Thanks for the response to the last chapter! Sorry about length between updates :-)

Elizabeth stretched slightly as she opened her eyes, blinking at the offensive brightness of her bedroom.

"What did Mr Darcy want to speak with you about last night?" A voice broke through the silence, Elizabeth screamed in shock, scurried out of the bed before hitting the floor with a thump.

"Mary! Don't do that, you scared me half to death!" Elizabeth cried from the floor, placing a hand on her racing heart.

"ELIZABETH!" Mrs Bennet screamed as she collided with the door, fumbling with the door as she threw it open, charging into the room with a candlestick raised above her head as she looked about frantically.

"Calm down Mama." Mary soothed, her arms raised as she gently took the candlestick from her Mothers shaking hands.

"What is going on?! I thought you were being bludgeoned to death in your bed!" Mrs Bennet waved her hands dramatically as she took several deep breaths.

"Bludgeoned with a candlestick?" Mary asked in jest as she raised the heavy object.

"For God's sake Mary I know your mother can be difficult but is this really the only option?" Mr Bennet laughed from the doorway, looking incredibly amused at the situation. Lizzy huffed indignantly from the floor.

"Mary scared me and I fell out of bed and as a result Mama came to my rescue with a candlestick to save me from a violent end." Elizabeth explained as she attempted to extract herself from her bedsheets but failing miserably.

"Well if this proves anything Fanny it shows that despite your age your reflexes are still remarkably quick." Mr Bennet commented as Mary finally extracted Elizabeth from the tangle of bed clothes.

"My Age!? Oh the cheek! But just you remember Mr Bennet that I'll always be younger than you."

"Yes but despite your age you are still quite…lively in certain respects." Mr Bennet commented making Mrs Bennet blush violently.

"Father! For the sake of propriety and my sanity please cease this conversation!" Mary exclaimed as she covered her hears.

"I think I need to lie down again." Elizabeth muttered as she lay back on the floor.

"What is going on?" Jane questioned the bizarre seen from the doorway, Kitty looking on curiously from over her shoulder.

"Elizabeth screamed. Mama with a candlestick. Papa inappropriate." Mary recounted as she got up, purposely without glancing at her Mother and Father.

"Alright then." Kitty stated slowly as her mother and father left together making Elizabeth retch. Kitty smiled brightly before flopping onto Lizzy's bed

"You never answered my question."

"What question?" Elizabeth frowned as she rose and fetched a shawl before sitting on the bed, leaning against Jane.

"What did Mr Darcy want to speak with you about last night?"

"He wished to apologise."

"Apologise?" Jane echoed, a look of surprise marring her features.

"That was the same look I had at the time I imagine" Elizabeth laughed. "Yes he was quite apologetic, I was rather speechless."

"And you believed him sincere?"

"Oh yes Jane very. The look on his countenance as he did so would make me believe he was genuinely apologetic. He said his comment was untrue and had weighed upon him for days." Elizabeth confided. Blushing slightly; something that did not escape her sister's notice, though none commented on it.

"I must admit my surprise that he would express regret and in such a public fashion." Mary mused as she fluffed up Lizzy's pillows.

"It was not as if he declared it in front of the entire room but I appreciated it very much and told him so."

"So he finds you more than just tolerable?" Jane questioned as Elizabeth became slightly flustered, much to her amusement.

"He may have said that yes."

"Oh I do believe you are blushing! Oh this is so romantic!" Kitty clapped her hands in glee.

"Hush now Kitty." Elizabeth cried as she covered her head with a newly fluffed pillow.

"Why should I? I was speaking to Mr Bingley and he speaks very highly of Mr Darcy. So surely he cannot be that bad?" Kitty proclaimed.

"He's hardly going to speak ill of the man is he? He is not going to have a friend he thinks badly of."

"What I mean Mary is that for a man like Mr Bingley; a kind, considerate, caring, well-educated, devilishly handsome..."

"Back on track Kitty." Jane nudged a now violently blushing Kitty.

