Hi everyone, sorry for being slightly late, but this chapter took a completely different direction from what I had planned and I had to rewrite parts several times. One character specifically decided to do a 180 on me so I hope it won't won't upset anyone as it departs from canon quite a bit.

Chapter Fifteen

Miss Bingley had spent many days thinking about her discussion with Miss Bennet. She still did not like the young lady much, but she started to see that her dislike was rooted in jealousy; Miss Eliza Bennet did not fit in any mould, or conform to society's expectations and Caroline wished she was brave enough to do the same. For months, she had envied Elizabeth's ease in society, and the obvious attraction Mr Darcy felt; that had come to nothing, however, making Caroline think that the man was simply too stuck up and her own quest for his favours had been doomed to failure from the moment she was born to a family in trade. No, the real issue with Miss Eliza was her total disregard for the many rules Caroline had been taught to live by for so many years; a lady did not run an estate in place of a man; she did not trample all over the country, letting the sun darken her skin so unfashionably; she did not read books and pamphlets about history, farming techniques, politics or any other such unladylike topics, nor did she debate these same topics with the gentlemen. Most of all, a lady always tried to marry as high as she could in society to improve her family's standing, she did not think of happiness but status. Miss Bennet did exactly what she wanted, paying attention only to the rules of good breeding and her innate kindness, and she was accepted by all and respected, loved even, while Caroline, who acted just as her higher-born friends did, was barely tolerated and, she had to admit, was hopelessly unhappy most of the time.

"Louisa, would you have a moment to talk with me?"

"Caroline?" Mrs Hurst was surprised by that request, having barely seen her sister for weeks as Miss Bingley had sulked in her room since Charles' wedding. "Of course, I always have a moment for you." She indicated a chair in the little sitting room attached to her bedchamber.

"I have been thinking, well, obviously for I have had nothing else to entertain me for months, but never mind that. I have been thinking about the life Charles and Jane will be leading here. The life you and that lazy husband of yours will lead when he inherits his parent's estate in the middle of nowhere." She paused, frowning as she realised that once more, she had been mean when talking about her brother-in-law; Eliza Bennet would not have said these derogatory words.

"You mean the lifestyle of anyone in the gentry?" Louisa had not noticed the slight, being so used to Caroline's attitude.

Her sister sighed. "I have watched you go around the tenants' cottages with Miss Bennet and now with Jane, I saw you spend forever dealing with servants and accounts and all these things we were taught to do. I do not think I want this life, Louisa, I do not like the countryside. I want to be in London or Bath, always, have parties several times a week, visits to the theatre or the opera, and whole afternoons dedicated to shopping on Bond Street or Milsom Street. Not this dull existence on an estate." She shook her head and took her sister's hand in hers. "Oh, I know that this will suit you very well, and it seems Jane also prefers the quiet rhythm of life here, but not me, I need more liveliness, more hustle and bustle."

Louisa smiled happily, "I know that, and I tried to tell you many times when you were chasing Mr Darcy, as he would have kept you at Pemberley for months on end, with little society to be had; you would have been miserable. Oh, sister, I am pleased to see you are finally aware of who you are."

"Then you will not mind if I do not marry a gentleman and join the gentry as Mother and Father wanted?" Caroline's voice was full of emotions.

"Not at all, you silly goose, some of the best people we know are from the world we come from. Our uncle and cousins are still very active in trade, yet they are the most wonderful family we could wish for, I could never be anything else but proud of them."

Mrs Hurst hugged her sister affectionately, letting her cry on her shoulder while whispering words of comfort. "Hush, my sweet Caroline, all will be well, sister. And when you are calmed and yourself again, we will have a good old Bingley family council of war, so we can all agree on how we will help you obtain the life you desire; we cannot do this from Netherfield Park, but between the five of us we will know what to do."

Mr Darcy was true to his words, and while never going as far as that first evening at Rosings, he used every opportunity to show Elizabeth his love through a multitude of small gestures, yet without any words. She could not remember enjoying a month of February more, and the gentleman's attentions were at the centre of her newfound peace and pleasure.

After a week of discreet meetings and daily walks along the lanes of Rosings Park, Darcy was summoned to his aunt's sitting room, to the amusement of the Colonel.

"Darcy, I want you to cease your flirting with that Bennet chit at once." Her Ladyship loudly stated, "You will announce your engagement to Anne and I will get Mr Collins to send his cousin back to Hertfordshire today."

