(6/22/17 Greetings, I thought I would post a new chapter one day early this week to hep celebrate my newly published book. The Prince and Elizabeth A Fairytale Love Story is now up on Amazon. The link is in my profile page if you want to check it out. Thanks for all the kind and wonderful support.)

Chapter 10: Off to Netherfield

Darcy watched from the library window as a car pulled up. He wasn't sure why his heart was racing at the site of seeing Elizabeth Bennet or why he was feeling so nervous. It left him feeling unsettled and yet he couldn't turn away. He watched as she got out of the car. She looked beautiful, and he struggled with the urge to tell her so.

Elizabeth smiled as they got out of the car. "Jane this is a lovely house. I forgot just how beautiful the landscape around Netherfield is. It's been such a long time since I have been here."

"Charles is very interested in buying Netherfield," Jane told her. "If he does, he wants me to help him decide on how to redecorate. He said he likes my sense of style."

"Sounds like he's planning for the future," Elizabeth said as she grabbed her camera gear just as the front door opened and Charles came out to greet them.

"Elizabeth, I'm so glad you joined us this weekend," he told her as he greeted Jane with a tender kiss on the cheek.

"That's so sweet of you Charles." Elizabeth said to him, then added, "This house is charming. Did Jane tell you they hired me to do the photography layout for Architectural Heritage magazine?"

"Yes, she mentioned that when she called. I knew they would send people to take pictures and do a write-up of the house, but I had no idea you worked for the magazine when I agreed to allow them to use Netherfield in their article," Charles told her.

"Oh, I don't work for them full-time. I do freelance jobs from time to time, and they asked me to do this series for them," Elizabeth explained.

"Well, I'm thrilled that you are the one taking the pictures. Jane has shown me your work. I think you are amazing," Charles told her. The sound of the door opening caught their attention. Charles motioned for Darcy to come over, "Darcy this is Elizabeth Bennett. I realize you two didn't have the chance to meet at the party the other evening," he introduced them.

"Miss Bennet and I have already met," Darcy told him.

"Oh, I didn't realize that the two of you became acquainted at the party," Charles said. He hoped there wouldn't be any awkwardness for Elizabeth after what Darcy said about her at the party.

Elizabeth was just about to say they met the day after the party when she showed up for her meeting with Georgiana. But Darcy responded before she could.

"We met by chance when I ran into her at the party. I was not paying attention to where I was going. I'm sorry for my thoughtless actions of that evening. I was not at my best. I hope you will forgive me?" he told her.

She looked at him and wondered why the change of heart toward her. "No worries Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth tried to hide her annoyance at seeing him there, "Are you going to be staying this weekend as well?"

"Yes, I have decided to come and spend some time with Charles," Darcy told her. "He wanted me to come, and my cousin can handle things for me while I'm here. I always have my cell phone, and laptop if anything important comes up. Besides I'm looking forward to getting to know the girl who has won my best friends affections."

"Oh," was all Elizabeth said.

"I look forward to getting to know you too," Jane told him. She was a little nervous about spending more time with him considering the things he said about her sister and the way he behaved at the party. Jane looked over at her sister; she knew she was not happy about Mr. Darcy being there. "I hope we can all have a very lovely weekend."

"Well let me show you up to your rooms," Charles said as he led the way up the stairs to the house. "Jane, you are across the hall from me, and Elizabeth you are next to Darcy," Charles said.

"I guess I will see you both later," Darcy said as he watched them go inside. He took in a deep breath, seeing Elizabeth again made him even more aware of just how wrong he was to say she held no interest for him. The opposite was true; he found he was very interested in Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

Elizabeth did her best to smile as she followed Jane and Charles up the stairs. She wasn't happy with the news that Mr. Darcy would be staying on. But she was determined to make the most of the weekend for her sister's sake. Besides she would be busy working so she wouldn't have any free time to spend with him. Charles opened the door to her room first, "You will be in here Elizabeth. I hope you like it."

Elizabeth stepped into the room and smiled. "It is a charming room, Charles. I like it very much." She took in her surroundings and noticed that there was a lovely set of French doors that led to the balcony and a large four poster bed that sat across from it.

Charles took Jane's hand, "If you come with me I will show you the room I chose for you," he told her. As they began to walk away, he stopped and turned back to Elizabeth. "We will meet down in the garden for lunch in about half an hour, if that's alright?"

