Chapter 5

Elizabeth Bennet walked casually up the drive to Netherfield, once more thanking whoever was watching over her that her father had convinced her mother to let her come. Not that it would have mattered; Elizabeth was perfectly capable of sneaking out without her parents' notice, but it was still nice to have the semblance of permission. It also gave Mary more advantage in her own escapades. Since Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were far less trustful of supposedly oblivious Mary than they were of Elizabeth and Jane, Mary was often forced to sneak out of the house whenever the three were faced with vampire problems. Although Mrs. Bennet could often careless, Mr. Bennet was far more cautious about what his daughters, especially his much neglected middle daughter, did when they were away from home, which was very bad since older men didn't tend to do well against vampires.

The severe-faced servant who answered the door seemed so surprised to see Elizabeth that she almost laughed aloud. As it was, she couldn't quite keep a small smile off of her face as the man led her through the tangled hallways of Netherfield. Elizabeth glanced quickly at the stairs leading to the upper rooms, frowning as she tried to find traces of Jane's aura. While her elder sister suffered from visions of the future, Elizabeth often noticed traces of a person's aura on the places where they had recently been. It proved a very convenient ability when the sisters were separated on their missions. Much as she had suspected, there were faint traces of Jane's honey-gold aura spread across the marble stairs. Jane had obviously been searching the house at night while the inhabitants were in bed.

The remains of the smile that Elizabeth had worn when she had walked through the door disappeared when she walked in to Bingley's dining parlor and saw Darcy and Caroline sitting at the small table with another woman who could only be Caroline and Bingley's eldest sister, Louisa Hurst. The inhabitants of the room seemed just as surprised to see her, although Elizabeth doubted that Caroline's disgusted glare could really be classified as surprise in most civilizations. Elizabeth's arm instinctively moved towards the stake hidden within the folds of her skirt. She caught it just in time and held the treacherous hand tightly in her right hand. Drawing attention to the hiding place of half of the six weapons that were hidden within her clothes would not be the best idea in the current situation.

"Good lord, Miss Elizabeth, did you walk here?" Caroline Bingley demanded, interrupting Elizabeth's thoughts.

Elizabeth nodded absently, shaking herself slightly. Focus, she reminded herself.

"I did," she said politely. An awkward silence ensued, during which all of the inhabitants in the room fought to avoid staring at the each other. Finally, Elizabeth took pity on them and broke the stubborn silence. "Excuse me, but could you please direct me to my sister?"

"She's upstairs," Darcy said quietly before Caroline could open her mouth. He avoided the intense glares of the sisters and gestured towards the stairs that Elizabeth had passed by earlier. "The first door on the left."

"Thank you," Elizabeth murmured, her face a bright red, before fleeing the room.

She paused outside the closed door of Jane's room, her breathing suddenly labored. How could that man have had that effect on her? How could any man have had that effect on her, much less Mr. Darcy the Cold and Silent?

Elizabeth shuddered, hating herself for being so vulnerable. Mr. Darcy was either a target or someone to protect, nothing else. If she even entertained the thought of becoming closer to any of the inhabitants of Netherfield, the results could be fatal.

Disclaimer: all credit belongs to the awesome Jane Austen! Thanks to all of the people who reviewed! Also, I hope you all had a nice Mother's Day!