-`o´-

As luck would have it - or not, Elizabeth could not sleep well that night. At first light, she went down to the kitchen and got herself a bite of cheese and a slice of bread and then went out.

At first she was unwilling to walk the same lanes she used to, as yet another encounter with Mr. Darcy would be unsupportable for her spirits. Though that was unlikely to happen, she reasoned to herself, seeing that the gentlemen were going back to town today. So on she went, boldly and not a little defiantly. Mr. Darcy was there, although she did not see him at first, hidden as he was by a flowering bush where before there had been only branches.

He bowed to her very correctly, but did not say a word or made to offer his arm, nor did he seem to want to walk with her. She did not talk either but gestured for him to join her and after a moment of hesitation, he proceeded to do so. Darcy could not imagine why Elizabeth would wish for his company.

Before that evening he thought she enjoyed spending time with him, now he knew better. He was busy thinking how he should apologize to her, but he was afraid he would make everything worse. Not for the first time he wished he had his cousin's talent of going to the heart of the matter.

"I would like to apologize," Elizabeth broke the silence. She saw her companion start and he would have probably said something, but she hurried on. It was a task she had to perform, apologizing to Mr. Darcy, and she wanted to do it as soon as may be. If fate brought him to her so very soon, then she would better make the most of it. "I have thought a lot about everything and in short you were right about my family, for the most part."

"I was not, Miss Bennet," Darcy said with feeling. He thought it safer not to say aloud her name. It was best to not dwell on what it could not be.

"You were, although not in full. It was disheartening to hear you talking about them in such terms, but nothing I did not already hear from Mr. Wickham."

Wickham? Wickham!?

"...It should not have been such a blow. No," she said when he was going to speak again, "please let me finish. I should apologize for always thinking the worst of you and for imputing unkind and unjust motives to you when I had no good reason to do so. Should Jane have ever been in danger of entering a match in which the other party held her in no particular affection, I would have fought against it too."

She was too kind and he did not deserve her. How could he have thought the Bennets were so bad when they produced such wonderful children? His cousins' words from the day before were again coming back to him as they did for most of yesterday and night. Verily, he was a fool; and he would tell her so. But what was this about Wickham?

"You have nothing for which to apologize, Miss Bennet. The truth is, I am a fool. I would like to think that my behaviour has always been correct, but I'm afraid you saw a side of me I was not even aware I possess. My cousin was right: I did not give myself the trouble in Meryton. I considered being in that society a chore to be endured, not a pleasure to be enjoyed. For that, I would like to apologize as well."

"Very well, Mr. Darcy. But you must know that your reputation in Meryton is not so very bad. Mr. Wickham's disgrace -"

"Yes, you have mentioned Wickham's opinions as being the same as mine."

"We happened upon him and a few other officers and before they could see us he made some comments about our family, about our - our respectability."

This was a blow of a different kind and all the more hurtful for being unexpected. That he and Wickham would judge the worth of people by the same measure was disturbing. How had he sunk that low? What would his father say, were he to see what his son had become?

"... I am sorry to say I thought him a friend."

"You thought Wickham a friend?" To think that Elizabeth had been in Wickham's power made him sick and his stomach twisted painfully.

"Yes, Mr. Darcy, we were talking about him. Do not worry, I know - now - that I should not have listened to his stories, that there was no will and in consequence, his present situation was not the result of some petty revenge on your part. My mother's sister, I do not know if you remember my aunt Phillips, she had a very good point which I never considered when I first heard Mr. Wickham's account of your shared past: either there was a will and he could have taken you to court to make you comply with its dispositions or there was no will and he, Mr. Wickham, was a common liar."

"There was a will, Miss Bennet, and I complied faithfully with its terms."

"I did not consider this to be a possibility. It does not matter now; Mr. Wickham is still a common liar. And I have long been ashamed for having listened to him."

"So your opinion of me was based on Wickham's tales?"

"Ah, no. Mr. Wickham's account of your supposed misdeeds merely confirmed my bad opinion of you and gave me even more reasons to, er, to not like you."

"I would have liked to have more time this morning, Elizabeth, but I need to go back. We will be on our way presently." There were so many things he wanted to tell her!

She started at being addressed so informally, but Mr. Darcy did not seem to notice his slip.

"Will you be back to London or Longbourn?"

