Fortunately, it is the weekend and I have a bit of spare time to write another short update. Actually, I have 6 sets of test papers to mark but I am choosing to ignore them for now. ;-)

Vesper1931: Aww, Mary and the colonel. Sadly, I have not planned for the colonel feature in this story…

Deanna27: Wickham is a charmer and he can be resourceful.

Lisa: Here it is, another chapter. I hope it does not disappoint.

Guest: The Mary I see here seems content. She accepts that she is not as pretty, as outgoing, as witty as her other sisters and she is at ease with staying at Longbourn. I think she has it in her to "tame" Collins.

liysyl: Guess who finally turns up.

Guest: Yes, let us hope Elizabeth has more sense.

RHALiz: I am truly sorry to cause any stress. I do not intend this story to be high angst. Any angst will be of short duration, I hope. I honestly have not read any recent rape/seduction stories. I find that I am not a huge fan of those themes, at least at the present time. I have not had much time to read fanfiction lately. If there are any similarities, they are purely coincidental.

Belatrixie: Can Darce save the fair maiden?

crispill: Yes, Collins is now taken. Phew!

DSLeo: I would so like for Elizabeth to be kick-ass. That would be awesome!

Another Lizzie: I hope Lizzy listens to your advice.

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Elizabeth became distracted by numerous thoughts about Mr Darcy, Mr Collins and her family. Mr Wickham's suggestion of taking shelter did not quite register with her. She only vaguely remembered hearing "shed" when Mr Wickham stopped in front of one and appeared to be waiting for her to do something. Mr Wickham then opened the creaky door and Elizabeth wondered what he was doing.

"Would you like me to enter first?"

Elizabeth looked puzzled and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Do not worry, Miss Bennet. We will only wait inside till the rain passes. It should not take too long. If you wish, you can go in so you do not get drenched and I will wait outside."

Elizabeth did not make a move. She did not think it was a wise idea to go into an old shed. As she had always been fond of being outdoors, she was not really overly concerned about the rain. Suddenly her eyes widened,

"Rat!"

Mr Wickham followed her gaze and saw that there was a big rat sniffing his boots.

"Aaaaaaaarrrrrrgggghhhhhh!!! Get away from me!"

He jumped and instinctively moved closer to Elizabeth.

The young lady turned to him and looked amused, then watched the rat scurry away.

"It was only a rat, sir."

"Only a rat? Rats are filthy and they carry disease!"

"That may be so, but the rat is likely more afraid of you than you are of it."

"Who says I am afraid? I was merely caught unawares. I have been in that shed with… I mean, I have not seen rats in there -- "

"Miss Bennet!"

They both turned and saw Mr Darcy rapidly approaching. Initially, Mr Darcy had thought that he would find Elizabeth immediately. He was a brisk walker and had longer strides than her. He had obviously underestimated that woman. Not only can she climb out of windows easily, she can also bolt like a doe. He had been trying to follow the tracks on the muddy path, but at some point, there appeared two sets of prints. Deciding to continue following the tracks, he had hoped they would lead him to Elizabeth soon.

After some time, he had heard some screams from a male voice. To him, it had sounded like Wickham. His heart had started to beat faster as he feared that Elizabeth could be in danger. It was imperative for him to locate Elizabeth urgently!

When he finally saw Elizabeth and Wickham, he had noticed that they were in conversation but he had only caught the last of Wickham's words. Elizabeth did not look distressed or harmed but Darcy did not like seeing Wickham hovering too close in proximity to her. He knew that Wickham had been spouting lies about him and that Elizabeth believed that scoundrel.

"Darcy! What a surprise!"

Mr Darcy only nodded at Wickham and addressed Elizabeth.

"Miss Bennet, your father wishes to discuss some estate matters with you. We need to return immediately before it rains and gets dark."

Mr Darcy was careful not to divulge information that Wickham did not need to know. He did not want Wickham to know about what was happening at Longbourn and that Mr Bennet was worried about Elizabeth. What he said was not a complete lie as the Bennets were concerned about the future of Longbourn and who its next mistress could be. Hopefully, it would not be Elizabeth.

Elizabeth understood his meaning, that her father wanted her to go home. She was not pleased about walking back with Mr Darcy, especially after what Mr Wickham had told her. She would rather go with Mr Wickham. However, she knew that she could not ask Mr Wickham to return with her. Mr Darcy was the one her father sent to retrieve her and she did not want to worry her father even more if they tarry.

Mr Wickham was disappointed that he would not have any more time with the tempting Elizabeth. He knew that he also needed to go back to his duties lest he gets into trouble with his superiors.

"I had better return to my duties, Miss Bennet. I hope to see you again soon."

He then turned to Mr Darcy and saw that he appeared tense. The officer then decided to taunt Mr Darcy in order to get a reaction from him.

"I hope dear Georgiana is well, Darcy. I have not seen her in a while. She must be growing into a lovely young lady."

"She is Miss Darcy to you, Wickham."

Mr Wickham knew Mr Darcy would not dare say anything to tarnish Georgiana's reputation. That was why he wanted to provoke him and observe how well he can manage his temper in Elizabeth's presence.

"Your sister has allowed me to call her Georgiana. After all, she considers me a close friend."

Elizabeth saw Mr Darcy clenching his fists repeatedly then took a few steps towards Mr Wickham. The young lady sensed that he wanted to hit Mr Wickham. She quickly stood between them and held out her hands impulsively to Mr Darcy's chest. Mr Darcy tore his angry eyes away from Mr Wickham and looked at Elizabeth. He then looked down at her hands on his chest and he took a slow, deep breath. Now Elizabeth felt embarrassed by her actions and instantly dropped her hands.

"We need to go," Mr Darcy spoke softly.

Mr Wickham noted this interaction with interest then smirked.

Who would have thought that the mighty Mr Darcy will fall for a woman who has neither money nor connections?

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Sorry, I could not help it. I am hopeless at keeping everything serious. The rat idea just came to me when I was thinking about how Darcy will find Elizabeth. I thought maybe use a snake, but a rat makes it more comical. Darcy needed to hear something to know where they were, hence Wickham screaming. It could have sounded like Elizabeth was assaulting him. Pardon me for my silliness.