Hey guys, so this was a little experiment that came to mind when someone commented that 1st person is often hard to do well and so that got me thinking that I should re-write the story in 3rd person. Let me know what you think...

Elizabeth angrily marched back in the direction of the parsonage, her feelings whirling about in her mind. As she walked, she examined all that had taken place in the last hour. She had begun her morning at Hunsford as she had every morning since her arrival in Kent; she had intended to find solace and comfort in the wooded areas surrounding Hunsford and Rosings Park, however to no avail. Mr Darcy had come upon her, walking alone in the hopes of finding her. Her? She had believed Mr Darcy indifferent, even bordering on dismissive at times; however the dance at Netherfield had left her confused as to Mr Darcy's character. Elizabeth shook her head at these thoughts as she was sure that she could not have been misled in this manner. She had never been wrong before and she was quite confident that in relation to Mr Darcy, she never would.

Elizabeth rounded the last corner and caught sight once more of the quaint yet charming parsonage that she had called home in recent times. It was with a decided frown that she caught sight of Mr Collins standing in the doorway of his home, anxiously looking about as if to search for his cousin.

At last she reached the gate and heard her cousin call out to her.

"Cousin Eli-" he stammered as Elizabeth studiously ignored him, continuing into the house, such was her present state of mind.

Only once Elizabeth was inside her room, away from prying eyes did she begin to play the laughable and unwanted proposal that Mr Darcy had entreated her to accept, such was his certainty that he would indeed be accepted.

Unaware that she had begun to cry for seemingly no reason, Elizabeth wiped her eyes and took a deep breath as she continued to dwell on the proposal of that afternoon.

Her cousin, Mr Collins, had been wrong, however. He had once said that Elizabeth would not receive a proposal from another man if she did not accept him; however the events of that afternoon had been quite to the contrary. This thought did little to quiet Elizabeth's tumultuous thoughts.

Mr Darcy's words rushed unbidden into her mind at that moment.

"You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

Elizabeth was astonished to realise that these words had been stated without the pomp and arrogance that she had come to associate with Mr Darcy's character, further confusing her, as such traits had been present in all her dealings with that gentleman until then.

Elizabeth could not believe the truthfulness of such a statement as Mr Darcy had uttered it with such confidence and gentleness. She gazed about the room as if in order to ascertain her surroundings and anchor herself to the present.

To add further insult to the unwanted proposal, Mr Darcy had presumed to announce to Elizabeth that he would be willing to marry her, as he put it, "against all better judgement." Elizabeth began to shake, whether from fury at such a presumption or from another cause, she could not rightly tell.

However, when her thoughts turned to her reply, she could easily justify her responses which had chiefly arisen from resentment and indignation of being spoken to in such a manner. She did not find it too difficult to justify her angry words which Mr Darcy had borne as any gentleman would likely have done.

A knock mercifully interrupted Elizabeth's troubling thoughts. She glanced at the doorway and saw her dear friend Charlotte entering the room. Elizabeth smiled as she entered, hoping to reassure her friend that she was well.

"Lizzy, are you truly well?" Charlotte asked as concern crept into her voice and features, as she came to sit on the bed next to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth nodded, to which Charlotte frowned. She had known Elizabeth for too long to take her every word as absolute truth; however she could see that her friend was not ready to speak about what had happened.

"Dear Lizzy, Lady Catherine has once more invited us to dine at Rosings. Will you be well enough to attend?" Charlotte asked, not wishing to appear ungrateful for Lady Catherine's diligent efforts to make her guest feel welcome.

Elizabeth was unsure as to how to reply, however she said to Charlotte, "Forgive me, however I must decline Lady Catherine's kind invitation as I have a sudden headache and I wish to rest."

Charlotte nodded and left the room, leaving Elizabeth alone once more with her thoughts.

Mr Darcy slowly walked back in the direction of Rosings, his pace reflecting his present state of mind. He could not deter his mind from returning to Miss Elizabeth's blatant rejection of his perfectly eloquent proposal, or at least what he had believed to be perfectly eloquent. As his thoughts tended towards the events of the day, his anger rose unbidden for reasons that he could not fathom.

As he climbed the stone staircase and into the vast and ostentatious foyer, Miss Elizabeth's words echoed in his mind.

"If you had behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner...you are the last man in the world whom I would ever be prevailed upon to marry." Mr Darcy shook his head as these thoughts threatened to overwhelm him and not a moment too soon for his aunt, the great Lady Catherine de Bough, could be heard summoning both himself and Richard Fitzwilliam to her presence.

He sighed as he did not wish to sit with his aunt at all, not when his mind was reeling from the barrage of insults that had been hurled at him. However, as Mr Darcy began to ascend the deep mahogany staircase to his room for much needed privacy, he was interrupted by his cousin who had noticed and become curious about his absence.

"Cousin, I have been looking for you, where were you this afternoon? Aunt has been anxious over your absence as you left quite suddenly." Richard declared in a jovial tone as his eyes glinted with mischief.

Mr Darcy glanced at Richard in such a way that suggested that he should not try his temper. Richard nodded however the way in which he tilted his head clearly suggested that he wished for some sort of response from his despondent cousin.

Sighing, Mr Darcy said to Richard, "Richard, could you please make my excuses to aunt for my absence? I cannot face her or anyone at this moment."

Richard wondered what had happened in order to cause this mood in his cousin however he dared not question him as his mood suggested that he was not to be trifled with. However, before he allowed his cousin to remove himself from his company and return to his bedchamber, Richard declared, "I shall know what plagues your mind Darce. I am determined to know."

With that, Mr Darcy was released from obligations concerning their aunt, at least for a little while. Mr Darcy trudged on to his bedchamber which, like most of the decor in Rosings Park, reflected the gaudy style that one would expect from Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Below him, Mr Darcy was able to discern his aunt's displeasure at the fact that he was not attending her as ordered. To his great shame, he realised that some of the words that he had directed at Miss Elizabeth in frustration just that afternoon, as he too had relations to be ashamed and embarrassed of.

As Mr Darcy pondered the events that had transpired in rapid succession, as he removed his cravat and waistcoat, he came to the rather sudden realisation that Miss Elizabeth would be dining with his aunt as he had heard his aunt and her parson speaking about it that morning. Such a realisation caused him no small amount of shock, causing him to sit on his bed in order to regain a semblance of composure. He could not help but wonder why he had reacted in such a way and resolved to discover the reason as soon as he was able, as these feelings made him feel quite ill.

Anger at his aunt for tormenting him in such a manner flared within him suddenly; however it quickly subsided as she could not possibly know about his shame at the affairs of that very afternoon.

Mr Darcy rose from his bed and crossed to the window to look out at the brilliant sunset. After what seemed like an eternity, his trusty valet came to prepare him to dine with company. He frowned as he was dressed, dreading the evening ahead.