A/N: Sorry for the evil cliffy… actually, I'm not sorry at all but will pretend to be ;)

Wade

Los alcornocales, Cádiz, España – July 1818

"Lizzy, it is so-so-so good to see you."

"You know what I demand, Kitty! Do not vex me!"

"Very well. I know that determined look. Princess Elizabeth, may I present to your acquaintance Señor Luis Hidalgo Bennet. I hope you do not expect a bow."

"I think not, Kitty. I am quite in love with him already. Shall we start planning his wedding to Little Lizzy right now, or wait a fortnight?"

"It is good to see you, Lizzy!"

"It is good to be here, Kitty! How is your Spanish coming along?"

"Not as good as your Swedish or French Lizzy, but well enough. I can talk to my son."

"He is two months old, Kitty… It is not likely to be all that challenging."

"I will get there Lizzy. I love it here and never want to leave."

"Will you show me your husband's surgery?"

"Of course, Lizzy. Do you wish to prove you can walk on land first and refresh yourself?"

"Yes, that seems a fine idea. Do you have tea here?"

"This is Spain Lizzy. We shall have meriendas. If you want tea, you can cross the border to Gibraltar."

"Well… I might just be sneaking over to Gibraltar before we are done Kitty, but that is a discussion for another time."

"Welcome, Lizzy."

"Are you happy here, Kitty?"

"Yes Lizzy, I own that I am. It is wonderful to be back in the bosom of a real family, and my new one is everything wonderful. You know my husband would never have been in England at all if not for the war, and I always knew we would most likely move here… now… well…"

"Yes, I understand. Kitty, has the gossip followed you here?"

"No, somehow it has not, Lizzy. People here are either impervious to or amused by English gossip. Nobody cares very much. Imagine though! A younger sister hanged! It is difficult to imagine Lydia with everything in her favor… a large dowry… excellent connections, even if you were estranged… a lively spirit… a pretty countenance… really, every advantage. How is it possible she ended up doing such a heinous crime just because she could not take up with a man honorable enough for Uncle Gardiner and live a respectable life."

"Yes, even with my abysmally low exactions for Lydia, I never expected her to actually degrade our name so far. Perhaps, I should have reached out and tried to save her before it was too late, but I just did not have it in me."

"You were not her mother or father, Lizzy."

"I know, but perhaps I could have done more. Ah well, she is gone now. I imagine every relative of a condemned person feels the same."

"Did the scandal follow you, Lizzy?"

"No, surprisingly, it has not. I have been separated from the Bennet name for too long. Everyone I knew back then would never break a confidence and nobody in Meryton has the slightest idea what happened to me, and I am hoping nobody ever does. I last used the name Bennet back in my mourning period for Wickham. The name is not unknown, but I just believe nobody has ever connected all the pieces. Bennet is a common name, and I have never once mentioned Longbourn since I left, nor contacted anyone in Hertfordshire except you and Charlotte. That is all that has saved me. Can you imagine the scandal if people knew she was my sister; or what she would have done had she found out what connections she had. I can barely escape the palace as it is."

"Well, Lizzy, Lydia drove me from England sooner than we had planned, but it was all for the best. I have a son now, and no need to think of Hertfordshire ever again."

"That is as it should be. I am sorry I could not come help you across the sea, Kitty. The king still will not allow me to step foot on English soil. Gibraltar is the closest I can get, and he will be quite vexed with me if he finds out I plan to go there."

"My husband, Fitzwilliam and Anne took good care of me Lizzy. You need not worry. I was well protected, and you taught me to take care of myself anyway."

"Still, you are my sister and I was worried… and very desirous of being with you."

"It was done and done well, Lizzy. Rest easy."

"Lizzy, you must try these peppers. They are called Padróns. They are mostly mild, except a hot one is in there once in a while to keep you on your toes. Nobody can tell which ones are hot, though so you just have to eat them and take your chances. They are quire delicious fried in olive oil."

"That sounds… er… interesting."

