The next morning, Jane received an invitation to dine with the Bingley sisters at Netherfield for that evening. Despite the fact that Mr. Bingley would not be in attendance, she greatly desired to go. Mrs. Bennet could barely contain her excitement as she told Jane she must go on horseback, as the carriage was already going to be in use that evening. Jane, being the sweet soul that she is, did not argue, even though it looked like it might rain.

So that is how, some hours later, Jane found herself on her way to Netherfield in the pouring rain. Mrs. Bennet watched her go from the window with glee, praying that her daughter would catch a cold and be forced to stay the night.

"I am so proud of myself for concocting this plan, Edward," She said to her son. Edward glanced up from the book he was reading with a cocked eyebrow.

"What plan would that be, Mama?" He asked hesitantly, not entirely sure if he wished to know. As his mother explained her plot to keep Jane at Netherfield all night, Edward couldn't help but sigh.

"She could very well catch a cold, Mama. I hope she will be alright," he replied. Mrs. Bennet shrugged her shoulders and said nothing. There was nothing that anyone could say would make her feel guilty about her conduct, as it was for a good cause.

Edward's hopes were in vain, as it turned out. The next morning, the family received a letter from Jane that she had a fever, a sore throat and a throbbing headache. Edward felt for his sister, and wished for the billionth time in his life that his mother had some more common sense.

After breakfast, he decided to walk to Netherfield to see Jane. After the rain from the night before, most of the way was very muddy, but he didn't mind. He had always loved walks, and a little mud never hurt anyone.

As he rounded a corner near Netherfield, he suddenly collided with another human being. After their bodies hit, he found himself falling backward with little hope of stabilizing himself. As his back hit the muddy earth, he felt the wind leave his body and he cringed in pain. What made it all worse was that the person he had crashed in to was none other than Mr. Darcy.

Darcy seemed stunned at what had just happened, but he composed himself enough to extend his hand to help Edward up. Edward ignored it and stood up on his own, trying to regain his breath.

"I apologize, Mr. Bennet. Are you alright?" Darcy asked. Edward nodded.

"Thank you Mr. Darcy, I believe my pride is hurt more than anything," he responded, chuckling a little. "I have come to visit Jane, I heard she was very ill," he continued. Darcy looked down at his muddy boots and pants.

"On foot?"

"Yes, it was a beautiful day outside, and I could always use the exercise," Edward responded. "However, I do not really need to justify that to you. So could you please take me to my sister?" Darcy raised his eyebrows at the man's impertinence, but nodded.

Jane looked even worse than Edward had imagined. Her body was caked in sweat and her hair greasily stuck to her pale forehead. She looked miserable, yet she still greeted Edward with a big smile. Edward pulled up a chair and took his sister's hand.

"Jane, darling, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"Better, now that you're here," she replied. "How are Mama and Papa?"

"Mama's as ridiculous as always and Papa is his normal, reclusive self. Lydia and Kitty spent the entire breakfast hour trying to convince him to throw a party for the officers at Longbourn, and he was having none of it," he laughed. Jane laughed too, which caused her to go into a fit of coughing.

They spent some time talking about their family, but it was not long before Edward realized that his sister needed sleep. He kissed her forehead and promised to visit her the next day, to which she shook her head violently.

"Oh no Edward, please stay," she replied. Edward fought the urge to shake his head and take his leave, but Jane looked so hopeful that he knew he had to give in.

"If the Bingleys issue me an invitation, I will stay," he agreed.

As Jane drifted off, Edward decided to try and locate the dining room, as it was around time for luncheon. With the help of a servant, he soon found himself being presented in front of Mr. Bingley, his sisters, Mr. Hurst, and Mr. Darcy, all of whom were sitting down and eating. Bingley invited Edward to join them right away, much to his sister's obvious chagrin. The idea of his muddy back on their fine dining room chair made her almost physically sick.

"May I enquire after your sister?" Darcy asked from across the table.

"She is very ill indeed, I'm sorry to say," Edward replied, surprised that Darcy had been the one to ask.

"I am so sorry to hear that. I very much hope that she will recover soon," Bingley said from the head of the table, worry etched into his face.

"Yes, poor Jane. She is such a sweet girl, it is unfortunate that she is unwell," Caroline added. Bingley looked thoughtful for a moment, and then began to speak.

"Mr. Bennet, would you do us the honor of being our guest here at Netherfield until your sister feels better? I am sure she would love your company, as would we," Bingley asked graciously.

"Thank you, Mr. Bingley. You are too kind," he replied, smiling at his host. He sensed Darcy shift in his chair across the table and fought the urge to grin wickedly at the man. "I should return to Longbourn to get some clothes today, as I did not anticipate a long stay and therefore did not bring any."

"Nonsense, we will send for your clothes! It is no trouble," Bingley replied. Edward would have much rather returned home and retrieved them himself, but he did not want to argue with his amiable host.

