Disclaimer: I don't own Pride & Prejudice.
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
~ Winston Churchill
Jane stared glumly out the side of her window watching the fields speed past the car. Her mum was beside her driving down the A1 to reach Ratho to visit Georgie and Richard. The young Miss Darcy had rung the Bennet household and shyly inquired if they would be interested in coming over for lunch during the week. Mrs. Bennet not only thought it would be a healthy distraction for Jane but was glad to have the chance to see the young girl again. She had taken quite a liking to Georgie when she had come over with her brother for Christmas.
In the back sat Mary, Kitty, and Lydia; all of them excited and giggly to see Pemberly. They had only heard descriptions of the grand manor and the two youngest Bennets were anticipating something on the scale of Windsor Castle. Mary was more excited to see the grand piano that Georgie had told her about, and she silently hoped that she would be given the chance to play it.
"Of all the damn infuriating things!" Mrs. Bennet's sudden outburst drew the attention of the car.
"What's the matter?" Jane asked. Her mum sighed in resignation.
"I've only just remembered that I left out the sausages." She grumbled.
The lasses in the back exchanged horrified glances and began imagining all the scenarios that would be waiting for them when they arrived home. Their new dog, Rodney, had a worrying passion for the meat and what the family had soon discovered was that it left him with abdominal complaints. These complaints soon converted into surprises left in varying places throughout the house.
"He might not find them." Kitty said hopefully.
"Och, he's got the nose of a hound. Jane, ring Lady Lucas and see if she is able to put the sausages in the fridge. If it's too late have her put Rodney in the garden." Mrs. Bennet kept her eyes on the road as she gave the instructions.
Lady Lucas was quick to answer and spoke her shock at having a call from Jane. Being such a small village practically all the residents knew of Jane's recent heart-break. She soon understood, however, that this was not a spontaneous want for a chat, but rather an emergency. When she was given the details, she realized the importance of her haste; nothing was worse to Lady Lucas than dirty floors.
"And I'll find the spare key under the welcome mat?" The lady inquired.
"No, we've moved it to above the door frame. Ever since Wickham, Da wants to change the place of it periodically." Jane answered.
"Right. I'll go there now and ring ye when I'm done." Lady Lucas said.
Jane tucked away her mobile and told her mum that it was being masterly dealt with. When Mrs. Bennet let out a sigh of relief, Jane returned her attention to the window and felt the sadness slip back to the front of her mind. If she had known how much it would hurt she would never have started up with Charlie. Then again, she would never have had all those really wonderful memories of the two of them, or even the four of them. When Lizzy and Darcy had still been up in Scotland all had been well; Charlie was there and Jane was happy. Now she didn't quite know what she felt; the closest she could come to describing it was her heart being replaced with lead.
If only she could know why he had changed. When he had told her, he hadn't given a reason except that he wanted space and that he would be going down to London. With this unknowing she could only assume that she had done something inexplicably wrong, thus his sudden change of heart.
Her mobile rang and she answered.
"Hallo?"
"Well," Lady Lucas's curt voice sounded through the phone. "He certainly knows how to put on a show."
"Oh no. What did he do?" Jane dared to ask.
"What? What did he do?!" Mrs. Bennet took her panicked eyes off the road for a second to glance at Jane. Her daughter only signed for silence and tried to listen to Lady Lucas.
"He got to the sausages -"
"And?"
"And he did a number on the kitchen floor." Lady Lucas huffed, as if it was her precious tiles that had been violated.
"Well that's not too bad." Jane tried to reason. "He had an accident in the kitchen." She then mouthed to her mum.
"That's not the worst of it." Lady Lucas went on.
"Oh? There's more?" Jane cringed.
"Och aye. When I tried to drag the wee scunner out he stepped right in his own mess and tracked it all around the kitchen."
Jane made a mixture of a disgusted and pitiful grunt.
"I've got him out in the garden now and he's none too pleased with that, ye can be sure. I'll just clean this up and it'll be done. He ate all the sausages by the way." Lady Lucas said bravely.
"Thank ye. And I'm sorry, we didnae mean for ye to be stuck cleaning." Jane apologized.
