Chapter 2

Lawrence Clark was in his office trying to complete some work, unable to stop thinking about the lovely Miss Bennet. He knew well that she was not the woman for him. She was beautiful and a gentleman's daughter. For sure, she had better options than him. He was a successful tradesman with a well-established business and with a formidable annual income. However, he knew very well that their social differences were almost impossible to overcome.

As the rational man Lawrence was, he knew he could not change his feelings and growing admiration for the sweet Miss Bennet. Something about her rendered an irrational desire to protect her. Maybe it was her melancholic demeanor or her timid smile. He knew he was utterly lost, and even if he tried, he could not stop thinking and dreaming about Miss Jane Bennet.

Mrs. Rose Clark, Lawrence's mother, came to let him know that dinner would be ready very soon, but her son did not even notice her. She observed him from the door for several seconds before saying anything. She knew very well what was happening to her son. A few days ago, they attended a small social gathering at the home of Mr. Gardiner, one of her son's friends and business associate. She noticed Lawrence restless, nervous, and more concerned than ever with his appearance. As she entered the Gardiners' drawing room and saw the beautiful Miss Bennet, she knew what was occurring to her son.

Throughout the night, Lawrence watched Jane without hiding his admiration, and when she took the time to speak with him, Mrs. Clark could see the joy on her son's countenance. She only prayed that Miss Bennet would not play with his feelings. Like his father, her dear son was the best man she had ever known.

Lawrence started working in his father's business when he was fourteen. Although he was always a clever boy, he did not have the opportunity to study formally because he needed to work in the family business. Although he could not attend university, Lawrence always read everything he could and was more cultured than many who had a formal education. His father had inherited an emporium from his father and turned it into a large company that exported and imported products from several places in England and around the globe.

Lawrence was twenty when his father died, and he took over the family inheritance. Then, with the help of his uncle, he expanded the business even further, which now included two vessels. He was 32, and the only thing he had done in recent years was work and protect his sister and mother. He was not classically handsome but could be considered an attractive young man. He was tall, athletic, and had piercing blue eyes that revealed his sharp intelligence.

Seeing him so absorbed in his thoughts, his mother decided to leave him alone. She did not want to disturb him, let alone interrupt his reflections.

Lawrence, after much thinking, decided to visit his friend Mr. Gardiner the following day so that he could see Miss Bennet, enjoy her company, and dream that she might want to know him better.

'My dear Miss Bennet, I hope the man who wins your heart understands how fortunate he is. If only I could... I should finish reading these papers and stop dreaming of things that will never be possible."

P&P

Elizabeth suddenly came to herself and realized that Mr. Darcy was holding her tightly, kissing and caressing her cheek. Her first reaction was to ask him to release her, but she remembered that he had just asked her to marry him, and the current circumstances of her family made her doubt. She was so confused and hurt, pondering his sudden declaration of love, when she heard Mr. Darcy speak.

"Miss Bennet, I am very sorry for what happened to your father. As soon as I am sure you are feeling better, I shall talk to my driver and valet so they can prepare everything for tomorrow and we can travel to Hertfordshire first thing in the morning. Now that you are my betrothed, I am responsible for taking you to your house so you can be with your family as soon as possible." Mr. Darcy murmured in Elizabeth's ear. He still held her tightly, trying to comfort her.

Mr. Darcy knew that he should leave immediately to prepare everything for the next day's trip, but he did not have the willpower to stop hugging Elizabeth, who, at that moment, needed him more than ever.

After a minute, Elizabeth broke the embrace. She took the handkerchief offered her, wiped her tears, and tried to fix her hair as best she could. Finally, after taking a deep breath and turning her back to him so as not to look at his face, she explained, "Mr. Darcy, I think we should postpone today's conversation due to the recent events in my family. There are too many situations that I should…."

Elizabeth could not finish speaking because Mr. Darcy wanted her to know he understood her predicament. "Miss Bennet, please do not worry; I comprehend that you have other important matters to resolve now. So do not be concerned. As you said, we will have the opportunity to talk about ourselves later after you have spoken with your family. Now, I shall prepare everything for tomorrow's trip; please try to rest. I shall be here tomorrow at dawn to take you to Hertfordshire."

Elizabeth had never liked the man in front of her, but at that instant, she could not refuse the help he kindly offered her, so she sincerely expressed her gratitude. Furthermore, how he tried to protect her and the decisive manner in which he made decisions made her feel safe and protected. "Thank you very much, Mr. Darcy; I appreciate your assistance in this horrible situation."

