“Oh, forgive me, I was most negligent in my introduction. It’s Mr. Collins, sir, I am the most humble parson of your Lady Catherine.”

“Yes, yes” Darcy answered quickly, keeping a keen eye on Mr. Bennet as he weaved between the groups of people standing around and exited the ball room entirely. “Er, Mr. Collins, have you had the pleasure of meeting Miss Lucas?”

“Why no, I should say not–”

“Wonderful, I was just thinking that perhaps Miss Lucas would care to join the next set?” He looked down upon her and was a little surprised to see Miss Charlotte staring back at him with utter jubilation in her eyes. Thankfully, he had measured the toadying man of his aunt with great care and his intention was carried out.

“I would be most humbled Miss Lucas if you would join me for a dance.” Mr. Collins proudly offered with his chest puffed out.

Glancing at Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins back and forth, Charlotte struggled for an answer before accepting Mr. Collins’ hand. If she didn’t accept, she would be prevented from dancing for the rest of the evening, even if she wasn’t likely to receive many partners. Perhaps Mr. Darcy would ask her to dance later.

No longer caring who saw him, Mr. Darcy dashed out of the ballroom to look both directions for signs of Mr. Bennet. Seeing no visible indication of where the man had escaped to, for a moment he feared that perhaps Mr. Bennet returned home after seeing his daughters and wife safely delivered. Deciding he’d worry about that possibility if he couldn’t find the man in the few rooms open for the ball, Darcy started in the dining room to see if Elizabeth’s father had simply been hungry.

Only Mr. Hurst and a few men he didn’t recognize were loitering around the refreshments but seeing Mr. Hopkins talking with Sir Lucas did spark Darcy’s memory. Elizabeth loved books and he seriously doubted that she derived that love from her mother.

Sliding the heavy wooden door to the library, Darcy stepped in and found his quarry in the first overstuffed armchair with a book and a snifter of brandy in hand.

“She’s truly gone? You sent Elizabeth away?” he sputtered, allowing his panic to overcome his sensibilities.

“Ah, I knew you couldn’t be that large of a simpleton.” Mr. Bennet smirked and put his book down.

“Pardon me, sir?”

“Darcy!” Richard entered the library with Georgiana in tow. “What do you mean by leaving Georgiana alone? We agreed I would dance and you would chaperone.”

“Yes, sorry cousin. Not now.” Darcy waved his hand, leaving Richard gobsmacked with his sister on his arm. “Mr. Bennet, why is Miss Elizabeth not in attendance this evening? Where is she?”

Mr. Bennet wiggled his fingers in front him, positively delighted to see such a violent reaction from the man he knew his daughter to be in love with. Now he just needed to find out if the reaction was of a similar loving nature or a carnal bent. Before he could attempt to wheedle it out of the young man, his plans were thwarted by a young innocent.

“Why she’s in London to visit her aunt and uncle! We met her and Miss Mary at the Golden Rooster just two days ago!”

Darcy finally looked at his sister and a wave of guilt washed over him. He had indeed abandoned her at her first ever ball on a fool’s errand that could have been resolved at any time if he hadn’t let his blasted emotions take over his reasoning. For a moment, he once again began questioning the attraction and stirrings he felt for a woman of low-birth who wasn’t even in the same county.

“Forgive me, Georgiana. Let us return to the ball,” he said with chagrin.

“Oh no, I think not Darcy. We’re going to get to the bottom of this once and for all.” Richard and Mr. Bennet shared a pert nod in agreement. Mr. Bennet rose to find more to drink as the Colonel began the inquisition after finding Miss Darcy a seat on the nearest sofa.

“Tell me about Miss Elizabeth rescuing you from your accident.” The Colonel happily accepted a snifter from Mr. Bennet, noting the man did not offer the same to Darcy. This made him smile before he returned his expression to the hard lined frown of a weathered soldier.

“There’s nothing to note. She found my horse and alerted her father who I assume gathered a group of men and found me in a creek bed where I had been bitten by a snake.”

Miss Darcy gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. It wasn’t too often she knew more than her brother and she squirmed with the elation over such knowledge as she looked to her cousin. He smiled and nodded, which was all the prompting she needed.

“Oh Fitzwilliam, she did so much more than that! She found your horse and led him into the woods to find you. Seeing you surrounded by snakes, she fought them off herself, actually picking up and throwing the largest one! Then she rode your horse, even though she’s frightfully afraid, all the way down the hill and found her father searching for her and bade him to come help. And she was the one to medicate you when your fever was so violent after the apothecary had gone.” Georgiana caught her breath and looked to her cousin for approval. She had done her best to justly recount the speech Miss Mary had given at the inn.

Fitzwilliam covered his face with his hands and sunk into the chair closest to him. “And I was cruel!”

