Chapter 3

A/N: Shout out to Anna W. Tolstoy - thank you so much for your reviews, I really really appreciate them! Most of this chapter had already been written, but I will definitely bear your comments in mind for the next chapter :)

The Tardis materialized amidst the hills of nineteenth century England with its usual screech, startling a pair of nearby owls, but otherwise making little impression on the peace of the surrounding countryside. Its owner's head appeared suddenly around the side of the door, his eyes narrowed in concentration and his mouth set in a slight frown, which cleared the moment he recognized his surroundings.

'I did it, Martha! We're here!'

'Well, finally. Took us long enough,' his companion grumbled with a hint of her usual humor, though it took an effort to keep the façade in place.

'Ah, come on!' the Doctor rejoined quickly. 'We simply took a little detour. All part of the plan, of course.'

'Part of the plan to nearly get eaten by those creepy ten-eyed aliens?'

'Not my fault that their planet is called Austen. It was an easy mistake to make.'

Martha merely rolled her eyes, and the Doctor looked a little sheepish. 'Anyway,' he continued. 'We're here now – in the grounds of Longbourn itself. Let's go and explore!'

After an hour of fruitless wandering through a succession of fields which seemed to bring them no closer to the house, Martha gradually became suspicious.

'Doctor…are you absolutely positive that this is Longbourn?'

'Of course!' replied the Doctor quickly – perhaps a little too quickly.

He left an overly casual pause before inquiring nonchalantly, 'What makes you ask?'

'Well, I'm no expert, but the grounds seem a little too large for Longbourn.'

The Doctor frowned slightly and opened his mouth to reply, but at that very moment the house finally came into view. His ready assurance died in his throat, replaced by a small 'ah' of sudden comprehension.

Martha's eyes rounded and an unintentional smile crept across her face. 'That's Pemberley! …We're at Pemberley!'

'We do seem to be, yes,' admitted the Doctor, a little shamefaced.

'But that's even better! God, I can't wait to meet Darcy,' grinned his companion.

'Shall we find out if he's in then?'

'We can't just march up to the door and demand to see him!'

'Why not? This is me, marching up.'

'Doctor, slow down!' Martha yelled after his swiftly retreating figure. 'No monsters, no aliens, so perhaps we could not do the running thing for once?'

'No aliens, eh? What makes you so sure?'

Martha could only stare at him in shock as he took off again in an instant, leaving her no choice but to sprint after him. Laughing softly to herself at his characteristically surprising and sudden revelation and intent on her pursuit, she completely failed to notice the gentleman in her path until it was too late. The Doctor's latest companion collided with the rather shocked-looking Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley, throwing them both to the ground.

Darcy had just returned from his habitual morning ride – an activity which generally served to clear his head, but seemed to have no effect when a certain Miss Elizabeth Bennet was the one occupying it. The close to two months since he had seen her last had done nothing to allow her picture to fade from his mind, nor to diminish his sense of loss. He could still see her before him, her lively brown eyes sparking and lips slightly parted, ready to deliver her latest witticism….or condemnation. The knowledge of her ill opinion of him still pierced Darcy with fresh pain whenever he thought of it, but his determination to attend to her reproofs remained unabated. It was highly likely that he would never see her again, yet he longed for the chance to show her that he could be a better man than he had ever appeared as before her.

With these thoughts rushing through him and occupying most of his faculties, he hardly knew where he walked - only that he was progressing at great speed, fueled by his inner determination. It was therefore no great surprise that he did not see the lady rushing towards him across the grounds until she was nearly upon him. He stopped with a sudden exclamation, but by that point it was too late. She had clearly been likewise absorbed by her own thoughts and was unable to prevent her own forward trajectory until they had collided in the most spectacularly undignified fashion.