A/N

Oh, man... it was so very good to hear from you all 😊And as I had hoped, your kind words of encouragement have motivated me enough to forge ahead. So here is chapter 2 for your perusal, hope you enjoy and please do not forget to write in with your feedback.

Quite a few of you have mentioned a couple of FF stories with similar themes. Very strangely I have not read any P&P story where anyone of the characters was a mind reader or thought listener. My inspiration, if you would call it that, is basically another story by FF author – 'Astonishment' where Elizabeth had this unique power to ascertain if someone was telling a lie by the colour of their auras – grey, black etc... I remember thinking at the time what fun if one could hear complete thoughts instead of just realizing the truth or falsity 😊When I decided to write ALM a couple of months ago I had the dilemma – who to bestow this power to – E or D... but then I thought it would be more interesting for Darcy to hear about E's antipathy than she hearing about his secret admiration... and then there is always Miss Bingley and her thoughts about Darcy 😉(As quite a few of you mentioned in your reviews... - minds think alike... he he)

To Lisa- THANK YOU so much for the help. I am still thinking what word to use for umpteenth... I feel it is beneficial that you are an American... Americanism, period inappropriate language and will/would interchange are three complaints I hear most from readers and am sure you will be able to help me there!

A Little Magic Chapter 2

With both of them engaged in their own anxious musings, they had walked in near silence for several minutes when Elizabeth finally came out of her preoccupation. "I hope everyone at Netherfield is well, Mr Darcy?" she asked politely.

"Yes, they are all well at Netherfield, Miss Elizabeth. At least the three of its members I met this morning. Hurst appeared to be sleeping off the exertions of last evening when I came out for my ride."

Elizabeth smiled faintly. "Mr Bingley did not accompany you this morning, sir?"

"Oh, he left for London directly after the breakfast," Darcy said as he turned to look at her.

"Of course, now I remember, he had declined Mama's dinner invitation later in the week because of his impending visit to the metropolis." Elizabeth nodded. "Poor Jane will be so disappointed… She had so looked forward to Mr Bingley's visit to Longbourn before he undertook his journey."

Darcy started at Miss Elizabeth's words but realized soon enough that she had not spoken aloud the rather inappropriate and revealing nature of Miss Bennet's thwarted hopes. Feeling very uncomfortable at this continued eavesdropping of her innermost thoughts, he murmured a noncommittal response and looked away from her – the only way he knew of giving her the privacy that was her due. 'Miss Elizabeth believes that Miss Bennet was expecting Bingley to call on her before his journey to London… Does it mean that she is not as indifferent to Bingley as I thought? If so, how can I - in good conscience - convince Bingley of her indifference as Miss Bingley wants me to?' he thought uneasily and involuntarily glanced at Elizabeth just as they entered the gates of Longbourn.

Elizabeth's thoughts had once again veered towards her own problems, and her musingsdrove any thoughts of Jane Bennet from his mind. "… at least he would not make a proposal while Mr Darcy is present in the house and when he goes, I can immediately retire to my chamber pleading a headache - if Mama allows it. Oh, but… what is the use of this prevarication when I know that it will give me a reprieve of a day at the most? Tomorrow Mr Collins is sure to ask... as sure as I am to refuse him. And now… I no longer know how Papa will react when I do so. What will I do if… if Papa advises me to accept him? Lord… I have never felt so helpless in my life. Oh Papa… why?"

Her anguish made Darcy forget everything – he forgot that she disliked him. He even forgot that these were her thoughts which he was not supposed to know. The only thing he understood was that she was hurting and in need of comfort.

"Miss Elizabeth?"

When she turned to look at him, he said hesitantly, "I… when I was younger and was once very disconsolate about something, my mother told me that the sky is the darkest just before the dawn. She told me to keep faith and things would soon start looking up. And… all these years I have found that it is almost always the case. The situation might seem hopeless to you at the moment but please believe me - something good is just around the corner. I feel..." He stopped speaking as he noticed her look of total bewilderment and realized his faux pas. "I… you… you appeared very anxious just now… so I assumed that there must be something troubling you and…" his voice trailed off as the excuse sounded lame even to his own ears.

