Darcy was alone in the sunlit clearing. Elizabeth's words rang in his ears.

That had not gone well.

Darcy raked his hands through his hair, puffing it wildly out, and then he shrugged out of his coat and threw it forcefully against the ground. He looked up at the puffy white shapes of the clouds, and took a deep breath.

What was he to do now?

You are just like your father. You have broken every vow you made to yourself. Elizabeth deserves a husband who was not controlled by selfish passions.

Such words had whispered in the dark part of his soul since he saw her again in Ramsgate. He would rather be like his father with Elizabeth than be anyone else alone. Perhaps Elizabeth deserved better, but he was who she loved.

The wind rustled through the abundant spring growth. Some small animal shifted the grass about in its passing. He was soaked with sweat, and without his coat the wind blew pleasantly through his shirtsleeves.

Darcy absently undid the knot of his cravat and without looking dropped it to the ground beside his coat. He found a rock to settle against.

He wasn't like his father, and he never had been. His damned father would have tried to make Elizabeth his mistress and married Anne because she would improve his consequence and impress his friends.

He really wasn't like his father.

Fuck.

He'd wasted half his life.

Darcy laughed for a long time.

He then cried.

He had always been his own person, with his own flaws and virtues. He had never needed to prove he was better than his father. They were different men. He wasn't failing by loving Elizabeth and marrying her. He was making a choice. The right choice.

Darcy stood and he felt like a new man.

He looked around. It was like he had never seen a tree before — they were beautiful. The sky was clear and blue. The grass beneath his feet was springy.

This must be what religious mystics felt after they received a vision.

Darcy collected his things and walked back to Rosings Park. Elizabeth would not be prepared to listen to him again for a few hours more. He would first convince Anne to leave her mother. Somehow it would happen.

Also he should draft a letter to Mr. Windham. He'd been something of a fool to refuse his offer to purchase all these years. Both Windham and his son were decent men who dealt fairly with their tenants. It would be sad for part of the estate to pass from his hands, but life involved change.

When Darcy entered the ostentatious entry hall, Anne ran up to him. "Fitzwilliam, what is going on — there was shouting, and then you left, and then Richard left, and then Mama and Uncle Matlock left. Why aren't you wearing your coat?"

Anne eyeballed him, and with a blush Darcy quickly pulled his tail coat back on and clumsily wrapped the cravat around his neck. "There was an argument."

She rolled her eyes.

"I refused when your mother said — it was no insult to you — Lady Catherine decided I am now a fit husband for you, but I declined the offer. It is not because I dislike —"

"Of course you did. You and Lizzy love each other." Anne slumped. "I do wish there were someone I could marry, who might take me away. She will be terribly angry."

"Anne, you need to leave. You are a sweet woman, if you enter a new neighborhood, I know you can be happier. I — you must stay with me. With Elizabeth if I can convince her to have me. She is desperate to see you happy and away from your mother."

"You know I cannot."

"You are an adult. You are of age, and you control your fortune. Your mother can punish you no longer."

"I know, but —"

Darcy took Anne's hand. "Please, I need your help. Elizabeth is unhappy with me and has refused to marry me because — well, because I've been a fool. If you promise to live with us, it will help me convince her."

"She did? Whatever did you do? I can observe she loves you. If you think I can help, I will. I would like to live with Lizzy and you. But… I am still scared of Mama."

"We could leave without telling her. I'd prefer not to listen to her shout myself."

Anne giggled and coughed. "She would be so confused."

Colonel Fitzwilliam entered the room. "There you are, Darcy — my father and Lady Catherine are bothering Miss Bennet at the parsonage. I've been looking for you. Whatever are you two speaking of?"

Anne smiled and said, "I'm going to leave Rosings Park. I will. I will live with Lizzy and Darcy. I will defy her."

"Very good." Colonel Fitzwilliam clapped. "Did Miss Bennet at last accept you?"

Darcy shook his head. "Not yet, but I now know what to say."

Lord Matlock and Lady Catherine entered the room. Seeing Darcy and Anne still holding hands, Matlock pulled up agog. "Good God, Darcy! You didn't propose to Anne?"

Startled the two jumped apart.

"No. I told you that I shall marry Miss Bennet or not marry at all. If you end our connection over this matter, it will greatly sadden me, as I have the greatest respect and affection for you, but you cannot modify my decision in the slightest."

