I stared up at Caroline in shock but when I looked at Darcy I could see his surprise quickly dissolving into anger. He looked at me and his eyes softened slightly. I had no idea what to think or what we should do, so I decided to merely follow Darcy's lead.

Darcy stood slowly and purposefully. He then turned and offered me his hand to help me stand as well. Looking into Caroline's haughty expression made me want to cower behind Darcy for a moment, but then I remembered Darcy's earlier words to the woman herself about how she could not touch him or Georgie. I let my hand rest on the crook of Darcy's elbow as I came forward to stand beside him. He rested his his hand briefly on mine, before turning fully to Caroline.

"What is the meaning of this, Miss Bingley?" he asked, and I could not quite place his tone. He sounded calm, but I had seen the suppressed anger in his eyes.

"I see, Mr. Darcy, that I have a little more against you than you may think," Caroline said with a triumphant and disdainful look in my direction.

"And what might that be exactly?" Darcy asked with a sigh.

"The fact that you have been galavanting with this . . . this . . . trollop! All the while pretending to actually care for the welfare of your niece! It would not be morally right for me to allow that poor child to remain in your care and under your influence. Why, with this harlot around, poor dear Georgie just might think it a correct and good profession herself! And then she just might decide to become a mistress, and I cannot let that happen to any daughter of my dear Georgiana, who was a wonderful friend of mine as you well know."

By this time I was the one who was trying to comfort, and restrain, Darcy. He was gripping my hand quite painfully, and I could feel that he was shaking. When I looked at his face, I could see that his jaw was clenched and his eyes dark and angry. I squeezed his hand as hard as I could, and he loosed his grip a little and shot me an apologetic look.

Darcy looked Caroline straight in the eye and said very calmly, "You gathered all of that from observing me kiss a woman in my gardens, did you?"

Caroline must not have been expecting this response, for she looked slightly uncertain for half a second before regaining her haughty composure. "What else was there for me to observe?"

Darcy took a deep breath, looked up for a moment before looking back at Caroline, and then he addressed her as though speaking to a young child, "Miss Bingley, I do believe that you are mistaken on more than one account today."

He turned to me then, "Lizzy, may I introduce you to Miss Caroline Bingley." He then turned back to Caroline and said with a smile, "And Caroline, may I introduce you to Mrs. William Darcy, also known as the former Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

Darcy paused to let that sink in, and at that moment my shock mirrored Caroline's. What could Darcy possibly be thinking? Caroline's careful composure was now broken entirely, and her face resembled one of the many fish that Darcy and Mr. Gardiner had caught at the lake a two days ago.

"Well . . . I . . . pardon?" Caroline sputtered, and Darcy took advantage of her apparent speechlessness.

"You will leave us alone, Caroline, from now on. You will not speak to us, or about us, and you will certainly never threaten us again. If you do, I assure you the consequences will be dire."

Caroline raised herself up to her full height, "You, William Darcy, have not heard the last of me. Don't think that I will be so easily put off by a few empty threats or by this hilarious tale of a wife."

She then turned and swept out of the garden, leaving me feeling quite confused. I had confidence in Darcy, but the fact that she would not back down disturbed me. And the fact that . . . did the woman not believe that I was Darcy's wife? The absurdness of the entire situation struck me suddenly, and I would have toppled over had Darcy not still been holding my hand. He quickly steadied me and sat me back down on the bench.

"How on earth could that pompous. . . how could she think . . . does she not believe you? I don't understand how she couldn't. What could possibly be going through her head?" I gasped out, feeling as though everything was crumbling and I had no control over any of it. The entire situation seemed surreal and I found myself suddenly hoping that I would wake up soon. But no, this was no dream.

"Shh," Darcy soothed, "There is no need to be afraid of Caroline. She cannot touch us. I assure you of that."

"I'm not afraid of Caroline," I tried to explain, "I'm afraid of what is going through her mind. She seems quite mad, and the fact that she won't give up when she is so clearly beaten . . . astounds me. I cannot quite describe it? I am not afraid of her in any way; I am merely astonished that anyone could be as, frankly, stupid as she is."

Darcy laughed then, long and loud. He was still shaking with laughter as he rested his head on my shoulder, "Oh, my dear Lizzy, that is the most accurate thing anyone has ever said about the woman."

Darcy's laughter was infectious, and I was soon leaning on him for support again as I dissolved into giggles. We finally calmed down, and Darcy's eyes rested briefly on my mouth before meeting my eyes again. He leaned forward, but I put a hand up to stop him.

"What if someone else is watching this time?" I asked, genuinely worried.

"Then let them scream it to the world for all I care," Darcy said, before his lips crashed down onto mine. I kissed him back with everything I had.

