A/N: Hi! I am just back from a long trip, will try to post twice a week from now :D

And... Wickham enters the scene.

Chapter 5

Past

I was on my way home. I rarely returned home, and probably would have avoided it for longer if Jane hadn't insisted I come there for support.

Our mom had raised us as a single mother, and while we, and the rest of the world, had told her she had done a magnificent job, she still doubted herself and thought we needed a good man by our side, who would stay there "no matter what." Mr. Bennett was fonder of his peace of mind than of us and he upped and went one day, leaving us only with a mortgage and his name.

I admire my mom a lot, but we didn't have an easy relationship. She always said I grew up to be too independent, to which I would say it couldn't be helped, after all I had her for a mom. I wasn't not sure if she was proud or disappointed in me.

Jane had always been the favorite. Not that I blame my mom, really, but how to compete with fairness and sweetness?

However, this weekend might be the turning point. Jane was bringing Charlie over - to properly introduce him as her boyfriend. I couldn't predict how mom was going to react, with her moods it could go either way.

"Hi, Mom, how have you been?"

"Lizzie, you're thinner! And paler!"

"Well, working long hours in a closed office in a foggy city will do that to you. How have you been?"

"Oh, if only you would come home more. Here you could get more light and you'd have a better complexion. Do you know, there 'a study that men always look at a woman's complexion first?".

That was mom - all about the studies.

"I thought they look at their future mother-in-law."

Luckily, Jane returned just then.

"So, I came back earlier to help prepare dinner."

"This is an awful lot of trouble you are going for this young man, are you sure he's worth it?" Mom asked incredulously.

"Yes," Jane replied quite decisively - I was impressed, Jane had never been so abrupt.

"Well, I'll start on the potatoes," I busied myself.

"I can't say I'm surprised. If this fellow is half as rich as the gossip says, then we should go the extra mile to keep him interested."

Both Jane and I raised our eyes in horror.

"Oh, young girls nowadays, you seem so shy to talk about these things. There's nothing to be ashamed of, men talk like that all the time."

"Mom," I interfered so Jane could recompose herself, "while there are some men who would think of women as meat, that doesn't mean we should stoop and treat men as such in return. You raised us better than that. You raised us to be independent and take care of our own."

It seemed my speech impressed mom, as she stood there speechless for a while. In the end, she said, "You know, while I am so proud of the values you cherish, I wonder if I did the best thing imposing them. I think I should have taught you to be more manipulative."

Saying that, she left us to cook by ourselves. We were shocked, but also relieved.

" Charlie will win her over. You're the favorite, and I think she just realizes we're growing up too fast."

Jane only nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to bring someone home who is really cringe-worthy."

"That's the thing," Jane started sheepishly, "Mom means well. So does Charlie. He is actually bringing along a friend... for you."

Alarm bells started going out in my head. Could he be bringing Darcy? To set us up? I was so shocked by the idea I couldn't even reply.

"He said his friend is new in the area and doesn't know anybody. He sounded really nice too. His name is George Wickham."

I wasn't thrilled about the idea of being caught off guard, but I decided not to give Jane more trouble and went along with it.

Dinner went well, even with Mom's occasional troubling comments. How "Jane hadn't lived far from home," "wasn't very worldly," "still believed in fairytales."

Luckily Charlie was in Prince Charming disguise, and looked so happy next to Jane, nothing could faze him.

Though the comments didn't go unnoticed by our table companion, George.

"It seems like you and your sister lived quite a sheltered life," he whispered to me as not to interrupt the others' discussion.

"It depends from whose point of view. I guess for a mother her children are never too sheltered."

"True, Elizabeth Bennett, you are quite observant. And I understood you work in the city? For Darcy Design?"

I didn't like he already knew so much about me, although I barely knew him.

"Yes, I guess that also made me more thick-skinned."

"I can imagine that, with Darcy for your boss."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise at this, "Do you know him?"

"Sort of... I know of him. I knew his sister Georgie better. You could say we were... childhood friends."

"Wow, I never realized it's such a small world. Did you just move back? Do they know you're here?"

"Well, I took a gap year before college and kind of kept wandering ever since. Europe at first, then South America. I've only just returned and came into Bingley. He's such a wonderful welcoming kind of guy. We hit it off instantly."

I could imagine that. There was something about George that was very easy... I could see how he would get along with Charlie.

"It's funny, right? While some people get the looks, others the personality, and the third the money, Charlie seems to have it all, right?"

"Have you been disappointed in the Darcys?"

"Well, William was always the serious, responsible one, couldn't really strike a conversation to save his life. I can't remember Georgie so well."

"I guess you just need to renew your acquaintance. I'm sure she would like you. You seem very... friendly."

He laughed with all his face, "How do you do that? How can you stay there, calm and serene, and just analyze us, and then blurt out verdicts like that? You're just something else."

If I could blush, I would have, although I wasn't sure if it was a compliment or an accusation.

I was thinking of coming up with something witty, when he simply continued, "Really, how do you do it? How can you stay yourself surrounded by these people, who throw away money like it's nothing. You know, I am an observer as well. I can see where you are coming from. I admire how you stay true to your values even surrounded by these superficial people."

"Look, I don't know exactly what went on between you and the Darcys, but I can assure you they are not like that. They are quite down-to-earth kind of people, especially Georgie. You should give her a call. Better yet, we should all meet."

For a moment, we just smiled in understanding, but were interrupted by my mom's interjections. The evening was coming to an end and I didn't know how that left me feeling.

I had enjoyed myself more than I expected I would. I also thought it was nice to meet someone new and refreshing, and was happy George was around to stay.

A couple of weeks later, I re-introduced Georgie to George. As I expected, they liked each other instantly. Georgie was not the stuck-up girl George expected, and she was smitten with his carefree attitude and direct manner.

In fact, they liked each other so much, after a little while they started dating. I was surprised to find that out, and turned to see how Darcy would react. I was met with the most furious gaze he had ever spared on me.