Elizabeth nodded, although she still appeared puzzled. Luckily, Darcy was saved from any embarrassing questions by the fortuitous arrival of Jane Bennet. They had reached the front door of Longbourn by this time. Before Miss Elizabeth could say anything, the door was flung open and with a relieved cry of "Lizzy!" Miss Bennet hurtled out and enfolded her sister in a warm embrace.

'Thank God!' Darcy took a relieved breath. Already it was very disconcerting that he was hearing Miss Elizabeth's musings, but his failure to remember the fact could have made everything much worse. He could not understand why he had been 'blessed' with this strange ability and whether it was only Miss Elizabeth whose thoughts he was able to hear. 'But whatever it is – it is dashed uncomfortable.'

One of these puzzles was soon solved for him by Miss Jane Bennet.

~~~§~~~

"Oh Lizzy, where have you been? You went out in such a bad mood and have been away for so long that I was beginning to get worried. Are you well?" Darcy felt decidedly de trop as he stood listening to Jane Bennet pour out her concern in her sister's ears.

"There is no need to fuss, Jane. I am well. I… I just lost track of time as I sat thinking." Even as Elizabeth said the bracing words, she clung to her sister for a few moments longer than was necessary, revealing to both Darcy and Jane that despite the brave words she was indeed not feeling so well.

"Poor Lizzy! Mama can be so relentless in the pursuit of her wishes… and I can understand her compulsions, after all, Mr Collins is the heir to Longbourn. Oh Lord! I feel so guilty… I would have been in the same situation as Lizzy's... if not for the fact that Mama wants me to marry someone I esteem with my whole heart. But... poor Lizzy… she will not be happy with Mr Collins. I pray Papa will soon put things to right, Lizzy is his favourite…"

As Jane Bennet stood rubbing her sister's back comfortingly, Darcy listened to her disjointed words and made a couple of discoveries. First – it certainly was not only Miss Elizabeth whose thoughts he could hear, and second – that this new-found 'power' had manifested itself very fortuitously to prevent him from committing a grave mistake. Miss Elizabeth was right; her sister did care for Bingley – very much. Knowing that, he really could not tell Bingley a lie - whatever Miss Bingley's contentions and his own reservations on the matter. 'Bingley will have to muddle through his own affairs and make the best of the situation.' He nodded to himself.

The movement caught Elizabeth's eyes and all of a sudden, she disentangled herself from her sister with a muttered "Oh, I forgot!" She gave Darcy an apologetic look, as she addressed her sister, "Jane, Mr Darcy very kindly offered to accompany me to Longbourn when he found me near the stream on my own."

"Oh, how kind of him!" Jane Bennet exclaimed as she turned to face him. "We are very sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr Darcy. I hope you will come inside for some tea." Even as the eldest Miss Bennet welcomed him with a smile, her eyes strayed behind him as if searching for someone. "Mr Bingley did not accompany you this morning, sir?" she asked finally with a becoming blush.

"Ah… no, Miss Bennet. Bingley has travelled to London this morning as he had to attend to some urgent business there," Darcy replied, and while she quickly schooled her expression, he could still note the quick look of disappointment on her face and his resolve to not interfere in Bingley's affair of heart, hardened.

"Oh, of course. How silly of me to forget. Shall we go in?" Jane asked him with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.

Even had he not heard Miss Elizabeth's hope of his presence delaying the unwanted proposal from Collins, he would still have gone inside – in attempt to find a way to help her get out of the fix she found herself in. He did not try to think too deeply on why he should feel a compulsion to do so. That he needed to make amends for his unforgivably rude words which her mother was using to force her into an unwanted marriage was a sufficient reason for him to intervene in this affair - or so he told himself. Having come to this conclusion, Darcy nodded and motioned for the sisters to precede him inside their home.

