Uncommonly Intelligent Chapter 23: A Visit To Longbourn, a pride and prejudice fanfic

A/N:

I'm very pleased with the reception my lovely readers have given to Col. Fitzwilliam, as he is, in my mind at least, only the second out-of-character character in my story so far (can you guess who the other one is?) I realize that many of my characters are behaving differently than in canon, but my goal is that once you accept the premise of Lizzy's genius, the Bennets all act in plausible "butterfly effect" consequences, e.g. Lizzy's genius attracts Lady Rutherford's interest, which makes Mr. Bennet re-examine his behavior, which makes him take more interest in all of his children, which makes Lydia better educated and behaved, Kitty less dependent, Mary less withdrawn into Fordyce, etc. And Lizzy's forgiveness of and amiability with Darcy has helped him to have a pleasant personality earlier than in canon, which causes Caroline to be more hostile toward Lizzy.

But Lizzy has never met Col. Fitzwilliam, so my decision to make him a jokester is out of the blue, but it just felt right. So, to sum up, I'm very pleased with the reception my lovely readers have given to Col. Fitzwilliam.

And to the reviewers who are not happy with some of my choices, all I can say is that I very much appreciate your feedback, but I cannot please everyone. When a chapter gets seventy reviews and only one or two don't like X, I have to assume that most of my readers do like X, or at least don't dislike it, so unless your objection is something that I had not considered before and is very compelling, I'll likely leave X alone. Please do not let that keep you from continuing to read and to offer critical reviews, because I have gone back and made some revisions based on a single review or PM, several times (I will note any changes that affect the plot in an author's note, but so far, they have been more along the line of correcting small errors). But not every time. I am especially grateful to sysa22, Peperuda, and a la silhouette for their thoughtful comments and suggestions, but there are many others who have made some very insightful comments.

Responses to selected questions, since I cannot seem to get my PMs to work:

Guest: Lizzy did not invite Charlotte or Maria to the budget lesson for the same reason she closed the doors so the maids couldn't hear - she wanted to be able to speak frankly about her mother's income without having the less fortunate hear of it.

Happydragon5: Lizzy put her feet on a box on the way home from Netherfield so she could brace against it to make a firm support for Jane. Her legs were too short to brace against the opposite bench. Remember there were no seat belts then!

Guest 88: Like you, I grew up reading about "redcoats" in school. But in the original novel, Miss Austen uses "red coats" as a term referring to the officers, so that trumps everything.

MelodieMLB: Sorry that my jokes are no better than the colonel's, but if it's any consolation, my family feels the same way.

Chapter 23 - A Visit To Longbourn

Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire, October 17, 1811

The dinner party at Netherfield was rapidly dwindling in number. After the colonel departed in anger, and Caroline departed in a huff, it took only a few seconds for Louisa to mutter something about seeing to her sister, and follow Caroline upstairs. Georgiana then found that she had lost her appetite, and begged to be excused. Darcy quickly agreed to escort her upstairs.

When they arrived at her room, Darcy followed her inside and closed the door.

"Gigi, I am so sorry. When I first invited you to come here, I did not realize how bad Miss Bingley was, and later, her brother sent her back to town for her bad behavior, so I thought there would be no problem. Her brother relented when she promised to reform, but as you saw, she cannot keep herself from insulting the Bennets."

Georgiana nodded, and said, "I am well, brother, I just needed a moment to myself."

"I beg your pardon. I will leave you, then."

"No, please stay. I should like you to tell me more about Miss Bingley and the Bennets, so I am not caught off guard the next time. I especially want to know why Miss Bingley seems to dislike Miss Elizabeth Bennet so much. Did you not write that you enjoyed Miss Elizabeth's company?"

"I did indeed, and there is your answer. Miss Bingley appears to have decided that she should be the mistress of Pemberley, and she has apparently noticed my admiration for Miss Elizabeth, and so considers Miss Elizabeth to be a threat to her. Her competition, if you will."

"And is she?"

Darcy looked uncomfortable. "I am not currently in the market for a wife," he said, "but if I were, I should not consider Miss Bingley. Miss Bingley seems to think that if Miss Elizabeth did not exist, she would become the leading contender, but in truth she would move up from number 10,000 to number 9,999. And even that is being generous."

Georgiana giggled, but she was relieved that Miss Bingley was not under consideration as a future sister. She was not sure why, but only a few minutes in her presence had convinced her that Miss Bingley was insincere.

