P&P: How Darcy met Elizabeth

by MJanie001

Modern variation of P&P, traditional style. Elizabeth Bennet is a young and upcoming photographer who is about to cross paths with the proud, arrogant, and handsome Mr. Darcy. From the moment, they meet Elizabeth finds him to be rude, controlling, and snobbish. While Darcy finds himself equally annoyed and intrigued by this new acquaintance with the captivating brown eyes.(c)

51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Sharing Each Other's Burdens

Elizabeth was up early the next morning and ready to go for the day. She had an appointment with a prospective new client, and she didn't want to keep anyone waiting. She was just about to leave for her first meeting when she heard Jane calling out to her. "Lizzy before you leave, I think you should see something," she told her.

Elizabeth went back upstairs into her sister's room. "What is it Jane?" she asked her as came into the room and closed the door.

Jane opened her laptop for her to read, "This link came to me in a text message from that gossip rag, 'Rumors and Secrets.' They want to know if I have any kind of response I would like to give since I'm in the photo with you."

Elizabeth walked over and quickly read the headline, "From rags to riches, the Elizabeth Bennet story" She rolled her eyes, "Good grief, it's not exactly like I was living in a hovel somewhere until Will came riding in on a white horse and saved me," she told Jane. "Honestly do these people have nothing better to do with their time."

"The article is not much better," Jane told her, trying to soften the blow.

Elizabeth scanned the short article, "Elizabeth Bennet, fiancée of millionaire Fitzwilliam Darcy, has wasted no time in getting acquainted with the lifestyle she will be marrying into. Miss Bennet spent the day with three other young women, hitting the stores in London and their mantra must have been to Spend! Spend! Spend! because that's just what this bride-to-be did. In the above photo, Miss Bennet is seen leaving one of London's less than desirable shopping plazas in the discount district. Please, will someone just tell this poor girl, the guy she's marrying is filthy rich? She can do so much better than outlet shopping. It's clear Miss Bennet needs some real fashion lessons if she's going to be hanging out with the same crowd that her fiancé does. Miss Bennet consider this my official offer to teach you the finer places to shop in London. Now that you have Fitzwilliam Darcy paying all your bills, you will never have to shop discount again!"

Elizabeth sighed, "I should be offended with that, it's completely inaccurate," she told her sister.

Jane laughed, "Lizzy the entire article is inaccurate," she told her.

"Yes well, the most offensive part is the insinuation that Will is paying all my bills," she smiled, "I pay my own bills."

Jane laughed, "Exactly right," she said glad to see her sister was not upset by the piece, "And that's why we shop discount," she told her.

Elizabeth laughed, she looked back over the article and scrolled down to the comments section. The first one caught her attention, it was from MCB in London and read, "It's a shame, someone as fine as Fitz Darcy is getting married and it's not to me! Looking at the pictures of his fiancée is easy to see what she's after. Please tell me Mr. Darcy has a prenup in place so when this marriage goes bust she can't take him for every penny he has?"

She read a few more comments then looked over at Jane. "Well you don't have to be a photographer to know that picture was photoshopped," she told her. "Whoever did the work was really sloppy. Just look at it, they have me carrying at least thirty bags, I'm pretty sure that's just about impossible to do."

"I noticed two of the bags are actually just hanging in the air by themselves," Jane laughed

Elizabeth grew quiet for a moment as she glanced back at the first comment. "I wonder…" she mumbled.

"Lizzy this is just a gossip blog looking to try to make a name for itself," she told her then said, "They are just like the magazines always making up hateful lies. It's what they do so they can make money."

Elizabeth smiled, "Oh Jane I realize that," she told her then said, "I wasn't thinking of the news article really. I don't care what they print about me. Honestly, if people read these things and believe the lies, well it says more about them than it does me. I was thinking about one of the comments, it mentioned a prenuptial agreement. I have to admit it didn't cross my mind before now," she shrugged her shoulders. "I never imagined I would be marrying someone who actually had money," she admitted.

Jane laughed, "Lizzy, Darcy doesn't just have money, he has lots and lots of money," she reminded her. "Marrying him is going to bring about a lot of changes in your life."

Elizabeth nodded her head, "I'm beginning to realize that," she told her then said, "I do wonder why Will hasn't talked to me about having a prenuptial agreement written up."

Jane's eyes narrowed, "Lizzy if he does ask you to sign one, will that be ok?" she asked her.

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders, "I don't see why it should bother me to do so," she told her. "Since I'm marrying Will because I love him and not because I want money from him."

Jane smiled, "I feel the same way about Charles. I don't care how much money he has as long as he and I are together, I'm happy," she told her. "I'm so glad you're not upset by the story. I wasn't sure how you would feel about it."