Matlock replied with an open toothed grin. "Capital. Capital. I expected nothing else from you."

Lady Catherine exploded. Her cane cracked and echoed like a gunshot as she slammed it against the marble floor of the entry hall. "Darcy! Drop this foolishness at once! That impertinent, ungrateful creature shows no deference to her betters! Her habits already corrupt you."

Blotches of red mottled Lady Catherine's face, her voice rose with every word, and she almost hissed, "Everything demands you marry Anne. Conscience, duty, honor, the wishes of your family, the wishes of your friends — everything! Are you to ignore every right and proper circumstance? It is your duty — do you not feel it in your soul? Can you not feel your mother's spirit begging you to marry Anne? Will you allow the shades of Pemberley to be so polluted! Listen to your conscience!"

"My conscience, my reason, my friends — everything demands I marry the woman I love."

"You fool," Lady Catherine spat. She waved the steel shod tip of her cane in wide circles, "Oh! Oh — if only my sister saw this. To see the Fitzwilliam blood sunk so low! You, like your sister, are Darcy through and through. If you marry that vile, wanton whore, you will pollute the dignity of your great name."

"Enough! I shall hear no further insult against Elizabeth. Were you a man I would call you out for those words."

Matlock laughed. "Your Miss Bennet can defend herself — You should've seen her light into me and Cathy. It was extraordinary. What a woman. Darcy, if you are fool enough to let her go, I'll go after her. Don't doubt it."

Darcy shook his head in confusion and looked at Colonel Fitzwilliam, who gave his cousin a wry shrug. "What did you say to Miss Bennet? I'll not allow you to mistreat her."

Lady Catherine scowled. Matlock laughed again. "You've underestimated your girl. Someday" — he poked his finger in Darcy's direction — "Someday, son, you'll make her angry — it happens in even the best marriage — and then you will understand. You'll wish you offended a thunderstorm instead of your wife. What a woman!"

Darcy's voice was unusually high pitched, as he asked "Wait. Wait — what did Elizabeth do?"

"She shouted your Aunt Cathy down. Then she turned away with her head held high, leaving her speechless opponent behind." Matlock grinned at his sister. "I've never seen Cathy so speechless before in my life!"

"Elizabeth shouted at Lady Catherine?" Of course Elizabeth had. She hated Lady Catherine after Anne told about being punished for laughing.

"And me as well!" Matlock's eyes lit with eagerness, "It was a thing of beauty! She took me to task for how I treated you. An earl — she boldly said she was ashamed for me." Matlock laughed again. "I've not been berated so by a woman since Mama died. Darcy, I should not have threatened you with cutting off the loans. It was wrong of me; your lady rightly took me to task for it."

They all stood there. Lady Catherine scowled. Matlock asked, "What were you discussing when we entered the room?"

Anne fearfully looked at her mother. Darcy squared his shoulders and stepped towards Lady Catherine, "Madam, your daughter does not wish to always stay with you. We have agreed that she shall live in my household after I marry."

Lady Catherine waved her cane in Darcy's face. "You dare to separate me from my daughter? Who are you to do so when you refuse to marry her yourself? The only way I'll let you take her from me is following her wedding!"

"Mother!" Anne shouted in her thin voice. "This is my choice not Darcy's."

Lady Catherine sneered at her daughter. "You ungrateful girl! After I raised you, and bore you, and put forth all my powers to your edification. After all the care and concern I have given to you — you think to show me such impertinence. I will not have it. I will not!" Anne shrank back as Lady Catherine strode towards her.

Darcy stepped between them and grabbed Lady Catherine's hand to force her cane down. "You stifle her and prevent her from developing any accomplishments of her own. You have harmed your daughter."

Lady Catherine brought her left hand around and slapped Darcy full on the face. She pulled her hand from his grasp, but left her cane in Darcy's possession when he refused to relinquish it. "Anne, go to your room. I will deal with you once I have thrown this" — she looked Darcy up and down with disgust — "out."

Anne alternated between the red mark on Darcy's face and her mother in shock. She backed away. "No, I am not a child you can order to her room. I will not be treated so. I will not. I am done — I know what I wish and I will pursue it — nothing you can do will stop me." Anne giggled hysterically. "You can't punish me anymore. You can't stop me! You can't! You can't!"