Darcy sighed; that confrontation was needed, yet unwelcome. "Aunt Catherine, I will not marry Anne; we have told you many times. As for Miss Bennet, I would prefer if you let her stay with her friends for the full duration of her planned visit."

Miss De Bourgh and Mrs Jenkinson walked into the room at that point. "Darcy, Mother, Richard told me I would find you here, and I assume you are once more discussing that ridiculous engagement fable." Anne walked to her usual seat by her mother's. "I wish you would stop, Mother, I could never marry Darcy or Richard, they are like brothers and always will be."

"But Anne," Lady Catherine pleaded, "you must. Who will take care of you and Rosings when I am no longer here? Your cousins know the estate and you can trust them to do well by our people. There is no one else who would suit you so well."

"No Mother, they would be perfect if I was looking for a steward, but not a husband. Yuk, no offence Darcy, I do love you, but only as one of my two favourite cousins."

Darcy had remained silent up to that point, enjoying Anne's uncharacteristic assertiveness. "No offence taken, Anne, you are as dear to me as Georgiana, and the idea of marrying you repulses me as much as it does you." He grinned at her, she shuddered and then giggled.

"Aunt Catherine," he continued calmly and resolutely, "you must see that your dream of uniting Rosings and Pemberley was just that, a dream. As for who would take care of Rosings if anything happens to you, I cannot say, but I can promise you that Anne will never be abandoned. Richard and I will not allow it, nor will we let anyone take advantage of our honorary little sister."

"Then you will marry Miss Bennet? She has some energy, some pluckiness that is attractive, I admit, but you could do far better when it comes to connections or fortune."

"But my dear aunt, I already have the best connections right here, what do I need more for? And I am rich enough not to worry about her small dowry." He answered.

"Your new connections will include your tradesman friend." She said sulkily.

"Aunt, he is a good man and I suspect you will like him when you finally meet him. He is honest as the day is long, has none of the dissolute habits that are so common to our class, and once he has purchased an estate, there will be nothing to distinguish him from any of the lower gentry." He sighed again. "As for marrying Miss Elizabeth, it is a little more complicated than you think. I did not behave well in Hertfordshire you see."

Anne could not help but laugh, "Oh no, cousin, do not tell me you acted all high and mighty as you do every time we are in society."

"I did, I was as bad as you have ever seen me, worse probably as you would never have let me misbehave quite so much," Darcy admitted sheepishly. "I will not repeat all that happened but I must say that I am quite ashamed of myself. I left Meryton after the worst proposal that was ever given to a gentle lady, and now I must grovel and prove to her that I am not the haughty unfeeling gentleman she met last year."

Lady Catherine smirked, "She refused you, did she? Good girl, I think we must invite her to Rosings more often, Anne and I have many horror stories to share with Miss Bennet."

Darcy groaned and Anne laughed so hard, that tears ran down her cheeks.

"Oh, Mother," she said once her merriment had abated, "we must not be too hard on Darcy; I would enjoy having Miss Bennet as a cousin."

"Thank you, Anne, Elizabeth already told me she liked you. Perhaps if I win her hand, you can move to Pemberley with us when your dragon of a mother becomes irate."

They all laughed at that comment, being aware that many of Rosings Park's neighbours, and occasionally her nephews, referred to Her Ladyship as such due to her fiery temper.

Not one to delay taking action, Lady Catherine led an immediate and concerted assault on Elizabeth as soon as Darcy and Anne left the room. In short order, Miss Bennet was summoned to Rosings Park, for the invitation was worded in such a manner that a refusal was impossible, and escorted by the butler to a private little parlour Elizabeth had not yet seen.

"Miss Bennet, my character has long been celebrated for its frankness and I will not depart from that principle."

Elizabeth could only smile at that statement, although she may not have used so complimentary a word as frankness to describe her host's character.

"You may be at a loss as to the reason for your presence here today, so I will not prevaricate." Her Ladyship continued without pause. "It has come to my attention that my nephew Darcy has made you an offer of marriage."

Elizabeth's heart sank; she did not mind a lecture on her place in society, but Charlotte and Mr Collins' comfort required her to placate her suitor's aunt as much as possible. All she managed to say however was: "He has, yes."

"And that offer," the lady continued, "you have refused."

