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Jane and Mr Bingley were standing together by the rose garden still speaking quietly.

As they watched, he raised his hand slowly, and brushed a piece of Jane’s hair out of her face and gently brushed his fingers against her cheek.

Jane’s head was down and tilted slightly to the side as she looked up at him shyly.

As he touched her cheek he said something which Mary and Elizabeth were too far away to hear.

Jane, however, had no problem hearing, and she lifted her face towards him, blushing a slight pink as she smiled at him.

Elizabeth had seen enough. “Come Mary, I think we should go and see how Charlotte is; it has been an age since I last saw her.” Not waiting for an answer she grabbed Mary by the arm and pulled her away from Jane and Mr Bingley, ignoring Mary’s complaints as she went.

They did not stay long at the Lucas’s’; Mary did not visit them with Elizabeth very often and wanted to return home to her book and instrument.

Elizabeth enjoyed the visit, although her mind was not at all present.

No, her thoughts were with her eldest sister and the young man who she hoped she would soon hereafter be calling her brother.

As they walked towards the house, they saw Jane and Mr Bingley on the path ahead of them so they entered the house a few seconds before Elizabeth and Mary.

Mary disappeared upstairs the moment they were inside.

Jane was at the other end of the corridor, while Mr Bingley had disappeared from sight. Jane turned when she heard Elizabeth.

“Oh Lizzy.” Jane said as she rushed to embrace her sister.

Elizabeth felt a release of emotion she did not even realise she had been clinging to as she saw Jane’s smile.

It reminded her of before her father’s illness, when there was still hope that they would have a brother one day to save them.

Jane could have no reserves from Elizabeth, where confidence would give pleasure; and instantly embracing her, acknowledged, with the liveliest emotion, that she was the happiest creature in the world.

“‘Tis too much!” she added, “by far too much. I do not deserve it. Oh! Why isn’t everybody as happy?”

Elizabeth’s congratulations were given with a sincerity, a warmth, a delight, which words could but poorly express. Every sentence of kindness was a fresh source of happiness to Jane.

“He loves me.” Jane spoke rather breathlessly as they walked into the breakfast room, since they would be assured to have it to themselves.

“Of course he does, I never doubted it for a moment.”

“He has gone to Mother.” Jane continued more seriously. “I told him about Father. He told me he would have spoken weeks ago, but he was worried that something was wrong and that I would not have accepted him so he waited.”

“Is he in any doubt of your affections now?”

Jane laughed, “Why is everyone not as happy as I am? Oh Lizzy, if only I could see you as happy. I must go to Father. He would want to hear it from me before Mama tells everyone in the house. He wanted to go to Papa himself, but I said he is still ill. That he can speak to him this evening.

Elizabeth was delighted by Jane’s news. At least one of them would be happy.

Jane’s smile was infectious and Elizabeth could not help but enjoy the glow of Jane’s happiness.

Mrs Bennet’s cries of delight could be heard from the other room.

Elizabeth and Jane were sitting together quietly waiting for Mr Bingley to return from speaking to Mrs Bennet.

“Dear Jane! I knew she could not be so beautiful for nothing.” Mrs Bennet enthusiastically declared to Mr Bingley. “You will stay for dinner of course Dear Mr Bingley?”

Mrs Bennet came through the doorway where Mr Bingley could answer and she continued speaking. “Jane, my dearest Jane, there you are!” She sat down next to Jane, patting her hand. “Lizzy ran up to your father and told him the good news.”

“Yes Mama.”

“Oh my dear Jane, I am so happy.” Mrs Bennet cried. “Mrs Bingley, how well that sounds.”

Elizabeth smiled at Jane, curtseyed to Mr Bingley, who was smiling broadly at Jane as he took Elizabeth’s seat next to Jane. Elizabeth had just reached the door when Mrs Bennet prattle was directed at her again.

“Lizzy ring the bell for Hill. ”

“Yes Mama.” Elizabeth laughed as she turned around to pull the bell by the fireplace.

“Lizzy - tell Mary to come down.”

“Yes Mama.”

“You’ll have to wait to be married after Lizzy is married to Mr Collins.

” Mrs Bennet continued seriously. “Since their wedding is in less than three weeks there is nothing to be done about wedding clothes for you before then. But when your sister is Mrs Collins and off with her new husband at Hunsford we can go up to London and look for your wedding clothes”

“Mama-” Jane tried to interrupt, but Mrs Bennet was not as easily put aside.

“I must write to my sister Mrs Gardiner-” Elizabeth heard no more as she went to speak to her father.

When she returned she found Mr Bingley alone, for Mrs Bennet and Jane had gone upstairs to look for something.

He claimed the good wishes and affection of a sister.

Elizabeth honestly and heartily expressed her delight in the prospect of their relationship.

They shook hands with great cordiality; and then, till her sister came down, she had to listen to all he had to say of his own happiness, and of Jane’s perfections; and in spite of his being a lover, Elizabeth really believed all his expectations of felicity to be rationally founded, because they had for basis the excellent understanding, and super-excellent disposition of Jane, and a general similarity of feeling and taste between her and himself .

It was an evening of no common delight to them all; the satisfaction of Miss Bennet’s mind gave a glow of such sweet animation to her face, and made her look handsomer than ever.

Kitty simpered and smiled, and hoped her turn was coming soon.

Mrs Bennet could not give her consent or speak her approbation in terms warm enough to satisfy her feelings, though she talked to Bingley of nothing else for half an hour.

When their visitor took his leave for the night; Mrs Bennet turned to Jane again.

“ “Oh! my dear, dear Jane, I am so happy! I am sure I shan’t get a wink of sleep all night. I knew how it would be. I always said it must be so, at last. I was sure you could not be so beautiful for nothing! I remember, as soon as I saw him, when he first came into Hertfordshire last year, I thought how likely it was that you should come together. Oh! He is the handsomest young man that has ever been seen!”

Mr Collins, Elizabeth, were all forgotten. Jane was beyond competition for her favourite child. At that moment, she cared for no other. Her younger sisters soon began to take interest with her for objects of happiness which she might in future be able to dispense.

Mary petitioned for the use of the library at Netherfield; and Kitty and Lydia begged very hard for a few balls there every winter and trips to London.

Bingley, from this time, was of course a daily visitor at Longbourn; coming frequently before breakfast, and always remaining till after supper; unless when some barbarous neighbour, who could not be sufficiently detested, had given him an invitation to dinner which he thought himself obliged to accept.

Elizabeth had little time for conversation with her sister; for while he was present, Jane had no attention to bestow on anyone else; but she found herself considerably useful to both of them in those hours of separation that must sometimes occur.

In the absence of Jane, he always attached himself to Elizabeth, for the pleasure of talking of her; and when Bingley was gone, Jane constantly sought the same means of relief.

The weeks passed swiftly, bringing them to mid-March.

In just a few days, on the eighteenth, Elizabeth would become Mrs Collins.

Her father had argued for a longer engagement, suggesting they wait until after Easter, but Mrs Bennet and Mr Collins had been adamant.

The date had been chosen carefully to allow them time to travel to Hunsford before Easter Sunday, though Elizabeth tried not to think too much about the journey that would take her away from everything she had ever known.

Mr Collins had been particularly insistent, citing his duties to his parish and Lady Catherine’s wishes, while her mother’s nerves could not bear the thought of any delay that might jeopardise the match.