They had just stepped inside the hallway when Mrs Bennet came bustling out of a nearby door and as soon as her gaze fell on Elizabeth, she burst out wrathfully. "Lizzy! Where have you been, Miss? I told you not to go out this morning. You knew Mr Collins was planning to…" The lady's tirade came to a sudden halt as she perceived Darcy standing behind her daughters.

"What is this disagreeable man doing here? Did he really have to darken our doors today? As if I did not have enough to contend with Lizzy's wayward behaviour... Now, Mr Collins will have to wait some more time to make his proposal." Darcy could literally see Mrs Bennet bristle with indignation as he heard her ill-tempered musings. Affront and embarrassment warred within him for supremacy, and he had almost decided to make his excuses and leave when his gaze fell on the pensive look on Miss Elizabeth's face. He immediately dropped the idea and forced a smile at Mrs Bennet.

"Oh, Mr Darcy, what a surprise to see you here this morning." Although the aggrieved lady was trying to observe the proprieties, her tone made it amply clear that the surprise was hardly a pleasant one. "Mr Bingley did not come with you today?" she asked.

Suppressing his irritation, Darcy found himself sharing Bingley's whereabouts for the third time that morning. As their party moved to Mrs Bennet's parlour, Elizabeth excused herself, wishing to go to her chamber and set her appearance to right.

"Come back soon Lizzy, tea will soon be here," Mrs Bennet said in warning tone.

Elizabeth nodded wordlessly and made her way towards the door, which opened before she could reach it and in came Mr Bennet, followed by Mr Collins.

From where Darcy was sitting, he could observe the faces of all three people near the door and was thus an unwilling party to the silent conversation between the father and the daughter. He wanted to look away but found that he could not and watched the scene unfolding before his eyes in an embarrassed sort of fascination.

Elizabeth hesitated as she saw the new arrivals to her mother's parlour. Perhaps it was an illogical reaction, but to her the very fact that her father was accompanying Mr Collins, appeared like an act of betrayal. She gazed at her father only for a moment, but the hurt was visible in her eyes and Darcy's heart went out to her.

He had known that pain when his father had chosen to believe Wickham over him. The impact of that one act had been like a knife to his heart - the wound of which had never completely healed. He could easily relate to her anguish and very much wanted to make things right for her but did not know how to go about it. For a fleeting moment, a wild notion of himself proposing marriage to her flashed past his mind. 'But now that I know how much she dislikes me, I am not even sure that she would consider it a better alternative to the one she already has,' Darcy thought with an unexpected pang to his heart. It was quite humbling to realize that there were young women in the kingdom who were not dying to receive an offer of marriage from Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley. As the door closed behind Elizabeth, his gaze strayed to Mr Bennet who was staring at the door with a sad expression. This time Darcy was expecting Mr Bennet's voice - and it was almost a relief when he heard it.

"Oh, Lizzy, I am so sorry, my child… If only you knew how much I hate myself that you are being forced to carry the burden of my mistakes. The mistakes which I did not fix when I had the time and now… when I truly want to do better, I do not even know how much time my weak heart would allow me. Jones would not offer me any assurances, yesterday."

'Isn't Jones the apothecary who came to treat Miss Bennet when she stayed at Netherfield?' Darcy recalled, and suddenly it was clear why Mr Bennet was urging his favourite daughter to accept the heir to Longbourn, even when the two were totally ill matched.