"Thank you, sir," he responded.

"Would you care to go fishing with Darcy and myself after luncheon?" Bingley asked. Although Edward was not a huge fan of fishing, he agreed to go. It could not hurt to get to know his sister's potential suitor better, after all.

When Darcy had woken up that morning, he had no idea what the day would have in store for him.

He had hoped to get a morning ride in, but none of the horses were available for his use, so he decided to simply take a walk around the grounds instead. He soon became lost in thought.

Darcy had known for years that he was not attracted to women in the same way as most men were. He did not get any pleasure from the sight of a naked woman, nor did he have any desire to take a wife and have to father children. He had tried to convince himself that the right woman had just not come along yet, but as time went on and still no woman had caught his eye, he began to doubt himself.

Such were his thoughts as he turned around a corner and ran right into Edward Bennet. Their bodies were only touching for a very brief time, a second at most, but it was enough to make Darcy tremble. He soon came to his senses, however, and offered to help the man up. He was taken aback when Edward ignored his hand and got up on his own.

"I apologize, Mr. Bennet. Are you alright?" He asked with genuine concern.

"Thank you Mr. Darcy, I believe my pride is hurt more than anything," he said, laughing. His cheeks had turned red from the cold weather, and his hair was a little messier than usual due to the wind. "I have come to visit Jane, I heard she was very ill," he said. Darcy couldn't help but notice that his eyes seemed brighter than usual, and it was not an unpleasing thing to behold.

Dammit man! Get yourself together, Darcy told himself. Mr. Bennet was a rude country nobody who did NOT have pleasing eyes. He forced his own eyes to look down instead, and in doing so he noticed that the young man's clothes were very muddy.

"On foot?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, it was a beautiful day outside, and I could always use the exercise. However, I do not really need to justify that to you. So could you please take me to my sister?" he said impatiently. Darcy raised his eyebrows. He was not used to being talked to like that by people he barely knew. Not knowing how to reply, he simply nodded and began walking toward the house.

Darcy was glad when the time came for the gentlemen to go fishing, as it gave him an excuse to get away from Caroline. It also meant, however, that he was forced to spend more time in the company of Edward Bennet, the man who excelled in confusing him. In one moment, Darcy would feel anger at the man's obvious disrespect for him, only to have an intense desire to be near him in the next.

As the gentlemen stood in front of the lake, fishing rods in hand, Darcy remained silent as Charles and Edward carried on a conversation about the neighborhood. Charles was telling Edward how agreeable he found Sir William Lucas to be, which caused Edward to smile and agree wholeheartedly.

All of a sudden, there was a commotion nearer to the lake. One of the servant men began yelling and pointing to the lake, causing the three gentlemen to rapidly turn their attention towards him.

"The boy! He can't swim!" he yelled frantically. Darcy looked at the lake in panic, and noticed the top of a little servant boy's head become submerged by water as he thrashed his arms about. Before Darcy could react, Edward had dropped his fishing rod and was running towards the lake. Without any hesitation, he dove in, fully clothed, and swam over to the boy. As he pulled him above the water, the boy began breathing heavily and spitting out water. Edward waded over to the shore and placed the boy on solid ground, as the servant who had yelled for them ran over and wrapped him in a blanket.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked the little boy. Although tears were streaming down his face, he nodded.

"Thank you, sir. You saved my life," the boy said. He opened his arms and hugged the gentleman, which took Edward by surprise, but he smiled and hugged the boy back.

"Promise me you'll be more careful from now on, alright?" he said as the boy pulled away. He nodded solemnly. Edward patted him on the head and walked back over to his hosts.

"Mr. Bingley, perhaps I should go back to the house and change into some dry clothes," he said, shrugging off his drenched jacket. Doing this exposed the way his shirt clung to his body tightly, leaving little to the imagination when it came to his muscles. Darcy could not help but stare, even as Bingley began to apologetically say that his clothes had probably not yet arrived. As Edward nodded, his eyes turned towards Darcy, and he could not help but notice that the man's eyes were on his chest. All of a sudden, Darcy's eyes traveled up to meet Edward's, and Edward could not read the expression in them. It seemed almost… longing. Whatever it was faded fast, however, as he put on his usual stoic face.

"Thank you for your service to the boy," he said, looking past Edward.

"Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Bennet. You certainly are a hero, sir," Bingley added. Edward's cheeks turned red as he replied.

"I do not know about that, Mr. Bingley. I simply did what anyone would do in that situation."

As they walked back to the house, Darcy looked everywhere but at Edward. Seeing him like this was doing nothing but giving him very confusing feelings, feelings that he did not want to acknowledge. When they returned to the house and Bingley asked a servant to fetch some dry clothes for Mr. Bennet, Darcy veered off into his own chambers. He needed to be alone for a few hours.