Disclaimer: I do not own Jane Austen. I would be dead if I did.

Chapter 6: Surprises and Shocks.

Darcy took a tentative step backwards, clutching at the back of the wooden chair. The young man looked taken aback. Annabelle looked from one man to the other, terribly confused.

"Father?" She asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

Darcy sank into his seat.

"Father?" The young man eyebrows rose. "We – I though that you were his wife!"

Darcy seemed to have been struck dumb.

"No," Annabelle laughed. "Don't be silly, I'm his daughter!"

"His daughter?" The young man repeated. "But then –" He collected himself, and waited patiently for Darcy to recover.

"We?" Darcy asked. "We?"

"Yes, my mother and I," replied the young man, looking slightly unsure.

"Who are you? You look so much like…" Darcy demanded to know. "Just who are you?"

"Edward… Darcy." Edward admitted. "And you are Fitzwilliam Darcy?"

Darcy stood up.

"My son!" He exclaimed. Annabelle was shocked to see tears rolling down her father's face as the two men embraced.

"Father?" She asked uncertainly. Darcy pulled back, and smiled through his tears – a real smile this time.

"Annabelle. Allow me to introduce to you, my son, Edward Darcy, your brother. Edward. This is Annabelle."

Annabelle stood up and curtseyed.

"Pleased to meet you, Edward."

Edward beamed. He took her hand and kissed it.

"The pleasure is all mine." He said. When he stood up, he towered over Annabelle. She turned to Darcy.

"Father, how old, exactly, is Edward?"

Darcy stood wiping his tears away.

"Why don't ask him yourself?"

Annabelle turned back to Edward.

"I apologize, but how old, exactly, are you?"

Edward chuckled.

"A year younger than yourself, Annabelle." Annabelle noted his foreign accent.

"So fifteen, then."

He nodded. Annabelle tilted her head on its side.

"How do you how old I am?" She asked curiously.

"My mother told me everything there is to know about you."

Annabelle frowned.

"Father, what does Mother look like?"

In reply, Darcy walked over to the rectangular object that Annabelle had noticed earlier and unveiled it.

Annabelle stared at it. The woman in the picture was lovely – though perhaps not as much as Aunt Jane. She had curly dark hair, and a lively expression. Her liquid brown eyes twinkled and laughed.

"Yes, that is Mother." Edward said, sounding rather satisfied.

"I never knew her." Annabelle said sadly.

"I never knew Father." Edward offered.

"As a matter of fact, Edward. Where is Lizzy?"

"Mother told me to see my father, and that you would probably wish to me to stay… but she also said that since you have a wife, there is no real reason for her to stay. She returned to Longbourne to visit her parents and then she said she would leave."

Darcy flung open the door and Annabelle could hear him calling down the stairs for a carriage.

Annabelle motioned to her brother – it felt so strange thinking the word.

"Come." She said. Edward offered her his arm.

"May I?" He asked gallantly.

"Why, thank you." She laughed. Maybe it wouldn't be terrible to have a brother.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darcy was practically bouncing in his seat.

"Father," Annabelle asked. "Doesn't it take quite a while to get to Longbourne? Mother might have gone by then!" Mother. That word, too, felt foreign on her tongue.

"Nonsense, child. She left this morning. She can't have gone far." Yet through his carefree manner, Annabelle could see a small line of worry on his forehead.

Edward looked slightly less at ease.

"Mother can move very quickly when she puts her mind to it. And she was certainly determined to get away from Pemberley when she realised that you had remarried."

"I had not remarried." Darcy boomed. Edward held up his hands peaceably.

"Yes… I realise that now. But before, it certainly seemed that way."

"And don't you tell me how my wife would have reacted. I know her better than you, and she trusts me."

"Do you know her, after the thirteen years that have passed?" Edward asked calmly. "You abandoned her, your love for your estate won over your love for her."

Annabelle could see that the words had hit home for her father. His countenance was changing fast, and she held up a hand.

"Father! Edward!" She cried. "Mother would not have wanted you to be arguing!"

Both faces glared down at her.

"You didn't know her." Edward stated tersely. Darcy just glared. Annabelle felt like jumping out of the carriage and running home. She realised that they were all worried for Mother… but did she really want to meet the cause of all this discord?

Darcy made a non-committal noise in the back of his throat and turned away from the other two. Edward looked out the window. Annabelle, stuck in the middle, did not have this happy pleasure. Instead she studied her shoes and waited for them to reach her grandparents' house.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darcy practically leapt out of the carriage as soon as it came to a halt. Annabelle stepped out slowly. She glanced around, and could see faces peering curiously out of the windows. Moments later, her grandmother appeared at the front door, followed closely by her grandfather, her aunt Mary and her other aunt Kitty.

"What brings you here, Mr. Darcy?" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed. "Of course, it is very nice to see you and Annabelle again, oh, and this fine young gentleman, you must be Annabelle's suitor! How nice of you to drop by? Are you children by any chance engaged? How lovely! Oh, I must congratulate you, Mr. Darcy; one's children are extremely hard to get rid of. I had my share of it with my children, but then Jane was snapped up by that fine gentleman, Mr. Bingley, and you took Lizzy, and I still have two daughters left, but Kitty's young man seems very keen –"

"Is that so, Kitty?" Darcy said with a trace of a smile. The young woman blushed. "I wish you the best, Sir George is a fine man, and one of my best friends."

Mr. Bennet coughed, looking rather stern.

"What business brings you here today, Mr. Darcy?"

"Hello Grandfather!" Annabelle said, rushing forward, to give the old man a hug.

"Yes, yes… Annabelle, nice to see you too." He fixed a beady gaze on Darcy.

"This, Mr. Bennet, is my son."

A stunned silence ensued.

"Your… son? Lizzy's son?"

Darcy frowned.

"Yes, hasn't Lizzy been here?" He asked.

"Why would Lizzy be here?" Mary asked. "We haven't seen Lizzy since you boarded her on the ship." Her voice still carried a trace of bitterness.

"Edward… please…" Darcy's eyes pleaded with his son. Edward stepped forward.

"My name is Edward Darcy. My mother is Elizabeth Darcy, nee Bennet. We came back to England yesterday. Due to a misunderstanding –" here he nodded at Mr. Darcy, " – Mother left me at Pemberley with the intention of returning to Longbourne. Has she not been?"

"I'm afraid not." Mr. Bennet said slowly. "I haven't seen Lizzy for thirteen years!"

A/N: Here's ice cream and hot chocolate to… musafa…Allison… HalandLeg4ever… kamalachemy88… ionalama… percyismine… lasswithadelicateair45… forgotten-kiss… WhiteCamellia… bobmcbobbob1… BecReader… FutureFamousMovieDirector… Bhavana… Gwen… Nautica7mk… LDB… Kyra3… embracing… Serindipity9

I'm really sorry for not updating sooner, but thank you guys for reviewing! I love you all! huggles all around Hope you like this chapter! Jelly for reviewers next time!

s.a.r.d.