Elizabeth shook her head, "I'm not upset," she assured her. "Will warned me these kinds of stories might come out. I just hope it doesn't bother him too much; he does guard his privacy very closely," she told her.

"He may not even see it, after all, it's just a gossip blog," she reminded her. "The only reason I came across the article was that it was sent to me in a text message asking for a response."

"You're probably right, I doubt he will see it," she told her. "I have a meeting with a client that I don't want to be late for so I better get going. Thank you, Jane, for showing it to me."

"Lizzy, just one more thing?" she called out to her. "How do you suppose that blogger knew we would be out shopping yesterday?"

Elizabeth grew quiet, "I hadn't thought of that?" she admitted. "Do you think Mum talked with them?"

"With the way Dad threatened her about behaving herself?" Jane said. "I doubt it."

Elizabeth was just about to say something more when her phone alarm went off, "Oh Jane we can talk later. I have to go, or I will be late meeting with this potential bride."

Jane stopped her. "Take my car," she told her giving her the keys, "You know how Mother worries when you ride your motorcycle, and right now with the press trying to get your picture at least my car makes it harder for them."

Elizabeth took the keys. "Thank you, Jane," she said as she headed for the car. It was quickly becoming all too clear just how much her life was changing.

Caroline sat in Brandon Wilson's office waiting for him to show up. She was not at all happy with the way her first meeting with him went. At first seeing him, she thought he was rather handsome, with bright blue eyes, deep brown hair and he was impeccably dressed. For a moment, she thought perhaps she could use her charms to get him to see things her way, but after spending five minutes with the man, her opinion of him changed. It was clear he was on her brother's side and that he had no real clue how unfairly she was being treated. He was unwilling to even listen to her that day. They argued until he informed her he would be taking over her expenses and setting up a budget for her to follow. When she protested, he had the audacity to dismiss her from his office as if she were a child. Caroline tried to speak with the firm's senior accountant Mr. Harold Maines, but he was just as unsympathetic as Mr. Wilson was to her plight.

This time she was determined things would go differently. She would take charge and make it clear that the budget he sent over was unreasonable. To expect her to give up so much, made her furious. Caroline was pacing back and forth when he came into the room. She wasted no time telling him exactly what she thought of his budget plan. "This is absolutely out of the question," she told him waving the papers he sent to her in front of him. "I can't possibly be expected to live on so little a month."

Brandon smiled, he fully expected Caroline Bingley to show up after she went over the papers he sent to her. Charles did warn him ahead of time how manipulative his sister could be. "Good morning to you too, Miss Bingley," he said as he walked over to his desk and sat down. "I see you have come in again without an appointment."

Caroline shook her head in frustration, "Did you hear a word I just said to you?" she demanded as she walked over and stood in front of his desk.

Brandon nodded his head as he leaned back in his chair, "Yes," was all he said as he opened a file in front of him and began going over it line by line.

"Is that all you have to say?" she demanded. "I just told you I couldn't possibly live on what you are giving me for an entire month, and you have cut out far too many necessities to my daily living."

Brandon looked over her budget and expenses, "Miss Bingley I really don't know what you want me to say to you," he told her. "You have a trust fund set up, left to you by your father. That trust fund allows you 20,000 pounds a month to live on."

"I know what my trust fund is worth..." she interrupted him.

"Good then you will have no trouble seeing that if you follow my budget exactly, you will be just fine," he told her. "I see nothing wrong with what I have set up for you to live on. All your needs have been considered, and I have allowed you a spending allowance to cover those things you call 'necessities.'"

"The spending allowance, as you call it does not cover my needs," she snapped at him.

"Then Miss Bingley may I suggest you reevaluate what those needs are that are most important to you, and give up the ones you can do without," he told her firmly.

"It's not good enough," she said as she tossed the papers at him. "I'm telling you I can't possibly manage on that."

Brandon wasn't about to waver. "Then I suggest you find employment someplace and bring in more income," he told her trying to keep his temper under control.

Caroline rolled her eyes, "That's not an option for me," she told him sarcastically.

"Miss Bingley if you don't live within the budget set up for you, and will not get a job to bring in more income to fund the things you want, then I can be of no further assistance to you," he told her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded to know.

"What it means, Miss Bingley is simply this. If you continue being unreasonable, if you continue carrying on with these outbursts, I will end our business relationship. I will turn over all your accounts to you, and let you handle your money on your own," he told her. "That means from this moment forward you will have to take full responsibility for your day-to-day living expenses. You will pay your bills and creditors yourself, and when the money runs out, you will have to figure out how you're going to live for the rest of the month until your next check comes in. You will be completely on your own."

