Author's Note: I apologize a million times over for not updating sooner. I have a million and two excuses but I'm sure you would rather get to the next chapter than listen to me pathetically grovel. I am sooooooo sorry. Although I know that you kind folk have every right to be annoyed with the wait. I personally hate when other stories aren't updated especially for long periods of time. Of course that makes me the biggest sort of hypocrite. Please forgive me. Oh and my story might make more sense if you went back and reviewed the beginning if it has been some time since you started reading it.

Enjoy!

mgrm

Chapter 26

The days came and went, and each morning Elizabeth and Kitty went out for a morning walk around Rosings' grounds. A few times Mr. Darcy joined them, bringing something new to their conversations. Their days were rather repetitive, as if they followed a schedule, but no one really minded. The three sisters enjoyed getting to know each other better and each were surprised at how little they actually knew each other. Together they replied to Lydia's letter as well as Jane's most recent. Not to mention, together they avoided Mr. Collins.

One morning Kitty stayed back from her morning walk with Lizzy due to a headache. It had developed the previous evening while dining at Rosings and would not go away. After being assured many times that her sister would be fine, Elizabeth set out as always.

She wandered, lost in thought, around the manicured pathways. Lizzy's mind brought her back to the subject that she had been thinking about on and off the last few months: the fact that her sisters had grown apart and lost each other's friendships. More recently she began to think that it all started with Lydia. Not that she blamed her; truly it was everyone and no one's fault. Lydia had been the baby of the family, causing Mrs. Bennet to dote upon her. Because of this, Lydia started to become more and more like their mother. However, it was not just that, but she became more and more like their mother for more attention and to get what she wanted. Mrs. Bennet saw herself most in Lydia because of this. Before Lydia's birth, it had been Kitty who had received all of the attention from Mrs. Bennet; upon Lydia's birth her attention had shifted to the newest, causing Kitty try and be like Lydia to receive even close to the amount of attention that Lydia did. By that point, Jane already had been another of Mrs. Bennet's favourites and Jane and Elizabeth had already become close friends. Because Mary was the middle child she was rather forgotten, especially with Lydia and Kitty vying for their mother's attention; not to mention she was the plainest of the sisters, loosing even more of Mrs. Bennet's attention.

So Jane and Lizzy became close. Lydia became a leader and Kitty her follower leaving Mary all by herself, trying to bring whatever notice that she could to herself, good or bad. Only a series of events like the ones that had happened could bring the sisters together and, for the youngest three, back to their original character. Mary's wedding was what brought Mary back, Lydia's almost elopement made Kitty realize that she did not need to always follow Lydia, and finally the school added Lydia to the group. One might blame it on Mrs. Bennet because of her favouritism, but that was only part of it. It was not just the attention of their parent, but it was attention from anyone. Officers, gentlemen, neighbourhood friends. Elizabeth was satisfied with this answer and put it to the back of her mind for the next time that all five sisters would be together, at Jane's wedding. Not that she would mention it, unless the subject came up. She also wondered if Lydia's behavior would last when she came home for the wedding.

Elizabeth saw a lane to her right and went that way, as there were trees to block her eyes from the sun. After mindlessly ambling a bit further, Elizabeth realized that she was lost. She turned around, hoping that she could figure out where to go, but it seemed different. Right when she was about to try and guess her way out, Lizzy heard footsteps approaching. She hoped that the person was considerably less lost than she was. It was to her great satisfaction when the person emerged, showing themselves to be none other than Mr. Darcy.

"Good day, Miss Bennet," he said bowing.

She returned the greeting before adding, "Sir, do you happen to know your way back to the Parsonage? I find that I am lost."

After chuckling quietly for the briefest of moments, Darcy replied, "Indeed, I do know my way there."

"Would you be so kind as to show me the way?"

In reply, he offered his arm. They walked on quietly, only speaking about the nature around them. Elizabeth found that while the grounds were too uniform, there were patches of wild that she enjoyed.