Elizabeth turned to them and nodded her head, "Sure that will be great." After they had left, she took off her backpack and put her things away. Then she grabbed her camera and headed out to the balcony. She was excited to snap a few photos of the grounds. The view was beautiful with a large pool area off to the right and a large flower garden to the left. If Charles and Jane did decide to get married, she would be very happy for her sister. Jane would live in a beautiful house with the man she obviously loved very much. Elizabeth let out a small sigh, Netherfield was close to Longbourn, and she would still see her sister often.

After taking several photos, she glanced down at her watch and realized it was getting late. She didn't want to keep everyone waiting, so she went back to her room and put away her camera. She was just about to leave when she decided that she better just peek in the mirror to make sure she looked alright. After all, both of Charles's sisters would be there, and she didn't want to make a bad impression for Jane. She walked over and opened the door that she thought led to the bathroom, but instead found herself accidentally walking into Darcy's room. She stopped abruptly when she saw him standing there talking on his cell phone.

"Yes Richard, I sent my notes to you...alright call me back if you need anything further," he said before hanging up.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Darcy," Elizabeth told him backing out of the room. She tried to hurry and close the door before he said anything but was not quick enough.

"Don't worry about it Miss Bennet," he told her as he walked over to the door. "I should have locked the door when Charles said he was putting you in the room next to mine. I would venture to guess you were probably looking for either the closet or bathroom, am I right?"

Elizabeth nodded her head. She blushed bright red with embarrassment for walking in on him. "Yes, I was."

"These older homes have adjoining rooms for married couples who didn't share the same bedroom. The bathroom is over there..." he told her pointing to the door on the other side of the room. "This other door here..." he told her pointing to the other door just a few feet down from the one she opened, "is the closet."

"Thank you for telling me," she said still feeling very embarrassed.

"I wanted to thank you for all that you did for Georgiana. She had such a wonderful time over this past week and has spoken of nothing else," he told her. "It meant a great deal to her."

"You don't have to thank me, Mr. Darcy. Georgiana is such a sweet girl. I had a very lovely time with her as well." Elizabeth said.

"Georgiana can be very shy as you probably notice," he said to her. "She doesn't make friends very easily, so it was very kind of you to go out of your way to make her feel comfortable."

Elizabeth could see he cared very much for his sister. "I really didn't do anything, as I said she's a lovely girl. I'm glad to have her as my friend."

Darcy stood there for a moment longer not sure what he should say next, "Well I will let you finish what you were doing and see you downstairs for lunch."

Elizabeth nodded, as Darcy closed the door. She waited for a moment then heard the lock as it tumbled into place. She crossed the room and went into the bathroom, she felt like such a fool for walking in on him like that. She looked in the mirror and saw that she was still flush.

After lunch, Charles and Jane went for a walk while Elizabeth decided to take some photos of the pool area for her magazine layout. She went upstairs to get her camera then headed out to the pool. She was a little disappointed to find both of Charles's sisters sitting in the spot she needed to photograph. Meeting Caroline again, and her sister Louisa during lunch proved to be a further disappointment for Elizabeth. Both ladies were distant and rather cold in their behavior towards her and Jane. Neither was outright rude, but several cutting remarks were made about Elizabeth's family and the area they lived in. It was clear to her that they didn't much care for the idea of their younger brother buying Netherfield and living so far outside the city.

Caroline sat near the pool fanning herself. "It has been unusually hot for this time of year," she complained.

"It really has," Louisa told her. "I was just telling Charles that we may want to go back to the beach house for the remainder of the summer. It's always so much cooler by the ocean than it is in the country."

Elizabeth tried to work around the two of them, but found that it was harder to get just the right angles she wanted with them there. "I'm sorry to bother you both, but would you mind moving to that side of the pool just for a little bit? I need to get some pictures for the magazine story on the house."

Caroline let out a heavy sigh. "Can't you just take pictures someplace else?" she demanded. She was annoyed at being asked to move from the spot they were in.

"I'm sorry to inconvenience you Caroline, but I really won't be that long," Elizabeth told her. "Besides, that side of the pool offers more shade for you both. You may find it more comfortable. It may not be so hot," Elizabeth said pointing over at the trees that partially shaded the side furthest from the house.

