Much More Fun

Living in a small town in the country side meant that everyone knew everyone else. This, in turn, meant that secrets were often found out and that gossip spread quickly. Charlotte Lucas, despite seldom engaging in such gossip couldn't avoid hearing the rumors. Especially when the rumours were as juicy as Elizabeth's one-woman war against Fitzwilliam Darcy.

"Maybe," she suggested, "you should try being nicer to Darcy. I mean, it is never disadvantageous to win the favor of a rich person."She, Lizzy and Jane were at the Longbourne, a gorgeous, but financially declining horse ranch the Bennet family owned.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes from where she was brushing the mane of her horse. "I've already won his disapproval with my appearance," Lizzy told her.

So yes, maybe Darcy was a judgmental rich bastard, but Charlotte saw, quite lucidly, that he was best friends with Charles Bingley, who worked with Thomas Bennet. From the looks of it, Bingley would soon be her sister's boyfriend too. While she may not have done anything yet, Charlotte knew that Lizzy was never to take anything lying down. Retaliation was inevitable.

"And you are going to deliberately get him to disapprove of you from now on?"

Elizabeth bristled. The horse she was brushing seemed to sense her agitation and took a step back. "I haven't done anything!"

"Yet," Jane piped up from another stall where she was brushing a mare. "We all know you are going to do something about it."

As Lizzy scowled, Charlotte nodded her agreement.

"I will not!"

"Two words: Bill Collins." Jane laughed when Charlotte brought up the poor boy from long ago.

"I didn't do anything to him! Plus, my underwear never mysteriously went missing until he came over."

"You got back at him," Charlotte pointed out.

"He only fell out of shock that I saw him."

"You threw a letter opener at him." Jane and herself were doing a rather good job at double teaming Lizzy, Charlotte thought with a smile.

"He was in our neighbor's tree."

"Seventeen stitches," Charlotte reminded her.

"He had binoculars." Elizabeth personally thought he deserved every one of those stitches.

"Daddy sent his family fruit baskets for months."

"Okay, fine! I won't seek well-deserved vengeance on William Darcy, alright?" Turning away from her best friends in a huff, she petted her horse gently. "Only you are really on my side," she sighed dramatically. "Couldn't you get back at Darcy on my behalf?"

Her horse responded with a quiet snort, which Lizzy feigned offense at. "Right, take their side too! See if I care," she mumbled, heading over to the next stall to brush down another horse.

Jane poked her head out of the stall she was in and shared a smile. "Are we ever going to tell her that Darcy has a massive crush on her? The poor guy can't keep his eyes off her and she thinks it's because he hates her."

"Nah," Charlotte smirked. "It's much more fun this way."