Dear reader,

As I have been reading some excellent stories on Pride and Prejudice by rochsmell and JustGrix I couldn't keep my fingers still – so here we go. I could not make my mind up whether I would like to follow the movie or the book, there is a mixture of both in it. I have no idea where the story will take us – maybe it is even a cul-de-sac but the idea was too much fun to resist – so let's see what happens. But chapter two is already in the making.

I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it, and let me know what you think. Enjoy,

Kleines

Chapter One: Mishap

Not that England and Hertfordshire especially sported only sunshine and warm days. The autumn of 1811 was a very wet one and Elizabeth as well as Mr. Darcy were ever after laughing at the rain when it kept drumming on the windows of Pemberley. In one of his rare moods of teasing he would call her his raindrop while Lizzy's runaway tongue might produce an affectionate "mud cake" to which he usually replied with deep chuckling.

Except for a few warm and dry days in October and a very warm night when the ball was held at Netherfield the sky had been overcast for all of the season and whenever the wind ceased the clouds had gotten rid of their wet burdens. The grounds were soaked with water and the dead leaves still clinging to the trees gave a rather melancholic air to the landscape.

The Bennets of Longbourn, however, were far too much occupied with matchmaking to notice the dreary weather. Only Elizabeth sometimes cast a longing glance towards her favourite spot near the pond where a few trees clustered. But they also were dripping and glistening with water and Elizabeth's usual ardour for outdoor activities was considerably dampened.

Jane especially was relieved to turn from the weather and find so much distraction within her noisy family because the constant dripping and gurgling of the water on the roof of the house only reminded her of the downpour in which she was caught on her way to Netherfield which resulted in her spending rather embarrassing days at the great house with only Charles Bingley's sometimes clumsy attempts to voice his adoration in discreet terms to keep her amused. Even her sister Elizabeth, who had been visiting and taking care of her, had been affected with the stiff atmosphere produced by Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy did nothing to lighten the mood.

Now Jane as well as all her sisters had a ball to prepare for which was termed the social event of the year and even the presence of ridiculous Mr. Collins could not defer their anticipation which was voiced with laughter, singing and giggling – a household containing six females, three of them rather childish, tended to feel more lively and crowded than one with more males in it.

The mood at Netherfield was much more sombre. Although Mr. Bingley seemed to be immune to the depressing weather which ruined his riding excursions as well as any hunting party he might have considered, Caroline was all the more affected by the rain and the grey clouds hurrying across the sky. Her constant complaining drove Darcy to near lunacy but he gave no indication but practised his stoic scowl. His thought kept wandering to his sister Georgianna at Pemberley. He imagined that the weather was also a challenge on her mood. Although she with her blond hair and light skin prone to freckles was not much of an outdoor person, he knew that Pemberley in autumn with fog, rain and the green colours fading from the garden could be rather depressive and lonely, which would surely influence his emotional sister Georgianna. The beautiful house was far too big for his sister and he wished he could have taken her with him but he was also aware of her sensitive nature and too much exposure to Caroline Bingley's antics would probably ruin her sweet disposition forever.

Darcy tried to cheer his sister up with almost daily letters but he was aware of the fact that her cheerful answers were merely a brave face. He could only discern her true mood when he was with her; otherwise he felt that he was deceived into believing that Georgianna was happy with her pianoforte while he had the notion that she was lonely and unhappy. He sighed deeply as an unbidden thought entered his mind: Elizabeth Bennet with her light playfulness would be the perfect companion and correspondent for his shy sister. He shook his head impatiently: Miss Elizabeth might be a bewitching young woman but she would not do as sister for Georgianna and Mistress of Pemberley. He sighed again – as Mrs Darcy she would do very well, he had to admit.

He tore his gaze from the wet lawn and turned to find Caroline Bingley watching him with a thinly veiled smile of disdain. Her snarling voice grounded on his nerve as she said: "Ah, the country, there is no pleasure like counting raindrops, is there?." He merely nodded and left the room in order to be spared an answer. In the corridor he meet Charles who tried to not laugh at the expression on his friend's face.

"What is it, Darcy? Is Caroline again trying to snare you?" Caroline's infatuation with Darcy's wealth had been a joke between the two friends for many months now. Darcy offered a grateful smile to Bingley and agreed: "Something like this, yes. If she makes another disdainful comment trying to get my approval I will start rudely shouting at her to keep her mouth closed. Therefore I decided to go riding."

Bingley looked out of the window and shrugged his shoulders: "Well, not the most promising of days for it but I can hardly keep you indoors. While you get some fresh air, I will try to endure my sister's comments and make her see the good things about the country. Maybe she is looking forward to the ball..."

