The day of their departure had finally arrived. No one was more grateful for it than Lizzie, who was practically giddy with excitement. She would have been more than happy to walk straight home, but their father was bringing over the truck so that they could load up their things, including Jane's bicycle, the wretched thing that started this entire debacle.

"Please, tell your mother 'hello' for us," Charlie said as they watched the truck pull up the driveway. He waved at Mr. Bennet as the older man got out to help his daughters with their things. "And you're welcome to come fishing with us any time you like," he added.

Mr. Bennet just smiled, knowing he would be unlikely to take up the offer. "Thank you, Charlie," Jane said sweetly. "Y'all have been incredibly kind, I don't know how to thank you enough."

Smiling, Charlie helped Jane up into the truck. "It was my pleasure," he said before stepping back and closing the door. He watched as they drove back down the driveway, sorry for the loss of their company.

Inside the house, Darcy watched from the front window with relief. It was good that they were gone; out of sight, out of mind, he hoped.

"Isn't it nice to be alone again, at last?" Caroline's question from her spot on the couch pulled Darcy's attention. "I was getting tired of constantly having guests. Though, I'm afraid you'll miss a certain someone's scathing opinions and fine eyes, Darcy."

Darcy couldn't help but smirk at her words. She didn't take into account the fact that he was technically a guest in the house, as well, not being a part of the family. But that didn't really matter to him. As for the suggestion that he was going to miss the presence of Lizzie Bennet, well, "Quite the opposite, I can assure you," he said tersely.

As soon as they pulled onto the road, Lizzie let out a sigh. "Lord, Jane," she said. "I hate to say it, but I've never been so happy to leave anywhere in all my life. Apart from your sweet Charlie, that is."

Jane just smiled at her sister's dramatics, already feeling the emptiness at leaving Netherfield behind. As soon as they arrived back at their home, Lizzie burst out of the truck and took off into the pasture. Her father chuckled as he watched her leave. It seemed like she was in no danger from the likes of Darcy.

It was that evening, while the Bennet family sat eating dinner together, that Mr. Bennet made his announcement. "I hope you haven't made other plans for tomorrow, my dear," he said to his wife, with all their daughters listening attentively. "I expect we will have someone over for dinner tomorrow evening if I'm not mistaken."

Mrs. Bennet's eyes lit up in surprise. She looked over at her eldest daughter. "Jane, you sly dog, why didn't you say anything?"

Eyes wide with confusion, Jane looked across the table at Lizzie, who shrugged. "And not a bit of steak in the house," Mrs. Bennet continued, looking flustered. "Oh, Lydia, bring me the phone. I'll have to call the butcher directly and see what can be done."

Jumping up, Lydia started to make her way into the kitchen to grab the phone for her mother. "It's not Bingley," her father's solemn words stopped her in her tracks. "It's a person I've never actually met before," he continued.

"Oh, is it Forester?" Lydia gasped.

Kitty cut in, "Or Carter?"

"No, no, it must be Denny!" Lydia clapped her hands, giggling as she sat back down.

Their father just rolled his eyes at their antics. "A few weeks ago, I received a call at work while I was at lunch. My secretary took the message, and a few days ago I decided to return the call since it seemed important."

His family stared at him with varying degrees of good humor, waiting for the punch line. "It was from my stepbrother's son, Collin, who as I'm sure you all know, will be able to take possession of the house as soon as he pleases when I die."

Mrs. Bennet practically growled at her husband's words. "Please, do not even mention that man in my house! It is unthinkable, that he should be the one to get the house and not one of our own poor, fatherless children. Is there no justice in the world?"

It was a subject that Mrs. Bennet could speak on for days. The legal workings of the will of Mr. Bennet's father had been reviewed by more lawyers than they could afford to pay for. Every one of them claimed it was legally sound, if quite unfair. But there was nothing they could do; the house would go to the stepbrother or his heirs on the event of Mr. Bennet's death. The will was very specific on the terms. Legally, the house did not belong to the Bennet family, they were just allowed to live there.

"It's true, nothing can clear the man for his crimes against humanity in inheriting the house," Mr. Bennet said, putting a stop to his wife's antics. "But I think if you hear what he has to say, it might make you feel a little more generous towards him. Here, I also have a note he sent over after the delay in returning his call."

