After shutting the door of Darcy's room to a bowing, apologetic Golding, Elizabeth gave way to tears once more. She felt so entirely alone, so overwhelmed by what had gone on. She badly wanted counsel. She most particularly wanted her father. Mr. Bennet could make sense of these stacks of papers and correspondence. She knew not where to start.

She dragged herself to the table and cast her eyes upon a stack of unsealed letters. On the top was a letter addressed to Lady de Bourgh and she took it up.

HMS Spaniel

April 18, 181-

My dear aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh,

I must write to inform you of my late marriage to Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn. I realize that this sudden action must be a discomforting surprise to you and my cousin, but pray let me assure you that I mean no ill-will towards yourself or any of my relations by it. I believe that Miss Bennet, as was, will make an honorable addition to our family. I know that you will make her welcome.

In my making arrangements for my bride's family, I must ask you for your aid. As you know, Mr. Bennet's estate is entailed on Mr. Collins. As her husband, I cannot allow her family to fall into poverty after his death. Per this, I have made arrangements to take possession of a small estate near Crockham. As I'm sure you can appreciate, this is a very easy distance from Rosings and would allow great intimacy between the residents of that house and yourself and my cousin. I will offer this house and its establishment to Mr. Collins in exchange for his quitting his claim upon the Bennet estate. I would appreciate your efforts, as Mr. Collins's patroness, to encourage the wisdom of this transaction to him. It would have every advantage to him: an easy visiting distance to Rosings, a somewhat grander estate, and the possibility of at once moving into country retirement.

If the estate does not suit Mr. Collins, I will arrange for custody of it to be transferred to the Bennets. This may be the better arrangement, for it will allow easy intimacy between our families. Mrs. Bennet, of which you have heard so much, will I am sure be very pleased to visit with you regularly. And the misses Bennet would make a happy addition to your social scene.

I leave Mr. Collins' conscience in your altogether competent hands, and pay my compliments to you and my cousin.

Yours etc.

Elizabeth sat in shock, the letter hanging forgotten in her hand. To thus at once threaten and importune his aunt, for the sake of her family? It was too much.

Casting the letter aside she looked though the papers. She found a letter addressed to Mr. Darcy from Crockham. It was from the resident of that estate, acknowledging Darcy's lien on his property and accepting an offer to buy the remaining interest in the property, with himself to quit the premises within six months of a mutually agreed upon time, with a note upon the rents to be paid until then.

Elizabeth scare could draw breath. For Darcy to engage in such schemes, all on behalf of herself and her family, was more than she could accept. Was this his idea of what his wife's family deserved, or what his own honor demanded?

Seizing the stack of unsealed letters, she discovered one addressed to her own father. In haste she removed it from its envelope and examined its contents. It offered an apology for their elopement and outlined his plan to free Longbourn of the entail. It also laid out dowries for her sisters, in such generous amounts that Elizabeth could scarcely credit it, even with the knowledge of Darcy's £10,000 income. Other letters confirmed that he was selling minor properties to finance this expenditure. She could imagine her younger sisters' raptures at the conceit of having the money to marry better than they ever imagined.

But was this to take place? Darcy's signatures were affixed, but with his loss, would anyone credit these schemes enough to make them real? Try as she might, she could not imagine her father completing these plans, dealing with the sorts of people it would be necessary to bargain with.

If she were to forget these letters and return home a widow, what would it mean for her own future? Her family?