"There is a Mr. Darcy here to see Mr. Bingley." It was well before respectable visiting hours when Mr. Hurst's butler interrupted breakfast. Mrs. Hurst was prepared to have the intruder sent away immediately when her brother spoke up.

"Of course, bring him in and he can break his fast with us," Mr. Bingley responded.

"Charles, really, a tradesman? At breakfast?" The Hursts were unaware of the events of the previous evening. They had not been invited to join the Grantleys and had already retired to their rooms when Mr. and Miss Bingley returned home, despite their shortened evening. And as Miss Bingley had not come down that morning, they had not heard of her disgrace at the theater nor had Mr. Bingley taken the opportunity to enlighten them.

A few moments later William entered the breakfast room. Mrs. Hurst tsked at his appearance - windblown, grim faced and dressed for riding. She paid him scant attention as the introductions were conducted.

"Mr. Darcy, have a seat. Would you like some breakfast?" William declined the offer, but Mr. Bingley would not have it. "I insist, at least some toast and coffee. You look frozen through, the wind is rather brisk this morning, and the days are growing colder. Some nice hot coffee is just the thing."

William yielded. In truth, it would sustain him on his ride to Netherfield which he intended to start after he completed this conversation.

"Thank you. I apologize for the early hour, but I am leaving for Hertfordshire as soon as I may. The rest of my party departed some time ago, but I could not leave without speaking with you."

"Mr. Darcy, it is I who should be apologizing. You have done nothing for which you must seek forgiveness. Carol-"

"What has the bloody girl mucked up this time?" Mr. Hurst asked around a large bite of eggs.

"Mr. Hurst, that blo-, that girl is my sister!" Mrs. Hurst was not pleased with his words. They had only been married a short while but already an adversarial relationship was forming between her husband and sister.

"Yes, I know who she is and that is precisely why I asked," Mr. Hurst answered plainly.

"Caroline made a fool of herself at the theater when she decided to lend her unique brand of help to Mr. Darcy's fiancée and her mother."

"Which means she insulted them." Mr. Hurst offered his apologies to William as well. "There must be more if you are here so early."

"It is as Mr. Bingley said, she insulted my fiancée and her mother. Her insult was compounded by her having mistaken my aunt for Miss Bennet's mother."

Mr. Hurst blinked, suddenly very alert. "Your aunt, Lady Catherine DeBourgh?" His wife gasped at his question.

"Yes. You know who my aunt is?"

"Of course, the Darcys and the Fitzwilliams are well known among the upper circles."

"How well known?" Mrs. Hurst asked. "And how upper…circles? I mean, how elevated are the circles of which you speak?"

"Mr. Darcy here is the grandson of the Earl of Matlock. His uncle is the current earl. There are connections to others among the peerage as well, I believe."

"Yes, like that nice countess who I was speaking to last night, your cousin married her son," Bingley snapped his fingers and pointed to William.

"Yes, that is true."

"But how? You are a tradesman." Mrs. Hurst felt a knot forming in her stomach. She had not only witnessed her sister's dreadful behavior but had fully participated right along side her at times. This could be disastrous.

Her question was ignored as Mr. Hurst continued disclosing William's family connections for his wife's benefit. "And the Darcys have been among the wealthiest landowners in the country for generations. The question is, how could you not know, Louisa? I thought Caroline made a point of knowing of everyone of importance in town."

"Of course, we know the name Darcy, but we did not connect it with him," she gestured irritably toward William. "He works and just bought our father's paper mill. We could hardly be expected to know that he was someone of consequence."

"That attitude is what got Caroline in trouble last night. Again, Mr. Darcy, I can only offer my sincerest apologies for both Caroline and Louisa," Mr. Bingley said as he shook his head at Mrs. Hurst.

"Actually, there is more you can do. I have recently been taught a valuable lesson and so I wish to impart it to you. All too often we remain silent in order to keep the peace or not to draw undue attention. It is virtuous to be the bigger person or turn the other cheek, is it not? However, in doing so, those close to us can get hurt and our inaction hurts them even further. We must be better and guard against the slings and arrows that come our way. However, if those close to us are inflicting the wounds we have just as much responsibility to speak up. Silence makes us complicit in the harm they do others. The results of which may not be to our benefit."

"Is this your way of saying you wish to dissolve our partnership?"

"He is saying curb your infernal sister and do not let Caroline take you down with her." Mr. Hurst munched noisily on a piece of toast.

"Yes, Mr. Hurst has stated it quite succinctly. At this time, I do not wish to end our partnership. In fact, I do hope you will come to the wedding. Your sister on the other hand will not be tolerated, nay even welcome, in my family's presence in the future. You will find that very few will welcome her after last night. As to Miss Jane Bennet, specifically, you and she must determine the course you wish to pursue on your own. And you should know that the countess was indeed earnest in her desire to converse with you about Leeds. Her approval will go far in preserving your own standing in society but only if you take your sister in hand. I fear that once she gets over her initial embarrassment, she will attempt to ingratiate herself with Elizabeth and Jane. That will not be allowed to happen under any circumstances. She will also not be allowed entry anywhere based on our acquaintance and business dealings. You should warn her that she should not try to use the Darcy or Fitzwilliam name to her advantage."

