Disclaimer: All characters belong to Jane Austen.

- 10 -

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley came to call at Longbourn in the afternoon and while the latter entertained the ladies in the drawing room, Mr. Darcy went to find Elizabeth's father in the library.

Mrs. Bennet could not reconcile herself to the fact that the gentleman was to stay in Hertfordshire until the wedding. She thought he might still want to influence his friend and ruin Jane's happiness. How surprised she would be to learn that it was first and foremost his own happiness he had in mind!

The longer it took for Mr. Darcy to return to the drawing room, the more agitated Elizabeth grew. Although she did not expect her father to withhold his consent, she knew that he would be made unhappy.

When she no longer found it in her power to be patient, she stepped into the hallway. She only had to wait a few minutes, before Mr. Darcy came out. He smiled.

They stood across from one another in the dark hallway and for a moment, Elizabeth thought he might want to kiss her. He looked at her with the same determination she had seen on his face at Rosings and at the ball two days ago. But they could hear her mother chatter away in the drawing room and her father move around in his library, so he had to contend himself with a quick squeeze of her hand. There will be time yet, she thought, or at least she hoped that amidst the preparations and the astonishment and the admonitions, there would be time to be in love.

After supper, her father called Elizabeth into the library. He was very agitated.

"Are you out of your senses to be accepting this man? Have you not always hated him?"

Elizabeth conceded that Mr. Bennet had every reason to be surprised.

"I know this news must give you pain."

"Pain? Elizabeth. It would only give me pain to know that you were making yourself miserable. Life is very long, Lizzy - can you imagine spending thirty and more years united to a man you do not love? To have to bear and raise his children? I do not often encourage my daughters to be reasonable, but in this instance I would not wish to see you of all people act reasonably."

She smiled.

"Father, I fear that you do not understand, but no one could blame you for being misled, for it was I who misled you and misled myself. I must own it. In truth, my wish to marry him is not reasonable at all, it is most unreasonable even. I wish to marry him because I love him."

"You love him?"

Her father was at a loss. When had this come to pass? Whatever could Elizabeth see in that quiet, serious young man, who seemed so ill at ease in company? He did not think Mr. Darcy wholly without merit - he was no Mr. Collins - but this was not the match Mr. Bennet would have chosen for his favourite daughter.

"My dear child. If you tell me that you are in love, I must believe you. But are you sure that you know what you are about? The two of you..."

He hesitated.

"...have you taken the time to discuss it? You are better acquainted with him at present than I can pretend to be, but we all know him to be a very serious young man. Can you imagine what life with him would be like?"

Elizabeth thought about the way his lips had felt against her wrist; in fact, she had thought about it all the way back to Longbourn. It occupied her mind so entirely that she could hardly remember the words they had spoken.

"He is not so very quiet and he is not so very serious either. When he has something of importance to say, he can be quite eloquent. At times, he may come across as stern, but that is only because he is insecure. I have come to enjoy his company very much. Will you believe me if I tell you that I find him amiable?"

"Amiable?"

And charming. Dangerously so, Elizabeth thought, but of course she did not admit as much to her father.

He came to sit beside her.

"I have given him my consent of course. But I told him that I wanted to hear your opinion on the matter. I could hardly believe it when he told me that you accepted him of your own free will."

"I hope you have not frightened him too much."

"Oh there was no need. He seems to know his own mind perfectly well. Apparently he has been looking all over England for a woman who would contradict him constantly and find fault with him at every turn and he had to come all the way to Hertfordshire to locate her."

Elizabeth hoped that her father had not spoken so to Mr. Darcy.

"Is this how you see me?"

"Do not fret. Your young man has defended you with great determination. But you must know that he wants a wife with an independent spirit - who would not be afraid to speak her mind, even at the risk of displeasing him. I wonder at such a man, Lizzy. Your mother contradicts me repeatedly and never says anything I would wish to hear, but I can find no pleasure in it. He is a much braver man than I am. He will need a strong woman by his side. You will have to stand your ground."

"You fear that you mistake him entirely," Elizabeth said.

She thought about his sister and how kind he was to her. Despite Mr. Darcy's reassurances - he did not want her to change, Elizabeth did not have to be afraid of him -, despite the fact that he had softened since his first proposal, he was not nearly as easy to read as Mr. Bingley. She could never tell how he would react in any given situation. She could not imagine what kind of husband or father he would make. Would he be caring and gentle, as he behaved with his sister? Or did he perhaps feel that his sister had been too sheltered and that her upbringing had made her vulnerable? If Elizabeth was able to give him sons, would he be a strict father to them? Once they were married, would he seek her out as often as he did now or would he begin to take her for granted?

Mr. Bennet decided to turn the conversation to more practical matters.

"Have you spoken about a date for the wedding yet?"

Elizabeth shook her head.

"I probably should not tell you, but I find it preferable that you should be warned", her father continued. "Mr. Darcy would like to return to Pemberley in September. He cannot stay on at Netherfield after Jane and Bingley are married. I imagine he is thinking of a double wedding."

"He said so to you?"

"No. He wants to speak with you first of course. But this is what I gathered. It would be the most sensible course of action. If you feel that you are ready..."

During their walk, he had alluded to the fact that he expected her to make a decision before the end of the summer. Now that her mind was made up, it did not matter to her when they would marry. Longbourn would not be the same after Jane left and it would be lovely to share that important moment with her favourite sister. She was quite sure that Jane would feel the same way. Elizabeth told her father that she would speak about it with Mr. Darcy. Perhaps there would be time tomorrow, when Jane and Elizabeth were to have tea at Netherfield. Elizabeth was impatient to meet with Miss Darcy again and to learn a little more about her brother.