Caroline's mouth dropped open, "You can't do that!" she yelled.

"I can, and I will if you continue being unreasonable," he warned her.

Caroline saw the flash of anger in his eyes, and she realized he was completely serious. She walked over and sat down in the chair near his desk. "Fine," she mumbled in frustration. "I will be more reasonable," she told him. "But you have to help me. I can't live on such a small allowance each month. I have my brother's wedding coming up; there are expenses that I need to meet."

Brandon looked back down at her file, "Well, you could move out of the hotel you're staying in and actually live in the flat that you already own," he suggested. "That would save you some money each month."

Caroline shook her head, "I can't, it's still being renovated. It's only partly finished."

"Miss Bingley, I know many people who live in their home while it's being renovated," he told her looking over the list of things already completed, "According to this, the kitchen, and main living area are done. There really is only the master suite, some painting, and some finishing work that remain. You could easily move in, sleep on a pull-out bed for the next few weeks it will take to complete the work, and save yourself some money. In fact, by moving out of the hotel and doing some basic household things like laundry, cooking, and cleaning for yourself; you could save a great deal of money each month."

Caroline's eyes flashed with anger, "I can't be expected to live in that kind of environment! What you are asking of me is beyond cruel."

Brandon was becoming impatient, "Miss Bingley you need to understand a few things," he told her. "Your present spending habits exceed the amount of money you bring in each month. There is no way you can continue as you have. Your brother, Mr. Bingley is no longer going to pay your way. The time of living like a spoiled brat is over. Now I have a lot of work to do so I suggest you take this information with you. Decide what you can and cannot live with, and then call my assistant and set up a proper appointment to see me and we will go over it."

Caroline grabbed the paper from him. "You can't speak to me like this!" she snapped at him. She was beyond angry. No one had ever spoken to her like that before; no one had ever dared to. She wasn't some nobody; she was after all Caroline Bingley, a wealthy heiress, surely there must be some way to make Charles see that he was wrong for treating her this way. She had to think, what could she do to get back into his good graces.

Brandon stood up and walked over to the door, "Good day Miss Bingley," he told her as he opened the door for her to leave.

Caroline was just about to storm out of the office when she stopped suddenly. "Mary Bennet!" she said rather snidely. "Can't I go anywhere without running into one of you Bennets?" she snapped before pushing past her.

Mary shrugged her shoulders, "Nice to see you too, Caroline," she mumbled.

Brandon smiled, "I am so sorry Miss Bennet," he told her. "Please come in." He opened the door wider so she could come in and sit down. He remembered Charles mentioning that one of Jane's sisters would be coming to go over her accounts with him. He was surprised by how little Mary Bennet looked like her older sister. She had darker hair with soft blonde highlights and light brown eyes, and she was not as tall as her sister.

Mary walked in and sat down. She took in a deep breath and waited until he was seated at his desk to begin, "Mr. Wilson I wanted to thank you for seeing me on such short notice," she told him. "My sister Jane asked me to come in and speak to you about transferring her accounts now that she and Charles are getting married."

Brandon shuffled through some of the files on his desk, "Yes I have some notes here from my conversation with Mr. Bingley," he told her. "Do you know, does your sister want to close out her accounts and open new ones with Charles or was she interested in keeping her own separate accounts for us to handle?"

Mary handed him a file. "I spoke with my sister just briefly yesterday, and she asked me to handle things since she's busy with work and wedding planning."

"All right then." Brandon smiled, "What do you think is best for your sister to do with her money?"

Mary took in a small breath and calmed her nerves, "Well I have a few ideas," she told him. "I know that Charles and Jane plan to open a joint account so transferring from her private checking makes good sense. She would never do well trying to keep track of more than one account anyway."

"I can do that," Brandon told her as he looked at the file Mary gave him. "Looks like you have all the necessary paperwork here," he commented then said, "What else?"

"I have some other plans I would like to go over with you," she told him. "There are a few companies I think would be good investments for my sister. She has some money in her savings account that isn't really gaining her much return right now. I thought why not make her money work for her instead of just sitting in the bank doing nothing."

Brandon laughed, "I always say that too," he told her. He listened intently as Mary went over her plans for her sister's money. He had to admit he was rather impressed with her understanding of money and technology, and how the two worked together. When she finished sharing her thoughts with him, he nodded his head, "That's a marvelous idea," he told her. "Your sister is lucky to have you looking out for her," he told her.

Mary smiled, "Thank you," she told him as she got up to leave. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Wilson."

Brandon walked over to the door with her, "Please call me Brandon," he told her. "I mean there really isn't any reason to be so formal since we will be working together and probably spending time together."