"I see you know enough of Caroline to take her measure. She would do precisely that, Oh, yes, my brother Charles is great friends with dear Mr. Darcy. And Lady Anne is sooo charming. Please invite me to your garden party." Mr. Hurst adopted a high voice and simpering expression.

"Well done, Hurst. Your impression of Caroline gets better every time." Bingley laughed.

William stood up and extended his hand. "As amusing as that is, I trust you understand, Mr. Bingley, I must do as I see fit for the sake of my family."

"Of course, you have been far kinder than I have any right to expect. You can be assured that I will see to Caroline." Mr. Bingley took the offered hand and shook it firmly. "And I hope in the future we may become friends."

"I look forward to it."

As William thanked his hosts and offered goodbyes, the door to the breakfast room opened and a wretched looking Caroline Bingley entered. It took a step or two for her to realize there was a guest and just who that guest was. Her eyes widened and she darted from the room, her horrified squeak lingering in the air after her quick departure.

"I think it is safe to say Caroline will not approach you again." Mr. Hurst laughed.

It was on this note that William left the Hurst townhouse. Though he had a long ride ahead of him, he was glad he let the others go ahead so he could complete this conversation. Elizabeth had said there was no need to do so but he did not like the feeling that he let her down. He was determined to be more mindful of the manner in which he should support his wife in the future. His wife! He smiled at the thought. Elizabeth would be his wife in a week. In fact, in one hundred and sixty-six hours – William looked at his pocket watch – and forty-three minutes.

He kept his mind blissfully occupied with thoughts of Elizabeth as he retrieved his horse and made his way north to Hertfordshire. Unfortunately, the cold temperature and wind remained just as harsh as they were earlier in the morning, and he had to make numerous stops to warm up. When he arrived at Netherfield all he wanted was to freshen up so he could go back into the cold again to see Elizabeth at Longbourn. He had seen her only this morning when he saw the carriages off on their journey, but as he mentally marked off another hour or minute from his countdown he became almost desperate to see her.

Upon entering the house, he heard a door open and saw Elizabeth rush down the stairs toward him. She stopped on the last step, so their eyes were level. He was overjoyed to know she missed him just as much as he missed her. He grinned as he sketched a bowed, "Miss Bennet."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I am Miss Bennet now, am I? To what do I owe this formality?"

"Formality is often used to keep some distance, you know. And with you scampering down the stairs in your great haste to see me, I suppose it is up to me to ensure propriety is upheld." His grin grew even larger, and his tone was light.

"Scamper? I do not scamper, sir. And I assure you I did not make haste." Elizabeth responded, matching his own mood.

"Too bad, I told myself I would marry the woman who scampered down the stairs to welcome me home. A woman who would throw off the bindings of polite manners to show her love for her noble beloved who vanquished the harpies of society."

"Vanquished harpies, well you have had quite the morning. And not a scrape or bruise to be seen. Still as handsome as ever."

"Well, perhaps not vanquished, but I gave their brother a stern talking to, at least."

"My hero," Elizabeth clasped her hands together and held them against her heart and let out a dreamy sigh.

"Do you really think I'm enormously handsome?"

"I do not recall ever saying that. I said handsome, though now that I think about it, it is more like passably handsome."

"Intimidatingly handsome."

"Somewhat handsome," Elizabeth countered.

"Brilliantly handsome."

Elizabeth looked him up and down in an exaggerated manner. His hair was wildly tousled, his face ruddy from the wind, and he had spatters of mud on his clothes and even a bit on his face. He looked disheveled and, indeed, brilliantly handsome.

"Very well, brilliantly handsome."

"Just for that, you will get a kiss."

"Here? We are quite in the open and anyone could see us."

"What are they going to do, make us get married? Oh no, not that, the horror!" William slid his muddied, and still very cold, cheek against hers.

"You are freezing," Elizabeth jumped back. "Are you hands that cold, too?"

"They are not too bad, I had my gloves on," William took her face in his hands to illustrate his point.

"You are lucky you are brilliantly handsome." She removed one of his cold hands with her own and kissed his palm and then did the same with the other one. Once both hands were captured, she leaned in and gave him a deep kiss that lasted much longer than either of them intended.

"Well, I am quite warm now," William said when they finally parted. "I should get cleaned up though, before I transfer any more of my untidiness to you." He wiped his thumb across the traces of mud on her cheek.