"To London, sir, for two weeks with Jane and Lydia and then I will go back home."

"Can I call on you, Miss Bennet?"

She did not answer at first and he wanted to kick himself. Why did he spend so much time wooing himself into accepting her family instead of talking to her? How could he have been such an idiot?

"I am staying with my mother's brother and his wife, sir, in Gracechurch Street."

"Yes, I believe I remember -" he cut himself off just in time. What he remembered was Miss Bingley's opinion on the Bennets' relations from town and what he replied was how having such relations would affect the daughters' chances at making good matches.

"Yes, well, I'm sure you heard them mentioned. I will be staying with them."

"I would like to call on you, Miss Bennet, in Gracechurch Street."

"There's also the matter of Mr. Bingley. I was in earnest, sir. I am afraid I will not entertain callers if doing so will distress my sister or Mr. Bingley."

"Very well, Miss Bennet. I will not call unless I can mend fences with Bingley. I owe him an apology as well."

They were almost near the Parsonage now and soon he would be gone and she was not sure she would see him again, his desire to call on her notwithstanding. "Why do you wish to call on me?" she asked, although she was not sure what she wanted him to say.

Darcy looked at her in shock. How could she ask? Did she not know?

She looked genuinely confused and even a little apprehensive and for the first time Darcy saw himself as she probably saw him: a proud rich man, who used to slight her family and neighbours and who probably slighted her too on occasion, who would now humble himself to meet her relatives in trade. Why indeed would he do that?

"I wish to court you, Miss Bennet," he answered simply.

-`o´-

Meanwhile at Longbourn

"Oh, my dear, dear Jane! I knew you could not be so beautiful for nothing! Oh, brother, how kind you are to us! And is it really true? Yes, yes, it must be true! We are saved! Oh, Mr. Bennet, we are saved."

With such effusions, Mrs. Bennet had welcomed her brother Gardiner, her eldest daughter, and Mr. Bingley back to Longbourn without even waiting for them to come into the house.

Even Jane was overwhelmed by her mother's lack of sense and decorum. She was grasping Charles' arm as hard as she could and was at a loss as to how to proceed.

Mr. Bennet was smiling slightly, his manner unconcerned, and made no attempt to calm his wife and Edward Gardiner was drawing breath to take charge of the family before they made even more of a spectacle of themselves. He was beaten to it by Mr. Bingley.

"Saved, Mrs. Bennet? Of what are you speaking?"

"Why, you are here to marry our Jane! I knew how it would be! We are saved!"

"Mrs. Bennet, perhaps we should all walk inside," Mr. Bennet attempted to steer his wife in the direction of the door. He did not care for Mr. Bingley's mien just then.

"There is no need, sir," Bingley interrupted him, quite brusquely. "I would like to know what I should save you from," he said in a tone that demanded answers. Gone was Mr. Bingley of yore, the easy-going, friendly fellow.

"You know Mrs. Bennet," Mr. Bennet waved his hands and turned to enter.

"Not as well as I should, Mr. Bennet. Madam, what am I to save you from?"

"From being thrown out of Longbourn!"

"Is the estate in debt?"

"Mrs. Bennet, be quiet now. Brother, Jane, why do we not take some refreshments?"

"What debt? There is no debt! Mr. Collins will throw us out when Mr. Bennet is dead, but now we will all live at Netherfield."

"Mrs. Bennet! Fanny, be quiet now!"

"Is this your plan as well, Mr. Bennet?" Bingley asked, and then frowned in feigned concentration. "I intend for us to be back in London for the evening meal, so we should proceed directly to negotiations. Come, Jane, let us talk to your father. We would not want to trespass on your family's time more than we ought."

"London? Are you not reopening the house?"

"No, madam," he answered and gestured for Mr. Bennet to precede them inside.

Mrs. Bennet did not care one jot for this serious Mr. Bingley; still, he was rich and she would humor him for now.

-`o´-

"That was quite a spectacle, Mr. Bingley, and not one that my wife is likely to forget. I would be more careful if I were you, young man."

"Mrs. Bennet is not my wife, sir. She will not live with us for any length of time."

"Do you agree, Jane?" he asked, cocking his head and regarding his eldest daughter with interest. "What do you think, brother?"

"This is no laughing matter, Bennet."

