Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Fitzwilliam Darcy woke up, his heart racing, his covers in a tangle. Seeing his familiar room, in his London town home, he took deep breaths and tried to calm his racing heart. He had dreamed of her again. Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the woman he had left behind in Hertfordshire so many months ago. He could barely remember a night he did not dream of her. Some dreams were tender in nature, others more carnal and recently some had been more disturbing, not dreams at all but nightmares. Nightmares where Elizabeth was injured. He took a shuddering breath and ran a hand through his hair. He knew why these dreams plagued him. It had nothing to do with Elizabeth Bennet and everything to do with Lysette Fitzwilliam, his cousin. It was nearing the anniversary of her disappearance and the murders of her parents. Every year he was plauged with nightmares about his cousin's fate. He had thought she was the most fascinating thing when she was born. All his male Fitzwilliam cousins, along with their elders, had adored the precocious child. She was inquisitive, sweet and adventurous.
On sudden impusle Darcy decided he would leave early for his visit to Rosings. His cousin, Col. Richard Fitzwilliam, likey would not mind. Both knew how hard their aunt, Lady Catherine de Bough took this time of year. Lily Fitzwilliam had been her best friend, Marcus Fitzwilliam her twin brother. After many childless years, when the couple finally conceived and Lily bore a tiny little girl, no one was surprised when Lady Catherine was choosen as little Lissy's Godmother.
Knowing he would find no peace in sleep, Darcy got out of bed. Grabbing a pair of breeches and loose shirt, he donned them. His servants would start to stir soon and he had no wish to shock any of his housemaids by wandering around in his night clothing. He quietly made his way to his study. Seating himself behind his desk, he knew he would get no work done. Dropping his head into his hands he allowed the memories to wash over him of the family gathering that year at Pemberly. It was either that or dwell on something that could never be.
He and his cousin Richard had escaped their cousin Anne's presence. Neither were very fond of her. Darcy was 13, Richard 14 and Anne was 15, the same age as Richard's older brother Wallace. She was constantly making demands on everyone and complaining of her ill health. She spoke of the changes she would make to Pemberley and what a great mistress she would be, claiming her and her young cousin would be betrothed by the end of this visit. An idea Darcy rejected vehemently. Anne was cruel and devious. She treated their mutal cousin, Lissy, with maliciousness, believing it to be her right as the elder cousin. Lissy avoided being alone with her female cousin during these family visits whenever possible.
Richard had decided to tease Darcy about having to marry Anne. Darcy had declared in disgust that if he had to marry a cousin it would be Lissy, since a husband was supposed to protect and care for his wife. When Richard continued teasing him that if Darcy married Anne, he could correct her behavior. Darcy responded by taunting Richard that he could have Anne and attempt to tame her. Richard had argued that since he lived next door to Lissy, he spent more time saving her and caring for her and if they were marrying cousins, he would rather have Lissy. The two young boys argument was forgotten when they reached their destination, the nursery. With her nanny's permission, they liberated their small cousin from the rooms, to go play outside in some of the last snow of the season with them.
Later that visit, Darcy overheard a conversation between his father and his uncle, Sir Lewis de Bough. Sir Lewis was attempting to get Darcy senior to agree to a betrothal agreement between his daughter and heir, Anne, and Darcy's heir, Fitzwilliam. Disregarding that he had not been invited to their discussion, he burst into the conversation, insisting that he would not marry Anne and that he would much rather marry Lissy. He begged his father to sign a contract with Uncle Marcus instead, if he was to marry one of his cousins. His father had assured him that he had no intentions of signing a contract with anyone this visit. Relieved, he had left the room and gone to the nursery, knowing he would find his young cousin and baby sister there. After the passing of his mother, when his sister was born, they were his two favorite females in the world. He was grateful for the love and care of his aunts, but it had been Lissy that had helped him the most when his mother passed, quietly hugging him.
Towards the end of the visit Darcy had come across Anne and Lissy alone. Lissy was in tears. Scooping the small girl into his arms, allowing her to cry on his shoulder he took her to the one place he new his older female cousin would not dare follow, his chambers. Lissy eventually tearfully told him how Anne had claimed once she was married to him, Lissy would never be allowed to see him, Pemberley or baby Georgiana again. And that if she tried to visit, that Anne would toss her out to freeze.
He had done his best to soothe her, assuring her that she would always be welcome at Pemberley, he would never marry Anne, and that she could always see and hold baby Georgiana whenever she wanted. Once he was old enough he would even fetch her himself to visit. He assured her that he would never let Anne, or anyone hurt her. He promised to protect her forever. She had tearfully asked if he really meant it. Darcy had hugged her close and said, “I promise.”
A knock at the door, interrupted Darcy's musings. Darcy bade the person to enter, and his cousin Col. Richard Fitzwilliam stepped through the portal. Taking in Darcy's appearance, Col. Fitzwilliam said, “Your man sent for me. There was nothing you could have done. Nothing anyone of us could have done. How bad are your nightmares? Don't try to tell me they aren't plaguing you.”
“I am not having nightmares about Lissy,” Darcy said.