He came out of his reverie to hear Mr Collins greet him with great enthusiasm. "Mr Darcy what a pleasant surprise to see you here this morning." Darcy replied suitably and then returned Mr Bennet's half-hearted nod of welcome. His lips quirked as his gaze found Collins' beaming face once again. 'At least one person in Longbourn is glad to see me today,' he thought ruefully.

"When will Mr Bingley be coming back from London, Mr Darcy? I ask as he promised to come to Longbourn for dinner once he was back," Mrs Bennet tittered.

"I cannot tell you the exact date, madam, as I do not know it myself, but I am sure Bingley will hurry back as soon as he had attended to his business there," Darcy replied politely if somewhat unhelpfully where Mrs Bennet was concerned, and the lady gave a doubtful nod.

"I will be writing to my noble patroness and your revered aunt, Mr Darcy - just as soon as a wished-for event happens. I am very eager to tell her that I have fulfilled her wish for me to secure a bride - among my fair cousins." Darcy turned his head to find Mr Collins sitting in the chair nearest to his own. He stared in dawning horror at the smiling man as the realization struck that Collins was planning to marry Elizabeth on the advice of his aunt. One more reason for him to try and ensure that such an absurdity did not come to pass!

Totally oblivious to Darcy's agitation Collins continued blithely, "I will also inform her about my great good fortune in making your acquaintance here in Meryton, and your benevolence in condescending to dance with my cousin yesterday."

As Darcy sat listening to Mr Collins spouting his servile claptrap, he could not help but glance at Mr Bennet to see how he was faring under the onslaught. The expression of utter distaste on the other man's face as he stared at his cousin, revealed his feelings to anyone who cared to look at him.

"Oh Lizzy… how can I…" Mr Bennet rubbed his face in agitation and then looked out of the window near his seat. "If only Mr Bingley had come up to scratch as Mrs Bennet hoped, I would have asked you to refuse Collins with a clear conscience…" Mr Bennet took a deep breath. "But Mr Bingley has now gone away... Although, I very much fear that even had he been here, his shrewish sisters and supercilious friend would not have allowed him to do what he desired." Mr Bennet glanced fleetingly at Darcy at the thought, then looked away. "God! This seems to be some kind of a punishment for laughing away Mrs Bennet's sincere concerns all these years. Only... it is my sweet Lizzy who is facing the punishment not me. There has to be some other way…"

Darcy had not been enamoured of the careless manner in which Mr Bennet managed his estate, nor the unconcern with which he let inappropriate behaviour from some in his family go unchecked. However, now as he heard the distress of a father, he could not help but sympathize with him.

Before Collins could come up with any more drivel, there was a diversion in the form of the Bennets' housekeeper - Mrs Hill bringing in tea and refreshments. Using the diversion to his benefit, Mr Bennet made his excuses on the pretext of some urgent work and left the parlour.

For few precious moments there was silence as Mr Collins sat enjoying a piece of fruit cake... or two. And Darcy mulled on what he had heard. Mr Bennet had already offered him the solution to Miss Elizabeth's problem. 'If Bingley and Miss Bennet come to an understanding, the sword hanging on Miss Elizabeth's head would be gone…' he thought in some satisfaction. 'But Bingley will return only after a few days and Collins is eager to be heard right at this moment.' Suddenly he recollected Miss Bingley's plans for their removal to London. 'Damn… Bingley can come back only if we continue to stay at Netherfield… Somehow, I will have to persuade Miss Bingley to defer our journey.' Darcy pursed his lips as Miss Bingley's lamentations from this morning came to his mind yet again. 'It is not going to be easy, nor would it be easy to stop Collins from making his proposal until Bingley returns,' he concluded glumly.