Mary blushed just a little; she suddenly felt very nervous, "All right," she said softly as she turned to leave.

Brandon called out, "Miss Bennet?"

Mary stopped and turned back toward him. "Yes?" she answered.

He smiled, "Is it all right if I call you by your first name?" he asked her.

Mary felt silly for not suggesting that herself, "Oh yes, of course. Call me Mary," she said blushing bright red. "You…can call me Mary."

"See you soon Mary," he told her. He watched as she walked over and stepped into the elevator. He smiled to himself; she was a very interesting girl.

Elizabeth made it to the restaurant just in time to meet with her client. She looked around the restaurant and saw a pretty, young, redhead waving her hand toward her. She smiled and made her way over to the table, "Hello Miss Jones."

"Please call me Leslie," the young woman told her. "I'm so happy to meet you. I have admired your work for a while and really wanted you to do my wedding portraits."

Elizabeth sat down, "Thank you," she told her. "So why don't you tell me a little about your wedding plans so far?"

Leslie pulled out a small notepad and looked at it, "Well I just got engaged. I was just so anxious that if I waited too long, I wouldn't get you as my photographer, so I'm not too far into the planning process yet."

"That's ok," she told her. "Just tell me what you're thinking so far."

"Well we want to get married soon," she told her.

"Ok let's start there, when is your wedding?" Elizabeth asked her. "What's the date?"

"Well I know you and your sister both just got engaged as well, so I told my fiancé we had to be willing to work around your schedule. I imagine you will be busy with your sister's wedding coming up soon," she told her. "Maybe you could suggest a date when you are available?"

"Oh." Elizabeth was baffled by her response. "Well I don't usually work that way," she admitted then said, "Usually the brides who come to me already have a date in mind."

Leslie bit her bottom lip, "Well we were thinking in October maybe," she said waiting to see Elizabeth reaction.

"Ok, well when in October?" she asked.

Leslie sighed, "See that's the thing..." she began to say. "I'm not sure when would be good," she laughed. "I feel so clueless about this whole planning thing. When are you and your fiancé going to marry? Are you thinking about this fall or waiting until after the new year?"

Elizabeth was beginning to get uncomfortable. Something didn't seem right. "Let's come back to that question later," she said without answering her. "Where do you plan to get married?"

"Where?" Leslie repeated. "Well I was thinking about a place here in London, but then small town weddings can be nice too? I'm from a small town, so I have a lot of family and friends there," she said then asked, "What about you, are you getting married here in London?"

Elizabeth didn't answer her. "I think it all depends on what you want your wedding day to be?" she told her then asked, "Are you planning a large wedding, will there be a lot of guests? What about the bridal party, how many groomsmen and attendants are you planning to have?"

Leslie hesitated, "Well I think big weddings can be fun," she commented. "What about you. I imagine you marrying Fitzwilliam Darcy you will be having a really large wedding party with a lot of guests."

Elizabeth had the feeling she was being played. "Maybe you are not as ready as you think, Miss Jones," she told her as she got up to leave. "You should speak with your fiancé, and then you can call my assistant when you know where and when you want to marry?"

Leslie reached over and grabbed Elizabeth's hand, "Ok wait, please. I'm not really getting married. I work for an entertainment magazine, and my editor said if I could get some details about your upcoming wedding then she would consider bringing me on full-time."

Elizabeth was shocked, "So you thought if you lied to my assistant, came here pretending to be a bride who was unsure about her wedding you could trick me into giving you all sorts of details about my wedding?"

Leslie brushed her hair back away from her face. "I admit it wasn't the greatest plan, but I really want this job, and you're my only chance at it," she pleaded. "Please just at least tell me is the wedding going to be in October, because that's what we are hearing?"

Elizabeth felt angry, "Miss Jones, or whatever your name is, do us both a favor and find something to write about that has real value and importance in people's lives," she told her as she turned to leave.

"Miss Bennet, if you should change your mind and decide to give an interview, you have my number!" Elizabeth could hear Miss Jones calling out to her even after she walked away.

By the time, she got to the car she was completely frustrated. She took out her phone and called her assistant, "So that client you sent me to see this morning was really a reporter."

"Elizabeth I'm so sorry," he told her. "Since your engagement was announced we have people crawling out of the woodwork trying to set up appointments with you. I really thought that lady was legit. She talked so much about wanting to have the perfect wedding photos done."

Elizabeth let out a small sigh, "Don't worry about; it isn't your fault."

"I have three other possible brides-to-be who have called in the past twenty minutes," he told her. "What do want me to do, should I set up appointments or what?" Michael asked her.

