Title: Dare to Refuse Such a Man
Rating: K+ (PG) – because I can't think of anything at this point which would constitute a higher rating. Should be sweet and clean.
Disclaimer: Though I write stories based on the novels and characters of Jane Austen, this work belongs to ME and no one else. Unless given express permission, no one besides myself has the right to distribute or profit from my intellectual property. All rights reserved.
Setting: Regency
PSA: I hope that you and yours are safe and healthy during the COVID-19 crisis. Take precautions for yourself and others and please don't hoard any goods that your family doesn't need; we're all in this together, even while we remain physically apart.

Summary: It had never occurred to Fitzwilliam Darcy that, once he had chosen a bride, her father might dare to refuse his consent. However, a woman worthy of being pleased is also worth fighting for. DE, Regency, clean romance.

"He is the kind of man, indeed, to whom I should never dare refuse anything which he condescended to ask."

Mr Bennet, Pride and Prejudice Volume III, Chapter 17

Chapter Twenty-Four

Wednesday
November 6, 1811

"He knows that Mr Collins is the stupidest man in England! I never would have believed him capable of attempting to force me into such a situation."

Darcy's eyes trailed after Elizabeth as she paced before him and railed against the man her father expected her to marry in place of Darcy himself. Mr Collins had, apparently, arrived at Longbourn the day before after the shortest notice possible from Mr Bennet and then proceeded to make a poor first impression by being slovenly, pompous, malodorous and, worst of all, rather stupid. If even a quarter of what Elizabeth said of the man was true, Darcy knew that there would be no competition for his beloved's affections, no matter what machinations Mr Bennet attempted to throw the pair of them together. This was something of a relief, but Darcy hated to see Elizabeth so agitated.

"What can Papa be thinking?" she cried, throwing her hands high into the air in a gesture of helpless frustration. In the months since he had met Elizabeth, Darcy had never seen her quite so beside herself. Angry, yes. Emotionally wounded, certainly. But something about meeting Mr Collins had elevated her anxiety to a level that Darcy could not quite explain; he could only assume that being presented with the man to whom she was supposedly betrothed had made their convoluted situation more real to her. This Collins was accounted to be an irritating bore, and Mr Bennet's high handedness was persistent, but nothing had truly changed. Was she overreacting? "It is bad enough that he wanted me to marry a distant cousin whom I have never met before, but that this cousin is such a man! Even were I not already attached to you, I could never respect, much less love or esteem, Mr Collins as my husband – it is impossible!"

Elizabeth's boots crunched through the dead foliage of the forest floor as she stomped back and forth, sending up multicolored sprays of leaves with each irritated kick as if she were scattering burning coals about. Embers of yellow, orange and red leaves sprayed across the ground as her anger burned hotly. Darcy watched her warily from where he stood leaning against the trunk of a partially bare tree, reluctant to disrupt her tirade for fear of directing her ire toward himself. She had been utterly inconsolable since arriving in their preferred meeting spot – a little patch of woodland on Longbourn property through which the lane connecting the estate to Meryton traversed, a place easily within walking distance for her and covered enough to host clandestine meetings between lovers – and Darcy had fallen silent some time ago after his previous attempts at soothing her ruffled feathers had failed. It seemed Elizabeth was in no mood to be calmed.

"What can he be thinking?" Elizabeth asked again, looking directly at Darcy. Her eyes were narrowed in a glare and, had Darcy not known her displeasure aimed elsewhere, he might have cowered away from it. He rather hoped that he never did anything to instigate that look against himself.

Darcy shrugged and said nothing for there was not much to say that Elizabeth would wish to hear; anything he said to agree with her complaints only fueled the fire and the suggestion that things were not so very bad had been met with worse. Darcy absolutely understood her outrage – how could he not? – but he rather wondered at the vehemence of it. Was this Mr Collins really so bad as she suggested?