"I have, yes," Elizabeth responded, confused by the cordiality of the conversation so far.

"Furthermore only a few days ago, in my park, Darcy asked to call on you and you agreed. Have I understood the situation clearly?"

"You have, your ladyship. Mr Darcy approached my cousin, Mr Collins, after services on Sunday to formally request his permission as my closest male relative in Kent." She held her head high, deciding to face anything that came next with strength and poise, as a future Mrs Darcy would be required to do against the Ton. She was not certain she would overcome her doubts about the gentleman, but this was as good a time as any to test her resolve and strength.

To her surprise though, no condemnation or attack followed. Lady Catherine smiled and sat back, intertwining her hands in front of herself in a relaxed attitude. "Well, it seems that the boy can at last remember his manners; talking to Mr Collins was adequate, although he should have spoken to your father as the distance to Hertfordshire is not so great as to prevent a return journey on horseback in two days or so. I do not have all the specifics of his behaviour in Hertfordshire, but I made the assumption that it was very bad, worse than his usual haughtiness; do not worry about replying, I prefer not to know all the particulars. My sister, Lady Anne Darcy would not have been pleased with her son. You were correct to reject him, but of course when he next asks you will accept."

"Lady Catherine," Elizabeth interrupted nervously, "I have agreed to receive your nephew's calls, but you must not assume more at this stage."

"Pish posh, my girl," the lady simply waved her protest away, "Darcy will not give up; when that child has made his mind up, nothing will move him; I should know, for I tried as hard as I could to get him to fall for my Anne. No, if I did not win against my nephew, neither will you; why he even insisted this morning that I must accept his Bingley friend when you join the family; I will give the boy a chance for your sister's sake of course but don't tell Darcy. And I do not mind if you give him a good fight before you accept him, it will do him good! It will be all the better for when you are married as he cannot expect to always have his own way; Sir Lewis De Bourgh and Mr Gerald Darcy had to learn that the Fitzwilliam sisters were no pushover after the weddings, it will be much easier for both of you if the younger Darcy understands your place before you exchange vows. Anne and I will help; we are nearly his closest family and we know him well; we can teach you all his weaknesses."

Elizabeth could not stop the bark of laughter that bubbled up in her relief. "I am all astounded, Your Ladyship, I expected you to order me out of Kent for daring to look at your nephew, and here you are, offering to help me rather than him. Forgive my impertinence, but I must say I love your frankness of character more than I ever imagined."

Lady Catherine extended her arm to pat Elizabeth's arm. "You will do, Miss Bennet, you will make him a proper wife, and you will take the Ton by storm, just as my sister and I did many years ago. I wish my Anne could have been as strong, but it was not to be. You will do, though, and we will finally have another young, obstinate, headstrong girl in the Fitzwilliam clan. Now let us call Anne, she will enjoy knowing you better."

The next two hours were filled with many stories of Darcy's childhood, usually in company with the colonel and Miss De Bourgh, as well as stories of the Bennet sisters' antics in Hertfordshire.

Elizabeth had not been so entertained and challenged in a conversation with ladies outside her family for many years, and she relished learning more about the man who was courting her. It was not until partway through recounting the story of an escaped pig at Lucas Lodge that she realised Lady Catherine's cleverness in getting her to reveal more about her family and her upbringing than even Charlotte knew. Somehow, talking openly to Mr Darcy's family felt right; his aunt and Anne, for the younger ladies had agreed to drop the more formal addresses in favour of using each other's first names, shared many traits with the gentleman, and Elizabeth vastly enjoyed their company.

Unaware of the inquisition that had taken place the previous afternoon, Darcy sought out his lady in her favourite glade as soon as breakfast was over.

"Elizabeth." He lifted her hand for a chaste kiss. "How are you this fine morning?"

"Mr Darcy, I expected to see you this morning." She greeted him with a large grin, "Tell me, sir, was your aunt's report as to my childhood satisfactory? I do hope you will show me the treehouse you and the colonel built for Miss De Bourgh before I leave Kent."

Darcy raised his eyebrows, unsure of her meaning.

"She did not tell you then." Elizabeth laughed, "I was not certain of your level of involvement or even awareness. I am very glad your aunt was not acting on your behalf; I appreciate her overture of friendship even more knowing it was unprompted." She briefly recounted her extended afternoon tea with Lady Catherine and Miss De Bourgh, not detailing any of the anecdotes that had been shared, but hinting more than enough so that the gentleman could guess his aunt's side of the discussion. Darcy was rooted to the spot for several minutes once she had finished.

