A/N- Thank you so much for reviewing! It really means a lot. I just logged in, checked reviews and I was so delighted that I was nearly dancing a jig in the school corridors! Happy Belated Birthday Raina! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! No hurries about the piece I will be doing for you, I'm pretty busy with this story right now, so I don't know when I'll be able to work on it. MrsMaraDarcy and Lilies of Avonlea also guessed the right couple. What sort of one shot would you like? Like I said, it does not have to be restricted to Pride and Prejudice. Thanks to katiecav and JeanB. Your reviews gave me a lot to think about, and I hope you will find this chapter much improved. I know the characters are a bit OOC, but I do it because I think that would suit the story better. In the first few chapters, I showed the early meeting mostly to bring to the readers' notice the general tendency of Mr Darcy and Lizzy to disagree. The reason for Mrs Darcy and Georgiana being so familiar with Lizzy was that they were as charmed by her as Mr Darcy. I think Georgiana did it to warn Ms Bingley away from her brother. For all who are wondering, Mr Darcy pointedly refused to dance with Ms Bingley after two dances saying that he was tired, and then danced with Elizabeth for the rest of the evening. This made people think of him as a rather odd man, and this general opinion affected Mrs Bennet too. Beside, she wanted Jane to be the most admired, but Mr Darcy did not seem struck with her at all, and ten years ago too he had clearly shown his preference for Lizzy instead of Jane. I bet that annoyed her. But since when has our Mr Darcy cared about the opinion of the ton? Now, for the rest of the story....

'I hope you have ordered a good dinner, my dear', said Mr Bennet a few days later at the breakfast table,'because I have reason to expect company tonight.'

'What do you mean, my dear? I know of no one who is visiting, unless Charlotte should happen to call.', said his wife raising an eyebrow.

Mr Bennet grinned at his wife.

'We shall have the honor of being visited by a gentleman, and a stranger today.'

Mrs Bennet's eyes gleamed.

'It must be Mr Bingley. I do hope he doesn't bring Mr Darcy! He must be a fool to not even glance at my pretty Lydia and spend all evening with Lizzy. She is beautiful, yes, but how could a man possibly want to converse with so obstinate a woman is beyond my understanding. But of course I do not mind. After all, he is so rich and his estate in Derbyshire is delightful! But we must order some fish. Lydia, my love...'

Her husband put an end to her raptures.

'It is NOT Mr Bingley, but a man I never set my eyes upon.'

'Who is it, then?', asked his wife, narrowing her eyes at him.

'I shall leave you to guess, and while you are at it, do order the fish.', said he with a mischievous grin.

'Mr Bennet! It is most cruel of you. Why, you have no compassion for my poor nerves!', cried she.

'You mistake me, my dear. I have the greatest respect for them. They have been my faithful companions these twenty years.'

'Then I entreat you, do not keep me in suspense.', begged his wife.

'We are all curious now Papa. It is wicked of you not to tell us.', chimed in Mary, who had been silent up till now.

'Do tell as, Papa! You know you want to.', said Lizzy with a mock frown.

Mr Bennet sighed.

'Very well, I lose. About a month ago I received this letter, and a fortnight ago I answered it for delicate matters such as this should be dealt with as soon as possible. It is from my cousin, Mr Collins...'

Mr Bennet got no farther before he was interrupted by his wife.

'I beg you, do not mention that man! Why, it is a such cruelty that your estate should be entailed away from your own children, and to that odious man that no one cares about! I do wish you would do something about it!'

'Mama! There is nothing we can do about it...', began Jane, but her mother cut her off.

'Oh nonsense! One can always do something.'

'I hope we can have this conversation later, my dear. I entreat you to read his letter, for his way of expressing himself may soften your opinion towards him.'

Saying this, Mr Bennet thrust a letter into her hand. She appeared reluctant to read it, but she was too curious to see what he had to say, and read aloud the letter for the benefit of her daughters.

'Hunsford, near Westerham, Kent, 15th October.

Dear Sir,

The disagreement between our fathers has long prevented me from writing to you, but now I feel that we ought to leave these disagreements behind and make peace. Having received approval from my noble patroness Lady Catherine, who believes that familial rifts ought to be dealt with soon, and also because as a clergyman it is my duty to promote peace and happiness, I now write to you in order to make up our fathers' quarrels.

I am aware of the sad fate of your amiable daughters, whose beauty is quite famous and I have heard of them being discussed in Rosings Park. The entail is a sad affair for them indeed, and I feel as much sympathy for them as I feel joy at my good fortune of one day inheriting Longbourn. I intend to make amends to the best of my capabilities, and I hope you will forgive me for denying your daughters Longbourn, for I could hardly help that.

I remain, dear sir, with respectful compliments to your lady and daughters, your well-wisher and friend,

William Collins.'

By now, Mrs Bennet's attitude towards the peace making gentleman had softened, and she declared that he should be welcome in their house whenever he chose to visit. Her affection towards the man decreased when Mr Bennet reminded her that Mr Collins would inherit the house someday, so her approval for his visits were hardly necessary.

The girls discussed their opinions of the gentleman eagerly. Lydia and Kitty were uninterested in him. Jane supposed him to be an amiable enough man, and Lizzy found his peacemaking attempts a bit ridiculous, but to be admired nevertheless. Mary read the letter quietly, and declared that she would be delighted to be acquainted with such a man who was willing to put aside what his father believed and see the world with his own eyes.

A/N- Leave behind you thoughts, whatever they are!