A/N: Sorry for the long absence. I spent a couple of weeks at the shore and then had to catch up with all the work I missed. I should be able to update once a week from now on. I will try to make this one a bit longer to compensate for the delay.
I have to make a comment on a few reviews I've received regarding the fact that letter writing was not allowed between members of the opposite sex who are not engaged. I am assuming those criticisms come from readers who have not actually read Pride and Prejudice. Our beloved Jane Austen used a letter between Elizabeth and Darcy as a plot device so I can't feel bad about using it as well.
Elizabeth allowed her aunt to escort her to her chambers without protest. She sat down on the bed waiting for her aunt to say something to soothe her after her horrible misfortune. That did not happen however.
"Elizabeth, I will leave you to your solitude in just a moment. You have much to think on. Your behavior over the past weeks has left me most perplexed. I need you to act as the intelligent young lady I know you are. You are now most definitely engaged to Mr. Darcy and you need to put this petty wrangling aside. Your future may now depend upon it. You will be in this man's power and if you continue to purposefully antagonize and hurt the man your life will not be a pleasant one." Mrs. Gardiner said sternly.
"So, Aunt, you see. You agree me with. He is an odious man and will spend his life trying to hurt me." Elizabeth said emotionally.
"Do not put words into my mouth Elizabeth. I did not say anything derogatory about Mr. Darcy. I am trying to make you see reason. Whether you believe it to be fair or not, once a woman is married she is under the control of her husband. I believe the man truly had deep feelings for you but you have done everything in your power to chase those feelings away. Neither your behavior nor Mr. Darcy's has been beyond reproach but it is time to start anew. Having a husband who wishes to please you and is concerned about your feelings would be a blessing. Do not make it impossible for him to act so! It is a wonderful thing to be in a loving marriage and I would wish that for you with all my heart. You have seen what an indifferent, neglectful marriage can bring to those involved. You have witnessed it daily in your own home. I would not have that be your fate. Reconcile yourself to the fact this will happen and make the best of it. Mr. Darcy has many good qualities and your life will be much happier if you deign to recognize them." Mrs. Gardiner replied.
"There is nothing to recognize. I feel nothing but disdain for the man and it will never be anything else." Elizabeth replied bitterly holding on to her anger like it was her dearest friend.
"Elizabeth, your intractability on this issue will be most detrimental to your future. Please take some time to think rationally of what your future may hold. Do not cling to this unwarranted animosity. It will only serve to hurt you, Mr. Darcy and any children that you may have. I will leave you to your contemplation now." Mrs. Gardiner said. "And Elizabeth, what your entire family saw when we walked in on you and Mr. Darcy did not even slightly resemble disdain. Think about it."
Elizabeth tried to rest but could not. She tossed and turned trying to dislodge the memory of kissing that man from her mind. She could not understand how she could be attracted to one such as him. Wait, I am not attracted to him! Where did that come from she thought angrily! Now even her own mind was betraying her. Perhaps she was ill. Yes, that was it! In the carriage and in the parlor earlier that day she had been ill. She must have had some food bourn illness on both occasions. That is why her stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies and her heartbeat quickened. That is why she felt flushed and held on to him. If not she would have fainted. Yes, she rationalized she had two severe bouts of food poisoning and as a result she was being punished by having to marry Mr. Darcy. It was not fair! Elizabeth went through a mental inventory of everything she had eaten on both occasions but could not come up with anything she ate in common before both unfortunate incidents. This was baffling. As she went over and over the circumstances in her head her conclusion was looking pathetic even to her but there had to be some explanation. Perhaps he was a demon! He could very well be a reincarnation of the serpent that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. Yes, she liked that. He had mystically compelled her to return his embraces against her good judgement and she was now being thrown out of Eden! She thought that her sister Mary would be in full agreement with this explanation but doubted she could get the rest of her family to accept a biblical reenactment as a reason to end her engagement. She finally decided to forgo trying to account for her own actions as there was no explanation that she could accept for her behavior. Instead she decided to focus on the grievous unfairness of the entire situation.
