"When did you get back?" Georgie exclaimed delightedly as her older brother picked her up and spins her around.

"Only a couple of hours ago," he said, gently setting her down. "Rennie told me you'd be back soon."

Georgie smiled at his use of the affectionate nickname they'd had for Mrs Reynolds as children.

"I'm so glad you're here!" she gushed. "I was dreading this long weekend… thinking about how boring and lonely it would be, but with you and Ellie here, it's going to be perfect!"

"Ah, yes, Ellie," Darcy commented casually. "So how did she end up staying here for the weekend?"

"Well, I invited her, of course," said Georgie lightly. "Her sister is Charlie's fiancée and they all came by to visit yesterday. I could tell Charlie wanted some alone time with Jenna, plus I needed some company, so I ended up asking her to stay here for the weekend."

She looked at him curiously. "That's OK, right?"

Darcy looked away for a minute, glad that his little sister couldn't see the tempest raging inside his heart.

"Sure, that's fine," he said calmly. "It's your home, Georgie – you can invite over anyone you like."

"Tell Caroline Bingley that," Georgie giggled. "She came by yesterday too, Will, and she was so disappointed to find out you weren't here. I may have rubbed it in her face a little."

"Good for you," praised Darcy, who had never particularly liked Caroline Bingley. He'd never understood how someone as down-to-earth and easygoing as Charlie could share the same DNA with her.

"I think she was a bit jealous that Ellie was here," Georgie went on to explain. "But I really like Ellie. She's so cool, Will. She's almost like…"

She hesitated. "Almost like a big sister."

"Thanks a lot," Darcy said, doing his best to sound jovial. "Are you saying you'd rather have an older sister than me?"

"No!" Georgie laughed. "I just… she's really nice."

She gasped suddenly. "I'd better go find Ellie! We've been out here for ages. Do you want to have dinner with us?"

Darcy very badly wanted to decline. But seeing the obvious hope in his sister's eyes, he couldn't bear to let her down.

"Sure."

She squealed and hugged him. "I'll ask Rennie to make cheesecake!" she said brightly, knowing that Mrs Reynolds' renowned chocolate cheesecake had always been her brother's favourite dessert.

Darcy watched his sister run into the house like a little girl, a pensive expression on his face.

He hadn't known Elizabeth would be at Pemberley this weekend. If he had, he would have stayed in Brisbane. Anything was better than spending a long weekend with the woman who had spurned him.

Was he being overly melodramatic?

She was a student. They'd kissed once.

Perhaps he was being melodramatic. But he didn't think so.

He'd dated casually before. He'd been in long-term relationships before. But he had never met anyone who plagued his mind like the girl with the hazel eyes.

However, now there was Georgie to consider. And she and Ellie were clearly having a wonderful time together. He sighed. They were bonding the way he hoped they would bond… Or rather, had hoped they would bond.

"You can handle a long weekend, Darcy," he reproached himself. He could certainly feign cordiality for a few days. Before he knew it, they'd be back at university, getting ready for the end of semester. And then… well, she'd be accepted into Honours, no doubt, and continue to stay at the university. And he…

He would be in Brisbane or Perth or Europe or America. He didn't know yet. But he knew one thing for sure. He wouldn't be in Sydney.

"The cheesecake was delicious, Rennie," Darcy says as he puts down his fork and makes a show of groaning. "I can't remember the last time you made chocolate cheesecake."

"Well, perhaps if you visited home more often, Master William," Mrs Reynolds says, trying to sound stern, but she's obviously too pleased to sound convincing.

"You're looking thin," she adds. "Now that Master Charlie is settling down, perhaps you'll do the same and find a lovely lady to cook for you."

Darcy's laugh sounds forced and he stands up. "Frankly, Rennie, I don't think that's very likely."

His green eyes meet mine, and I feel my heart sink. He looks so stoic and unemotional. Clearly any hope of restoring the quasi-relationship we had is gone.

"I'm such a pig, I can't believe I had three slices of that chocolate cheesecake," groans Georgie, holding her stomach and obviously trying to deflect attention from Mrs Reynolds' suggestion. "I think I'm going to have an early night tonight. Coming, Ellie?"

"I might stay up a little," I say casually. "Maybe pick my tutor's brains on The Odyssey."

Darcy shoots me a look of surprise, but mercifully stays silent.

"That's cool," Georgie says, yawning. "Thanks for an awesome dinner, Rennie. Night, all."

Wordlessly Darcy stands up and begins clearing the table. Once Mrs Reynolds has all the plates and cutlery, she disappears into Pemberley's enormous kitchen, presumably to stack the dishwasher. Our offers to help are turned down.

