Wow the support so far has been incredible; I can't even describe the joy I get from each and every review. A special thank you to all who wished me well and gave me good advise, my burn is healing (yey she says, typing on a strategically placed laptop). I think I'm going to have a decent sized scar and will certainly have to come up with a better battle story than loosing to exploding tea cup! Suggestions welcome :D

I do want to touch on something story related…

I'm getting a lot of "is this going to be a Happy Ever After" story, with the darker tone setting a few people away from our favourite couple. Nothing wrong with asking this but unfortunately it's a bit of a difficult question to answer, so I will do my best.

What does happy ever after mean? To me well no, this isn't going to be a fairy-tale, where Darcy takes her to his castle and suddenly she realises she loves him and it's smiles all round. I am not a fan of unrealistic endings, and stories that seem to have fleeting soft conflicts kinda….well bore me. But neither are they going to despise each other for eternity. They are the soul of this story.

It's hard to know how you define HEA. All I will say is my Mr Darcy is a heavily faulted man, but he isn't a monster, simply a product of his era and circumstances as he simply does not believe he is in the wrong. Elizabeth is also a product of the era, her choices will be limiting, and her influence will be all the power she has, as was true for many women. This is my version of their journey together.

I'm writing this story off the bat so to speak, and I'm writing the characters how they appear in my head, how they would react to what they are feeling, experiencing…and this may not match up to your versions.

So should you stop reading?
If you want a feel-good love story then yes I think you should. Even if you want a quick turnaround where Darcy realises his ways and they move on, then again, not for you. If you don't want Darcy to hurt Elisabeth or Elisabeth not to hurt Darcy well I think both of my characters will be lashing out at times.

A fair few have told me this story isn't for them and have stopped reading – I respect that even if reading these reviews make me a little sad and knock me back a bit.

But to the reader who is bracing themselves to battle through terrible hardships, getting ready to experience the heartache, and optimistic enough to hope for something better… then stick with it. I'm writing this for you as long as people are there to read it. For the readers who have reviewed, know that you keep me going x

Either way, whether you read on or choose to part ways, thank you for reading so far x

Shutting up now, onwards!

Chapter SIX

A Father's Protection

Longbourn was a simple cottage compared to Pemberley but even Mr Darcy could see that the estate held its charms. Instead of fineries and adornments, Longbourn was a rustic manor that revealed its age in a way that Mr Darcy found more and more pleasing as Mr Bennet led him through the property. The sporadic open stone walls and oak rafters would have given a darker tone to the estate if it wasn't for the many windows letting in the light and softening the more rustic features. He could hear the joyful laughter of the younger girls, the sound of someone practicing scales on the pianoforte, and the bustle and of the staff from the distant kitchen. Once, he'd judged this house as inadequate, a further indication of this family's standing, but now the sounds and the sunlit walls painted a pretty picture of the life the Bennet family have in Longbourn.

It had just been himself and Georgiana for so long, and while they were close, living at home in such a large estate had often felt somewhat empty. Neither's personalities being particularly endeared to extended social interactions, they rarely invited visitors to stay for more than a few weeks a year. You could stroll through the halls of Pemberley and not even hear the footsteps of the servants, let alone their voices. Mr Darcy had never really considered it before, always preferring the tranquillity of his estate to the hustle and noise of the city, but he supposed it lead to a certain degree of loneliness, or at least an ingrained familiarity with keeping oneself company.

Longbourn was fundamentally the antithesis. He could hear the laughter so loud it passed through the doors and walls. The servants here smiled and chatted among themselves even as they passed the two gentlemen, unconcerned with social protocol, bringing a late breakfast spread to where the Bennet woman were all congregated at the front of the house. He considered his own servants, while he believed were happy and treated well in all of his estates; there was a leveling of society here that he never would have permitted at his estates. He believed in the fundamental privacy of the family.

