Hi everyone, again posting two chapters early today as Elizabeth would not let me rest until she was settled in London. This was all going to be in one chapter, but some of the protagonists decided to be more active than I had planned, and as I would like to keep my chapters small enough, close to 3000 words, I had to split this (chapter 3 got away from me at over 5000 words, oops). Thanks to everyone following the progress of my story, and to all the comments - I know a few people were worried about Mary, she will be back shortly, and as she has always been a character I liked, I will keep her safe if she lets me. For now though, Charlotte, Bingley and the Bennets decided to make an appearance, although not all together and not all in chapter 4.

Chapter 4 – Of News and Healing

The next few days saw many visits between the ladies, either at Darcy House or at Adlington House, and the friendship between them grew apace. Elizabeth would regularly join Georgiana for her piano lessons, which would conclude with tea and discussions, often with Mr Darcy joining them, and the girls spent many hours together helping Isabella shop to fill the library at Adlington Hall; Jonathan Bennet had made a good start in filling the numerous shelves in the large empty room he had found at the Hall, but nothing was added since as Isabella mostly used the much better supplied library at the town house. This meant many wonderful hours spent at Hatchard's book shop, choosing all sorts of new books, pamphlets and treatises of interest for all the new friends to enjoy.

"I love books so much," said Georgiana after one such excursion, "although I am nothing to my brother in that respect. Pemberley's library is four times as big as our London one, yet he has just purchased at least another ten books today alone."

Isabella smiled, "Having my own libraries to fill now, I can understand your brother. After all, reading a good book can make you forget the tedium of some of society's functions that cannot be avoided."

"What are we to do with the both of them, Georgie?" Elizabeth asked playfully. "Your brother would avoid every ball or assembly forever, and my cousin is no better."

Georgie was surprised, "Do you not enjoy the season, Isabella?"

"Not at all. I had a season when I left Longbourn at eighteen, attending many functions of the lower Ton, and I found the society unbearable. Although landed, I am the daughter of a man who worked for his fortune and a woman from a family in trade. My guardian, who is my favourite uncle, is still very active in trade, and I have some interests in his business too." Isabella was scrunching her nose in disgust. "The contempt I had to deal with at the time, ensured I would not put myself through another season if I could avoid it. The fortune hunters can look for another heiress, as this one would like a partner in life who will treat her as an equal, not as a source of income for their debaucheries."

"It is lucky you only joined the lower Ton and not the first circles," replied Darcy, "for the fortune hunters in these circles are even more desperate and do not hesitate to use any underhand tactic to secure their quarry. It took both my cousins and me to escort Amelia around town when she came out, and we had to work hard to protect her. Both Henry and Richard have agreed they will be available for Georgiana's first season to return the favour."

Darcy and Elizabeth found time to spend together in private each day, deepening their budding relationship, which had quickly progressed past friendship. The first few days allowed them to gain a better understanding of each other's past, with Elizabeth sharing some of her mother's abuse, Isabella's love and support and all the responsibilities she had assumed early on, while Darcy shared his history with Wickham and his worries for his cousin Richard. Darcy's love for his family, not just the colonel, but the Viscount, their sister, their cousin Anne De Bourgh and the Earl and his wife was obvious to Elizabeth as he spoke. His whole face lit up with a sincere smile, and his voice softened in the same manner she had noticed with Georgiana, and more recently with herself. She was quite keen to meet them in fact, especially the war hero cousin Darcy esteemed so dearly.

The Darcys spent time with their Fitzwilliam relations, but for now kept the countess at bay, asking her to wait for a formal courtship to be agreed before being introduced to Elizabeth; as Darcy was not a very social person by nature, his aunt allowed him the space to learn more about the only lady he had ever considered in the seven long years since his coming of age. Upon reflection, she had realised that she would accept pretty much any lady who could induce any of her three favourite young men into matrimony, so Elizabeth was liked without even an introduction; the enthusiasm with which Georgiana was talking about the young lady did help.

Elizabeth's maid, Annie, who was being trained as a proper lady's maid, was also escorting her mistress each time she left the house, while keeping a watch everywhere they went for any person they knew in Hertfordshire.

In less than a week of peaceful employment and good company, Elizabeth regained her equilibrium, which had been severely damaged by the events at Longbourn. She also gained a profound regard for both Darcy siblings, particularly for Mr Darcy, who she now understood much better, and whose shyness she found particularly endearing.