"Sorry" Kitty muttered. "For a man of Mr Bingley's character to think so well of him is extremely telling and it is not an opinion I would disregard lightly."

"I agree, maybe we were wrong about him?"

"For what? We had only met the man and he made an abominably rude comment which we judged him for. I fail to see how we could have acted or judged differently."

"I think that my dislike was as much about hurt pride and vanity as it was offense to his poor manners in voicing such a thing." Elizabeth confessed.

"I understand, as a young lady we are repeatedly told that our looks are very important, that in some cases our entire future happiness relies upon how attractive we are to the opposite sex. So naturally when a man of consequence slights us our pride could be damaged." Mary commented thoughtfully as Elizabeth gave her a wry look.

"You give very good advice Mary, which will be helpful for those in the parish when town folk come to you for advice, when your husband is away planning his sermons." Elizabeth laughed as Mary hit her over the head with a pillow.

"Darcy do you know what you should do?"

"Acquire new friends?" Darcy suggested as he browsed the shelves of Netherfield's library, he was somewhat disappointed by the selection but didn't say anything to Bingley. He had once commented that he was not fond of the tea served at the Bingley's London townhouse. Somehow the remark had made its way back to Miss Bingley, which resulted in her spending an obscene amount of money on exotic tea, over fifty flavours she proudly boasted. The bills also included the doctors fees for he had to be called as Charles complained of chest pains when he saw the bills from Fortnum and Mason's.

"Haha, no I was just thinking that you should write to Richard and tell him to come here! Wouldn't that be great? It has been an age since I last saw him and I do so enjoy when the three of us are together!"

"Maybe we can have tea parties and do each other's hair whilst we are at it?" Darcy quipped as he leafed through a heavy tome before sighing and placing it back on the shelf.

"You seem in quite the mood today, anything you wish to discuss?" Bingley questioned as he settled into a seat in front of the fire, intently watching his friend. His eyebrows rose as he watched Darcy walk towards the door and shut it firmly before locking it.

"What do you think of the Bennet's?" The question took him by surprise and he stared at Darcy for a few moments, though his friend was avoiding his gaze.

"The Bennet's? I think they are good honest people, from what I have seen they are slightly eccentric but kind hearted. I find them very agreeable. May I enquire as to what this question is in relation to?"

"Well…um…I just…"

"Well knock me over with a feather! You're speechless! Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy; Eton and Cambridge debate champion is lost for words!"

"Oh be quiet. I was simply asking, I knew it was a bad idea." Darcy hissed, colour flooding his cheeks as he turned to leave.

"Please stay, you know I was simply joking." Bingley soothed as he watched Darcy backed away from the door slightly, he then sat down in a chair opposite him but once again avoided eye-contact.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes before Charles dared open his mouth again. "Is this about Miss Elizabeth?" When Darcy's head snapped up he knew he had stumbled into uncertain waters so he treaded carefully.

"Miss Catherine speaks very highly of her, though she does of all her sisters. She seems to be a very intelligent young lady and is rather witty from the conversations I have had with her. Even you must admit she is very pretty."

"She is close to her family." Darcy mused as he stared at the flames of the fire.

"Yes though from what I gather they were not always so but I daren't question why."

"The mother seems quite silly."

"Silly but harmless and her affection for her family is clear to all."

"I suppose." Darcy admitted with a weary sigh.

"You haven't told me why you are so interested in the Bennet's."

"I apologised to Miss Elizabeth last night."

"And how did that go?"

"Very well, surprisingly well actually. She was very gracious, probably more than she ought to have been but I shan't question it." Darcy stated as he got up to stare from the window.

"Correct me if I am wrong but you don't seem quite pleased about that."

"No I am, it's just it isn't what I was expecting that's all." Darcy commented as Bingley sighed and rolled his eyes, why did he have to drag a conversation out so?

"Well then what did you expect?" Bingley questioned exasperated.