When Mr Darcy had proposed to Elizabeth, he'd pictured her as a creature he would pluck from her subpar living standards and surround with the wonder, the perfection, the magnitude that was his Pemberley. Every room so adorned with its beauty and expense that visitors come from far and wide to walk through its halls. Until this day he had never considered that someone could possibly find his estate distasteful in any way.

But seeing Elizabeth so charmingly foraging in her garden, hair displaced and framing her fine eyes, her cheeks flushed with exercise…he wouldn't be surprised if Elizabeth Bennet was the exception to the rule. Her pure enjoyment in the country and the simplicities of life was so evident, from her love for her family to the berries in her basket. He simply knew she would love the nature of Derbyshire, she wouldn't be daunted by its hills and peaks even as a sharp contrast to the plains of Hertfordshire. But now walking through her childhood home, sounds abound of life and family, he wondered if she would have found Pemberley … cold? Distasteful even? In comparison to the familial warmth that Longbourn provides.

It was immaterial now. Even by his side, Elizabeth would most likely never step a foot in the halls of Pemberley in her new station. The Newiton house would suit her. He'd only purchased due to the proximity to his estate, it was a little too modest for him but now he was pleased with the small property he had purchased for this arrangement. The house had a country tone similar to that of Longbourn and he was confident that she would find the transition less jarring because of it. And, if his memory serves, there were winter berries on the approaching lane.

Mr Bennet's study was a treasure trove to books. Books that had made their home on, in and under every surface. Space-wise, this room couldn't begin to compare to the libraries at any of his estates, but Mr Darcy would place a fair wager that he would find many a book in this one little room that he would not find in his extensive collection. His eyes caught titles of well-loved aged books that he'd never heard of, and a pile of freshly printed books still poised on their open brown wrapping stood on a side table. It made him consider Elizabeth's own reading habits, her preference to books rather than join in the games in the Netherfield drawing room so long ago. Was she as avid a reader as her father? Would she be satisfied with the small book room that the Newiton house held? What type of books did she like to read? Would she prefer novels, or favour the more-

"Mr Darcy," Mr Bennet stood behind the room's sole desk, interrupting Mr Darcy's train of thought, "are you clear to precisely what these deeds give you ownership of?" Mr Bennet held up a leather bounded book, the deeds to the Longbourn property. Among them, Mr Darcy assumed, was the irrefutable record of the birth of Mr Bennet's grandfather, the proverbial nail in the coffin for Longbourn. The sort after record of their relative's illegitimate age on renewing the entail was the Holy Grail that the Bennet family could have only dreamed of a year ago, was now the critical element of their fundamental ruin.

"I believe my lawyer has been very clear on the subject Mr Bennet, I'm sure I am well informed." Mr Darcy spoke confidently but paused when a response wasn't forthcoming. He felt some concern creep in, enough to hedge his response more thoroughly, "That said, I shall send the complete deeds and documents to my lawyer for a final confirmation if you wish."

"You see Mr Darcy I do believe you may understand the logistics," Mr Bennet spoke firmly, "that the lands surrounding this estate are yours. That the fields, the stables, and many cottages in the Longbourn grounds, now belong to you." Mr Bennet paused, then gestured around himself, "that this old house, this house that has been in my family for 14 generations likewise now belongs to you," he paused again, looking down and then laughed bitterly to himself, "And, even this, this very desk belongs to you," he placed the deeds on top of the cluttered desk giving it some empty consideration. Mr Bennet took a deep controlled breath as he placed both hands firmly on either side of the book that by rights belonged to the gentleman that stood in front of him. He looked up, eyes meeting the other gentleman, anger and disgust dripping in his tone and countenance as he took the effort to clarify, "What does not belong to you Mr Darcy," Mr Bennet spat out in a low tone, "is Elizabeth."

