A few days after meeting Lord Caterfield and the subsequent conversation with Richard, Darcy received a letter from Lady Catherine with the news of Mr. Bennet's death.

He was concerned that, with the death of the patriarch, Mrs. Bennet and her daughters were left homeless. If the rumors were true, they would have to live on the interest of £5,000. As far as he knew, the only relatives they had were Meryton's solicitor and an uncle who lived in Cheapside.

It was obvious that, with their reduced circumstances, the Misses Bennet could not marry advantageously; they would probably be forced to marry poor men, or face an even more uncertain future.

That night, he had a horrible nightmare: He was returning home when he saw a woman struggling with a man. He quickly approached the couple to help the woman, but when he was close to them, he noticed it was Lord Caterfield and Elizabeth Bennet.

Darcy was shocked and furious, and he punched Lord Caterfield as hard as he could, leaving him with a bloody nose. Lord Caterfield yelled at him, "Are you mad, Darcy?"

"Leave the lady alone, or I will punch you again!"

"She is not a lady; she is only a prostitute. I paid for her services for a week in the virgins' auction, but she is unwilling to please me!"

Darcy looked at Elizabeth's face. She was pale and thin, and her fine eyes were dull. She was like a shadow of her former self, a woman who had once been vibrant and full of life.

At that moment, he suddenly woke up from his very vivid dream.

The following night, he had a similar nightmare about Miss Elizabeth. He was deeply concerned about her well-being and wanted to make sure she was safe. After struggling with his conscience for a couple of days, he hired a private investigator to find out her whereabouts. A few days later, the investigator informed him that the two eldest Misses Bennet were living at their uncle's home on Gracechurch Street. The investigator also told him that Miss Elizabeth took her two younger cousins daily to a nearby park at 2:00 PM.

Eager to see her, and check with his own eyes that she was fine, he decided to orchestrate a chance meeting in the park. It was obvious that he could not go in his carriage since he should go unnoticed at all costs. He still was not sure what he would do or say to her when he saw her, but he would let his instincts guide him.

One week before his wedding, from a hackney carriage, Darcy was staring intently at the entrance to a small park on Cheapside. He had been waiting a few minutes when he saw Elizabeth, garbed in black, appear with two young boys and a maid.

His heart was beating faster than normal in his chest and his hands were sweating. Despite the paleness of her face and her beautiful sad eyes, she was still as beautiful as ever, and she still took his breath away.

Surreptitiously, he got out of the carriage and went to meet her. Smiling slightly, he politely greeted her, "Good afternoon, Miss Bennet, what a surprise. I did not expect to see you in London."

Elizabeth was lost in thought and had not noticed Mr. Darcy's presence until he greeted her. "Good afternoon, Mr. Darcy. I did not expect to see you in Cheapside either." She answered and tried to continue on her way with her cousins.

Despite the young woman's clear intentions to end the conversation, Darcy was not willing to leave without talking a little more with her, and, pointing to her dress, he asked her, "I see you are wearing a black gown. Are you in mourning, Miss Bennet?"

"Yes, Sir. My father passed away a month ago," Elizabeth answered with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my father almost six years ago, and I know how difficult it is..."

Elizabeth did not want to continue wasting her time making small talk with a man she didn't tolerate, so she quickly said goodbye to Darcy and went on her way with her cousins.

Darcy was quite pleased with the meeting; despite the obvious sadness Elizabeth felt over her father's death, she seemed – at least physically - to be doing well.

Two days later, even though he knew he should not, he went back to the same park in hopes of seeing her to see her.

During moments of reflection in subsequent years, Darcy thought over this fateful day hundreds of times, if not more, trying to understand what led him to say all the things he told her. He tried to justify his words by thinking that they were true, and he wanted her to understand he cared for her, and wanted to protect her from a life of uncertainty and poverty.

He also wondered many times what would have happened if she had accepted his protection. Would he have gone so against his principles and have her as a mistress? Or would he have helped her in another way?

He never found a satisfactory answer, however, because he had acted on impulse and regretted his actions for the rest of his life.

Elizabeth that day was sitting on a bench alone in the park. In his arrogance, Darcy thought that she had gone out alone that day to arrange a meeting with him, just as they had met several times in the paths of Rosings.

He approached her stealthily until he was in front of her and with a soft voice, to not startle her, said, "Good afternoon, Miss Bennet. I am pleased to meet you again."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Darcy." Surprised, Elizabeth greeted him without enthusiasm; as if he was the last person she wanted to see or speak with.

"May I sit with you?"

She reluctantly nodded. She asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "What brings you to this side of town so far from your home?"

"Honestly, I came here to see you." He answered without thinking of the consequences.

"To see me?" a very puzzled Elizabeth repeated. Frowning, she asked, "Why?"

Darcy looked at her intently, and after hesitating for a couple of seconds, he said, "Because since I learned about your father demise, I have been concerned about your future. I know that for a woman in your reduced circumstances, without money, connections and with only your charms to recommend you, life must be very difficult."

Elizabeth looked at him in astonishment, and Darcy explained, "You already know that I care deeply for you. Unfortunately, since your situation in life is so far beneath mine, it was not possible to marry you. In fact, a marriage between us would have been a degradation to my name and heritage." He took a deep breath and added, "I came here to tell you that I am willing to offer you my help and protection…"

Elizabeth listened in shock and annoyance to the hateful man's monologue. She was outraged, and interrupted him, "Mr. Darcy, desist. You have insulted me in every way! I don't need nor do I want your help, nor your protection. I don't want to have anything to do with you!" A few moments later, she glared at him with contempt and added, "I feel very sorry for your future wife. In addition to being the most unpleasant man I have ever known, you are also a scoundrel!"

Elizabeth ran to her uncle's house without looking back. She could not believe what had happened, and she hoped she would not come across that hateful man again.