Thank you so much for all the feedback and comments! They have helped steer me into where I would like this story to go. I appreciate everyone's input!

Happy New Year!

"Really Charles," Caroline began, sipping her morning tea. "What did you expect from such connections? Your Jane is clearly not coming. Let us leave for home as soon as possible. I'm sure the maids could have our possessions ready within the day if you agree."

Defeated, Bingley looked into his own cup attempting to drown out his sister. She had been incessantly suggesting their leave for the better part of a week. Along with the trepidation that Jane had, in fact, not arrived to Pemberley, he had started to agree that maybe it was time to leave.

He sat in silence as Caroline badgered on. Georgiana had already fled from the breakfast table to practice on the piano yet again - anything to have a reprieve from Caroline. Elizabeth had yet to descend.

"Why, good morning, Bingley, Miss Bingley," Richard exclaimed, walking into the dining room.

Bingley stood up and shook the colonel's hand. "Good day, Colonel. I was not aware you had arrived to Pemberley."

Richard nodded as he poured himself some coffee and settled into a chair nearby. "I decided to return with Darcy after we met in London."

"Ah, good! Darcy has returned. I do hope the urgent business that pulled him away so abruptly has been attended to."

Richard paused a moment to take a long sip. "It has, thankfully." He took another moment to remember his cousin's demeanor during their journey, a great shift ever since they happened upon Wickham. Richard knew not what had transpired between the pair, but he could imagine given Wickham's history.

Just then, Darcy walked into breakfast. Although rather pale, he greeted them and immediately poured himself coffee, leaving the pot within arm's distance. "I apologize for abandoning you, Bingley, Caroline. I do hope your stay has been comfortable."

Caroline jumped at the chance to answer first. "Pemberley is always a dream to visit, of course, Mr. Darcy. We have languished most comfortably in your decadent home. We have, however, decided perhaps it was time to-"

Elizabeth walked into the room then, somehow even paler than Darcy, dark circles under her brow. Her cheeks were blotched red matching her eyes. "Good morning," she murmured. Richard and Bingley stood to greet her; Darcy remained behind his newspaper and cup.

"Tis lovely to see you again, cousin Elizabeth," said Richard, helping himself to more rations. "I do hope you don't mind me joining the party once again."

She gave him a tight smile. "Not at all, Richard. You are most welcome here."

Bingley nodded, suddenly merry. "What a most terrific group, wouldn't you agree, Caroline?"

Caroline scowled. "Be that as it may, Charles, we must -"

Bingley quickly cut her off. "Ah, look there! You have brought the sunshine with you, Mrs. Darcy! There it is peeking now through the window. It has been a most dreadful morning until your arrival," he beamed. Turning to Darcy, he added, "Quite a goddess you snatched up, Darcy. You must agree!"

Darcy's eyes flicked over to his friend, but he did not look at his wife. "Of course. Imperial indeed."

Richard and Bingley laughed, assuming it was a joke or Darcy simply needed more coffee. But Caroline's keen eye watched Darcy silently, and she switched to Elizabeth every so often, taking in Mrs. Darcy's nervous glances to her husband, and Darcy's obvious aloofness.

Caroline pursed her lips in relish. "Mrs. Darcy, were you not just lamenting last evening how very dull life in Derbyshire was compared to how you expected it?"

Elizabeth blinked several moments before answering, her voice tepid. "Not at all, Miss Bingley. I was in fact enjoying the serenity." She paused a moment before adding, Darcy in the corner of her eye. "I was however missing the presence of my husband; the days were rather long in anticipation of his return."

Caroline could not help but smirk. "You rallied on rather well, though. I seem to recall much merriment the last several evenings without poor Mr. Darcy to experience." She turned to Darcy to add, although his newspaper had not moved from in front of his face. "I dare say Mrs. Darcy is enjoying the fruits of your labor well enough indeed, sir."

