LOL! AM glad we have concensus on the drapes! Tracy: *applause for analysis* BTW, the Georgians loved bright colours too. I also covet that yellow of the entrance hall. Did anyone wonder if his bedroom also doubled as Drawing Room at Lucas Lodge? Sorry, not v. drool-worthy speculation. Bed looks v. comfy and huge. Imagine the curtains drawn, the soft glow from the fire...

Oh, and the Pier glass. Let us not forget interesting potential of full-length mirror near bed.

...the heat from the bed

oops that was in response to 1301 but the mirror sounds good to me,

...the friction...

off the rubbing?

oh yes, no need for etchings here! Ok Tracy, where'd ya go? Bethanne?

LOL there's no escape,I'm still here.

You'd better be! I didn't ask where others were in hopes you'd disappear on me!

I know but I'd always catch you elsewhere! I love Darcy!! (just in case anyone wonders why I'm here-D)

LOL! Would that be in his kilt or his breeches? And when and where did you love him?

All over him once I removed his kilt & breeches (v. trendy that wearing skirt over trousers-D)

Yikes....what have we started here ? Yup, red is a very erotic colour isn't it ? That's why I couldn't resist the strawberry bit in "Darcy dines at Longbourn" Plus have you noticed that his bed is a four poster job ? Were silk scarves in vogue in Regency Times ? Ooops, sory...wrong movie, thats Basic Instinct ( gulp ) Anyway, if I don't answer it's because I'm outside trying to rescue all of my potted plants from the torrential downpour we are having right now.....cue lust filled thoughts of Darcy striding towards Pemberley, all damp and magnificant...take it away Sadie and Judy !!!!

LOL! a triple entendre! v.good. Skirt over trousers: Nice... You mean yours? Hmmmm. Nice for you, anyway. Shaggability (his) V. high. -D

Oops, we crossed posts, Bethanne! Hope your rescue mission is successful! Silk scarves, nice! Although, Darcy comes fully equipped with long cravat wound around his neck. Four poster, oh yes, I noticed.

I missed that post Sadie but I didn't realise I was so clever,nice of you to let everyone know-D skirt over trousers-like being on top.

what about tying him to the bed with that silk scarf?

Crisp white linen is more the thing, imho.

yes! Don't you just want to unravel that neckcloth, tie him up to those posts, and lie against that white linen shirt, and then...*ding, ding, ding* is not fanfic board. My lips are sealed. (No, don't go there!)

Too late I've been 'sexy legs' as long as you've no plans to wrap them round Darcy.

LOL! Are we on to a shirt war then? But I have to go for now, so next round will have to wait. (Mental note to self: Keep your back to the blue ropes.) Am having girls' night out tonight. Lunch with Mr.B tomorrow. Will email you. Consider him wrapped and ready to go.

O my God, how could I have not remembered he wears cravats, what's the matter with me ? Remember, pond scene, where he unbuttons waistcoat and snaps his cravat off, with a delicious flick of his wrist ? I wonder if CF practiced undressing after each days shoot, so he could undo his cravat with such ease, later on ? ( Reminds me of the great scene at Rosings where he gets up from the sofa, click and flick, remember ? ) Anyway, I can just se him undoing it a wee bit slower, as he drawwwwwwwwwws out the moment, and Lizzie, quivering with anticipation, wonders what on earth is he going to do with it ? Maybe he has just returned from a hard days in the saddle ( !!!!!!!) visiting with his tenants and he is all hot and sweaty, his shirt plastered damply to his chest ( gulp )

can't wait! have a great meal .I'm left with Mr D!!!!

Ok, now I'm really leaving! Bethanne, you've left me leaving all drooly. Judy, You got me this time!

He had to force his brain away from the tempting, tantalising vision in his head, of her mouth opening slowly for him, as he... Oops! have fallen off chair! OH Bethanne, this is marvelous! I love the way you all are taking this apart! this drool heaven here!

