As the Earl's front door closed behind him, Darcy set off with a spring in his step. He had walked the short distance from Darcy House to the Fitzwilliams' grand establishment, and was about to hail a hackney cab to take him directly to Gracechurch Street when he was accosted by a somewhat breathless messenger boy. He recognised the lad as the boy who had brought him the missive from Elizabeth the day before, and waited impatiently for him to recover his composure sufficiently to proffer today's communication.

"What is it, lad? Is something amiss?" he asked as he took the boy's shoulders in his hands to help him regain his balance.

"Miss Lizbeth said to tell you not to worry, sir, but to give his you this as soon as I could get it to you. She was in a terrible hurry, what with packing and everything."

Packing? Darcy took the note and tore it open. It was direct and to the point:

William,

Mr Bennet has outdone himself in petty resentment against our engagement. With uncharacteristic decisiveness, he is sending me home to Longbourn today. By the time this message reaches you, I will be on my way.

Please do not be distressed. I am safe and in danger of nothing worse than missing you. If it is any comfort, he sent Lydia home with me, and he will not soon hear the end of her complaints about being denied the chance of further shopping in town.

I expect you will want to follow us as soon as you can manage, but do not let Mr Bennet's petulance rush you. Make sure everything is in place so that you and Georgiana are free to enjoy your time in Hertfordshire when you arrive. Of course, if you were to collect our items from the modiste when they are ready, and deliver them to Longbourn, you would win my mother's gratitude for life. Mrs Gardiner will be able to give you the direction.

I am so very impatient to see you again, and even more so for our wedding. But I will bear it as best I can, secure in the knowledge that you will follow me soon.

With all my heart, yours, EB"

"Damn and blast!" cried Darcy in frustration, to the wide-eyed surprise of the young messenger: he hadn't thought the quality swore like that, but it seemed plenty of money and regular meals were not enough to cure men of bad tempers. He was even more surprised, though, when the imposing gentleman waved down a hackney cab and instructed him - a lowly messenger boy - to join him in it for a ride back to Gracechurch Street. "I must go there immediately," the gentleman explained brusquely, "and it would be churlish to make you walk home when I can so easily give you a lift. Get in, boy. We have no time to waste."

So focussed was he on reaching his destination, and what he might find there, that Darcy paid scant attention to his travelling companion. The boy sat quietly enough, watching all the activity of the city streets through which they passed. As they approached the half way point of their journey, however, his lips compressed, a frown marred his brow and a deep sigh escaped him. Distracted despite himself, Darcy prompted, "Out with it, lad. What worries you?"

Startled eyes flashed, and a blush stained the boy's cheeks. " 'Tis nothing, sir," he prevaricated, entirely unconvincingly.

"If I can be of any assistance in your troubles, you must tell me," said Darcy, with a disconcerting mix of sympathy and authority. Unused to dealing with men of such wealth, and remembering the speed with which the gentleman had earlier displayed his temper, the lad decided it was safer to tell the truth than to test Mr Darcy's humour further: "I have a sister who works in a house near here, sir. I barely see her from one month to the next, as our days off fall on different days. I had hoped to visit her on my way home ... if I had been afoot I could have spared ten minutes and not been missed. Now it will have to wait for another time. That is all, sir. Nothing of importance."

"I disagree." Darcy noted the spark of fear in the boy's countenance at his response, so hurried to add, "there is nothing more important to a young man than to care for his sisters." He rapped sharply on the roof of the cab to bring it to a halt. "If I let you out here, you can still visit your sister, and since no-one will know you did not walk the whole way, I dare say you can spend a little longer with her, if her duties allow, before you return to Gracechurch Street."

Darcy smiled at the look of relief and happiness that his young companion bore. "Now, be off with you," he said. As the lad jumped from their conveyance and turned to pull his forelock in thanks, Darcy asked him his name. "Frank. Frank Tyler," he said, and then was off at a run. Darcy asked the driver to press on to the Gardiners' residence, reminded that the problems he now faced were as nothing compared to the lives of so many: if he had missed Elizabeth's departure, it meant nothing more than a few days' delay in seeing her again. If he met further opposition from Mr Bennet, he had both the means and the influence to prevail. He was his own master. His sister shared his house and he could see her whenever he wished. His beloved had accepted his suit and would be his wife before the month was out. Indeed, he lived a charmed life, when seen through the eyes of a Frank Tyler.