"Come, come now Lizzy. You are no longer a stuffy English lady. You are about half a Viking. Are you to be intimidated by a vegetable?"

"I guess my courage must rise to every dish here, Kitty."

"This is nothing, Lizzy. The colonies in the New World eat things that would catch the table on fire if you dropped them."

"Let us not get ahead of ourselves, Kitty. I shall try the padróns, and some of that tortilla."

"Lizzy, I am very-very happy to have you here, but you did not travel 2,000 miles by ship to tell me about Lydia. You have the look of someone with something to say."

"Father is dead."

"Not that surprising."

"Not really. In my mind, he has been dead these six years since I left Hertfordshire. I have just been waiting for his body to catch up with his mind."

"Some would think that unkind Lizzy, but since he never really tried to make it up to you, I am not among them. In the end, it was only Lydia's behavior that finally called him to account? Otherwise, he just spent the time after you left doing just what he did before you left."

"I assume so."

"You did not come here to tell me that either, Lizzy."

"No, I did not. I came here to take care of some… business, and I need my business with you to… er… distract certain people, but I must warn you; I am going to ask you to do something that may bring a lot more scandal."

"What can I do, Lizzy? My husband and I are impervious to such. How can we help you?"

"I need you to trade your estate in England for one in Spain… and I need it to require quite a few solicitors and a bit of noise. Ideally, we will find one close to here that needs many repairs, or that is embroiled in an estate or legal battle or border dispute of some kind. It must take several months at the least, a lot of legal negotiation, at least a dozen solicitors, and I naturally must stay here and assist you the entire time."

"I do not have an estate in England, Lizzy."

"Did I not tell you your father is dead?"

"Yes, but… but… you did not?"

"I did. You have been heir to Longbourn since you came to me. Why do you think I went to so much trouble to teach you to run an estate?"

"Lizzy… Lizzy… Lizzy… you are incorrigible."

"I do my best, Kitty."

"Kitty, I must again warn you… I may do things that will most assuredly bring down some trouble on you and your family… quite a lot of it, I fear."

"So long as nobody injures my husband or my son, I care not, Lizzy. You have done everything for me. It is time I did something for you. When will you tell me what you need?"

"As soon as Lady Catherine, Anne and Fitzwilliam arrive."

Mediterranean Sea – November 1818

"Fitzwilliam, I cannot thank you enough for agreeing to see me. I find the deck of a ship is the only place I truly feel completely away from prying eyes and ears."

"I am happy to be here Elizabeth. I wish… I wish… well, that does not matter. I am happy to see you, my friend, and as you know, I am at your disposal."

"Fitzwilliam, I asked you here for a specific reason. I need to ask something of you, but… but… it is… it is… well, oh, so difficult. I hardly know where to start."

"Take your time, Elizabeth. We will not be to Gibraltar for at least half a day with this odd route you planned. We have time, and I have patience."

"I do not want to be queen!"

"My apologies. That came out wrong, Fitzwilliam. I have been working on this problem so long, my mind is muddled."

"So, you do want to be queen?"

"No, the sentiment was correct, I just was not ready to say it."

"How likely is this er… unfortunate… er… position to come to pass."

"Absent a massive intervention, it is nearly inevitable."

"How so?"

"I am… I am… Fitzwilliam, I am like a leaf blowing around in a storm. I am just a simple country girl… a nobody really…"

"You are not a nobody and never have been Elizabeth."

"I thank you, but nevertheless… There are certain… enormous… pressures for me to wed Prince Gustav; at least partially to try to gain control of my lands in England, partially to put my lands here on the continent more in control of the men of the royal family; or maybe just to annoy the Prince Regent. There is also a better than even chance his elder brother will not survive the next year. Almost nobody knows it, and the king refuses to acknowledge the reality, but it is fact. If he succumbs, and I have wed Prince Gustav, he will ascend on his father's death to become King of Sweden… and probably Norway as well, with the way the negotiations are currently going, which would mean…"

"You would be queen! That is… that is… that… … I know not what to say, Elizabeth. Is Prince Gustav a good man?"