Here you go ladies, part 2 of Darcy dinning at Longbourn. I know I said I would post part 2 on Topic 130, but I'm putting it here as I need to be able to read back over Part 1, so I don't repeat myself. If I bounce back and forth between Topic 112 and 130, my piece of crap computer will log me off. So apologies for cluttering up Darcy Drool with my meanderings. I promise any further episodes, will go on Fanfic 130. MR DARCY DINES AT LONGBOURN. PART: 2 Mr Bennet stood back and let his guests preceed him into the hallway, as they filed slowly out of the dinning room. He was quite taken aback to recieve a blinding smile from Mr Darcy as he passed by. " Odd fellow " thought Mr Bennet. Darcy had not spoken much over dinner, in fact, he seemed rather distant and distracted throughout the entire meal. Mr Bennet remembered hearing Darcy spoken of as a proud, disagreeable sort, but Mr Bennet really couldn't see why. Mr Bennet respected people who didn't rattle on needlessly and, he liked the fact Darcy only seemed to speak, when he felt that he had something of interest something to say. He tried to remember something his wife had told him once, of Darcy insulting his beloved daughter Lizzie, at a dance in Meryton, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. Anyway, to judge by the flushed sparkle in Lizzie's eyes as she danced with Mr Darcy, the following week at Netherfield, she didn't appear to hold it against him. Mr Darcy took a deep breath and walked on into the Bennet's gracious hall way. The other gentlemen moved into Mr Bennet's study momemtarily, to look at some first editions folios, newly arrived from London. He, however, headed for the drawing room, drawn there irrestibly, as if by some invisible nagnet. He looked up as he walked and his heart stopped, as he saw Elizabeth sitting in the drawing room with a look of utter boredom on her face. Hill, the Bennet's housekeeper entered the room with a coffee urn and not seeing Mr Darcy, she closed the door partially behind her. Darcy, however could still see Lizzie and he couldn't help but wonder at all the impatient, furtive glances she cast at the doorframe. What was she looking for ? Could she be as eager to see him as he was to see her ? Did she feel that an absense of even 30 minutes was too long ? His heart pounded even faster, as he suddenly realised with a spurt of intense joy that she never had a bored look on her face when she was with him....ang y, impatient, amused, indignant, yes...but never bored ! His eyes swept hungrily over her face, loving the shadows cast by the firelight on her beautiful, smooth throat. He imagined himself tracing the same lines with his tongue, as she dug her nails into the bare skin of his back, leaving 10 perfectly formed, half-crescent moon shaped, scars on his naked back. He imagined her moans as he sucked a tiny, smooth, piece of skin into his mouth...proudly marking her as she marked him. Were the moans that rang out in the silence of the Bennet's hallway, her imagined ones or his real ones ? With a quick shake of his head, Darcy gathered his thoughts and moved to join the other gentlemen in the library. Before too long, they were done admiring Mr Bennet's prized folios and they proceeded on into the drawing room. Darcy's heart nearly stopped at the look of intense joy, that spread across Lizzie's face as he walked into the room. She quickly lowered his her head, but not before he saw a look that catapulted him back to that joyous evening at Pemberley 4 weeks before, when Lizzie seemed to enjoy, even invite his admiration as she played the piano. He moved over to where Lizzie sat as if in a daze. Did he imagine it or did she move her skirts just imperceptibly, to allow him room to sit down ? Just before he reached her, Maria Lucas leaned over to talk to Lizzie and to his intense annoyance showed no signs of moving away. Muttering a curse under his breath, he accepted a cup of coffee from Mrs Hill and moved away to stand at the opposite end of the room, where he could still watch his beloveds reflection in the window. He was tremendously heartened by the look of intense annoyance that flashed accros her face at Maria'a interferance. He leaned his hot forehead on the cool glass of the window and closed his eyes briefly. As his eyes were closed he missed the looks of intense longing on Lizzie's face as she looked at his ramrod straight back standing by the window. He had no idea how his tall, black clad torso was affecting her. Her fingers has itched all evening long, to reach beneath his beautiful silk waistcoat and undo the crisply starched cravat, to reveal the thin lawn shirt beneath. She had seen once, before what lay beneath his damp, shirt as it clung lovingly to his chest after an impromptu swim at Pemberley. The vision had tortured her these past 4 weeks and, she was racked with guilt for feeling things that she knew no well brought up young lady should feel. Earlier, over dinner she had gotten up to assist Mrs Hill, when the soup tureen proved to heavy for her. Her eyes were irrestibly drawn to Mr Darcy and as his head was turned toward her mother, he didn't see the blush overcome her features, as her eyes fell helplessly on the bulging muscles of his thighs within his fine fawn coloured breeches. Mr Darcy had ridden over to Longbourn and, he wore leather boots polished to such a shine she could almost see the hungry look on her ownface as she gazed at his long, muscular leather shod legs stretched out before him. With a tremendous effort of will she attended to Maria's converstion, but her eyes continued to eat him up and her ears strained to catch the few word that escaped his lips whenever sombody spoke to him. The deep, melodious voice drifted back to her too infrequently and, she just barely mananged to maintain her composure by listening instead, to one of Sir William's funny tales. Darcy was not having as much luck. He watched Lizzie smile at Sir William and was eaten alive with an intense jealousy that she wasn't smiling at him like that. T The lustrous, brown curls at the top of her head, danced as she laughed. He had to fight the urge to just walk over to her and, rip the tiny roses holding up her hair out, and let her gorgeous, shining locks tumble down about her shoulders. He would wrap her hair around his fingers with one hand and bury his face in its rich, apple-scented softness while using the other hand to rip the frint od her dress off, revealing whether or not