Her description of Mr Collins – whom Darcy had not yet had the disputable pleasure of meeting himself – was very bad, but he suspected was exaggerated in her fury. Mr Collins' greatest flaws, apart from being physically unappealing (which, it must be conceded, was not entirely the man's fault), seemed to rest in being somehow sycophantic and self-important at the same time, aided and abetted in this by being uncommonly dull. From what Elizabeth had said, Darcy could not fathom how a fellow the likes of this Mr Collins had ever been accepted into a university – even if it was not a first rate one – much less graduated from it prepared to take on a career. He must have fulfilled the minimum requisites, however, for he was now an ordained clergyman somewhere in Kent under the patronage of a titled family. According to Elizabeth, the less said on that subject the better for Mr Collins had canvassed it nearly constantly since his arrival the day before. Between the parson's poor sense of hygiene, his mean understanding and irritating loquaciousness, Darcy conceded that Mr Collins was not any young woman's dream, but he hardly seemed to warrant the amount of passionate resentment Elizabeth showed now.

Not that Darcy was at all inclined to think well of Mr Collins, not in the slightest. It was offensive to Darcy nearly as much as Elizabeth that such a man might be considered more worthy of his beloved's hand than he, particularly when Mr Collins was only to be technically considered a gentleman. He certainly had not been born as one and only his basic education and future inheritance made it possible for him to be elevated to such a sphere. Elizabeth, as a gentleman's daughter, was as much above him in consequence as Darcy could boast; Darcy was her equal, not Mr Collins, and Mr Bennet was blind if he could not see the discrepancy.

But then Mr Bennet seemed lost to all reason on the subject of his second daughter's marriage. It likely mattered not at all to Mr Bennet that Mr Collins was unsuitable to be any intelligent gentlewoman's husband so long as he was the heir to Longbourn; all of Darcy's rational attempts to sway his prospective father-in-law to consider his suit had proven this much. Mr Bennet seemed determined to stay the course of this madness even to the detriment of his avowed favorite's future happiness.

Elizabeth stopped suddenly in place and stomped her foot. "Papa is completely implacable on the subject, even with the reality of Mr Collins before him! I am beginning to think that he will never be convinced." Though her statement began with the fire of anger, it ended in cool despondency and she covered her face with her hands. Behind them, she elicited a single, stuttering sob. "Worse, Mr Collins behaves as if the matter is already settled and treats me as if I am his property. Papa witnesses this condescending behavior and says nothing! It is intolerable."

The transformation of Elizabeth's animosity into despondency was what finally dislodged Darcy from his observation post. He pushed away from his perch and covered the short space between them to gather Elizabeth into his arms where she turned into him willingly and lay her cheek directly over his heart, clutching at his lapels on either side of her head. Darcy pressed his lips against the wispy curls at her hairline – her bonnet having been abandoned some time ago amongst the leaves – and attempted to soothe her. "It will all be well, my love. He cannot hold out forever, not with so much opposition. An acknowledged engagement is not so easily overcome."

His beloved sighed and Darcy's cravat ruffled in the breeze created. "Nor is a stubborn father unwilling to relinquish his long established plans, apparently. At this rate, we shall be in for a very long engagement. Unless…" Elizabeth lifted her head and peeked up at him with pleading eyes.

Darcy frowned at her as an inkling of her unspoken meaning entered his mind. "No."

"But William..."

"No, Elizabeth."

Huffing with renewed exasperation, Elizabeth pushed herself away by leveraging herself against his chest with her flattened palms. Darcy allowed her to break his hold without a struggle and watched as she twirled round to walk away, her back now facing him. "If you are unwilling to even consider it, then I cannot suppose that you are as devoted to the idea of marrying me as you say. Perhaps you mean to leave me to the tender mercies of Mr Collins after all."

Though tempted to lash out at the injustice of what Elizabeth had just said, Darcy instead closed his eyes and willed his temper to cool before he said something only to be regretted later. She was frustrated at the situation, understandably so, and did not mean the ugly accusation she had just thrown at him. Darcy breathed deeply in through his nose, released it out his mouth and then felt master of himself enough to reply, "You know that is untrue. If I were not absolutely decided on you, I might have taken one of your father's many refusals to heart and left the area weeks ago. I would not have bothered to find you again in the first place."

Elizabeth was still tromping away from him through the undergrowth and did not respond. Her eyes scanned the ground until, alighting on her bonnet, she swept it up and replaced it upon her head. This petulant display of making herself ready to leave further stoked Darcy's ire, but he controlled it.

"Elizabeth," he said in a calmer tone than reflected his true feelings, "you know why we cannot. We have spoken of this before. Think of the collateral damage to your sisters, and mine. An elopement is not kindly looked upon."

