator of this campaign of calumny."

This sentence certainly amazed the whole room, and nothing could be heard but the soft creaking of a silk cushion whenever someone moved slightly.

"Preposterous!" Lady Catherine exclaimed at last.

"No, Aunt. Did you know that she met secretly with young Mr Lewis?"

"What? Anne!"

Anne merely blushed and looked at her lap. Even Lady Catherine read that as confirmation.

"It is our understanding that she hoped to distract you in order to organise her flight with this young man."

"They wished to elope?"

"We believe they do."

"Do not be ridiculous," cut Anne. "I should not like to be jolted inside of a carriage for days. I am well over twenty-one and do not need anyone's permission to marry. Mr Lewis is to buy a licence which will allow us to marry in his parish."

"Then what have you not done so already, Miss de Bourgh?"

She sniffed. "I shall not marry without a marriage contract, and Lewis understands that very well! We had to find someone I could trust to both have my interests in mind and not speak to my family. This took some time; in the end we were lucky that someone new to the neighborhood took Mr Brown's place when he retired."

"Nephew, I cannot thank you enough for your timely intervention. Now that this disgraceful alliance has been avoided, it may be time for you to make the dream my sister and I shared a reality," Lady Catherine said with a tilt of the head towards Miss de Bourgh, who scowled. "Of course, Miss Bennet must also be rewarded for her help in this endeavour."

"We shall only ask for one thing, Lady Catherine," answered the gentleman. "Will you give Elizabeth and I your blessings for our marriage?"

At this, Mr Collins sputtered, Lady Catherine could not find her voice, and the rest of the company was, on the whole, happy for the announcement. Her ladyship did not stay silent long. Her first impulse was to argue in favour of a match made over cradles, but soon saw the futility of such an endeavour when both parties were clearly set against that match. After a last protest on principle, she declared she would publicly accept the matches the younger generation had deemed fit to make.

"Be certain, however, that I shall make my displeasure with the manner in which I have been tricked known to my brother. He must also make his man of business contact me. I cannot have Anne marry that … person if I cannot be certain that her assets are properly protected."

"I believe they would be, Aunt. I learned no harm of Mr Lewis; moreover, uniting Rosings with the neighbouring estate would be a good thing."

"Pah! Off you go, Darcy! And take the girl with you to London! There will be a time when you will be welcome again, but for now I want you both far away from my land."

"Madam, I—"

"She is right, Darcy, we must leave at once!" Darcy looked at his betrothed. She did not appear in the least offended, and her eyes shone with excitation. "Is there not some unfinished business waiting for you in London? May we go at once?"

He smiled slowly. "Waiting for us, Elizabeth. You are right, we are awaited there."

"Have your valet pack your things; I shall return to Hunsford to do likewise with mine and send my Uncle an express. If we are off soon, we shall be able to arrive before nightfall."

"We cannot travel on Sunday, Elizabeth." The lady's face fell.

"Stay the night if you must, but leave my drawing-room! Off with yourselves!" cried Lady Catherine.

They complied and soon left Kent for London.