Darcy was getting impatient. And it had only been a couple of hours since their agreement had been struck! Not trusting himself fully around his bride to be, he decided it would be best to avoid her presence all together. Which was a torture all in itself, he thought as he glared gloomily into an empty fireplace in a small but neat private study. He contemplated how long it would take the ship to reach bath, how long it would take the captain to find Mr. Jones's wife, and then how long it would take for them to return. A little over a week perhaps, thought Darcy hopefully.

He plopped himself down on a very comfortable, very large leather chair and continued to contemplate the empty fireplace. Actually, it was merely the direction his gaze lay in, for his mind's eye was in quite a different place. It lay upon the sleeping form of Elizabeth Bennett, as she had laid in the bed after her uncharacteristic swooning fiasco. Her dark curls had toppled from their hair pins and lay lovely and caressingly around her face. There was a serene look about her soft lips and her eyelids fluttered ever so slightly. Her neck was slim and creamy and… and… and awfully washed out when set against the awful shade of what Darcy now realized had been her wedding dress. Of course, it was a very altered wedding dress, but it was still the garment she had donned on the morning she was forced to marry Collins. Perhaps the color was just off, thought Darcy, or perhaps the dress simply knew for what man it was being worn and formed to suit the toad. Perhaps the dress had been picked out with Collins in mind, or the slimy creature had actually had a hand in selecting it. Whatever it was, the dress was awful, and made Elizabeth look extremely ill.

The memory of Elizabeth's attire sparked another memory. After she had stormed away from him at the inn, he had found the dresses he had bought for her in his room. Well, he'd just give the dresses back! Standing up, he walked purposefully toward the door, but stopped dead in his tracks, hand poised to grab the doorknob. She wouldn't wear them. Of this Darcy was quite certain. He had only coerced her into wearing them from the start because they were traveling disguised as a married couple. Yes, knew Darcy, Elizabeth would insist on dressing according to her station. And until the young girls' stepmother arrived, she was a governess, and not suited for the finery that Darcy had picked out and purchased for her. Tis a pity, thought Darcy, the dresses become her quite well.

There had to be a solution to this. No future wife of his, temporary governess or not, would wear an old, ugly, altered wedding dress… Mr. Collins' wedding dress at that! He marched back over to his chair to once again ponder the nonexistent flames. The scowl that spread to his handsome dark eyes and that would frighten the bravest of men (even pirates) deepened with every thought that failed in bringing him a solution.

The scowl was gone. In one lightening quick thought, one instantaneous revelation, it had been abandoned for the sneakiest of smiles, a most roguish grin.

"Elizabeth…" spoke Rene tentatively, "may I ask where you got that dress?"

Elizabeth and the young women ventured out of doors the day after Mr. Darcy had sent Fitzgerald away with his missives, and were now ensconced within a very old, very fantastic ring of weathered gray stones. The grass that grew up around them was the greenest any of the girls had seen in their lives and the wind that swept their hair from their faces and necks must certainly have carried some ancient magical melody. Elizabeth sat on one of the stones, face to the wind, enjoying nature's beauty. Rene lay on her stomach in the grass, fingering wild flowers and thinking to herself. Elaina who lay face up, book in hand, had completely tuned out the world around her.

Elizabeth looked up at the younger sister, confused at such a question. "I… it was…" she didn't know whether or not to tell the girls of Mr. Darcy's actions on the day of her wedding to Mr. Collins. Would it be the proper thing for a governess to do? "That is not of consequence Rene. Tell me, what are you thinking? Elaina, what are you reading?"

Elaina looked up from her book. "I think you avoid the question for a very pertinent reason Miss. Bennett. And I for one am dying of curiosity to know why." She sat up quickly with a glimmer in her eyes. "Tell us your story Elizabeth. I know there is one. A storyteller can smell a good story a mile away!"

Now this is interesting, thought Elizabeth. "A storyteller!? Pray tell, what do you mean by this Elaina?" But Elaina did not answer.

"My sister is a writer. If she is not reading some infernal book, she's got pen and parchment glued to her hands. But really, she does have a very good nose for interesting fables. You cannot hide your past from us. We are very nosy. Besides, the very fact that the handsomest man in the world is violently in love with you is the most compelling clue that you have a fascinating story to tell."

"Yes," spoke Elaina, "you must tell us, for we will not give up. We were raised in America mind you, and know a thing or two about perseverance." Elizabeth looked from one lovely face to another and knew she would have to tell them. They really were a deadly team when working together. And truth be told, in a small way, she wanted to share her adventures.

"Ok. You asked about my dress… where I got it from. Well, there used to be a string of pearls here." She trailed her fingers along the neckline of the dress. "And here and here." Now her fingers found the hem of the dress and cuffs of the sleeves. "There was an overlying goldish material that hung from the waist and opened in front to reveal the part you see now. And there as a bow at the waist line."

"It sounds awful!" exclaimed Rene.

"Rene!" exclaimed Elaina. "Do not be so rude!"

"You would have me lie instead?"

"I would have you say nothing at all!"

"Girls!" shouted Elizabeth, "do you want to hear the story or not?" They silenced and turned expectant eyes toward her. "This ugly gown, for I quite agree it was horrible, was my wedding gown." she paused, waiting for exclamations of some sort. And though she saw the shock in the girls' faces, she also saw that they were being considerate of her tale.