"Do we have any way of knowing if these women are who they say they are?" she asked him.

"Honestly, this was never an issue until now," he told her. "There have been so many people calling asking questions about you. I have done as Richard Fitzwilliam suggested but I don't have the time to meet with all of these people before they meet with you. We need to take on more help."

"I think your right," Elizabeth told him. "I need to figure out what to do about this. Listen until I get this figured out I think I will just stick to freelance magazine work and the weddings we already have booked coming up for the rest of September."

Darcy was sitting at his desk when Richard came in to see him. "So were you able to take care of that matter we talked about yesterday?"

"I spoke to our attorney and its exactly as I thought, Lady Catherine would have no real chance of getting Georgiana," he told him then said, "But you are right she could drag it all into the courts and make life miserable for a while."

"That's exactly what I would like to avoid," he told him. "Did you hear back from your father; did he speak with Aunt Catherine?"

"He called me last night to let me know that he talked to her," he told him. "Apparently, my father made it clear to her that speaking to the press about family matters was completely beneath her standing as Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He made it clear that he didn't approve."

"Do you think that will keep her from talking to them?" Darcy asked him.

Richard shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not sure."

"And the other matter?" Darcy asked.

"She informed my father that she would do whatever was necessary to protect Georgiana," he told him. "He was able to get her to agree not to take any action until after he has a chance to meet with Elizabeth himself."

"I suppose that will have to do for now," he told his cousin. "When you spoke with your father did you get the sense that he would stay open to meeting with Elizabeth tomorrow night and not allow Aunt Catherine opinions to sway him?"

Richard shook his head, "I don't think he will allow anything that Aunt Catherine has said to influence him where Elizabeth is concerned," he told him then said, "We talked at great length I have no doubt he will love Elizabeth. I even believe he will be supportive and understanding about her mother..."

"But?" Darcy asked.

"But he's never going to be all right with you and Elizabeth marrying without a prenuptial agreement. He made that very clear," he told him. "He's adamant that not only for Georgiana's protection but for your own, you must have a marriage contract drawn up and signed before the wedding takes place."

"Richard if I ask Elizabeth to sign a prenuptial agreement now after everything I wrote about her family, and our fight at Rosings she will think I don't trust her. If I ask her to sign one she will doubt my faith in our relationship and marriage, I just can't hurt her like that," Darcy told him. He just couldn't bring himself to ask Elizabeth to sign a prenuptial agreement.

"I understand Darcy. I do, but if you want his support I think you're going to have to give in on this one," he warned him.

Darcy shook his head, "I don't even know how I would ask her to sign such a thing," he told him then said, "I trust Elizabeth completely, and I know she loves me, shouldn't that be enough? Besides Georgiana has her own trust left to her by my parents as well as one that you and I set up for her. No one else can touch those accounts but her anyway."

"I did point that out to my father, but as I said before he can be a bit of a snob as well," he told him. "Darcy I'm not telling you what to do, I'm just asking you to think about it?" he told him.

Darcy was just about to respond when his phone went off. "It's Elizabeth," he told him as he answered the call. "Hello Lizzy, are you on your way over to the house?" he asked as Richard let himself out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"I was calling because I'm feeling just a bit tired and decided to just come home tonight instead," she told him. "I'm sorry.

Darcy knew something was wrong, he could hear it in her voice. "Is everything all right?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," she told him.

"Was it your client meeting?" he asked trying to get her to talk to him. "Didn't it go well?"

Elizabeth didn't want to upset Will, so she decided to just keep what happened to herself. "Oh, no it was fine, the bride was just a bit indecisive. It was just a long day, and I want to be at my best tomorrow when I meet your aunt and uncle, so I decided to come home early. I just need a good night sleep; I'm sure I will feel better in the morning."

Darcy knew there was more to it than she was letting on, "Lizzy are you sure?" he asked her again.

"Yes," she tried to sound upbeat. "I'm sorry to disappoint you by not coming over. I will come early if I can to spend more time tomorrow."

"All right," he reluctantly agreed. "I love you."

"I love you too," she told him before hanging up the phone. Elizabeth sighed and was just about to go up to her room when her father called her into his study. "Lizzy, can you come in here?"

She tried to smile, "Yes Dad what is it?" she asked as she came in.

"Come in and close the door," he told her.

Elizabeth closed the door and then walked over to sit down, "What's wrong?" she asked him again.

"Lizzy, I didn't mean to eavesdrop just now, but I heard you on the phone with Darcy, and I know something is wrong," he told her. "Now before you protest or try to convince me nothing is wrong I want you to remember who it is you're speaking to."

She was about to protest, but then realized it would do no good, "All right, I did have a rather difficult morning."