Darcy stared at his friend. He could never understand, where Charles's endless optimism came from but then again, with a sister like Caroline he had not much of a choice. So he just said: "Don't get your hopes up too high" and turned to go to the stables. Charles's chuckle resounded in the corridor and for a moment, Darcy was infested with his friend's view of the world which resulted in a rare smile but before he mounted his horse, his usual scowl was firmly in place again.

Although Darcy was an experienced rider, he could not be persuaded to be careful this time. Too much pent-up energy pulsed through him and as soon as he was out of the carefully trimmed garden of Netherfield he let his horse race over the wet ground. The landscape flew by in a blur of green, grey and brown and he couldn't help shouting with joy. Although the air was cold and wet, it felt invigorating to be finally out of the house and under the open sky.

Darcy told himself that he did not care where he was going and that he simply let his horse find a path. He was nevertheless guiding the animal very subtly so that he was nearing Longbourn. With so much water on the ground and the sky promising still more rain, he did not expect to see anyone of the Bennet family. The thought of seeing the house and knowing that Elizabeth was in it, maybe sorting through ribbons or reading, was a strangely comforting notion and he smiled at himself because of his foolishness. But then again, nobody would ever know and he also deserved a little pleasure and if it gave him pleasure to look at the house of the Bennet family and contemplating Elizabeth's intelligent face, what harm could be in that?

With this new determination, he guided his horse all the more decidedly towards the road that led to Longbourn, a cul-de-sac, as he well knew. Anybody seeing him on this road, which was not very beautiful or even picturesque, would necessarily assume that he was on his way to the Bennets but he refused to be bothered by these implications. So he rode on, lost in his thoughts. Suddenly, the landscape, the fresh air and the overcast sky were no longer able to hold his interest and he looked at his surroundings without really seeing them.

Kitty had, it felt like the 50th time, asked Elizabeth for her green ribbons for the ball and Elizabeth ran out of good reasons to refuse her. But then again, her two younger sisters did not only owe her a fortune but they also kept managing to acquire items Elizabeth had bought for her rather modest wardrobe. All in all, Elizabeth was far too practical to really care for extensive ribbons, artificial flowers or expensive and exotic feathers but she had her principles: Sharing among sisters was fine with her but giving away all her possessions like Jane did was out of the question – more out of educational reasons than meanness. But this did not hinder Kitty to accuse her of just that and finally Elizabeth had fled the house to avoid further conflict. She knew that as soon as she turned her back, her green ribbons would be gone but she did not care enough to stand her ground.

The grounds were wet and slippery with dead leaves, and decaying grass in grey and brown did nothing to cheer her up. Elizabeth hurried towards the cluster of trees at the pond which had received many a longing glance from her this autumn. She remembered last year's golden season when she spent many happy hours sitting under these trees, listening to the wind whispering in the dry and dying leaves while she was reading. As soon as Elizabeth stood under the trees she felt water dropping down her collar and with a sigh she relinquished her place to the water dripping from the tree. It was rather chilly and therefore she decided to keep moving. It wouldn't do to appear at the ball at Netherfield with a red and running nose. For a moment she found amusement in imagining Caroline Bingley's expression if she showed up with just that, her hair not done up and her walking boots but then she dismissed the image. She would have to deal with Caroline anyway, if Jane was to marry Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth shook herself – she started sounding like her own mother.

All paths she would have usually chosen for a short walk were drenched and she had no choice but to move to the road that connected Longbourn with the rest of the world. Even here small pools of water had gathered and she hoped that no carriage or rider was on his way to the house that would unfailingly splash her. But then again, they did not expect any visitors and she was in no danger of having her dress ruined.

Elizabeth moved swiftly along the road and enjoyed the silence that enveloped her. Sometimes she envied people like Charlotte Lucas who had many siblings as well but they were usually quieter than her own sisters. Even the Bingleys with only three siblings seemed preferable at that moment and the Darcys were almost ideal – only a brother and a sister. Elizabeth smiled at her own absurd thought and continued on the road. As she turned a corner she was suddenly struck by the unexpected sound of hooves hitting gravel. Before she had time to process the information and make room on the road, a black horse rushed by and she had barely a chance to get out of the way of the kicking legs of the huge mount. The horse must have been as surprised as she was because it neighed shrilly and got on its hind legs.

Darcy may have been lost in thoughts but he realised that someone was on the road whom he had barely missed on his horse. Nevertheless, he was unprepared for the reaction of his horse which was normally a very even-tempered beast. Before he could strengthen his grasp on the reigns and get the animal under control he felt himself slipping from the back of his horse. Automatically, he tried to save as much of his dignity as possible by trying to land on his feet instead of curling himself up in a ball as he had learned. He managed to land on his feet but the nasty crack from his right foot did not sound promising and he lost his balance as a sharp pain shot through his ankle. He tumbled down undignified and parts of his frock were sullied with mud from one of the many puddles of the road.