"Stay here tonight, please," Darcy pleaded when we finally broke apart, "I just want to hold you."

I was sorely tempted to do just that but, "I can't. It would arouse too much suspicion, honestly . . . I cannot be in the same house as that woman all night."

Darcy rested his head on my shoulder again, and I sighed as I ran my fingers through his hair. He lifted his head suddenly, and smiled, "Well then, I guess I should just kiss you as much as I can right now." And he proceeded to do just that.

After I almost fell off the bench, Darcy sat down on the grass and pulled me into his lap. We sat like that for quite a while, laughing, talking, and kissing. Eventually, the laughing and talking fell away and it was as though we could not stop kissing each other. His lips moved from mine, to trace my cheek bones to my temples and then down to my neck and collarbone. I sighed in pure bliss; I could sit like that forever.

We lay there for what felt like an eternity. I suddenly became aware of the the shadows in the garden surrounding us. It was not yet dusk but the sun was beginning to dip low in the sky. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the thought that I would soon have to return to Longbourn and immediately regretted my earlier resistance to staying at Netherfield with Darcy. I rolled over and propped my chin on his chest.

"Take me home, please," I implored, "Back to America, to our house and Georgie, where I can stay with you and be with you without our families watching our every step."

Darcy sighed and pulled me against him, hugging me against his chest. He kissed my forehead and then let his lips linger there while he whispered.

"Do not fret. In just a few more days my business here will be finished and we will both be free to return to America. I will visit you every day until then, and then we will be together on the ship for the entire twenty days of the return trip. Everything will be fine."

I stretched up to kiss him again. He returned the kiss eagerly, trapping my face in his gentle hands so he could more easily access my lips.

Finally, he pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. "We need to start back, and you should go back to Longbourn before you are too noticeably missed," he murmured.

I sighed and slowly climbed to my feet. Darcy jumped up and steadied me against his chest, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me quickly once again before we started down the path that led out of the gardens.

Even as we drew closer to the house, Darcy never let go of my hand. I found that I honestly no longer cared at this point; Caroline had already seen us and Darcy himself had admitted that it would not matter if anyone else knew. We were married, and that was that.

I then found myself thinking, suddenly and startlingly, we were actually married. We could . . . oh dear. I stopped suddenly, and Darcy, who was still walking, swung around and almost tripped.

"What?" Darcy asked, "What's wrong?"

"Oh . . . nothing," I said absently. Darcy gave me a worried look, but I smiled reassuringly and we continued walking

But it wasn't nothing, not at all. Yes, Darcy and I were married, legally, yes, but not . . . physically. We had never consummated our marriage. I then found myself wondering what would happen if Darcy and I didn't have to stop. At first we were new to each other and unsure of ourselves, but that had most definitely passed. Once we were in a private room, and not in the middle of a garden with the possibility of someone walking by . . . .

This thought caused my cheeks to heat in a slight blush, but at the same time I felt a tingle through my body at the possibility.

We finally reached the house, and the footman met us at the door.

"Sir, there are guests for you. They are waiting in the sitting room."

"Guests?" Darcy asked, "Who?"

"A Mr. and Mrs. Collins, Sir," replied the footman.

Darcy and I exchanged a glance. "Where are Mr. and Miss Bingley?" Darcy asked.

"Mr. Bingley went riding and Miss Bingley went into town."

"Thank you, Carson," Darcy said before practically running to the sitting room, all the while never letting go of my hand.

We rounded the doorway and saw a couple sitting on the couch. Mr. Collins rose and approached us with simpering bows and greetings. Darcy and I both ignored him completely, for our eyes were fixed firmly on Mrs. Collins. She rose from the couch and turned around to us, a worried expression on her face and in her arms was a sleeping Georgie.

I sat at Jane's small writing desk and stared at the blank sheet of parchment in front of me. I was completely at a loss as how to write this letter asking Vivian and Albert to come visit. Behind me, Jane paced back and forth.

"How could they have done that?" she said once again, "How could they have brought that poor baby girl across an ocean and into this mess?"

"I truly do not know that they were thinking, Jane," I replied.

I stared at the parchment again and thought of everything that had happened earlier.

Darcy and I stood frozen in the doorway of the sitting room. This changed everything; Georgie was not supposed to be here. We were supposed to be returning to her very shortly. I wasn't supposed to see her for another month! And how could the Collins's have possibly brought Georgie on a ship across the ocean?! It wasn't safe; she was just a baby!

These thoughts were rolling through my mind when suddenly Darcy seemed to explode.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he shouted, bringing a still babbling Mr. Collins up short. "Bringing a baby all the way here from America?"