Mr. Darcy took Elizabeth's hand and gently kissed it, saying a few more words to comfort her. "My dear Elizabeth, now it is my duty to protect you. Please, never doubt my love and protection. It will be a pleasure to comfort you when you need it." Mr. Darcy wanted to hug Elizabeth again so she could feel that she was not alone and would never lack anything by his side. But he understood that there were urgent things that he had to resolve.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Darcy. Your assistance is..." Elizabeth could not hold back her sadness and could not add anything else. Elizabeth looked at Mr. Darcy with sincere admiration, and for the first time, she saw that man that many described as good and honorable.

"Please try to be calm. Although I do not want to, I must go, Miss Bennet," said Mr. Darcy, unable to help but caress his betrothed cheek.

Finally, Mr. Darcy left the parsonage worried about Elizabeth. For her part, Elizabeth went to her room to prepare everything for the trip.

Unfortunately, they understood the nature of their future conversation differently. For Elizabeth, it would be to explain why she had never liked him and why she was stunned by his unexpected proposal. Besides, she was convinced they were too different to have the harmonious marriage she had always dreamed of. Besides, it was clear that Mr. Darcy was not happy to admire someone he considered beneath his social standing. Although Elizabeth felt overwhelmed and confused, she knew that after expressing her sentiments openly, he would understand that she was correct and admit that marrying her was a foolish idea.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth was unsure if she should reject Mr. Darcy. She knew that if the circumstances had been different, she would have refused his proposal immediately. But now, she was even considering conversing with him about the details of his proposal. Perhaps he would understand his error and apologize. She needed to protect the family, and Mr. Darcy could be the solution.

'Now I must only think of my father, or I shall lose my mind,' said Elizabeth, wiping away her tears.

For Mr. Darcy, their forthcoming conversation would be about the details of their engagement, wedding, and future together. He had made a difficult decision, and despite all the obstacles, he knew he had done the right thing.

Mr. Darcy was certain she had accepted him, and they were engaged. He also did not doubt that she was as in love with him as he was with her.

'My dear Elizabeth, I hope you understand that I shall take care of everything for you and protect you so you can rest. For me, the hours will seem endless until I can see you and be with you.'

P&P

In Longbourn, everything was gloomy. At dinner, practically nobody had eaten, and now everyone was getting ready to rest, although they knew they would hardly sleep.

"Dear Jane, we are sorry to leave you alone when you need us. You know that your uncle cannot stay away from his business for several days and that I cannot leave the children alone just with the servants for so long. I hope Lizzy arrives tomorrow to support you. We shall leave in the afternoon after Dr. Miller examines your father for the last time and tells the apothecary what he should do in the following days," explained Mrs. Gardiner with a voice broken by sadness. "But we shall be back as soon as we can." She took Jane's hand to comfort her.

"Please, do not worry, aunt. You and my uncle have already aided us enough. In addition, I have Mary's support; she has been strong and mature enough to face this tragedy. I hope Lizzy arrives promptly, but I want her to travel safely," Jane said to her aunt with a cheerless smile.

"Now, we should try to sleep," Mrs. Gardiner added.

"Yes, my mother finally fell asleep. I shall try to sleep, too."

Mrs. Gardiner kissed her niece on the forehead and felt very sorry for her. They both went to their rooms, hoping the following day would bring better news.

P&P

"Darcy, where were you? Lady Catherine questioned me for more than an hour about your whereabouts. I told her you had not felt well since yesterday and that you retired to your room to rest. Now, you owe me an explanation! I had to tolerate our aunt's anger alone," explained the colonel with his usual good humor.

Mr. Darcy got a little nervous but did not avoid the question. "I went to see Miss Bennet; I was concerned when Mrs. Collins said she was ill ... Also, I asked her to marry me, and she accepted."

"WHAT?"

Richard was momentarily speechless until he finally added, "It surprises me, and it does not surprise me at the same time."

Then, seeing the questioning face of his cousin, he explained. "It does not surprise me because every time you are close to her, you act like an idiot. You do not talk, or you engage her in verbal battles, by the way, a curious way of wooing a woman," he added, laughing. "But it surprises me because I never thought you would dare to propose to a poor and socially unconnected but charming lady. So you will forgive me, cousin, but you have always believed in the separation of classes." After saying that, the colonel laughed again.

"The truth is that it was not easy for me to decide to make her an offer, Fitzwilliam. I had many doubts, not for her but for her family. Please do not forget that she is a gentleman's daughter. But I know she will understand her new place in society and her new obligations and duties as a Darcy. She is clever and well-educated and will understand that she must keep a respectful distance from the Bennets and her tradesman uncle. Her family will be Georgiana and me."

"And Miss Bennet accepted you knowing your plans for her future relationship with her family?"

"Of course, we did not have time to talk about that. But as I told you, Elizabeth is an intelligent lady who understood my sacrifice in proposing to her. I do not doubt that she will understand that she, too, must make some sacrifice for the sake of our future family."