"And what of Miss Jane Bennet? Mr. Bingley always looks like he is dreaming when he speaks of her."

"She is quite beautiful, and very kind."

"Yet you wrote mostly of Miss Elizabeth."

"I have had more interaction with Miss Elizabeth, for Miss Bennet was confined to her room most of the time she was here. But indeed, I admit that I prefer Miss Elizabeth to Miss Bennet."

"Why is that, if Miss Bennet is so beautiful and kind?"

Darcy hesitated, gathering his thoughts. Finally he said, "I am not certain that I can explain it. I suppose there can be too much of a good thing. Miss Bennet's kindness is such that you do not feel you know her. If I asked her whether she should like something, I cannot imagine her saying no, while Miss Elizabeth would have no qualms about saying she favored something opposite to what I suggested. Miss Elizabeth is fire to her sister's ice. And though she is not a classic beauty like her sister, there is something about her liveliness that I find more appealing. Miss Bennet has the beauty of stained glass, while Miss Elizabeth has the beauty of a raging waterfall."

Georgiana had never heard her brother talk about a lady in this way. And she felt that there was something he was not saying, but she could not imagine what. Certainly nothing bad, or he would not be so eager for her to meet Miss Elizabeth and her family - if anything, her brother was overprotective of her, and would never knowingly expose her to a bad influence.

Darcy was actually concealing at least two things - that Elizabeth was the most intelligent person of his acquaintance, and that he wished that he could court her. The first might intimidate his sister, and the second might lead to the impossible situation of Darcy having to lie to his sister, for he could never tell her that it was his devotion to her own happiness that made him deny himself. He must pray that Miss Elizabeth was still available after Georgiana married.

"What of her other sisters? Did you say she had four in all?"

"Yes. Miss Jane Bennet is the eldest; I believe she is 22 or so. Miss Elizabeth must be near 20. I am even less sure about the three youngest, for I have scarcely seen them. I did dance once with Miss Mary, the next eldest, at the assembly that was held my first evening here, and I met her again for a minute or two when I visited Longbourn. All I can say about her is that she was quiet and pleasant for the few minutes I was in her company. The two youngest I know nothing about, although they seemed cheerful at the assembly. We were introduced, but that is the extent of my acquaintance with them. I will say that they seem to be about your age, and Miss Elizabeth was sure that they should very much like to meet you."

Georgiana was nervous about meeting so many new people at once, but she knew that her brother had been disappointed in her timidity over the past few months, so she screwed up her courage and asked, "Do you think we might call on them tomorrow?"

Her brother beamed at her. "I am so proud of you, Gigi, I know meeting new people is difficult for you. I will send a note to them the first thing tomorrow morning."

Despite her anxiety about meeting the Bennets, Georgiana was elated that she had pleased her brother. She did not have nearly as much trouble falling asleep that night as she had expected to have in a strange house.

Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire, October 18, 1811

Darcy and Georgiana breakfasted together alone the next morning. He hoped that the Bingleys' habit of sleeping late would continue, for both he and Georgiana enjoyed having this time to themselves. Richard normally ate early as well, but he was still recovering from his wounds and slept longer than usual.

When he and Georgiana had finished eating, Darcy judged it late enough that he could send his note to the Bennets without disturbing them. He told the footman to wait for the reply, but that a verbal answer was acceptable since Darcy did not doubt that they would be welcome. Miss Elizabeth had explicitly said that she and her sisters should be happy to meet Georgiana, and Mr. Bennet had invited Darcy and Bingley to visit whenever they wished.

It was therefore surprising that the footman returned with a written message, rather than a simple verbal acceptance. Darcy opened the note to find another enclosed within it. He read the outer note and frowned. "Mr. Bennet says they will not be at home today," he said.

Georgiana, who had been almost bouncing on her toes in anxiety, was crestfallen. The Bennets must be at home, since Mr. Bennet had sent the message. Saying they were not at home was clearly an indirect way of saying they did not wish to meet Miss Darcy.

"Oh brother, they must have heard of my shame," said Georgiana, unsuccessfully trying to fight back tears.

Darcy could scarcely believe that, but to his knowledge, the Bennets had been at home every day of this month until now, so it was passing strange that they would be out today of all days. He looked at the enclosed note and turned it over. In a graceful, feminine hand, it read, Miss Georgiana Darcy.

"There is another note, addressed to you."

"Me?"

