"So this is your opinion of me, thank you for explaining so fully. Perhaps those offences might have been overlooked had not your pride..."

"My pride!"

"... been hurt by my honesty in admitting scruples about our relationship. Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?"

"And those are the words of a gentleman?

From the first moment I met you, your arrogance, your conceit and selfish disdain for the feelings of others, made me realise that you were the last man in the world, I could ever be prevailed upon to marry..."

"P..."

"Forgive me, madam, for taking up so much of your time..."

Darcy turned and walked away.

'What had he just said? Why... or more importantly, what had she just said?'

Though her mind was spinning, she had to now.

"Wait!" Her voice was hoarse from the shouting but he did not hear her.

"Mr Darcy!"

She had raised her voice but he did not turn nor did he stop. His long legs moved him away from her in ground-swallowing, determined strides.

"Mr Darcy, wait!" She exclaimed in a very unladylike manner but his opinion of her were so low it hardly mattered.

Mr Darcy finally drew to a halt but he did not turn towards her. His hands came up around his neck, he folded them and pulled his head downwards, like in agony but he probably was covering his ears to shield himself from more insults.

Elizabeth's mind reeled, the words she was looking for did not come to her. Darcy was not helping either, with his broad back facing her.

He probably could not bear to look at her after the awful things she had just said, not that his words had been any less hurtful. He had made it impossible for her to keep her calm, let alone mind her manners.

Neither's performance had much to admire which made it more difficult to comprehend his last word before parting.

It was heart-rendering...

"I do not understand..."

"No, you made that quite clear. There is no need to delve in to matters best forgotten by both of us." Darcy replied in a scruffy voice.

"Certainly! If that is how you feel I will not detain you but I would appreciate it, if you could take the time to clarify one last impression.

It is unlikely we will ever see each other again so I would like to take your likeness now, please..."

Darcy's shoulders slumped as he hands fell to his sides.

"What would you like to know?"

Elizabeth took a few steps towards him but he tensed and his rigid stance, held her back from advancing further.

Wringing her sodden skirt in her hands, she mustered the courage to ask.

"Did you say please? Just now, before you walked a away."

His back straightened even further, he looked so tightly wired that Elizabeth feared he would snap.

"Yes." It was a barely audible whisper.

"But why?

You see, I do not understand why...

Why would you... towards a lady that barely warrants the name with her lack of accomplishments. Who has a family you oppose to with inferior connections. A lady you regard as barely tolerable and not handsome enough to tempt you. A lady your family holds in contempt and the rest of society will disdain and ridicule. Why would you beg?"

Mr Darcy finally turned towards her with a facial expression that made Elizabeth gasp and clutch her heart. Raw emotions played over the usually stoic countenance of Mr Darcy. His red rimmed eyes belied that the droplets on his face were due, solely to the rain.

"That was what you perceived of what I was saying?"

Darcy's eyes had widened and his mouth hang open in astonishment. It was easier to look upon than the utter despair he had displayed, moments before. His blue eyes turned to deep pools of black despondency.

Elizabeth could not bear to hold his gaze and lowered her eyes to the ground as Darcy took a few tentative steps towards her. It must have discouraged him as he halted his progress.

"Yes, what else would you expect me to discern?

You said you fought against your own better judgement!

You not only thought of those objections but you felt it was necessary to remind me of my shortcomings. I can assure you, I am well aware...

You are not the only one to enumerate my many faults. You are in excellent company with Lady Catherine, Mr Collins and even frequently my own mother."

Darcy visibly cringed, probably by the latter comparison, Elizabeth mused.

Her gaze steeled upwards and she startled at his sudden closeness.

His eyes had gone soft and tender, the blue intensified by the redness surrounding it.

Elizabeth shivered as the cold and damp, seeped into her bones.

Darcy's large hands went up to rub her upper arms, then trailed down to her clutched hands over her heart. He pulled them gently from their position and lay them over his heart.

Palms down, she could feel the wild beatings underneath his shirt.

"Can you feel my heart Elizabeth?"

"Yes," Elizabeth whispered rather dazed.

"It is always like this when you are near. Racing so hard that I can hear my own heart beat in my head. Depriving me of my reason and my ability to think clearly.

I love you Elizabeth!

Despite the fact that my initial thoughts rested on your families lack of propriety and your lack of connections in the upper ten thousand. I have learned that none of that matters.

The heart wants what the heart wants but you are not only what my heart desires...

You are what I need in a partner to enjoy lively discussions and run Pemberley with sense and compassion. Enhancing it for the next generations to come.

A friend that will be honest, kind and loyal.

A wife to love and cherish in the long winter days of the north.

I did not overcome my struggles, I acknowledged that they were not sensible.

No wealth could bring me joy.

I do not need more connections as I use much of my time to avoid those I already have.

You have a happy, loving family Elizabeth.

Look at Lady Catherine and her daughter from the upper éclat of society. My aunt is overbearing but in reality, she is just lonely as I have been for the past five years since my father died. I have my sister whom I love dearly but she is more than ten years my junior."

Darcy took a deep breath before he forged on, opening his heart to another human being in utter surrender. Showing her his infinite trust in her.

"I am afraid I have to injure your feelings Elizabeth but it cannot be helped...

I want you to mistrust Wickham and I will relate to you my dealings with him which Colonel Fitzwilliam can confirm, if you like.

As you probably know, Wickham was the son of my father's steward. My father paid for his education at Eton and Cambridge, left him a thousand pounds and a valuable living should he choose to take orders.

Wickham wanted to study the law, believing it would suit him better and I paid him an additional three thousand pounds to relinquish all claims to the living.

He thought himself misused and opted to try to convince my sister to elope with him last summer. Undoubtedly to access her thirty thousand pounds dowry. I came on a surprise visit in the nick of time. Wickham gave up every pretence towards Georgiana and mocked her easy surrender to his advances."

Elizabeth gasped and tried to pull her hands free to cover her gaping mouth but Darcy held her hands in a firm grip.

"Did he..."

"No! I was there in time but the emotional scars runs deep in a shy and insecure girl.

I crave someone by my side, in all matters but particularly in cases like these. I do not understand Georgiana, neither do I understand you, apparently. Perhaps I do not understand females in general..."

"You might be a little off in your expressions but your heart is in the right place. Although it has calmed down considerably..."

"I believe it is because it has just connected with its soulmate."

Darcy inched closer.

"Can you feel it Elizabeth?"

"Yes," she whispered and their lips connected in a toe-curling, mind blowing kiss.

The End

Note:

I just discovered a deliciously emotional, heart-wrenching detail in the rainy scene in the 2005 movie.

Just before Darcy thanked Elizabeth, he whispered please. I hadn't noticed that, despite having watched the scene a gazillion times...

A short one-shot immediately developed in my mind.