Bingley coughed loudly. "Caroline and I were in the middle of a discussion before you all happily interrupted. We were just discussing our leave. We shall be off within a day -"

"Whatever do you mean, Charles?" Caroline laughed coldly. "Our host has just returned and we can not simply leave just as Colonel Fitzwilliam arrived! How very rude." Her eyes gleamed. "No, I must beg for us to remain at Pemberley for another fortnight at least. We shall leave before Christmas, if that suits the Darcys, of course."

Unable to say otherwise, both Darcy and Elizabeth murmured agreement that the Bingleys, of course, may stay.

Earlier that morning, Elizabeth slowly rose from her bed after a tumultuous night's sleep. Darcy's words echoed through her mind, haunting her with his eyes, a piece of him she had come to admire, now cold and broken; and she had caused it.

With a resolve she wasn't sure she had at the moment, she picked up the letters he thrusted at her, and began to read. Horrified, she could not go beyond the very first letter. Did she truly write these words to Wickham? Stricken, she could not bear to read more, but she must. She must remind herself exactly what she had done, even though she had pushed Wickham and their correspondence from her mind many weeks ago.

Sobbing once more after each letter, it did not matter that the tone of her writing changed in time or that she did not scorn Darcy and her situation as she once did. The truth of her behavior was crystal clear, black and white before her. Oh, how her head ached with each word.

After finally completing all letters, Elizabeth looked up to the sky to find it later than she anticipated. She hoped to talk to Darcy before they broke their fast. Rushing to her door, she opened it only to witness her husband descending the stairs; he must have left his own bedchamber only moments ago.

Her efforts continued but she did not fulfill her mission. Darcy had successfully avoided his wife for the entirety of the day, Bingley and Richard were also missing, no doubt with him. Elizabeth did not see her husband again until dinner, where they sat opposite of one another at the long, formal table now that their numbers made the informal room most cramped.

She knew not exactly what she was going to say to him when given the opportunity, but she must speak to him. Painstakingly, she waited until the party finally departed for bed. Darcy dutifully escorted Elizabeth upstairs, but he did not kiss her knuckles, nor did he say a word before entering his bedchamber.

Elizabeth attempted to wait for him to dress for bed, but only after a few minutes, she entered their adjoining door, and closed it behind her. Darcy sat by the fire, still completely clothed in his evening attire. She cleared her throat and walked to sit in the other chair beside him. "I wondered if you would lock the door."

Darcy sipped his brandy and stared into the fire. "I considered it, but as your ruthlessness knows no bounds, I figured I would save the door from the impending damage."

Elizabeth winced. "I do not deny that I deserve such censure." She turned to also look into the fire as she found her next words. "I burned the letters this morning. I read each and every word several times before I could bear it no longer and I burned them." She tried to catch his eye, but Darcy's face remained impassive and steadfastly looking away. "Darcy, I do not know that previous version of myself. I was careless and cruel. I was so very stupid, putting all of our reputations in danger. You mentioned to me last April that my pride had gotten in the way of my head, and you are absolutely right."

Slowly, Elizabeth turned her entire body until their knees were almost touching and she sat on the very edge of her seat. Gently, she took one of his hands in both of hers, and her heart leapt when he did not pull away. Instead, he finally looked toward her and met her eyes. "Please forgive me, sir. I must beg for your forgiveness."

Elizabeth did not know if either was still breathing; the silence loomed heavy over them. Darcy's face softened slightly, but not with the compassion that she eagerly sought. Instead, his eyes widened slightly in sadness and pain. "If it's forgiveness you seek, then you shall have it." Darcy rose suddenly, removing his hand from hers and walked away.

Elizabeth stood. "Darcy?"

He gulped some more brandy. "I, however, cannot admit to granting you my trust once more, nor my reverence." Darcy continued before she could interrupt. "Be not afraid, madam. As my wife, you will remain under my care and protection, if that is what you would next inquire. My word will not be broken, not in public within the house of God nor the privacy of our home."

She bit her lip, attempting to hold back tears. "I was not to inquire. I know you to be a good and honest man."

