Did you like chapter 1? Here is chapter 2


Chapter 2

The previous day

"…that you were the last man on earth I could ever be prevailed upon to marry." Elizabeth spat out these last words! She was seething at the gall of the man before her, that he should think that after such an insulting proposal she would gladly accept him!

They stared at each other. It seemed that he wanted to kiss her, but then he said: "Forgive me, madam, for taking up so much of your time."
After one last look, Mr Darcy turned around and walked away in the rain.

Elizabeth felt dumbstruck. She sank down against the wall of the temple, still fairly sheltered from the pelting rain. She was shocked to the core. Never had she expected that Mr Darcy might be in love with her. But it was hard to believe as she thought about all he had done; separating Mr Bingley from Jane, treating Mr Wickham very ill. And lastly, his insults towards her family and herself.

She did not know how long she had been sitting there, but suddenly she felt she had to leave.
She could not bear the idea of being in Mr Darcy's company for another week. Or in the company of his family for that matter. Lady Catherine was insufferable and whilst Colonel Fitzwilliam was kind and a good conversational partner, after the information he had given her just this morning, she felt she could not be in his company either.

Heedless of the rain, Elizabeth ran back to the parsonage and straight up to her room. The last thing she wanted was a worried Charlotte or an obnoxious Mr Collins. Quickly she dried herself off and put on other clothes. Then she quickly packed a bag with her most important belongings and a change of clothes. She trusted that Charlotte would send the rest after her.
She wrote a brief note to Charlotte to say that she would take the post coach to London to her aunt and uncle. And that Charlotte should not worry about her.

She left the note on her bed, in sight of the door. Then she left the room with her bag, quietly walked through the corridor, down the stairs and out of the servants' entry. Outside she was glad to see that the rain had nearly stopped. Quickly she walked towards the village and only had to wait ten minutes until the coach arrived. She paid the fare and then sat back on the bench inside. There were only two other people sitting with her in the coach. She did not engage in conversation but spent her time looking out of the window.

Her thoughts were in turmoil. Everything she thought she knew about Mr Darcy, suddenly seemed completely inaccurate. At least his behaviour towards herself. She had always thought he disliked her as much as she disliked him; that he only stared at her to find fault. If it was true that he loved her as he said, then the reason why he stared at her was obviously not to find fault.

But what about his first comment about her at the assembly? How could he profess to love her if she was only tolerable?

Her mind reeled with her thoughts. So much so, that soon she developed a severe headache.

At the stop at Bromley, where she had to change to another coach, she took the time to walk inside the inn and ask for a drink. From her reticule she took a little sachet of headache powder and took it with the drink.
Then she went back outside and entered the coach to London.

The closer she came to the city, the more her attention was drawn to what she saw outside. She had not often made this journey, but thought she did recognise some of the things she saw.
However, she became slightly worried when they entered a less savoury area. It seemed they were nearing the docks. But that is not where the coach was supposed to go! She started to panic when the coach stopped near the waterside and the coachman said this was the last stop.
In a daze she stepped out and was handed over her bag.

Had she accidentally entered the wrong coach? And how would she get from here to her uncle's house? There was not much money left in her reticule. The journey had already cost her a great deal of her pin money.
Holding on to her bag, she stood still for a while, looking around at all the hustle and bustle of the port.

"Miss Elizabeth, what a pleasant surprise! I had not thought we would see you again! And here you are, in London no less!"

She turned in the direction of the voice and saw an unsavoury looking man walking towards her. He looked filthy, and had the countenance of someone who has been at sea for months. He walked a bit unsteady and held a bottle in his hand, of which most liquid was gone.

Elizabeth turned around to walk away, but the sailor caught up with her.
"Miss Elizabeth, do you not remember me?"

She slightly turned while she kept on walking.
"Sir, I do not know you. You must mistake me for someone else. Now if you would leave me alone."

The man however was not impressed.
"Truly Miss Elizabeth. It might be some months since we saw one another, but you cannot pretend that you don't know me." And to her horror, he kept walking next to her, cheerfully chatting. "Where are you going? Did you come here straight after you saw captain Turner sail off? It must have been quite painful for you to say farewell to him. But I guess there is nothing to it. Ten years, is it? Until you will be able to see him again?"

Now Elizabeth got angry.
"Sir, I do not know you and I have no idea what you are talking about. Leave me alone."

The man was undeterred. "Come, even if you do not remember me, I am sure you will remember the other crew members. Come, we meet at the inn over there. We have all wondered how you were doing, you know, after the battle and all."

Elizabeth now tried to frantically catch the attention of some ladies and gentlemen that walked past, but to no avail.

The man had taken her by the arm and he was very strong.

She regretted now that she had left Hunsford. This was far worse than being in the company of the man whose proposal she had rejected.

Where is this going...? ;-) You will find out soon. p.s. this story is un-beta'd, so mistakes are my own. Let me know what you think.