"That is the worst part of the entire operation. He is a good man. Among the very best of men."

"Should I wish you jo…"

"Not yet, Fitzwilliam. I said among the best of men. I have another example right here with me."

"I… I… I have not always been so, but I do try, Elizabeth. I learned from the best."

"Yes, your father was a…"

"Do not be ridiculous Elizabeth! I meant you!"

"Oh!"

"It was you who taught me what it means to be true Elizabeth. I owe you the greatest debt of anyone in my life."

"Oh! Well… Thank you Fitzwilliam. That means much to me."

"Elizabeth, you also taught me to… well, to see things that are painfully obvious to one with some discernment."

"Yeeesss…"

"You have brought me here to ease Miss Sofie's heart that will be broken into a thousand pieces when you wed the prince, have you not?"

"How did you? ..."

"Nobody has a better understanding of the costs of doing your duty, Elizabeth. You are here to tell me what your duty is, and ask me to help your friends do theirs."

"Did Charl…"

"No! Charlotte is just as reliable than she has ever been, and even if she had confided in Richard, which I doubt very much, I could not pry anything out of either of those that they did not want me to have. I have deduced this from… from my knowledge of the situation, from reading between the lines in your letters, and from what I can see."

"Is it that obvious?"

"It is to me, but I very much doubt it is to anybody else. I have taken to the study of characters, and complex characters are the most interesting… and there is one I study more intently than others."

"So, you know what it will cost me to do my duty… and what it will cost all of us."

"I do, and I will do my duty as well, Elizabeth."

"Could… Could… well, more like… would you be happy with Sofie, knowing that for both of you, it is not a marriage of first choices?"

"We both have character, Elizabeth. We could learn to love each other. We could learn to be happy. Is that what you are asking?"

"It is… one possibility. It is the most sensible possibility… the thing that solves the most problems… the path of the least risk. You of all people understand how complicated it is. Widow to an English Earl, widow of a Swedish Prince, landowner in at least seven countries, caught between the ego and power of two monarchs, several powerful families, and an obscene amount of money. You can understand the pressures."

"I can, and I will not be the one to add more. I will do this gladly, Elizabeth."

"I thank you Fitzwilliam. Thank you for not… for not… for not making me say it. I told Charlotte, but I am not certain I could say the words again."

"For you my friend, anything. As for Miss Sofie, I see a lot of you in her. As for the prince, I admire him greatly. All will be well, Elizabeth… in time."

"Fitzwilliam, I thank you for your forbearance."

"It is my pleasure, Elizabeth."

"You made that part of the conversation bearable, and for that I thank you. Now, I must come to the hard part."

"It gets harder than that?"

"Yes, my friend. I am afraid it does."

"I am at your disposal."

"Before I begin Fitzwilliam, I must… work my way up to my real question with a story… do you mind?"

"Of course not"

"You know my visible story better than anyone. One marriage from family obligation, one through ignorance and stupidity, one from duty to a friend, and one for international intrigue and ego. Every marriage a supposed step up in society."

"Yes"

"Did you know that I have never even been kissed, or held by a man, or even heard any words of true affection except for one sentence from you six years ago. Even Wickham forewent the pleasures of the flesh for the pleasures of my fortune… apparently calculating he could buy all the flesh he wanted with my money."

"You may be surprised, Elizabeth… but I have never…"

"Never?"

"Never."

"A man in your position and you never?"

"For me Elizabeth, it is to be my beloved or nothing. That is just the way I am. Perhaps it is my basic goodness and character, or more likely it is a reaction to growing up with George Wickham and watching my father dote on him, but it matters not. It is who I am. My first kiss will be one of affection, with my betrothed, and that woman shall get all I am and all I shall ever be."

"That is… I am humbled, Fitzwilliam… but I cannot discuss that now. I must be steady to my purpose, and I have a different story to tell you. Please forgive my tears, I have not cried once since… well, let us not bring that up."