Stupid compuer...it just logged me off and posted this before I was finished. So, sorry for the confusion and here is where the above left off. O yeah, ignore the last paragraph. Darcy was not having as much luck. He watched Lizzie smile at Sir William and he was eaten alive with an intense jealousy that she wasn't smiling at him like that. The beautiful ruby cross that Elizabeth always wore around her neck sparkled in the fire light and his eyes were uncontrollably drawn to where it lay gently between her breasts. His eyes slipped even lower, to where her heart beat beneath the beautiful ivory silk of her dress. The smooth, creamy expanse of her chest made his throat go dry as he imagined himself licking his way down from the gold chain, to where its pendant lay....his tongue flicking out to enclose, lick and suckle the ripe mounds of flesh that Elizabeth lifed up to his mouth............. A sudden movement of Elizaeth's head brought him crashing back to reality, as he saw her beautiful, lustrous curls bounce and bob as she laughed at something Sir William said. He had to fight the urge to cross to the other end of the room, kicking over the chairs that got in his way, and pull her up out of her seat with one hand and, pull out the tiny roses that held her hair up, with the other. He had such a longing to bury his face in the long, apple-scented softness of her hair that his fingers itched. He would turn her face up to his and watch the excitement flare in her eyes, as he ripped her bodice open to find out for himself if her hear beat as rapidly as his did. "I can't take much more of this" he thought to himself " I am losing my mind over this woman ! " He stood for a few more moments and conversed with one of the Lucas boys, in an effort to compose his thoughts. Once he felt in control of himself he walked slowly over to Elizabeth, trying not to spill the by now, stone cold coffee in his cup. He stood in front of her with his coffee cup and saucer and tried to speak, but found that all his powers of converstion had deserted him. Lizzie's small hand closed around the saucer to put it back on the table, but Darcy found to his embarresment that he just couldn't let go of it. He clung on to it as a drowning man would to a lifejacket. He looked down and saw her tiny hand, dwarfed by his much larger one and was suddenly short of breath. Lizzie seemed similarly afflicted and he watched the rapid rise and fall of her chest with facination. Finally, she was the one to break the spell, that seemed to have wound its way around them. "Mr Darcy ?" she said in a tiny voice. She didn't sound at all like her normal,composed self. He let go of the cup and as she did so, his fingers brushed slightly against hers. He felt a bolt of lightening go up his arm at her touch and could soon feel the effects of it in single every part of his body. Lizzie started up a conversation and, enquired most kindly, after his sister, Georgina, who much to his delight, Lizzie had met and seemed to really take to, 4 weeks previously at Pemberley. However, Darcy found hmself in the mortifying physical predicament, of not being able to converse for very long. Upon seeing Maria Lucas lean over once more to talk to Lizzie, he bowed slightyly and once more walked away from her To his intense relief, Mrs Bennet soon invited the assembled party to partake of a Whist drive and he was further parted from the temptation that Elizabeth Bennet represented, for the remainder of the evening. Phew.......thats it ladies. Jeez, I hate that its so long. I wanted to edit a lot of it out and correct all of my spelling mistakes, but my computer posted the first two thirds before I was done, so I had no choice but to follow it to its conclusion. God, I'm pooped !! No more FanFic for me for a while !!

(Bethanne)I hate that its so long. You're going to be the only one who does! Wow, that was deliciously steamy. Please write more soon! (Have you tried writing in Word and then cutting and pasting into box? That might be easier.) "I can't take much more of this" he thought to himself " I am losing my mind over this woman ! " *sigh* How nice to see the full extent of his torture! This was very enjoyable; I really hope you keep writing!

Yes, Bethanne, you must keep writing! Thank you for this treat.

Bethanne this is so romantic!! Please, please you must write more... He had no idea how his tall, black clad torso was affecting her. Her fingers has itched all evening long, to reach beneath his beautiful silk waistcoat and undo the crisply starched cravat, to reveal the thin lawn shirt beneath... her eyes fell helplessly on the bulging muscles of his thighs within his fine fawn coloured breeches. Mr Darcy had ridden over to Longbourn and, he wore leather boots polished to such a shine she could almost see the hungry look on her ownface as she gazed at his long, muscular leather shod legs stretched out before him. *sigh* am one large puddle of drool :-P~~~~~~~~

Hi guys, thanx for your favourable response. I am somewhat relieved. I was so bleery-eyed with tiredness toward the end, that I didn't really know what I was writing. I had the beginning bouncing around in my head for a day or so but nothing beyond the first paragraph or two. So I was making the rest up as I went along.....not a good idea as my somewhat longwinded style always needs to be edited in my head, before I actually write it. When my computer began acting up, I knew I'd have to finish the damm thing in one go or lose it all. I was very proud that I had managed to avoid all references to "bulging breeches", but I was just so ready to crawl into bed, that I had no choice but to give our darling boy a massive boner, so that he could walk away from Lizzie and I could get some sleep !!

Oh, Bethanne, you do have a way with words! How delicious. Your post from yesterday even inspired me to pull out the PP2 tapes again. I was watching the opening scene last night, where Darcy and Bingley ride their horses back toward Netherfield, and noticed that whereas Darcy was perfectly erect in his saddle, Bingley --dare I say it-- was quite flaccid! :-P Also love all the posts about the missing scenes in PP2. Makes me want to read the book all over again.

