Mr. Bingley was unable to sleep. Although his body was tired, his mind was alert – alert to the collective enjoyment the gentlemen at the Meryton assembly must be enjoying as they danced with Miss Bennet. It did not help that through his open bedroom window he could faintly hear the rumbustious enjoyment emanating from the stableman's birthday celebration. Joy abounded everywhere – except in this dismal room. So, there he was, laying back, staring at the ceiling, feeling sorry for himself, when he heard the door of his bedroom open, the rustle of fabric, the door close, and then the snick of the key turning in the lock.

He looked towards the door. The moonlight streaming through the window did not quite light up the area by the door. There was a person standing there, a lady, it looked like – he blinked, he blinked again – it was Miss Bennet! No! No way! He must be dreaming.

Mr. Bingley sat bolt upright in bed. He shook his head. He pinched himself. And then the vision spoke.

"Be not alarmed, sir."

Mr. Bingley recognized that voice. He would know it anywhere. He had heard it whispering sweet nothings to him in his dreams this past many months.

Mr. Bingley leapt out of bed. As cool air swirled about him, he realized too late he was wearing his lightest, shortest nightshirt. He cast about for his banyan but thanks to the sensory maelstrom he found himself in, he could not find it.

Miss Bennet moved further into the bedroom, Mr. Bingley moved around his bed, and they ended up standing about three feet apart.

Mr. Bingley could not help himself, he had to convince himself he was not dreaming that this was Miss Bennet, so he reached out and placed his palm on her cheek.

She leaned into his hand.

Mr. Bingley managed to blurt out "Miss Bennet, is that you?"

"Charles, please call me Jane. And yes, it is me." She put her hand on his and then she turned her head and kissed his palm. Then she reached up with her other hand and placed it on his cheek. "When we last met Charles, I did not let you speak. I was so angry at you, and rightly so, but I should have heard you out. I have long thought that saying I wished to never see you again was the worst mistake I ever made in my life. Since you returned to Netherfield, I have yearned to see you but to no avail. And since you have been avoiding every opportunity to see me …," when Charles started to interrupt, she pinched his cheek then continued "… for the sake of my heart, I decided to seek you out here. But I no longer want to hear why you did what you did nor hear any apologies for what you did. I have heard enough from Mr. Darcy to piece together why you did what you did. And if you were still the gentleman who did what you did, I would not be here. But I have heard from Mr. Darcy and Mrs. Longden and Lydia and others how you have grown and dealt with every criticism I levied against you. So, Charles, I do not want to hear about the past, I want to hear about our future, if there is one."

Charles sank down to his knees. He hesitated for a moment and when Jane pulled his head to rest against her belly, he wrapped his arms around her legs.

He said "I love you, Jane. I have since I saw you standing there – at the assembly in Meryton. At least my heart knew, but my head was ignorant. It has taken long, far too long, for my heart to teach my head. But now my whole being knows – I love you. Be my wife, Jane, and I will be your liege husband."

Miss Bennet laughed and said "Yes, I will be your wife, I love you so. Now arise Sir Charles, my knight in shimmering nightshirt." She pulled him up and continued "whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge."

Whereupon they did plight their troth with a kiss and …

-}{-

Jane floated down the front steps of the grand house and stopped in front of the coach's door. She could hear murmurings and odd sounds coming from the coach. It was also slightly rocking. She smiled to herself and knocked on the door. The sounds and rocking stopped.

As loud as she dared, she said "Mr. Darcy, I am going to start walking home; I trust you will pick me up before I get to Longbourn."

Jane did not wait for a reply; instead, she walked around the coach and then started to skip down the driveway in the moonlight.