"There is nothing to forgive. Shall we continue?"

"Yes. I must tell you the other story."

"Pray, continue, Elizabeth."

"This story begins one warm September evening, exactly seven years ago today, at an assembly in Meryton."

"I noted the date."

"That was the day I made possibly the biggest mistake of my life."

"I noted no mistakes on your part that day, Elizabeth. Tell me what error you accuse yourself of."

"I heard a man slight me, although he did not say anything my mother did not routinely say. I did not pay attention to his countenance, or think that he might have things on his mind, or endeavor to ask him to act the gentleman and apologize, or ask my father to talk to him quietly… I… I… I who claim to abhor gossip set out to drag his name through the mud, just because of my wounded vanity."

"Elizabeth, you did nothing…"

"Please, Fitzwilliam. I cannot get through this if you try to correct me. Please allow me to finish?"

"All right"

"Can you imagine how our lives might have changed had I given you a chance that night? Had I applied my considerable intelligence to learning what might make a man do such a thing? Had I looked at your countenance for something other than what I expected to find? Had I been polite but not simpering to you when I stayed at Netherfield? I missed a chance to form the closest friendship of my life that night, and I only found it again because Lady Catherine would make a stone or a mule look reasonable."

"That is the past, Elizabeth. You had no fault."

"I did not say it was a fault, Fitzwilliam. I just said it was a mistake. We all make mistakes all the time, even with the best of intentions and the best of actions, we still do."

I will agree. You will not allow me the priv…"

"No, Fitzwilliam. I will not. I am a Princess, and you will bend to my well!"

"Insufferable woman"

"Impertinent man"

"May I continue?"

"Of course, Princess."

"You… you… well…"

"Pray, continue my lady."

"The second biggest mistake of my life was when you proposed to me… No, no, no! Do not say it! Yes, we both accept that the proposal was abominable, but I did not have to scar you for life with my reply… do not deny it Fitzwilliam… I know the cost you have paid for that day, the same as I have."

"You are as perceptive as always, but I still cannot…"

"This is my story Fitzwilliam. You can tell me your sad story when I am finished if you insist."

"Very well"

"My third big mistake was one of omission. It happened the very ball when I came out of mourning for Lord Mawbry. I would not disrespect Lord Mawbry by saying anything, but I was finally free… finally able… finally…"

"To what, Elizabeth…"

"In the end, it was for naught, because when it really mattered, I was unable to tell you that I have loved you with all my heart for quite some time. I hardly know when it started, and I was halfway through before I knew it had begun, but my courage failed me when the time came to act."

"Elizabeth. Please, take my handkerchief."

"Three times, Fitzwilliam. In Meryton, I lost your acquaintance and a chance to learn about you because of vanity. In Kent, I threw away the strongest love from the best of man in a fit of pique, anger and pride over a badly worded proposal and never gave you a chance to respond. In London, I lost a chance for true love in a bout of timidity and procrastination."

"Elizabeth"

"Let me finish, please Fitzwilliam."

"Yes"

"Seven years! It has been seven years, and I only truly regret one thing. I have hurt you so many times, and missed so many chances to be closer to you. Nothing else that has happened to me matters in the least against those."

"Elizabeth…"

"No, Fitzwilliam. I had to say that, just to work my way up to my question."

"Very well, Elizabeth… but be forewarned, I shall have my say before we leave this ship."

"As you should. I wish to ask one thing of you Fitzwilliam."

"Ask, Elizabeth. You need not fear me."

"I do not fear you, Fitzwilliam. I fear myself."

"Ask, please"

"Do you think… well… Fitzwilliam… Do you think you could ever love me again? Before you answer, let me make the scope of the question clear. Could you love me enough to weather a scandal of staggering proportions… big enough to have you and I and all of our friends gossiped about incessantly for years… to have our private affairs bandied about in the newspapers as entertainment… a scandal that will affect our prosperity, and possibly our children's prosperity and respectability if any portion of the truth becomes known? It is more than I can ask. It is monstrously unfair to you and to everyone we love who has stood by us these years, but still, I will not allow my timidity to deny me this once to follow my heart, even at the risk of having it crushed. I have waited years to ask this question. I must know the answer. I can live… survive… with either answer, but I must know. Could you love me again?"