~~~§~~~

He was still deciding on how to achieve the two seemingly impossible feats, given Miss Bingley's antipathy towards the Bennets and Collins' extreme eagerness to propose, when he heard Miss Bennet's voice.

"Please have some more cake, Mr Darcy." she offered him a plate with a soft smile, and he found himself taking it automatically.

"Thank you, Miss Bennet. The cake is delicious. It reminds me of my favourite confection by my housekeeper at Pemberley," he said with an answering smile of more warmth than he had ever shown her before. She was the only one in her family who had not revealed any antipathy towards him, and he was human enough to appreciate the kindness. 'Really, Bingley and Miss Bennet are more alike in temperament than I had realized,' he decided ruefully.

"Thank you, Mr Darcy. I am not surprised you like the cake. It is one of Mama's most sought-after recipe in Meryton." Darcy involuntarily glanced towards Mrs Bennet and then wished that he had not as her querulous voice fell on his ears.

"Who knew that the pompous Mr Darcy could smile like that? I cannot believe he is the same rude man who sat next to Mrs Long for more than half an hour without uttering a single word! Or the one who refused to dance with my Lizzy as she is not handsome enough for him."

Darcy felt humiliated that an ill-bred woman like Mrs Bennet should be chastising him, even if in her musings - for rude, mannerless conduct - and worse still be entirely correct about it. Had his mother been alive today, she would have been very disappointed in him. He recollected the words she had spoken to him on more than one occasion – "William, always be courteous to your dependents and those lower in station and consequence. You owe it to them because the rules of our society rarely allow them the privilege to retaliate if you behave less like a gentleman than you are." The sage advice he appeared to have forgotten sometime in the last few years. Darcy shook his head morosely. He needed to make amends – he owed it to himself.

He glanced unwillingly at Mrs Bennet once more - the lady had not yet finished!

"... a confusing man. Last evening at the ball, of all the young ladies in Meryton, he chose to dance only with Lizzy. This morning he very kindly accompanied her home and is now being so charming to Jane. I would never have believed that there is more to him than arrogance and disdain... but... Had he displayed such happy manners from the beginning, all the Meryton mamas and their daughters would have been after him..."

Darcy shuddered. 'There is something be said about rude conduct if it keeps matchmaking mamas and their insipid daughters at bay,' he thought, only half in jest as he realized exactly why he had forgotten his mother's advice over the years.

"... just as Mr Bingley has shown partiality for my beautiful Jane, Mr Darcy could easily have grown to like Lizzy. After all no one else in the neighbourhood can hold a candle to my daughters. And... if he had been always as charming as he is being today then Lizzy would not have taken a dislike to him. Then who knows... what could have transpired...?"

Darcy stared at Mrs Bennet in awe and his heart missed a beat as he realized how close her imaginings were to the reality! He saw her shake her head, as if to come out of her flights of fancy and sure enough, he heard her admonish herself directly. "Oh... stop it, Fanny. Life is hardly your sewing box – where you can arrange everything as per your desires and convenience... Had it been so, you would not be promoting an ill-suited match between Lizzy and Mr Collins, especially when you know that its Mary who suits him most in temperament." She tuned to stare out of the window with a frown. "If only Mr Collins had the good sense to realize that. But then brain is not the appendage most men use while selecting a bride."

Darcy flushed as he understood her meaning and heard the snort she let out. "Oh... my Lizzy, I hope you will be able forgive your mother one day. I wish... the future did not scare me so... but even the thought of what Mrs Masters had to endure after her husband passed on terrifies me... and I have five daughters with me. I am sorry, but..." Mrs Bennet sighed deeply. "At least you will have your beloved home... And I know things will get better once the children come - a toothy smile and a warm hug can be a salve to many a mortification and a heartbreak... I know, Lizzy... I know..."

Darcy jerked his head away, feeling extremely uncomfortable at having listened to something so personal. Not willing to concede how deeply Mrs Bennet's thoughts had disturbed him, he threw his mind to try and resolve the dilemmas facing him. 'Mrs Bennet is the one actively promoting Collins' suit, but if... if I show interest in Miss Elizabeth as she anticipated just now, will she assist me in delaying Collins' proposal?' he mused. 'I could try and find out...'

In this endeavour he was aided inadvertently by Mr Collins, who after polishing off three large pieces of cake was ready to once again wax poetic about his patroness and the letter, he intended to write to her.

"Mr Darcy, would you like me to include a message from you for your aunt or your fair betrothed, Miss de Bourgh?" Collins asked his face contorted in a leery half smile.

Before Darcy could react to Mr Collins' presumptuous falsehood, two things happened simultaneously - Elizabeth re-entered the parlour, and Mrs Bennet exclaimed, "You are betrothed to your cousin, Mr Darcy?"

Darcy was irritated with the boorish questions from both Collins and Mrs Bennet, but as he glanced at Elizabeth, he found her looking at him with curiosity. Somehow, it felt imperative to let her know that he was free from any entanglements - and perhaps - it was also time to put his plan in action and see how things unfolded? So, he forced a smile and addressed Mrs Bennet, "No, Mrs Bennet, I am not betrothed to my cousin. In fact, I have not even thought about getting betrothed." He paused, looked straight at Elizabeth, and added slowly, "Before now." He then turned to see Mrs Bennet's reaction and could literally see the wheels turning in her mind. "Whatever did Mr Darcy mean? And why did he glance at Lizzy in that peculiar manner? Does he..."