Across town at Darcy House there was also much contemplation going on. Darcy paced his library muttering to himself about kisses and fate as his cousin watched in amusement. After a half hour, the Colonel was no longer entertained and begged his cousin to sit down and talk with him.
"Well Darce, what shall you do now? You finally acceded to her wishes and released her from the engagement only to be thwarted in your good deed by Elizabeth's own family and your own libido. How shall you proceed?" he asked.
"I have no idea how to act. Shakespeare could not have written a more convoluted comedy or perhaps tragedy in this case. Obviously, the wedding must take place but what will our future be? I will have the wife I desired but she hates the sight of me. Will our life will be one of constant strife and unhappiness? I was just too prideful to realize it and release her before it came to this." Darcy replied sadly.
"Cousin, Miss Elizabeth does not hate you, though she will not admit it. She is definitely not immune to your charms. We all saw how she responded to you and according to your depiction of your carriage ride it was much the same the first time you kissed her. Surely that gives you something to work with and look forward to." the Colonel chuckled.
Darcy smiled at this. "Yes, she did but I am not the only one who is stubborn. In fact, I believe I am betrothed to the one person in the world who is more determined than I. She will not let go of her misgivings regarding my character."
"Well, you will just have to prove her wrong. You will start tomorrow when we return to the Gardiner's home. Please for my sake try not to provoke your future bride. When she says something to bait you try your best not to respond in kind. Bite your tongue if you must, until it bleeds. If you give her any ammunition you know she will use it against you and then you will respond and all hell will break loose again. I know that capitulation is against your nature but try to show her just how much of a gentleman you can be. It will disorient her a bit and you may just be able to have a normal conversation. I have a few ideas of my own that may help you both to get to know each other better." Richard said with a smile.
The next day dawned far too early for both Elizabeth and Darcy. They would be in company soon and neither could anticipate the outcome of this meeting. Elizabeth made an oath to behave as a respectable gentlewoman towards Mr. Darcy to both her sister and her father as much as she wanted to throw knickknacks at his head as soon as he entered the room. Logically, she knew she had to modify her behavior. She would reprimand her younger sisters severely if they had acted as she did in company in recent weeks. She just reacted so emotionally whenever she was in that man's presence and did not understand why she seemed to be devoid of reason when he was near. She briefly went back to her theory that he was a biblical demon that stole her sanity just to make herself feel more at ease.
Fitzwilliam Darcy entered the Gardiner's parlor with a bit of trepidation. The Colonel's whispered joke that Darcy should have brought a cricket bat to protect himself from flying objects did not make Darcy feel any better. Bingley was present as were Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet. Greetings were exchanged and soon an uncomfortable silence overtook the room. It seemed nobody knew what to say regarding the tumultuous events of the day before.
Bingley broke the silence first. "Darcy, Jane and I have come up with an interesting idea and I would like to know your opinion." Darcy nodded and Bingley continued. "Jane and I would like to share our wedding day with you and Elizabeth. According to Jane, she and Elizabeth have always dreamed of a double wedding as they are so close to one another. What do you think of that idea?"
Darcy did not know how to respond. He had not given thought to the actual wedding day, the wedding night yes but not the wedding day. He wanted to survive this visit before he made any other plans.
Mr. Bennet did speak up. "I think that is a fine idea. Very economical. I do not know if I could survive my wife's nerves if she had to plan two grand weddings in a short period of time."
Darcy finally felt the need to speak. "What does Miss Elizabeth think of this plan?
Unbeknownst to Darcy, Jane and Elizabeth had entered the room behind him. "What plans have you made for me now without my consent Mr. Darcy?" she said in an annoyed but perfectly sedate tone.
Of course, Darcy thought, she immediately placed the blame on my head. Remembering his cousin's advice to him he restrained himself from saying that aloud. "Good Morning Miss Elizabeth. How are you today? I hope you slept well." Darcy said with the best gentlemanly manner he could manage while his temper was piqued.
