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It had rattled Elizabeth to the core when she heard what her father and his cousin had plotted the night before.

That Kiernan had recruited help from his seventeen-year-old brother and the servants to protect her meant so much to her.

Despite that, the malicious intent from someone in her home was appalling.

She was on her second cup of calming tea.

Charlotte had come calling, but Elizabeth struggled to act naturally, her mind plagued with the terrors of what had almost happened.

It was not the time to discuss what had transpired the night before and Elizabeth had trouble coming up with topics of conversation.

Charlotte knew her well enough to know something was amiss and that Elizabeth had no desire to discuss it, making their conversation unusually terse.

Charlotte viewed her friend with a critical eye. “I do hope you are not coming down with something. You are quite pale.”

“I had some distressing news when I saw Kiernan this morning and I am trying to make sense of it.” Elizabeth put her teacup down with a slight rattle.

“I am sure that you will tell me when you are able. In the meantime, please know I am here for you.” Charlotte was pragmatic, and she tried not to ask anything of anyone that they could not do.

“Thank you, I will. Would you like a biscuit or more tea?” Elizabeth offered.

She observed the room, checking for any signs of distress from Maria, Kitty, or Lydia.

Jane and Mary were in the stillroom working on a lotion they were both fond of.

Mama was meeting with Mrs. Allen to plan meals for the week.

It was a nice day, but she dreaded her father or Mr. Collins showing themselves.

Mr. Collins walked into the room, moving stiffly and feeling the results of the night before.

It had been quite a while since he had experienced such intense pain.

He had once impulsively ridden a horse around his parish, but the horse’s wild movements resulted in him being thrown to the ground.

Thereafter, he never attempted to ride and had the ill-mannered horse sold.

If only this situation was so easily handled.

He had tried to tell his cousin of the disrespect he endured, but what was his reaction? He laughed! Bennet’s laughter erupted from his mouth, spraying his desk with the port he had been drinking. Now Collins was at a loss for what to do. More than that, his face and chest ached.

Charlotte was never averse to being introduced to a suitable gentleman. “I have not had the privilege of being introduced to your cousin, Elizabeth. Would you mind doing so?”

“Certainly. Miss Lucas, may I present my cousin Mr. Wilberforce Collins. Mr. Collins, my good friend Miss Charlotte Lucas.” Elizabeth could not understand the desire of her friend to know such a dreadful man.

Eager to receive some recognition, he joyfully bounded forward to cater to the new woman.

She did not hold a candle to his cousins, but they had fallen out of favor with him.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lucas.” Mr. Collins tried to bow respectfully, but found this exacerbated his broken nose and made his head throb.

He blindly groped his way to his chair, and with a heavy thud, he plopped down into it.

Charlotte watched with worry as the chair creaked and groaned in response.

Charlotte softly inquired, “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but it seems like you’re injured. Whatever happened?”

He was in no position to tell the truth, but was pleased with her respectful form of questioning him. “I, um, I ran into something in the dark last night.”

“Maybe you should have stayed in your room and not gone exploring where you do not belong,” Lydia spoke up from across the room. She had no warmth for the man who had wanted to commit her sister to a life of degradation.

The door opened and Mrs. Hill announced that the Netherfield party had come calling.

She curtsied as they passed her—Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy in the lead with Miss Bingley sullenly following.

Standing, Elizabeth invited them to sit and asked Mrs. Hill to bring more tea and refreshments.

While Elizabeth was performing the introductions, Kitty excused herself for a moment to fetch Jane and Mary.

Mr. Collins couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw his noble patroness’s nephew arrive at his cousin’s house. “Mr. Darcy of Pemberley?”

“Yes, do you know it?” Mr. Darcy looked at the overly stout man before him. Two black eyes and a broken nose marred his face.

At his servile best, he bowed and scraped even while seated across from Darcy.

“Not so you would say, but my esteemed patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh speaks of it and her nephew regularly. Let me assure you that as my taking leave of her not six days ago, she was in perfect health, as was your cousin Miss Anne de Bourgh.” Pausing for breath, he noticed that Mr. Darcy had sat next to Elizabeth on the settee.

“You should not be sitting next to my cousin. What would your fiancé, the Rose of Kent, think?”

His words took Darcy aback. He had felt comfortable with the Bennet ladies, and they accepted him.

It was rather surprising that someone in their home would behave so.

Seeing the upset faces around the room gave him the courage he needed to counter the imbecile.

“Who told you such scurrilous lies? I will have you know I am engaged to no one. I am not and have never been engaged to my cousin Anne. As for where I sit, that is my choice and Anne may think what she wishes, as I have no connection to her beyond the ties of blood,” Darcy exclaimed.

“Why, your esteemed aunt Lady Catherine speaks of it often. Everyone in Kent is aware of your engagement. It is of long standing. An arrangement made between your mothers at your birth. Do not let my impertinent cousin distract you from your duty. She is comely enough but does not even have her sister’s beauty.

She also has an independent streak her father and I are trying to rid her of.

” Wilberforce was beyond confused. Why were things not going as they should?

His cousin Thomas laughed at him when some unknown lout injured him.

Elizabeth showed him no respect, even though her father had agreed to their marriage.

The only person who had shown him genuine regard since he got here was the woman who must surely be nearly on the shelf.

And now his patroness’s nephew was challenging her dictates. What was the world coming to?

Mrs. Bennet was very glad Mrs. Hill had alerted her.

To witness that man disparaging her daughter stirred her ire beyond what she could tolerate.