By the time the cab delivered him to Mr Gardiner's door, Darcy had replaced his earlier almost panicked anxiety with a calm determination. He was able to smile at the butler and hand off his hat and coat with commendable aplomb before enquiring after Miss Elizabeth and, on learning she had left for Hertfordshire a half hour before, requesting an audience with Mr Bennet. He was again shown into Mr Gardiner's study, where his future father-in-law sat behind the desk, apparently too absorbed in the newspaper to look up. Darcy waved away the butler before he was announced, and simply stepped quietly into the room, took a seat, and waited.

After a minute or two of hoping his visitor would be the first to speak, Mr Bennet closed his paper and looked up. "Good morning, Mr Darcy," he said, receiving a silent but perfectly polite nod in reply. "I see you have had the effrontery to announce your engagement to Elizabeth in the paper. Do not think such stratagems will succeed, sir. My daughter has returned to her home. She did not wish to spend longer in your irksome company, and begged me to allow her to accompany Jane to Longbourn as a means to escape your near-constant presence in this house. In her own place, away from the pressure of your attendance, Elizabeth will have the time she needs to reflect on her future, and I have no doubt she will do the sensible thing and renounce this so-called engagement. It is you, Mr Darcy, who will end up with egg on your face." Mr Bennet's anger was apparent: his words exploded from him with a venomous rapidity, and his hands grasped the arms of his chair with white-knuckled force. It only heightened his anger to see that Darcy remained calm and relaxed in the face of his vitriol. Provoked by that man's continued silence, he demanded, "Why do you not abandon this nonsense and leave my daughter alone?"

"First, because I love her. Second," and Darcy ticked points off against his fingers as he spoke, "because she wishes to marry me. Third, because I have signed settlement papers and announced our engagement to the world, and I am a man of honour: I am bound by my word. Fourth, because there is not a woman in England who would make a better mistress of Pemberley. Fifth, because I will not do anything to disappoint Elizabeth or betray her trust in me. And last, sir, because I love her."

Mr Bennet huffed dismissively, and picked up his paper. He clearly thought the conversation to be at an end. Before he could resume reading, however, Darcy spoke again, this time in a more conciliatory tone: "Mr Bennet, I have some advice for you. You can do nothing to persuade either myself or Elizabeth against this marriage. We have been through too much, suffered sufficient delays and misunderstandings that we are now resolved to be completely honest with each other, and we are both secure in the knowledge of our mutual affections. There is no point in trying to convince us otherwise, and no point in your continued railing against the inevitable.

"You have deeply hurt Elizabeth by your actions in this matter. Instead of caring for her as a father should, you have shown the depth of your own selfishness, causing her to question the love and respect she had for you. She is no fool, Mr Bennet. You raised her to be an acute judge of character. It can come as no surprise that she has found your character wanting this week. I do not suggest that it will be easy for you to regain her affection after such a betrayal, but you would be a fool not to try. Your daughter loved you dearly, Mr Bennet, before you hurt her so deeply. She might in time remember that love if you cease this absurd opposition to her marriage and begin to mend your bridges. In time it might be possible for her to forgive you so far as to allow you into the company of your grandchildren, to engage you again in a game of chess, or to invite you to visit Pemberley, with its extensive library. For your sake, I care not. But for Elizabeth's, I urge you to reconsider your current path.

"Do not lose your daughter for the sake of a moment's pique, sir."

Stung to be the subject of this hated man's sympathy, Thomas Bennet slammed his hands on the desk in front of him, shouting, "She is an ungrateful fool, and you, sir, are an idiot to take her. Curse her, and curse you, too! I hope she makes your life a misery, but no matter how quickly she regrets this foolishness, I will not take her back. She has made her choice and now must live with it. I never wish to see her again, and certainly have no interest in whatever spawn you may beget on her!" A thread of spittle flew from his lips to land on Darcy's cheek.

Darcy calmly wiped it off with his handkerchief, saying, "You have said quite enough, sir. I understand you completely. I take no leave of you. It is clear you wish for my absence, and in this instance I am happy to grant your wish."

With that, Darcy took his leave, not waiting for any reply from Mr Bennet. He went to find Mrs Gardiner and enquire of her whether she had any message or parcels to convey to Longbourn. She did not, as she had sent her greetings with her nieces only that morning, but she took the opportunity to wish him well, and reassure him that not all of Elizabeth's relatives were opposed to the match. Somewhat mollified by her sympathetic smile, Darcy left the house with a determined stride. He had business to complete in London, and licences to collect, but nothing would prevent him from following Elizabeth to Hertfordshire at the earliest opportunity.

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