Remembering her own promise Elizabeth replied in kind. "Good Morning Mr. Darcy. Good Morning Colonel Fitzwilliam. I hope you are both well. Did you leave Miss Darcy in good health this morning?"
"Georgiana is well and sends her regards to you and all your family. Now as to the plans you asked about, I have made no plans Miss Elizabeth. Mr. Bingley presented me with a proposal and I wanted to know your feelings about the matter before I gave him an answer." Darcy responded. Colonel Fitzwilliam gave him a brief encouraging nod for his polite response.
"Well, that is a pleasant change coming from you Mr. Darcy. Mr. Bingley what proposal have you made that involves me?" Elizabeth said far too sweetly to be seen as sincere.
"Jane and I had a discussion earlier and we would be honored if you and Darcy would share our wedding day. We could be married in a double ceremony. Jane has told me that has been your wish since you were both young girls. Your father has already given us his approval for the plan." Bingley said joyfully not comprehending that any of the parties involved could possibly object to his idea.
"Oh, I see. And Mr. Darcy you have unilaterally agreed to this suggestion I suppose?" Elizabeth said glaring at him.
"No, Miss Elizabeth as I said earlier Mr. Bingley just presented the idea to me. As you heard when you arrived in the room I asked about your feelings on the matter." Darcy replied pointedly.
"Elizabeth is this not always what we wished?" gushed Jane.
"In the past, we have spoken of it my dear but I am not sure if it is the best idea at present. We have made no formal plans and have not even contemplated dates or anything." Elizabeth said looking for an escape.
"I think it's a capital idea! We should alert your mother at once or I shall never hear the end of it. If you gentlemen obtain special licenses we could have the wedding in two weeks' time." Mr. Bennet said.
"Wonderful, wonderful!" Bingley said with a big smile as Jane held his hand with a beaming smile of her own.
The Colonel coughed and nudged Darcy with his foot. This was a perfect time for Darcy to show Elizabeth he was concerned with her opinions. He wished he was a seer and could mentally relay the appropriate reply to Darcy. He kept thinking ask Elizabeth, ask Elizabeth, ask Elizabeth, at Darcy. Much to his disappointment that is not what Darcy did.
"I have no objection if Miss Elizabeth's family has none. Bingley and I could obtain special licenses within the next week. My uncle is an Archbishop and could easily facilitate the process." Darcy answered honestly believing he was being accommodating to Elizabeth's family.
Elizabeth had a panicked look upon her countenance. Everyone else in the room seemed to think this was a wonderful scheme, but then of course nobody had asked for her opinion. The Colonel could see the state she was in and offered his own suggestion. "Should not the bride have some say in her own wedding day?" he asked.
Elizabeth let out the breath she was holding. "Thank you, Colonel, for your consideration. It seems that you are the only one who remembers I am present in the room."
Elizabeth's father looked to her realizing his error. "My dear, forgive me. I just believe we all were caught up in the excitement. How do you feel about a double wedding?"
Before she could answer, Darcy interrupted. "Miss Elizabeth, I believe I asked what you thought before anyone else." he felt he deserved some credit for his solicitousness.
"No sir, you asked my family what I thought about the plan. You did not ask me." she replied quietly.
"That is splitting hairs Miss Elizabeth." he answered.
"They are very important hairs." she responded.
"Elizabeth, do you agree? Do you wish to share your wedding day with Jane?" Mr. Gardiner asked.
Elizabeth looked around the room. Everyone was staring at her. She did not wish to disappoint her family. If this wedding was going to happen anyway perhaps this was the least offensive way for it to occur. "Jane, I can honestly say there is no one else with whom I would wish to share my wedding day." Elizabeth said with an unhappy glance at Mr. Darcy which did not go unnoticed by the man himself.
Her agreement was met with universal joy by Elizabeth's family. Elizabeth was inwardly seething and Darcy could not understand what he did to upset her. The Colonel just shook his head at the entire scene. He decided it was time to put the next part of his plan in action.