"Tell me what happened," he asked her. "Does it have anything to do with this gossip blogger who wrote about you and your sister's shopping excursion?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "No, you know me better than that."

"Then what happened today with your new client?" her father asked. "Was she a particularly difficult bride to be?"

"Well as it turned out she wasn't really a client at all. I went to London to meet with what I thought was a young woman getting married. Instead, it ended up being a reporter trying to get information from me about my wedding," she explained what happened. "It's just that so much has changed..." she got up and walked over to the window and looked out towards the gardens, "so much is changing every day."

"And this is surprising to you?" he asked her.

She turned back to face him. "When I agreed to marry Will I never realized how much my life was going to change so completely, so yes I guess it is a bit surprising."

He laughed, "Oh my dear Lizzy, marriage is all about two people becoming one couple. And there are bound to be many changes, and compromises along the way."

She shook her head in frustration, "I realize that dad, but I didn't think there would be changes in every aspect of my life. By marrying Will, I can't really ride my motorcycle anymore because of the paparazzi taking photographs, apparently shopping with my sisters will be scrutinized, and then there is my photography business," she said as she turned back to the window. "It's not just this one client; my assistant has had to weed out a dozen potential clients because none of them were really looking to hire me. They were all interested in getting a story or just wanting to know what it was like being engaged to one of the richest bachelors in the country."

"Lizzy, I know it will get better once you are married and things settle down," he urged her. "The media is a fickle thing; these kinds of stories come and go. You know that you have seen it with Jane."

She walked over to the chair and sat down, "Dad what if I can't work anymore?" she asked him. "What if being Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy keeps me from doing the one thing I love doing most?"

Her father sat back in his chair and grew very quiet for a moment. He looked over at his daughter and could see this was truly weighing heavy on her heart. "Lizzy the only advice I can give you is to talk to Darcy, tell him these things you just told me and then together work it out," he suggested.

"He has so much on his mind already," she told him. "Even last night at dinner he was so distant. I don't want to burden him."

"Lizzy dear, that's one of the perks of being married," he said. "Getting to share the burdens of your life with the one person you love and who loves you. Don't hide your struggle from Darcy, he loves you, and he will be there for you."

Deep down she knew he was right. "I will talk with Will tomorrow," she told him as she got up to leave. "Thank you."

Her father smiled, "For what?"

"For listening in on my conversation with Will," she told him.

Mr. Bennet sat back down at his desk; he took comfort in knowing he was still of some use in his daughter's life. He had to admit, while he was very happy for both Jane and Lizzy, there was a part of him that would miss them both very much.

It was just past midnight when Darcy pulled up in the Bennet driveway. He couldn't sleep so he decided to drive to Longbourn to speak with Elizabeth. He knew something was bothering her, something had kept her from coming to dinner with him, and he had to know what it was. He got out of the car, walked over to the door and stood there. It was late, not wanting to disturb her parents he pulled his phone from his pocket, "Lizzy I need to speak with you," he sent her a text.

Elizabeth jumped when she heard her phone go off; she looked over at her clock it was already past midnight. "What is it Will? What's wrong?" she wrote back.

"I'm at your front door can you come down and let me in," he typed in and hit send.

Elizabeth grabbed her sweat jacket and went over to her window, she looked down, and there was Will standing in the driveway. "Yes, I'm coming," she wrote him back.

Moments later she opened the front door and let him inside, "What are you doing here? It's after midnight."

"I told you..." he said as he took her hand in his and pulled her along behind him into her father's study, "I need to speak with you."

She could see he was upset and that something was bothering him. "Will, what is it?"

"When you called earlier tonight you were upset. Don't deny it," he told her. "I could hear it in your voice. I was going to wait to speak with until tomorrow, but I couldn't sleep. I had to come and see you."

She looked into his eyes and saw the concern there. "Oh Will, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause you all this alarm. I'm fine, really I am."

He took her hand in his and pulled her over to the sofa, "Lizzy if something is upsetting you..." he began to say, "If something is bothering you, then I want you to talk to me."

"What about you?" she asked him. "I know something was bothering you the other night at dinner, but you wouldn't tell me what it was."

He realized she was right, "You're right," he told her. "I should have told you what was wrong," he admitted then said, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. It was just my Aunt Catherine."

Elizabeth furrowed her brow, "What happened with Lady Catherine?"

"She was making some threats, trying to get me to break off our engagement," he admitted. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry."

"What kind of threats did she make?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

"It doesn't matter," he told her. "They were the ramblings of an old lady with too much time on her hands and the propensity to interfere in the lives of everyone around her."

