AN: Wow I did not anticipate this response. Thank you all so much for the reviews and pleas for a continuation. I was not planning on writing more, but how could I turn down the challenge. :)
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Elizabeth again blamed the rain. Somehow the rain was the reason she was mortified. Her mind didn't seem to want to accept the fact that the man standing in the doorway to the family parlor was not her father, not the housekeeper, not even the new footman. No, the man standing in the doorway, appearing as if he didn't understand why he was standing in the doorway of an obscure country gentleman's home, was Mr Darcy. It took Elizabeth longer than normal to realize that Mr Darcy was not alone, Mr Bingley was right behind him waiting for his friend to move into the room.
At the sight of the two men, Kitty and Lydia burst out into unladylike giggles. Jane was so startled, that for once in her life she forgot the correct way to act with visitors and just stared dumbly at Mr Darcy until she noticed Mr Bingley, then she blushed beet red and turned her eyes to the floor with the occasional glance at Elizabeth, who was in turns white and then red and then white. It seemed as if her body didn't know whether to be mortified, embarrassed, or incredulous that it was Mr Darcy that she had to kiss. Mary was the only one to whom the sudden appearance of the gentlemen didn't seem to affect other than the muttered utterance, "Oh no." Following behind the men was the new footman. He announced the gentlemen and left the five ladies in shock.
Darcy stepped into the room and moved over, allowing the more affable Bingley to make their greetings and explain that they were there to invite the Bennets to the ball the following week, and to solicit Miss Bennet for the first set. While Bingley quickly made his way to Jane's side, Darcy continued on to the window, where he proceeded to gaze out at the back garden. Elizabeth couldn't seem to take her eyes off of Darcy. He was normally dour and judgmental, but something seemed different this time. It seemed that the unconventional greetings he was presented with caused his normal mask to drop just a bit. In addition to the pride that Elizabeth normally saw in his countenance, she also saw disgust (expected), confusion (understandable), and if she wasn't mistaken longing (surprising).
Elizabeth was confused as well. For the first ten minutes of their visit, she could not seem to wrap her mind around the fact that she had agreed to kiss Mr Darcy. There had to be a way out of it. This was so very much worse than if it had been the footman. After she could finally think of something other than the completely inappropriate imaginings of Mr Darcy's lips, she began to ponder on the quick glance of longing Mr Darcy gave her and her sisters. Elizabeth could not figure what it was that Mr Darcy would long for that she and her sisters had.
Mrs. Bennet came bustling in interrupting Elizabeth's thoughts with words of affirmation, "Oh, Mr. Bingley! We are so pleased to have you visit us despite this horrid weather," she glanced over to where Darcy was brooding, "your friend is welcome to, I am sure." She turned back towards Bingley, "I am so sorry that I was not here to greet you when you arrived, there was a problem in the kitchen… well never mind, we are all here now."
While Mrs. Bennet dominated the conversation, ignoring or oblivious to the shy glances Bingley was shooting towards Jane, Elizabeth couldn't help but shoot her own shy glances at Mr Darcy.
Eventually the time for a polite visit was over. Elizabeth had been unable to concentrate on the conversations for how often her mind fixated on the challenge to kiss Mr Darcy. Perhaps her sisters would see the impropriety of it and give her a different challenge. She could not in good conscious cry off the challenge completely, she had her own code of honor that she followed.
After the men left and their mother returned upstairs to "rest her poor nerves," Elizabeth turned to her sisters and requested that they consider her petition. "You cannot truly expect me to kiss a gentleman that I am not engaged to. If I was seen I would be shunned from polite society."
"After all," Elizabeth continued to argue, "how could I possibly kiss Mr Darcy. I barely know him, do not even like him, and will not be roped into a marriage with him if I am found out."
"Oh calm down Lizzy," Lydia sighed. "You're the one who always boasts about your courage. Well now you have a chance to prove how much courage you really have. Stop complaining and find a way."