"Yes. Shall I read it for you?" he asked, thinking that he could edit out any unkind comments it might contain if she were correct that they did not want to associate with her.

Georgiana shook her head and gathered her courage. "I will read it," she said.

She took the note with trembling hands, and fumbled slightly as she unfolded it. There was no seal, which indicated that the sender did not care whether her brother read it first. That could be good or bad. She steeled herself and began to read.

Dear Miss Darcy,

Please forgive my presumption in writing to you before we have been introduced, but I have heard so much about you from your brother that I hope we shall become great friends. I am so sorry that we will not be at home today, but the entire family is leaving within the quarter hour for St. Albans, where we will spend the day shopping, the chief objective being to buy four new horses for my four sisters.

If you should like to see the fruits of our expedition, we should love to welcome you tomorrow whenever it is convenient for you. My sisters and I are all eager to meet you.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Bennet

Darcy watched his sister anxiously as she read with wide eyes and then began crying again. He quickly gathered her into his arms and said, "Oh Gigi, I am so sorry. I will take you back to London today, if that is your wish. Or we can go home to Pemberley. Just let me know what you want, and I will do it."

"No, brother," Georgiana said between sniffles, "you misunderstand. I suppose I am crying from relief. Indeed, the note is very welcoming. It was not a ruse when Mr. Bennet said they would not be at home; they are going to St. Albans. They must have been about to leave when your note reached them. Miss Elizabeth invites us to come tomorrow instead." She handed the note to Darcy for him to read.

Darcy's tension and anger drained as he read Elizabeth's note. He turned to Georgiana and smiled. "I should have known that they had a good reason." A thought occurred to him. "Should we send for Snowflake, dearest? I had planned to wait until I was sure you felt comfortable staying here, but if the Bennet sisters will be riding their new horses, you might wish to join them."

Georgiana smiled brilliantly. "I should like that very much, brother."

Caroline had decided to take the high road and forgive the colonel for his discourtesy to her. After all, he was Darcy's cousin, and she would have to somehow endure him when she was Mrs. Darcy. And with any luck, he would be sent back to the continent shortly, and who knew what might happen there?

But the colonel's second-hand acquaintance with Miss Eliza was an unexpected development. With Darcy and the colonel both, incredibly, looking on Eliza with favor, Caroline would have to be careful. Georgiana seemed rather dull, so she would likely share her guardians' good opinion of the chit at first. Caroline would have to steer Georgiana into the correct opinion in gradual steps, subtly pointing out the flaws in Eliza's behavior and connections rather than openly disdaining her.

Bingley was therefore pleasantly surprised at a late breakfast with his sisters and Mr. Hurst when it was Caroline who proposed a visit to Longbourn to introduce Georgiana to the Bennets.

"That is an excellent idea, Caro," he said with approval. "Let me find Darcy, and we will arrange a time."

Darcy and his sister were just returning from a stroll around the garden when the rest of the party finished their breakfast, so they all convened in the parlor, and Bingley proposed the visit.

"We have already inquired," answered Darcy, "and they will not be at home today. They have invited us to visit tomorrow."

"Not at home? All day?" asked Bingley in surprise.

"Unfortunately, yes. They happened to be leaving on a shopping trip to St. Albans just as my note reached them."

Caroline smirked. "How quaint. I suppose that for them, going to St. Albans to shop is like going to the finest modiste in London for us. Did they say what they were shopping for? Straw bonnets, perhaps?"

Caroline and Louisa tittered, until Georgiana answered excitedly, "Horses! Miss Elizabeth says that they are buying four horses for her four sisters!" She looked at her brother. "I wonder why Miss Elizabeth is not getting one. Does she not ride?"

"She certainly rides, but I believe that she already has her own horse, so she does not need another," her brother answered.

Caroline and Louisa scowled. Neither had ever owned a horse, for they had always lived in a city, where room for stables was scarce. Except for avid riders or the very rich, few town women had horses.

Longbourn, Hertfordshire, October 19, 1811

The next day, Georgiana was so eager to meet the Bennets and see their new horses that she could hardly contain herself. She persuaded her brother to leave as early as propriety allowed, for horses were second only to music in the list of things she enjoyed. Caroline, the Hursts, and Mrs. Annesley joined Georgiana in Darcy's carriage, while Bingley, Darcy, and Richard rode beside it.

As they turned off the highway onto Longbourn's road, the colonel looked around with approval. A third son, he had not been raised to run an estate, but he could see the difference between one that was well-kept and one that was not.

