Chapter 12

Darcy leaned against the wall as he patiently waited for Elizabeth to emerge from her room for her walk. He was an early riser and knew Elizabeth was as well. He also felt he knew Elizabeth well enough to predict that she would wish to walk before spending another day cooped up in a carriage. Matlock was only a two day ride nesitating one overnight stop, compared to Pemberley's three day ride and two over night stops. He would have preferred to shelter Elizabeth from her cousin at his home, but had accepted her aunt's judgement on the matter. He was at his best there, because he felt the most comfortable there. A small smile crossed his features as Elizabeth's curly head came into view. He thoughtfully considered as she walked toward him placing the bonnet, he knew she planned on taking off, on her head, not seeing him, that perhaps Pemberley was not the only thing that could represent home. Elizabeth Bennet looked very much like home to him. She was the home his heart longed for.

"Miss Elizabeth," he said stepping toward her.

She glanced toward him in startled suprise and said, "Mr. Darcy!"

"I thought I would walk with you," Darcy said offering her his arm. When the two were outside and had cleared the inn yard, Darcy halted them. He bent toward Elizabeth and carefully undid her bonnet ribbons and removed her head gear. Handing it to her, he said simply, "We both know before my presence on your walk you had no intentions of leaving that on."

Elizabeth, flushed and incapable of speech nodded and then finding her voice, she said, "it is true, had you of encountered me already on my walk my bonnet would not have been on any longer. I did plan on wearing it in sight of the inn and Lady Matlock for propriety."

"We are a small party and the only ones at the inn, my aunt will allow you to discard your bonnet, or I will have words with her."

"You intend to give orders to a countess? Your own aunt?" Elizabeth asked archly and impish smile on her face.

"For your comfort? Yes," Darcy said seriously.

….

"What's this? What do you mean the chit is not here?" Lady Catherine demanded angrily.

"My niece," Madeline said cooly, "has left. She is no longer here this morning."

"She is to be my bride," Collins whined. "How could you lose her?"

"She has doubtless attempted to subvert herself into my nephew's household," Lady Catherine spat. "We shall go to Darcy House and drag the hussy out by her hair if necessary and back to her home, where tomorrow she will be wed to you without delay!" To Madeline she said contemptuously, "I take no leave of you. I know your sort, a grasping tradesman's wife. You likely bid your trollop of a niece to wiggle herself into my nephew's bed, believing it will result in a proposal. Insolent hussy, as if I will allow her to pollute the shades of Pemberley."

"Yes, my lady," Collins said groveling as he followed her out.

Once the repugnant twosome was gone, Madeline called for the man servant to fetch her husband from his warehouse and set to writing a note she intended to send by express. Charlotte Lucas was a good friend of Elizabeth's and could be counted on to accurately relate the current situation at Longbourn. Madeline doubted that her indolent brother-in-law would stay true to his convictions in the face of Lady Catherine's fury.

…

"My nephew is not at home? You know exactly who I am! How dare you refuse me entry! I will see you sacked for this," Lady Catherine fumed at Darcy's butler.

"Miss Caroline Bingley for Miss Darcy," Miss Bingley said with false sweetnesss from behind Lady Catherine as she attempted to present herself to the butler and enter Darcy House. Her brother had informed her he was leaving for Hertfordshire that morning and she had been unable to disuade him or get him to reveal Darcy's whereabouts, otber than an uncharacteristically stony, out of town for the Christmas season.

Miss Bingley hoped to have better luck learning where Darcy was from his sister and planned on following him to his location. A small carriage mishap nearby would surely secure her an invitation to stay. If her brother would not see reason it was imperative she redouble her efforts to secure her future before the man she intended to marry was once again in the girl with fine eye's orbit. Her brother would undoubtedly propose and ask Darcy to stand up with him. While the wedding would certainly remind Darcy how vulgar the Bennets were, she did not doubt Elizabeth would be invited to the Bingley's residence in London. It was Darcy encountering Elizabeth there, without her realtives ghastly prescence, that Miss Bingley feared.

"Just who do you think you are?" Lady Catherine demanded turning around, insolently looking Miss Bingley over. "What right have you to call here? You must be at least a decade older then my niece, if a day. I can imagine what you truly wish to gain from an association with that child. Your asperirations, much like Miss Elizabeth Bennet's, will not be met. Now go," Lady Catherine hissed.

Miss Eliza Bennet of Longbourn?" Miss Bingley said snidley. "What has she to do with Mr. Darcy? As the sister of his particular friend, I demand to know what that chit has done now!" Miss Bingley demanded shrilly. If Darcy had sent that express to her brother from Hertfordshire, she would need to travel there as well before Elizabeth Bennet stole her future. She had relied on Darcy's desire to protect her brother from a fortune hunter to remove him from Elizabeth. She had never imagined he would immediately return to Hertfordshire and Elizabeth. His infatuation must be stronger then she realized. She had been so positive that the Bennet's unseemly display at the ball would put him off offering for the second daughter.

"You know the chit?" Lady Catherine demanded sharply.

"Unfortunately," Miss Bingley said with a sniff. "The Bennets are a vulgar family and attempted to entrap my brother recently while we were in the country."

"Your brother has a home in Hertfordshire?"

"An estate," Miss Bingley declared regally, thinking how she needed to get to Hertfordshire as quickly as possible.

