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Eventually, she kicked a pinecone off the path with such force that it flew into a bush and frightened a flock of sparrows into the air.

“It isn’t your fault, nor is it Jane’s fault, though both of you are eager to blame yourselves.

” She sighed before adding, “Nor is it mine, though I cannot help but feel guilty.”

Darcy started to say something but then snapped his jaw shut.

Elizabeth glanced up and smiled crookedly. “Jane and I had a long talk last night. We have agreed that it was our father’s duty, and although we wish we had realized that he would not think of Mama’s concerns, the fact still remains that his oversight is not our fault.”

Elizabeth stopped and placed her hands on Darcy’s lapels, waiting until all his attention was focused upon her.

“Let this be a lesson to us, please, Fitzwilliam. Let us promise to share our troubles, even when we think we have solved them on our own.” Lizzy sighed softly and rested her forehead against his chest for a moment.

“For there are few things I fear more than to find myself in a marriage like that of my parents.”

Will wrapped his arms around her so that her head was tucked below his chin. “My dearest Elizabeth… I promise to do my best. As I confessed yesterday, I am unaccustomed to sharing my concerns with anyone… I can only beg you to be patient with me as I work to break the habit.”

Lizzy looked up into his earnest eyes. “And I will do the same. If my talk with Jane taught me anything, it is that I too have a tendency to try to solve problems on my own, so I fear this will have be a mutual effort.”

When Fitzwilliam questioned her, Elizabeth sighed but summarized the sisters’ discussion, spending some time on their decision to ask Darcy and Bingley for assistance on the matter of finding a steward.

Will answered her questions and posed his own, impressing her once again with his knowledge and understanding.

As they talked, they climbed Oakham Mount, reaching the peak just as the sun was exploding with streaks of orange and pink across the eastern sky.

The view was so spectacular that they lapsed into silence.

Fitzwilliam stood behind Elizabeth with his arms wrapped around her waist and after some minutes, she sighed and leaned her head back against his chest. “I shall miss this… Pemberley is beautiful and I love the wildness of the Peaks… but this…”

“This is your home,” supplied Darcy sympathetically.

He was reminded of his plan to have an artist paint this very vista as a gift for Elizabeth.

He himself had an oil landscape of Pemberley at Derwent House that had comforted him any number of times over the years when he became homesick for Derbyshire but was forced to remain in town.

Elizabeth turned in his arms and, running her hands up to his neck, gave him a look so loving that he felt it in his very toes.

“It is my childhood home, yes. Hertfordshire shall always have a place in my heart… but in truth, I will not mourn it overmuch. My place is with you, Will, and the home we shall make together.”

Such a statement must be rewarded, and Darcy responded as a man violently in love could be expected.

Later, when Elizabeth slipped into the house through the kitchen entrance (barely in time to sit down to breakfast with her family), her rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes were not entirely due to the success of her discussions with Mr. Darcy.

That afternoon, after attending church and enjoying a superb Sunday dinner, Mr. Bennet attempted to retire to his library alone.

However, before he was even able to select a book, Elizabeth and her fiancé came knocking on his door.

Thomas allowed them entry, assuming that they desired a quiet sanctuary as much as he.

It came as a surprise, therefore, when Mr. Bennet found himself required to participate in a lengthy discussion about Longbourn’s accounts and management.

Or rather, Elizabeth and Darcy discussed it, occasionally posing questions to the estate’s master.

Their tone was perfectly respectful, but in manner they were so decisive that he found he could not laugh at them.

By the end of the hour, Thomas Bennet found himself agreeing that his two sons-in-law would find a likely young man to “assist” him in managing Longbourn.

Mr. Bingley was invited in and happily agreed to the arrangement, particularly when Darcy suggested that they approach a certain Mr. Mason who had spent the last two years assisting Pemberley’s steward and who was ready to take on an independent situation.

Once the details were quickly worked out, Darcy wrote the necessary letters so that they might be sent the very next day.

Although he did not say it aloud out of respect for Mr. Bennet’s feelings, Fitzwilliam had every intention of summoning young Mr. Mason as soon as possible so that Elizabeth could instruct him before their wedding.

That night, the Bennet sisters gathered in Elizabeth’s bedchamber again, but this time the prevailing mood was entirely different. The two eldest explained their plans and, remarkably, neither of the younger Miss Bennets expressed boredom with the subject.

Elizabeth found herself answering any number of questions regarding the distribution of Longbourn’s incomes and outlays.

She felt guilty that she had previously avoided discussing any particulars of the family’s finances with her younger sisters, assuming that they were only concerned with their allowances.

When she admitted as much, Catherine and Mary shared a look before Kitty responded for them both.

“No Lizzy, you were quite correct; I, for one, would not have paid you any heed. It is only now that you and Jane are leaving that I realize how much I don’t know… and how much I’ve trusted you to see to such things. We all know that Mama and Papa aren’t particularly…”

“Diligent?” suggested Mary, with a rare flash of humor that startled the others.

She was rewarded with a great, affectionate smile from Kitty. “Yes, that is just the word. We know that they aren’t very diligent with regard to their responsibilities.” She paused a moment and was somewhat relieved when Jane squeezed her hand with understanding.

Mary nodded and added quietly, “I’m not likely to be much help with the accounts, but if you could help me understand what other duties I might take on… I should like to learn.” She could not help but blush at the approving looks she received from Jane and Elizabeth.

When the Bennet sisters finally found to their respective beds, the moon was well along its course, but the abbreviated sleep held little weight when compared with the bonds of sisterly affection that had been forged.