He pulled out from his pocket a folded piece of lined notebook paper. Unfolding it, he cleared his throat and began to read in a dramatic voice. " 'Dearest uncle, I've long felt uneasy about the strained relationship between you and my father. Since I've had the great misfortune to lose my loving father—' " Mr. Bennet paused to shoot Lydia a stern look as she snorted, " 'my loving father, it's felt only right to heal the breach between our two families.' There, ain't that just the thing, then."

He handed the note to Lizzie, who finished reading it out loud to the family.

"My mind is made up on the subject. After having received my master's degree in botany from Auburn University this past year, I've had the privilege of becoming the groundskeeper of the grand estate and gardens belonging to Mrs. Catherine De Bourgh. I'm sure you've heard of her formidable estate in Tennessee, where I have taken up residence in one of the numerous ancillary houses on the estate grounds. She has generously provided not only fulfilling work for my hands but also peace for my mind, and continues to encourage me to make amends in order to spread that peace to all who wish to partake of it. I am, of course, keenly aware of the moral injury that has been brought upon your family and your lovely daughters due to circumstances outside my control. Therefore, I am willing to undertake whatever must be done to satisfy the need for justice on this account.

That is why I have decided to visit you and your family at your home. I will plan to come on the eighteenth of this month. Please, if this is not a convenient time, my phone number is included in both this note and the message I've left with your secretary. Until then, I look forward to seeing you and finally putting to rest this great family feud."

There wasn't much else to say. It seemed Collin was coming, whether the Bennet family was ready or not. Lizzie couldn't help but wonder what kind of strange man her step-cousin was, judging from his verbose letter and strange manner of writing. She could only guess what his intentions were, reaching out to her family after all these years of silence.


The man in the white Mazda Miata pulled up to the Bennet's house as if he owned the place. Though Lizzie supposed, he technically did. The family watched from the front window as the car made its way up the driveway. "And here he comes," Mrs. Bennet said ominously.

"He can't be a normal person, can he?" Lizzie asked, thinking back to his letter. She had to admit, she was very curious.

Mrs. Bennet sighed, standing up in preparation to answer the door. "Well, I suppose if he wants to make amends, who are we to discourage him?" She looked as if she were preparing for battle.

The doorbell finally rang after what felt like too many minutes passed. Mrs. Bennet waited a moment before she opened the door. "You must be Collin! Come in, come in, welcome to our home."

For all her faults, Mrs. Bennet did her best to make the uninvited and unwanted guest feel welcome. The girls all stood up to greet their step-cousin, who on first impression seemed as ridiculous as they were led to believe. He was a portly young man, probably in his mid to late twenties, perhaps just a few years older than Jane. Yet, those years had not been as kind to the man. He was freckled from work out of doors, though he currently wore a large-brimmed straw hat. His long-sleeved denim shirt was tucked into classic wash denim jeans, both of which were entirely unsuitable for the current heatwave. A muddy pair of Timberland boots completed his ensemble. Mrs. Bennet cast a dismayed glance at those boots as he came inside, neglecting to take them off before making his way further into the house.

Mr. Bennet arrived home from work just moments after Collin's arrival, much to his family's relief. Lizzie wasn't sure what to say to this odd man and couldn't fathom entertaining him for much more than a few minutes. She wondered how long he planned to stay.

"Oh, uncle Robert, auntie Francine!" Collin exclaimed as they all sat down in the for dinner in the dining room. "I am so glad to finally meet you both."

It was a struggle for Lizzie to fight back the laughter that bubbled up at practically everything the man said. She needn't have worried about entertaining him; he was quite content entertaining himself. It was hard for any of the Bennets to get a word in edgewise while Collin spoke at length about his job and the estate where he worked.

"It sounds like you've been very fortunate in finding a good job with a kind… boss," Mr. Bennet said, taking advantage of a pause in the constant stream of information from the other man.

Collin hastily swallowed the bite of food he had taken. "Mrs. Catherine De Bourgh," he said. "Oh yes, she has been the picture of kindness and amiability. I would have never dreamed to stumble upon such a wonderful position as the one I have at Rosings Park. In fact, Mrs. De Bourgh has twice in the last two months invited me to dinner with her at the main house." He looked around to make sure that the Bennets were suitably impressed by this information.

Speaking quickly to cover over his daughters' strangled laughter, Mr. Bennet responded, "Twice? Is that so?"

"Do you live near the main house, then?" Mrs. Bennet asked.