Bingley pointed out the sheep grazing and asked, "Why is it that so many estates have sheep rather than cattle?"

Darcy answered, "Many have both, but you are correct, sheep are more common, because they are easier to manage, and they return more on the investment. Except for milk cows and breeding bulls, cattle must be killed to make money from their meat or hides. But sheep produce year after year - milk, wool, even manure."

"Manure? You can sell manure? I thought it was merely used to fertilize the estate's own crops," said Bingley.

"That is the usual practice, especially with horses and cattle. And even their manure can be sold to estates with crops but without herds. But sheep manure can be sold for higher prices, for it has much less odor, so it is popular for city gardens and especially conservatories and orangeries, where horse or cattle manure would render the air unbreathable."

Richard chuckled. "Selling manure, who would have thought it? All these years, I have been sitting on a gold mine."

Darcy frowned at him. "Try to go an hour without your bawdy jests, cousin. We are going to a gentleman's home, not a barracks." He immediately regretted his churlish tone, but he had slept ill after his talk with Georgiana about the Bennets. He was eight and twenty, and women had all but thrown themselves at him for nearly ten years, but he had never been as interested in a woman as he was in Miss Elizabeth, and he could do nothing about it for Georgiana's sake. He could not be angry at her, so he redirected his anger at Wickham, the rake who had come within a whisker of eloping with her and then destroyed her self-esteem. But he could not contain it entirely, and now it was making him snap at Richard.

Luckily, Richard had a thick skin, and a mostly irrepressible good nature. He merely chuckled again at Darcy, and used his thumb and forefinger to twist his lips, indicating they were locked shut.

Elizabeth descended the steps of Longbourn's front entrance as the carriage pulled to a stop; she had evidently been watching for them. Darcy's breath caught as he saw her sparkling eyes and glowing cheeks, and it only now occurred to him that as captivating as he had found her at Netherfield, she had not been at her best there. She had arrived anxious and disheveled after her trek through the mud, and had no doubt slept poorly while attending her sister. Seeing her now after a week of rest and exercise, he thought her the most handsome woman of his acquaintance.

He quickly dismounted so that he could hand Georgiana down from the carriage himself, and then escorted her to the bottom of the steps where the warmly smiling Elizabeth waited. Richard followed, escorting Mrs. Annesley.

After introductions, bows, and curtsies were exchanged, Elizabeth said, "I am delighted to meet all of you. My sisters are in the stable, grooming their horses. One can only hope that they maintain their diligence after the novelty wears off. They should not be too much longer, so we can await them in the parlor if you wish, or we can have a look at the horses." She glanced at Miss Darcy's elegant clothing and added, "Miss Darcy, your dress and shoes are much too fine for the stable, but I can have my sisters bring the horses out, if you like."

Georgiana said, "I should love to see the horses, but I do not wish you to go to extra trouble."

Elizabeth laughed gaily. "I assure you it will be no trouble. They would show off their new horses to all the world if they could. Give me half a minute - I have something that will help you make friends with them." She flew up the steps to the house as quickly as Georgiana had ever seen a woman move.

Thinking that Miss Elizabeth had been referring to her sisters, Georgiana turned to Darcy and said in a very low voice, "Brother, what can she mean? Did you tell her how shy I am?"

Darcy began, "I may have mentioned…" but stopped speaking as Elizabeth re-emerged from the house, carrying a bowl containing carrot sticks and apple slices. She must have had it waiting just inside the door, Darcy thought, appreciating her thoughtfulness. Elizabeth descended the steps at a more leisurely pace when she saw that nobody had begun moving toward the stable, and smiled at Georgiana as she said, "The horses are already quite spoiled, but they will not turn down any offering you care to make."

Georgiana smiled back, seeing why her brother liked Miss Elizabeth so much. They began walking toward the stables, followed closely by Darcy, Richard, Bingley, and Mrs. Annesley, and grudgingly by Caroline and the Hursts, who had scarcely been acknowledged after the obligatory greetings. Caroline had not the slightest interest in the horses, and she and Louisa lagged further behind, obliging Hurst to also lag, though he was probably more interested in seeing the horses than anyone other than Georgiana, for he enjoyed foxhunting.

Elizabeth halted about ten yards from the stable and said, "I fear that this is about as close as you should come, Miss Darcy. I shall go in and tell my sisters you are here."

