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Elizabeth rose from her bed with as much effort as she could muster, for she had been up half of the night, tending to her father after taking a turn that sent him into hysteria. At the administering of some powders that Dr Simpkins had prescribed, Mr Bennet settled down enough to go back to sleep.

She gazed into the mirror, only to see a very pale reflection. Lord! I look like a ghost! At least now I am fashionably pale. She dismissed her appearance as something she would just put up with for now in order to ready herself for the day. On entering the breakfast room, she saw her father sitting at the table breaking his fast. He was oblivious to what had occurred during the night, and at least Elizabeth was thankful for that blessing. "Papa, I am taking a walk into Meryton this morning. I will take Betsy with me."

"Will you be back for luncheon? I think cook is preparing trifle. I have not had that in a very long time."

Elizabeth sighed with sadness for she knew that cook had taken to making the sweet each and every day for the past two months, for her father had requested it every morning. He had forgotten he had eaten it the day before.

"So, are you going alone?"

"No father, I will be going with Betsy. Do you need anything from the village? Or any letters which need posting?"

"No, my dear, but can you get some writing paper. I seem to be down to my last half a dozen sheets, and your mother wants some more ribbon for her bonnet. Pink or peach if they have it, or even lace if it is not too expensive. You know your mother loves a bit of lace."

"I will not be long." Elizabeth gazed into her father's study and noticed a pile of writing paper, sitting upon his desk. She knew that he had forgotten it was there but decided to buy a small amount of paper so that it would appease him. In relation to the ribbons requested for the woman who had been dead for over twenty years, she would just have to purchase a small amount and would make use of it on one of her gowns.

Elizabeth and her maid had taken to the lane that led into Meryton. They had already passed Netherfield Hall at the junction a half a mile previous with only another mile to go before reaching the borders of the village. On seeing the large imposing building, reminded Elizabeth of the new occupant's behaviour. His concupiscence at the ball did not go unnoticed, and she was almost positive he had digested her appearance with much eagerness. She was not vain, but she knew the cravings he felt for the womanly form were undoubtedly heightened by her presence. Fundamentally, this had made her feel uneasy, and she did not appreciate his ability to disconcert her comportment, even if he had little chance of receiving comforts from her person.

As she deliberated on this notion that Mr Bingley was indeed an inamorato of a corrupt nature, she heard the movement of a carriage approach from behind. She turned to see a very impressive Town Coach heading towards her in quite a slow manner due to the undulations of the lanes surface, so she moved to the edge of the path to allow its passage. As the conveyance levelled, Elizabeth earned herself a glimpse of a very handsome man sitting within, on the forward facing seat. His eyes locked with hers and for an instant, she felt some familiarity with the gentleman. She could not look away, and as the carriage moved past and into the distance, she was left feeling somewhat unnerved.

Betsy saw how afflicted her mistress had become, so took to fussing over her, hoping that she was not coming down with an illness. "Miss, let us get you back home. You seem right out of sorts."

"No, I am fine, Betsy. Let us continue."

"Very well, miss, if you are sure."

They continued, and in little under the half an hour, they reached the small cluster of shops. Elizabeth wished to purchase the latest romance novel along with her father's letter paper, so while Betsy had taken to sitting by the water fountain, Elizabeth ventured into the bookshop.

At the same time, Bingley had arrived into the marketplace on horseback. He spotted one of the shopkeepers' daughters that he had danced with at the assembly and wished to pay his respects to the young lass before he returned to Netherfield Park.

The gentleman's horse had already started to retrace its original path to Netherfield when Elizabeth emerged from the bookshop. As she collected Betsy, she gazed into the distance and spotted Bingley and was thankful that the gentleman had not discovered her. She would never rid herself of him if he had.

As Elizabeth approached the house at Longbourn, she noticed a carriage outside and a considerable amount of activity within. She pondered on the thought that maybe a visitor had come calling, so quickly made her way into the vestibule.

"Miss Lizzy!" Mrs Hill cried out, "Your father!"

Elizabeth knew at that moment that something was terribly wrong. She ran up the stairs two steps at a time and burst into his bedchambers, where she witnessed the vicar quietly praying at the foot of the bed. Elizabeth sat down next to her father's motionless body and took his hand in hers, for it was still warm, he was not dead. However, with the vicar's presence in the room, she knew it would not be long before she would have to say goodbye to the only real family she had ever known.


A week had passed since that awful day, when Mr Collins was at the door gaining entrance to the house. He did not care that the occupant was mourning the loss of a parent. The entirety of the estate was now legally his property, and he could take possession of what was rightfully his.

Elizabeth was reading in her bedchambers when she heard the commotion below. When she made her way into the vestibule, she saw Mr Hill conversing with a man she had never seen before. "Ah, I take it you are Miss Bennet," Mr Collins asked as he turned to see her.

"Yes, that is correct. And who are you, sir?" she replied to the corpulent, pompous clergyman before her.

"I am Mr Collins. This property belongs to me now," he said sternly, "I suppose I will have to let you stay for a short while, but you will need to find other accommodation before the week is out. I am not a charity."

"But… but I have nowhere else to go!"

"Do you not? I thought you had relatives in town and Scotland. Let one of them take you. Although..." he said, while eyeing her womanly figure, "I am in need of another maid, as the last was foolish enough to beget herself with child. You will fit the position nicely."

