A moment later Lady Catherine herself burst through the door just ahead of a harried looking butler.

"Lady Catherine De Bourgh." He said rasping for breath.

"Aunt Catherine." Darcy said as he and Bingley rose to their feet.

"I have found you at last." Lady Catherine said advancing into the room.

"At last?" Darcy questioned. "Did you not think I would be at home?"

"I was not looking for you, nephew. Although we must speak as well, but first I intend to have a private conversation with that young lady." With that Lady Catherine pointed a long regal finger at Elizabeth who still sat on the couch next to where Darcy stood.

"Miss Bennet, you will join me in my nephew's study." Lady Catherine demanded as she moved to leave the room. Her nephew's words stopped her.

"Aunt, we are entertaining right now, but we would be happy to meet with you at some other time. Perhaps if you called on me tomorrow we could discuss whatever it is you have on your mind. Would that suit you?" His words were conciliatory, but his tone was hard as steel.

"No, it would not, nephew. I would speak to Miss Bennet and you will not prevent it."

"Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth said gently, laying a detaining hand on his arm before he could speak again. "Lady Catherine, while I would like to continue my visit with my sister, your niece, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy I know that you are not a woman to be gainsaid. I will hear what you have to say."

Before she stepped away from him Darcy raised his arm to Elizabeth. She looked at it in question.

"We will hear what you have to say." Darcy corrected. "Georgiana, can you see to our guests?"

"Yes, of course, Fitzwilliam." She answered with shy determination.

Before Lady Catherine could object Darcy and Elizabeth swept past her and she was forced to follow in their wake. Darcy led her to a door on the opposite side of the foyer and she preceded him into the room.

Almost before Darcy had a chance to shut the door behind his Aunt she rounded on Elizabeth who wanted to focus on what she was saying but for a moment had trouble due to the nature of the room they were in. Clearly Fitzwilliam had led them to his library and not his study as per his Aunt's demand. It was a beautiful room with more books than she had ever seen in one place but Elizabeth knew she would have to wait for another opportunity to truly appreciate it. She listened to Lady Catherine's invectives as best she could.

"You, Miss Bennet may believe you have drawn in my nephew with your arts and allurements but this engagement will not be allowed to proceed. You must give him up. You are not worthy of him . . . ."

Before she could continue Mr. Darcy interrupted her.

"Lady Catherine, you will not speak to my betrothed in this manner. She has done me the great honor of agreeing to be my wife and I will not release her from that promise no matter what you or anyone try and persuade her to. So if you want to try and convince someone to end this engagement it would have to be me. And that would be a useless exercise because I will not let her go."

"Then I will remind you, nephew that you are already promised to my daughter. Now what have you to say to that?"

"Only this, that you know very well that there was never any agreement between Anne and myself. That was a dream of yours and my mothers. And my mother told me, before she passed, that she did not want me to feel bound by it. She wished for it, but desired that I make my own choice. I have."

"Your choice!" Lady Catherine scoffed. "Your choice is someone so far beneath you that she is a disgrace."

Darcy's eyes flashed dangerously before he took a deep steadying breath. But he was not allowed to speak. Lady Catherine, it seemed, was not nearly done.

"Her family is an embarrassment. Her younger sisters chasing officers all over Meryton, her mother chasing any gentleman with an income and her father indolently watching and doing nothing while his meager estate falls in to disrepair. And that is only the immediate family. What about the uncle in trade or the other who is an attorney. Really Darcy ,are these the people you intend to expose Georgiana to?"

Elizabeth was at first too shocked to object to this diatribe. She had not realized that Lady Catherine had such minute information about her family, but then of course she realized who her source would be. Mr. Collins. After he came home rejected by her but engaged to Charlotte he would be eager to malign her family to his noble patroness. Darcy attempted to interject but Lady Catherine silenced him with a sweep of her hand and a continuation of her objections.

"If you truly do not intend to make good on the arrangement between yourself and Anne I can possibly be made to understand and support that given time." She said this as if she was granting some great favor which would cost her something truly dear. "However; should you not wed your cousin you must then consider your options among your equals, Fitzwilliam and not look so far outside our sphere."

"Aunt Catherine, I caution you . . ." Darcy began but was promptly cut off by a still not finished Lady Catherine.

"Not so hasty if you please. I have come to do my duty as your nearest relation and I will do it no matter how this woman has bewitched you. She is not worthy of you. She is not worthy of our family. She has no accomplishments, no beauty, no dowry, no connections. In short she brings nothing to the marriage of any value . . .

Darcy was clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. Elizabeth watched as he drew in a breath and knew this time he would stop his Aunt's speech whether she let him or not. Elizabeth spoke before he could.

"Lady Catherine, Fitzwilliam and I understand you have objections to our marriage," as she said this she drew close to him and took his arm. Darcy placed his hand over hers where it rested on his arm. He looked down at her and waited for what she had to say knowing he owed it to her to let her have her say, but anxious to speak himself. "But in truth neither Fitzwilliam nor I will be persuaded away from it. As much as you may not understand it we ask that you respect it for the sake of familial ties that could be greatly harmed by any words you utter against us now."

"Severed." Darcy said.

"Excuse me?" Lady Catherine asked.

