Chapter 18

"Today we will arrive at Matlock and you can put your friend's mind at ease," Col. Fitzwilliam said to Charlotte. He had found himself fascinated by the lady and enjoyed her companionship over their journey. She had been kind to Georgiana and attempted to draw out his young ward. His mother, he thought with a chuckle, would be quite pleased. She would likely ascertain his burgeoning interest in the woman across from him immediately.

"It will be good to see Elizabeth. She will demand news of Lydia, and Jane and Mr. Bingley. She will be quite pleased that his sisters did not succeed in keeping him in town," Charlotte said camly.

…

"Mr. Darcy," Elizabeth said her eyes twinkling. "What's this? You know that is not sound."

"I speak as I find, Miss Elizabeth," Darcy said with a smile. "And I expect to find an improvement in Bingley's penmanship and him harrowing around without a moments notice no longer. There isn't room in our friendship for two such individuals. After our unplanned jaunt first to Matlock, then today you shanghaied me into an impromptu picnic after startling me, resulting in a large blot in my writing. If I have taken on Bingley's traits, he will have to make due with mine."

"And dancing, sir?"

"With the right inducement I believe I could be capable of dancing every dance. I hope you are up for dancing every set with me."

"Shall I smile to much?" Elizabeth teased him.

"Impossible," Darcy said. Then with a grin he said in an imitation of Bingley, "You are an angel, an absolute angel."

Elizabeth laughed at this and said, "I could never be as saintly as dear Jane so you shall have to give Mr. Bingley back his traits and keep your own. They are much better suited to me. I cannot marry a man that keeps such a sparse library."

"Ah, so I shall woo you with books. What are we doing at this picnic?" Darcy said pretending to rise and drag Elizabeth towards the house. "There are no books out here. To Pemberley we must go!"

"Books are a great temptation, after all I do wish to improve my mind by extensive reading so that I can be an accomplished woman. Will there also be something at Pemberley to aid me in my manner of walking and something in my air?"

"There already is something in your air, and it is rather mischievous. Not even Pemberley could improve on you. I on the other hand," Darcy said softly, "show my best there."

"I cannot imagine you showing any better there then you do now. Knowing you as I now do, I can only see the best," Elizabeth said blushing.

Raising Elizabeth's hand he held clasped in his own Darcy gave her fingers a gentle kiss.

...

"Step away from my nephew," Lady Catherine boomed catching sight of Elizabeth and Darcy in the courtyard later as she exited her carriage. "He is engaged to my daughter. Your fiancee, Mr. Collins, and I have tracked you down at last and you will be marrying him. Now get in the carriage."

"Her father has rescinded his permission to Mr. Collins pursuit," Darcy said stepping in front of Elizabeth, determined to stand between his aunt and the woman he loved. "Nor am I engaged to your daughter. That is a fantasy of your own mind. Saying it is so, does not make it so. There is only one woman I intend to marry."

"Mr. Collins grab your fiancee and toss her into the carriage. My nephew is clearly not in his right mind," Lady Catherine commanded. When her parson did not move she added, "Now Mr. Collins!"

Collins gulped. Darcy was the superior specimen and Collins had no doubt who would win in a physical confrontation between the two. As Darcy stood guard in front of Elizabeth, it occurred to Collins that he should have just proposed to plain Miss Lucas and encouraged her to invite her dear friend, his cousin, to visit.

"Aunt Catherine, " Col. Fitzwilliam said grimly as he strode into sight with Charlotte. "You have absolutely no authority or power over Miss Elizabeth to compel her to marry your despicable parson. Who won't remain a parson much longer. At Miss Lucas's urging we made a brief stop on the way to Matlock to acquaint the archbishop of Mr. Collins attempts to blackmail a gentlewoman into marriage. When he returns to Hunsford he will doubtless find a letter awaiting him summoning him to an eclastical trial to determine if he will be defrocked or not for behavior unbecoming of a man of the clergy. I have no doubt in my mind he will end up defrocked. Another interesting tibit, Georgie swears she saw your daughter Anne in an amorous embrace in a carriage with none other then George Wickham at one of our stops. If you hurry north perhaps you can catch them and prevent a wedding over the anvil."