"You ungrateful chit!" Lady Catherine stepped towards her daughter with her fingers curled like claws. Darcy moved to grab her, but Matlock was faster.

"Cathy, you've had a difficult day — you've never dealt well when things don't work out the way you want — but you've already proved Darcy and Anne's point. Pray, don't add further evidence."

The Earl of Matlock held his sister at arm's length by the elbows. They stared furiously at each other until Lady Catherine blinked and stopped struggling. She stared at her hands. "Oh."

"Yes, dear sister, you just struck your nephew with your bare hands, like some back alley drab — what were you thinking?"

There was a long pause. Lady Catherine burst out, "That mad girl drove me to it!" She looked at Darcy. "It was beneath me to strike you, even though you deserved it."

Darcy stared back with a flinty gaze.

Lady Catherine growled, "You will be a terrible fool if you marry that horrid, penniless girl instead of my Anne. And you" — she pointed at Anne — "will be an even worse fool if you think you can manage yourself without me. Without my care you'll be dead of illness within a year, or, worse, you will marry some fortune hunter like your cousins."

Lady Catherine tore herself from Matlock's grip and stepped back. With an exaggerated gesture she rubbed her palms past each other. "You are all fools. Fools. I wash my hands of the lot of you."

She left, slamming the door behind her.

The remaining four looked at each other, and then Colonel Fitzwilliam let his breath out in a gust. "That was something." He quirked his mouth. "The way she waves her cane around — I always thought she might strike one of us someday."

Anne giggled. Everyone looked at her, and her laugh grew as she looked around bright eyed. Colonel Fitzwilliam joined her in laughing, followed by his father and Darcy. Each time the giggles died out, Anne mimicked her mother, and everyone began laughing again.

At last they were mostly calm, though still smiling. Matlock looked at Darcy. "You need to chase your lady down. Cathy ordered her out of the parsonage, and she plans to leave on the afternoon post. We all have things to talk about, and I'd rather not wait till you return from Hertfordshire — besides I'd like to meet my new niece properly."

"I cannot bring Elizabeth back to this house — I will not stay under its roof longer myself."

"Hang Cathy! She's a fool — 'tis not her house in any case, it's Anne's. Your aunt only has a lifetime right of residency."

Darcy nodded weakly; he looked at Anne.

Anne smiled brightly. "Lizzy is a dear friend. I would love to make her welcome."

Darcy studied the black and white diamonds of the marble floor. "She refused me once today. Maybe I should give her more time to calm before I approach her again."

Matlock said, "Don't be ridiculous. Girls like to be chased, so long as they don't hate the man chasing them."

Colonel Fitzwilliam added, "I would not worry over much. She loves you."

Darcy realized he had not much more than an hour to catch her before the post carriage would leave. He rushed from the room.

MDVMDVMDV

The post station was bustling. A young couple with a child sat on a bench across from Elizabeth. The darling girl had thin blonde hair and delicate blue eyes. She ran back and forth between a patch of flowers and her parents. The husband wore a cheap green coat and a brown patterned cravat. They sat tight against each other. The woman's eyes glowed as she watched her daughter. Each time the little girl finished showing them a blade of grass or a beetle she had found, the woman turned and said something to her husband; their eyes would meet, and he would smile.

Elizabeth's eyes swam with tears. Could they not have found some other day, or some other place, to be happy?

Her trunk was lodged besides the bench, and Charlotte sat next to her with her bag on her lap reading from a collection of poetry. Elizabeth had tried to talk her out of it, but her friend insisted that she would travel to Hertfordshire with Elizabeth, and only return after she had seen Elizabeth settled back at Longbourn.

Though she did not want to talk, Elizabeth was glad for the company.

Darcy cantered into the yard. He looked at Elizabeth.

She sat on a wooden bench shaded from the afternoon sun by the inn. Vines covered the wall behind her, and the green paint was half peeled off the bench she sat on. Her expression was forlorn as she watched a child play in a planter. Mrs. Collins sat next to her and read from a thin volume.

Darcy dismounted and threw the reins of his horse to a stable boy. Elizabeth looked up at the noise, and she gasped. She covered her mouth with her hand and smiled helplessly as Darcy sat next to her and took her hand.

He had followed her again.

Wordlessly, Charlotte stood and sat next to the young couple Elizabeth had been watching.

Darcy pulled Elizabeth's hand up and kissed it. There was something different about his manner — a tension which had always been there was gone. He spoke in his confident, unwavering tone, "I am not my father."