"Neither is a woman engaged to two men!" she countered, whipping her head around momentarily to glare at him with scathing heat. Darcy felt his entire body tense in recoil, but would not flee, even if her disapprobation was as difficult to bear as he had previously surmised. Elizabeth then turned away again and began tugging at the crimson ribbons dangling along either side of her throat. They were in a tangle after being so carelessly abandoned earlier, however, and she took out her frustration on the silk strands by yanking hard as she worked at unraveling the obstruction.

Darcy would concede to what she said, but not the remedy she was suggesting. "I will not say that you are wrong, but compounding the situation by running off together in the middle of the night will not help quell the rumors! If anything, it will blow up into an even larger scandal, one which will touch everyone we know, not just ourselves."

"What does it matter if we return home married? Does that not correct any sin in the eyes of society?" Elizabeth's tone was scoffing and bitter in its sarcasm. "After all, that is what my father is counting on by marrying me off to Mr Collins. He hopes that everyone will simply forget that I was once attached to you as soon as Mr Collins' ring is on my finger."

"He is fooling himself if he really believes that, Elizabeth, and we both know it. Your mother has the right of it; it will look a patched up business if you marry Collins instead of me and your father is refusing to see it." Elizabeth fell back into her resentful silence, her narrowed eyes focused on plucking out the knot in one of her ribbons. Seeing that she refused to respond, Darcy carried on, "And let us not forget the logistics of such a scheme. Even if we were to decide that seven months is too long to wait – "

"Nearly eight," Elizabeth broke in to remind him testily.

Darcy clenched his teeth together and rallied his patience. "Even if we were to decide that it is too long to wait until your next birthday, this is hardly the time of year to take a northern tour. It may be fairly mild here in the south, but I can assure you that inclement weather is imminent as far north as Scotland – if it is not already arrived. I have lived in Derbyshire all my life and can attest to the fact that it gets bitterly cold and the snow can pile up to a man's waistline, if not higher. We might never even make it to the border – whether your father attempts to chase us down or not."

Elizabeth laughed hollowly at the notion of her father stirring himself enough to bother going after them. "Papa would not follow. He likes sitting by his fire and letting others perform his business for him."

"He dragged you home from Derbyshire last August, did he not?" Darcy reminded her. Elizabeth said nothing, but her expression reluctantly agreed with him. "And your father's indolence is hardly the point in any case. It would be too dangerous to make the attempt, even should we wish to risk the infamy. No, Elizabeth, I will not consent to an elopement unless it is the absolute last option available to us; I love you too much to risk either your health or your reputation."

Abandoning the knot her fumbling fingers were attempting to untie, Elizabeth's shoulders slumped and she sighed with the heaviness of capitulation, the sound clearly audible even from several feet away. When she spoke, however, Darcy had to strain to hear her. "You are right, of course. I am just angry, and not at you. It is only...after meeting Mr Collins yesterday, I began to panic and..."

Seeing her look so fragile and defeated washed all of Darcy's irritation at her away and he moved forward to gather her up in his arms once again. This time, he stood behind her and pulled her backside against his chest, bending slightly to rest his chin upon her shoulder where he could conveniently nuzzle against her jaw. Before settling into this most comforting position, Darcy took a moment to pluck the bonnet from her head and toss it away without a single care for where it landed. Then, he kissed the cheek nearest to him and murmured, directly into the shell of her ear, "I understand, my love. It has been a trying time."

Elizabeth leaned more of her weight into him and Darcy's grip upon her tightened to accommodate this shift. "I am sorry for questioning your intentions; it was unfair and unjust to accuse you so."

"You were not thinking clearly. You need not apologize." Darcy placed another kiss along the length of her neck and she shivered. He smiled against the same spot as pride in her reaction welled up within him.

"Of course I should apologize; I do not even believe what I said, it was just something spoken in anger and, as we are all aware, angry people are not always wise. Forgive me?"

"If you require it, then I forgive you."

Elizabeth tilted her head, dislodging Darcy from his pleasant position, and looked up at him with those very fine green eyes of hers. They were still absolutely lovely, rich in color and delicately formed with the most lush lashes he had ever seen, but they were dulled with remorse. And very likely melancholy. Perhaps also some desperation. "I love you," she said, her tone as dispirited as her eyes.

