We are in the last metres of this race and I sincerely hope you keep having a great time!!!

It's so hard to believe, dear Eli, but unfortunately to everything there's an ending sometime...



This chapter was breathtaking. I so felt for Darcy, his jealousy, worry, fear... but I don't like his lack of trust... (Evil doers are evil dreaders? ) and unreasonable behaviour. ...And what about the colonel's embarrassment. I perfectly understand his anger... ...But...but to throw the letter in front of Darcy's feet... This is almost too much angst for this old heart of mine!

Great Story!

Elena the suspense you keep us in. Oh my nerves, where is Mrs B smelling salts?
Geri

Elena, You keep us in such suspense. Oh my nerves. Where are Mrs B smelling salts?

People! You will have to wait until next Sunday for I have to sit and write the other story now, and my friend in NY has to write her own chapter...

Never mind ..there are only 5 chapters to go...So you can start with other WIPs now, I guess...

Eli!

How can you even think that we can become complacent now! We've ached, bled, cried, ranted, whined, sighed,been in the throes of ecstacy and the depths of despair...and I'll probably continue with AAITSL!
I have so enjoyed this story, tho it has pained & vexed me greatly, and I will re-read it again as soon as its completed. I'm looking forward to your other works and I'm sure you will not disappoint!

Thank You!

Frances

I LOVE THIS STORY! Good Luck with it!

I never thought it would come to this! Best friends and cousins who are more like brothers who are now in this situation. I love it! If there are only 5 chapters left I hope you will find a way to reconcile them before the end. The letter has opened Pandora's box of woes. Eli, each of your wonderful saqtisy chapters leaves me eager for more. Thanks for the exciting chapter!

Thanks Lucy, Daniaele and Frances. I am as surprised as you...believe me. It's very exciting and at the same time terribly sad to come to the end.

Lucy: I guess all will go well to almost everyone...but not everybody can live happily ever after...

Chapter 48 is up, dear readers. It's Short and bitter... Poor Darcy's, quite unnecessary to be so unhappy... *sob*

It's high time they had a good long talk together!

I'm suffering with them, dear Eli, and hope for the better soon.

Poor Mr. Darcy I'm feeling his pain. The separation and the unknown reason behind it is killing E. too.It's time for her to take initiative-go to London and have a heart-to-heart talk with her husband.Hopefully Darcy will open up to her then she needs to assure D. of her feelings for him.I sure the man's judgment is clouded with doubts.Both of them needs to look forward to their future and not the past which brings only misery.But I guess she can't do that until Mr. Wichkam leaves no? Eli, you have to relieved them of their suffering including mine.

I can't believe, after all they've been trough!! Lizzy must go to London immediately!

O.k. i was insulted at the Colonel's throwing of the letter, as if Elizabeth's thoughts are not private and for his eyes only. But please explain to us Eli what is going on through Darcy's mind now. He can not reconcile to his cousin wooing Elizabeth during the funeral? Or of Elizabeth settling her emotions with Richard during this time? Is he drawing a line in time as to when it was appropriate to have been involved and when it wasn't? Why didn't Elizabeth tell him of her engagement? Was she afraid of his reaction, this reaction? Lovely story, i think you know this!

Lorena

P.S. Will Darcy's little tryst with Jane help in all this?

I, for one, don’t feel sorry for Lizzy. Sorry girl – playing with two cousins at the same time is not very clever, even when you’re young and hot. And even after the wedding she still seemed unsure if she wants to be with this one or maybe with the other one. So she deserves every pain now.
Poor Darcy, poor Colonel.

Eli...as always you do not disappoint. My heart aches for Darcy, and for Lizzy. She was caught in some bitter circumstances and has been torn between two lovers, one she loved dearly (Richard) and one she loved passionately (Darcy).

Bitter indeed!

The chapter stated it quite eloquently...its his pride that can't reconcile the fact that Richard was her lover while his intended... I read that as Darcy thinks Lizzy was Richard's lover while she was engaged to Darcy...remember Richard told Darcy that he was having an affair with a married woman, and Darcy now thinks its Lizzy. Or, perhaps he feels the sting of knowing that Richard knows Lizzy almost as intimately as he does....Lizzy needs to go to London and talk to Darcy immediately...maybe Wickham showing up is a good thing..he can escort the ladies to London!

Eli, the next four weeks (chapters) are going to be torture!! I love it!

