Hey All,

Back with another chapter, sorry this one took so long to get up! Study is getting hectic - life of a poor uni student ftw... Anyway, enjoy!

faithinfools xx

NOTE: I've used Robert Frost's poem Fire and Ice and a bit of Jane Austen's original Pride and Prejudice, *no copyright intended*, they have more brilliant minds than I ever will..

Am I an honest man and true?
Have I been good to you at all?
Oh I'm so tired of playing these games
We'd just be running down
The same old lines, the same old stories of
Breathless trains and, worn down glories
Houses burning, worlds that turn on their own

We Don't Eat - James Vincent McMorrow

Elizabeth sighed. The cottage that Charlotte was living in was very quaint and quiet but she couldn't help but think it was like a cage. A cage that held her a prisoner. She had only been at Rosings for 3 days and she had already had enough. Reasons being:

1. Mrs De Bourgh or 'Fire-breathing-devil-dragon' as Lizzy liked to call her was constantly on her back about her clothes, her hair, her skin, her job, her sisters, her family, her life. The criticism was non-stop.

She remembered back to dinner on her first night at Rosings:

"Eliza." Mrs De Bourgh said sharply. Elizabeth looked up from her soup.

"Yes ma'am." She replied civilly.

"What do you do for a living?"

"I am a snowboarding instructor ma'am." Elizabeth replied, once again looking down to finish sipping her soup quietly.

"Well, that's quite extraordinary Miss Bennet." Mrs De Bourgh said disdainfully. "Do you draw?"

"No ma'am, I was never taught."

"Do you cook?"

"Not well ma'am." Mrs De Bourgh looked affronted at this.

"But how will you serve your husband?" She said, politely shocked. Lizzy fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"With my sharply honed abilities in the bedroom ma'am." Lizzy said seriously with a western twang. "Like how my mama taught me." She looked back down at her soup and smiled hearing Charlotte cover up her laughter beside her with a cough. She looked up at Mrs De Bourgh's gasp and looking to her left… was that a smirk from the immovable Darcy? She raised her eyes to look at his, shocked while he simply moved his eyes back to his soup.

"That is not a topic to discuss at the dinner table Miss Bennet." Catherine chided harshly. "If anything, I had expected Mr Collins cousin to be a little more well behaved." And with that started Mr Collins sputtering. Lizzy rolled her eyes, her frustration boiling just beneath the surface.

2. Every time she put one toe out of the house, one William Darcy managed to bump into her, no matter where she was on the Rosings property. He also managed to awkwardly talk to her about the weather and then make up an excuse to leave 2 minutes after he had stumbled across her. To say it was weird was putting it mildly.

The first encounter was on the morning of her 2nd day. She had been out running in the woods when he had appeared on a horse right in front of her and said good morning. He had then proceeded to stare at her strangely before answering yes and bidding her goodbye.

The second encounter was on the afternoon of the 2nd day when she had gone for a walk, admiring the beautiful surroundings that were around her. She was lost in her own mind when she heard a stick cracking, whirling around she saw Darcy.

"Hello Elizabeth." He said haltingly.

"Hello Darcy." She said with a scowl. She sighed, he was Rich's cousin after all, it was the least she could do to be civil. "I was just admiring the beautiful scenery. I love spring, it always has such a magical touch, the green leaves, the myriad of colourful flowers, simply stunning." She remarked, looking out at the greenery around her.

"Yes." He replied. "The weather is also quite nice today." He clipped.

"Indeed it is." She said steadily, refusing to make the exchange easier for him. After minutes of uncomfortable silence, he turned on his heel and left her, without so much as a goodbye while she stared after him. She shrugged and continued on her merry way when she heard him turn around and walk towards her.

"Yes Darcy?" She asked.

"What do you think of poetry as a token of affection?" He said suddenly.

"It has a high efficacy of driving away love." She replied, arching one brow at her.

"I was have been used to considering poetry as the food of love."

"Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may. Everything nourishes what is strong already. But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away." She said. He stared into her eyes, watching, looking for something before opening his mouth.

"Some say the world will end in fire."

"Some say in ice." She said softly, following his lead.

"From what I've tasted of desire."

"I hold with those who favour fire."

"But if it had to perish twice,"

"I think I know enough of hate."

"To say that for destruction ice."

"Is also great."

"And would suffice," she finished softly. He reached out his hand, as if to touch her cheek as her body leaned in towards his, almost intuitively. Before he suddenly jerked back his hand as if it were burning, turned and stalked off. Lizzy shook her head in wonder. "What a strange man." She muttered to herself.

