Darcy sat upon the edge of his bed, erect, listening to the occasional muffled cluck of shutting drawers and shuffle of feet from beyond the wall adjacent to his stance. Lizzie Bennet was beyond that wall, unpacking her bags for an elongated stay in the room next to his and Darcy had not yet processed how close she would actually be to him. He could imagine her movements, every thoughtful placement of her garments, every victorious sigh of a well-ordered bedroom—he believed she too would take pleasure in the organization of a dresser. Her neatly folded denim would line the bottom-most drawer, then slacks and skirts inside the next. Casual shirts and blouses that didn't need the hot-press of an iron above that, then finally her socks, hosiery and delicates. Darcy felt hot imagining such things and he nearly jumped from his skin as Caroline called out to him from the doorframe, his mind quickly reeling to replace the divine image of Lizzie in black lace from his inner most thoughts.

"Am I interrupting something?" Her voice was velvet with suspicion as she entered the room, taking Darcy's spot at the foot of his bed as he paced toward his bureau and yanked the door open so he could bury his expression in his collection of silk ties and men's scarves. He cleared his throat rather forcefully before responding.

"No. What is it, Caroline?" He snapped, pulling off his current necktie in favor of fashionable scarf hoping it would be less constricting on his nerves.

"Touchy touchy. I was just wondering how you were fairing with our new houseguests, is all. I'm sure all this ruckus is so bothersome with all the work you need to do." He could feel Caroline's eyes upon him, like a hawk readying to devour prey. "That is, unless you're happy to have the distraction…"

"Absolutely not." He kept his voice as flat as he could manage, still facing away though regarding himself in a full-length mirror upon the wall. Though he dared not glance directly to it, he could see Caroline's reflection leaned back upon her palms, watching him. "It is difficult enough to get through my schedule with out you popping in to heckle me and your brother insisting I take a break every hour of the day."

Caroline gasped in false offence. "Heckle you, Darcy? I wouldn't dare." She stood up right and made her way toward him, leaning with a smirk and closing the bureau's mahogany cabinet with her shoulder. "And here I thought you enjoyed our little chats."

"Not nearly as much as you do." This time he was prepared to shift his gaze to her, expression bland and disinterested. "You are so easily amused, after all." Her lips curled further, spreading across her face at his words.

"I find ways to keep myself entertained." She shrugged, her voice light as she turned away from him and glided back to his bed. She laid herself upon it gracefully, propping her chin up and resting on her elbow while the other arm draped over her form. Darcy's eyes lifted to the ceiling and he resigned to sit upon his desk chair rather than join her on his bed. He did, however, swivel it around to face her knowing she wouldn't leave if he continued to ignore her. "Things should be much more entertaining around here now that Lizzie and Jane have arrived."

"I'm getting a sense of déjà vu, Caroline. Does this conversation have a point?" She clicked her tongue in annoyance at the bitterness of his voice, glaring toward his deep-set eyes that stared back at hers with impatience.

"I'm just trying to gage how you're feeling now that they're actually moving in, William. I'm here as a concerned friend. I know how distrustful you are of strangers-have you already taken inventory of your cufflinks and other valuables?" Darcy opened his mouth to retort but the no sound escaped his lips. What was she insinuating? He found his voice at the absurdity of it.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous to be cautious, Darcy. You know why they're remodeling their home, don't you? The Bennets are hurting when it comes to financials. They're planning to sell their barn of a house once they fix it up to an adequate living standard. They are desperate people, Darcy, and sometimes desperation leads good, wholesome people like the Bennets to do wicked things."

"You can't be implying—"

"Think about it Darcy. Three grown women living at home with their parents…don't you think that's a little odd? And Jane, the poor sweet dear is an open book. She confessed to me that she's had to default on her student loans twice already since she graduated. Yet why are the Bennet's always in such bright spirits? Because my brother—your best friend-bought up the mansion at the end of the street and continues to wine and dine the eldest daughter. He lavishes her with gifts, and attention, offers her a place in his home…" Caroline continued her speculations though Darcy had become numb, her voice blowing past his recognition like an icy wind.