Darcy leaned forward and, rather than respond with words, enveloped her lips in a kiss which conveyed his reciprocal sentiments. He meant to linger only a few quick seconds, but Elizabeth followed his mouth as he attempted to pull back, reengaging them in the embrace. Darcy had no quarrel with her wish to continue and so made no further attempts to escape. To the contrary, he used one hand to tilt her chin at a more convenient angle while he pulled Elizabeth tighter against him with the other flush against her belly.

Elizabeth gasped slightly as she was pulled close to his body, which granted his tongue access to explore deeper. He knew he should not, that no matter how honorable his intentions they were not technically engaged, that they were out of doors where anyone (in theory) could stumble across them only a few yards into the wood, but Darcy could not resist the temptation of a single taste. He dipped his tongue just far enough into her mouth to tickle at the ridges along the roof of it and withdrew lest his judgment falter further.

Such had been his premeditation, but Elizabeth, in her bold innocence, would not allow the novel sensation to abate so easily. No sooner had Darcy's tongue returned to its cave than Elizabeth's followed it inside. Her exploration was more tentative, breaching only far enough beyond Darcy's teeth to touch the edge of one incisor before beating a hasty escape, but it was plenty encouragement for what her lover did next.

With a moan of surprise and arousal, Darcy's restraint was broken and he extended his jaw to deepen their kiss into something more wild and hungry. His tongue, previously only allowed a little taste, delved into Elizabeth's mouth in search of more. Elizabeth squeaked as if startled by what her shy curiosity had instigated, but did not pull away; she opened wider and welcomed him inside.

Darcy dropped both of his hands to where he imagined her hips must be and, after a second or two of searching through the drape of fabric covering her lower portion, grasped hold and urged her to rotate in his arms. Their kiss broke a moment as she acquiesced to this silent direction and turned to face him. Darcy pulled Elizabeth once more flush against his body with the grip he still maintained and dived back down to reclaim the kiss that they had temporarily abandoned to alter their positions.

Elizabeth opened back up for him the instant their lips met and Darcy plunged back inside. She groaned as his tongue swept against hers and coaxed it into a torrid dance; the sound sent a shiver of desire racing down his spine. He jerked her yet closer, feeling that they were still somehow too far apart even though there was not a centimeter of space between them.

He felt Elizabeth's hands creeping slowly up his chest, skimming the fabric covering his neck as they ascended. When her fingers buried themselves into the hair at the back of his head and her fingernails grazed his scalp, he felt the sensation spread throughout his body like a pleasant burn. He shuddered and rubbed the length of his torso against hers, instigating a similar tremor within her.

Elizabeth raised herself up on her tiptoes and repeated his attempts to bring them somehow nearer to one another by leaning her slight weight into him. Darcy steadied them both as this threw him slightly off balance, using his hands to cup the surface of her backside and hold her upright against him. He moaned again at the feel of her soft flesh within his palms registered in his mind; he could not resist squeezing lightly.

Both of them were now drawing in rapid, shallow, raspy breaths, but neither was willing to relinquish hold of the other. They were entwined together, nearly as one, but frustratingly not quite, each seeking to somehow merge. Darcy knew exactly how such might be attained, realized that he was at the frightening tipping point of bringing it about right there in the middle of the woods, and fought to regain the control he had given up by kissing Elizabeth. But Elizabeth was so tempting, so soft, so delicious, so willing…

Darcy's heart gave a powerful jolt when a loud snap sounded somewhere close by and he leaped away from Elizabeth, burned by the panic of discovery. She overbalanced at this sudden withdrawal and very nearly fell face first into the dirt and twigs beneath their feet. Darcy reflexively reached out and steadied her and kept her upright, but just barely.

Once he had assisted his lover, Darcy looked about him to discover the source of what had disturbed their private moment. He darted his eyes between the gaps in the trees, rotated on the spot to extend his gaze all the way around them, but saw nothing. No Mr Bennet standing behind an oak with a rifle, no silly sisters spying and giggling at them and no nosy neighbors tutting at their improper behavior; there was no one. He had probably been startled by a deer or a damned squirrel.

He returned his gaze to where Elizabeth stood, his hands still clasped about her upper arms from when he had prevented her fall, to find her looking up at him in the utmost confusion. She blinked at him in bewilderment and not a little hurt at the sudden separation and Darcy wanted to reassure her, but could not quite fill his lungs enough to speak immediately.