When they were almost to their destination, Darcy gathered his courage and spoke up, "Not to step out of place, but is there something bothering you?"

Elizabeth's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Darcy started to wish that he had not spoken, "I mean that since Mr. Collins was introduced to me, you have been acting as if there is something on your mind. I had thought it to be Mary's wedding and-pardon me-choice of husband, but she is happy with her own home, it seems." He looked away, embarrassed.

"No! No, I mean, that was part of it, but I agree with your assessment."

"So you admit that there is something on your mind," Darcy said triumphantly.

Elizabeth was speechless for a moment, "Well, I…Yes, there is." It was her turn to look away.

"I see."

"It is just something that my cousin said."

"Is Mr. Collins correct in what he had told you?" Mr. Darcy resisted adding the fact that it was Mr. Collins who had told her this troubling piece of information.

"I would think so. I have heard it hinted at from another source and the subject is one that he cares about greatly."

"So it relates to my aunt or cousin," Darcy correctly guessed.

"Your cousin," Elizabeth whispered before adding in a slightly shaky voice, "and her fiancée."

"Did Mr. Collins inform you that Anne and I are engaged?" Mr. Darcy once again guessed Elizabeth's meaning correctly. If she had looked up at that moment, she would have seen a flicker of hope crossing his face displayed at hearing her near confession.

She mutely nodded, not trusting her own voice.

"I thought he might have." He saw a bench behind them, "Please have a seat." Elizabeth nodded again, doing as he suggested. He breathed in deeply wondering how he would correct her misinformation. "I am not engaged to Anne. I never was. I do know that my aunt strongly wishes that we marry. She is under the misapprehension we are affianced and spreads the news of our supposed engagement around. It is not Mr. Collins fault that he thinks that Lady Catherine is never wrong or that he thought this was true."

"Does your own cousin know that you are not to marry her?"

"It was a mutual decision. I sat down to tea one afternoon and Aunt Catherine excused herself, taking Anne's companion with her in hopes that I would officially propose. We did speak of the topic that Aunt Catherine wished us to, but our conversation concluded with a different decision.

"Yet Lady Catherine still spreads the news around?"

"Since then, both of us have tried to correct her but she does not truly accept it. I have found it to be one of her favourite subjects."

"Around Mr. Collins in particular."

"Around me in particular," he countered.

For once since the subject had opened, Elizabeth cracked a smile. "I still cannot believe that I have taken this seriously. All he did at Longbourn was extol Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh's virtues, most of them godly."

"Mr. Collins seems prone to do that," Darcy replied with a smile of his own.

"I really should have asked you if it was true, it's just…" Elizabeth trailed off.

"It's just…?" Darcy prompted.

"Nothing."

"It must be something."

Elizabeth looked down at her hands in her lap, slowly shaking her head. They were silent again before Elizabeth stood up, curtseying. "Good day. I will see you at tea tomorrow."

Mr. Darcy, ever the gentleman, stood up when his companion did, but he put all of this aside when Elizabeth started to leave. He reached out, lightly grabbing her arm.

"If you do not trust me with whatever you were going to say, I understand. I will not force you to tell me. I just do not understand why you have been treating me differently due to this knowledge."

"You do not?"

"I do not."

Elizabeth cracked a pained smile. "I thought it to good to be true," she looked down again.

Encouraged by the fact that she had replied, Darcy took a greater risk. He reached out and softly lifted her chin with his hand, "I do not understand."

"And here I thought you to be a clever gentleman," Elizabeth endeavoured to answer in a lighthearted manner, but her words sounded empty, even in her own ears. "I felt certain you would have been able to guess my meaning"

For a moment Mr. Darcy remained confused as he contemplated all that she had said.

"I do not, oh! Do you mean that you…" He let go of her chin to lightly seize Elizabeth's wrists, his eyes searching hers for confirmation.

"I what?"

"Even if I misinterpret what you meant, I must say this. In vain have I struggled. It will not do…" Darcy began.