"Och, 'tis fine. I'll just get me gloves on and scrub till it shines. To tell ye the truth, I don't mind; I was bored out of my mind with William and Maria in Kent, and the boys are at a friends today." She admitted.
Mrs. Bennet was aghast that they had involuntarily sent the lady to kitchen duty and wanted Jane to ring her up and tell her to leave the poo. Jane, however, told her mum that Lady Lucas was welcome to this diversion, no matter how disgusting it was, and would be done with it shortly. Kitty and Lydia were all for having their neighbor clean the mess, not wishing to be given the task when they returned home.
Resigned to this, Mrs. Bennet continued down the road to Ratho and Pemberly.
Georgie was in a flurry, prancing from the dining room to the living room, assessing the set up and adjusting anything that needed her attention. She had been encouraged by Richard to invite the Bennets after he saw that she was becoming quite languid by the absence of her brother. She had been having regular lessons on managing the estate, in which she understood most points, though some still eluded her and required her fullest attention for understanding. What she excelled in was being among the tenants; hearing their problems and dealing with them in the best ways possible. Richard had to intervene only once when the complaint consisted of a more threatening nature. A Mr. Harley had accused his neighbor, Mr. Donaldson, of stealing some of his sheep and before bringing his grievance to Pemberly, he went to settle it with a butcher's knife. Luckily, a frazzled Mrs. McKenzie saw Mr. Harley and ran to the manor to inform Georgie and Richard of the violence she was sure would ensue. Richard told Georgie to remain at the house while he went to deal with the matter.
"If anything happens to you your brother will have my head." He said when she protested.
As it turned out, Mr. Harley hadn't planned on inflicting any bodily harm to Mr. Donaldson, but rather to his chicken. Richard arrived just as the poultry was being tugged at by both men, their faces steaming red with anger. Richard interrupted the fiasco and settled the dispute; when no sheep could be found on Mr. Donaldson's land the stand-in master agreed to compensate Mr. Harley for his loss. When Georgie was told of the happenings, she had laughed her amusement and playfully berated her cousin for not allowing her to join him. In her dealings with the tenants, she knew that she had surprised Richard. He had been expecting the shy and somewhat timid girl who used to always prefer hiding behind her brother rather than talking to a stranger. But what he had failed to realize was that Georgie had grown up with them her whole life, permitting her to feel familiar and not at all as shy as she would have been had they all been complete strangers. Also, having been influenced by Lizzy's confident and welcoming nature, Georgie had started coming out of her shell.
Now with this small reprieve of lessons and idle hours spent walking the empty halls of Pemberly, Richard hoped that the Bennet's would bring some life into the manor. The lunch was prepared and ready to be served whenever the cook was given the word to send the food up, and the living room had been aired out and dusted. The only thing to do now was to wait for their guests to arrive.
"Do you think they're almost here?" Georgie asked impatiently. She rose to look out the window that was facing the drive for what was nearly the dozenth time. Richard looked up from his paper and gave his cousin a chuckle. "They'll be here when they get here. Just sit down and entertain yourself."
He was dressed casually, and with his favorite hat on his full head of hair, he seemed to be at odds with Pemberly's buttoned up and tight-lipped ghosts.
Georgie gave the window a last glance before she brought her jittering legs to a stop in front of one of the sofa's and perched herself on the edge of it. She drummed her fingers against her lap and tapped the tip of her toes in anticipation. Her eyes remained always on the window and for a moment she thought she heard a car pulling up on the gravel outside, but was disappointed when no further sounds occurred.
"Stop it." Richard said from behind his paper, not even bothering to look this time.
"What?" Georgie tore her gaze away and looked at her cousin.
"Your twitching. It's making Doodie nervous and I don't fancy explaining to the Bennet's that the new scar on my face is from the cat."
The owner of the black slits still held an animosity towards Richard and was presently eyeing him with malignancy; clearly the cat blamed him for the tension in the room.
"It's Doodles," Georgie corrected once again, "and he would never hurt you."
This statement earned her a look, but its affect was lost on Georgie as she was certain she heard a car this time. Hurrying over to the window she gave a girlish squeal.
"It's them! They're finally here!"
