Author's note: At last! Let me know the grammar mistakes.

PPP

The day was gray and cool, and Darcy was crossing the square two blocks from Margareth's house when he saw her sitting alone on a bench. He approached her slowly, seeing him, her face lit up and she gestured for him to sit next to her.

"Mr. Darcy, what a pleasant surprise to see you again."

Within seconds, Margareth began to kiss him, and when he managed to separate from her, he saw with horror that Elizabeth was in the square with a little girl looking at him with sadness and clear disappointment.

He woke with a start and tried to remember the details of his dream. He did not see the girl's face, but at that moment he thought of his daughter and Elizabeth. What would happen if, by chance, Elizabeth saw him with Mrs. Smith? Who would believe him that he went only to give her money for her sick daughter? Though not exactly a courtesan, she had told him that she had been intimate with four men for money…and had even suggested being his mistress.

Although he felt sorry for Margareth and her daughter, he had to urgently end any relationship with her. She should not write to him again, let alone go to his house.

As a gentleman, it did not seem appropriate to leave her waiting, therefore, and she needed the money for her daughter. After some serious thought, he asked his housekeeper, Mrs. Dawson -he had known for years - to come to Margareth's house, give her £20 and tell her plainly never to come back to his house or write to him.

With great pleasure, Mrs. Dawson carried out her employer's orders.

PPP

Three days later, Darcy went to a party at the Matlocks'. Lady Matlock arranged the cards in such a way that he had to sit next to Lady Sophia. Dinner was tedious, as Lady Sophia tried to get his attention by talking about topics that did not interest him...

"…it is a pity Lady Maria died so young. I imagine you know we were good friends." She sighed dramatically, "I would like to meet your daughter, Mr. Darcy. Tell me about her."

Darcy did not want to contradict her, but he knew very well that his wife was not exactly a friend of Lady Sophia... "There is not much to say, she is a little girl who is just a year and a half old."

"But I imagine your daughter, despite being so young, must be charming… I like children so much, especially girls. As you know, my sister has a two-year-old daughter, and every week I visit her, especially to play with my niece."

"I am glad you like children," Darcy replied as she continued eating.

Seeing that Darcy was no longer talking about his daughter, she changed the subject completely, "I remember you told me that you like going to the theater; are you going to the premiere of 'Much Ado About Nothing' next week?"

"I will probably go, though I have not decided yet."

"My parents and I are going, so if you want you can join us in our box."

"Thank you, Lady Sophia, but I have my own box."

"I know, but if you want you can join us…"

Lady Sophia went on to talk about the theater, and how much she loved Shakespeare's plays. Darcy told her that his favorite work was Macbeth, and Lady Sophia made the serious mistake of confusing Macbeth's plot with that of Othello...

PPP

Two days later, Darcy was reading Mrs. Reynolds's weekly letter about Pemberley and his daughter, when his cousin Richard walked into his office without knocking. Darcy looked up and with a slight frown said, "Richard, I am sure Lady Matlock and your father taught you that before entering a room you must first knock on the door or at least ask permission."

"Mrs. Dawson told me you were alone, but if you want, I can leave the room and knock on the door before entering." He smiled. "Though since I only have fifteen minutes, I would rather talk to you about Mrs. Barton…"