At length, he was able to say, with many pauses for gulping breaths, "I...I heard...something...in the...the woods."

Elizabeth looked about them and, apparently discerning that they were quite as alone as Darcy had previously, returned her gaze to him. Her face was flush, her eyes sparkling and her lips looked so tantalizingly swollen...but no, he could not risk kissing her again, not even when she licked them.

Darcy released Elizabeth's arms and took a long step back from her to increase the distance which, moments before, had been do disgusting to them both. Now it was absolutely necessary, no matter how he persisted in hating it. "We...We should be returning soon. You will be missed at breakfast."

Nodding, Elizabeth moved away from him to again locate her bonnet, her eyes downcast. Darcy desperately wished to comfort her, but did not yet trust himself to speak and any physical reassurance was even more out of the question considering the form his last attempt had taken.

Instead, once Elizabeth had found and replaced her bonnet, Darcy stepped forward and offered his elbow. "Come," he said, his voice raspy with the remnants of his desire, "I shall walk you as close to home as I can." Elizabeth accepted his escort with a slight nod.

o0o

They walked in complete silence for the first mile along the lane which would ultimately return Elizabeth to Longbourn. For Darcy, at least, the silence was uncomfortable and he spent much of it berating himself for botching his rendezvous with Elizabeth so completely. Their time together was a precious commodity and he ought not to be wasting it with impulsive behavior, no matter how satisfying. Even so, he could not wholly regret the passion which had overtaken their good sense in the woods and he would be lying if he said differently. As he abhorred deceit, he would admit to himself that having a little taste of what it would be like to have Elizabeth as his wife was thrilling, albeit immoral outside of wedlock. Darcy only wished that he had handled his urges better, exerted more control over his baser instincts, so as to avoid the possibility of detection and the injury he had done to Elizabeth's feelings in his alarm.

He looked to where Elizabeth strolled beside him, her face pointed forward and partially obscured by the rim of her bonnet. Darcy could not discern if she were still upset, either at him or their situation, and it disturbed him to be left in ignorance of her state of mind. After a quick gathering of his courage, he inquired, "Are you well, dearest?"

Elizabeth tilted her head at a sharper angle and her face came into his view. She was calm, but not smiling. "As well as I can be expected, I think."

"And you are not…," Darcy swallowed thickly, "...upset?"

A smirk tugged one corner of Elizabeth's lips upward. "No more than I have been of late. I suppose you think my sensibilities offended after what occurred in the woods?"

"Not exactly." Had she not responded to his overtures so enthusiastically, Darcy might have thought so, but as it was he was as confident as it was possible to be that she had enjoyed their little interlude.

"Have I offended yours?"

"Not at all."

Elizabeth's next query was asked with a levity that seemed forced to Darcy; her voice was more strained than it naturally was when she asked, "And you are not concerned that you have connected yourself to a wanton?"

Darcy stumbled to a stop mid-step and stared at Elizabeth, his eyes wide with horror that she could think such a thing. "Good God, no!" he cried with more feeling than politeness.

The tension in her expression relaxed and she laughed at him. "Then I am perfectly well, William. So long as we are in agreement that we have nothing to be ashamed of, we may both be easy about it." She tugged on his arm and they resumed walking. "Honestly, I was not thinking of our indiscretion – if such it can be called – at all. My mind was wandering."

"May I inquire as to what is on your mind, then?"

Elizabeth shook her head slightly. "We have already discussed it at length and I would not wish to incite another quarrel."

"You are still considering the merits of an elopement?"

Elizabeth responded in the affirmative, saying further, "I understand your thoughts on the subject and do not disagree, but…," she sighed, "it is perhaps easier for you to discount one of our options as distasteful than it is for me. After all, it is not you that is bereft of choice, it is not you who is being treated like an object to be bartered. I know my own mind and I shall never willingly bow to my father's demands that I marry Mr Collins, but I am frightened of the lengths they might go to have their way in this."

Darcy felt his heart seize. Had either her father or Mr Collins threatened her? Was that why Elizabeth was so agitated since meeting the parson yesterday? It certainly explained much, if it were true.

Squeezing the hand Elizabeth had placed upon his arm, Darcy asked, with the firmness of steel in his voice, "Do you feel yourself in danger, Elizabeth?"

