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P.S Thank You for 'Guest' who noticed a timeline mistake in this Chapter, it has since been fixed.

1811

12 months later

Today was a good day Elizabeth decided as she gazed from the window of her bedroom. The sun was slowing rising over the distant hills whilst the overnight rainfall glowed in the perspective light. Peace and quiet was something she longed for, the chance to reflect or sometimes just shut her mind off was something she welcomed with open arms. Wrapping the shawl that had been a birthday present from her Aunt Gardiner tighter around her Elizabeth reflected.

I had been a year since that tragic day. A day that had changed the Bennets forever. Since that day there had been good days and bad days. On good days Elizabeth would awaken, fix her hair, put on a dress and in the back of her mind would be her Little Lydia. But on the bad days Elizabeth would awaken, fix her hair, put on a dress and Lydia wouldn't be in mind at all and she would go about her day but suddenly she would be doing something inconsequential and it would hit her. Lydia was gone. And those where the hard days because she would feel so incredibly guilty for forgetting about her, even a moment.

When news spread of Lydia's tragic passing people had come to pay their condolences and many had told her in hushed tones that with time the ache in her heart would ease slightly but she was not entirely sure she believed them, for it still hurt and in all honesty she didn't want it not to hurt because the hurt means she's not forgetting and she doesn't want to forget, not even a moment does she want to forget. She doesn't want to forget the laugh, the smile or the mischievous glint in her eyes that predicted all sorts of trouble, usually resulting in an attack of their mother's nerves and Mrs Hill being called to bring the smelling salts.

A knock upon the door drew Elizabeth from her reverie.

"Lizzy may I come in?"

"Come in Mary" If the tragedy surrounding Lydia did one thing it brought all Bennet sisters closer. Though they had been close in their own way before there was still a notable division. Jane and Lizzy were always the closest sisters, as well as the best of friends. Whilst Lydia and Kitty had formed their own troublesome alliance. This leaving Mary usually by herself. Lydia's passing and the grief that all sisters had felt had united them. With the help of her sisters Mary had come out of her shell and was gradually gaining more confidence, not relying on her music or Fordyce's Sermons anymore as a conversation filler; much to the relief of those within the household who were rather tired with that particular teaching. Kitty had mellowed a little without her boisterous younger sister but Lizzy wasn't sure how she felt about that; she didn't mind a little boisterous behaviour to distract her mind. Jane, whom had always been very maternal in regards to her sisters had become even more so, for about five months after Lydia's passing she refused to let them leave her side. Often in the middle of the night checking on them to ensure they were fine. Lizzy herself had become more patient, taking the time to remind herself that she should never take them for granted and to remind them that she loved them. The sisters had only recently moved back into their own bedrooms, for several months after that dreadful day they would all stay in the same room. Fitting four grown ladies into one bed was a challenge but for those nights when they found it hard coping they couldn't bear to be parted with one another. Leaning on each other in their grief had drawn them closer than they ever were before.

"Did you sleep well Elizabeth?" Mary queried as she flitted around the room removing the bed clothes and opening the windows to let fresh air in. It never failed to amaze Elizabeth the energy Mary possessed in the morning. It seemed from the moment she arose she couldn't bear to be idle, always cleaning or moving things. The latter drove her sisters crazy as they couldn't ever seem to find where she put anything…

"Oh very well. You know how I love it when the rain beats against the windows, there are few things in life I find as soothing. How about you?"

"I slept fine thank you, you exhausted me yesterday when you traipsed me around half of Hertfordshire, I don't think my head even hit the pillow before I was asleep." Elizabeth smiled fondly at her younger sister, she had been delighted to learn that Mary enjoyed walking as much as she did and had not let her rest since, some days spending hours in each other's company as they crossed surrounding fields.

"I do apologise but I simply love that particular walk and for your information it wasn't exactly half of Hertfordshire"

"It was but I shan't argue, though I am right. Now come sit down, your curls are even wilder this morning" Elizabeth willingly took a seat in front of her dressing table and watched as Mary sectioned her hair before beginning the arduous process of trying to brush it through. She loved these moments, not only because Mary was the only one who could deal with her riotous curls but also because it showed a softer side that so few got to see of Mary. The socially quiet, sometimes awkward young lady who had only recently opened up to her family. It made her feel somewhat privileged that she could witness it.

A door creaking open down the hall and the rather loud stomping of feet caused Elizabeth and Mary to share a look in the mirror and in unison state:

"One. Two. Three. Four…" Before a huddled figure in a large blanket came barrelling through and flung themselves on the bed.

"Good morning Kitty"

"AHitstooearly!" Came the groggy reply.

"Well then why did you get out of bed?" Mary questioned as she stared at her younger sister, well stared at what she could see, for all that was sticking out of the blanket was a small portion of matted brown hair.

"I heard you coming to speak to Elizabeth and I wanted to know what you were speaking about."

"Well nosey we were talking about you actually, we both agree we should barely know you." Elizabeth teased as she rose from her seat to go and join her sister on her bed.

"Barely know me? I'm the best Bennet to know!" Kitty huffed indignantly, raising her head from the mass of blanket that was surrounding it.

"Oh God my eyes!" Elizabeth theatrically covered her eyes whilst pointing at Kitty making Mary chuckle.

"You think I'm bad in the morning, have you seen your hair? It looks like you have been dragged through a bush…backwards"

"Stop it you two, it is a well-known fact that we Bennet's do not look our best in the morning" Mary informed factually.

