Hello everyone!
I would like to thank everyone who has been following my story so far - I know it has only been a day but we're off to a good start!
A big thank you to everyone who left reviews - they were lovely :) I really appreciate the reviews (even if they are constructive) so please keep them coming! Also if you have any ideas I would love to hear them.
I was thinking somewhere along the line to do a couple of chapters focusing on bonding time between Elizabeth and her younger sisters, and maybe some conversations between them and Darcy as well? I am also going to do the classic Kitty-Georgiana friendship thing, so prepare yourselves!
Anyway, without any further ado, here is the next chapter! :)
The long-awaited weddings were but one week away, and the Bennets, Bingleys, Hursts, and Mr Darcy were all sitting in one of Netherfield's largest parlours, awaiting dinner. Mr Hurst was, as expected, sprawled on an armchair with his legs spread apart, snoring very loudly. Mrs Hurst was sitting, the pages of a book in her hand flipping every couple seconds as she pretended to read them. Bingley and Jane were sitting together in one corner of the room, talking quietly. Mary and Kitty were talking together next to Jane and Bingley. Mrs Bennet was talking at Miss Bingley while Miss Bingley openly scowled at Elizabeth. Elizabeth was sitting next to Darcy on a settee next to the fireplace, pointing passionately at a quote in the book in her lap. She and Darcy were very aggressively discussing 'Medea'. Mr Bennet was observing at his favourite daughter and her betrothed.
"It is not so," Elizabeth countered. "The chorus are on Medea's side of the argument."
"It is so. There are points in the play in which the chorus takes the side of Jason."
"They do not take the side of Jason. What of the point in the play when Medea informs the chorus of her plans to kill Glauce, and Jason too? The chorus promises not to judge her, even though what she planned to do would have brought her death had she been caught."
"They take the side of Medea in the beginning of the play, but throughout the play they begin to turn from her. When Medea is contemplating killing her sons, they are entirely against her."
"But didn't get involved!"
"The chorus never got involved in any Greek Tragedy! Their purpose was a cross between narrating and conversing with the characters, but nothing the chorus ever did interfered with the events of the play."
"The chorus never take the side of Jason."
"They do at the end of the play."
"No. No they do not. Just because they are not on Medea's side anymore because she goes insane does not mean they are on Jason's side. It means they are on the side of what the audience would have considered right. When Medea is abandoned and alone the chorus invokes pity for her by taking her side, which is what the audience would have experienced. However, when Medea starts to contemplate killing her children the chorus are horrified, just as the audience would have been."
"So they do not take the side of Medea, they take the side of the audience."
"Yes."
"But," Darcy said, his mouth quirking up in a little smile. "That is not what you said at the beginning."
Elizabeth stopped, frowning. "So we were both wrong."
"It seems so," replied Darcy, his smile becoming wider.
Elizabeth just looked at him, and he at her, for a few moments, before Elizabeth suddenly burst out laughing. Darcy was grinning, and they he started laughing too.
Miss Bingley's scowl deepened, before it quickly cleared and she said, "Miss Eliza, what are you discussing with Mr Darcy? I do wish to know about it. Mr Darcy, why do you not tell me?"
Mr Darcy sighed, though only Elizabeth could tell. "We are discussing Medea, Miss Bingley. Do you know of the play?"
"Oh yes, of course! It is an Ancient Greek tragedy, written by the great Sophocles," Miss Bingley said grandly, pronouncing the poor Greek play-write 'Sophocols'. Miss Bingley continued. "Sophocles was very clever in his writings; do you not think?" Miss Bingley's remark, smug as ever, caused Darcy to smile to himself. He really couldn't believe she ever entertained the belief that he would marry her.
"Oh yes, Miss Bingley," answered Elizabeth. "Sophocles was a great play-write. However, Medea is Euripides' masterpiece."
"Are you quite sure, Miss Bennet?" Said Miss Bingley, her voice dripping with contempt.
"Yes, Miss Bingley," Elizabeth answered. "It is on the cover of this edition, look."
Elizabeth rose from her place on the settee and handed the book to Miss Bingley. Utterly mortified, Miss Bingley was saved from replying when the housekeeper came and announced dinner. Mr Bingley offered his arm to Jane and to Mary, and walked into the dining room. Mr Bennet gave his arm to his wife and to the humiliated Miss Bingley, and walked into the dining room. Mr Hurst, alert once he heard the mention of food, offered his arm to Mrs Hurst, and surprisingly, to Kitty. That left Elizabeth and Darcy alone in the drawing room. Elizabeth went to the copy of Euripides plays lying on Miss Bingley's chair, picked it up, and put it back in its place on the shelf. Darcy walked over to her, offered his arm, and together they walked into the dining hall, sitting down in the two remaining seats, which were, thankfully, next to each other. One was next to Miss Bingley, and the other next to Mary. Without hesitation, Elizabeth took the seat next to Miss Bingley, earning her a very subtle, grateful smile from Darcy as he took the seat next to her. Dinner was a decidedly pleasant affair, even with Miss Bingley's simpers and sneers. Mrs Bennet had decided to tell stories of when Elizabeth and Jane were little, much to the delight of their respective fiancés.
"And Lizzy never did like needlework, she wanted to do arithmetic and play outside, much my chagrin. Her father always seemed to delight in it, though," Mrs Bennet continued.
"As do I," Darcy added, smiling at Elizabeth. Miss Bingley started, and Mr Bennet shot Darcy an approving look. Elizabeth simply smiled back at him, and gave his hand a gentle squeeze under the table. Mrs Bennet, having to reconstruct what she was about to say in view of the most recent comment, said, "Yes, well. Lizzy is frightfully clever, Mr Darcy, and I am certain that she has grown out of all of her stubborn nonsense by now."
"You would think," chimed in Mr Bennet. "However, I believe that this particular side of Lizzy is starting to rub off on even Jane."
"Oh no, Mr Bennet, that cannot be so!" His lady adamantly stressed. "Jane is all goodness, all of the time, let us hope that she has rubbed off on Lizzy!"
Elizabeth blushed, her lips pursed into a cousin of a smile, and raised her eyebrows at Darcy. He was trying, but quite unsuccessfully, not to laugh. Eventually the whole table was laughing, albeit insincerely in Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst's case.
"I have been long aware of your cleverness, Miss Elizabeth, but what of this accusation of stubbornness? I have not seen so much as a stubborn look from you in all of our acquaintance."
Darcy raised an eyebrow at her, pleased with himself. Elizabeth raised one of her own, before laughing again.
"You, sir," she said, "Are incorrigible!"
