That morning, before he left the house for the Park, he was intercepted by Colonel Fitzwilliam.

"A week has passed since our arrival here. Should I begin to make arrangements for our departure?"

Leave?

"No," he curtly replied.

His cousin looked at him with surprise.

"No?"

"Not yet."

"This is surprising. Is there any reason for postponing our journey to London?"

"This visit is quite agreeable. And you must admit that the country is far superior to Town . . . " He trailed off. Why was he explaining himself to Fitzwilliam?

"I do not need to tell you my motives! I am not ready to leave and that is final!"

Colonel Fitzwilliam was surprised by this outburst, but shrugged and said, "As you please."

Darcy turned to leave.

"I just hope you do not plan on staying too long, for Lady Catherine might take that as a sign that her dearest wish might finally be granted."

He stormed out the door.

I do not want to spend the rest of my life with Anne! he thought angrily. If I had to spend the rest of my life with someone it would be Elizabeth!

He stopped. That was a very interesting . . . and tempting question.

Don't be a fool. You are the master of Pemberley and she is but a gentleman's daughter of no importance in the world! said his mind.

She is important to you, and that is all that matters. said his heart.

Would you degrade yourself with a marriage to her? She has no family, connections or fortune. Have you forgotten your objections to Bingley marrying her sister? These objections appear with at least equal force in you own situation.

Love knows nothing of rank. Why else have you delayed your departure from Rosings? It is because she is here.

You have time - time to think about it and find the courage to propose.

Darcy remained there for some time while he thought but he did not see her. Firmly resolved that he would meet here this day, he decided to go to Hunsford itself.

He arrived and rang the bell, then amused himself by admiring the carefully tended gardens until the maid opened the door and let him in. She showed him into a room and closed the door leaving him an the room's only occupant alone together.

He had thought all the ladies to be within but to his surprise and delight, only Elizabeth was there.

"I understood you to be with Mrs. Collins and her sister," he said to cover the silence.

"Mrs. Collins and Mariah have only now gone into Hunsford village, you find me all alone today, Mr. Darcy."

Good.

"I beg your pardon, I would not want to intrude upon your privacy."

An uncomfortable silence followed, and Darcy sat down on a chair near the table. He rested his hat on his knee, a casual pose that covered his feelings.

What am I doing here?

He could not think of anything to talk of. Thankfully, she was the first to speak.

"How very suddenly you all quitted Netherfield last November, Mr. Darcy!" said Elizabeth, "It must have been a most agreeable surprise to Mr. Bingley to see you all after him so soon; for, if I recollect right, he went but the day before. He and his sisters were well, I hope, when you left London."

"Perfectly so - I thank you."

He hoped that would be all she would say about his friend. Do we have to talk about Bingley? The connection between Bingley and her sister was not one he wished to dwell upon.

"I think I have understood that Mr. Bingley has not much idea of ever returning to Netherfield again?"

"I have never heard him say so; but it is probable that he may spend very little of his time there in future. He has many friends, and he is at a time of life when friends and engagements are continually increasing."

He was trying to subdue any hopes she might still harbour for a marriage between Bingley and her sister, Jane. He doubted Bingley would wish to return to Netherfield.

"If he means to be but little at Netherfield, it would be better for the neighbourhood that he should give up the place entirely, for then we might possibly get a settled family there. But perhaps Mr. Bingley did not take the house so much for the convenience of the neighbourhood as for his own, and we must expect him to keep or quit it on the same principle."

Better for the neighbourhood or your sister?

"I should not be surprised," said Darcy, "if he were to give it up, as soon as any eligible purchase offers."

Elizabeth made no answer. She showed no signs of intending to speak, so Darcy decided to find a topic of conversation - one that he had a great deal of interest in. "This seems a very comfortable house. Lady Catherine, I believe, did a great deal to it when Mr. Collins first came to Hunsford."

"I believe she did - and I am sure she could not have bestowed her kindness on a more grateful object."

"Mr. Collins appears very fortunate in his choice of a wife."

Very fortunate that it is the former Miss Charlotte Lucas instead of my Elizabeth. Thank goodness she had the sense to refuse him!

The thought of seeing her shackled to that toady was disgusting.

"Yes, indeed; his friends may well rejoice in his having met with one of the very few sensible women who would have accepted him, or have made him happy if they had. My friend has an excellent understanding - though I am not certain that I consider her marrying Mr. Collins as the wisest thing she ever did. She seems perfectly happy, however, and in a prudential light, it is certainly a very good match for her."

Darcy could feel but slightly sorry for Mrs. Collins, but it was overwhelmed by gratitude that it was she who was Mrs. Collins and not Elizabeth.

If I did marry her, what would she think about living so far away from her family?

"It must be very agreeable to her to be settled within so easy a distance of her own family and friends."

Though with Mrs. Bennet, I would think that you could not live far enough away!

"An easy distance do you call it? It is nearly fifty miles."

It seemed that she would miss her family a great deal, so he tried to appease her.

"And what is fifty miles of good road? Little more than half a day's journey. Yes, I call it a very easy distance."

"I should never have considered the distance as one of the advantages of the match," cried Elizabeth. "I should never have said Mrs. Collins was settled near her family."

Though I suppose with her country upbringing, she would not have traveled very far from her home.

"It is a proof of your own attachment to Hertfordshire. Any thing beyond the very neighbourhood of Longbourn, I suppose, would appear far."

"I do not mean to say that a woman may not be settled too near her family. The far and the near must be relative, and depend on many varying circumstances. Where there is fortune to make the expense of traveling unimportant, distance becomes no evil. But that is not the case here. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have a comfortable income, but not such a one as will allow of frequent journeys - and I am persuaded my friend would not call herself near her family under less than half the present distance."

But I have the means for you to see your family tolerably often - though your mother I could see less of.

But why would she miss Meryton? It's inhabitants - even most of her family - are below her.

Darcy drew his chair a little towards her, and said, "You cannot have a right to such very strong local attachment. You cannot have been always at Longbourn."

Elizabeth made no reply. Darcy cursed his tongue for having said too much too soon. He had to get away from her - before he lost his carefully kept control.

He got up to leave. She began to rise from her seat but he told her not to trouble herself and quickly left the house.

Darcy spent the rest of the day brooding on what to do. He was torn between his duty towards his family and his duty to himself. He could not forget or over look Elizabeth's family or situation in life. he knew that his relations - Lady Catherine especially - would strongly object to a marriage between them.

But do you really care?