"But," a startled Mr. Collins said, "You yourself brought her to America from England."

"Yes," Darcy said through clenched teeth, "Once, from here to there. I never intended to bring her back until she was older, when the journey would be safer for her. There was no reason for her to come back here."

I had only eyes for Georgie, and I could see that Darcy's outburst had caused her to stir.

"Darcy," I murmured, laying a hand on his arm, "Georgie is beginning to wake. Don't scare her."

Darcy's face immediately softened, and he looked at his waking niece.

Collins was still talking, and his words suddenly caught my attention.

". . . Lady Catherine was the one who suggested it, you see, and I thought . . . "

"Lady Catherine?" I asked sharply as Darcy turned back to Collins, who seemed to shrink away.

"Yes," Collins squeaked out, "Lady Catherine suggested that we bring the girl here to you two, so that perhaps if you wanted you could all just settle down back here! And . . . "

"That witch," Darcy spat out.

"Pardon!" Collins stuttered, and I suddenly saw Charlotte hide a smile behind Georgie's head. It was then I knew that poor Charlotte had probably never agreed to this plan in the first place. I also noticed how protectively she was holding Georgie, and I was honestly glad for it.

Darcy turned to me then and continued, "My Aunt Catherine has obviously devised a scheme in order to either cause us as much trouble as she can, for you know she does not like you, or Georgie, or the fact that I left society behind. Or, she is trying to push us back into society."

I gasped as I realized his meaning: Lady Catherine was using Georgie to get to us. How positively wicked! Using a poor, innocent baby to do her dirty work! I felt a simmering rage begin to grow, but immediately calmed down as Georgie awoke completely and began to fuss in Charlotte's arms.

"May I?" I asked, rushing to her side and holding my arms out for Georgie.

Charlotte smiled, "Of course," she said as she handed her to me.

Georgie sank right into my arms and chest again, and I buried my face into her soft downy hair
and hugged her close. Oh how I had missed her.

After that, I could tell that Darcy was still too enraged at Mr. Collins and decided that they needed to be separating before Darcy did anything rash. I handed Georgie to Darcy, knowing she would keep him calm. I then decided to show the Collins to a room, and any room would do, so I practically shoved them into the nearest empty bedroom. I then returned to Darcy, who was playing with Georgie and laughing as she tried to walk a few steps and would then fall over onto her behind with a thump. I couldn't help but giggle at the sight. Darcy heard me and looked up, smiling. He then patted the couch for me to come sit next to him, which I did.

The rest of the evening passed quite peacefully, and I felt overwhelmed with happiness. We had moved into one of Darcy's private rooms farther back in the house. At some point Caroline and Charles had returned, but I didn't see them. Darcy had gone to speak with them, saying simply that he was retiring early. He also spoke with Mr. Collins about not mentioning Georgie to anyone just yet, and he told me later that he had spoken with Mrs. Collins to ensure that she understood what was going on and the importance of keeping her husband quiet.

When he returned finally, I was laughing once again at Georgie's attempts at walking. As Darcy and I sat together and Georgie toddled around, I realized what we were. We were a family, something I hadn't had properly since I was a young child. I leaned my head on Darcy's shoulder and wrapped my arms around him, just breathing him in.

"What are we going to do now?" I asked him.

"I'm not sure," he replied, "But I do know that in a few days, all three of us are going to pack up and go back to America."

"Are you sure it is safe for Georgie?" I asked.

"She seems fine right now. I don't believe she noticed anything different. If we just keep her with us at all times, never let her out of our sight, she will be fine."

I nodded. "You ought to be getting back to Longbourn," Darcy murmured into my hair. "Unless you wish to remain here?" I could hear the hopeful tone of his voice and was once again overwhelmed with my earlier thoughts . . . of what could happen if I stayed.

"I can't," I said mournfully, "I have to make sure that Lydia doesn't wreak any more havoc and make sure that everyone is calm and doesn't do anything rash."

Darcy nodded, and then he scooped Georgie up and told me that he would return her to Charlotte for the night while he finished some more paperwork so we could leave sooner. After I hugged and kissed both of them and Georgie was in Charlotte's arms, Darcy slipped me out the back and into a carriage which then delivered me back to Longbourn.

Mrs. Bennet was of course quite peeved at me and demanded to know what had happened. I quickly concocted a story about getting lost, finding myself at Netherfield, and staying for supper. She then proceeded to scold me profusely for not sending a note. Finally, with Jane's help, I managed to escape up to my room.

I stared down at the paper for what felt like the hundredth time, before I finally touched the pen to it and began to write.

"Dear Vivian . . . "