"Sir-,"Mr Darcy started, taken aback by the depth of fury in Mr Bennet's tone. "Sir your daughter-"

"I didn't see it before," keeping his voice hushed, Mr Bennet could almost be speaking to himself if it wasn't for his complete focus on the other gentleman, "I'll cater my ignorance to not knowing the full story of whatever fascination my second child has brought out in you," he looked Mr Darcy up and down as if searching visually for any remanence of the interaction he'd witnessed in his garden, "but I see it now, and by god you will not have her."

Keeping his voice low Mr Darcy matched his host's volume, respectfully taking the assumption that privacy was not always guaranteed in this house. "Mr Bennet-" He tried but failed to reason.

"Do you think… even entertain the possibility that I would allow, that I would – she is my child! Genteel raised!" Mr Bennet cut into the severe gentleman standing in front of him, willing Mr Darcy to be insulted, to be outraged at the mere suggestion of an immoral arrangement. To say something, anything that would give some credence to the conclusion his mind had concocted.

But Mr Darcy didn't respond immediately as he was doing his best to try and form his petition on the spot, to find a way to approach this situation that would appeal to the other gentleman, having not expected this particular confrontation so soon. The hesitation was enough.

"Damn you." Mr Bennet whispered, and then repeated more fiercely, "Damn you."

"Your situation-" started Mr Darcy.

"My situation," Mr Bennet exclaimed, "has no relevance on your relations with my daughter."

"Mr Bennet," Mr Darcy managed to settle himself, speaking with feeling he felt would settle the elder gentleman, "I have a great admiration for your daughter, I have thought of her fondly for some time now. Your situation being what it is, I think she will consider an arrangement-"

"There will be no arrangement," he spat out the word, "Not of any kind Mr Darcy. Is this your plan, to prey on a young woman while her world being turned upside down? To leverage her against her circumstances?" Mr Bennet shook his head in disgust. "Even if you were proposing an honourable offer, I wouldn't force or prevail her to accept, especially to someone who would be the last man in the world who could possibly make her happy. This suggestion disgusts me."

Mr Darcy flinched back at the mirror assessment of Elizabeth's own refusal. He found this infuriating. Was every member of the Bennet family so fundamentally unaware of their status and situation? That they continually set themselves against him, a Darcy no less, with more money, estates and standing than ...well most Earls of his acquaintance.

"Sir, I am offering a lifeline. Your family is in tatters," Mr Darcy cut back, fury filling his words at the man's continual repudiation, "the only reason that you and your family are even standing in Longbourn at this very minute is because I permit it and that my generous delay has shielded you from the fallout. Without-"

"-How dare you, you have no-"

"WITHOUT this arrangement your family are ruined. You yourself will most likely be dragged off to debtor's prison. Your wife, your daughters will be reduced at best to the wives of some low farmers or poor tradesmen, at worse a life of hard grueling labour," finally he relished in the despair in the elder man's eyes, he knew his words had hit home. Mr Darcy breathed deep trying to control his anger; it would assist him greatly if Mr Bennet could persuade Elizabeth to accept his arrangement.

"Mr Bennet I do not mean to cause such offense, but I believe you are being short-sighted. What will become of your family without an arrangement? How will Elizabeth feel then, you think she will be able to watch you being locked up in that," Mr Darcy struggled to even describe the conditions in so foul a place, "that distasteful setting. Is the life of some tradesman the best she has to hope for, the worst? To work as some shop hand, some maid? Is that what you want for her, for any of your children?"

Mr Bennet could no longer even look at the man in front of him. Mr Darcy soothed his tone even more, "As I have said I have great respect for your daughter, and I only wish to provide her a good life, and I'm willing to extend that generosity to the rest of your household."

"The cost is too high," insisted Mr Bennet, "You think I will be able to breathe easy as my child has to sell herself to a man she, even kindly put, strongly dislikes?" Mr Bennet closed his eyes in pain, unaware of the gentleman in front of him in similar discomfort. Mr Bennet shook his head, "God I would rather her become a scullery maid than be so heavily under the power of any man, especially as she would be paying for my failings… If I wanted my child to be miserable I'd have made her marry Collins." At least both Gentlemen had the decency to flinch at that outcome.