Eli, chapter too short! I do feel sorry for Lizzy....yes, she should have told Darcy about engagement but she is still the only one out of the three trying to be as honest as she can still keeping Darcy happy and letting the Colonel down as easy as possible. You know he (Col) is being such a snake!!! How can you let him hurt the two of them AGAIN....his play of words, telling D about his affair and letting him think its Lizzy....am I misunderstanding...hope so. Please end D&L's misery, send her to London or him home!!! They baby is coming, they deserve to share this happiness! Please!!!!!!

Chapter 48 made me quite sad. I don't know who I feel sorrier for... Lizzy, because she put herself in a very sticky situation or Darcy, because he feels betrayed or me, because I have to wait for the next installment!! Loving this story and check daily to get my next fix! Thanks so much for great writing!

Man, Darcy needs to get a grip. I knew he would be upset but I think he just needs to confront Elizabeth instead of hiding in London. He waited so long for Elizabeth and now he is going to blow it. Thanks for posting. Love the story! Post soon!!!! Cindy

DARCY!! GO HOME!!!

or LIZZY!! GO TO LONDON!!

Either way, they need to talk, NOW!

Another great chapter, can't wait for the next one.

Darcy is too much for Lizzy!

J.

OK.....I am MAD at Darcy and at YOU now....Elizabeth offered to TELL him who her fiancee was and he DIDN't Want to know!!! And now she is pregnant and alone....and he is being a HORRIBLE after all this time!!! Georgiana AND Elizabeth and maybe they are going to have to go to London....

Or I am going to have to go back to skiping several chapters until you get out of the angst again....can't STAND the cliff hangers..

I am sorry to tell you Barbara there will not be such. This is almost over, so I would not skip any chapters if I were you...

Eli,

For Darcy to be away two months while Elizabeth is pregnant, shows that his excessive pride, his major character flaw, [with an overlay of self-pity and self-absorption] is back & cranked up several clicks. You've brought back the unrehabilitated Darcy--the Darcy who confidently initially proposed to Lizzy without a courtship and treated the matter as a done deal, as if he had gone to Hunsford to buy a horse or purchase a case of wine.

It was always wrong for Lizzy and the Colonel not to reveal their broken engagement to Darcy because the Colonel is his cousin. The same would not have been true if there was no close connection due to blood or friendship.

Yet, even if keeping the secret was wrong, if Darcy's love for Lizzy is so real and attributed, shouldn't he have returned to Pemberly to speak with her and work on acceptance of the events and loving her nonetheless?

“What is love? Love is when one person knows all of your secrets... your deepest, darkest, most dreadful secrets of which no one else in the world knows... and yet in the end, that one person does not think any less of you; even if the rest of the world does.”

The canon, before his rehabilitation shows Darcy with a bizarre sense of courtship and love. With this chapter, his mindset has swung back to a point that he no longer understands healthy love. At his wedding, maybe he missed the following when he focused on having finally gotten his prize:

"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
(1 Corinthians 13)

Beautifully written but sad chapter__

STEVIEB

So sad but so good!

Thank u all.
Indeed, Darcy is and will always be Darcy, that is , a proud man. A man can change a bit during courtship but one must be aware that that is merely skin deep. In due time his true colours will reappear.


Elizabeth cannot go after him. That is not what a good R. wife would do. She must wait for him either to come back to her or call her to go to him. But major decisions await them in a few days.You just wait and see.

Okay, so she's pregnant. Darcy has to either give his wife & child up or swallow his ****able pride and get his ass home!

I still love Darcy, and I still believe that Darcy & Lizzy are two opposites that make a whole...and I can sympathize with such a proud man who must swallow a bitter pill...his choice is simple. happiness with Lizzy or life with his pride in tact.

What's it gonna be???

I love yout story but I'm so displeased at Chapter 48. It was short and frustrating. How could Darcy do such a thing? And to a pregnant wife at the same time? Such an arse! I do hope you could settle this predicament soon. Please, please update soon. It's killing me to wait so long.

Poor Darcy and Lizzy! Each suffering and wallowing on their own! Though am displeased with Darcy for his behaviour, can understand his situation and dilemma...let's hope he'll be brave enough to go back to Pemberley and talk to Lizzy, he can't leave his pregnant wife dangling without assurance. Now, what is Wickham doing over there instead?????/

Lizzie needs to not worry about what is the 'socially acceptable' thing to do. She needs to go to London and fight for her husband! And he needs to learned that she was engaged to Richard Fitzwilliam while /he/ was married to Anne. It's not fair to expect that she would have waited around forever for Anne to die.