"Mr. Bennet may I please speak with Miss Elizabeth and Darcy in the study? We have some things to speak of in private." Mr. Bennet looked at him askance. "I promise I will remain as chaperone the entire time, sir." the Colonel said.
"See that you do sir. I cannot handle any more shenanigans." Mr. Bennet replied.
"Elizabeth, you must stay. We should begin making plans for the wedding. We only have two weeks." Jane said.
"Jane dear, whatever you decide will be fine. You know my tastes. I feel I do not have the energy to take part in any wedding planning at this time. Whatever you want is fine. It matters not to me." Elizabeth said in a defeated manner.
Darcy immediately felt offended at her lack of interest in her own wedding. The least she could do was feign some excitement. He did his part already by agreeing to obtain a costly special license that would have her mother crowing to all the other hens in Hertfordshire. Before he could express his thoughts, the Colonel grabbed his arm and guided him from the room.
When they were seated in the study, Elizabeth addressed the Colonel. "Sir why have you called this gathering?"
"I wish to play a parlor game and more importantly I wanted to give you an excuse to leave the room. I could see you could not take much more." he said kindly.
"Thank you, Colonel. That was most considerate." she replied with a smile.
"May I ask why you were uncomfortable Miss Elizabeth?" Darcy inquired sincerely.
Elizabeth looked at him and shook her head. "You honestly do not understand or are you making sport of my feelings?" she replied.
"Miss Elizabeth, I do not understand your discomfort. I desire an explanation." Darcy said politely. "I find when I make assumptions about what you are feeling I am usually in the wrong."
Finally, thought the Colonel, he is finally catching on!
Elizabeth did not know what to make of Darcy's polite request. He really seemed like he did not understand what upset her about the discussion in the parlor. She decided to humor him and explain until he continued speaking.
"Your sister Jane is your closest friend is she not?" he asked.
"You know she is." Elizabeth replied.
"So why would you not wish to stand up with her? Do you feel that her presence at the altar will take the attention away from yourself on your wedding day?" he put forth knowing that many women of the ton wanted to be the center of attention in any situation but especially on their wedding days.
The Colonel groaned out loud. Close, so close he thought to himself. Why couldn't he have just let her answer the question before he started speaking again. What was he going to do with his cousin!
"Do you really think that is why I am not pleased? Am I so vain in your eyes? You do not know one thing about me!" she said angrily.
"That is why I asked Miss Elizabeth. I am trying to understand you and you are making it most difficult." Darcy replied testily.
"You are not trying you are imputing your own arrogant motivations to my character!" Elizabeth started to raise her voice.
"I am doing no such thing!" Darcy retorted.
The Colonel decided this was an opportune time to interrupt before they started arguing again. "Children, children behave. I would like to get back to my little parlor game. I think it will go a long way in improving your understanding of one another. We will start out slowly and then move on to more complicated matters once I deem you both ready. Unfortunately, this may take quite a while." the Colonel said condescendingly.
Both Elizabeth and Darcy glared at him and then at one another but did not protest neither was willing to admit they were curious about what he was doing. "So, I will begin by asking you both some simple questions. You will both answer and you will not argue. I will be the judge if there is any contention. Do you both agree?" he asked.
Both participants nodded so the Colonel started his game.
"Both of you please state your favorite colors."
"Green," Darcy replied.
"Blue," Elizabeth answered.
The Colonel chuckled neither of them realized they stated the color of the other's eyes.
"State your favorite pastime."
"Reading", they said in unison. When Elizabeth realized she had given the save answer as Darcy she tried to take it back.
"No, I meant." she started to say.
"No, no, Miss Elizabeth, you cannot change your answer. You must play by the rules." the Colonel stated like an elderly governess.
"Do you prefer town or the country?" he asked.
"Country" both answered and again Elizabeth frowned. She did not like this game.
"Name your favorite meal." Colonel Fitzwilliam instructed.
"Kidney Pie," Elizabeth answered.