“Now, now, nothing is ever so broken when it’s a wound by words,” said Mr. Bennet.

Reflecting on the fact that Miss Elizabeth was indeed sent to London, despite his sister’s account that it was merely a visit, and the gossip he heard himself after church, Mr. Darcy had a worse confession to make.

“It might perhaps be by deed as well.”

“Oh?” Mr. Bennet replied, interested again in the young man.

“Surely you did nothing to raise expectations, you never—”

Darcy held his hand up to his cousin. “I am guilty. I inadvertently met Miss Elizabeth in the bookshop and paid, unrequested, for her selection.”

“But Brother, that was a gift!”

“Yes, I was purchasing a gift for you, actually, when the shopkeeper told me it was a favorite of Elizabeth’s as well, er, Miss Elizabeth’s. Without thinking, after I could not even stutter a word to her besides apologies for bumping into her person, I paid the extra for the magazine she had in her hands.”

“Don’t take too much of the blame. My daughter made her own choices as well and could just as easily left the magazine behind.” Mr. Bennet was thoroughly impressed at the loyalty he saw for this young man by his own sister and cousin. He had been under the impression the man had few relations after the early death of his parents, intelligence he picked up courtesy of liberal brandy application to Mr. Bingley when Mr. Darcy was first injured.

“Well, I shall go pack my trunk I believe.” Colonel Fitzwilliam announced, rising from his seat.

Darcy stopped wrestling with his personal failings and looked at his cousin. “Whatever for? It’s too late. I’ve ruined things with Miss Elizabeth.”

Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed. “For being so rich, Darcy, occasionally you are the poorest man I know!”

Confused, Darcy began to speak, when the Colonel stopped him. “Poor in thought, that is all cousin. Now, since you have bungled this situation beyond repair, I humbly offer to repair with you to London to see if we can’t patch up your romance with your lady.” He stressed each repair with a phony French accent and ended his pompous speech with a flourished bow.

Georgiana clapped her hands once, nodded her chin and rose as well. “You have my assistance as well. It’s the least I can do to help secure your happiness after what you’ve done for me, William.” Her voice became quieter and quieter as she finished the statement, but she held a strong posture to show her resolve.

“Wait, how are you two so certain Miss Elizabeth and I are a match?” Darcy was perplexed, as he had only recently realized that she held the qualities of a fierce woman that made his own heart skip a beat every moment he was in her presence. If nothing else, the woman would protect him from the claws of society’s harpies, like Caroline Bingley.

Georgiana looked to Richard and left it to her cousin to explain. With that mischievous glint in his eye, the Colonel was happy to reveal a little more about the experience of meeting Miss Elizabeth Bennet at the last inn before London.

“She picked a fight in an inn and won the brawl!” Both Georgiana and Richard laughed as Darcy and Mr. Bennet both looked shocked.

Making a mental note to write a strongly-worded letter to his brother-in-law about the particulars of his daughters’ travels, Mr. Bennet felt the need to step in as it appeared plans were being made less and less with spoken words among the Darcy relations than he was comfortable with.

“Might I interject that no one will be going to London with the express mission to court or romance my daughter without MY consent?”

All three of the strangers to Hertfordshire stared at the father of the most courageous woman of their acquaintance and they all wore the exact same frown of disappointment. The triple-mirrored expressions made Mr. Bennet lose his countenance in laughter and he doubled over from the ridiculousness of the situation before him.

Catching his breath, the father of five unmarried daughters took a last sip of brandy and clasped Mr. Darcy on the shoulder. Merriment aside, this was his daughter’s life.

“Are you true in your intentions for my Elizabeth?”

Darcy nodded and cleared his throat. “I would be a fool to choose any other woman than your daughter. She is an amazing creature I was too slow to appreciate, and if I can win her affection, I would spend the rest of my days to assure her comfort. Sir.”

Mr. Bennet smiled and he realized that he had no need to worry that this man would only wish to bring Elizabeth into his life for the less honorable relations men of his status would expect. He reached out his hand and shook Mr. Darcy’s with vigor.

“Then son, let me tell you a few ideas I have to help you get back on her good side.”

The rest of the neighborhood danced the night away and eventually Mr. Darcy, his cousin, and sister returned to the ballroom. Feeling as if nothing could impact his elation over a plan to win Miss Elizabeth, with her father’s support, Mr. Darcy engaged Caroline Bingley for the supper set and listened with an ironic ear to her near-constant complaints about the family of the future Mrs. Darcy.

Mr. Bennet remained in the library, sipping his brandy, and finishing a most entertaining novel about a duke and duchess arranged to marry each other yet falling in love with one another during a masqued ball, believing they were fated to marry others.