"Elizabeth… Elizabeth… Elizabeth… You ask the wrong question. I cannot love you again because I love you still. Like you, the love came upon me gradually and against my will and against my own objections. I must admit having my pride and vanity and arrogance beat into the ground like a stomping horse was not at the time to my liking; but it was what made me into a man. It was you, Elizabeth, that made me into a man worthy of pleasing a woman. I have my own share of timidity, but I can assure you that had the prince asked you a week later, it would have been far too late. I have loved you all my life, because my life started the day I found I loved you. I will do anything you ask of me. I care not for scandal or the views of others. I would give up Pemberley and go to America if necessary. I would burn my estate to the ground if it would let me have you. Please, no matter what bit of insanity you have dreamed up Elizabeth, let us get on with it because if I do not have an agreement for your hand when we land in Gibraltar, I will throw you over my shoulder and disappear with you."

"Fitzwilliam!"

"I know you worry about the thousands of people dependent on you Elizabeth, but just for once, will you just think of us."

"Very well, Fitzwilliam. Prince Gustav and Sofie know what I am planning. I have forewarned Lady Catherine, Anne, Kitty and everyone else I care about. You were the last to know."

"Why is that Elizabeth?"

"In my heart, I had to believe you still loved me, but I could not be easy with it. I could not believe in a love that could survive all… all… all this. I could not stand the idea that I might be your best friend but no longer the love of your life. I determined that if there was any possibility that I could truly return your love, I would ask and take my chances; but I would not burden you with the question unless it was a real possibility."

"How bad will it be, Elizabeth?"

"Perhaps everything will work as I plan, but if anything goes wrong, it can be very, very bad."

"Let us get to it. What do you need me to do."

"Several things. Most immediately, I need you to compromise me."

"In what way?"

"In every way a lady can be compromised by a gentleman. I have, justifiably enough I would argue, developed an superstition about the wedding night. Four dead husbands will do that, so I am going to forego that. I am not taking chances. We will have our wedding night before the wedding. I will explain all after, but I do not intend for either of us to be able to complain about lack of being kissed, or held in affection, or loved in every way a husband should love a wife any longer."

"When?"

"Now!"

"Now?"

"Yes, Now!"

"Put me down, Fitzwilliam! … Put me down you big lunk! … Well, on second thought, carry on, my love."

Gibraltar – United Kingdom – November 26, 1818 - Dawn

"Lady Catherine, thank you for coming, and thank you for not dragging Anne and Charlotte to this debacle."

"I would not miss this debacle for the world, Elizabeth."

"Aunt Catherine, well met."

"Fitzwilliam, have you done your duty?"

"Every day, Aunt. Every day."

"As it should be, Fitzwilliam."

"Lord Mawbry, would it be unseemly to congratulate you on the death of your worthless cousin?"

"Darcy, you warned me about her… but I must say…"

"Speechless, I see Mawbry."

"Yes, I am afraid so."

"I did not mean to fluster you, my lord… I have learned to be, somewhat callous regarding death of the unworthy, but you would think a princess could learn to curb her tongue."

"You shall not have my censure, ma'am. Could you tell me why we were to meet dawn? It is an unusual time for this sort of thing."

"Safety and superstition my lord, plus we have a great deal to do today."

"Shall we get on with it?"

"Yes. Sir, if you will?"

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"

"Sign her, if you will Lord Mawbry."

"I thank you, sir."

"And here er… Princess Elizabeth? Lady Mawbry?"

"Do not distress yourself sir. I will lose the title Lady Mawbry when I finish signing, and will be back to being plain old 'Princess'."

"I apologize that the man who worked all these papers out for you was ill, Princess Elizabeth. They all seem in hand, at least the ones I am responsible for. I must say that in my forty years as a solicitor, this will be the most unusual annulment I have ever witnessed."