"I will be waiting in the green parlor." Elizabeth urged William up the stairs. He made fast work of washing up and changing his clothes. As promised, he found her in the green parlor, and absorbed the scene before him for a moment. It was his turn to sigh.

"I know the weather may be less than ideal for wedding and traveling this time of year, but I could not be more delighted."

Elizabeth frowned as she tried to discern what he meant.

"My beloved, a roaring fire, a nice tea tray. It is all very homey and cozy. We just need a cat to complete the picture. We have the rest of autumn and winter to indulge in lazy days like these." William flopped onto the settee beside Elizabeth, and slouched in a way that would have his aunt sharply correcting his posture.

"It is nice, but I do take umbrage at the word lazy. You had a busy day of vanquishing and riding while I had to deal with the final wedding preparations. Do you know how exhausting it is to have to manage the advice of my mother, your mother, and your aunt? I was trapped in a carriage with them all the way home."

"I thought everything was ready."

"So did I, but I have spent the last hour contemplating new ideas for the wedding breakfast. That is where they all are, in the ballroom, or maybe in the kitchen. They go back and forth. Surprisingly, it is your mother and aunt who are mostly at odds. Once we were notified of your arrival I begged to be excused. They may do whatever they want as far as I am concerned. The wedding breakfast comes after the wedding and that is all I care about. What is most important will be completed and they may do what they will beyond that."

"I wondered where everybody was. It was far too quiet." William stretched and extended his arm across the back of the settee. Elizabeth further emboldened by William's earlier comment about not caring about being seen, snuggled in beside him and started to relax.

"I like quiet. London is nice but I did not realize how tense I was until we left the city and now that you are here, I feel much more settled. I am sure part of it is all the excitement of the wedding. Everybody is working so hard and there always seems to be something to do."

"At the risk of sounding self-centered, I think your feelings are more about us than London or being busy. We have both had a glimpse of what our new life will be like, and it is difficult to wait for it to begin. That is what I felt when I saw you in here. There was a calmness, a rightness I have not felt before. We will be busy at Stillmeadow just as we will be at the new townhouse, but it will be our noise and our commotion."

"Speaking of Stillmeadow and commotion, I have heard from Mrs. Stockdale. Our furnishings and things have arrived. Our chambers are being prepared first, including our private sitting room, then the library and your study. It may be in a bit of disarray, but Mr. Satton said we may take residence at our leisure."

"Yes, his last correspondence said as much. Are you sure you do not want a wedding trip? I have everything planned. A few letters are all it would take."

"I cannot think of any place I want to go to that would surpass just being with you in our own home. I do not want to forgo those first cozy days you mentioned. We can go on our wedding trip when the weather is more favorable for travel."

"So, we are for London for a few days, then to Stillmeadow. That sounds quite wonderful to me. Do you think you will miss Longbourn?"

"Of course, sometimes but it is time to leave. My relationships with Jane and my mother have both changed of late. I do not like the change I see in Jane and though my relationship with my mother is changing for the better I cannot help but be resentful still, considering the years of ill treatment. I think I will miss Mary most; she has always tried to support me, but I never appreciated it."

"She will always be welcome with us," William replied.

"You are a dear man but no. At least not just yet. We shall see if my parents' new-found attention to their other daughters will continue. I do wonder if Mary would like to return to London after the wedding with my aunt and uncle Gardiner. But what of you, will you miss…oh, you have many homes, but I do not suppose you have you have lived here long enough to feel its loss."

"I have many homes, but I have none, which sounds more woeful than it was. It is different for men. We go to school then university then, if one is lucky, a grand tour. I have been away from home, wherever that may be, quite a lot.

Then there's Pemberley and Matlock and Rosings Park, various London townhouses. Netherfield does represent my first home as master but it is leased, and I feel it has served its purpose. I always knew it might be temporary. My mother and sister will remain here until Eastmoor is ready and then I will see if anyone will take over my lease. And if you feel homesick during that time, we may return while enjoying some comfort and privacy."

"You mean you do not wish to stay in my small bedchamber and small bed, two doors down from my father."

"I am fine with small chambers and small beds, but the close proximity of your father does give me pause. I would like to see where my brilliantly beautiful betrothed spent her nights dreaming about me."

"Are you so sure I did?" Elizabeth asked as William released a great yawn.

"Of course. It is only right that you should dream of me because I have dreamt about you every night since I met you."

"But not before?" Elizabeth teased.

"No, not before," William replied in a serious tone, edged with fatigue. "But it is only because my limited imagination could not conceive up anyone as lovely as you."

William snuggled Elizabeth closer to him and drifted off to sleep as she sat by his side, perfectly content. William did not stir when Lady Anne came in looking for them. Lady Anne, in turn, merely looked pleased and pointed to the clock and held up her index finger. Elizabeth understood she was giving them this time to themselves, until it was time to go in for dinner in an hour's time. She settled in and let herself join William in slumber.