Darcy was just returning from the house when he overheard Elizabeth and Caroline talking. He was going to stop and say hello, but their conversation caught his attention. He was somewhat curious to see how Elizabeth would respond to Caroline, so he remained hidden just beyond the trees. He watched in amusement as Caroline and Louisa both got up and moved to the furthest side of the pool, complaining the entire time. Elizabeth ignored their comments and continued with her work. This was the vantage point she wanted, with the pool sitting just beneath the balcony of the master suite, it was a perfect shot to display the house and surrounding landscape. It was the sound of Caroline calling her name that interrupted her work.

"Eliza, what is it exactly that you are doing anyway?" Caroline asked, "Why are you taking photos of Netherfield Estate?"

"I'm taking photos for an architecture magazine. It's called Architectural Heritage. They are doing an entire spread devoted to some of the older estates from around the country. It's for their anniversary edition coming out later this year," Elizabeth told her. "Netherfield is going to be included in the piece."

"Well I've never heard of the magazine," Caroline said sounding rather dismissive. "Why is it that you had to have that shot, from that particular angle? It seems to me that isn't as beautiful a view as the gardens and trees behind the pool?"

Elizabeth knew that she was being baited. She knew Caroline had no real interest in her work, but she explained anyway. "The magazine is doing a story on the older homes in the area. They want to highlight the homes that have historical value. They want homes that have been here for centuries and showcase how the architecture of times past can be just as beautiful as modern-day buildings. I chose this angle to capture the arches above the windows, the balcony's sweeping view of the gardens and pool, and the way the French doors seem to invite you in."

"You would rather take pictures of windows and doors, instead of the gardens?" she asked sarcastically. "Why on earth wouldn't you take pictures of the gardens and pool area instead? Eliza, I think you're making a mistake."

Elizabeth laughed, "Well if I were here to photograph the gardens and pool then yes my choice to shoot this spot would be wrong. But since I'm here to photograph the house, this is the right choice."

"I don't see why anyone would want photos of balconies, arches, doorways, and windows in their magazine and not these beautiful gardens!" she snapped at her.

"They would want those shots because it is an architectural magazine. The shot is showcasing the home itself and how its design compliments the surroundings instead of intruding upon them," Elizabeth patiently explained. When she saw the blank look on Caroline's face she repeated herself, "It is an architecture magazine, not a garden magazine. They want pictures of the house. They want to see its design and how it flows with its environment."

Caroline let out a heavy sigh, "Well I still say that you have made a poor choice and I think you will end up regretting it."

Darcy had to keep from laughing. Caroline was making a fool of herself. He was studying the same view earlier that Elizabeth chose, and it did show off the best views of the gardens and pool area while maintaining the house as the focal point. He knew the publication Elizabeth mentioned; he read it on more than one occasion when he was considering some remodeling work for Pemberley.

Louisa could see her sister was getting upset so she decided it might be best to change the subject, "Elizabeth, Netherfield is a lovely home, but if you ever truly want to see a magnificent estate you should see Pemberley."

Caroline wasted no time in agreeing, "Oh yes, Pemberley is truly a house worthy of being published. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of viewing it would not doubt how perfect a place it is. Of course, Darcy does take particular care of his family's ancestral home."

Elizabeth smiled, "Pemberley is very beautiful, but I think there is something to be said for a smaller house. After all, it's not just the house itself that makes a place a home; it's the people who live in it as well."

Caroline laughed, "You only say that because you have never been to Pemberley. If you are ever privileged to see firsthand the grandeur of Pemberley I'm sure that even an idealist such as yourself wouldn't care who it was that resided in the home. Why I would give just about anything to be called the lady of that house."

Elizabeth arched her brow, "I'm surprised, Caroline. I had no idea that you were so fond of Mr. Darcy?" she commented. Elizabeth smiled at the thought of Mr. Darcy with Caroline Bingley. They would make a good match for each other; both were conceited and snobbish.

Darcy was shocked by what she said. Although he tolerated Caroline because of Charles, he never considered anything beyond that. He listened more carefully as he was curious as to what Elizabeth would say next.

"Darcy and I have known each other for some time, and I consider him to be a close personal friend," she stated emphatically. "But even if that were not the case, Pemberley is a home that would cause any woman to desire it no matter who she had to marry."