Darcy glanced away with an inward smile. He stole a look at Elizabeth to see how she was taking his statement and immediately heard her confused voice. "What is Mr Darcy about? I hope he realizes that mama does not need much enc..."

"But... Mr Darcy, how is that possible? Lady Catherine herself told me that you are betrothed to Miss de Bourgh," Collins protested in a confused voice.

"I hope you are not calling me a liar?" Irritated at the untimely interruption, Darcy raised an imperious brow at Collins.

Collins paled noticeably. "No... no... of course not, but..."

"Maybe you misunderstood something my aunt said but let me clear any misconceptions you may have – I am not promised to my cousin or anyone else for that matter. Is that clear?" Darcy asked him grimly.

Collins swallowed hard and nodded, although he did not appear fully convinced.

"Good, because you would not want to tell any falsehoods about such a delicate matter, now, would you?"

Collins shook his head hesitantly. "Of course, not," he repeated unhappily and fell in a confused silence. He had not believed that he could misunderstand anything his noble patroness told him, but now that Mr Darcy was so emphatically denying his betrothal, he could do naught else but believe him. He also felt guilty for having inconvenienced the great Lady's nephew.

Darcy looked around and found Mrs Bennet keenly following his conversation with Collins. She glanced away with a thoughtful look when his eyes met hers. Miss Elizabeth was now sitting next to Miss Bennet, who was speaking to her sister in a low voice. Miss Elizabeth appeared much more composed than earlier, and Darcy decided to go back to Netherfield and begin his campaign to change Miss Bingley's mind. But first he wanted to make certain that Collins would not pester Miss Elizabeth before he could think of a way to solve this predicament she was facing. He was not sure how effective would be the lure he had thrown to Mrs Bennet, therefore he decided to work directly on Collins with the hope that at least one of the two strategies would do the trick.

"Mr Collins?" he addressed the other man quietly so as not to be overheard.

"Yes, Mr Darcy?" In reflex Collins asked equally softly.

"I gathered that my aunt's advice plays a great role in you choosing to marry now?"

"Yes, sir, she told me that a clergyman like me must marry, and if I chose well and wisely, she would be very willing to bestow her kind notice on my bride. She would even be willing to visit her in the parsonage," Collins replied, his eyes gleaming at the wonder of it.

For a moment, Darcy could only stare at the utter obsequiousness displayed by the other man. "Of course, my aunt's kindness and benevolence in dispensing useful advice knows no bounds," he said dryly. "It is in this regard that I want to talk to you, Collins. You are a good man; I would not want you to commit a mistake and risk incurring my aunt's wrath in any manner. 'Choose wisely', she said and that is where I can help you," he added as Collins blinked in confusion. "Of course, only if you would like me to help you," he added hastily, hoping that instead of being offended as any self-respecting gentleman would be at this presumption, Collins would be flattered at his unseemly meddling.

He was right. Mr Collins visibly puffed up in front of his eyes and unfortunately for Darcy replied with his usual verbosity.

"I will be delighted, dear sir. I should have expected nothing less than such benevolence from a nephew of the great Lady Catherine, especially one she..."

"Yes, yes..." Darcy hurriedly interrupted. "I am sure my aunt would expect nothing less from me for her esteemed Parson. Unfortunately, I will not be able to discuss the matter in any depth at the moment as I am needed at Netherfield urgently. Would you be willing to wait till tomorrow?"

Mr Collins, who had preened at what he considered fulsome praise from Mr Darcy, stopped smiling when he realized the implication of the other man's request. 'Oh... but... that means I will not be able to make my proposal to Cousin Elizabeth till tomorrow,' he thought disconsolately. 'But then, it is not every day that someone of Mr Darcy's stature offers to advise me on such an important matter. Lady Catherine would definitely expect me to wait for Mr Darcy's words of wisdom.' The thought cheered him enough to dredge up a smile and nod. "Of course, Mr Darcy, I will be eagerly waiting for your sage advice."