"I know, I know. You are not" — He kept smiling at her — "I did not mean it. I only said that because —"

Darcy brushed his free hand over her lips. He brushed his finger along her forehead, pushing aside errant curls. Darcy's eyes were impossibly tender. "I had not known."

"Oh."

"Elizabeth, I wasted so many years trying to be a man who I already was. I needed you to tell me I was such a fool. I need you."

Darcy's hand enveloped hers. Elizabeth began to cry happy tears. "Are you certain? You love your uncle. He must hate me for I shouted at him. And you have struggled so much to protect your land."

"I strove so desperately because I feared I would become my father. I fear that no longer. I know who I am. I love my estate, but I love you far more." He squeezed her hand once more. "Elizabeth Bennet, you must allow me to tell you how ardently and rationally I admire and love you. If you marry me I shall be the happiest of men. Can you love me enough to unite yourself to me, despite my many flaws and follies?"

Elizabeth could not reply with words, but her nod and wide smile provided Darcy the response he wished for. She pulled his hand to her mouth and kissed it. She continued to cry in happiness.

They realized at the same moment that they were in public and that the group gathered to wait for the post carriage was grinning at them.

Charlotte stood and walked to shake their hands. "I am so, so deeply happy for you both."

Darcy grinned gaily. He would keep smiling even if he looked like a loon. It did not matter that they were in front of a crowd. He kept Elizabeth's hand.

The post carriage arrived, and Elizabeth exclaimed, "Oh! I must leave on it — Lady Catherine is very angry with me, and I fear your uncle as well. Will you come with me? Bingley will let you stay at Netherfield."

"It is not necessary. While Lady Catherine has roosted at Rosings like an overfed vulture, it is owned by Anne. We talked, and she shall not submit to her mother anymore. Lady Catherine cannot be thrown out of Rosings Park due to Sir Lewis's will, but Anne has agreed to live with us, and she stood up to Lady Catherine this afternoon."

"She did!" Elizabeth smiled happily. "I am so happy. I do like her, and she shall be very welcome." Elizabeth's grin threatened to split her face open. "We will be happy to have her live with us. Oh, I am so happy."

As they had not climbed on, the driver of the post carriage let out a shout to the horses, and the vehicle clattered off towards London over the dirt of the turnpike. Elizabeth waved happily, feeling she was being delightfully silly, at the departing carriage.

Charlotte said, without either of them paying much attention to her, "I shall find a porter to carry your trunk back to the parsonage." She walked into the inn.

Elizabeth said to Darcy without her smile fading. "What about your uncle. I must apologize to him. I was dreadfully rude."

"You were charming."

"I know you always think that. But I was not. I accused him of being a horrible man. He was threatening you, so he deserved it, but he is an earl. He could not have been charmed."

"He was. In fact, he is why I hurried here so speedily. He was muttering about plans to steal you from under me. He thinks very highly of you."

Elizabeth laughed. "Be serious."

"I am. He said that he'd set his cap at you if I was fool enough to let you go. Also, he believes you were right when you shouted at him."

"Oh." Elizabeth grabbed Darcy's arm and squeezed it tightly. "You mean you shall not need to sell any land?"

"I shall not need to. However, I might. My neighbor Mr. Windham has long wished to purchase from me. He is as conscientious of a landlord as I am — if I hand the land to him and his son, I will not fail my duty to my tenants, and I would feel easier if my interest charges amounted to only a fifth of my income instead of a third."

Elizabeth peered at Darcy closely. He appeared serious. "Do you truly not care anymore?"

"I do care. It would hurt to have the deeds handed over. But I… I have changed. You changed me. Our happiness together is all that I need."

AN: So at last they will marry! I hope you all have enjoyed the story, and while there is one more chapter I will post tomorrow (hopefully...), and an epilogue which will be posted someday, the book is almost over.

If you enjoyed reading it, I'd like to ask you to do a favor for me: Seriously think about donating to Doctors Without Borders. I donate to them every month because I want to help those people who are desperately in need, people who often have no other access to antibiotics and basic medical care. We all act in other ways to make the world a better place, through our families, our communities, and donations to other important organizations. But we should never forget that every human being is valuable, and there are very few places where we can make a bigger difference for another person than when it is a matter of life and death. So please, let's work together to save lives.