Louisa laughed, "That's so true."

"Well I wouldn't desire it," Elizabeth said simply. "Not if I had to marry someone I didn't love or respect just to live there."

Caroline laughed, "That's only because you haven't been to Pemberley. If you had, you would have a different view of the matter."

Elizabeth laughed, "I have been there. I've been there two times, and I can still tell you that while I found it to be a beautiful estate, it wouldn't cause me to abandon my beliefs and marry a man solely so I could live in his house."

Darcy's mouth dropped open, "When was Elizabeth at Pemberley?" he wondered. He didn't have long to wait for his answer as that was Caroline's very next question.

"When were you at Pemberley?" she demanded to know.

Elizabeth loved the effect that piece of knowledge had on Miss Caroline Bingley. She was almost tempted to say nothing more and leave her to fume over it. But she realized Caroline would go to Darcy, so she decided that it was best just to tell her. "I was there just last week to do the portraits of Georgiana. So, you see I have seen Pemberley firsthand, and it is beautiful, but I can still say with all confidence that it wouldn't cause me to marry a man that I didn't love simply because of the house he owned."

Caroline was not at all happy that Eliza Bennet had been to Pemberley or that she was commissioned to do Georgiana's portraits. "I'm sorry Eliza. I couldn't possibly have heard you correctly. Did you say that you were there to do Georgiana Darcy's portraits?"

"Yes, I did," she said as she snapped off another series of pictures.

Caroline looked at her in disbelief, "Are you telling me that Darcy is paying you, to do his sister's portraits?"

Elizabeth thought about it for a moment, she knew all too well what Caroline Bingley was asking, but she was having too much fun to clarify so she simply answered truthfully. "Yes," she said thinking that it was after all Mr. Darcy who said he was the one paying her.

Caroline didn't know what to say. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. First Charles, now Darcy, had the entire world gone crazy? She thought to herself. She hated the idiotic grin that Elizabeth had on her face. She had to regain the upper ground in this conversation. "Well, if you were privileged enough to see all of the estate, as I have been; you would understand what my sister and I are talking about. Since you weren't a personal family guest in the home and just a hired employee, you weren't privy to all of Pemberley's greatest treasures."

Elizabeth knew what she was trying to do. She thought it was funny that Caroline would think she could somehow instill jealousy in her by mentioning her relationship with Mr. Darcy. "You may be right in that Miss Bingley. While I was there, I only got to see Georgiana's private quarters, the family's living room, the gardens, the library, the dining room, and the east garden terrace where we shared lunch. Pemberley is a beautiful home. But I must tell you that as grand as the house is, it still could never entice me to marry a man that I wasn't in love with."

Caroline was beginning to tremble with anger at this woman's arrogance, "I suppose you would rather marry some man with nothing to his name and raise a bunch of babies in some little cottage somewhere!"

"Yes if the man that I was married to loved and respected me as much as I did him," she told her. "Then I think I would be very content in a small cottage with a bunch of babies as you put it."

"I guess it must be your upbringing Eliza that causes you to look at life in such an unrealistic, romantic way," Caroline said contemptuously.

"Yes, I suppose it must be Caroline, as probably is true with you," she told her. "Your upbringing has obviously caused you to look at life in a very cold and jaded businesslike manner. You see marriage as no more than a business deal, rather than a partnership based on love, trust and caring." Caroline's mouth dropped open in shock. Before she could say, more Elizabeth picked up the remainder of her camera gear and left. "Have a lovely afternoon ladies. I'm all finished so you can move back anytime if you wish."

Darcy had to keep himself from laughing. Elizabeth had very eloquently put Caroline in her place. Considering Caroline's present mood, he decided it would be best to go back up to the house the way he came. As he thought about what Caroline said he realized that she was, promoting the idea of marrying for nothing more than money. The very thing that she was accusing Jane's mother in doing where Charles was concerned. Her hypocrisy was made clear by what she said. He had to admit he was astonished, in her effort to promote Pemberley as a desirous place to Elizabeth she revealed something deeper about her own selfish nature. In this case, Georgiana had chosen a better friend for herself in Elizabeth than he had in trying to promote a friendship with Caroline. Darcy thought about Elizabeth's response as well. Of the two she spoke from a genuine heart, and he found himself very impressed with her.