"Go on!" they both exclaimed at once.

Elizabeth did. "I was being forced to marry one of the most odious men you will ever have seen. His hair was greasy and his skin quite sickly looking. But that I could have stomached had it not been for his outrageous character." Elizabeth described Mr. Collins' incessant compliments and abnormal love for Rosings and Lady Catherine Deburgh. The girls groaned at appropriate places and laughed uproariously when she mimicked his voice quite successfully. "This is indeed a grand staircase Madame, but, I am afraid, it holds nothing in comparison with that magnificent work of art that is the staircase at Rosings."

"Well, obviously you didn't marry him. How did you escape this fate worse than death?" asked Elaina.

"It was very much like something out of a book… only very different. For in books, when the preacher asks if anyone has a reason these two should not be wed, the very handsome, very charming love of the bride's life comes storming through the doors with exaltations of love on his lips. And this happened, but it did not happen." The girls were growing very confused. "When the preacher spoke his liberating words, a very handsome man did storm down the isle with words of love on his lips. I believe his words were something along the lines of 'I love this woman and will not allow her to be married to a toad like Collins!'"

"Mr. Darcy! I would melt, be puddle at his feet if he asked me to." Elaina rolled her eyes at her younger sisters exhortations but, secretly, shared them. "Shh Rene, she is trying to tell the rest of the story. It sounds exactly like in the books Elizabeth. What was different?"

"Well, Mr. Darcy was indeed very handsome, but… as I knew him then… he lacked charm, he lacked civility, and he lacked my love. His exclamations of love for me came completely as a surprise. A very shocking one I might add. I thought he viewed me as lower in society, a country bumpkin. I thought he despised me. And to tell the truth, I despised him."

"But he was saving you from that toad of a minister!" this time it was Elaina who interjected into Elizabeth's monologue. "And you've agreed to marry him!"

"I must confess that when he threw me up in front of him on his horse, I was feeling quite elated and pleased with my surprise suitor. Even running off with a man I hated seemed far more pleasing that marrying Collins. And… I am ashamed to tell you this, but as the ride progressed, I found myself feeling quite amiable towards my kidnapper. There was a determination to him, a spark of adventure that I had never before seen in his lifeless, disagreeable countenance." Not to mention how wonderful his arms felt about me, thought Elizabeth, wisely deciding not to voice this little piece of information. "And as we began to talk, I learned things about him that I had never thought possible. He was shy, protective, and no more prideful than any man of his station has a right to be. He was utterly truthful with me, and utterly caring of me. We devised the plan of traveling to Scotland as man and wife so as not to cause scandalous talk. He bought me rather beautiful dresses to play the part of his wife. And by the time we reached Scotland, I had every intention of keeping them, and him. But misunderstandings occurred, thanks to my foolishness, and I returned the dresses and once again donned my loathed wedding dress after taking off all the trimmings. I could not wear such finery as a governess." Elizabeth ended her tale thusly, knowing that the girls knew everything from there, having eavesdropped on her and Darcy's confrontation and reconciliation.

"That… is a wonderful story…" stated Rene matter of factly.

"I knew it would be," bragged Elaina. But the girls' thoughts soon turned elsewhere.

"Do you still have to wear that dress though?" asked Rene. "It really is quite awful, and frankly, I don't know of a single governess who would think it fit to wear." Strangely enough, her older sister kept her remarks about Rene's rudeness to herself, and suspiciously didn't even appear to object to them.

"Is it really that horrid?"

"Yes," both girls said in unison.

"Well… I suppose that I should purchase some new garments when your father pays me."

"Oh! Yes! We'll get daddy to give you an advance, and then we'll go shopping tomorrow! You have about the same shading as Elaina, though Elaina's complexion is a tad darker… but that doesn't matter over much. I bet you would look wonderful in soft pinks and browns. No more of that… whatever color that is you're wearing," Rene was quite beside herself.

"No, don't argue with us," commanded Elaina. "Just go tell father that you need an advance for appropriate clothes. While we were in town, before we came here, I heard that there is to be a ball at some neighboring estate. Father told us we could attend if we had a companion by then. And since you are the appointed she, you will obviously need something more suitable than that. He will understand. Truthfully, he is a push over when it comes to big brown eyes. A trait, thankfully, we all share. They are a blessing, don't you agree?"

Elizabeth laughed at how her ward's voice had sailed from business to playful so smoothly, and Rene shook her head in disagreement.

"I hate brown eyes myself. So boring! So plain. Now, green eyes are what is fashionable. What man wants to look lovingly down into pools the color of dirt?!"

"Rene! You are so disagreeable! You have gorgeous eyes. They're not even brown! They are black! It is unexplainable how you can make that statement with a straight face, and speaking in all honesty!"

"You're just upset because you have brown eyes too, and have to say such things to make yourself feel better about their color. You know you prefer green! It is a universal preference!"

Sighing, Elizabeth picked up her bonnet and walked away from the stone circle, two fiery, bickering girls trailing behind her.

Later that night, two dark heads popped into the solitude of Darcy's study through a small crack in the door. Both smiled impishly. "We're going shopping tomorrow," said the one of jet black eyes and brownish auburn hair. The other girl's grin, impossibly, widened. The roguish smile once again adorned Darcy's lips.