"And you say you admire her," continued Mr Bennet "that you are fond of her, and yet you must be aware of Elizabeth's own feelings?" he implored, gesturing his hands open in disbelief, "She has made little attempts to hide her distaste of your manners after you insulted her at the Merryton ball, and I don't believe your particular personality has changed her mind since then. What reason, except nefarious, could a man have with a woman for a mistress he full well knows dislikes him? Except to torment her." Mr Bennet lowered his hands into fists, leaning on the desk, unaware that he had just revealed a rather crucial puzzle piece in Mr Darcy's interaction with Elizabeth.

"Sir," Mr Darcy paused phrasing his response, "I believe, in time, her feelings will change and she will not find it such a… disagreeable arrangement. While I have admired her, I now believe some misplaced words have tainted your daughter's opinion of me. I hope to change that." He was certainly not happy to only find this out now, he barely even remembered what he said. Some vague recognition of trying to get Bingley to stop pestering him to dance, and dismissing dancing with Elizabeth to do it. He'd rather regretted his quick tongue once she'd caught his eye. God what had he said, something about being tolerable? Not tempting him? Well, that couldn't be further from the truth.

He'd found himself playing the fool for this woman, so tempting that she was. He'd offered her everything a man in his standing could offer a woman, a life of luxury and prestige so above her own standing. Even now, after she had taken his attentions and thrown them back at his feet he found himself offering her the luxuries of a life beyond what she should have expected, even in a less respectable position. He wouldn't have engineered all of this if the blasted woman hadn't tempted him. Yet even Mr Darcy also knew that even an intelligent woman like Elizabeth wouldn't have taken favourably to her looks being besmirched, and to do so in public; it would certainly be something he would have to clear up when they had reached an equilibrium.

"And you believe coercing her to become your, your mistress," Mr Bennet stumbled over the title, "will endear you to her? You know nothing of my daughter."

Again Mr Bennet certainly was correct, she would not be pleased. He was rather looking forward to seeing Elizabeth's fiery temper again. Witnessing it in the mix of being rejected, he hadn't quite appreciated the particular charm that it added to her attraction at the time. Being rather assured of the outcome of this arrangement, he would simply have to wade the oncoming tide, soothe and entice her to accept.

He did hope she wouldn't be stubborn for too long, he had rather enjoyed his interaction with her in the garden. He now envisioned riding up to Newiton house being greeted with a smiling berry ladened Elizabeth, only this time it was himself ordering her into the house for much more pleasanter relations. It was all a rather charming picture to him. Though, granted, not one he would be persuading her father with.

Deciding not to touch on that aspect of his proposed arrangement "While I understand your focus on the personal aspect, it remains that this is simply a business transaction. Elizabeth is something I want, and I believe, securing her family's happiness and future is something she will find a worthy exchange for her company. The rest will come in time. It will not be as you depict, the life I will be able to provide for her will be more than satisfactory, she'll have her own house, own servants." Mr Bennet was already shaking his head, a look of disgust on his face. Changing tactics Mr Darcy continues "And for your family, it will be…" he struggled to convey the scope of the benefits, he sighed frustrated at his own delay "With her agreement you and the rest of your family would be able to stay here, carry on living the life you are accustomed. Your daughters will be able to go on, get married-"

"Mr Darcy, my answer is no," finalised Mr Bennet. "I will not allow Elizabeth to be used like this."

Darcy wanted to shake the man. Blast it all he should of kicked them all out to the streets the moment he had the confirmation and then they would have experienced the hardships of true financial ruin, that at least would persist past this wall of absolute stupidity and denial, "What about your other daughters, do they mean so little to you? What about their happiness, their futures, their marriage prospects? Can you really put Elizabeth's happiness over the rest?"