"You young ones have better things to be doing than washing the dishes tonight," she says, shooing us out of the kitchen. "It's a lovely evening – why don't you go for a walk around the grounds?"

Darcy looks at me questioningly and I nod. He grabs a torch and I follow him outside.

At last. We're alone at last. And Darcy hasn't spoken a word except to instruct me to watch where I stepped. Although I can't exactly blame him. I did kind of storm out during his last attempt at conversation.

I guess it's going to be up to me to break the ice. I'm frantically trying to think of a conversation starter that won't sound too lame whilst simultaneously trying not to trip over anything, so we end up walking all the way to the vineyards in complete silence.

It's there, to my surprise, where Darcy makes the first move.

"I hope your family is well."

It's nothing more than a tentative attempt at cordiality, but I seize upon the conversation opportunity like a carnivore latching onto a juicy T-bone steak.

"Yes, they are. I spoke to my mum a couple of days ago – she and Dad are planning to go on a cruise next year. I guess Jenna and Charlie are pretty wrapped up in wedding plans at the moment…"

I let my sentence trail off as I look up at Darcy and see the fleeting expression of disapproval cross his face.

I fold my arms and stop walking. "You don't approve of the wedding."

"No, I don't," he admits as he stops walking too.

"Why not?"

His green eyes turn wary. "I have no desire to get into any more arguments with you."

I smile slightly. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

Darcy snorts. "That'd be a nice change."

Ouch. I guess I deserve that, so I don't say anything.

"I suppose I'm just protective of Charlie," he says finally. "He has a tendency to lose his heart very easily and it's often to greedy gold-diggers. Not that I'm accusing your sister of being a gold-digger," he adds, seeing me bristle. "But he's my best friend. I just want to make sure the woman he ends up with really loves him for who he is."

I soften. I can relate to this side of Darcy – the caring side looking to protect the people he loves.

"Jenna does love him," I assure him. "And she doesn't lose her heart so easily, so trust me, she does think Charlie is special."

"She doesn't act very much like a woman in love, though," he says thoughtfully. "At least I haven't had that impression whenever we've been together."

"She's shy," I explain. "And she was so nervous at the start of their relationship – especially after that tabloid article painting her as Charlie Bingley's latest squeeze. She was very reluctant to show her feelings to Charlie if she was just going to end up as one of his conquests. But after they got engaged, they've been so lovey-dovey with each other. It's actually quite sickening at times."

A dimple creases Darcy's cheek.

Whoa, that smile should be considered a lethal weapon…

"I'm very glad to hear that," he says simply.

I'm glad too. I've just realised that despite my mishaps about whether Charlie and Jenna will live happily ever after, I do believe they love each other and will do everything in their power to make it work.

I voice my thoughts to Darcy and he nods in agreement.

"You know, I do believe this is the first thing we've ever been able to agree on," he teases, running a hand through his dark wavy hair.

"Famous last words," I tease back. And then I bite my lip as he smiles down at me.

I can smell the alluringly spicy scent of his cologne, causing me to inhale sharply. He smells so good.

Suddenly Charlie and Jenna are no longer on my mind. All I can think about is how incredibly attractive Darcy is. And that we're standing together in the middle of Pemberley's vineyards with a full moon glowing in the night sky.

I haven't apologised or told him that he was right about Wickham. Yet somehow Darcy seems to realise that I've had a change of heart towards him.

There's a sudden fervent glow in his green eyes as he takes a step closer.

"Ellie," he says quietly. "I know our last attempt to talk didn't end so well…"

"I know about Johnny Wickham," I say hastily, interrupting him mid-sentence. "And I'm very sorry about what happened… you know, to Georgie."

His eyes cloud over at the mention of Wickham.

"Thank you," he says, but his voice sounds stiff. "I presume this is why you wished to speak to me, under the pretext of speaking about The Odyssey."

"Yes, I wanted to apologise," I explain. "For not listening to you and for ripping up your letter…"

"Apology accepted," Darcy says formally. "It's getting quite late," he notes, glancing at his watch. "We should head back."

Without waiting for a reply, he turns and starts walking back to Pemberley.

And I'm left following him, wondering why the warmth and easy candour has suddenly disappeared.

A breeze sweeps across the grounds and I shiver. It suddenly got cold out here – in more ways than one.

Author's Note: Don't you want to just grab a block of wood and knock them both over the heads? Or something less violent that would still get the message across. Will they ever get it together?