Of course, how had he not made the connection before? Jane was after Bing's fortune as Wickham had wormed his vileness into Gigi's heart for the very same reason. Both were masters of charm and manipulation, convincing the others to house and care for them, to love them while they relished in the splendor of their spoils. The very thought made his stomach twist with rage and disgust, his hands clasped so tightly on the rest of his chair that his knuckles began to whiten and his whole face paled. How could he have let this happen, and right before his very eyes? With Gigi it had been a secret, a terrible discovery ending in heartbreak and pain for his beloved sister. With Bing, however, he had watched his friend's desire and adoration develop over time, like watching livestock be raised for the slaughter. The sentiment made him ill and abruptly he rose from his chair, bolting from the room while muttering a need for fresh air.

As he charged from the bedroom his chest collided forcefully into another body.

"Ooof!" Lizzie Bennet exclaimed as bottles of shampoo tumbled from her grasp and onto the hardwood of the upstairs hall.

"Pardon." Darcy barked, stepping around her and quickly descending down the nearby spiral stairs. He internally cursed himself for not stopping to help her collect her things but the heat of his anger boiled so intensely inside him that Darcy feared he would only wrongly project his hatred onto Lizzie.

As he yanked the front door open and strode into the summer afternoon heat Darcy began to slow his steps as he walked down the long drive. Lizzie, were you too a player in this convoluted scheme for Bing's inheritance? The thought filled him with an empty sorrow but as he dwelled on her involvement in Bing and Jane's relationship he couldn't help but justify that she couldn't possibly be advocating for the Lee fortune. She never seemed to harp on material things and even seemed discomforted by how lavish Netherfield was decorated rather than envious like her wide-eyed sisters. Surely, she wouldn't stand behind such a cruel ploy even if her family's debt was sizable? In his mind, her voice echoed.

...straightforward and honest….strong moral values….

Although she had been talking of potential employers, what Lizzie regarded highly spoke leagues of her characters. He felt confident that she couldn't possibly support using Bing for his money just as she wouldn't have let Lydia get away without confessing the fate of the lamp had she been aware. He was sure of it. At this conclusion his breathing steadied a bit but he couldn't force himself to walk back toward Netherfield which was just a speck in the distance behind him now. How could he possibly coexist under the same roof with Jane, knowing what he did? He closed his eyes and let a breath out through his nostrils. Bing always sought out the best in people, but would he really be so willingly blind to a scheme for his wealth? In his memory, Jane had her moments which caused disdain in Darcy though more often then not she did exhibit a sense of kindness. Perhaps Caroline was just attempting to plant a seed of doubt within Darcy, to toy with him so they could rally together against the Bennets in secret. That seemed more like her character than Jane's from what he had witnessed, though even Caroline could not understand how an accusation of such extremes would affect Darcy—she knew little of Wickham if anything, for Darcy kept his own secrets rather guarded and Wickham was the shame and regret held closest to his heart.

Darcy had turned back toward netherfield as he chewed over different conclusions and ways to approach the situation at hand. He decided he was a man of logic and wouldn't jump to conclusions about Jane despite how she occasionally rubbed him the wrong way. Instead he would observe with even more diligence now that they were under the same roof to see if she truly did care for Bing before a sense of action was needed on his part. If necessary, he might be able to spare Bing the intense suffering Gigi experienced by stepping in. However, despite his doubts, deep within William's heart he desperately hoped that it would not come to this. He knew these next two weeks would reveal a lot to Darcy about the Bennet sisters and although he was eager to learn more about Lizzie he knew he had a sense of duty toward his friend to keep an eye on Jane as well.

A/N: Okay so I know you all are itching for some Darcy/Lizzie interaction but I felt this conversation between him and Caroline was important toward the plot and relationships concerning the Bennet's financial state and Darcy's past with having someone after his money and the people he cares about. Thank you all for your input on my experiment with last chapter's dialogue-based chapter, it was definitely helpful to see what people liked and disliked. Feedback is always appreciated and taken into account when writing these updates :)