She hesitated a moment, but shook her head. "Not as such, no, I think I only fear the unknown. I do not want to believe that my virtue or person are in any danger, but I cannot say that I know Mr Collins well at all; I know not what he is capable of in his pursuit, especially if he thinks he has the tacit consent of my father. And Mr Collins does seem to believe strongly that we are engaged, so perhaps he might feel himself entitled?"

"If he has put his hands on you, Elizabeth, tell me now and I will – "

Elizabeth hugged his arm tightly to her side and shook her head again. "No, nothing of that sort. Really, I should not cast aspersions where there is no proof, it is just..."

"Just?"

"Just...he occasionally looks at me a certain way..." Elizabeth shuddered and huddled slightly closer to Darcy. "I am sure I am imagining it. Mr Collins, for all his faults, has done nothing to deserve censure. Forget I said anything."

"I will do no such thing!" replied Darcy with vehemence. He halted their progress again and turned her to face him, his hands holding her gently in place by her forearms. He gazed down at her earnestly as he entreated, "Elizabeth, if you ever fear for your safety, I want you to promise me that you will send for me at once, no matter the hour. I will ride directly to Longbourn and, regardless of the consequences, take you away from there. I dare even your father to stop me!"

Elizabeth's expression softened and a smile bloomed upon her lips. She raised one hand and cupped his cheek within her palm as she said, "I promise. Honestly, though, I am not truly concerned about anything of that sort. As I have told you before, Papa is not a violent soul and he has always despised the so-called 'gentlemen' who would brutalize their wives and daughters. I am convinced that he would not allow anyone to mistreat us. And, remember, I have nothing to accuse Mr Collins of – just a few strange looks, which might be my imagination. I was not so adept at discerning your stares when we first met, if you recall."

She was teasing him again, which was comforting, but Darcy still felt unsettled at what she had shared. Elizabeth had not mentioned these "looks" when she had complained of Mr Collins at first, but her arguments in favor of absconding from Longbourn made more sense with this new information presented to him. "I hope you will avoid being alone with Mr Collins whilst he is here."

"I should do that even if you did not ask me to!" Elizabeth laughed and began walking again, rearranging them back to their previous configuration of her clinging to his arm. "He is not my preferred sort of company, all marital aspirations aside."

Darcy was forced to be satisfied with this, little though he liked the thought of Elizabeth living under the same roof as the likes of Mr Collins. As a man, Darcy had an inkling as to the meaning behind those "looks" which had so unsettled Elizabeth and he was not pleased about what such portended. She would do well to take his advice about staying out of Mr Collins' sole company, if his suspicions were accurate.

And he had an additional related concern. Though his beloved had enough faith in her father to believe he would protect her in the (hopefully unlikely) event that Mr Collins overstepped his bounds, Darcy was not so assured that Mr Bennet would defend her against a man he had selected to become her husband. Would either his indolence or his ambition allow Elizabeth to come to harm? Darcy could not permit such to happen without doing what he could to prevent it.

So decided, Darcy said, "I believe I should meet this Mr Collins sooner rather than later. I shall call at Longbourn this afternoon to make his acquaintance."

This declaration surprised Elizabeth and she started slightly. "My father will not be pleased to see you."

Darcy shrugged. If he must defy Mr Bennet's orders to stay away in order to see to Elizabeth's well being, he would do it without hesitation. He would do far more. "Perhaps not, but I shall come all the same. And bring Bingley with me."

"Jane will be very pleased to see him." Elizabeth's smile was brightened and Darcy was pleased with himself. He knew very well that Elizabeth cherished the idea of Bingley marrying her elder sister and, as Bingley was hardly opposed to flirting with the lovely Miss Bennet, Darcy was happy to oblige her scheme. His friend could, perhaps, do better in regards to fortune, but Darcy was not inclined to play the hypocrite when his own heart was irrevocably lost to one of the Bennet girls himself. Too bad for the rest of the world that he had snatched up the best of them.

"And will you be very pleased to see me?" he prodded, affecting a slight pout for her benefit.

Elizabeth laughed at him, as he had known she would. "As I have already seen you once today, I cannot promise that I will not be tired of the very sight of you by then, but we shall see. I will not turn you away, at least."