Yup, he does sit a horse rather well, doesn't he ? Do you have the book " The Making of Pride and Predudice" by Sue Birtwhistle ? If you do, go to page 96 and take a look at the pic of our boy astride his horse. Does this take your breath away or what ? This is where I got my inspiration in my story, for Lizzie being momentarily overcome with lustfilled thoughts at the sight of him in boots and breeches. If you don't have it, maybe somebody could post a pic of it, if that doesn't infringe copyright rules. It's the opening page of the interview with Colin. Also, remember at Rosings, where he cuts across Lizzie's path on horseback, as she is out for a stroll ? Have you ever seen such a MASSIVE stallion in all your life ? ( and the horse isn't half bad either...... sorry, I couldn't resist ! )

Doesn't this stuff belong on 130? :-)

*fanning herself vigorously!* Whew! Bethanne! Whew! You must put this on 130, so that it will be on display for eternity... and then I can read it again and again and again. Just... drooly!

Danielle - How do I put "Darcy dines at Longbourn" on 130 without having to re-type the entire thing ?

I'm not Danielle... but all you have to do is highlight the text and press control C (this will copy the text to your clipboard) then when your cursor is where you want the text to go, you press control V - and it will paste it there. Good Luck :-) Esbee

Bethanne, glad you published. ;-) Haven't been to 130 yet but I hope to see more stuff from you there. (Bethanne re Inn scene) but now he is blatant in his desire to see her by herself and, he is not afraid to advertise the fact to the world. Blatent! I love that idea. Do you think he couldn't sleep the night before tossing and turning wondering when it would be decent to see her again? Or did he go to bed firmly resolved to see her first thing in the morning and had a very sound sleep (not counting all those erotic dreams. ;-))? (Judy) They shouldn't have missed any scene out that involved Darcy. That's it in a nutshell. And I agree that we needn't have seen so much of Wickham and Lydia. I do think they dragged out the search for Lydia just a tiny bit too long. But as much as we miss those scenes with Darcy that Jane wrote, we do get a few bonuses added by Davies. Need we go back to the bath scene? cough, cough (Sadie) And don't you love his bedroom? I think they deliberately included it to tantalize us. Oooh, what a thought. Must slo-mo again to see if that bed is unmade. I love that the room's done in red. (Tracy) those icy blue curtains of the Rosings chambers echo Darcy's coolness in the handling of the letter in response to Lizzie's refusal of the Hunsford proposal and the dampening of his ardour Clutching at straws? Certainly not. If there are truly students of Davies' masterpiece, they are we. (it is we?) Anyway, I say that with tongue firmly in cheek but no nuance should remain unexplored. I think the blue/red analogy is brilliant.

Hi Heide... re Darcy getting a good nights sleep or tossing and turning all night, prior to riding over to visit her at the inn at Lambton.....Hmmmmmm What a delicious topic to conjecture upon. My two cents worth, is that he lay awake all night long, just staring at the ceiling, reliving the events of the previous evening, over and over in his head. I imagine he is much too wired to sleep. Rememeber how you felt as a little kid, the night before your birthday, Christmas or some other greatly anticipated event ? Could you sleep ? I bet that's how he felt ! I'd bet he probably didn't even go to bed until nearly dawn. He probably knew how futile it would be....perhaps that is what Andrew Davis meant to imply, by showing him walking the halls of Pemberley with the candle in his hand. I can just see him, sitting in a deep leather armchair, brandy snifter in hand....staring into the flames of a roaring fire, seeing nothing but Lizzie's face and her smiling at him over the piano.....a tiny, but delighted smile tugging st the corners of his mouth. He probably trys to talk himself into taking it slow and, not to read too much into her reaction to him....but Jeez, he just can't help himself. He has waited SO DAMM LONG for her to look at him, with even a fraction of the desire, that he has looked at her with. When he did finally go to bed and fall asleep, I imagine he slept like a baby..out of pure exhaustion, maybe his first deep, relaxing sleep in months. I imagine he dreamt of Lizzie, but that they were happy dreams, hopeful dreams and, not the tortured nightmares of her reaction to his proposal. Phew....I said it was a delicious topic, didn't I..... too delicious, maybe !

(Heide) But as much as we miss those scenes with Darcy that Jane wrote,we do get a few bonuses added by Davies.Need we go back to the bath scene? cough,cough. Okay Heide you forced me!I've alaways fancied myself as a his bathmaid (job made up just for me) needed to search for that bar of soap he's lost in the water,'I found it Mr Darcy ,Sir,its big & slippy' There are plenty more scenes he could have missed out to make room for more Darcy scenes (ask Sadie) my fave would be Darcy in kilt,need to *check* that bulge!!

(Esbee) I'm not Danielle... but all you have to do is highlight the text and press control C (this will copy the text to your clipboard) then when your cursor is where you want the text to go, you press control V - and it will paste it there. And if your little gadget doesn't have the capacity, just ask anyone to copy it directly off the conference for you and post it under their auspices. Elementary! :-)

By all means.....go ahead and copy the stories to 130 for me. I know I'd probably screw it up, if I did it myself. Thanx Judy....."its big and slippery".....God, that is TOO funny !! Dunno about you, but I don't have any slipperyness problems.....rememeber, it's all in the wrist ! (Jeez, I can't believe I just said that)

oops New speculations. What scenes are missing from both the book and the movie? All the months of Darcy's torture, aside from fencing scene in movie, for one thing. What did he do when not fencing? And of course, most of the courtship moments after their engagement have been left out, not to mention the wedding night...