"I know, I know. Now run along, Jane, spend some time with your mother. I'm sure she wishes for news of all the dresses you've bought."

"No, sir. I should be here when we discuss my - my portion."

"You do not trust Mr. Bingley to be generous with the settlement?"

Jane entered the study and sat down directly. "I know Charles to be the most generous of men. He is too generous, I'm afraid, and I would not wish our fortune to be taken away from our children to support my sisters."

"You know I would be careful, dearest Jane."

"I know," she replied and smiled at him. "I trust you."

Mr. Bennet could do nought but scowl. His manners might have been different from his wife's, but his thoughts most certainly were not. He had been pleased when he received a letter from his brother Gardiner announcing Jane's engagement to Bingley and was sure it would save him a world of troubles and economy.

-`o´-

"Two thousand? Where am I to get two thousand?"

"It is a very reasonable request, Mr. Bennet. I would have thought the daughters of such a large estate would have a dowry."

"You know full well they do not have it. I imagine your sisters knew all the gossip within days of their arrival, if not hours, and must have informed you. Especially when they convinced you, as I believe they did, to give up Jane."

"They had their reasons, papa, and I found I could not fault them for how they viewed us."

"Mr. Bennet, I do not take my information from gossip. Does Miss Bennet have a dowry or not?"

"She does not. She has her share of her mother's settlement available to her after her mother's death."

"How large is this settlement, sir? I am willing to wait if it is worth my time."

"I would have thought a man violently in love cares nothing about such trifling matters. Gardiner, have you nothing to say?"

Gardiner only shook his head and shrugged, but did not choose to speak. He was there solely to support his niece and would not interfere if there was no need.

"How much is the settlement, sir?"

"Five thousand."

"For each daughter?" Bingley found he was enjoying himself. Mr. Bennet had treated his family abominably. From his many talks with Jane and the Gardiners, he pieced together just how bad a father and a husband the man in front of him had been. Maybe it was petty, but he would avenge at least a small fraction of the slights his Jane suffered at her father's hands.

"Five thousand to be divided between all surviving children."

"So she will have one thousand in about twenty to forty years. That's very little. How soon can you procure two thousand?"

"Are you out of your senses? I am not going to go into debt to buy husbands for my daughters!"

"Very well, sir, that is your right. I understand completely. We should adjourn to the drawing-room and tell Mrs. Bennet we could not reach an understanding."

Damnation, but Bingley was not giving him an inch and Gardiner was no help at all.

"Jane, are you sure this is what you want? Think well before responding." His daughter smiled and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Of course, papa. Charles and I have spoken of it at length and we have agreed on everything. I will be with my mother if you need me. I will send word to our uncle Philips that we arrived, so he can join you."

-`o´-

One hour later Mr. Bennet had a better understanding of what was required from him and how much planning his eldest daughter and her suitor put into the meeting.

Philips came to advise him on the finer points of the contract and tried to sweeten the deal, but none of his suggestions had been entertained by Mr. Bingley.

In the end he felt he signed away almost everything Longbourn produced. Mr. Bingley pledged himself to provide each one of his daughters, his future bride included, with a dowry of two thousand.

For his part, Mr. Bennet pledged to make yearly payments of eight hundred pounds when possible, but no less than six hundred, until he covered the portions for all his five daughters.

In addition to it, each married daughter would be entitled to one hundred pounds per annum, for as long as he lived. Mr. Bingley justified the request as help for the future families, seeing that the brides brought almost nothing but themselves to the marriage.

Each unmarried daughter would retain the benefit of a companion and further education if she so chose.

He was not sure how he would survive this blow, but what else could he have done? His wife would be utterly unsupportable if he let Mr. Bingley and his fortune get away. Although what good did that fortune do if Jane was not going to help her sisters and mother, he did not know.

-`o´-

"What did you talk about, Jane? I am so sorry your sisters are not yet back from visiting the tenants! Why Mrs. Croft insists on this, I will never know."

"The mistress of an estate must visit the tenants, mother."

"Oh, tosh, Jane. I do not know what my sister Gardiner has been telling you, but I have never bothered."

"We do not know what kind of people we are going to marry. Maybe our future husbands will require us to help the estate prosper in any way that we can. Visiting the tenant farmers is only a small part."