Richard, who had worn his uniform with its high boots, had nothing to fear from the stable floor, so he continued on toward the open door. Just as he reached it, Kitty came rushing out, waving her hands about her head frantically at a horsefly who had found something irresistible about her hair. She collided with Richard and accidentally struck him in the face with her flailing hand.

"Oh!" cried Kitty, taking in the burly man in uniform and blushing furiously. "I am so sorry!"

Rubbing his cheek, Richard grinned and said, "I see that my reputation precedes me. Usually, ladies have to know me for five or ten minutes before they slap me."

Elizabeth and Georgiana looked at each other and giggled. "That is my cousin for you," said Georgiana. "You will find that he can make a joke of anything."

"I like him already, for I dearly love to laugh," said Elizabeth. She did not see Darcy's lips tighten in annoyance at her attention to the colonel.

It was only a matter of a few minutes before the horses, including Loki and Buttercup, were arrayed in front of the stable. Georgiana had removed her gloves and put them in the carriage so that she could offer apple slices to each horse from her bare palm, and was having a wonderful time. Darcy reflected that he could not have orchestrated a better introduction to the Bennet sisters if he had tried, for the horses drew attention away from Georgiana while providing a ready subject for conversation. Their antics as they vied for apple slices and carrot sticks meant that there was never an awkward silence, for simply watching them was entertaining.

Each sister introduced Georgiana to her horse, giving all the reasons that he was the best horse in the world. Elizabeth was no exception. "Loki is the fleetest, and Buttercup the sweetest, though she is now retired after many years of faithful service." She frowned. "I do worry about what will happen as the stallions grow and exceed Loki in size. I shall have to find some books on dominance among horses."

"Oh, do you enjoy reading books on nature?" asked Georgiana.

"Very much. I do not travel often or far, but I feel that with books, I know more about the world than Marco Polo."

Hearing this, Darcy could not repress the thought that everything he learned about Elizabeth made him more certain that she would be perfect for him. And he wondered again how Caroline Bingley could have been so unobservant regarding Miss Elizabeth's intelligence.

Before long, the horses had all been curried and the carrots and apples had all been eaten, and the party decided to repair to the house. Caroline, who was resentful over being left out of the activities even though it had been her choice, was glad they would finally be getting out of the chilly air. Once Miss Darcy saw the squalor of the Bennet home, she would quickly lose her good opinion of the sisters. She and the Hursts walked quickly back toward the house, following the three youngest Bennets. Jane and Bingley were next, and Georgiana took her brother's arm without thinking; he always escorted her. That left Richard to escort Mrs. Annesley and Elizabeth. Darcy knew that Mrs. Annesley could not walk quickly, nor could Richard with his wound, so he let the three go ahead of himself and Georgiana so that Mrs. Annesley would not be embarrassed by lagging behind.

As they walked, Elizabeth turned to the colonel and said, "May I ask if you were wounded at El Bodón, colonel?"

Surprised, Richard merely answered, "No, Miss Elizabeth, I was not there."

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that," said Elizabeth.

"You are sorry I was not wounded?" said the colonel in amusement. Darcy and Georgiana, close enough behind them to be able to hear the conversation, looked at each other in puzzlement.

"Oh dear, that did not come out right at all," laughed Elizabeth. "What I meant was, you appear to be nearly recovered from a wound, and if it had been suffered at El Bodón last month, it may not have been too severe, though I am aware that all battle wounds are painful and potentially deadly from infection. If you received it at Fuentes d'Onor in May, or worse, Barrosa in February, it must have been quite severe."

"Ah, I comprehend. But how did you know those battles to choose from? In my experience, most people here at home do not know one battle from another."

"Well, obviously, your insignia proclaims you to be in the Coldstream Regiment*, and they distinguished themselves at Fuentes d'Onor and Barrosa this year."

"And how do you know I have a recent wound, and not a long-standing injury that simply did not heal right?"

"Of course I am only guessing, but I observed that your walking stick is not merely decorative, but is a functional cane, and looks very new. Also, your boot heels are of uniform height. Pardon me if this offends you, but you lean a tiny bit to one side because you favor your injured leg. Most men with your resources would have custom-made boots with one of the heels built up to make it easier to stand straight if they had a permanent condition. Of course, it may be that you simply happened to buy a new walking stick recently for some other reason. Was I mistaken?"

Richard smiled. "No, you are quite correct, I was hit at Barrosa. But it is extraordinary that you are so familiar with the battles on the Peninsula, let alone able to recognize insignia."