"I do not think I understood myself well enough until now," she told her cousin one evening after their guests had left, "in such a short time I have found my beliefs about so many of the people around me to be so totally wrong as to leave me quite shaken in my faith in my own abilities. I always knew my mother had little time or love for me, but to find that Papa and Jane were no better, well that certainly was difficult. Mr Wickham, who had every appearance of goodness is naught but a rake, and I was too vain to notice on my own." She paused, looking lost, "Mr Darcy, whom I was determined to dislike, is a thoughtful, generous man, one of the best men of my acquaintance even. Can I trust myself there? Am I once more judging too fast?"

"Your first impressions were all based on his insult and your hurt vanity, Lizzy, as well as the influence of this Miss Bingley I do not really want to meet. When you remove this bias from all your interactions, has the man ever behaved in a way that would worry you? Have any of his actions or anything you heard from his friend, sister or from his servants now we have been to Darcy House so much, have any of these given you concerns or reasons to doubt his sincerity?" Isabella queried.

"No!" Elizabeth's answer was instantaneous, "he is a good man, Belle, that I know for certain. What I doubt are my feelings, and the depth of his, for surely my adversarial behaviour in Hertfordshire must have been repulsive to such a man."

Her cousin giggled, "Lizzy dear, I am certain Mr Darcy finds nothing repulsive about you. I think your honesty has impressed him, and your interactions with his little sister have surely reinforced his opinion of your kindness." Isabella hugged her before leaving the room to give her space to think: "Take all the time you need to decide whether you can love him or not, or whether you already do like him enough; your Mr Darcy will be constant and patient, for I am sure he sees your worth as clearly as I do, and I do like him for it."

Charlotte Lucas sent a long reply, on two sheets of paper as full as can be, to the two letters sent from London in good time, and Elizabeth shared parts of it with both Isabella and Mr Darcy.

Eliza, my dearest friend,

How I wish you were here still, at Lucas Lodge in any case you are very much missed. I am however glad your journey to London was comfortable and safe. I certainly will thank Mr D profusely if I ever see him again – it seems that while his manners are far too cold and reserved at first, when it matters most, his behaviour is beyond reproach, and Papa and I heartily approve of him.

When you next see him, please be so good as informing him that the small matter of militiamen has been satisfactorily resolved. You would have been so proud of Papa – his acting in front of Mama and Mrs Phillips who was visiting was simply divine. In his usual manner, you are familiar with his ways by now, he started a long story of having received a letter from an exalted friend he met at St James – he did receive a letter last week from such a friend by the by, but it had nothing to do with the militia – he then concocted a tale of another regiment being quartered close to that man's estate last year and departing leaving a trail of ruin for shopkeepers, debts so high they could not be recovered from, all recounted with the usual flourish you can expect from Papa. At this point the ladies were hanging on to his every word, and I believe he was loving the attention. I recalled him to the other point you raised by asking innocently whether the militia was so bad when they had left debts the merchants should have known to avoid. That did the trick and, in a whisper loud enough to be heard by all, including Maria and my younger brothers, he expanded on the shame of ruined servant girls, tradesmen's daughters and even one silly gentlewoman – all invented as you know, but very persuasive all the same.

By the end of that tale, Mrs Philips all but ran out of the house to call on your mother as fast as she could, while Mama recalled she had always planned to visit Mrs Long and Mrs Goulding.

By the end of the following day, I do not believe there remained one soul in the whole of the town and surrounding who had not heard some version of the gossip. The result being that none of the merchant will provide any of the officers and soldiers more than a few shilling in credit, and Colonel Forster himself had to go to each of them to gather a list of which officer was in debt to ensure they would all repay everything before being allowed out of the camp again – his worry I gather is the reputation of his regiment rather than the merchants' livelihood, but the result is good all the same.

One rumour came back via way of the fishmonger and our cook, and that is that Lieutenant Wickham will not be allowed out of camp for two full months as that is as long as is needed to clear his current debts.

As of now, I have not heard any whisper of ruined lady, although the tears from one of our own maids do worry me greatly. Sally seems extremely upset that a Mr Pratt, one of the officers, is also confined to barracks – I hope I am just worrying needlessly, for she is overall a nice girl.

As for the main reason you left me all alone to deal with all this – I do not count Papa here, for he enjoyed his part in our work far too much – I have little to report yet.

I saw your family twice since you departed, and they put out a story of you being in London with the Gardiners while Mr Collins had to return to his parish for a time. Most of the community believe that the parson is courting you and you will both return to announce an engagement, and I do not know whether to say anything or not yet – please let me know what you would want me to do when you write back.

I pick up my quill again to add to my letter. I have just returned from Longbourn where mother dragged us to determine whether more gossip was to be got about your former neighbours.