"La! To hear you talking I would think you are Mary. Jane, remember that Mr. Bingley chose you because you are so beautiful. You start running your mouth and make an unpleasant home for your husband and he'll find other interests," Fanny Bennet said the last word as if it was a curse and threw a loaded look to her daughter. "I never challenged your father and he never strayed. Is Mr. Bingley's fortune entailed away from the girls?"

"Mr. Bingley does not have an estate, so there is no entailment."

"So a daughter could inherit? Or her son?"

"I suppose so. We have not talked about inheritance yet."

"Oh, Jane! You have to talk to him. Beg him not to entail your house away from you!"

-`o´-

The next hour passed with many more exclamations, lamentations, and mostly unwanted and unneeded advice about how she should behave when married. After living in London for so long Jane was sure she would not be coming back home.

She saw her parents as a stranger looking from outside and their faults shone all the brighter for it. It was nothing less than a miracle that Charles still wanted to be connected to them.

Her sisters were finally back and the reunion was everything Jane could have hoped for.

"I have something for you," she said when the first effusions subsided.

"Letters?" Kitty inquired eagerly.

"Of course there are letters, Kitty, but I have something even better. Lydia had been invited to spend the summer with some of Mr. Denny's cousins and she would like the two of you to accompany her; together with Mrs. Croft, of course."

"Oh, what a fine thing for you, girls!" their mother exclaimed before they could say anything. "Do these cousins have an estate?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jane replied, "they have. My sisters are invited for the summer to Cheshire."

"Cheshire? Is that not very far? What need do they have to live there?"

Mrs. Croft said something about it being a lovely county with lots of fine woods, but Mrs. Bennet was not in a mood to listen.

"I do not like it, but perhaps the heir of an estate is not such a bad thing after all. You should try to direct Mr. Denny's attention to yourself, Kitty, so Lydia could charm his cousin, although I have no wish to live so far away. Why can you not find husbands in Meryton, I'm sure I do not understand at all. And Mr. Bingley says he won't open Netherfield. I found your father in Meryton, but you girls never listen! And Lizzy is not even here!"

-`o´-

Author note:

Thank you all for your comments, they are wonderful!

Grammarly doing its job, although for the moment is mostly a bunch of commas. I either don't place them where I should or place them where I should not. Funny that!

Guest who doesn't agree Elizabeth has anything to castigate herself on:

I believe the original Elizabeth behaved very much like Darcy: she could just not help herself to think about him and talk about him. For her it was a negative emotion.

Jane deciding to accept any decent man is a sign of her desperation to do something. Elizabeth doesn't think her sister is mercenary. I'll re-read and see if anything I wrote there could be seen in this light.

Elizabeth also acknowledges that she would have tried to prevent her sister from marrying Collins.

You have to look at it from both sides. If Jane can be pushed by Mrs. Bennet or even by her own desperation, towards a man, then that's her choice to make. But why should Bingley suffer from it?

Darcy not doing something about Wickham, long before the beginning of the novel, is something he should be ashamed of for the rest of his life. In fact in the original novel he gets a sort of punishment: Wickham married Lydia and Darcy had to find him jobs and probably lost a lot of money and credibility recommending Wickham for anything.

Guest who said Mrs. Bennet might have been drinking:

I believe there's a strong hint she was half drunk - talking loudly and not being able to moderate herself, being even more combative and obnoxious than her usual.

But we don't know that for sure. JA doesn't come out and say it.

Guest who said why wasn't Bingley held accountable too:

Jane loves him, simple as that. She took him back in the novel in an instant, she took him back here too.

I have to wonder what would happen if Bingley proved himself to be a womanizer and went on to keep a mistress or maybe more than one. Would Jane be able to take him back or even to not notice?

Luckily this is not such a story. She loves him and he loves her.

Guest who said the double standards of Darcy's extended family were unbelievable:

There were no double standards. The Fitzwilliams, Darcys, de Bourghs were rich and many of them titled. Whatever they did was right, except when somebody of even higher rank said it was not.

Nobody said it was a fair world. JA takes great pleasure in having all these rich and titled characters in her stories acting like fools. Her way of making it right, I guess.

Guest(s) who commented on chapters 4 and 7:

I'm glad you like it and I hope you'll continue to read.

Yes, it's Col. Forster, you are very right. I will change it, I promise, but it's not a simple process to update a file, so I'll do it after I finish posting.