He groaned with pain and then spat out a heartfelt "Damnation!" Only then did he open his eyes and closed them again in horror. Of all people Elizabeth Bennet was standing in front of him, staring at him in wide-eyed disbelief. He tried to get to his feet swiftly but pain made him sink back on the wet ground. At the same time he gave a sharp whistle which would hopefully convince his horse to return to his master. He chose to not imagine the effect of his mount returning to Netherfield with a dramatically empty saddle. Irrationally, he hoped that when opening his eyes a second time, Elizabeth Bennet would be gone like a dream but this was not to be. Instead she was holding his horse by the reigns. If an animal could look guilty, Gringolet definitely did. He nuzzled his head like saying sorry and Darcy could not help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation: Here he was, his dignity in shatters, caked in mud, possibly with a sprain or even broken ankle and Elizabeth Bennet was staring down at him as if he was a nightmare come true.

"Miss Bennet", he finally managed to say and added rather wryly: "Forgive me for not bowing but I would be very happy indeed if I could stand or even mount my horse again..."

Suddenly, Elizabeth was also able to see the humour in the scene displayed right before her and she started to laugh heartily. Darcy looked at her and despite his distress he could not help noticing how beautiful she was with her face lit up by mirth and her glorious hair curling around her head like a nimbus. A smile formed on his lips that only fled when another wave of pain shot through his ankle. He gritted his teeth and looked up at her.

She noticed the expression on his face and let go of the reigns in order to bend down to him. "Oh, Mr Darcy, I am so sorry for laughing – I did not mean to make fun of you but this is a rather absurd situation I find myself in. How can I be of assistance to you?"

He tried to think while humidity soaked through his clothes. Finally he suggested: "I know that this is highly inappropriate but could you try to help me up? Maybe I can get back on Gringolet and return to Netherfield."

Elizabeth considered this and offered her hand so that she might try to pull him up. As soon as she had him in a standing position he paled visibly and leaned heavily on his horse. As he looked up on it, he felt that mounting it would be comparable to climbing Ben Nevis – only without shoes. Elizabeth watched him closely and finally ordered in a firm voice which took him by surprise: "Mr Darcy, there is no way you can mount your horse, let alone ride back three miles to Netherfield. Please do me the honour of accompanying me back to Longbourn. Then we will see what we can do to further assist you."

Just the thought of meeting with her vulgar mother, her cynical father and her silly sisters in his momentary state of distress was appalling to him but he found that he had no other choice. It was impossible for him to get on Gringolet and limping back to Netherfield might easily result in him never walking again. So he nodded his agreement and they set off together, he leaning on Gringolet as best as he could while Elizabeth had grasped the reigns and silently lead the way. As they were moving painfully slowly, they were caught in another downpour and within moments, they were both drenched to the skin.

"Please, Miss Elizabeth, I am sure, I will find my way to your house, to please try to get out of the rain", he proposed. He wished his voice carried more conviction but the effort of limping next to his horse had taken that away. Therefore Elizabeth looked at him angrily and outright refused: "Mr Darcy, I am already soaked and I will not leave you out here alone only to stay dry."

Talking to her, he notice, took his mind of the pain, and he argued back: "You will get a cold and miss the ball!" She looked at him disbelievingly and then pointed out: "Well, lucky you, you will definitely not have to dance!" He bit back a laugh at her unforgivingness and inquired playfully: "But you don't believe that my fall was on the sole purpose to avoid dancing tomorrow?" Elizabeth heard the suppressed laughter in his voice and could not help letting her own playfulness get the better of her: "Well, who knows, Mr Darcy? As you abhor dancing so much, this is an appropriate way to avoid it for the next weeks, if not even months!" Suddenly, the light mood was gone and he said gravely: "Miss Elizabeth, don't say that – if this is grave indeed, I might be limping for the rest of my life..."

"I am sorry, Mr Darcy, I did not mean to give you even more pain...", she apologized quietly and inwardly, she cursed her loose tongue. They walked again in silence after this exchange and finally reached Longbourn. As Darcy had anticipated the Bennet family was in an uproar as soon as they found him on their doorstep and their noisy concern added to the pain in his ankle a severe headache.

Finally, Mr Bennet appeared on the scene, shooed his wife and daughters away and allocated the patient to the parlour and his own manservant to help him out of his wet clothes. Darcy sank into the cushions thankfully and only wished that Elizabeth had been allowed to stay before he stared out in the rain while he waited for the doctor and his judgement.