The temperature in the room dropped by at least ten degrees as Caroline finished speaking, and everyone there turned to start at the Netherfield party, and not in a good way. Just then Charles and Jane appear from the dance floor.
"What is going on?" Charles asked.
"Your sister was just being her normal ridiculous self and pissed off the entire town" Theodore spoke out "I think we'd better leave, before she opens her mouth again and we get lynched".
Charles looked confused and then a bit angry. "Will, please take Caroline, Louisa and Theo home, I will catch a cab home once I have sorted thing out here"
"Charles, there is no need for you to sort anything out, I haven't done anything wrong. If anything the Bennet's should apologise to us, to Will, causing a scene to get attention" Caroline was defiant.
Elizabeth started to walk across the room towards the Netherfield party, her back was ramrod straight, her shoulders were back and her green eyes were flashing; she looked magnificent. William was awestruck.
Jane reached out to take her sisters arm "Lizzie don't!" she implored.
"Please Lizzie…" Mary's voice seemed to reach her sister, Lizzie stopped and walked towards the rest of her sisters and put her arms around Mary. The sisters closed ranks and the town followed suit. Will declined going with Caroline, Louisa and Theo, remaining with Charles to try and fix the damage done by Caroline's thoughtless words.
Charles walked up to Jane, "I am so terribly sorry for Caroline, she really does not think before she speaks. Is there anyways I can make up for what she has done and said?"
"Thank you for your apology Charles, but it is not your fault. Caroline does not know the situation so she cannot understand that what she has said is so awful" Jane was so calm and gracious as she accepted Charles apology. William was curious about the situation that Jane referred to but it would have been rude to ask especially after Caroline's behaviour.
With Charles apology and Janes gentle ways the atmosphere improved. People moved back to eat, drinking and a few people even tried hitting the dance floor. Will and Charles said their goodbyes, called a cab and returned home. Neither man knew what to expect when they got home, and there was quite a bit of tension as they paid the cabbie and made their way into the house.
Caroline was on a roll, she was mouthing off about attention seeking girls, money grabbing mothers, referring to Mrs Bennet's comments when they arrived and the lack of class across the board in Merryton. "Will" she purred as he and Charles entered the room "Don't you agree? It was just horrid how they all salivated over you and your money".
William was stunned, it seemed that Caroline was okay with her own salivating over him and his money.
Charles was uncommonly quiet, so much so that even Caroline quietened down and they were all looking at him. "Caroline, I am heartily ashamed of your behaviour tonight. You utterly and totally humiliated all of us in front of an entire town and you did not even have the decency to apologise!" The tone of Charles voice should have warned Caroline she was on very thin ice but she did not notice.
"What on earth do you mean Charles? Every single person in there tonight was below us in wealth and stature? And don't get me started on those Bennet girls, just because you are all hot and horny for the eldest girl, even you cannot be blind to their attention and fortune seeking!"
"CAROLINE!" Charles shouted at his sister, Charles never shouts, Charles never gets upset. "Mary Bennet has leukaemia, she has been sick for over a year, she lost all of her hair at the start of her chemo, today she finished her last chemo. Her sisters cut their hair in solidarity with their sister, they donated their hair to make wigs for chemo patients. Elizabeth took a sabbatical from her law studies to support and assist her sister and her family. The entire town came together tonight to show their support for the Bennet family. The family has been through hell and back, and even now they are raising funds for cancer research and cancer patients; to make a difference. When last, Caroline, did you do something that was for someone else, even someone healthy? When last did you do something that was not selfish and only for yourself?"
Charles seemed to run out of steam, but as Caroline was preparing to speak again, he held up his hand, "No Caroline, no more tonight, I don't want to speak to you now. Tomorrow morning, I am going to volunteer at the Fun Run the Bennet family have arranged to raise funds for more cancer research, any of you are welcome to join me, but even if I have to go alone, I am going" And with that Charles left the room and made his way to his bedroom.
"Will, you have to speak to him, you know that I care, I care about Giana and sick people, and things…." Caroline's voice trailed off, she dropped the hand she was about to put on Williams arm. The look on his face said it all, he was as disgusted with her as her brother was. Instead of realising that she was at fault in the situation, she got angry, turned on her heel and stomped off to her bedroom. Will waited until he was sure she was in her room, and he made his way to his own room, making sure to lock the door, he had had too many occasions where Caroline had just walked into his room, he had even found her in his bed once, waiting for him. Despite getting no encouragement from him she was determine to have him one way or the other.
Once he had brushed his teeth, changed and gotten into bed, William allowed his thoughts to wander over the events of the evening. Caroline had made them all seem bad, none of them, except Charles, had stopped her or spoken out against her. The look on Elizabeth Bennet's face as she walked towards them was not limited to just Caroline, she had been looking at Theo, Louisa and himself as if they were the spawn of Satan, and she was the avenging angel sent to destroy them. A beautiful avenging angel, whose green eyes were imprinted in his mind. He processed the information Charles had shared with them, his mind wandered to Georgiana, his little sister, her own battle with leukaemia still fresh in his mind, she had only just be declared officially in remission but the three year battle was tough on the whole family, made worse by Aunt Catherine insisting almost monthly that he marry Anne to have more Darcy heirs, with it being just him and Georgiana left; George Wickham's romancing his sister in the hopes of marrying her; trying to talk her into trying all kinds of 'snake oil' remedies and forsaking the doctors instructions, so that on her death he could inherit her fortune, he was shameless in his admission when William confronted him.
