Chapter 1

"She is not coming. Why did you think she would show herself where you might find her? How could you think she would ever want to speak to you again?"

He paced as his internal dialogue tormented him. He replayed their conversation that took place in the parsonage last night where she was staying with her cousin and her friend, Mr. and Mrs. Collins. "How could you have been so wrong? How did you misunderstand her so badly? Did you really insult the woman you love at the same time as you proposed marriage to her?"

He tried to hold onto any slim hope. "I am sure she went for a walk in any other direction. Can I blame her? I will wait ten more minutes, then walk to the parsonage and determine how to give her this letter, unnoticed."

He had spent the entire night after the debacle that was his proposal, trying to understand what went wrong. When he started his proposal, he had no doubt of her acceptance. Who would turn down one of the most eligible bachelors in the kingdom? She would obviously. His beautiful, vivacious, feisty, tempting Elizabeth. No. Not his Elizabeth. She had never been his and probably would never be his Elizabeth.

Her words haunted him. "If you had behaved in a more gentleman like manner." and "Your selfish disdain for the feelings of others." and "You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have been tempted me to accept it."

He would give her the letter, then depart for London. Back to his life. Back to the sphere where he belonged. Without her. It was for the best. Wasn't it? It was time to get this over with. He turned and headed for the parsonage.

As he rounded the bend on the path to the parsonage, deep in thought, he didn't notice the form lying on the path until he was almost right over her. "Oh God! Miss, are you okay?" he exclaimed as he bent down next to the form of the young lady lying prone on the ground. He already knew who it was. It's her. Elizabeth. His Elizabeth. No, she's not his and never will be, he reminded himself.

He carefully, gently turned her over, cradling her head in his hands, softly calling her name. She didn't respond to his voice. There was a large cut on her forehead and dried blood on her face. A pool of dried blood stained the rock where she had hit her head.

She was wearing the same dress she wore last evening when they had their... discussion. How long had she been here? She must have gone out walking after he left her last night. She must have tripped over a root in the dark. She's been lying here all night. This is his fault. All his fault.

He carefully lifted her in his arms. Something he has dreamed of at night for months. His dreams of her in his arms had been very vivid. But not like this; not with her injured. Not with it being his fault. He dare not think of them now. He had never been so scared in his life. He prayed that she would be alright.

He quickly made his way to the parsonage and called out as he neared the building "Mrs. Collins! Mrs. Collins!" He was relieved when Mrs. Collins came running out the door and helped him get Elizabeth inside. She had him carry her up the narrow stairs to her room and he lay her on the bed.

"What happened? Where did you find her?" Mrs. Collins asked.

"I found her on the path, not far from the parsonage. She must have gone out walking and tripped on a root and hit her head.' Mr. Darcy replied.

"I didn't know she had gone out this morning. Her cloak and boots are still in the hall. Her candle was out when we returned from Rosings last night, I assumed she had retired early due to her headache and had decided to sleep in this morning. Her skin is cold. I hope she didn't go out last night and spend the night on the ground. " Mrs. Collins replied.

"I will go for the apothecary. You'll want to get her into dry clothes and get her warmed up." Mr. Darcy said as he started building up the fire.

Mrs. Collins called for the maid to come help her as Mr. Darcy quit the parsonage to call for the apothecary in Hunsford village.

The walk to Hunsford seemed interminable, but as soon as possible, Mr. Darcy returned with the apothecary and waited in the parlor to find out how Elizabeth was. He had told the apothecary quietly to send him the bills for Elizabeth's care.

As he paced in the parlor, he reviewed what happened last evening again. His declaration of admiration. Her rejecting his suit. The argument about his manners. Everything that went wrong. He had spent all night writing her a letter, explaining why he separated his friend Bingley from her sister Jane. He explained all that happened between him and that liar and rake Wickham; between Wickham and his young sister. Even if she would never speak to him again, she needed to know the truth. Needed to be able to keep herself safe from Wickham.

He should burn the letter. There was no way she would listen to him ever again. No way he would ever get into her good graces again. Not with what happened to her last night. How could he ever face her again? How could he ever get over his guilt?

A maid brought in a tea tray and told him Mrs. Collins would like to speak to him after the apothecary left. Mr. Darcy continued to pace. How could he have let this happen? He knew she was upset last night and that she walked when she had things to think about. But how could he had known she would go walking at night, without her cloak, without a lantern? Still, it was all his fault.

What seemed like a long time later, Mrs. Collins and the apothecary came into the parlor. "How is she?" Mr. Darcy asked nervously.

"She has a large cut on her forehead. It has stopped bleeding and does not need stitches, but she has not regained consciousness. I do not know how long she will be insensitive, but the longer it lasts, the more worried I am that she may have memory loss when she awakens. Her ankle is also sprained, but should heal fine with rest. Her skin is very cold; I think she must have been there overnight. It is a good thing you found her when you did." the apothecary said.

"Thank you for finding her, sir!" Mrs. Collins exclaimed. "We are so lucky that you were on that path this morning. Who knows how long she may have laid there, if you had not walked that way! Thank you so much."

"Do not thank me madam, I am very glad she will be well. Please let me know how she gets on and if there is anything I can do to help." Mr. Darcy replied.

Mrs. Collins walked the apothecary out and returned to speak with Mr. Darcy. "Why did you find Elizabeth this morning? Why would you be on that path instead of the carriageway? I noticed you disappeared from your Aunt's parlor at Rosings when you found out that Miss Elizabeth was not in attendance last evening." She stared at him intently, then continued, "Elizabeth is under my husband's protection in Kent. What is going on Mr. Darcy?" She stared at him further, awaiting his answer.

Mr. Darcy looked petrified. How could she know? What should he tell her? He decided that it was best to be honest.

"Mrs. Collins, when you told me that Miss Elizabeth stayed here with a headache, I wanted to check to see if she was alright." He paused. "While I was here, I asked her to marry me..." Mr. Darcy stammered.

"You're engaged! Congratulations Mr. Darcy. No wonder you were out looking for her. I told Lizzy that I thought you had an interest in you; she did not believe me! I imagine you would like to spend time with your fiancee, but since she is our responsibility, I must ask you to follow proper protocols and call on her here at the parsonage, properly chaperoned." She hesitated. "Preferably when my husband is with your aunt at Rosings." She didn't want to explain why she didn't want her husband to know about their engagement yet – that her husband had asked Elizabeth for her hand and she had turned him down before Mr. Collins asked Charlotte for her hand; it had been awkward without adding another proposal to the mix.

"I always knew you two would make a great couple!" Mrs. Collins gushed.

"While she is confined, you may visit her, with a maid present, until she is up and about again. Maybe reading to her will help her come around sooner. Congratulations again Mr. Darcy. I think you two will be very happy together."

Mr. Darcy knew he should correct Mrs. Collins, but he knew it was likely that he would never see Miss Elizabeth again if he wasn't seen as her fiancee. Even if disguise of any sort was his abhorrence, he knew this was the only way to have a chance to repair his relationship with his beloved. He decided to let the slight misunderstanding persist for now and handle the fall out when it comes to it. Best to not borrow trouble