(Bethanne)(Jeez, I can't believe I just said that) Ah, but you did! And I'm glad. It was funny!

Yeah, but I'm still blushing.

(Sadie)Reputation aside,see how hard you work to keep it clean! Ha who wants to keep it clean,I want it to make a mess. (Sadie)What did he do when not fencing? Hasn't Bethanne already answered this-'it's all in the wrist'

LOL Judy but no fair....how come you get all the fun ? Anyway, is that a tiny, little piece of drool I see dribbling out of the corner of your mouth ? You've obviously bitten off more than you can chew. Never fear, Eliza is here, so move over...you saucy wench !! Thats MY man you are slobbering over.

Thats what I was thinking too, but I didn't have the nerve to type the actually word, yes, I know...I'm a big sissy. Anyway, while we are on this, ahem, topic...scoot over to the Bridget Jones movie website. ( Does Karen run that one too, I think there is a link to it at Afirthianado. ) Click on the "Telegraph BJ columns" and read the one from Jan 3rd. It's he one where she describes a family Christmas Day dinner. Mark Darcy and Bridget are discussing the hassles of Christmas gift buying, but are really talking about something far more urgent. Read over it and let me know if our sanity can remain intact, if this scene makes it into the movie. I mean......Mark Darcy looked down at his lap and murmurred " Its very, very hard" Yes I know this probably belongs over at # 131 but their double entendre conversation, is strangely apt in this instance. CF casting a "firthive" glance at his own, dare I say it"bulging breeches", would just about do me in.

(Judy) come,come thats not drool you see! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Judy you are too funny!!! I'm at work screaming in laughter and everyone is wondering what the heck is wrong!!

Where is everyone today ? Saw the A&E boxed set of P&P at Blockbuster today and, my hot little fingers were all over it, before you could say "lickitty-split" or even "sigh, drool, slobber". Anyway, I got my first glimpse of the wonderful " Wot " scene and Darcy stalking back to Rosings after his first disastrous proposal. O my goodness, O MY GOODNESS !!!!!!! Why O why were these wonderful scenes left out of the broadcast version ? I don't get it. These are important scenes, especially the Rosings one, as it shows Darcy's torment at Lizzies rejection of him, which then leads to his subsequent transformation into a nice guy. I mean is it just me, or wasn't that the whole narritive thrust behind the second half of the book ? Stupid, stupid editing decision...why couldn't they have just cut some of Lydia and Wickham out instead, as nobody gives a rats ass about them, right ? That walk back to Rosings.....gulp....the look on his face, the torment, the anger, the pain...the little curl on his forehead...sigh..... Doesn't he look spectacular in all-black ? As for those long, purposeful strides up the driveway and up the steps, as Bridget would say, Mmmmmmmmmmmmm... Gotta go as Bingley and Darcy are about to visit Longbourn and I need to find something to hang onto, as the look on Darcys's face as he enters the room, usually has me in a state of near collapse. I had the good intention of limitting myself to watching just 2 espisodes before I went to bed, but as you can see it didn't last long. God, I have the will power of a turnip ! Observations to follow tomorrow re hand holding at Lambton Inn and, Lizzies hand ( lucky bitch ) on Darcy's thigh in the wedding carrige.

Sadie, ok I give in, if Judy is the Gutter Guru and you are her sandle carrying disciple, can I be the one following behind, scattering rose petals in your wake ? Re a Fanfic of Darcy of in his bath. I'm sorry, that is way too much a sacred territory for little ole me to trample on. Out of respect for what that scene means to all of us, I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole ( stop it Judy ! )so I'll leave that one well alone. No responses to my Bridget/Mark Darcy scene, O well.....

(bethanne) O my goodness, O MY GOODNESS !!!!!!! Why O why were these wonderful scenes left out of the broadcast version ? I don't get it. Haven't you noticed what they do that to any full length feature when it is shown on the tube? The networks snip parts out of every one of them, no matter how vital, in order to leave room for the sole reason for their existance... They're called commercials. As the other Karen has pointed out several times, A&E did show them as part of their "classroom" series, which is a commercial-free hour on week-day mornings, usu, at 7 AM Eastern (that's 4 AM Pacific). If you had the important skill of knowing how to set your VCR, you could have gotten the series in its entirety without the cuts and more importantly, without the expenditure... (except for blank tapes of course) (which I did several times, greedy little me!) It just might have taken 6 weeks of Mondays to accomplish it or whatever. Does anybody know if they still do this periodically?

