Her father cupped his head in his hands. "I truly thought there was a chance for happiness between you. You only married him because of our financial situation, did you not? I should not have let you bear that burden."

Elizabeth looked at her father guiltily. She might have exaggerated her dislike and indifference of her husband. She did not know what was wrong with her. Lately, she was so confused. She had gone from fully disliking her husband to almost admiring him. She had always believed she could read people. It did not sit well with her that she had so wrongly judged her husband. Recent revelations about her husband caused her pride to smart and for her to doubt her ability to aptly judge others' characters.

"Oh Father, I spoke hastily. I do not regret marrying him and in turn, helping our family. Also, I would not say there was no affection between us. Darcy did declare his love for me when he proposed," Elizabeth confessed.

"He did, did he?" her father asked. "Then, why do you dislike him?"

"I am not sure that I do. I am just...perplexed. There were so many things I was certain I knew about him that I really did not. I thought he was proud and unapproachable, but I have never seen a man so well respected by his staff. I thought he had greatly misused Mr. Wickham and I have discovered information that proves otherwise. He seems like everything I would hope for in a husband, except..."

"Except what?"

"I think my husband had a hand in discouraging Bingley from proposing to Jane."

Her father nodded his head. "I see. Have you asked him about this matter?"

"No."

Mr. Bennet stood up and brushed a kiss against his daughter's forehead. "Well, Lizzy dearest, I suggest that you do. Might I also recommend that you attempt to give your marriage a fighting chance? Spend more time with your husband. You might just discover you like him all the better."

Her father was one of the two people in her family whom she greatly respected. His advice would not go unheeded.

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down at his desk. His wife's family had finally left. He smiled, remembering a similar expression of relief pass across Elizabeth's face as she turned to walk back inside. Well, not all her family had left. Her sister Jane would be visiting for a few weeks more. As would Bingley. The Hursts had already returned to London, but Bingley had asked him if he could stay a little while longer. Now the only unwanted guest that remained was Caroline. Darcy scratched his head wondering how he could expedite her journey home.

"Darcy, if you don't mind me imposing, would you take me to Lambton? I must buy a new hat. I know the milliner won't be nearly as capable as the one I use in London, but I will have to make do with what is available," Miss Bingley said. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Miss Bingley, I am afraid my husband will be unable to take you. He has promised me a walk. With all our recent company, I have not had the opportunity to go on my daily walk. Mr. Darcy assured me that we would take one today. I can arrange the carriage for you, if you would like."

"I was wanting to go to Lambton," Georgiana piped up. "Do you mind if I travel with you, Miss Bingley?"

"Umm, of course not dearest," Caroline said in that artificial way of hers.

Within an hour, Georgiana and Caroline were on their way to Lambton and Darcy and Elizabeth began their stroll around the grounds.

"I do not recall promising you a walk," Mr. Darcy began.

"It must have slipped your mind," Elizabeth smiled. "You have been so busy entertaining our guests this week and some require more effort than others."

"Caroline does require a lot of attention. Thank you. I did not feel like traveling to Lambton today."

"It is part of my wifely duties, is it not? To honor and obey, to keep other ladies away."

"You were quite successful with the latter," Darcy commented.

They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the beautiful day and the fresh air.

"Did you ever consider marrying her?" Elizabeth asked.

"No," Darcy laughed, a bit taken aback. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Elizabeth looked at him oddly. "You must know that she fancies you? Besides, you seem quite understanding of her temperament as if you might have at one point had an understanding."

"She is Bingley's sister. That is all she has or ever will be to me."

"Oh," Elizabeth softly replied, secretly pleased.

Darcy cleared his throat. Something had been weighing on his mind for the past few weeks. He did not want to admit it to his wife, but he knew that he must if he were to have any hope of obtaining her affections. "There is something I must tell you."

His wife looked at him. "Yes," she replied.

"When your sister Jane was in London, I knew of her visit to the Bingleys. I did not inform Charles of this. I thought that keeping news of her visit secret would benefit my friend in the long run. These past few weeks have shown that I was incorrect. Charles is never more happy than when he is with your sister." Pausing for a second, he reflected on whether or not to tell her what his friend had informed him about this morning. Hoping to ease the blow of his revelation, he added, "In fact, he is planning to propose."

Elizabeth's expression changed from frustrated to pleasantly surprised within an instant. "Really?"

"Yes, he asked your father's permission before they returned to Longbourn. Charles is only waiting for the right time...Are you angry with me?."

"I had suspected you had a hand in Bingley's sudden disinterest and yes, I was upset at first. But now, I find that I am not so angry after all. How can I be when my sister is finally receiving the happiness she so rightfully deserves?"

"I apologize for my role in keeping them apart." Darcy moved to take her hand. "Can you forgive me?"

Elizabeth did not recoil from his touch. She allowed him to hold her hand and applied the slightest amount of pressure to his hand. "I believe I can."

"We have each let our pride and misconceptions guide our beliefs about the other. I would like to have a happy marriage. What say you? Shall we try to have a real marriage?"

"I think I would like that."

"Me too."

Elizabeth pursed her lips. A look of worry crossed her face. "I am not quite sure that I am ready for all that a marriage entails."

Darcy immediately understood what she meant. While he was more than ready to begin the physical aspect of their marriage, he could understand his wife's apprehension. Nodding his head in understanding, he said, "We shall take things slowly. We can start by walking to the pond."

Accepting the arm that her husband offered, Elizabeth replied, "A turn around the pond would be quite lovely."