I suppose you are aware that the whole Netherfield party has left the neighbourhood, not just Mr B and Mr D, and Miss B wrote to Jane. Can you imagine the rudeness of the lady, neither her nor her sister paid any farewell call in the neighbourhood, and I heard through the servants here that she severed most of the servants' employment without taking time to write references, and without paying any extra for not giving them notice. I am not usually a snob, as you know my Papa was a shopkeeper not so long ago, but for that woman, well origins most certainly talk!

Anyway, back to Jane, I was shocked by your mother's lamentation, it seems his sister wrote that Mr B would give up the lease and not pursue Jane; the estate being once more without anyone in charge will be a blow for the community at planting time. In time, I managed to get Jane and Mary to walk out with me and, distraught and angry, Jane shared the letter with the two of us. I will not repeat all the words I read, suffice to say it was bad, and as Mr D was so good as to take you to town, when you can, you must return the favour by warning him; Miss B wrote her brother would soon be engaged to Miss D, who, if I recall correctly, is only Maria's age. I encouraged Jane to burn the letter, with the excuse that it would enrage your mama should she find it, but the truth is such a letter could damage Miss D's reputation and even impact her coming out; you know how gossip works, when no wedding takes place, for I do not expect there to be any truth in Miss B's assertion, people may wonder why, whether there is a defect in the poor girl that she could not even secure a tradesman, her brother's friend even. This could be disastrous, worse if the girl is as shy as my sister, she may not recover any form of trust in society; I know you will protect her name as fiercely as it were my Maria or your own Mary.

I expect Jane will keep all secret (you know Mary will of course), as it does not reflect well on her.

Even though you told me of your last conversation, I was surprised at the bitterness in her. Once in privacy, as she sent Mary inside to burn the letter there and then, she vented her anger against you, and I was speechless. I will spare you the detail, needless to say, she blames you for your father being worse company than usual – he apparently is also very angry at you, and taking his anger on his wife, Jane and Mary – she is blaming you for not securing their future when you can, and more, she is blaming you for Mr B leaving and for Miss B's hateful letter. How she justifies your guilt in this is beyond me.

I am not telling you all this to make you feel any guilt, dear friend, but to warn you about Jane's feeling. Should she manage to reach you via the Gardiners, please do not trust her, and do not trust your parents either as I am certain they still intend to marry you to Mr Collins.

I will write to Isabella as well to make sure she is fully aware of my feelings and views – I know you may share my letter with her, but I will not take the risk in case you do not; I do know you far too well, dearest Eliza, but right now protecting our sensibility is not important, protecting you matters more.

Anyhow, I am running out of space, so it remains only for me to tell you again how much you are missed.

With all my love,

Your sister of the heart, Charlotte Lucas.

The emotions evoked by reading this letter were many: relief that the militia would not harm Meryton, amusement at Sir William's antics, disbelief and sadness at the Bennet family's actions and of course grief at Jane's betrayal.

Darcy was glad the town was now warned against the less gentlemanly behaviours the militia could present, but he cautioned her about Wickham again, worried that the man would seek revenge against Miss Lucas or the Bennets if he ever suspected their involvement in his two months of isolation.

Annie's reaction when Elizabeth shared Mr Pratt's confinement to barracks was very calm; distance and the flurry of occupations that her new role provided had allowed the young maid to reflect that her heart was not as engaged as she initially thought.

No reply came from Mrs Gardiner, and Elizabeth worried that maybe writing to her relatives in town had been a mistake.

"Lizzy, dearest, I fear your father may have reached your Gardiner relations before your letter did. And you do not know what justification he created for his behaviour. By now, your aunt has most certainly informed him you were staying with me, and he may be on his way to us already. I believe it is time you talk to the Darcys about our plan to remove to the country soon." counselled Isabella, "I expect Mr Darcy will want to follow us soon after, so you must give him a chance to plan his removal from town properly." She added with a smile.

"I know, but he has other engagements in town beside us, dearest, and I am not yet quite so vain as to expect to command all his thoughts." Elizabeth was smiling, little knowing that she did indeed command most of Darcy's thoughts, and all his dreams.

"I am not saying we should leave tomorrow, Lizzy, but soon, and by telling him, you will help him decide when to follow. I am sure both of you will be well even if he only leaves town a week or two after us. If you wish, we can invite both Darcys to join us in Cheshire for Christmas. My Uncle Anthony will be coming to visit as well, as I have not seen him these five months at least, and I am certain he will enjoy having more male company." At that offer from her cousin, Elizabeth smiled widely and promised to raise the topic with Mr Darcy at their next meeting.