One handeded, Judy, one handed ? Sorry butI need both my hands free for what I have in mind and, if you're honest, so do you ! Look, Ma, no hands !!!! Yeah, I know about the whole commercials-pay-the-bills-philosophy of cable networks. I'm just PO'd that they gave so little thought to what scenes they would leave out, to make way for these commercials. I mean A&E co-funded the thing with the BBC, so you'd think they'd have a vested interest in making sure that none of the really important bits were left out. The immediate post-proposal scenes ARE important aren't they or is it just my lust addled brain completley bowled over by the stricken look on Darcy's face....sigh...drool....slobber

O Lord, Sadie and Judy....you just crack me up ! Sadie, I'm glad you liked the rose petals. I was going to go with my carrying a symbolic candle at the head of the procession....but I don't thnk Judy could have coped with the foot long, rock-hard, slab of wax, with the teeny little bits of candle grease oozing out of the end....despite her convictions that she would have no problems with a ten foot barge pole. Must agree with you all about all those deliciousscenes left out of P&P, that are currently locked up in the BBC vault. Could we persuade one of our UK based fellow droolers, to scale the walls of the BBC and break into the vaults? We could use Karens's Spring donations as bail money if she got caught. I'm sure that "top barrister" Mark Darcy would be only too willing to come, ( down, Judy, down ) er.. I mean leap to her defence. ( NOTE TO SELF: Atleast make an ATTEMPT when drooling, to stay in roughly the same parallel universe as your fellow droolers ) As to the Olynpic sport of pole vaulting....hmmmm....that strilks me as a pretty solitary undertaking. I would recommend participation in either the synchronised swimming, or the ball room dancing. We all know how well he does when he is immersed in water and as for his excellent dancing, what can I say but Step one two three, parry one two three, THRUST one two three. Don't you love a man who can do two things at once and think on his feet ? That last bit was shamelessly stolen from Tracy's post over at # 130 regarding his dancing and its very, very funny. Sorry, Trace, I couldn't resist.

Am glad to see my Unnecesary dance is catch on across the boards! Bethanne -foot long, rock-hard, slab of wax, with the teeny little bits of candle grease oozing out of the end *crash* Your teetering on the edge of joining us in the gutter club, B! I would offer to scale the walls of the BBC for you and force someone at candle-point to let me into their vaults to search for the Darcy's missing bits (!), but given their inability to have the foggiest idea about their productions, I'd predict their response to be "You want Pride and what? Oh yes, keep an eye on the Radio Times..erm, we have no immediate plans...You will be pleased to hear that Pride and Prejudice, the interior decoration show , will be broadcast at the next full moon..."

All of this talk of the gutter reminds me of the OW quote: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."... Or at least ONE star, that is! :-)

Tracy.....50 lashes my girl...How dare you .....Mr Darcy doesn't have ANY missing bits.....the NERVE !!!! Oops....you meant the missing P&P scenes...sorry ! Whaddaya' mean, I'm in danger of joining you in the gutter ? That's me, third corrugated iron and cardboard shack on the right ! Sadie and Judy threw me a welcoming party last week. It was great....baloons, a band, lots of booze and some guy jumping out of a cake dressed in skin tight breeches and a dripping wet white shirt....Mmmmmmmmmmm !!!!!!!

*carringon from #130* (Bethanne) - When you were there, was the meadow our hero walks across, ablaze with the beautiful yellow flowers that we see in the movie ? I'm not sure what time of year those scenes were filmed but at the end of August there were no pretty yellow flowers ;-( just lots of sheep. Although in the Lyme blurb it says that Drinkwater Meadow was where they shot the post dip scenes, I found it hard to decide whether it was the same place or not - probably due to the lack of flowers ..or the absence of the familiar tall,dark, lean, handsome figure clad in dripping shirt and soggy breeches *collapsing into a puddle*. Judy is our woman on the spot, I expect she has seen Lyme in all weathers, seasons and can probably answer your question more sensibly than I (by way of a change *grin*). If you ever get the chance to go...take it I could spend ages there and would probably join you in pitching a tent and standing sentry over the Will stop raving about Lyme now (am fast turning into walking National Trust guidebook). That dance? Heaven knows where that came from but it sure was fun. Altogether now......

Arggh what is happening to my PC (or is it the operator - I'm sure I proofread this before I posted it.) This should read If you ever get the chance to go...take it I could spend ages there and would probably join you in pitching a tent and standing sentry over the bum-spot!

Ladies, ladies, an imagination is a wonderful thing but I'm afraid I didn't dare read everything you posted about ambidexterity, bars of soap, inches, etc. 'cause I was peeking out from between my fingers. Kinda shy, you know. Methinks I prefer the romance of Darcy rather than the unexpurgated version. So Bethanne, did you like that scene of Darcy in a fury as he walks away from Hunsford after being spurned? Those curls straying down his forehead yet again. So dark, so brooding, so menacing. Sigh, so Byronic. You can be sure no women were consulted when it came to deciding what was to be cut for commercials.

Hi Heide, yup, we did get a wee bit carried away, didn't we ? Every day it got a little bit more out of hand and I would say to myself " OK, no more " but Judy and Sadie were just so darn funny, I couldn't resist responding. Sorry if our carry-on spoilt the romance of Darcy for you. Did I like those post proposal scenes ? O Lord, did I ? He is so.....I dunno, not just sullen or brooding, but really, really pissed off too and it just kills me. Menacing, hmmmm..... I like that, as if he wants to just go back in there, jump her bones and bring her to her senses. It looks like he is just about to EXPLODE from the sheer intensity of it all. That curl, Lawdy, Lawdy....his hair looks a bit dishevelled, doesn't it, as if he had been running his hands thru it in despair. Yum !! 'Scuse me a sec while I dry off my keyboard. Tracy - Pitching a tent at Lyme Park, hmmmmmm ??? Squatters DO have rights you know ? Remember, possesion IS 9/10ths of the law ! I'll put the tent up if you learn how to make a fire and forage for food. Deal ?