"I believe that you men fighting to preserve our island from the tyrant are heroes, and the least we can do is follow your progress."

Georgiana looked at her brother and shook her head. She would not even know where to look for a unit insignia, let alone distinguish one from another. And she had never heard of any of the battles Miss Elizabeth had reeled off. With her favorite cousin in the thick of the fighting! She hung her head in shame.

Darcy observed this and stopped walking, forcing Georgiana to also stop. For once, he was quite sure he knew what she was thinking. When the others were out of earshot, he took her hands and said, "Gigi, I am sorry, I should have warned you, but I did not want you to be intimidated by Miss Elizabeth before you even met her. But as you see, she has a fearsome intellect. Please do not think that she is typical of an adult woman, or man for that matter. I have known her only a short time, and I already consider her the most intelligent person of my acquaintance. Please believe me when I say that I am just as flabbergasted as you when she does something like she just did. I can also tell you that she is clearly my superior in chess and ancient Greek, as well as modern languages, and I have learned this in spite of the fact that she does her best to minimize her accomplishments. I suspect that if I knew the full scope of her knowledge, I would be more intimidated than you. So if you condemn yourself for not matching up to her, condemn me as well. Truly, you are one of the most accomplished women I know, and it is unjust to compare yourself to Miss Elizabeth, who I believe is a nonpareil."

Georgiana nodded. "I thought that there was something you were not telling me about her." She giggled. "I never suspected that it was her intellect. Did she truly beat you at chess?"

"Effortlessly. And I am one of the best players in my club, which is a high standard."

Georgiana said, "Do you think that is another reason that Miss Bingley dislikes her?"

Darcy thought a moment, and said, "In fact, I do not believe Miss Bingley is intelligent enough to know that Miss Elizabeth is more intelligent than she."

Georgiana giggled again and squeezed his hands, and as she did, she realized that she was still not wearing her gloves. "Oh! I left my gloves in the carriage when I was feeding the horses!"

Darcy said, "I will fetch them for you. You go ahead and catch up with Mrs. Annesley; you will not be out of my sight."

Caroline and Louisa were looking around at the entrance hall as everyone waited for Darcy. Caroline was disappointed to see that it was not as disreputable as she had hoped. Indeed, some of the older furniture matched her own taste, and the newer pieces, while not what she should have purchased, would not be out of place in some of the finer homes she had seen in town.

She sidled over to where Mrs. Annesley was standing with Miss Darcy and said in Italian so that the Bennets would not understand, I suppose the house is not as bad as I had feared.

Kitty and Lydia were standing nearby and heard her, for Caroline had not lowered her voice. Lydia turned to Caroline and said, also in Italian, The world is full of amazing things, is it not?

Caroline blushed to her hairline as Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley tried not to laugh. Kitty and Lydia made no such effort.

Waiting for Darcy near the front door, Elizabeth was still conversing with the colonel.

"Miss Elizabeth, it is such a pleasure to hear of your interest in our soldiers, but I confess it is no surprise, for I had heard of your generosity from a mutual acquaintance."

Elizabeth was confused, for though she and Mr. Darcy had sometimes discussed articles in the Times about the war, she did not know why he would characterize her heated opinions about the stupidity of some of the generals as "generous."

"Are you referring to Mr. Darcy?"

"No - that is, Darcy has also sung your praises, but I was not referring to him. I refer to my former comrade in arms, Sgt. Cummings."

Elizabeth looked at Richard, and her eyes grew wide as she made the connection. "Fitzwilliam!" she exclaimed, smiling in delight. "Of course! You are Major Fitz!"

Richard returned her smile and said, "Yes, that is what the lads called me back then."

"Well, you must forgive me for not realizing you were Mr. Cummings' commander, for not only did he call you 'Major Fitz' rather than 'Colonel Fitzwilliam,' but the way he talked about you, I expected you to be at least eight feet tall!"

Richard, who was a shade under six feet, chuckled. "No, not as tall as Goliath, nor even so tall as my great lout of a cousin here," he said as he turned to grin at Darcy, whom he had heard come up behind him. He was astonished to see that Darcy was glaring daggers at him.

Darcy had been happy for the excuse that Gigi had given him to be alone with his thoughts for a moment. That latest demonstration of Elizabeth's intelligence had quite unsettled him. Up to then, he had thought that he had succeeded in suppressing his feelings for her, despite her looking even more beautiful than he remembered. But this added reminder of her brilliance had found a new chink in his armor.