Richard joined his cousin at the window and peered down onto the drive. Five women emerged from the small vehicle, slightly giving the impression of a clown car. The one who was clearly the mother walked ahead with two similar looking girls, all seeming very excited. Behind the three, Richard saw a truly beautiful young woman with her remaining sister. They seemed more reserved, shy even. He kept his eyes on the blonde until she disappeared from view, no doubt being welcomed by Mrs. Reynolds, the house-keeper.
"Who's that?" He asked.
"Who?"
"The blonde." He pressed his face closer to the window to see if he could catch another glance of her.
"That's Jane. She's Lizzy's twin and off-limits." Georgie warned. Richard swiveled his head to his cousin's, then scoffed.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
It was Georgie's turn to give him a look. "I know you Richard, and I also know your type, and Jane most certainly fits it." Not wanting to appear to be defeated by the truth, he gave an indifferent shrug of his shoulders.
With her attention back on the guests, Georgie ran to the door and swung it wide open; poking half her body out, she cocked her head to listen to any sign of approaching footsteps. It was the voice of Mrs. Bennet that she heard first.
"Och, it's so beautiful. I've been here only once before to pick up Lizzy and I was amazed then, but seeing it again - it's just so beautiful. Don't ye agree girls? Don't ye think that this is the most magnificent manor ye've ever been in?"
"Um-hmm. Though, I did think it would be bigger." Kitty and Lydia said.
"Mum, we've never been in any other manor." Jane's gentle voice reminded, ignoring her sisters' comments.
"Och, well, even if we had been I'm sure Pemberly would still be the finest one." Mrs. Bennet prattled on. Georgie and Richard saw the group, led by a slightly miffed Mrs. Reynolds, round the corner and had to hide their smiles.
"And have ye heard much from Will?" Mrs. Bennet asked of the house-keeper. "Lizzy rings us here and there, but she never really mentions him. I hope he's doing well. Oooh, Georgie!" Mrs. Bennet caught sight of Miss Darcy and rushed over to her with arms spread open. Enveloping her in an enormous hug, the mother hen clucked and twittered over her and how well she looked.
"Ye've grown since Christmas! Look at ye, yer a bonny wee lass."
The Bennet girls gathered around the two hugging and waited to greet Miss Darcy themselves. They all were grinning and gave warm embraces to Georgie, though Jane's didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I don't know if any of you have met Richard, which I doubt, but he's our cousin and he's been helping me with estate affairs and what not. He was also in the army." Georgie said the last bit with some pride.
Richard stepped forward and welcomed the guests to take seats on the sofas and chairs. They complied and made themselves comfortable around an ornate coffee table. Tea and coffee were brought up and served in the neatest fashion that quite astonished the Bennet's to this luxury. Mrs. Bennet claimed that if she had a maid then she wouldn't have to ever worry about her nerves again.
"It would make it so much easier, and a great help on holidays. I'd be a true house-wife in style." She mused. "But now let me tell ye of what happened on our way here."
"Mum," Jane whispered. "They don't need to hear about that." She had meant for only Mrs. Bennet to hear, but Georgie, who was sitting beside the mother, heard.
"Is it personal?" She asked.
"No," Jane admitted, and then with a slight smile said, "but it has to do with a dog's backside."
"Then we must hear it." Richard exclaimed.
Now with full permission, Mrs. Bennet went on to tell of Rodney and the sausages and how they had first discovered his weakness of them, leading to today's events. Kitty and Lydia were prone to interrupting when they thought their mother had missed a detail, though most of what they said was exaggerated. Mary sat quietly throughout the story, eyeing the fabled piano that rested in the corner of the room. She did, however, take her chance of asking, immediately afterwards, if she could sit at the piano. It was a beautiful instrument, black and sleek, with the keys responding to the gentlest of touches. Georgie told her that she didn't even have to ask and that she would find music in the bench. Soon the room was filled with the gentle notes of Beethoven's Fur Elise and the occupants took up soft murmurs of separate conversations.
"So your sister is a pianist?" Richard said to the eldest Miss Bennet. She had been silent the whole time, looking only at her hands resting in her lap. Jane turned to face him now and he could see that her mind had definitely been elsewhere.
