Clarifications for those who decide to read my story:

English is not my first language; therefore, I apologize for grammatical and vocabulary use errors. I also want you to know that to post frequently, I do not spend time editing until the story is complete. So, I ask you to consider these aspects if you decide to comment.

Greetings to all, and we will see if anyone is interested in this little story based on the characters of Jane Austen.

##########

Chapter 1

Fitzwilliam Darcy gazed absently out of the carriage window. Beside him traveled his beloved sister in silence, trying to pay attention to what Caroline Bingley was saying. It was the second day of the trip, and Caroline had managed to get into their carriage and accompany them until they reached the next inn where they would spend the night. In a day and a half more, they would finally get to Pemberley.

Mr. Darcy had not been the same since his fateful proposal to Elizabeth Bennet. He had been so sure that she would accept him, that their attraction was mutual and that she loved her as much as he loved her. But it had all been nothing more than an illusion. She not only didn't love him, but she despised him.

Looking back, he could recognize that he had done nothing to win her affection and admiration. Ever since he met Elizabeth Bennet, he had treated her with contempt and indifference. When he met her, he felt immediately drawn to her. To mask his attraction, he had said a loud insult in the middle of a crowded assembly. Later, and in each of their interactions, he had hidden his admiration and disguised it as indifference.

Today he knew that he had missed the opportunity to join his life with a wonderful woman, with whom he knew he would have been immensely happy. But his damned pride hadn't allowed him to see that a woman like Elizabeth would never have accepted an arrogant man who didn't respect her, no matter how rich and powerful he was.

Mr. Darcy had spent months pondering everything that had happened between them. The first few weeks, he had bought new clothes and dressed more elegantly than ever to attend all the social events he had been invited to. He wanted to find a sophisticated, beautiful, and elegant woman from an influential family to marry her and publish in all the newspapers their engagement. He desired Elizabeth could see that he did not need her and that her rejection had not affected him. After several evenings navigating between drawing-rooms and ballrooms, he realized that no woman could surpass the one he had lost.

After that, he was plunged into deep sadness. It was not unusual for him to spend the night awake and drinking in excess. He only reacted when he saw how worried Georgiana was seeing him so lost.

Finally, he could understand better what he had done and realized how wrong he was. When he analyzed each of his interactions with Elizabeth, he could feel nothing but shame for his behavior. He remembered the letter he had written to her. There he had clarified the two accusations that she had made with arrogance and disdain. He didn't blame her for believing in George Wickham's lies. He knew that his nemesis was a manipulative man, and after how he had behaved in Hertfordshire, it was not difficult to think that he was a cruel and ruthless man.

Today, he considered himself a better person, and all thanks to Elizabeth. From now on, he would try to be a more humble man, and above all, less severe when it came to relating to others. Sadly, Elizabeth would never have the chance to meet this new Mr. Darcy, but he believed she didn't care either. Elizabeth would always be in his memory. He still loved her, even more than before. But he knew very well that he should seek a wife to produce the heir that his property needed. If he could not love another woman, he would find one that, at least, he could respect.

"Mr. Darcy, you don't know how happy I am to realize that we will spend two weeks in Pemberley. I know that I have told you this more than once during our trip, but I am so excited. In addition, we will have the possibility of strengthening our friendship even more, my dear Miss Darcy," said Caroline. At the same time, she looked flirtatiously at the most handsome and richest man in her acquaintance. She hoped that on this visit to Pemberley, Mr. Darcy would finally realize that she was the perfect woman to be the new Mrs. Darcy and the new Mistress of Pemberley.

"Yes, Miss Bingley," was all Georgiana could say. She did not like Caroline very much. It was too evident that she had no interest in her and only used her to be close to her brother. She had not dared to say anything to Mr. Darcy, but when she had learned that Mr. Bingley and his sisters would be spending a few weeks in Pemberley, she had planned to visit her Aunt, the Countess. But after seeing how sad and dejected that her brother had been, she decided not to leave him alone. Georgiana knew that Mr. Bingley, with his sympathy and good humor, would help her brother to feel better. She did not know what had happened to him, but she sensed that behind everything, there was a woman. Indeed, a very silly woman because who in her right mind would not want to be with an honorable, rich, and handsome man like her brother.

"Georgiana, Miss Bingley, I think we are approaching the penultimate stop on our journey." In two more days, and before dark, we should be reaching Pemberley," said Mr. Darcy, seeing how uncomfortable his sister felt after listening to Miss Bingley's flattery and frivolous conversations for more than three hours.

"It has been so wonderful traveling with you that I am going to beg you to allow me to accompany you both tomorrow," Caroline said, looking at Mr. Darcy with a knowing smile. She was sure he was just as excited as she was. They would have the opportunity to spend more time together.

