En route to Netherfield on horseback, Fitzwilliam Darcy is caught in a heavy, unexpected snowstorm. When he stumbles across a carriage accident, with a dead driver wearing Longbourn livery, he fears the worst upon finding an empty carriage. He sets out to find the missing Bennet, hoping it is not his beloved Elizabeth. When he finds her, and it is his love, he is determined to save them both from the elements. Taking shelter in an abandoned cottage is their only choice, but it will compromise them. Darcy will gladly offer for Elizabeth, but will she accept? Have her feelings changed since Hunsford?This sensual variation tinkers with Ms. Austen's timeline. In this version, Lizzy was in London when Darcy was at Longbourn with Bingley. When he called at the Gardiners' in London, she had already returned home, leaving him to assume she deliberately avoided him due to not having changed her opinion about him, and leaving Lizzy thinking he had vanquished his love for her when she did not hear from him. Misunderstandings and an abundance of pride still separate ODC at the start of this tale.