“About Georgiana?”
“No.”
“Then why has your man found your bed showing signs of serious disturbance and you looking like this?”
“There was someone, a lady, in Hetefordshire,” Darcy said slowly. “I keep having nightmares about her being injured. “
Shrewdly Col. Fitzwilliam observed his cousin amd said, “And this lady, she is someone you care for?”
“Her connections are unsuitable and her family vulgar, but I was perhaps, attracted to her.”
The colonel schooled his features to not reveal his surprise. He had never heard Darcy admit to being attracted to a specific female before, he may have well have admitted he cared greatly for this young lady.
Continuing Darcy said changing the topic, “How soon can you get leave? I would like to leave for Rosings early.”
“Anytime.”
“Then I would like to leave today. I am sure Aunt Catherine will not mind our early arrival,” Darcy said. Glancing at the clock, revealing it to be almost 6am, he added, “How does departing in three hours sound?”
Darcy was relieved when his cousin agreed. Darcy knew if he stayed in London and had one more nightmare about Elizabeth Bennet, nothing would stop him from mounting his horse and ridding for Hertfordshire and her. His Aunt would probably harp on him to marry Anne, something he had vowed not to do. Even if his cousin did not disgust him with her behavior and manner, that was one promise he had made to Lissy that he intended to keep, even if he had failed in all his others.
…
Elizabeth Bennet tied her bonnet, her eyes sparkling in mirth. Her friend Charlotte Collins, formerly Lucas, gave her husband, Elizabeth's cousin Mr. William Collins, one last assurance that they would be back in a timely fashion to prepare for dinner at Rosings that evening. Setting out on their mission the two women exchanged smiles. Once out of hearing of the parsonage, Charlotte said, “Well Eliza, rather than have a full five hours to prepare, shall you make do with a single hour or perhaps two?”
“Since Lady Catherine prefers to maintain the distinction of rank, I do believe I shall. Even for the Netherfield ball, I do not believe my tolliet took five full hours, after all I am not of the finer circles, “ Elizabeth responded playfully.
“You could be a lost princess,” Charlotte told her friend teasingly.
“I could be a gypsie,” She responded jokingly.
“The daughter of a foreign ambassador.'
“The child of a bootmaker.”
“Heiress divine.”
The two chuckled at their old familar game. Elizabeth had been found on the road between London and Meryton by Edward Gardiner, importer of exotic goods and brother-in-law to Thomas Bennet, Master of Longbourn, about 14 years ago as a small child. Charlotte might claim to not be a romantic, but she insisted on more romantic orgins for her friend.
Elizabeth had been bruised and terrified. Gardiner had been appalled at the abuse the slip of a girl appeared to have suffered. With much coaxing he was able to get her to allow him to hold her and to whisper her name, Lissy. Believing she had meant to say Lizzy, a common diminutive for Elizabeth, he promised her she would be safe. She clung in terror to her savior, refusing to be separated from Gardiner. He brought the terrified child with him to his brother-in-law's estate. Her dress and accent from the few words she spoke, indicated her to be from the gentry. Considering the state she was in, the two men, with the aid of their other brother-in-law, Lewis Phillips, made discrete inquires for a missing girl child named Elizabeth in the region. The child shook in terror when they tried to ask her for more information about her family. If her family had abused and terrified her, all three men were reluctant to return an innocent child to a dangerous situation.
Mr. Bennet's wife Franny, was horrified to see that someone had dared abuse a child. She could not imagine hurting any of her four daughters. She had loudly and shrilly demanded that the men of her family not return a poor defenseless child to the monsters that had done so. She argued that if the girl's family had abandoned her, there was no reason to return her, she could stay and be a Bennet. She saw no reason for a law that insisted the child belonged to her family if they had hurt her. Everyone was relieved at Longbourn when their inquiries met with no results.
After a few weeks with no results about who Elizabeth belonged to, the Bennets had decided they would adopt her. Elizabeth barley spoke the first year she was with the Bennets. She often had nightmares, calling out for someone named Wills, her voice full of fear. But when asked about who it was, she would squeeze her eyes shut and shake her head, refusing to speak. Jane, the eldest Bennet daughter, would sleep with her to try and comfort her since Elizabeth hated to sleep alone. Elizabeth was an adept tree climber as well, and her fears would often cause her to seek sanctuary high above the ground, whimpering and whispering the words of a lullaby to herself. Charlotte Lucas often helped find and soothe Elizabeth when this happened. As the years went by Elizabeth conquered her fears and settled so well into the family, that it was like she had always been meant to be with them. With time her bad memories, as well as other more happy ones, faded into the misty fog of time common to growing up, to be replaced with newer memories. The family did not talk of the state Elizabeth had been in when Gardiner found her and eventually Elizabeth's nightmares were just a memory.
Elizabeth never revealed to her new family what her nightmares were about, if any had found out they would have been horrified to learn that in some she relived being taken away from her parents, while in others a man roughly removed her from a carriage, telling her to get away if she wanted to live and that if she ever told anyone about it or her, she would die.