Dear Readers, I am sorry for the delay in posting this chapter it is always a transition to come back from academic writing to fiction writing. I hope you guys are doing well and had an enjoyable weekend. I always try to keep my writing away from any grammatical errors and have a habit of constantly editing and re-editing my chapters but if some mistakes are still there then, I hope you guys will be kind enough to ignore them. I have also made some minor alterations to the third chapter to help you guys better understand Charlotte's role in this story . Happy Reading!

Chapter VI - Meeting Darcy

- Meryton -

"I am sorry for the delay Father I would have arrived ten minutes early if Collins had not forgotten to … Who, is this young lady Father, did you all ready found me a wife?"

"Wife" Elizabeth pronounced a little scandalized with Darcy's question,

Darcy immediately realizing his faux pas started looking at Bennet to save him from his awkwardness,

"This is my niece Darcy" Father Bennet replied with a mischievous smile,

"Your niece" Darcy repeated

"You have never talked to me before about having any living relations?" Darcy suspiciously enquired,

"Ahh, it was a tumultuous surprise",

"A tumultuous surprise,

You are not making any sense today Father" saying this Darcy disbelievingly looked at his friend,

Bennet ignored this announcement and gave Darcy a look which said we will talk of this later and continued his introduction,

"Elizabeth meet Mr. William Darcy one of my dearest friends and one of the sharpest lads you will ever meet" motioning towards Darcy,

"A pleasure to meet you Mr. Darcy, It was extremely kind of you to send your carriage for us on such short notice" Elizabeth answered civilly to the man before her who had been very rudely staring at her just minutes before,

Darcy just nodded his head in acknowledgment still not willing to take his eyes of the girl who he believed had somehow succeeded in duping Bennet in to believing that she was his niece,

She certainly didn't look the part with her dark hair and wheatish skin, why he had thought of her as being his new bride he didn't know? She could not have been called conventionally pretty much less beautiful but her eyes had a certain sharpness, which drew him to her, It challenged him to not to think of her as a fool or a shrinking violet, her posture was of who had experienced too much of the world in too short a time.

Elizabeth could not deny to herself that Mr. William Darcy was indeed a handsome man

She could not help but stare at this man, who had all but declared that Father Bennet was looking for a wife for him, he didn't look like a widower with a hoard of children who wanted a wife to mind them or care for his home, He definitely didn't look like a man who was in a state dire enough to give someone else's child his name.

Father Bennet abrupt announcement interrupted this involuntary character assessment between two very inquisitive but unquestionably attractive people,

"Darcy, we must go now It is getting dark after sending us home you still will have to ride back to Pemberley, Elizabeth must also be getting tired now it's her first time travelling such a long distance",

Hearing this Darcy muttered a distracted yes, still not willing to take his suspicious gaze off Elizabeth,

Bennet seeing the two of them size each other experienced what can only be called his "Eureka" moment, when he realized that if he can convince Darcy to accept his daughter, the solution to this problem is indeed simple, Yes, very simple indeed.

He tried to control his unnatural excitement by turning towards Collins who looked like he was just about to drop to the ground as he furiously wiped the sweat on his forehead this day had definitely involved more physical labor for him than the his work as the village school master did,

"Collins I must thank you again for getting Darcy for me, I think you should run along home now Mrs. Collins must be getting worried for you",

"Yes, I must get going now Father, my dear Charlotte must be awaiting my arrival"

Mr. Collins turned towards Darcy and said ,

"I must apologize for forgetting to tie my mare Darcy and making you run after it, I am afraid Mrs. Collins food has made me slightly lose my previous fitness level",

Darcy just angrily stared at Collins and viciously muttered at Collins to get going now remembering how Collins mare had trampled his precious cabbage patch; It was a good crop despite being not an overly popular one as his father had often advised him.

"Come Darcy, let's get going" Father Bennet called him before he again started shouting at Collins,

Darcy despite his suspicion about this new Miss Bennet helped her to her seat, let no one say that he was not a gentleman,

Darcy drove the Bennets to Father Bennet's home as he was bidding them farewell,

Father Bennet called after him and taking him aside said,

"I will come meet you tomorrow afternoon Darcy, I believe you have some questions for me let's have a frank discussion tomorrow, I shall not hide my situation from you" saying this cryptic statement Father Bennet Bid him home.

Elizabeth's arrival at her new home was nothing extraordinary except for the amount of love she received from her uncle, He didn't need to say he cared for her his asking Mrs. Hill to send extra bedding for her comfort and quietly directing her to arrange all the things a young woman of her age might require to manage her daily routine was enough indication that he cared and this was not simply an act of charity for him.

When morning came and as she made her way for breakfast she was no longer able to ignore why she was here, a person can only lose touch with reality for so long, as she rushed back to her room to hurl at the chamber pot why she was forced to confront her truth. It was the smell of eggs which had done it.

She was pregnant and no matter how kind everyone was to her this sword of Damocles hanging above her head was not going anywhere,

When Father Bennet told her that he was not going to be here for lunch as he had urgent business with Darcy,

Elizabeth thought nothing much of it, but she should have because that afternoon changed her life in an even bigger manner then her pregnancy did. It gave her a husband,

She remembers how her sickness had made her groggy at breakfast and Father Bennet had questioned her about Darcy,

"So, what did you think of our friend Darcy? He is a very quick fellow and always enjoys a good book you might enjoy his company my dear"

"It was kind of him to help" Elizabeth had distractedly replied,

"Well, I believe you will become good friends, He is the kind of man that everyone should have on their corner"

And then the conversation had stalled as Mrs. Hill had tried to force another omelet on her plate,

Elizabeth had entered her new room to find a pair of beautiful red leather boots which had made her cry yesterday she was patching up her three years old second hand boots and now she had the prettiest pair she had ever seen,

As she had lay down on her bed with Father Bennet's copy of Lyrical Ballads, hoping a little poetry would calm her soul, she had found herself distracted again with thoughts of Darcy,

She did not remember the exact time when her rest turned in to slumber but when she woke up the day was at its end and the last rays of the sun had made her room their home making it glow with bright orange sunlight as the windows reflected the sun, She didn't know why but this gave her a few minutes of pure joy maybe Wordsworth's words hadn't just lulled her to sleep.

As dusk ascended and her room grew dark with shadows she finally decided to make her way down,

As soon as Mrs. Hill saw her she started fussing after her,

"Oh, Father Bennet told us you have been feeling very sick these days Miss Lizzy, I will go now and prepare you something to eat you must have been slept the entire afternoon, It is not good to have an empty stomach while you are sick,"

"I am feeling much better now Mrs. Hill" Elizabeth answered to the frazzled woman before her,

"Still you must eat something, a little will do

And before I forget, Father Bennet has sent word that Mr. Darcy is going to dine with us tonight."