"Will, if what she said really was nothing more than the ramblings of an old lady, you wouldn't have been so upset," she told him. "You can tell me what she said; I'm not afraid of her."

Darcy hesitated for a moment but realized that if he wanted her to share her burdens and struggles with him, he had to trust her and do the same. "By way of your mother, Lydia told Wickham that we are planning to marry in October," he began telling her. "Of course he wanted to stir up trouble for me, so he got in touch with my aunt. He called Lady Catherine and implied some things to her about you. These things he said convinced my aunt that you and I were rushing to the altar for reasons other than our wish to marry and be together."

"So, Lady Catherine was led to believe that I was pregnant and somehow forcing you into marrying me?" she guessed.

"Yes, something like that," he told her then said, "She was going to speak with the press, a gossip rag, called 'Rumors and Secrets.' She was going to tell them that we were only marrying because you trapped me into marriage by getting pregnant."

"She really must not like me at all," Elizabeth laughed. "You could've told me this, you know? I know Lady Catherine doesn't approve of you marrying me and I couldn't care less if she tells a gossip magazine that I'm pregnant or not. Time would have proven her out to be the gossip she is in the end."

Darcy felt confused, "Lizzy if you are not upset by her spreading gossip to the magazines about you, then why were you so upset this evening?" he asked then said, "I assumed it was because of the blogger story that went viral about you and your sister's shopping trip."

"Oh, so you did see that story then?" she asked him.

"No, it was Georgiana who saw it, she was concerned that you would be upset by it and shared it with me once I got home."

"I wasn't upset by the story itself. I don't care what some stranger thinks of me," she told him. "But I was wondering about a comment one of the readers made."

"What did it say?" he asked her.

"They sarcastically mentioned that you should have a prenuptial agreement in place," she said. "Will, why haven't you mentioned signing one?"

He let go of her hand, got up and walked over to the window. "The stars are beautiful tonight, you should come look," he commented without really thinking.

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, "You are doing it again Mr. Darcy."

He turned and looked into her eyes, "Doing what?"

"You are avoiding the conversation," she told him. "I asked you about a prenuptial agreement, and you commented about the beautiful stars in the sky instead of answering me."

He smiled, "You are right, I did do that. I guess I didn't want to really talk about it because I don't believe one is necessary for us."

She smiled and hugged him close. "Will Darcy, I do love you so very much." She leaned up and kissed him ever so softly on the lips and whispered. "And it's because I love you so much that I insist you have your lawyers write-up whatever is customary in these kinds of documents and then I will have by Uncle Philips look it over, and we shall both sign it."

"No Lizzy," he told her. "I told you, I don't believe we need one between us and I meant that. I love you, and I know you love me. There is no doubt in my mind that we will ever divorce so there is no need."

Tears formed in her eyes, "Oh Will, you don't know how much hearing you say that means to me because I feel the exact same way," she told him as she wiped away a stray tear.

"Then we agree there will be no prenuptial agreement," he said as he held her close and kissed the top of her head.

She pulled away from him. "Will, we both know there are those in your family besides Lady Catherine who will expect you to have one. Think about it, if Georgiana was marrying would you want her to have one? What about Richard, how would you advise him?"

Darcy didn't say anything at first, "This is different."

She smiled, then reached up and gently brushed his cheek. "It really isn't, you know it's not any different." She could see he wasn't going to change his mind, so she said, "Mr. Darcy do you believe that I'm marrying you only for love and no other reason?"

"Yes of course I do," he said as he pulled her closer.

"Then trust me when I say it doesn't upset me in the least to sign a prenuptial agreement," she told him. "I trust you completely, and I want to do this."

"Lizzy, you have nothing to prove to me or to anyone," he told her.

"I know that, but I still want to do this. I've thought about it all day, and I want to do this. Besides you're not the only one with assets that need protecting," she teased him.

Darcy's eyes narrowed, "Oh really, and what assets do you have that need protecting from me?"

She smiled mischievously, "I happen to be the sole owner of a very valuable marble collection," she teased him.

Darcy smiled, "Oh really, a marble collection?"

"Yes really," she told him. "I have owned this irreplaceable marble collection since I was in the first grade. I also own a very lovely collection of old cameras that must be protected."

Darcy laughed, "Well I will be sure to mention both your marble and camera collection to my attorney to ensure you are properly protected," he teased her.

"See that you do Mr. Darcy," she told him as she leaned up and playfully kissed him.

Darcy looked into her eyes; he could see she was determined to do this. "You really want to do this?"

"I really do," she told him, then she asked. "Now tell me what else was upsetting you because Lady Catherine threatening a silly story couldn't be all that made you so distant?" she told him as she walked back over and sat down on the couch.