Mr. Darcy was horrified at the very thought of spending another day locked in the carriage with Miss Bingley. "I'm sorry, Miss Bingley, but I must get up at dawn tomorrow. My steward told me that he should discuss urgent matters with me. So I will ride my horse the rest of the trip. If I arrive a day before at Pemberley, I will be able to solve everything that I have pending, and I will have more time to spend with my guests." It was true that he had things to do, but he had used it as an excuse to flee from Caroline. He was sorry for Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley, but he couldn't bear another hour locked with that woman so close to him. He was particularly sad to think that if things had been different at that moment, he would have Elizabeth by his side, and he would be the happiest man in the world.

The next day he got up early in the morning, had something to eat, and set off with his horse for Pemberley.

##########

In the morning, Elizabeth had gone to Pemberley. One of the maids at the inn had told them that the family was not at home the night before. When she knew that, she agreed to accompany her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner to visit Mr. Darcy's estate the next day. After breakfast, they set out for Pemberley. It was no more than five miles journey from Lambton, where they were staying.

Elizabeth was impressed with the beauty of the landscape and the elegant mansion. She knew that Mr. Darcy was a wealthy man, but she never thought he was that rich.

Once the first impression had passed, her uncle requested permission to see the house, and the housekeeper agreed to give them a tour and show them the rooms that were open to the public. Mrs. Reynolds told them about the house's history and the family and the current Master, Mr. Darcy, and his sister. She spoke wonders of her Master, especially highlighting his kindness, intelligence, and above all, how responsible he was and how he diligently took care of the estate and all the tenants.

"Is the library open to the public," Elizabeth asked timidly.

- I'm sorry, Miss. But the library is not part of the rooms open to the public. Mr. Darcy is very cautious with his personal spaces. Since he was very little, the library has been one of his favorite places in the house. Only his closest family and friends have access to it." Mrs. Reynolds knew very well that Mr. Darcy did not desire intrusive eyes in his most intimate spaces.

"I understand, no problem" Elizabeth was happy with everything she had seen. Also, the gardens and the adjacent park looked beautiful. After touring all the gardens, they had returned to the inn at lunchtime.

After lunch, her uncle and Aunt asked Elizabeth if she would like to accompany them to visit an old friend of Mrs. Gardiner's, who had invited them for tea. Elizabeth excused herself by saying that she would take the time to write to Jane and her father to tell them about all the beautiful places she had toured. "Have fun with your friend, and please don't worry about me, my dear Aunt. You know that I can entertain myself doing many different things," said Elizabeth merrily.

- It is fine, Lizzie. But if you go for a walk, don't stray too far. These forests are immense, and it is easy to get lost in them," said Mrs. Gardiner to her niece.

Elizabeth kissed her Uncle and Aunt and told them not to worry about her. They left, and Elizabeth sat down to write at a small desk located in the corner of her room. She tried to write, but she couldn't. She was exhausted. The night before, she had slept very little thinking about her visit to Pemberley and Mr. Darcy.

She didn't regret rejecting Mr. Darcy, or at least that was what she kept telling herself. The truth was that from the first moment Elizabeth saw him, she felt attracted to him. He was the most handsome man she knew, and he was intelligent and honorable too. Elizabeth regretted having accused him based on Mr. Wickham's lies. That despicable man had used her, and she had blindly believed everything he told her, motivated by the anger that Mr. Darcy's contempt provoked in her.

After trying for a few minutes to write, she decided to lie on her bed to rest for some minutes. She did not notice how she fell asleep soundly for almost two hours. Once again, she dreamed of Mr. Darcy declaring his fervent love and utter admiration. This time, he didn't say anything about her family or connections. He just limited himself to telling her that he loved her. In her dream, she accepted him, and they married. Later, they were at Pemberley; he showed her the library and told her that she could read all the books she wanted. Also, they walked around the garden together, and he cut a few flowers and gave them to her. He finally kissed her and just then she woke up.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with these crazy dreams. Why does this man always show up to haunt me? I cannot believe my bad luck; now I will dream of him and Pemberley. Luckily, I couldn't see the library, or I would be dreaming about that too." Elizabeth said resignedly. By now, she was used to dreaming about Mr. Darcy.

She decided to go for a walk to clear her mind. After washing her face and combing her hair, she left her room. Inadvertently, and after walking for a little over an hour, she found herself on the path that bordered the forest that surrounded Pemberley.

From there, she could see the small lake that surrounded the beautiful mansion. She was pretty far from the place, so there was no danger of anyone discovering her snooping. She sat on a rock and stood for a few minutes contemplating the entire landscape. She couldn't help but think what would have happened if there hadn't been so many misunderstandings between them. Perhaps, today she would be the Mistress of everything she observed from afar. But she knew deep down that they could never have been happy together. She could not live next to such an arrogant and haughty man, and he could never have entirely accepted her family.