"I…I'm not sure. Maybe for her to refuse my apology or ignore me. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if she was a member of the ton. Probably would have milked it for all it's worth, maybe wailed about the hurt the comment had caused and informed her father and mother who would likely have spread it about half of London before sunrise. But Miss Elizabeth? She granted me her time and listened intently to my apology, accepted it like a lady and then walked off."

"Whilst I know most of Ton and accept your version of the most likely occurrence I must claim that they all wouldn't have acted so unfairly." Darcy cast Bingley a look. "Alright most probably would have but I still don't understand your shock at her response."

"She didn't demand anything in return! Didn't use the situation to her advantage! Simply listened and accepted. That is what has shocked me."

"I must say Darcy I think you are over-exaggerating about this whole thing. Is there anything else on your mind?"

"No Charles there is not, I apologise for wasting your time with my foolish thoughts. I shall write to Richard at once, though why I'm encouraging you and Richard to be in the same place at one time is questionable."

"Wonderful! Tell him to come at once and I shall have a room ready for him." Charles clapped his hands before rising and patting his morose friend on shoulder and leaving the library.

Darcy sighed as he gazed from the window of the Netherfield Library trying to dissect his thoughts. He couldn't understand his thoughts and feelings, why he was so worked up about a mindless comment and a thoughtful apology?

He did genuinely feel shame for the now infamous 'tolerable' remark and was honestly apologetic. Incredibly thankful for her merciful forgiveness but it was more than that. He could barely get her out of his head! He thought of her constantly last night and this morning. He spent a good hour in bed arguing with himself of the colour of her eyes; were they hazel or green? Did they usually sparkle so or only when she smiled and laughed. What was her favourite book or poem? Did she have a favourite piece of music or hymn? Constant thoughts. Insignificant little things that he had never even considered before. He was utterly disgusted with himself, what was happening to him? Why was he so conflicted? And more importantly why was he attracted to her? For he had surely laid his eye's on more beautiful woman and many of those had higher Dowry's than her entire family's fortune combined…

Yet none of them had ever captured his attention like Miss Elizabeth Bennet had done in two short meetings and that worried him more than anything.

Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam moaned as he sunk himself into the hot water of his bath, his entire body relaxing as he felt the water soothe his aching muscles. He had spent the previous four hours training vigorously with his men. His Brigadier was merciless, expecting nothing but the best from the men under his command. The looming threat of Napoleon and his men was constantly on a soldiers mind and the army was doing its best to ensure that those who would fight under their flag were prepared for whatever the enemy had to throw at them.

After a half an hour and cooling temperatures Richard braced himself as he rose from the bath, though they ached less his muscles still cried in protest as he made his way into his bedroom. Whilst in London he stayed in Darcy's townhouse, he could stay with his parents as they courteously reminded him every time they saw him. But staying at Darcy's allowed him a freedom that his parents wouldn't. Freedom to do sit in the library without constant barrage of comments from his mother or her introducing him to perspective brides whilst his father and brother looked on laughing at his expense. Quite innocent really compared to what some members of his majesty's forces got up to on their time off.

Richard dried off as he stretched and yawned, he was so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open.

"Colonel?" A voice accompanied by a knock called from beyond the door.

"Yes?"

"A letter from the Master Sir." Richard raised a brow as he opened the door and thanked the footman for the letter before settling on the edge of his bed and began to read.

Richard

As you know I am in Hertfordshire, residing in a small village called Meryton (Or MerryTown as Charles calls it) and said irritation has asked that I write to you and ask you to come visit. Whilst I have no wish or desire for your nauseating presence Charles wishes it (And I couldn't bear listen to him complain for you know how he whines incessantly) so I have endeavoured to write this letter and invite you to this 'little paradise' (Charles words after too much brandy). So if you can find it in your busy schedule of fighting the French to visit then please come. I must go now for I have spent too much time writing to you and have other important things to do (Escape/avoid certain sister of a certain friend).

Hope to not see you soon,

Your esteemed Cousin

Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Richard laughed as he finished his letter. He had a few days off soon and why not spend them in a MerryTown?

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