"You know nothing of this family either if you think they would not want their sister to do this." Mr Bennet shook his head. Mr Darcy mirrored the action but his in complete disbelief.

"When she has been fully informed of the change in circumstances Elizabeth will agree to an arrangement, I am sure of it." Mr Darcy spoke firmly, "You say I do not know your daughter, well I know her well enough. I will speak directly with her."

Mr Bennet stood up in anger and panic, "No, I forbid you to speak to her about this. I forbid you to speak to her about anything."

"You must allow her the choice!" Mr Darcy exclaimed.

"Choice! She is not yet even one and twenty yet sir, she doesn't get a choice. As her father, no matter the mistakes I have made, I will not, I cannot allow her to sign her life away. No, I think enough has been said don't you, you can take your documents and leave Mr Darcy. You can trust that I will speak to my family today about our change in circumstances and that will be all. Elizabeth is not to be spoken to, not by you." Mr Bennet held out the deeds. Mr Darcy made no move to take them.

"Sir I will make this offer to Elizabeth, if you cannot see reason I expect your daughter will. That being said, she has been known not to act in her family's interest before. If I somehow fail to convince her, or I am not allowed the opportunity to converse with her…" Mr Darcy shook his head in frustration, eyes narrowing in spite, "Well then maybe after a few months of experiencing real hardship, I will visit your daughter again to see if her time earning herself calluses and scrubbing floors has wavered that inherent. Bennet. Pride," he rolled each word off his tongue with the mocking tone the foolish man deserved.

"Take your ill-gained deeds" he shoved the papers away from him "and get out of my house."

Reminding Mr Bennet that it was in fact his house seemed a shade too uncivilised even after their exchange, so Mr Darcy simply took the papers, bowed, and closed the study door as he left.

Longbourn was silent as he strode through the halls and left the property at a brisk pace, his anger at Mr Bennet's delusions and denial driving through him pushing every step further into the ground. The laughter, the piano that had painted such a charming picture as he had entered the property was all gone, it was as if his very presence had torn the life and warmth from Longbourn's walls and right now he felt glad of it. A closed-door probably went towards some privacy, but he expected that the eventual raised voices would have carried throughout the house. How clearly and thoroughly the words had traveled he could not say, and, frankly he couldn't care a wit. It would serve his purpose if the household, especially Elizabeth, had heard how severely changed her family circumstances were.

Having just had that thought, he let out an audible groan on reaching to untie his horse. No, having your elicit arrangement shouted throughout the house was not actually his preferred method of informing Elizabeth. Stroking his stead while looking back to the where he had stood with Elizabeth, thinking of their fond interaction before her father had interrupted them. He wanted Elizabeth to accept this arrangement, to settle into her new position with him. Part of him wanted to relish in her reaction, to enjoy her eyes alight with fury, so he in turn could stand firm against her, soothe her into acceptance. It was a balance he had envisioned controlling and he now….well now that might have been taken out of his hands.

He growled as he gathered up his reigns to mount, he would have to find a way to present his own appeal to her, to counteract her own father's views, the views that every genteel woman believed in. It should be easy to persuade Elizabeth that wanting her, desiring her as a mistress, was the best she and her family could hope for, and she should be grateful for the offer.

Although he wasn't exactly preparing for gratitude. He was fully expecting to have to use her family's prospects to get her to concede, if her rejection hadn't been clear he now had it confirmed from her father that she held little fondness for him. But what does her fondness have to do with becoming a mistress, woman choose this line of security all the time. It was only logical in her position and he wasn't a stranger, despite her sharp tongue she knew he had already expressed admiration, it wasn't some unknown she was giving seeking protection with. His familiarity should be reassuring. She may not welcome him at first, but she would come to learn that there would be no-one even at the heights of London that would provide for her as he would.

But without her father's approval, he would have to find another way to speak to her. At least, if he could take Bennet at his word, his family would be informed of their situation. From there it was only a matter of time until he had Elizabeth to himself.

Thank you for reading x