"Stuffed Quail," Darcy replied.
"How do you like to start your day?" the Colonel asked next.
"With a brisk walk followed by breaking my fast. I know you do the same Miss Elizabeth so there is no use in trying to come up with a different answer." he said smugly.
Elizabeth gave him a dirty look and whined, "Colonel, Mr. Darcy is breaking the rules now. He cannot speak for me although he has taken much pride in doing so in the past."
"Yes, yes, I agree. Please refrain from answering for Miss Elizabeth. That is something you should learn for future reference." Colonel Fitzwilliam said pointedly to his cousin. Darcy now began to realize what his cousin was up to. Elizabeth liked to have a say in things that affected her. She did not appreciate not having her wishes taken into consideration. That certainly explained her reaction to many things he said. His cousin was a much better strategist than he gave him credit for.
"I will refrain from answering for you Miss Elizabeth during this game." Darcy said almost contritely.
"Wonderful," said the Colonel with a grin. "Who is your favorite person in the world?"
"My sister," they both replied.
"Neither of you said my name. I am crushed." the Colonel said clutching at his heart. His tomfoolery elicited genuine smiles from both Elizabeth and Darcy.
"Who is your least favorite person in the world?" the colonel asking praying that Elizabeth would not name Darcy but if she did perhaps it would lead to a serious discussion that he could manipulate.
"Caroline Bingley," they answered in unison. Elizabeth blushed violently when she realized they both uttered the same name.
"Ah, a true meeting of the minds. I think you are both ready for more. Now we shall move onto a more difficult exercise. You will each say five honest but complimentary things about one another, one at a time. Nothing insulting will be tolerated. Do you agree to these terms?"
"Colonel with all due respect this is becoming a bit silly. I do not wish to continue." Elizabeth said stubbornly. She did not think she could utter five nice things about Darcy without choking on her words.
"So, you forfeit Miss Elizabeth. It appears I have won the game." Darcy said trying to goad her. He would sell his soul to hear her say five complimentary things about himself.
"The Colonel said nothing about playing to win. This is a silly parlor game. There are no points assigned. This is not a game of whist." Elizabeth retorted.
"I believe Darcy is correct, Miss Elizabeth. If you choose to stop you forfeit. Do you wish for Darcy to win?" the Colonel challenged her knowing she could not bear to lose to Darcy in anything at this point.
"Fine, I will continue." Elizabeth huffed.
"You may begin Miss Elizabeth if you wish." Darcy said with a smile.
"No sir, I insist you begin." Elizabeth replied trying to gain the upper hand in this at least.
"Fine, you are the most handsome woman of my acquaintance." Darcy said almost fervently.
Elizabeth scowled at Mr. Darcy. "Colonel I believe your cousin broke the first rule of honesty. I know from his own verbiage that he finds me only tolerable and not handsome enough to tempt him even for a single dance."
"An unfortunate comment made under duress before I had really even looked at you. I was in a foul mood. You must know that is not true considering the events of the past few weeks. I have already apologized to your father for that inconsiderate and untrue remark." Darcy said quietly.
"You apologized? To my father? How magnanimous of you." Elizabeth replied sarcastically.
At this remark, the Colonel cleared his throat and glared daggers at Darcy hoping he would catch on this time.
"And I apologize to you Miss Elizabeth. I should never have made those remarks no matter how uncomfortable I was with the thought of dancing with one unknown to me. I would like to be forgiven for this slight immediately. It has weighed on my mind since your father told you me you overheard my statement and I do not wish to think of it any longer." Darcy said in a commanding tone.
"You have a unique way of apologizing Mr. Darcy. That sounded more like an order than an apology." Elizabeth said with a grimace.
"I have said all I will say on that matter." Darcy replied. "Let us continue with the game. I believe it is your turn to say something flattering now."
The Colonel shook his head at his obstinate cousin. The next lesson he would need was how to give a gracious apology. "Yes, Miss Elizabeth it is now your turn."