"You have never seen an annulment for lack of consent?"

"Of course I have… for brides, but never for the groom."

"We must work with what we have, sir. His uncle did actually force his hand, but he is not here now, is he?"

"And who forced his uncle's hand?"

"Quibbles, sir. Quibbles."

"Would it be impertinent to ask why you married the Earl, only to walk to the next room to have it annulled ten minutes later."

"It is all in the wedding contract, sir. It is a bit of a legal fiction, really. Something like what they use to break entails. Lord Mawbry inherited the title on the death of his cousin but not the lands. Now I am returning the Mawbry lands to their rightful and worthy heir. This is the only way I could think to do it legally without giving anyone other than the rightful heir and a man I thought worthy of the late Earl the chance to object or take control."

"Pure genius, Princess. It is pure genius… so simple, so elegant. I doubt the king will be amused though."

"No sir, he will not… but the Prince Regent will be delighted."

'I imagine it is a good thing my colleague and I are both ready for your generous pension, in an obscure and comfortable location, Princess."

"That was part of the plan, good sir."

"Good day, Princess. Good day, my lord."

"Good day, sir."

"Princess Elizabeth, has anyone ever told you that you are insane?"

"I hear it all the time, Lord Mawbry. I assume Mr. Darcy told you to say that."

"I am afraid so, ma'am."

"Lord Mawbry?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"You are in a church?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And your true love is in the next room?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"With a parson?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Why are you still here? Perhaps, I am not the one whose sanity is to be questioned."

"That was fast."

"I wonder if his clothes will catch fire, Fitzwilliam."

"Shall we carry on to our next bunch of confidants and finish this thing?"

"We should, but…"

"… but"

"Well, I cannot help but feel superstitious, Fitzwilliam."

"In what way?"

"We have not scientifically determined exactly what kills off my husbands before the night is over, but it may be lack of… er… consummation?"

"It seems possible?"

"Lord Mawbry might be in danger!'

"That would not do?"

"I quite like him!"

"As do I."

"And I quite like his… well, probably not betrothed any more… I quite like his wife!"

"As do I."

"Worse yet, I might get all those estates back."

"A terrible fate!"

"We should not take any chances?"

"Put me down, Fitzwilliam! … Put me down! Well, on second thought, carry on, my love."

Gibraltar – United Kingdom – November 26, 1818 - Noon

"Prince Gustav… Miss Sofia… May I have the unparalleled pleasure of introducing to your acquaintance Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy."

"Lady Catherine. Mr. Darcy. We are greatly in your debt. Elizabeth has told us of the er… sacrifice you were willing to make as well as the one you actually are going to make. I fear we are in for some rough waters."

"If you can stand it, my nephew can stand it Your Highness. Miss Sofie, I can see why Elizabeth and your prince love you."

"I thank you Lady Catherine. I appreciate all you have done and will do."

"Think nothing of it, my dear. Shall we get on with it."

"Wise words, Aunt."

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered her today…"

"Almost done, Elizabeth my love. One thing I neglected to ask…"

"You are part of this Fitzwilliam, are you saying you were not diligent in attending to every aspect of the scheme…"

"I may have been distracted a bit these past few weeks."

"Well, it is a little late to be checking the plan now, but we have an hour to wait, so ask away."

"Why a divorce from the prince instead of the annulment like you did with hew new Lord Mawbry."

"Two reasons, really. I do not want something the king can easily undo. Can you imagine trying to convince the King of Sweden that his son was forced into marriage against his will? It would be preposterous, and he might well contest it. A divorce though… well, the king will not even let it be broadly known that there was a divorce. It would be terribly mortifyingly embarrassing. Wars have been fought over less. Nobody will ever know except the six solicitors I have had working on it, and the Archbishop, all of whom are honorable and er…"

"And"

"And well compensated."

"Sensible enough. So, the king will have to promote the real match vigorously."