(Heide) Methinks I prefer the romance of Darcy rather than the unexpurgated version. Me three. :-) ...but I hate to see all this discord on the board, Me three again. Now if EVERYONE could just stop indulging in the temptation to have the absolute *last* word ..... ;-)

(Bethanne) Judy and Sadie were just so darn funny, I couldn't resist responding. Oh, I agree. And don't forget Tracy! I love the free flow of drool and so many things I've read here just make me laugh out loud. I've always marveled at the wit and creativity of all the drool girls. It looks like he is just about to EXPLODE from the sheer intensity of it all. Ummm, absolutely. He's contained himself (just barely) throughout this huge debacle, everything's gone wrong, and he still remains so very civil at the end. "Please forgive me for having taken up your time and accept my best wishes for your health and happiness." Such fine manners but he must have been a pressure cooker inside. He walks out of that house looking like he doesn't know what hit him.

(Heide) He walks out of that house looking like he doesn't know what hit him. I don't know which was more stunning to him ... her refusal of marriage to him (very puzzling, that. Wasn't he presenting the offer of a lifetime?!)... or the discovery of being truly detested by the woman he loves (THAT would stun anyone!) Of course, even as he's walking back, already the analysis is happening in his head .. he realizes that her dislike because of Wickham is due to a total misapprehension and the dislike because of Jane is due to a misinterpretation. He is determined to set things right in regard to those objections, ("At least in THAT I can defend myself!") and so immediately begins his letter. (An aside here. A lot of people object to Davies' version of an all-night session. If you actually take a look at that letter in the book, it would take the average person all night to copy it out, let alone compose it. I'd always felt that there was *no way* he could have written all that by starting in the morning.) As to her third objection, he realizes he has no defense, and ultimately begins the attempt to change for the better in those directions. Got to admire a man of persistence against overwhelming odds, eh?

Yup, yup,yup Heide, on Darcy's impecable manners to Lizzie even after she rejects him. " Please accept my best wishes for your health and happiness " I LOVE it !! He still loves her and wants her to be happy even though he knows she hates his guts........so it shows the true depth of his feelings. Yummy !! Rememeber, in the book too, he finishes his letter by saying "God Bless You" To me thats code for " You might hate me, but I will love you until the day that I die and no amount of distain on your part, will ever change that " KJart ( What do we call you ? ) I agree totally on the letter being an allnighter as opposed to being written that morning. No body as upset as he was and, who had so much to say, could sit down calmly and write such a well thought out, articulate letter unless they had neen up half the night composing it. Whether he actually sat down at 8am to write it or not, you can bet he was up half the night figuring out what he wanted to say before he actually put pen to paper. Remember this is the most important letter he will ever write in his life. As you so eloquently pointed out, he can potentially eliminate 2 of Lizzies objection to him ( his treatment of Wickham and Jane ) with this letter. So you can be sure he is bloody careful of what went into it. If he did indeed write it at 8am, its because there are 20 odd discarded versions in the wastepaper bucket before he was happy with the finished product. They didn't have Microsoft Word and Spellcheck back then !!!!

(Bethanne)If he did indeed write it at 8am, its because there are 20 odd discarded versions in the wastepaper bucket before he was happy with the finished product. I whole-heartedly agree. We learn earlier in the story that Darcy is a deliberate letter-writter. At Netherfield when he is writing a letter to Georgiana, Bingley comments that Darcy "does not write with ease. He studies too much for words of four syllables." He is also scornful of Bingley's "defects in writing". Since this is the most important letter he has ever written he would want it to be perfect, with no incomplete thoughts or, God forbid!, ink blots. He must have gone through several drafts before finally getting to the finished product at 8:00 a.m. In that respect, I thought the Davies interpretation to be spot-on.

And when he splashes the water on his face, almost in a babtismal manner, as in born-again Darcy, "I will conquer this mode". :-) All the thoughts in his head! Ouch, that hurts.

(KJ) If you actually take a look at that letter in the book, it would take the average person all night to copy it out, let alone compose it. Every now and then someone hits me with a lightning bolt. Of course! I never thought before how painfully long it must have taken him to write that letter. It takes me 20 minutes at least to post a paragraph here and I don't put nearly the same amount of thought into it. ;-) He's all business with the first two sentences. Must have composed in his head while stalking back to Rosings (oh, those long legs). Love the emphasis on "disgust". Think he's saying "your rejection of me was a bit excessive"? (Gail) At Netherfield when he is writing a letter to Georgiana, Bingley comments that Darcy "does not write with ease. He studies too much for words of four syllables." Excellent. I love it when we find support from the book to back our theories. This should be enough to satisfy any radical Janeite. By the way, I always like to think that Darcy rode to Hunsford that day but was so angry and distracted when he left that he completely forgot to get his horse. Just teasing, I know there's no support in the book for that. ;-) Besides he wasn't wearing his lovely riding boots.

