Chapter 10

Elizabeth glared furiously out of the window of the slow-moving carriage, trying desperately to ignore the useless chattering of her two youngest sisters.

It had been close to a fortnight since Jane had 'recovered' from her serious cold and returned home to the Bennet household, and since then she hadn't heard a word from Bingley's charming friend, Mr. Darcy. True to his word, the gentleman refused to send the three Bennet sisters any news on his progress in tracking the vampire in the Bingley household. He even went so far as to forbid his sister and cousin, who were both frequent visitors at Longbourn, to mention anything about vampires, although Elizabeth had a sneaking suspicion that James cheated a little bit when it came to Mary. The youngest Bennet vampire hunter had recently come across useful information about hunting vampires, such as the use of silver to temporarily incapacitate them and the fact that vampires could be seen more easily on nights with a full moon because they were unable to hide their fangs at those times. Elizabeth suspected that Georgiana knew about James' slips and even encouraged him in his little indiscretions. The young Miss Darcy was unlikely to go against her older brother on any point, although it still surprised Elizabeth that Georgiana would take such a liking to her given the hostile relationship between her brother and Elizabeth.

Lydia gave a tiny shriek of despair, jolting Elizabeth out of her reverie. Elizabeth glanced quickly at her youngest sister, her hand moving to the wooden stake hidden in her sleeve.

"My handkerchief!" Lydia wailed. "It fell! I was going to use it to flirt with the militia!"

Since the militia was a breeding ground for vampires, Elizabeth couldn't quite bring herself to regret the misfortune.

"Pardon me, Miss."

Elizabeth turned with her younger sisters to see a handsome young man in a dashing red uniform lean into the window of the carriage, Lydia's spoiled handkerchief in his hand.

"I believe you dropped this, madam," he said smoothly as he handed the cloth back to Lydia. His warm hazel eyes sparkled with humor at some hidden joke, and his auburn hair fell playfully across his eyes.

Elizabeth knew right away that she hated him.

Behind the gentleman's charming exterior, she could plainly see his roiling scarlet and ice-white aura. If she focused closely enough, she could almost see the compulsion pouring off of him as he focused on Lydia. Vampire.

I need to get him away from Lydia and Kitty, Elizabeth thought desperately. With their flirtatious manners and their low sense of common-sense, her sisters were easy prey for the vampire that was focusing on them now, whereas Elizabeth was experienced and protected from compulsion.

"Thank you, sir, for your gallantry in rescuing my sister's handkerchief," Elizabeth said softly, interrupting Lydia's flirtations mid-sentence. Lydia glared at her sister, but Elizabeth ignored her.

The man seemed surprised.

"My pleasure, Miss," he said, a winning smile passing over his handsome features. "Might I interest you young ladies in accompanying me for a walk to make up for the loss of your handkerchief?"

"What a capital idea," Elizabeth agreed with false enthusiasm. Internally, she groaned. Vampires only took walks with humans if the walks ended with a feeding. This should be lovely.

The three sisters got out of the carriage with what grace they could manage. Elizabeth managed to leave her glove in the carriage before it went, a message to Mary and Jane. If anything happened to her, they'd know what to do…

The man lead the girls down a winding road that soon turned into a thin path, its edges nearly hugging the banks of the river that snaked through town.

"I don't believe I've introduced myself," the gentleman said with perfect politeness. "My name is Mr. Wickham."

"Oh! What a charming name! Isn't it charming, Lydia?" Kitty exclaimed.

"Just lovely," Lydia agreed, slyly slipping her arm through Wickham's.

Wickham smiled slightly and looked back at Elizabeth.

"Would you not like to join us, Miss…?"

"Elizabeth," Elizabeth blurted before she could stop herself. She cursed herself. This vampire was stronger than she had originally thought.

"Miss Elizabeth," Wickham murmured with amusement. "Would you like to join us?"

To her horror, Elizabeth found herself moving towards him slowly, her arm reaching out to grasp his…

A loud whinny alerted the group to approaching horses, thus breaking the vampire's spell. Elizabeth stepped back with relief and turned gratefully towards the arriving riders who had unwittingly saved her life.

Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy pulled up hastily beside the group. Bingley smiled cheerfully, but Darcy's expression immediately became stormy when he saw who Elizabeth was with. Wickham's eyebrows raised in slight surprise and displeasure. He took another step back from the Bennet girls and bowed briefly to Bingley before turning away into the trees.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; all of the credit goes to the amazing Jane Austen. Also, thanks to all of the people who reviewed!