"Good morning" A gentle voice carried from the doorway. Elizabeth, Mary and Kitty swivelled their heads to see Jane standing in the doorway. Her golden curls cascading down her back and a gentle smile on her lips as she crossed the short distance to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Sometimes I question how we are related." Kitty stated blandly as she stared at her eldest sister causing Elizabeth to laugh.

"Is it not a fine morning?" Jane sighed happily as she stared out the window, her sisters wordlessly nodded at her observation. It was turning out to be a glorious morning.

"So what shall we do today?" Mary questioned as she began folding Elizabeth shawls into a neat pile.

"Mary would you please sit down for a moment? You are giving me a headache with all this running about"

"But Lizzy if you didn't leave things in such a mess then I would not be forced to tidy them up" Mary chastised as she gave Elizabeth a pointed look.

"Firstly it wasn't me that routed through that pile it was someone whose name begins with Cath and ends in Rine and secondly I think we should walk to Meryton."

"I love walking to Meryton, there was a bonnet in Mrs Cartwright's shop window that would go perfectly with the dress Mama and Papa got me for my Birthday" Kitty clapped her hands in childlike excitement at the thought of a new bonnet.

"I don't understand why you need another bonnet, you've only got one head" Mary questioned the sheer wastefulness of having more than two bonnets, as far as she was concerned money was far better spent on things such as music sheets or books.

"For your birthday I am going to buy you five bonnets just to annoy you!"

"Kitty, Mary play nice. I think it would be nice to walk into the village, I wanted to get some things for a care basket for Mrs Roberts, I called on her yesterday and she wasn't feeling very well and you know how she loves little jars of jam or new wool. I think it would help her." Mrs Roberts lived just down the lane from Longbourn and Jane had been worried about the old lady since she called on her the day prior. Her husband had died a few years ago and her only daughter lived with her husband and children in York and rarely visited her elderly mother. The Bennet's, particularly Jane and Elizabeth were very close to the her and regularly called upon her so the news of her illness was quite distressing to them.

"It grieves me greatly to think of her alone and sick in her home, she truly is the kindest of people, maybe whilst in town we could get her some of those satirical magazines, you know the ones insulting the French? She loves them" Elizabeth chuckled as she thought of the sweet little lady cursing the French the last time she had visited, by the time Elizabeth had departed she was blushing from head to toe from the colourful language used.

"Let's not sit and think about it then. Come on, get up and about"

"But Mary I am so very comfortable, can we not sit another while?" Kitty complained, pouting like she did when she was little and she was refused something for being naughty.

"Come now dearest" Jane cooed as she managed to get Kitty to rise whilst Mary rolled her eyes as they left the room.

"Jane must stop pampering her" Mary informed Elizabeth as she helped her put up her hair.

"It is just in Jane's nature to care and mother us all and I don't seem to recall you complaining last month when you had that cough and Jane waiting upon you hand and foot for five days"

"That was different! I was ill but I do understand your point, Jane is just a maternal creature, like you are a heartless madam."

"Heartless madam? How dare you young lady, were you never told to respect your elders?" Elizabeth chortled, her eyes dancing with mirth.

"You are heartless! What else would I call someone who rejects a marriage proposal, breaking the young man's heart? Billy Logan was never the same."

"Billy Logan? I was five Mary and I am adamant that we would never have been happy together, he never even let me win at hide and seek, always cheating! No; I maintain that I made the right decision in rejecting him." Elizabeth tried to be serious but she could barely keep a straight face as she noticed the corners of Mary's lips twitch.

"I concur then, you have won me over. Now what morning dress would you like to wear, the white or the cream?"

Before the death of their youngest child the marriage of Mr and Mrs Bennet had been strained at the best of times. The poor state of Mrs Bennet's nerves and Mr Bennet's ever-increasing want to seek solitude in the confines of his library had meant that they rarely where in each other's company except for mealtimes and even then their conversations were tense. However after Lydia's tragic passing Mrs Bennet fell into a severe depression. Refusing to speak for two months, not leaving the confines of her room for four months, it wasn't until the gentle coaxing of her daughter's and husband that she eventually ventured downstairs. Fanny Bennet was still a shadow of her former self but was slowly recovering. With each day passed she smiled a little more, laugh a little louder and once a week she would venture outside the walls of Longbourn to visit her sister Mrs Phillips to hear the local gossip. She was slowly returning to her former silly self and even though he would never admit it, when Mr Bennet heard for his wife's smelling salts being called for he would smile happily at the normalcy of it all.

Thomas Bennet had blamed himself for Lydia's death; he was her father and it was his duty to protect her. He failed to do this, so therefore it was his fault. Simple. He found solace in his daughters and drew strength from them but he also noticed his wife despondency and felt guilty for abandoning her in her grief: another sin he had committed against his family. He moved back into the bedroom they had shared, something he hadn't done in years. He would often find himself holding Fanny as she cried herself to sleep and some nights she would return the favour. Allowing him to wallow in his grief on her shoulder. During those nights he remembered why he fell in love with Fanny Bennet née Gardiner. Yes, she was silly and loud and maybe not the brightest but she had a good heart and was kind to him, even after he had treated her so poorly for so many years. So slowly but surely the marriage of Mr and Mrs Bennet began to mend itself. They still had their disagreements were Mr Bennet was forced into his library to calm himself but he would emerge and apologise to Fanny, whilst she was apologising to him. Both couldn't hear the other but they would do it anyway and then they would have a stroll in the garden were they talked about what annoyed them in the beginning.

So as Mr and Mrs Bennet sat in their dining room having breakfast they listened to the sound of their daughters, minus one, making their way down the stairs for breakfast and smiled at one another. The Bennet's were mending and though it was difficult and at times the grief got too much they would find comfort in one another.

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