Darcy could not help himself. "And yet, contemptuous and cold. I do hope that my forgiveness may warm your bed tonight, madam." He bowed to her stiffly. "Excuse me, I must see to some business I had forgotten." And Darcy left his bedchamber and Elizabeth behind without so much as a backward glance.

A few days passed, and Elizabeth was able to solidify enough of an exterior semblance of normal to rejoin the party after a few escapes claiming to feel under the weather. Her jaw hurt every night after forcing a smile throughout the hours before she could rest and mourn. However, Elizabeth was not one to dwell and instead was a person of action.

Placing the letters aside from her memory, Elizabeth forced herself to relive the initial argument with Darcy when he arrived home from Longbourn. Every word she digested and analyzed, no matter the pain they gave her to remember.

Darcy's blue eyes flashed dangerously. "Are you quite sure that you'd like to ask me if I suffered so terrible a fate as to search tirelessly for a young and stupid girl and the very man who almost ruined my sister? Who turned my last relations against me and Georgiana? The very man who created the only wedge between me and my late honored father?" He leaned in towards her and hissed, "The very man my wife was sending money to, crying about her horrible circumstances in her marriage to me - lamenting to the very man she wished to wed instead. Do you truly wish to ask this of me?"

Elizabeth closed her eyes in pain. Everything Darcy said was absolutely true. Not only was it callous on her part to remark on his journey without thinking of his situation, but she did not even properly thank him for saving Lydia, even though she dreamt about their reunion every hour of every day he was gone, eager to profusely thank him and finally devote her love to him.

Swallowing hard, she shook the melancholy from her head and redirected her thoughts. If she was to make amends with her husband, she needed a plan.

Elizabeth could not change the past of Darcy running after senseless Lydia, nor could she change that her sister attempted to elope with Wickham out of all the young men in England. She also could not change whatever disagreement Darcy had with the late Mr. Darcy. She would not be able to convince Darcy with words that it was he whom she was now happily wed to and not Wickham; that it was he whom she loved.

She thought back to their history together before that fateful day in April, sideswiped by a passion she knew not before him. Cringing, Elizabeth recalled the harsh words the people of Meryton had about Darcy and his pride, and how she herself contributed to it. Next she thought of the disdain she had for his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bough, and his sickly cousin, Anne. She knew then that her past misdeeds were not simply contained in letters to Wickham, but throughout her entire acquaintance with Darcy.

Elizabeth may not be able to change her past actions, but she could most certainly act to rectify some of the damage she caused. It was time to get to work.

Richard and Georgiana were debating silently to one another with expressive eyes and, what they assumed were reticent hand gestures, before Darcy finally had enough. Behind the letter he was currently writing, he interrupted their discussion. "If you wish to ask me something, please do so already. I am not sure I can continue to witness this charade."

Richard rolled his eyes but Georgiana blushed before diving in. "Brother, we only wish to inquire after you, but you have been most taciturn since you have returned."

Richard cleared his throat. "Before Pemberley. In London, in fact."

Darcy sighed but kept his eyes on his letter. "Do not alarm yourselves. I am simply catching up on duties I have postponed in my absence."

"And what of Elizabeth?"

Darcy finally looked up to see a most defiant look upon his sister's face. He almost smiled at the sight. He could not help but admire the effect Elizabeth had had on Georgiana already.

"What of Elizabeth?" Georgiana repeated, steadfast. "I can hardly claim to know her at the moment, her liveliness has disappeared and any good humor seems forced. What has happened, Fitzwilliam?"

Darcy resumed writing his letter. "Marriage does not magically cease arguments, sister. Nor does family," he added with a warning in his tone.

Georgiana stood with a huff. "Tis no simple argument, brother. Do not pretend otherwise. I have witnessed you two argue but never to this end." She stood by her brother and added gently, "You did not see her, Fitzwilliam, while you were after Mr. Wickham and her sister. She was besides herself with worry."

"An ailment surely relieved once word came that Wickham and Lydia were found.'