"Excellent! I will see you tomorrow, then." With a perfunctory smile Darcy got up to take his leave of the Bennets. He went where Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth were sitting. "I hope you are well now, Miss Elizabeth." Ignoring the strange look she gave him; he went ahead loudly. "If it is agreeable to you, I would like to come here tomorrow to ascertain that you are not suffering any aftereffects of today's events," he said.

A fleeting look of annoyance crossed Elizabeth's face, and Darcy heard her irritated voice, "Aftereffects of what? What is he talking about? Does he believe I am such a wilting flower that I will start swooning at the mention of a vagabond..." However, before Elizabeth could convey her thoughts aloud, in a slightly more diplomatic manner, Mrs Bennet hurried to answer Darcy. "Of course, Mr Darcy, you are most welcome to visit Longbourn any time you want," she said effusively, avoiding glancing at her daughters, who stared at her in stupefaction.

"Whatever has happened to everyone today? First Mr Darcy starts to act so strangely and now Mama, who dislikes him intensely, is welcoming him so profusely," Elizabeth thought in confusion and Darcy could sympathize with her.

"Lizzy, go and see Mr Darcy to the door," Mrs Bennet told Elizabeth, and when her daughter raised a surprised brow at her, she glared at her and mouthed – "Be nice to him."

Elizabeth gave a mental shrug and with a polite smile motioned to Mr Darcy to accompany her.

"Whatever does Mama want to achieve with this strange behaviour? She really cannot believe Mr Darcy will ever be interested in me... It was only this morning that she gleefully reminded me that the likes of him find me barely tolerable..." Elizabeth released an irritated huff and Darcy winced inwardly. His desire to undo the damage of his insulting words went up another notch.

"It is all because of Mr Darcy's strange conduct... Why is he behaving in this manner? Is he... inebriated?" Elizabeth mused in puzzled frustration. Darcy had to hurriedly turn a chuckle into a cough when she tried to lean towards him unobtrusively to take a delicate sniff.

Elizabeth glanced at him askance for a fleeting moment. "Does he not know what danger awaits him if he continues to behave like this in front of mother? But... I suppose he is very well able to outwit matchmaking mamas if he has successfully navigated the ton these past years without getting leg shackled. Perhaps he freezes everyone away with that cold Darcy stare." She suppressed a chuckle and stole a glance at him again. On finding his eyes on her, she quickly looked away. Suddenly, a curious thought struck her – "Oh, but... if Mama is under the misapprehension that somehow Mr Darcy has developed a sudden interest in me... then perhaps... she might discourage Mr Collins from making a proposal to me - at least today. Most probably Mr Darcy would not even turn up tomorrow or if he does, he would be his normal self... but I would have gotten the respite I need. I can try and reason with Papa in the time being... he might even tell me that it was all a joke!"

For the first time since her father had asked her to consider Collin's proposal this morning, she breathed easy. Strangely, the first thing she then remembered was Mr Darcy's heartening words about the darkness just before the dawn. By that time, they were already at the main door and as Elizabeth turned towards Mr Darcy, she felt an unexpected surge of gratitude towards him. She did not understand why he was behaving in the manner he was, but his uncharacteristic behaviour and unexpected kindness had given her the only ray of hope she had today. The relief and gratitude made her smile at him in delight. The heartfelt smile was of such warmth and brightness that Darcy's heart skipped a beat and he found himself smiling equally broadly in return.

"Oh!" Elizabeth stared at him arrested. "Mr Darcy has such a beautiful smile... and... and the... man... has... dimples!"

Mrs Bennet who had suddenly remembered an urgent instruction for the cook, conveniently found herself in the hallway at that very moment. She watched the exchange with a sigh of satisfaction.

'Oh... Lord... can it really be? Will I have three of my daughters married soon?' she thought rather grandly, and sitting somewhere in the fantasy land, Darcy's guardian angel let out an amused chuckle.

~~~§~~~

A Little Magic

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