/I don't own anything you recognize in this story. /

Chapter One

Success is counted sweetest

By those who ne'er succeed

To comprehend a nectar

Requires sorest need.

-Emily Dickenson, "Success Is Counted Sweetest"

--

It was a beautiful morning to be traveling, Elizabeth Darcy thought as she turned her face up towards the sky. Smiling as a breeze danced across her face and through her hair as she bent down to pick a lone flower by the side of the road. It had been a while since she had seen her family and surprisingly, she longed desperately to see them.

Walking was always her greatest pleasures, but as she knew she couldn't walk the whole way from Pemberely in Derbyshire to Meryton, Elizabeth had asked her new husband permission to use the carriage to take her part of the way. As he had wanted to see his old friend for some time, Darcy offered to take her the entire way and Elizabeth heartily agreed. She knew she would have missed him desperately.

Hearing footsteps from behind, Elizabeth turned quickly around and smiled to see her husband coming towards her, the morning light giving him sharp contrast to his dark and seemingly arrogant contrast. He knew how much she loved her walks, whether they were traveling or not.

"Are you ready, my dear?" Darcy asked and Elizabeth noted his irritable nature. Apparently something had gone wrong when he woke up this morning to call her "my dear".

"Is there something the matter, Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth asked as they headed back towards the inn where they had spent the night.

Darcy shook his head. "It is nothing, Lizzie. Nothing that you should worry about."

Elizabeth gave him a reproachful look. "I know that tone of voice, sir, and its best not to keep it secret. You will be surely the rest of the day if you don't spill it."

Darcy sighed and glanced at his wife. Elizabeth might be a tiny woman for her age, but she was intelligent and full of spunk and said what was on her mind. It might have irritated some, but Darcy was grateful for her directness. She helped him know his mind.

"I received a letter from my aunt this morning while you were away," Darcy finally exclaimed.

Elizabeth's face turned towards his inquisitively. "Oh? And what news has she?"

"Oh, the usual. How much worse cousin Anne was getting and how much I devastated and shattered the hopes and dreams of the family because I married you instead of Anne," Darcy answered. "She is convinced that I will come into ruin."

Elizabeth straightened indignantly. "What does she know of you and what you need in your life? This was your choice, not mine and you're doing well for it. And marrying me has nothing to do with your wealth. What does she expect you to do, divorce me? That would surely bring more ruin to you than choosing me in the first place."

Darcy sighed. "I know that, my dear, I was just stating what she had said."

"Well, pay no more heed to what your aunt has written. She is just a bitter old lady who wishes what we have," Elizabeth advised.

Darcy smiled softly. This was the exact reason why she had married Elizabeth Bennet in the first place: for her spunk. She was so similar to him, yet exactly the opposite. How lucky he was to have found her in time.

Reaching the inn, Darcy was pleased to find that his carriage was ready and waiting out front for him. Settling his debts with the innkeeper, he strode back outside. Making sure that Elizabeth was comfortable, Darcy himself climbed up into the carriage and sunk back into the upholstery. They would make it into Meryton before nightfall, but it was still a long way away.

Elizabeth studied her husband quietly. Darcy had become more moody and withdrawn in the past couple of weeks, but more so since the letter from his aunt arrived. She had a feeling there was more to it than the fact that Darcy had won the disapproval of her family. The lady Catherine Du Burgh had to have said something else, but Elizabeth had no way of finding out what it could possibly be unless she asked him. And as of right now, that wasn't possible. Not with the mood that she now found her husband in.

--

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Elizabeth watched her husband quietly, but he never said another word for the rest of the day. It was just as well, for Elizabeth didn't know what she would've talked about anyway. Reaching Meryton, Elizabeth told her husband that she was going to walk to her parents' house and might be several hours. She definitely needed a diversion.

"Lizzie!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed happily as Elizabeth approached the house, tired from the day's travels as well as walking to the house from town. Perhaps this wasn't such a great idea after all, thought Elizabeth, to be walking all this way barely awake and then to be expected to tell of all her travels since the last time she was here.

"You're sister has just arrived a little while ago, as well," Mrs. Bennet prattled on. "She'll be very happy to see you, I'm sure."

"My sister?" Elizabeth asked, hoping against hope that it would be Jane with Mr. Bingley.

"You're sister, Lydia, of course, how many other sisters could you possibly have?" Mrs. Bennet said exasperatedly, as if Elizabeth didn't four sisters.

Elizabeth grimaced and sighed. As much as she loved Lydia, a flirt though she was, Elizabeth dreaded whenever she came to visit with Mr. Wickham, being reminded how much she loathed the man and how she had once believed she was in love with him.

Well, there was no other way around it, Elizabeth thought as she headed inside behind her mother. She would have to go inside and face her fate, no matter what the outcome.

--

Author's Note: I've wanted to write a Pride and Prejudice story ever since I read the book for my AP English class a couple years ago and saw the movie, but never had any ideas on what to write about. It doesn't look like much now, but hopefully I can get the story to go somewhere and trust me I'll get it to be more interesting in the next few chapters or so.

I'll try to update my other stories, but it's highly likely at this moment, as I've been suffering from writer's block and don't know what else to write for the stories. On top of that, I will be going back to college in a couple of weeks and thus I won't have time to update regularly, but please be patient.

Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it so far and please review; you don't know how much it encourages the writer to continue the writing process.