"I think it's better that I forget about all this. It's better this way. Goodbye Pemberley. I will never see you again, Mr. Darcy; you would be just in my dreams." Elizabeth said with resignation. When she started walking back, she realized that a storm was coming. The weather in Derbyshire was quite unpredictable. Suddenly, she was surprised by a terrible downpour and a powerful wind. Also, the storm and the grey clouds darkened the road, and it wasn't easy to see the path. She ran to seek shelter among the trees. Without noticing, her foot got tangled between some stones, and she lost her balance and fell. Unfortunately, when she fell, she hit her head and was left unconscious in the middle of the road and the rain.

##########

Mr. Darcy had been riding for almost two days. He had really enjoyed the solitude; it had helped him to reflect and make some decisions. He had decided that he would finally speak to Bingley and tell him how he hid that Jane Bennet had been in London trying to contact him. He would apologize to his friend and say that he would support him in everything, no matter what he did. Besides, he had resolved to stay for the rest of the year at Pemberley. He knew Georgiana would be happy with the idea; she did not like London.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't realize a storm was coming. When the rain and the wind began, he no longer had time to seek refuge at the inn in Lambton, so he decided to continue to Pemberley.

He was riding fast when suddenly his horse got scared and stopped abruptly. A more inexperienced rider would have lost control of the reins and fell sharply to the ground. After calming his horse, he dismounted to see what had scared the animal. As he approached, he realized that there was a wounded woman on the side of the road. He took her in his arms and led her to a small shelter formed between the foliage of the trees.

-Miss, wake up. How do you feel? , Do you remember what happened to you? Asked Mr. Darcy in distress. He did not know what to do. He could look for help and leave the woman there, or stay with her and wait for the rain to pass to get help. She was absolutely soaked and apparently hurt.

He decided to remove her bonnet to examine her head and see if she had any injuries. The woman had part of her hair on her face, and also, she was a bit muddy. Mr. Darcy decided to wipe her face to see if she wasn't hurt. He took out his handkerchief from his coat, moistened it in the rain, and began to wipe the woman's face. After removing all the hair and cleaning her face, he could not believe what happened.

- MISS BENNET! Elizabeth, please wake up. What are you doing here, Miss Bennet? No, God, please. You can't punish me like this. Elizabeth, my love, what's wrong with you? - Mr. Darcy was desperate. He didn't know what to do or what to say. How did she get there? If life had decided to punish him for his arrogance, it was doing it in a very cruel way.

Elizabeth felt a slight headache; she had tried to open her eyes and had not succeeded. She had felt cold, but now she was in someone's arms, and that person was saying her name. Once she managed to regain some consciousness, she realized that she was in Mr. Darcy's arms. He had his head buried in her hair and seemed to be praying.

She woke up believing that she was still dreaming, that she was in the inn bed still asleep. "Mr. Darcy, I'm well. My head hurts a little, but I'm fine. Please, do not be concerned; this is just a dream."

"Elizabeth! Thank God." It was the only thing that Mr. Darcy managed to say at that time while he hugged tightly to the woman he loved. He was so happy that he didn't notice that he was breaking more than one social rule.

Elizabeth was very excited, and she decided to respond in kind. In her mind, she was in the middle of a dream. That would allow her to do and say everything that she would not dare to do awake. "Mr. Darcy, I am so happy to be with you. I love the way you are holding me. It feels wonderful! I want to tell you that I do not regret turning you down. But, I also want to tell you that I've spent countless hours thinking about you and dreaming about you. I have Imagined many times what it would be like to be in your arms and feel your kisses."

Mr. Darcy thought that this was precisely a dream. However, his dreams had never been so sweet and genuine. He immediately glanced at Elizabeth and saw that she looked at him with equal intensity. "Elizabeth, my sweet and beloved Elizabeth, how I love you." Without thinking more, he began to kiss her on the lips. At first, he kissed her gently, and feeling how she sought his mouth with equal fervor, he continued kissing her in a way he had never kissed anyone before in his life.

##########

Thanks to everyone who leaves supportive comments and enthusiastically follows any of my stories.

This tale is being published simultaneously in two languages, Spanish and English. If someone is not satisfied with the way I write in English and want to read something with neater grammar and syntax, I suggest you check the Spanish version. I assure you that you will have no reason to criticize me in my native language.

I will publish every two or three days, alternately with the Spanish version. I hope you like this new story.

For all those who follow "The Aunt," I want to say once again that I have not abandoned it. I'm just taking a break until June. When I resume writing it, I will publish a chapter daily until I complete it.

Saludos,

Yo