Ooooooo yes, yes yes Moon !!!!! I just LOVE how he splashes his face with water and his shirt is all rumpled and undone. It's such a pity he has his back to the camera as he turns around ans we are all deprived of a front view. He looks so gorgeous when he is dishevelled. See how he then extinguishes the candle with his wet finger...he is in so much emotional torment, he doesn't even feel the pain of the flame. Poor baby ! Glad we agree on the whole letter thing. Another point to make for it being an all nighter as opposed to an 8am composition....he tells Caroline Bingley " You are mistaken, I write rather slowly " So, a letter of that importance and length, there is no way he could just dash it off in 20 minutes before brekkie. Heide, I too just loved the way he says "disgust" There is so much anger and bitterness in his voice. I think though, he would prefer her disgust than her indifference. Disgust is a very powerful emotion and it shows that she has powerful feelings for him....even if they are not the ones he would want her to have. It's acknowleging that she is a woman of powerful emotions and that he likes it...even though he knows he has has work cut out for him to change her opinion of him. As for the horse thing....I like the idea but there are numerous references in the book to how close Rosings is to Huntsford and, the inhabitants of both houses walking to and from the other. Anyway, I'm glad he didn't ride over..we would have missed those long, luscious, black clad legs.

*guffaw* Karen, LMAO. *wiping tears* (KJ) I don't know which was more stunning to him ... or the discovery of being truly detested by the woman he loves (THAT would stun anyone!) I recall thinking increduously at the time (as one who hadn't read the book before coming out from under rock and seeing P&P2) 'don't you know she can't stand you?' I was amazed he had not picked up on her cues. But that's the material point, isn't it? ;-) her refusal of marriage to him (very puzzling, that. Wasn't he presenting the offer of a lifetime?!)... Ah, another material point. We love Lizzy because she thinks with her heart rather than her head. Wealth means nothing if she doesn't love the guy. *sigh* (Bethanne) I just LOVE how he splashes his face with water and his shirt is all rumpled and undone. It's such a pity he has his back to the camera as he turns around ans we are all deprived of a front view. He looks so gorgeous when he is dishevelled. Funny you should mention this scene--it's one of those points after which my tape automatically jumps into rewind (must be defective ;-)). And Cornel calls CF's Darcy 'podgy?' Ha! As one given over to many hours of study, I can say with confidence there is *no* evidence of said 'podge'. ;-)

I took the BBC Experience Tour because I was led to believe that the P&P costumes were on view....Wrong. They have the Gormangast ones on [ugly!]. I asked, and they told me the P&P costumes were in the BBC Costume warehouse! Do those guys know how much those things would bring in on a charity online auction??I'd bid on the green vest he buttons hurriedly on the way to the Lambton Inn.

I'd bid on one of Lizzie's dresses... hoping I'd fit in it ;-) I was in a village in Austria last month and there was this photographer who dressed you up in Victorian costumes and took your pic. We had one of the three of us (yes, Patas too) but you can bet I checked to see if they had anything from an earlier period ;-)

(Bethanne) KJart ( What do we call you ? ) Anything you like as long as it isn't late for dinner (*cough**wheeze*). The Other Karen settled on "KJ" which is fine with me. (Gail ... BTW, that's where my middle "g" comes from ... ) Since this is the most important letter he has ever written he would want it to be perfect, with no incomplete thoughts or, God forbid!, ink blots. He must have gone through several drafts before finally getting to the finished product at 8:00 a.m. Also, since he was planning to leave the next day anyway, he was probably thinking about his all-night session: "That's OK ... I can catch up on my sleep during that long carriage ride." ;-) KJ

Evelyn...what's the matter with you, have you lost all your marbles ? You would take a waistcoast/vest over one of his many wet white shirts or those fawn breeches he wore at Pemberley ? It's official folks, Evelyn has totally lost her mind ! Personally speaking, I would take his bathrobe, that he got into soaking wet...Yum, yum, yum !! Eileen, its funny your video does the same thing as mine does during the face splashing scene at Rosings....poltergeists maybe, or it could just be bad batteries. S'funny..it happens to me especially during "On Foot" and "In vain I have struggled, it will not do....." also. V.odd Another add-on to the whole Darcy's letter thing. When Darcy gives it to her, she stays and reads it there, in the Rosings grounds. She doesn't go back and read it at Huntsford. It's lucky for her that she did, coz' on her eventual return to the Parsonage, we learn that Darcy and Col Fitwilliam hve both been by, to pay their respects, before leaving Rosings. Wouldn't that have made just a delicious scene if Lizzie HAD been there when Darcy arrived. Can't you just imagine all the underlying tensions in the room, as they both sat there listen to Mr Collins babble on, while trying to act as if nothing has happened. Talk about smouldering looks and underlying tensions...yikes !!