It was obvious that the questions please Collin, who was more than willing to answer them. He sat down his fork, apparently too interested in the conversation to continue eating at the moment. "Very near, in fact. My cottage is in one of the main gardens, separated from the estate house by only a hedgerow."

There was a twinkle in Mr. Bennet's eye. "Only a hedgerow? Hm, imagine that, Lizzie," he smiled sweetly at his daughter, who was quickly losing the battle against her laughter.

Mrs. Bennet steadfastly ignored her family's antics. "I think you said Mrs. De Bourgh was a widow, didn't you? Does she have any other family?" She asked, turning her back on her snickering daughter.

"Yes, ma'am, she has one daughter," Collin answered, seemingly oblivious. "She will of course inherit Rosings, along with a significant amount of other properties and stock holdings."

Money was something Mrs. Bennet was always willing to discuss, especially when wealthy young ladies were involved. "A very fine young lady, I'm sure. What university did she attend?"

Collin frowned, indicating his regret at his next bit of information. "Unfortunately, miss Anne is a somewhat sickly young lady. Her constitution prevented her from attending a large university, so she acquired further education through private tutors and correspondence courses. It really is a sad state of affairs, since she has a very bright mind and I'm sure would have contributed greatly to the academic world." He smiled again, looking around the table. "I've had to opportunity to tell her so myself on several occasions. You can imagine that she appreciated the compliments, as all young ladies do."

A fit of coughing pulled everyone's attention to Lizzie, who waved away their concern, her cheeks turning red. Lydia smirked at her, earning a swift kick under the table.

"You're very fortunate, Collin, to have such a talent for flattery and graces with the ladies," Mr. Bennet said, somehow keeping a perfectly straight face. "Might I ask, do your complements come on spur of the moment, or do you plan them out beforehand?"

Lizzie almost choked on her water but somehow managed to avoid aspirating her drink at her father's words. She didn't know how much more of this she could take.

With a worried glance at Lizzie, Collin turned his attention back to Mr. Bennet. "They are mostly thought up in the moment, as they just come to me readily when I am with a lovely young lady. Though, I admit, sometimes I will write them down if I stumble upon one that works particularly well. I do try to give as natural compliments as possible, though. It's important, also, to remember what compliments you've paid to which ladies, to avoid saying the same thing twice."

Hiding his smirk behind a napkin, Mr. Bennet nodded. "Fascinating," he said.

Collin looked around the table happily, admiring the lovely family his step-uncle had produced. His smile widened as his eyes landed on Jane, the loveliest of them all. She could feel him staring at her but refused to meet his eyes, choosing instead to examine the food on the plate in front of her.

The air was cooler as the sunset, so the family went outside after dinner. Mary made her way to the swing hanging from the large oak tree at the front of the house, content to sit quietly with her own thoughts. Catie and Lydia decided to play a game of corn hole while Lizzie and Jane walked around the yard, talking. Their mother sat on the porch with Collin, watching the girls in their amusements. Mr. Bennet had escaped to his office directly after dinner, claiming some unfinished business that needed attending.

"I have to say, auntie Francine, your daughters are all the picture of charm and grace," Collin said, eying Lizzie and Jane as they passed by on their stroll.

Mrs. Bennet smiled. "Oh, you're too kind, Collin. Though, they are all very sweet girls, if I do say so myself."

Nodding, Collin laced his fingers and rested them on top of his protuberant belly. "I think, perhaps, Jane seems especially sweet in her manners," he proclaimed.

Mrs. Bennet's eyebrows shot up at that. "Oh, well, yes. She is loved by anyone who meets her, that's for sure." She paused for a moment, trying to figure out what this strange man was hinting at. "Though I must say, there is one man, in particular, that seems to love her, more than others if you know what I mean."

It seemed that Collin did know what she meant, for he frowned in frustration. "I see," he sighed.

"But, of course, the younger girls, I don't think any of them have any prior attachments," Mrs. Bennet continued. "The youngest ones aren't quite mature enough, anyway, but I do worry about Lizzie. It's every mother's hope to see her daughters happy and in love one day. Lizzie has her own struggles, being so close in age to Jane and always in her shadow."

Collin just nodded again, refocusing his attentions to the second oldest sister. Sure, she wasn't nearly as pretty and polite as Jane, but he could see Lizzie had her qualities. He smiled to himself as he watched the two sisters walking. Maybe something would come of this trip, after all.