"You lie!" Lady Catherine declared angrily. "I will be taking that chit with me, Darcy. My daughter won't be married over the anvil but her and Mr. Collins will be. I thank you for the suggestion, Richard. I had planned on having Mr. Collins compromise her, but a Scottish wedding will work just as well. And if you expect the chit to be treated well, you will marry Anne," Lady Catherine declared with a wild lunge at Darcy, raising her cane to strike him.

Darcy blocked the blow with his forearm and wrestling her cane from her said, "If you continue to threaten Elizabeth, I will see you are removed from society. Your delusions you refuse to give up have made you a danger to others. The earl will support me in having you committed."

Col. Fitzwilliam helped to subdue Lady Catherine while Collins turned to Charlotte and said, "I should have proposed to you and then none of this would have happened. You are so plain it is unlikely you would ever receive any offer and would have accepted me."

"How wrong you are," Col. Fitzwilliam said with a snort of disgust. "Miss Lucas has just agreed to allow me to court her. Miss Elizabeth might agree that being cooped up in a carriage for a two day journey can allow for a greater opportunity to become acquainted with someone's character then a dozen teas and dinner parties."

"Lady Catherine," Sutton said exiting the house and quickly coming down the stairs. "I see you will be needing accommodations for the night. It is a pity we don't have a dungeon." Motioning two footman to relieve Darcy and Col. Fitzwilliam of their burden he gave orders for his aunt to be locked into a guest room on the upper floors.

"That was a splendid idea to attempt to send Lady Catherine off on a wild goose chase to hunt down Wickham and Cousin Anne. Uunfortunately it didn't work," Darcy said with a chuckle to Col. Fitzwilliam.

"Oh it was no ruse. Anne is on a run to the border with that bounder. Lady Catherine will be Wickham's problem once he is her son-in-law," Col. Fitzwilliam said with satisfaction.

"She is our cousin," Darcy said with a frown. "We have to go after them."

"Nay, Darcy. Anne is 26 years old. She is not a child he has tricked. She knows exactly what he is and went with him. Trust me she appeared quite willing. With Anne married, Lady Catherine is done. We can send her back to Rosings Park and put under the care of a physician. What Wickham does not know is that unless my father approves of Anne's marriage, she forfiets Rosings Park. It is to be held in trust for her eldest son or daughter and administered by the combined efforts of the Fitzwilliam and Darcy heads. Just as it was administered to while held in trust until Anne's marriage. Rosings Park stilk falls under our purview so the tennets will not suffer from Anne's imprudent marriage and Lady Catherine cannot attempt to compromise you while we go about ensuring Rosings' tennets don't suffer from Lady Catherine's foolishness or Wickham's now."

"So Wickham finds himself married to a demanding spoiled woman and her equally demanding mother and his purse strings held by us?" Darcy said raising an eyebrow. "It is perhaps the best outcome for those three."

"It might be uncharitable of me, but I hope that Mr. Wickham suffers greatly with Lady Catherine," Elizabeth said impishly from behind Darcy. "Though I do not know her, I have heard much about her from Mr. Collins and I believe she shall do the job creditably for punishing him. If only Lydia could be punished similarly."

"Captain Dawson will ensure your youngest sister does not act in a manner that will allow her to bring scandal to his, or the Bennet name," Col. Fitzwilliam said. "I am afraid that you will have to be satisfied with that and your cousin's defrocking."

"I think I would prefer to give up the name of Bennet," Elizabeth said with a smile.

"Elizabeth," Darcy said huskily.

"A lady's heart is never immune to a gentleman that is willing to not only change for her, but protect her as well," Elizabeth said archly.

At her words Darcy tenderly cupped her face in his hands, forgetting the presence of the others, he said, "My heart is not my own. It is irrevocably in your keeping. I can promise you that I will always protect you. There is no one else other than you that has the power to cause me to change. I love you, most ardently. Will you grant me my fondest desire and be my wife?"

"Nothing would please me more than to call husband the man that holds my heart," Elizabeth said softly. "I would be honored to be your wife."

The End

I got bored a bit back but felt obligated to finish this up somehow. So sorry if it was rushed and abrupt, but I felt an ending, any ending, even if abrupt and rushed, was better than no ending. At one point I was totally going to have Collins and Lady C chase after Anne and Wickham to Scotland, after failing in their confrontation with Darcy and Elizabeth, and somehow accidentally end up married to each other there due to Scottish marriage laws, but decided that it didn't make sense that Darcy and the colonel would just let them leave the estate freely after trying to take Elizabeth.