"Your mother will be happy to see me, even if you are not."

"Oh, yes, you are quite her favorite person now; I hope you can stand her approbation with even half the tranquility of Jane."

Author's Note: For the record, I know that elopements didn't mean an absolute ejection from society, but they WERE still something scandalous. I can't see Darcy agreeing to one unless the situation was absolutely dire and, let's face it, the one that I've laid out is frustrating but not emergent. They're all at an impasse currently, even if it's annoying to wait. I didn't mean to imply in a previous chapter that Darcy thought they'd be social pariahs if they eloped (I'll review my language and make edits there eventually), but it's fair to expect SOME consequences to their reputations if they did so. And, really, November is not the right time to make for Scotland when you're so far from it.

Anyway, at least we know that Darcy and Elizabeth have considered all their options and decided on their path. Next up, we get to actually meet Mr Collins through Elizabeth's eyes. I wouldn't expect her description to be any more flattering than she's portrayed to Darcy.

Btw, this is about as racy as the story will get. I'm not at all against the concept of adding a bit of sexy to my plots (go check out my profile if you don't believe me), but I feel like this particular story doesn't need it. I go with my gut when determining how raunchy to get and this one felt clean. My next projects, however, are slated to be a bit more naughty…

Regarding the reader suggestions for Chapter 27, I've gotten so many already that I really don't need any more. Plus, I'm on the precipice of writing that chapter and it's probably best I go ahead and work with what I've got. That said, if you have a sudden inspiration that you just have to share, feel free to send it in! Thanks to everyone who has donated their ideas so far :)

Next Update: June 5, 2020
Expected Completion: July 24, 2020

Guest Review Responses – RE: Ch 23

I won't normally add this section to my author's notes, but sometimes a Guest Reviewer asks a question or makes a comment that I would like to respond to. Hence, the below.

Guest, May 24 – Your story is very well written, but the drama is being dragged out too long.

Thank you for the compliment to my writing and for also posing your concerns in a polite manner. I very much appreciate that your complaint wasn't framed as an insult. That said, I'm sorry that you feel so; my pacing is very intentional, even if it seems slow. I couldn't see Mr Bennet – a man who has gone so far as to drag Elizabeth from Derbyshire back to Hertfordshire and deny his consent even in the face of an open compromise – just waking up one morning and changing his mind, so I decided that the shift needs to occur gradually. Also, with all this talk of Elizabeth's "other fiance," Mr Collins necessarily has to make an appearance. Such is my thinking, though I don't dispute that, at the moment, it seems like not much is happening. It will pick back up soon, if you want to stick with it. If not, I thank you for giving my story a try, even if it ultimately didn't meet your expectations. Thanks for your comments :)

Guest, May 22 – Sorry but this is becoming farcical with everyone agreeing to not mention Elizabeth and Darcy being engaged. What's he going to do if they refuse? Keep them in the house where he's the one who will suffer by doing that?

It feels as though you're trying to drag the story out for as many chapters as possible when it should have been finished at least five chapters ago.

It's an interesting idea but you've taken it too far.

Though I appreciate your pointing out a potential plot hole, I would like to remind you that the girls (and NOT Mrs Bennet) have merely acquiesced to his face; there's no proof as of yet that they're not going to do something to undermine Mr Bennet's moratorium on speaking of the Darcy/Elizabeth engagement in future chapters. Even if they stick to the letter of Mr Bennet's command, there are still other ways to thwart him, especially with their mother and aunt behind them.

As I said to the above reviewer, it's not my intention to drag out the drama, but rather to resolve it in as realistic a manner as possible. Mr Bennet can't/won't just change his mind on a whim; he needs to be convinced. Five chapters ago, it was the morning after the assembly scene (Prologue) and Mr Bennet was in no way ready to give in. As much as it seems like I'm prolonging the plot, I would hate to be accused of the doing the opposite by ending it abruptly without any sort of character growth. Also, bear in mind that no one but myself (and one other person, admittedly) knows what's coming up and that it's quite possible I have more in mind than just fighting with Mr Bennet.

Thanks for your honest commentary; it helps to see how other people see the story. I stand by what I'm doing (at least so far), but I still appreciate it all the same. I'm sorry if my work doesn't appeal to you and hope that you find something else more to your liking, either in my profile or someone else's.