Elizabeth's blood curdled at his prurient gaze. He was decidedly worse than Mr Bingley in his study of her person. At least Mr Bingley had not licked his lips in anticipation. Mr Collins, however, had already undressed her in his mind and his expression was playing out his lascivious thoughts. She had heard of gentlemen seducing their maids and servants, only to send them off to a far distant land after they were so stupid enough to find themselves swollen with child.

"I am a gentleman's daughter; I am no servant, sir." Elizabeth's voice trembled with trepidation and instead of making her reply sound austere, it only confirmed her fearfulness. This little quiver encouraged Mr Collins. He enjoyed intimidating young women for his own purpose, but this reawakened her fortitude in the face of adversity and pushed her over the edge. "How dare you come in here so abruptly and proposition me in such a way. I would have expected more from a man of the cloth!"

Mr Collins laughed, "But I will soon no longer be that man, my dear. Your father's passing made certain of that fact. I only took the position of clergyman while biding my time. As for yourself, you are no longer a gentleman's daughter as that situation ended when your father drew his last breath. Now, are you sure you do not wish to stay in my employment? You will find that I am an attentive master," he urged as he took another prurient sweep of her form.

With that last ogle, Elizabeth ran up the stairs and packed her trunks. After collecting several papers from her father's study, she made her way out of the house and with the assistance of Mr Hill, who was almost in tears himself, called upon Lucas Lodge.

"Charlotte, he has come." Exclaimed Elizabeth as she burst into the parlour, where her friend had been sitting.

"Who has come?"

"He has already gained entrance to the house and has moved in only five days after father's passing! How dare he!"

Seeing Elizabeth in such a state, Charlotte insisted that she take a seat beside her. "Calm yourself. Tell me what has happened."

"Mr Collins has taken Longbourn already. He came this morning with all his trunks and furniture. He even had the nerve to ask if I would stay on as a servant." She shuddered at the memory of his gaze upon her flesh. "I could not stay in there a moment longer, for he is a poor example of a gentleman. Such a cantankerous, pompous, lecherous ogre! He could not stop his eyes from wandering across my body."

"Oh, Lizzy. How can such a man take over Longbourn? What will you do now? I am sure you can stay here."

"Thank you for your kindness. I do not know what I would have done over the past few days if you hadn't have been there. You are the best friend one could hope for, but I cannot intrude on your family like this. I have already decided to go to London and take refuge with Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. I will give uncle father's papers, as he will know what to do with them. I must admit that I am scared of my future. I have nothing."

"But what about the Will. Surely that has been read, and you have been provided for?"

"There was nothing in the Will that will alleviate my current dilemma. My dowry, which I am not entitled to as it is in trust. I cannot even claim the income from the saved funds. How am I to live?… No, I am determined to go to London and seek out my relatives. The carriage leaves in an hour, and I must be upon it."


Elizabeth had no choice other than to go to London to seek out her relations. Mr Gardiner was the only surviving relative of her late mother. On the young lady's arrival to their home, the Gardiners comforted Elizabeth. They had only met her a few times but felt they had no choice other than to take their late sister's only child into their home.

They escorted her into the parlour and rang for tea when Elizabeth started to explain through her tears. "How could such a man browbeat his way into the only home I have ever known. Father isn't even cold in his grave, and he is already changing the drapes in the drawing room. I managed to gather my personal belongings and a few of father's papers he told me he had hidden years ago and left. Can I stay with you until I have resolved myself to my fate? I know father has saved a dowry for me, so once I am out of mourning, I can attend a few balls in London and the knowledge of the money might draw in a suitor." She winced at the words that flowed from her lips but knew that this was the only way forward.

After tea, Elizabeth gave her uncle a small locked box along with a key she had always kept around her neck for safe keeping. She knew it contained a copy of her father's Will, but also other papers not relating to part of the estate.

Mr Gardiner locked the papers away in his study, with the intention of looking at them after Elizabeth had retired for the evening. His primary concern at that moment was to attend to his niece's wellbeing. All other matters would have to wait.

It had gone ten when Elizabeth finally made her way to what would now be her rooms. As she settled down to sleep, her aunt and uncle had moved to the study to look over the paperwork.

"Dear Lord, Maddie. Have you seen this?" asked Mr Gardiner as he handed over Mr Darcy's Will to his wife. "Elizabeth has an arranged marriage with Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy. She obviously does not know about this."

"But Edward? These documents cannot be right. He is extremely wealthy and a member of the le bon ton. Even though he does not own a title himself, his family boasts of several members of the peerage. Why would his father arrange such a marriage for his son to someone so beneath himself?"

"I do not know, but I remember Thomas did mention in one of his few letters that they had stayed in Derbyshire many years ago. One of his correspondence had gone into quite lengthy detail. I think he was shot during those months and convalesced at Pemberley. It must have been arranged then."

"If that is the case, we must tell her," thought Mrs Gardiner.

"No! She is too fragile to discuss such matters at present. The Will stipulated that he has to act by his thirty-fifth birthday. He is only seven and twenty, going by his birth date on the papers, so there are a few years before it becomes urgent. Let Elizabeth mend before we discuss this with her as she needs to heal first."

"Yes. To lose one's father, then her home, she would not do well in knowing she is to be married off to a man she does not know."

"I will lock these away again and talk to her after she has had time to grieve. She will not be able to handle such matters at this moment in time, and I fear she will sink into despair."