Darcy followed her and sat down next to her. "Lizzy, she did threaten something else. Something that would affect Georgiana, but I didn't want to upset you or her by telling you."

Elizabeth could see the serious look in his eyes. "Tell me what it is," she urged him.

"She threatened to go to her lawyers and attempt to take over guardianship of Georgiana," he told her.

Elizabeth was stunned, "Could she do that?"

"She could try," he told her. "She wouldn't succeed, but she could drag us all into the courts, and it would make life difficult for my sister."

"I don't know what to say," she told him. "Should we postpone our wedding?"

"No," he told her. "My Uncle John will keep her in check."

"Do you really think he can?" she asked him. "Will, if she does this I can't bear the thought that my happiness would ever cause you or your sister pain."

"Lizzy, she's a bitter, angry person, who just wants to control everyone around her," he told her. "I don't want to see Georgiana go through this either, but I have to stand up to my Aunt Catherine now. She can't threaten me and think she can treat me like a puppet doing her bidding."

Elizabeth nodded her head, "Will, promise me one thing," she said. "Promise me you will tell Georgiana, in case your uncle can't keep Lady Catherine from going to her attorneys. If I'm going to be all right with us taking this risk, she has to know about it, and it has to come from you now before anything happens."

He nodded his head, "All right, I will tell her," he agreed.

She leaned her head back against his shoulder, as he wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you for telling me this. I want us to be able to share these kinds of things with each other too."

He leaned in and kissed her softly, "Well I've told you everything that I've been dealing with. Now it's your turn."

"There are two things more I need to tell you," she told him. "First I did have a terrible time with that prospective client today."

"What happened?" he asked, his voice filled with concern for her.

"The details don't really matter so much," she said. "Let's just say, Miss Jones was not who she said she was, so I've made a decision about my photography business."

"What decision have you made?" he asked her.

"Mary is going to be coming to work for me," she explained. "She's going to be making appointments and helping to ensure potential clients are who they say they are. Once they have met with her, and she determines they are who they claim to be she will set up a second appointment with me. That way we will weed out any potential reporters or gossip hounds."

Darcy smiled, "It sounds like a very promising idea," he told her. "Mary is a very intelligent young woman; even I was very impressed with her knowledge of computer security. I can't imagine anyone pulling anything over on her."

"That was my thought exactly," Elizabeth said.

"What was the other thing you wanted to tell me?" Darcy asked her.

"I'm going to give my motorcycle to my sister Kitty and get a car," she told him.

He smiled, "Well I can't say that I consider this bad news. But I know you love your motorcycle, so why are you giving it up?"

"Because I've come to realize with my life changing as it is, a motorcycle doesn't really fit so much anymore," she said. "For one thing with the paparazzi everywhere, it's much more difficult for them to get my picture when I'm in a car than on my motorcycle."

"That's true," he agreed.

"Then there is the fact that one day," she said ever so softly as she began to spread tiny kisses around the corners of his mouth. "One day I do hope to actually be pregnant, and I just don't think strapping a car seat to the back of my motorcycle would make me a very good Mum," she teased him.

Darcy grew quiet for a moment; he loved that she one day wanted to have a family with him, but he didn't want her to feel as though she had to change just for him. "Lizzy, I don't want you to feel like you have to stop being you. I love you just the way you are; you know that don't you."

She arched her brow, "Are you saying you want me to keep my motorcycle, and someday ride junior to school on the back of it?" she teased him again.

He laughed, "No, I'm not saying that I want you to keep your motorcyle," he told her then said in a more serious tone. "I just don't ever want you to feel like you have to be someone else, not for my family or me. If you want to keep your motorcycle, then I can drive junior to school."

"Oh, you have become very good at saying just the right things Mr. Darcy," she teased him as she kissed him again. Darcy couldn't help himself he pulled her closer as their kiss deepened. He wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her all day. She was so beautiful, and he loved her so much. As she ran her fingers through his hair, he found his desire for her growing. Darcy pulled back breathing raggedly as their kiss came to an end. "As much as I would love to stay here and keep kissing you all night long..." he whispered, "I think I better go."

Elizabeth reluctantly moved away from him. "You are not planning to drive all the way back to London, now are you?"

Darcy shook his head, "No," he told her. "I have an open invitation at Netherfield, and I plan on taking advantage of it," he said as he got to his feet and took her hand in his. Together they walked over to the front door, "See you tomorrow," he said as he gave her one last kiss goodnight.

Elizabeth stood at the door for a moment after Darcy left, she was so glad they talked. Her father was right; she was silly for keeping things from Will. She let out a small sigh, as she climbed the stairs, just talking to him made her feel so much better.