Chapter Two
Removing her chestnut brown hair from its tie, Elizabeth Bennet stepped onto the platform of the Meryton train station. She had just returned from a pretty awkward goodbye with her now Ex-boyfriend Jonathan and was happy to have escaped from any more potential run-ins with anyone who would ask difficult questions (she had been mentally preparing on the train for the wrath that would ensue when she returned home to a mother who was almost more attached to her daughter's boyfriend than she had been.)
As she made her way through the station to the car park she thought about what this summer would bring. She was now twenty years old, had been studying French and Italian at Oxford now for just over a year and even though she looked older she still felt the same way as she did when first left the claustrophobic confines of Longbourne Road. Spotting the white mini which belonged to her elder sister Jane she forgot her ramblings and strolled over to the car, buzzing with excitement to see her sister.
Jane Bennet was smaller than Lizzie, with soft blonde hair and striking grey eyes. She got out of the car to welcome her sister, whom she hadn't seen for weeks, with a gentle hug.
"Lizzie! Welcome home, I've missed you the past few days! Coping with mum isn't half as hard when you're at home," giggled Jane sliding into the drivers' seat.
"Jane! You've only been back two days and already you can't cope?" said Lizzie getting into the car beside her sister. Jane laughed.
"How have you been anyway?" she asked, pulling out of the station car park.
"How is Jonathan?" Lizzie looked out of the window, trying not to relive the two hour conversation that she so wanted to forget.
"About that…"
"And so, I told him I just couldn't do it anymore," breathed Lizzie, as the car pulled into the driveway of Number 34.
"Well, I think that you've done the right thing," said Jane, trying to reassure her sister.
"It's better to have ended things now than to have lead him on. Your toughest challenge now is going to be telling Mum…"
Lizzie grimaced, her mother was not one to take things lightly.
"Hopefully we'll find something to take her mind off it" she said pulling her suitcase out of the boot and following Jane into the house.
Upon hearing the door close, Mrs Bennet was up and out of the kitchen in a flash. Itching to tell her two eldest daughters her fabulous news, the twenty minute wait had seemed like a lifetime. As soon as she reached the hallway, although she hadn't seen Lizzie for over three weeks, she let go of her information in an extremely excited explosion of noise.
"Girls, girls; wonderful wonderful news! You will never guess who has moved into Netherfield, its the most fabulous news. I couldn't believe it, I tried to tell your father but you know how he is.. Anyway, as I was saying, you will never guess!"
Lizzie sighed, Although at times slightly irritating, she couldn't deny her mother's 'zest' for life was at times quite admirable.
Grabbing each daughter by the arm, Mrs Bennet pulled them both through to the kitchen, sat them down and preceded to inform them of her exciting news.
"So, all seven of us are invited to a barbecue, on sunday, at Netherfield?" asked Lizzie, when her mother had finally divulged her information.
"Yes dear, do try to keep up," said Mrs Bennet exasperatedly, a bit out of breath from her marathon-like chattering.
"and, Anthea told me, that Rita told her that Emily's son and daughter will be there, and their both your ages, isn't that wonderful! Charles, is your age Jane and Caroline the same age as you Lizzie." cried Mrs Bennet, practically falling off her chair with excitement.
"Oh, and one more thing" she cried, her volume gradually rising.
"Charles' friend, James Darcy will be there too. He's at Oxford too Lizzie so I'm sure you'll have lots to talk about. Now there's one for each of you! How exciting!" cried their mother, fanatically.
The two sisters looked at each other knowingly. If there was one thing their mother loved, it was match-making her daughters, no matter how unsuccessful it turned out to be. As Mrs Bennet rambled on, Lizzie thought again about the summer ahead. Perhaps it would be quiet, uneventful and relaxing, she hoped. After the year she'd had that was all she needed…
How wrong she was…
Thank you all for the reviews and the follows, keep on reading. I am on holiday at the moment so the new chapters might be a bit slow to start with, but I will do my best! xo