"You appear to be swimming in the ready, You will join us and host us at your brother's estate. I would rather stay in something more like I am accustomed to then the hovel the Bennet's call a home. Collins!" Lady Catherine barked and the parson quickly said, "Yes, my lady?"

"We are for Hertfordshire. Mr. Bennet had best have this Elizabeth there and ready to marry you or I will make it my personal mission to ruin him with a breech of promise suit."

…

Charlotte considered the note in her hand. She had been alarmed to receive the express from what she recognized as the Gardiner's residence in London, knowing Elizabeth had gone there to stay unexpectedly after the fall out from her initial rejection of her cousin's proposal. Charlotte had carefully attempted to turn the parson's attentions to herself, but rather than proffer a proposal she was prepared to accept, he had told her that once Elizabeth reconsidered her response to his offer of marriage he would consider allowing her to keep a correspondence with Charlotte, assumming both their letters met with his approval, insulting Charlotte. Charlotte had been disgusted with the odious man and his insinuations regarding Elizabeth and how he intended to control her every action. She was fierecly glad her friend was evidently fleeing her cousin's hand. It would appear if she understood Elizabeth's aunt correctly, Mr. Bennet still supported Elizabeth's refusal, despite Mrs. Bennet's claims of an engagement. Meryton did not know what to believe since the banns had not been called in church that Sunday and Mr. Bennet refused to confirm or deny the speculation, hiding in his library as was his want. What Elizabeth's aunt wanted to know from Charlotte, was when Lady Catherine and the parson showed up soon at his doorstep, would he still have the same inclination?

Charlotte's father was one of the few that knew the true impairment Mr. Bennet had suffered in his accident and Elizabeth had confided her father's infirmary to her. He was outwardly healthy but his bones had healed in such away that to much movement was not only painful, but was difficult, causing him to laregly avoid society. The drink he consumed for the pain when he did go out often resulted in him not monitoring his words and he had a tendency to turn his sharp wit on others when in company regardless of the propriety of his words or not.

She knew Mr. Bennet had contacted her father for his assistance in seeing some of his books sold quietly. After Collins had left, after announcing his intentions to wed Elizabeth still, her father had pulled her aside and confided to her that Bennet had warned against trusting the man. She would go to Longbourn to assess the situation. She would discover how things stood and then arrange for her father to be present to provide his support to Mr. Bennet, so that he did not choose to sacrifice Elizabeth when Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins arrived as Mrs. Gardiner believed they would.

…

Miss Bingley frowned with displeasure. She had spent the carriage ride listening to Lady Catherine detail just how she intended to keep Elizabeth Bennet under her thumb. It should have thrilled her to hear how her rival would be brought low. Elizabeth was everything Miss Bingley never wanted to be, unrefined, unsophisticated and a hoyden. Caroline Bingley considered herself to be fashionable and superior, yet she had found herself constantly wishing to impress Elizabeth at Netherfield. She had grudgingly admitted to herself that Elizabeth was intelligent and interesting, while making it clear to the others that she found the girl no such thing. Her supposedly fine eyes though, unsettled Miss Bingley. She felt like they looked at her and saw who she was and pitied her. They did not show the contempt Miss Bingley saw in other's eyes, they showed pity. Her! Caroline Bingley! Miss Bingley thought with disgust. Who was she to be pitied by a penniless girl, younger and less important than herself? But Miss Eliza Bennet, comfortably established in her position as a country gentleman's daughter, pitied her.

It galled Miss Bingley to be forced to finally admit it, but she liked Miss Elizabeth Bennet of unimportant Longbourn. She had been content to believe she despised her, but her upset at how the harridan and the sycophant she had been stuck in the carriage with planned on treating her, dispersed with that illusion. Now she not only had to keep the girl from marrying Darcy and usurping her future position, she had to save her from the girl's own cousin.

She would have to appeal to Mr. Bennet, a lowly squire, to recind his consent to this ridiculous match. He had five daughters to dispose of. Five! Miss Bingley thought in disgust. He had likely leapt at the chance to dispose of one. With Darcy not in town evidently, maybe it would be safe to invite her to stay with her and take her to a few parties. A change in dress style, some nicer fabrics and Miss Bingley was sure she could find a few suitors for Eliza to choose from that would be much more suited to her than Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine. Smiling like a cat in the cream, Miss Bingley considered that marrying Elizabeth Bennet off would also serve to halt Darcy's fascination with her.

…

Lt. Wickham watched as a carriage with a familiar crest he recognized as belonging to Lady Catherine de Bough disappeared down the road that he knew led to Longbourn. Idly he wandered if opportunity had come knocking. On his borrowed mount he quickly made his way toward Longbourn. He had been planning on calling on Miss Mary King and her ten thousand pounds, but he wasn't averse to a greater dowry. With satisfaction he watched covertly as first the man he recognized as Lady Catherine's sniveling parson stepped down and then reached in to assit Lady Catherine emerge, but she batted his hand away. The two made their way towards the house and a few minutes later an irritated Miss Bingly exited and no one else. If Lady Catherine had gotten wind of Darcy's interest in Miss Elizabeth Bennet, she would likely be busy the next few days chasing both of them down. It would appear a heiress with an estate was just waiting to be plucked in Kent. With Lady Catherine not about to guard her, Miss de Bough, he thought with satisfaction, should be easy to sprint to the border.