"You are certainly very romantic, cousin. I am glad you have such a large fortune, or it would be very difficult for anyone to accept your lack of delicacy and blunt sincerity."

"As hard as it may be for you to believe, Elizabeth and I are in love."

"It is not hard for me to believe that a woman can admire you. According to more than one lady, you are an honorable, wealthy, and handsome gentleman. It is just that sometimes you are too full of yourself and do not see the obvious."

"Excuse me, Fitzwilliam, but I have no time for your games. Unfortunately, some unexpected events have occurred. Sit down and let me tell you."

Colonel Fitzwilliam understood that his cousin had his mind elsewhere and preferred to keep his opinion to himself. "Tell me, I am all ears."

Mr. Darcy had begun to tell Richard what had happened with Elizabeth's father and that he would leave with her for Hertfordshire at dawn the following day.

P&P

When the Hunsford party returned home, they found Elizabeth packing her belongings. She explained that she had received a message from her family asking her to return immediately due to a family emergency.

"Cousin Elizabeth, is there some problem with your father's health? As the heir to his estate, I must be among the first to know if anything is occurring."

"As I explained, Mr. Collins, I have no further details about what happened in the last few days. I only know that I must travel tomorrow," Elizabeth explained curtly. She was too nervous to deal with her cousin's nonsense.

"My dear, it is a little late, and you still have to finish your sermon for the Sunday service," Charlotte said so that her husband would cease disturbing Elizabeth. She knew Lady Catherine reviewed Mr. Collins' sermons several days before the Sunday service.

"You are right, my dear," Mr. Collins said. He wanted to find out what that family emergency was. Still, Elizabeth did not give him a direct answer, so he went to his office to finish his sermon and write a letter to his father-in-law. Sir William Lucas would provide all the information about what was transpiring in Longbourn.

Elizabeth told Charlotte about the actual situation at Longbourn. She promised not to tell Mr. Collins anything so he would not disturb the family. Still, she warned her friend that Mr. Collins would learn everything from her parents sooner or later.

"I thank you very much, Charlotte. I hope that when your husband finds out about the accident, my father will be much better," Elizabeth said hopefully.

"Eliza, how do you plan to travel to Hertfordshire?" Charlotte asked worriedly.

"Mr. Darcy offered to take me," Elizabeth said nervously. "After I received the news, I went for a walk and met him. He saw me nervous and asked what was wrong, and I told him everything. After that, he was very kind and offered his help, and I accepted."

"I understand."

Elizabeth explained that Mr. Darcy had offered to take her home, but she did not tell her about the marriage proposal, not because she wanted to hide something from her friend but because she was too tired to talk about it.

"Certainly, it has been a very generous gesture to offer you his help." Charlotte accepted what Elizabeth told her but was convinced something else was behind it. She had observed Mr. Darcy very closely recently and saw how nervous he had been when he left Rosings' drawing room a few hours before.

"I shall go rest, Charlotte. Thank you for understanding," Elizabeth said sincerely.

"Eliza, try to sleep. Tomorrow, you will have a very long day." Elizabeth retired to her room, and Charlotte was left thinking about her friend's challenging situation.

P&P

"Claire, can I talk to you for a moment?" Charlotte asked the maid.

"Yes, Mrs. Collins," Claire said as she followed Charlotte into her private room.

"I need you to tell me everything that happened with Miss Bennet when we were not here." Then, when she saw the maid hesitating, she looked at her firmly and demanded the truth.

Claire told her everything she knew, from when the message arrived until she saw Mr. Darcy hugging Elizabeth. "That is it all, Mrs. Collins."

"I see. Thank you for telling me the truth, but I warn you: I shall be very disappointed if you discuss anything of this with anyone else. Please do not betray my trust."

"I promise, Mrs. Collins, I shall not tell anyone," said Claire, leaving the room.

A few minutes later, Charlotte went to her husband's study to wish him good night. But, seeing him busy, she could not help asking him.

"My dear, what are you doing?"

"I am writing a letter to my excellent father-in-law to tell him how well we are and to ask him some questions," explained Mr. Collins. He continued saying many other things that Charlotte could not understand because she was focused on her own thoughts.

"Oh good, I shall write a letter to my mother so we can send both letters together."

"Such a splendid idea, my dear," said Mr. Collins effusively. He tried to prolong the conversation, but Charlotte went to her sitting room to write her letter immediately. When she finished it, she sealed it and was content with her decision.

"If you do not know what is best for you, my dear Eliza, I will help you find it."

P&P

Thanks to everyone who leaves supportive comments and enthusiastically follows the story.

For those who read this story several years ago, I hope you can notice some changes. The original story had 26 chapters, and this one will have several more.

In the next chapter, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy will travel to Hertfordshire.

See you soon!

Saludos,

Yo