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Mr Bennet looked at the man who would take his daughter away from him. He would have been unhappy with the prospect even if the two had a normal courtship. His wife might be pleased as punch. He was not only losing a daughter, but the one person in his home he could have a sensible conversation.

“My Lord, how are you enjoying the night so far?” Mr Bennet asked as he came beside Darcy, who was watching Elizabeth and the Regent dance.

“As much as I expected, sir. And please, I would like it if you did not use my title.”

“You have to get used to it at some point.”

“Not by …” Darcy hesitated, looking at the man.

“By family?”

Darcy gave a slight shrug. “A few more weeks of normalcy until all is settled would be nice.” He said, and then muttered. “If my life will ever be normal again.”

“And is it to be settled?”

“I believe they are leaning that way. Your daughter is a difficult woman to figure out.”

“There you are wrong. She is that way at the moment because her guard is up. You did not appear to have any issues with her before when you two spent a fair amount of time in each other’s company. It was only when the gossip started that her walls went up, so to speak. Breach those defenses, and it will change. Not that she will swoon into your arms, but she will soften towards you and figure it out if she hasn’t already.”

The description from Mr Bennet brought to mind thoughts of what might have been Richard’s last moments. Why had the bloody fool stormed the breach in the walls in the first wave? It had been a reckless and selfish act. As a staff officer he had promised them his life would be boring and at little risk unless things went sideways. He refocused on Mr Bennet.

“On those occasions, we were simply talking about this or that. They were not life-changing discussions.”

“The circumstances have changed, not the two people.”

“Would you force her into marriage? Not that that is what I want. It would not make a good start in a marriage with her.”

“I’ve told her as much. If I could go through it, is another thing. It is not a place I ever expected to be in, especially from her. Lydia, on the other hand, I would have my doubts. With my cousin, no. She would wither on the vine with a man like him.”

“But you do believe her, us?”

“As I have told her. It does not matter what I believe or even what the truth might be. It is what others believe.”

“Elizabeth… Miss Elizabeth might not care what they think, but you are a different story.”

Mr Bennet tried not to smirk at his mistake. “Lizzy does not have other daughters to consider. What do you suppose they are talking about?” He asked, indicating with his head.

Darcy looked at the couple most eyes in the room were following.

“I am told his favorite subject is the horses.”

Mr Bennet chuckled. “If I were a gambling man like him. I would bet he did not come here to dance with my Lizzy to discuss horse racing.”

“He came to see the woman that turned me down.”

Mr Bennet could not help but laugh. “Did he really?”

Darcy nodded.

“As her father, I should ask what prompts you to want her as your bride. If nothing happened, why? And please spare me the; it is the honorable thing to do routine.”

Darcy took his time answering. “Considering my new circumstances. I require a wife for an heir,” he said, “and need help with my two wards. I already made a botch of it with one.”

“Please, please, please, Mr Darcy.” He said, perturbed. “Those are justifications. What is your reason?”

“I like her,” he admitted without hesitation. “I enjoy her company. She is different from other women I know.”

“See, that was simple.”

“Why did you marry?”

“A pretty face, willing lips. I thought it was a good idea at the time… beguiled by her looks.”

“Do you regret…it?”

“That is complicated,” Mr Bennet said quickly. “Sometimes, I wonder, but then I see my daughters. My wife is rather simple to please. She is happy with her pin money and her parties. I think she might have been different if we had a son. She was a different woman from what you see now, until Lydia was born. After that, no more children could be had. Not being able to produce an heir to keep the estate changed her. She began to worry about everything, things that did not matter. A son would have made her worries less complicated.”

He looked over at his wife, who was fanning herself from the warmth of the room as she watched her daughter dance. While age had taken some of the beauty of her youth, he still found her attractive.

“If you will excuse me Mr Darcy. I am sure we will talk again,” Mr Bennet said, leaving to be with his wife.

The set ended, and the Regent offered Elizabeth his arm. Instead of taking her back to her mother as she had expected, he steered her directly towards Darcy.

“Come, my boy, please follow us.”

“Certainly, Sir,” he said with a curt bow, wondering at the informality of his address.

The Regent led them to the drawing room and opened the door.

“Your friend has kindly allowed me to use this room. In you go,” he said, motioning for them to enter. He then stood in the doorway. “You two work on resolving your issues. I am not saying you have to agree on the marriage articles. I would be most pleased if you came out with a way to move forward.”

Before they could reply, he shut the door.”