"Your next words, should they prove as offensive as your previous words have been, would cause me to sever my ties with you. She is my future and her father has entrusted her to my care. How would it be if I continued to allow her to be abused in my own home, in front of me? What kind of man, what kind of husband would that make me? You will not continue to speak of her unworthiness or of anything else so ridiculous. You ask what she brings to our marriage? No, she does not bring a dowry. Her connections are not what society would deem advantageous, but I have already found many of them to be worthy in their own way. And in truth she must now be questioning the connections I bring. I would argue with you as to her beauty but that point is so obvious it is not worth my time. But you did leave out the one thing she does bring that is of more value than any of the other things you mentioned. She brings my heart." With this he looked down at her with such love and adoration Elizabeth thought she would burst. "And so you can see how I need what she brings far more than anything else. Now you may wish us joy and be on your way."

Lady Catherine, for perhaps the first time in her life was at a loss for words. She opened and closed her mouth several times but nothing came out. Elizabeth and Darcy continued to look at one another and may have forgotten she was there at all.

"Would you like refreshments to be brought?" Higgins, the faithful butler asked from the doorway.

"I do not think that will be necessary, thank you, Higgins. My Aunt was just leaving." Darcy said with a significant glance at Lady Catherine "Whether we see you in this house again is up to you." Darcy added once the servant had left.

"Very well, nephew." Lady Catherine huffed. "I can see you will not listen to reason from me. We shall see whether you sing a different tune when my brother, the Earl, has been made aware of this and makes his sentiments known." With that she moved toward the library door.

"Of course, Aunt. I will ask my uncle his thoughts tomorrow evening when Elizabeth, along with her sister and Mr. Bingley accompany us to the theater."

"This is too much to be born. Do you mean to tell me that my brother has invited this woman to sit with him and Lady Matlock, in public? Does he not realize what this will mean?"

"I am certain he does." Darcy answered calmly. "Particularly since the news of our engagement will first appear in the papers tomorrow. Good day, Aunt." With that Darcy, Elizabeth on his arm, left his once again speechless Aunt, to stand alone in his stately library. Elizabeth's hands clenched his forearm and he could almost feel her tension. Instead of rejoining the others he guided her to a door just before the entrance to the parlor where they had taken tea. She looked at him in question as he opened the door for her to enter and she preceded him into the room. Darcy followed her in leaving the door open. Elizabeth took a moment to take in her surroundings. Two walls were lined with shelves holding books, knick knacks and pieces of art. A large fire place took up one wall and above it hung a painting of an estate surrounded by trees, a lake and numerous paths and walkways. She guessed it to be Pemberly. The room's final wall was floor to ceiling windows that faced a beautiful back garden. Facing these at an angle were two stately desks. One looked almost untouched, the other was covered with books, papers, pens and all manner of clutter.

"This is your study." She guessed.

"It is."

Elizabeth went to stand behind the empty desk. It was smaller than the other with feminine features and curves. She imagined sitting there going over household accounts while Darcy worked across from her. She imagined stealing glances at his beloved profile, them taking a break from their work to sit together on the sofa by the fire or standing side by side in front of the windows. She imagined him telling her of Pemberly as they gazed at the portrait over the fire. The happiness she felt at this future life in this intimate room practically wiped away the last half hour from her mind. It's cold, thoughtless calculations had nothing to do with her present or their future. She smiled as she mentally dismissed her soon to be Aunt.

Darcy watched Elizabeth glance about the room as he tried to form the apology he knew she deserved. At first he was sure she was composing herself after his Aunt's rude and malicious assault but then her expression changed and her beloved eyes began to sparkle with mischief or perhaps something else. He wondered if he would one day know her well enough to know what that look in her eyes portended. For now he was happy and pleasantly surprised that she looked pleased, beyond pleased about something. Though he knew that did not excuse him from the apology she deserved.

"Elizabeth," he began and she turned from the window to face him, a smile across her face.

"Do you know how much I love hearing my name on your lips?" She asked completely distracting him.

"No, I did not." He said smiling back at her.

"Well, I do."

"Elizabeth," he said again, taking her hand. "You must allow me to apologize for my Aunt's behavior . . "

"Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth interrupted.

"It is to be Mr. Darcy now?"

"It is when you are refusing to benefit from my wise counsel."

"And what counsel is that?"

"Did I not advise you, several times, that you are not accountable for the behavior of your relations, no matter how atrocious?"

"Yes, but, Elizabeth she said terrible things and I did not stop her as soon as I should have . . ."

"Fitzwilliam, we have given Lady Catherine enough of our time today. Would you like to know what I was thinking when we came in here?"

"Very much."

"I was imagining our lives in this room. The talks, the looks, the touches. I was imagining what it would be like to be your wife here in this room, at this desk, by this fire, looking out this window. Do not let Lady Catherine be a part of that picture."

"Will you tell me of this life?" He asked gently drawing her close to him.

"There is not much to tell. It was more like images of us being here together and feelings that would be associated with our making a home here."

"Tell me more."

"How about I show you?" Elizabeth said sweetly rising up on her toes.

And they both found it easy to imagine the years of happiness they would discover in that room and others, with their family, their friends and each other through the years.

The End (of their beginning anyway)

Thank you all so much for reading! Your support has meant so much to me. I am going to leave the story up for a few weeks and then I plan to enter that wild and crazy world of self-publishing with it!