"I do not know whether to be grateful my aunt appears to like you or horrified you are now aware of many of my early misdeeds." He finally said.

Elizabeth laughed again. "I certainly am grateful, the Lady Catherine I discovered yesterday is simply wonderful; I can see where Anne inherited her wit from. Do you know, she even indirectly apologised for her comments about Jane the other night? And," she continued more quietly with a faint blush, "the young scallywag who brought kittens and frogs to distract a poorly cousin, sneaking in her apartments against the doctor's orders is somehow less intimidating than the stern master of Pemberley."

"Then perhaps I may forgive her interference," Darcy placed her hand on his arm and gently led her on a little footpath she had not yet explored, "I would not wish for you to ever be intimidated by me, Elizabeth. I am however at a disadvantage, for Her Ladyship has not shared any of your adventures with me."

They walked for close to a half hour, happily sharing some of their early memories until Darcy turned from the path and led her through some long grass for a few hundred yards.

"There," he said pointing at a sturdy tree with many low branches.

"Your treehouse, how wonderful!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "Can we go in?"

"I do not believe anyone has used it in many years and some of the wood may no longer be sound." He replied. "But there is a newer one in Pemberley that I would love to show you; my steward has maintained it even after Georgiana stopped playing in it, I suspect he is hoping that the next generation of Darcys will enjoy the outdoors as much as we did." Bringing her a little closer to his side, he added tenderly: "With you as their mother, I am certain they will."

They made their way back to the parsonage in companionable silence, both lost in internal musings and dreams about the potential future lying ahead of them.

Upon his return to Rosings, Darcy found his aunt enjoying her mid-morning tea in her favourite parlour with Anne and Richard. He barely nodded at his cousins before standing in front of the older lady. "Aunt Catherine, how could you?"

"I do not see what I did wrong, Darcy. I invited my future niece to tea while you boys were riding out with my steward." She replied, "How else am I supposed to help the girl fit in our family? Anyway, you kept quite a lot to yourself, and that will not do."

"What do you mean, aunt?" Colonel Fitzwilliam asked while pouring himself more coffee and making a cup for Darcy.

"I mean that father of hers, we need to understand exactly how much trouble to expect from him; we must be prepared. Oh, she did not say anything directly, she is far too well-bred and discrete for that. We simply exchanged stories about your childhoods."

"Aunt Catherine! Did you really?." Fitzwilliam asked with wide eyes.

"Oh, she certainly did." Anne answered with a smirk, "And you appeared in many of these tales too, Richard; Elizabeth now knows what type of a cousin you are, be warned."

Darcy smiled, "I am glad to see you on such good terms, Anne, I told you already that Elizabeth likes you, but for some unfathomable reason, she appears to approve of your interfering meddlesome mother too."

Lady Catherine snorted in a positively unladylike manner. "She was happy to learn more about you, so I will not apologise. Her stories, though, revealed more than she thought. I think I will like meeting her mother, she seems to be a good woman, not brought up too high, and feeling just as she ought to; she certainly did a good job of raising that girl despite being given little help. But the child has no respect and no lost love for Mr Bennet."

Seeing Darcy frown, Richard jumped in as she paused for a moment. "And what makes you think we should expect trouble? Many fathers are neglectful of their daughters and end up estranged when the ladies are grown up."

Lady Catherine snorted again, "I was not born yesterday, Fitzwilliam, that girl would forgive almost anything from the people she loves, which by the way is a good sign for you Darcy. No, I did not ask her what the man has done, but it must have been particularly hurtful; most likely against one of her sisters, or maybe their mother, for she would not be so angry for herself."

Disconcerted by his aunt's astute guesses, Darcy sighed. "I do not think I know even a tenth of Bennet's offences. Suffice to say I do not expect his blessing; he will most likely force us to wait until Elizabeth is of age."

Colonel Fitzwilliam gleefully rubbed his hands together. "So we are back to planning for battle, cousin. Are you not glad one of the army's finest strategists is here with you?"

Darcy smirked at the man. "I did not realise the War Office recruited our aunt; damn good move on their part, it's about time they brought in some brains."

Lady Catherine guffawed in answer, while Anne blushed at her cousin's language.