“Mr. Collins, I fear your head injury has made you irrational and you are saying things you do not mean. I am sure you never meant to insult my guest and my daughter. I ask you to leave this room, sir.” Her voice stern, she brooked no room for disagreement.

She had long had to put up with her husband, but she would not allow a man visiting her home to insult her daughter so in company.

Mr. Collins had never been so upset and confused.

Standing, he gave no bow to the matron of the house as he passed her.

She deserved no respect; none of them deserved respect.

If his beloved Lady Catherine had not commanded him to return married or, at the very least, engaged, he would have returned to his parish already.

Charlotte Lucas quietly excused herself and followed him out of the room. She saw an opportunity and took it.

Darcy witnessed the trembling in Elizabeth’s hands and wanted to separate her from the group and make sure she was all right.

Something in him demanded that he help the lady who had already helped him so much.

“Mrs. Bennet, I was just thinking that I would love to stretch my legs. Would it be too presumptuous of me to request to walk with Miss Elizabeth in your garden?”

“That would be superb. Be sure to get her to show you the bench under the arbor. It is quite charming.” Her smile was quite maternal as she watched him offer his arm to her distressed daughter.

Noticing Jane and Mary's presence, she grouped everyone to converse and served tea, thwarting Miss Bingley's attempt to follow the couple.

Darcy did not miss how tight Elizabeth clutched at his arm.

How could a man who was her relative treat her so?

It was not right. “Miss Elizabeth, tell me if I can do anything to help you recover your equanimity.” He placed a reassuring hand over hers, resting on the crook of his right arm, to provide her with comfort.

“Just walk with me for a time. It has been a very trying day.” Elizabeth was eminently grateful for Mr. Darcy’s support.

Time passed nicely as they walked in companionable silence.

Once having walked enough to return to her naturally curious state, Elizabeth wondered at some of her cousin’s statements.

“Mr. Darcy, I know my cousin is a fool, but I am curious about the things he was spouting. Is your aunt trying to get you to marry her daughter?”

Though Darcy had no involvement in the plot, its annoying existence kept rearing its head.

“Yes; after my father died, she started prattling about it incessantly. I have never agreed with her plan. I do not agree with cousins marrying each other.” Darcy had often wondered why so many people supported the practice as they did.

“Is it just that you do not want that sort of connection with your cousin, or is that based on another principle?” Elizabeth certainly did not want to marry her cousin.

“I have worked with animals long enough to know you do not breed animals that are closely related without risking significant issues arising in the offspring. My cousin suffers from very poor health, and I fear it is the same ailment that brought my mother to an early grave. I would not want to pass the illness on to any children of mine.” People had often told Darcy that his opinions were ridiculous, and he was curious to know what Elizabeth thought.

“That is very logical. I am struggling with a similar problem and find myself just as opposed to marrying my cousin.” Elizabeth did not know why she felt comfortable sharing this with Mr. Darcy, but she did.

“Please tell me you are not being encouraged to marry that presumptuous fellow I just met.” That would be a truly uneven match. Darcy could not even stomach the idea.

Elizabeth felt an irresistible urge to tell Mr. Darcy of her troubles.

She had a feeling that he could provide her with the solace she longed for.

“My father and Mr. Collins have been conspiring to force my hand. In fact, young Kiernan saved me only last night. He had heard their plotting to have Mr. Collins sneak into my room. They know I will refuse an offer and are seeking other means.” Elizabeth resented that her voice was not the confident and assured one that she was used to hearing when she spoke.

It sounded small and lost, and she hated that her father still had the power to affect her so.

“What happened? Are you all right, Miss Elizabeth?” His dark, coffee-colored eyes widened in shock.

“I have been staying in one of my sisters’ rooms since he arrived.

I had thought it was a foolish precaution, but I was wrong.

Kiernan got his older brother Knox to hide in my bedroom with him, and when Mr. Collins showed up, it did not go well for him.

Knox has an apprenticeship with the blacksmith and tolerates no disrespect to women of any age or kind.

” As affected by everything as she was, Elizabeth still would have liked to be witness to the goings on.

Seeing the sniveling man taken down a peg would have been nice.

“That would explain his broken nose. I applaud young Kiernan’s actions and those of his brother.” Darcy could not fathom being so unsafe in one’s home. His own home had not been happy, but he had the best of everything and had certainly never worried about his safety.

Elizabeth was just as glad that Kiernan had acted as he did, maybe more so.

“Yes, between Kiernan, his brother, and Mrs. Allen, they handled everything last night without my knowing. It was a shock to learn about it this morning. I know my father is not a good man, but to find out that he suggested to Mr. Collins that he sneak into my bedroom at night has been too much.”

“Are you and your sisters safe? With him staying here?” Darcy questioned.

“We have been staying in pairs and now we have even arranged for the maids to stay in our rooms at night. It should not be this unsettled for long. He must return to his parish and your aunt in less than a fortnight.” They were all counting down the hours and Elizabeth was thinking of calculating the minutes.

“I fear for you, Miss Elizabeth. This is a lot to handle.” Darcy wished there was some way he could protect the Bennet ladies, but society and the law were against him.

Women were basically property, and husbands and fathers could decide how they were to be treated.

He could not even offer them refuge, as Mr. Bennet had the right to demand them back.

Maybe he could discuss this with his cousin when he arrived.

“I grew up in an uncertain environment and it has taught me the power of resilience. My courage always rises to the occasion.” Elizabeth hoped, at least, that would continue to hold true.