And as long as these two live happily ever after, I could more easily accept that not everybody else will.

Darcy had better start thinking logically. The Colonel is still out there, still single, and still very much in love with Elizabeth. Elizabeth is lonely, hormonal,despondent over Darcy's treatment of her, and still feels affection for the Colonel. There is competition here Darcy! Beware and be smart! Go Home.

I can't imagine what Darcy think's he's accomplishing by staying away from his pregnant wife for months. Nothing can happen/change/improve if he never bothers to get her side of the story.

My verdict: Darcy is a COWARD! (as well as arrogant, selfish, thoughtless) If he keeps this up, he may as well divorce Lizzy so she can marry the Colonel.

Oh this is so sad. Lizzy is pregnant, D___ it Darcy straighten up and go talk to your wife, she chose you. remember?
Eli 5 more chapters? This story has been one heck of a ride and I have enjoyed every bit of it. LOVE YOU!!!!!!

I just cant imagine Darcy staying away from Lizzy while she's pregnant, it just does not make sense in any era...I know Eli of your affection for the C but this is just too sad..sad..sad

Holly smoke , Theresa! Men care two hoots for their pregnant women, in this era as well as in any other.By the by there might be an exception to the rule, I grant you. But then again these have never been married to me.

OH Julia. I thank you so much. i love you , too.

I guess I am just too sentimental....

Go home to your wife, Fitzwilliam Darcy! Urrgh! He's beginning to really tick me off.

Oh. Do not be so upset. Maybe the Colonel can console her in her distress.
By the way... I will tell you the title of next chapter:
"In a Captain Gets Engaged and a Colonel Gets to See the Woman He Loves Again."

Eli


YOU"RE EVIL!!!!

ELI, you are mean!

Muahahahah

Maybe the Colonel can console her in her distress.

WHAT? HE DID ENOUGH DAMAGE ALREADY! OMG! The Colonel will just put acid on the open wound.UGGHHHH! This is too much Eli.
annj

Oh boy, the readers are up in arms! Admittedly it didn't make me happy to watch Darcy on the brink of a resolution with his cousin only to turn to wallowing (I wanna smack him). And the despair of Lizzy being abandoned is so very tremendously sad. And the chapter did push my limits of angst tolerance when Wickham rode up at the end. Indeed, that was the moment I went, "Oh, come ON!" You want a reaction from readers, you got it!

But I actually on balance enjoyed this chapter. The ups and downs match the feel of the story thus far. More importantly, I believe (because I'm an optimist) you'll resolve things happily in the end, Eli. We will get a happy ending, right? Please?

Happiest ever, sweetheart. Fear not. Yet there is room for some mischief. Even in the throes of the end of the story, I remain conscientiously faithful to my style.

Eli

I'm afraid to ask WHO will be happy?...Do you have some diabolical trick up your sleave? Bingley & Jane need to have it out, Jane needs to figure out if she's pregnant and whose baby it is; Darcy & Lizzy need to clear the air, you've got Richard either going to Pemberley to see Lizzy (which of course will **** Darcy off) or he'll go to London and **** Darcy off there; Wickham is flirting with Georgie and he's not even divorced yet...woman we need answers!!!

Hopelessly waiting...
Frances

Oh No! Eli has pulled out her cauldron and she is a stirring.

I'm used to your style now and I do love the extent to which you deviate from and FWC!!


STEVIEB

The mistress of cliffhangers strikes once again! I love this everyone is all up in arms over Darcy's dumb reasoning again!!! Job well done and love the way you frustrate us all...Good writing once again

Ah Eli when can we possibly see chapter 49?

That depends entirely on my beta. But all teh stories will be dutifully posted weekly. By the by there might be a delation, but no more than two or three days. I understand, though. Anxiety can be exhaustive...

But then again,with things being in such a dreadful condition...do you think they can get worse?

Touche' Eli, they can only get better( I'm crossing my fingers on that )until I finish reading the last chapter.
annj

My B friend told me she will finish the chapter tomorrow. So I guess you will have it either on Monday or Tuesday. Do you think you will be able to endure until then?