3. Collins wouldn't shut up about Mrs De Bourgh, and how expensive her house was. He was almost as bad as her mother. He knew the exact price of every piece of furniture in the De Bourgh mansion as well as its make, design, rarity, it was ridiculous. Many a comment was made on the "fine authentic furniture", the "stunningly fragile tapistries that so wonderfully matched the rustic brick walls" of the house, not to mention that that rug, right there, the one she was oh so undelicately standing on cost 500,000 pounds. How could Charlotte live with this, Lizzy had no idea.

4. Richard had only been able to skype her once during her time at Rosings, and the call lasted 2 minutes before he had to leave for some official Pemberley business. She was missing him more than she thought she would. Lizzy had always been an independent woman and to rely on someone other than Jane this much was new and frightening. But she had given her word and she would stick by it.

Lizzy sighed again, it had just started to drizzle, she stood at the window, watching the little raindrops slide down the windowpane, ruining her thoughts of going on a run. She had dressed in her long tights, a nike running top with a large hoody that she had borrowed from Richard before he left for London. She turned away from the window, deciding to get started on that book she had brought with her. Sitting down by the fire, she had just lightly trailed her fingers down the spine when the door to the room opened.

"Darcy!" Lizzy jumped up, dropping the book on the ground. "Goodness, you scared me!" She said breathlessly. She watched him curiously, he seemed nervous, fluttering, unable to keep still on his feet. His shirt and pants slightly damp from the rain, eyes constantly watching her, she waited. "Would you like some tea…?" She asked hesitantly.

"No," He replied, tacking a quick "thank you" on the end.

"Charlotte and Collins are out at the moment." She said, filling in the awkward silence that had invaded the room.

"Yes, I know, I came across them as I was walking here." He replied.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked him, confused. He nodded and began to pace steadily, back and forth, still he didn't speak. She waited, arms crossed, watching him stop, open his mouth, shake his head and start pacing again. "I'm sorry Darcy, but I don't have all day to stand here and watch you pace." She said, annoyed.

Darcy stopped, turned to look at her, took a deep breath and blurted, "Marry me." Lizzy's jaw dropped.

"Excuse me?" She said, unbelievingly.

"You heard me Elizabeth, marry me." Darcy said. When she didn't answer, he started pacing again. "I have struggled in vain with this decision and I can bear it no longer. I have fought against my better judgment, my family's expectation and your family and I am willing to put them aside for us to be together." Elizabeth stood there with her mouth open, her anger boiling on the inside.

"No."

"No?" He reeled back as if she had slapped him.

"No Darcy, I am sorry but I cannot accept." She said, grinding out the words.

"And may I ask why as to with so little civility you choose to reject me?" He said angrily.

"I am sure that all those things which you told me hindered your regard for me will help you in overcoming this attraction." She spat at him, walking around him and walking out the front door, slamming the door behind her. She didn't care it was raining harder than before, she didn't care if she got sick, she didn't care if she was going to ruin Collins' carpet or upholstery when she got back, she just had to get away from that vile man. She heard the door open and close and footsteps as he ran after her.

"Elizabeth!" He yelled. He grabbed her arm tight. "Let. Go." She said, trying to breathe steadily. Darcy let go immediately as if his hand had been burned.

Lizzy hissed as the pressure was released from her arm, she knew immediately it would bruise later. "What do you want?" She said whirling around angrily. "I owe you nothing."

"You owe me an explanation!" He yelled at her. She laughed sadistically.

"An explanation? You just told me you liked me against your better judgement. You insulted my family and myself and you expect me to marry you? Most guys go for a date first, this isn't the 17th Century!" She spat at him. "Even if I wasn't offended by what you said, I have other reasons, you know I have."

"What do you think th–" He started. She cut him off.

"Do you think that there is anything in the world that could tempt me to accept the man who quite possibly ruined the happiness of a most beloved sister?" He closed his mouth shut, eyes showing a brief look of shock before his usual mask of indifference slipped back into place. Lizzy looked away. "Do you deny it then?" She asked, her voice full of quiet rage.

"No." He said simply, staring her straight in the eye.

"How dare you–" She began, he cut her off.

"Before you even think of berating me, I checked most diligently, watched her for any kind of partiality on her behalf and there was none." He said indignantly.

"That's because she's shy!" Elizabeth said loudly.

"And there was the matter of your mother." He went on, ignoring her outburst.

"My mother?" Elizabeth said in disbelief.