Georgiana attempted not to stomp her foot in frustration. "Absolutely she was relieved to know her sister was safe, but even after the news broke, Lizzie could hardly be swayed from the front foyer more than minutes at a time. She waited for your return nearly every moment, each day."

Darcy did not continue to write, but he also did not look up from the paper. Richard cleared his throat again. "Darcy, you're wild over your wife. Whatever spat you the two of you shared, it cannot be worth losing her love."

With a sudden screech of his chair against the floor, Darcy stood and turned to look at both of them, his expression thunderous. "Do not speak to me of my marriage. Is that clear?"

Georgiana sadly nodded and Richard simply blinked. Darcy turned and left quickly from the room, letter in hand to complete elsewhere.

Elizabeth's hand had begun to cramp. Usually she took her time in writing to her correspondents, but seeing as she had never written to any of the current recipients, she hurriedly wrote, and one in particular, was incredibly long. On top of it all, Elizabeth wrote to Charlotte, Jane, and her Aunt Gardiner, updating them on this and that. She did not plan to confide in them on the business between Darcy and Elizabeth, as it was very personal, but she did enjoy their quiet, relentless encouragement of their replies on even the most mundane of topics.

Eagerly, she swept into the front foyer in time for the post. She had just thanked the rider and paid him for each, when a disturbance outside caused the butler to open the front door.

Curious, Elizabeth craned her head to attempt to see who had arrived as there was a carriage sitting just beyond the entrance way. As soon as the door opened, Elizabeth's jaw dropped and she sprinted outside.

"Uncle!" Elizabeth cried upon seeing Mr. Gardiner. He smiled at his niece before extending his hand to help his wife from the carriage. "Aunt! Whatever is the matter? Is all well?"

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner laughed. "Do not fuss, dear Lizzie. All is well."

And before Elizabeth could inquire further to their abrupt appearance, Jane next emerged from the carriage, a wide smile upon her face and she immediately embraced her sister.

Elizabeth and Jane clung to one another for a very long time, full of laughter and tears to be reunited once again. They had yet to enter the house, although their aunt and uncle attempted to sway them towards the door. Elizabeth did not think she would ever let go of Jane.

She finally pulled back far enough to brush tears from her eyes and look at Jane's face with awe. "Please do not mistake my question for disdain at your surprise appearance, but what are you doing here?"

Jane, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner laughed at the question, but Jane almost immediately ceased and the wide smile from her face slowly melted into something softer, her eyes locked over Elizabeth's shoulder. Elizabeth turned and followed her line of sight to find Darcy, Bingley, and Richard behind them. She gasped.

Bingley's eyes were locked on Jane and Jane alone. After a moment of silence, he walked toward her and bowed deeply. Standing upright once more, he held out his hand and smiled broadly, his cheeks red and luminous, when she took it with her own. "May I escort you inside from the cold, Miss Bennet?"

Jane blushed, looked down to their clasped hands before looking back into his eyes. "I would like that very much, Mr. Bingley."

The rest of the party watched them go. When it was clear that Elizabeth was rooted to the spot in shock, and her relations had not yet entered the manor themselves, Richard bowed to them. "I shall act as chaperone." He bowed again to the older couple. "I look forward to making your acquaintance inside, sir, ma'am." And he retreated after the young couple.

Elizabeth could do no more than blink. Darcy walked towards her, but in the last moment, she realized that it was not she he had in his sights. Horrified, she braced for his reaction to her family standing there.

Darcy stood in front of the Gardiners and bowed deeply. "It is lovely to see you both again. Please do come inside from the cold. I shall have the maids light fires in your rooms in case you wish to rest. I will also call for tea."

Elizabeth watched open mouthed as Darcy led the Gardiners into Pemberley. Mr. Gardiner followed dutifully behind, a wide smile on his jolly face. Mrs. Gardiner paused to loop her arm through Elizabeth's. With her free hand, she closed her niece's mouth with a smirk and began to walk them inside. "Close your mouth, Lizzie. Tis unseemly for a woman of your stature. Now, let us go inside and take up the offer of tea from that fine husband of yours."