"Exactly. He will not like it, but he will play his part. I think he will even grudgingly admire us. I doubt he will seek to harm any of us in any way. It would reflect badly on him, and in the end, Sofie will charm the old goat into submission anyway. Give her a month at the most."

"I believe so. One more question. You said we must wait an hour. Why that delay, when you timed everything else practically to the minute."

"Who says I did not?"

"So why the delay?"

"I am taking no chances. We need absolute and irrefutable grounds for the divorce."

"What grounds are you proposing?"

"Infidelity!"

"Infidelity!"

"Yes!"

"I hope you are not suggesting Prince Gustav?"

"Not on your life."

"Put me down, Fitzwilliam! … Put me down! Well, on second thought, carry on, my love."

"Sign her, if you will Your Highness."

"And here er… Princess?"

"There, it is done."

"I cannot thank you enough Elizabeth. And may I be the very first to say that I believe I owe you my life and all my future happiness."

"Prince Gustav?"

"Yes, my lady"

"Why are you still here when Sofie is a dozen yards away?"

Gibraltar – United Kingdom – November 26, 1818 – 11:07PM

"I now pronounce you, man and wife. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I claim the extreme privilege of being the first to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy."

"Thank you, Archbishop. We could not have done it without you."

"It has been the most diversion I have had in decades, Mrs. Darcy. Never did like King Charles. It has been my privilege."

"Darcy old man, does that I no longer having the privilege of watching you mope around like a half-dead mule?"

"Yes, Richard. My moping days are over. Thank you for coming… thank all of you for keeping the love of my life safe and loved all these years."

"Fitzwilliam, you said I timed everything practically to the minute."

"Yes, I did my love."

"It is truer than you know. See the clock over there?"

"Yes. It is now precisely 11:12PM"

"I paid very careful attention to the time, because I as you well know I am superstitious and I am happy you have indulged me at least… well, more than once these last few weeks. I ask one more indulgence for my fears, if you will oblige me."

"Of course, my love."

"It is now precisely seven years since you first took my hand at the Netherfield ball for what should have been our first dance. May we now do what should have been done all those years ago."

"Of course, my love."

"Fitzwilliam Darcy… Husband… Put me down! Put me down this instant! … Well, on second thought, carry on, my love."

~~~ Finis ~~~

A/N: Well my friends, there you have it. I wrote this last chapter while crossing the Atlantic on my way home from holidays. I hope you enjoyed it, far-fetched as it is. The writing style was just a wild idea. My wife has since told me about a couple of books written in this style, and a couple of you have PM'd with examples. I don't think it's going to become my primary mode, but I do kind of enjoy leaving part of the story to your imaginations. I thought this would be a short story, but it's technically a novella.

It was far-fetched enough, but technically I think possible. Royalty marrying commoners was not unheard of, but it was very uncommon. It even happened a few times with kings, and more often with princes so there are historical precedents. Marriage between countries was done all the time as a way to forge alliances, etc. so marrying a commoner from another country has happened more than once. Divorce was impossible in Catholic countries, and very uncommon in Protestant countries, but it did happen. Divorce laws started being liberalized just a touch starting about 40 years after P&P except in Catholic countries. Probably wouldn't happen in a royal family, but after Henry VIII you can imagine they made their own rules, and it is not quite impossible.

Just in case you lost count, Fitzwilliam is husband number 7, and Elizabeth has no lands of her own at all left, but she would have an enormous dowry. It's not like she can't survive on just Pemberley's income.

She was rightly worried about being scorned in society… just about any part of this plan would be like today's tabloids but much worse, and there were a lot of moving parts, so it's entirely likely her worries were founded, but well, don't we all think she deserves a bit of happiness.

If you're looking for something new to read, I have a couple of stories by fairly new P&P authors I'd like to recommend. If you like very unusual writing styles and are in the mood for a dark theme, check out Colors by Laure001. If you're in the mood for a crazy comedy of errors, check out Butterfly Effect by Sushibear144.

Feel free to tell me how you liked it with a review or PM.

The Insufferable Man