"She made it abundantly clear that a marriage between your sister and Bingley would be very advantageous to her." He said, watching her.

"Charles wasn't dating her." Elizabeth yelled at him, "He was dating my sister, and I had never seen her happier in my life and you ripped that away from her. My mother may be overbearing but she just wants the best for her children, you can't fault her for that."

"Do you not try and justify her behaviour." He yelled back.

"And you can justify yours?" She countered. She scoffed, "Coming from a man who has been the perfect gentleman up until this point." She said sarcastically.

"Do you not think Elizabeth, that if you were in my position, and you were looking out for your sister, you would have done exactly the same thing." He said scathingly. She was silent at that.

"What about Mr Wickham." She said. His face turned murderous, she knew she had hit him with a low blow but she didn't care, he had insulted not only her, but her sister.

"What about that bastard?" He hissed at her. She crossed her arms defiantly.

"You knew. You knew exactly what he was like and yet you didn't do anything, you didn't tell anyone, and now he's running around, doing God knows what, probably raping innocent women, scamming money off of them and abusing them." She screamed at him. "How can you live with yourself knowing that? He's a ruthless person, trying to sleep with every woman who he can get his hands on."

"You don't know everything!" He yelled at her then, hands shaking in fury. His eyes moving downwards, unable to look at hers until his eyes stopped. His throat closed up as he looked at the hoody she was wearing closely. "Who's is that?" He asked quietly, his voice raspy, heart clenched tightly, already knowing the answer to his question. She looked down, confused.

"It's Richard's." She said, looking at the faded maroon Oxford jumper with a dark scorch mark down one arm and a white stain on the left side of the torso. His shoulders slumped then, his eyes searching hers for something, what, she didn't know. His eyes then moved to the ground.

"So this is what you think of me," he whispered quietly. "I'm sorry Miss Bennet, for taking up so much of your time." He said, looking her once more in the eyes before turning abruptly and walking towards Rosings as quickly as he could. Elizabeth slumped to her knees and let out a frustrated scream as tears started to fall from her eyes, falling with the rain.

Darcy walked back towards the house dejected, dejected and angry. How could Richard have not told him? They were… he didn't know what they were but he sure as hell knew he didn't want to know. He was shivering and soaked through, the rain pouring down like his endless torment. She had said it herself, there was nothing on earth that could tempt her to accept him. His eyes teared, teardrops slowly falling down his face, merging with the rain. He kept his eyes on the ground, walking steadily, as he was just about to reach the front of the house, he heard his name being called from behind, he turned around, hopeful it was her.

"Darcy!" Richard called, an umbrella in his hand. "Are you alright? I've been looking for you everywhere!" Richard said happily. "God man, you are soaked through, you're going to get sick." He said jovially. Then he stopped and looked at Darcy closely. "Will, are you okay?" He said seriously, reaching out to clap his cousin on the shoulder. Darcy pulled back and stepped away from his cousin.

"Don't Richard, just don't." He said defensively.

"Will… I just want to –"

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, eyes looking up, boring into Richard's own.

"Tell you what Will?" Richard said confused.

"You.. You… You- You and her." He started and finished lamely. Richard's face turned from confusion into recognition.

"She told you about us?" Richard asked, thoroughly confused. Darcy looked away.

"Not exactly." He said quietly, the sound of the rain around them deafening.

"We're dating Will, I couldn't tell you because you never gave me the chance to, you hated her family from the start and sure as hell wouldn't approved of me being friends with her let alone dating her. You barely tolerate her for Georgiana's sake." Richard said seriously, sighing. "God Will, your distaste for her and her family were visible from the start, she told me about how you said that she wasn't good enough to suit your tastes... I just didn't know how to tell you."

"I– She heard that?!" Darcy closed his eyes in defeat, taking a deep breath before opening his eyes and tried again, "You know you could tell me anything Richard and I would listen." He said quietly, "You're like a brother to me."

"I know." Richard replied.

"I'm going back to work Richard." Darcy said determinedly.

"What?" His cousin said reeling back, "but I just got here… Who is going to save me from Aunty Cathy's vicious claws." He said jokingly.

"Ask your girlfriend, she's more than capable." Darcy said bitterly, then he sighed. "I'm sorry Richard. I just… I need to get back to look after things there, I just got a call this morning, the London office needs me." He lied.

"Okay." Richard said, knowing his cousin was lying (Will had never been a good liar). "I'll see you when I get back." Darcy nodded and clapped his cousin on the back, walking away.

Hope you enjoyed that little chapter, R&R friends xx