"Mr. Darcy is tall." Elizabeth said dourly.
"Is that meant to be a compliment?" Darcy said incredulously.
"It is much better that being called short." she answered.
"I believe you can do better Miss Elizabeth. I know you can be quite eloquent when the circumstances require it." Colonel Fitzwilliam chided.
"Very well, Mr. Darcy is always impeccably attired." Elizabeth forced herself to say.
"Miss Elizabeth is very witty." Darcy said.
"Mr. Darcy seems to be a caring brother." Elizabeth said feeling more comfortable with this admission as it did not involve her personal feelings.
"Miss Elizabeth has very fine eyes." Darcy said sincerely. "And you cannot accuse me of dissembling for I believe I made that remark in front of a witness. One evening at Lucas Lodge I said those very words to Miss Bingley."
"Well I will certainly ascertain your truthfulness from Miss Bingley the next time I invite her over for tea. Immediately before she poisons me." Elizabeth said with a giggle.
The Colonel and Mr. Darcy both laughed at this statement making her feel a bit more comfortable.
"I believe it is my turn again. Mr. Darcy is not unintelligent much to my chagrin." Elizabeth almost teased.
"To your chagrin? Would you prefer me to be stupid?" Darcy asked.
"Yes, I would. It would have made my life much easier these past weeks. I often found myself wishing you would be more like my cousin, Mr. Collins." Elizabeth responded.
"I believe you have broken the rules Miss Elizabeth. There were to be no insults. Wishing Mr. Collins' personality on anyone must be considered so." Darcy replied with a grin.
"I agree, there could be no worse insult. I sincerely apologize. You see Mr. Darcy that is how one apologizes for a transgression." she said saucily.
Progress, the colonel, thought mentally patting himself on the back, inoffensive, good nautured banter was definitely progress. Unless your name is Mr. Collins.
"Point taken, now I will say Miss Elizabeth is also very intelligent. It was one of the first things that attracted my notice. You do not spend your time talking of lace and shoe roses." Darcy said.
"Another, untruth sir. I believe you were always offended by my conversation. You would listen in and glare at me whenever I spoke not bothering to hide your disapproval of my manners." she replied.
"Another willful misunderstanding on your part Elizabeth." Darcy said taking a chance with dispensing with her proper appellation. "Why would I waste my time listening in on your conversations if I did not appreciate your contributions. I found your insights fascinating and more often than not highly amusing. Furthermore, I was not glaring. I was staring. There is a significant difference between the two."
"Does not one usually smile when one is amused or join an interesting conversation?" she questioned.
"I tend to be of a taciturn disposition when not among people I know very well. I find it very difficult to join impromptu conversations. I would rather plan my remarks in advance and only volunteer my opinions if I am comfortable with the subject matter and company." he answered far more honestly than he meant to at first.
"Well then you must have been very ill at ease in Hertfordshire and at Rosings Park." she chided.
"I was, often times due to your presence." Darcy added with a blush that he could not control.
"So, your unsociability is my fault?" Elizabeth huffed not willing to understand what he was trying to say.
"That was not what I meant Elizabeth and you know it." Darcy replied harshly.
"Miss Elizabeth to you." she said angrily.
"Oh, and we were doing so well. Both of you have one more compliment to bestow. I will not have my game ruined so close to the end. Miss Elizabeth, will you please take your turn." Colonel Fitzwilliam said.
"Mr. Darcy is not the most nauseating person I have ever met." Elizabeth said with a malicious smile.
"Fine, if you that is how you want to play I will act accordingly. Miss Elizabeth is a very good kisser." Darcy said with a smirk.
"Oh, you are so infuriating! You just had to bring up that kiss, didn't you?" she growled.
"Kisses, plural, MISS Elizabeth." Darcy countered.
"I have had enough. Good day to you both!" Elizabeth said and stormed out of the room muttering about serpents and the Garden of Eden under her breath.
"I give up!" Colonel Fitzwilliam said with a chuckle. "My genius is obviously underappreciated."