He could conquer this. He must conquer this. He had been caught unawares, but now that he was prepared, he could go back into the house and be courteous, even friendly, but he would not reveal his feelings. Control and discipline, those would be his watchwords.

After retrieving Gigi's gloves, he strode back to the house and up the steps. He had just come up behind Richard when Elizabeth looked at him with unadulterated joy and cried, "Fitzwilliam!"

Time stopped for Darcy as his world reeled. He had no idea why Elizabeth had addressed him by his Christian name - indeed, he was not aware she even knew it, and he had certainly never given her leave to be so familiar, although she had been all that and more in his dreams. But that did not matter now. All that mattered was that Elizabeth was smiling at him in a way he had never seen before, and all his safeguards crumbled. He had seen Elizabeth smile happily when enjoying a dance or walking in the sun, he had seen her strained smile when attempting to ignore the incivility of Caroline Bingley, and he had even seen her smile in amusement at himself when they were having light conversation. But he had never seen her smile in sheer delight as she was doing now, let alone at him.

He neither knew nor cared why. His careful plan to conceal his feelings was in tatters. He now knew an emotion he had never felt before - the love of a man for his perfect mate.

Darcy thought he had known what love was, but now he realized that he had glimpsed only aspects of it. His love for his mother, a source of comfort and affection when he was very young. His love for his father, as someone he respected and never wanted to disappoint. His love for his sister, whom he wanted to nurture and protect. Even his love for Richard, as someone he could always depend upon.

The feelings he now had for Elizabeth comprised all of those, and much more, including what he might have called lust had it not been wrapped in all the other facets of what he now realized was something that he could not fight. The battle was over before it had been well begun. He would offer for Elizabeth, and the devil take the consequences. He could not wait for the several years it might take for Gigi to marry, and he could not risk the chance that Elizabeth would not wait for him. Besides, any blockhead who disparaged him for marrying Elizabeth would not be a worthy suitor for Gigi.

He was somewhat surprised that the decision did not cause any stress or anxiety over not doing his duty to his family. Instead, he felt a relief from anxiety, for he was no longer fighting himself. He felt perfectly content, for he knew he had made the right decision.

And then time resumed, and his perfect world came crashing down around his ears as Elizabeth continued, "Of course! You are Major Fitz!"

Great God! Elizabeth was not smiling at me; she was smiling at Richard!

A moment ago, Darcy had felt the deepest romantic love for the first time in his eight and twenty years. Now he felt another novel emotion, that of bitter envy. The realization that Elizabeth had bestowed that smile upon Richard rather than himself engendered a jealousy in Darcy that he should never have believed he could feel.

Elizabeth had not been looking at him; she had been looking at Richard. She had not called him by his Christian name; she had been speaking of Richard's surname. She had not been delighted to see him after a momentary absence; she had been delighted to meet the man she had heard so much about from a mutual friend. It might even be that she felt she knew Richard better than she did him, for how many stories had this Cummings fellow told her? He had obviously painted Richard as a modern Achilles. It was even possible that Elizabeth had fantasized about Richard, dreamed about him, for several years.

And even before she had discovered that Richard was the hero Cummings had lauded, she had liked him for his ability to make her laugh, and admired him for his service to England. Had she been attracted to him even then? Was that demonstration of her intellect a deliberate attempt to impress Richard, when she was normally prone to minimize her accomplishments?

Good Lord, what if she married Richard? How could he bear to be in their company, to even look at them, knowing that the two of them would be in each other's arms that night, while he had to make do with a wife chosen from among the Caroline Bingleys of the world?

His stomach clenched and he quickly turned away, almost running into Georgiana, who had stepped toward him to receive her gloves. Her smile of thanks transformed into a frown of worry when she saw the expression on his face. "Brother, what is wrong?" she almost whispered.

Darcy gathered himself as best he could, and managed to grind out, "Only a sudden headache, Gigi. Nothing to concern yourself with, but I need some air. You will forgive me if I take a short walk outside."

*The Coldstream Guards is one of the most famous units in British history, but at the time of our story, it was called the Coldstream Regiment.

A/N:

Sorry to literally end on a whimper, but this was the best place to have a chapter break for a while. The next chapter will not take so long, as it is nearly drafted.

As always, thanks to everyone who follows, faves, or especially reviews with constructive feedback. And I am really enjoying the insights contained in some very thoughtful reviews.