"I'm sorry?" She asked apologetically.
"I said your sister's a pianist." He repeated.
"Oh...I suppose. She does love it and I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to become a professional." With the hint of a cautious grin, Jane returned her gaze to her hands that now were playing with a tasseled pillow. She had her body still turned towards him though, showing that she was still listening if he anything further to say. He found that he couldn't take his eyes from her face and was silently staring for the longest time. What broke him from his trance was Jane looking up and meeting his eyes.
"Do you play? The piano, I mean." She asked. He saw her mouth moving and realized that she was talking to him. Processing the question, he laughed and answered, "I only know how to play 'Mary had a little lamb'. Does that count?"
"Well that's something, isn't it? I, myself cannae play a tune on an instrument without making dogs howl." This time she gave a real grin. Richard removed his hat and brushed his nervous fingers through his hair.
"I bet your not that bad." He tried to say.
"Oh, but I am. Mary once banned me from her piano. She said that I was probably the only person who could make it sound like a dying mule." At this, they both laughed, drawing the attention of Georgie. She looked over and tried to shoot her cousin with a warning glare, but he was too preoccupied by the girl in front of him. Jane was shocked at how this small conversation was helping her not think of Charlie for a second. Lizzy had told her briefly of Richard before she left for Hunsford, and Jane had to agree with her sister on how agreeable and engaging he was on the silliest of topics. They sat talking for the remainder of the time before they were called in for lunch. Richard told her some stories from over seas and Jane shared with him her love of painting and her wish to go to Leith School of Art.
When they were summoned into the dining room, Georgie made sure to step between the two and directed them to opposite sides of the table. When Mrs. Bennet and the rest of the girls entered they stopped in their tracks when they saw that a feast was spread out for them to enjoy. The set up was simple enough, but the quantity of food made the table look much grander than it was. There were stovies, mince and tatties, frofar bridies, scones, cheeses and breads, and an assortment of vegetables including neeps and tatties.
"Oh my. Are there more guests coming?" Mrs. Bennet asked, her eyes roving over the displayed food. Georgie laughed and pulled her in, showing her to her seat.
"No, this is all for us. I wasn't sure what all of you liked so I asked the cook if she could make us something special. She went a little traditional too, I can see."
"Aye. We haven't had a feast like this since Hogmany." Mrs. Bennet smiled. "Shall we all tuck in?"
Everyone gathered round and began loading their plates with their desired dishes until there was less than half on the main spread. Georgie sat herself between Jane and Mrs. Bennet. To the mother's left, at the head of the table, was Richard looking annoyed with his younger cousin. On the opposite side was Mary, Kitty, and Lydia all stuffing their gobs. Jane noticed Richard's irked expression at their interrupted conversation, so she gave him a smile.
"To bad your father couldn't come. I would have liked to have seen him again." Jane looked away from Richard and saw that Georgie was addressing her.
"He had a meeting in Dunbar for the start of term." She explained.
"Ah. Sounds fun." Georgie said jokingly.
Jane shrugged. "He says that he'd rather have the bother of work than have the bother of finding work."
"True." Georgie had to acknowledge. Behind her, Richard was making a face and moving his hand as if it were a mouth. Clearly a mock of his cousin. Jane laughed and had to cover her mouth to prevent the food from spilling out. Georgie spun around with narrowed eyes, but only saw Richard eating his food and engaging Mrs. Bennet in conversation. When Jane recovered she said, "he's very funny, yer cousin."
"Yes, absolutely hysterical." She mumbled. "How's Charlie? I haven't seen him in a while." Her move to redirect the topic worked better than she thought, and not for the good. Jane sobered and set her teeth.
"I wouldn't know. He - he's decided that he needed space. He's gone down to London."
"What?!" Georgie nearly shouted. The table looked to her in surprise. She gave a low chuckle and stuttered, "Jane was just telling me of coupons at Subway." Though they looked at her a little funny, they all resumed their conversations.
"I'm sorry," Georgie said to Jane, "but that's big! Why? What happened?"
Jane explained Charlie's call and how he didn't even give her a reason why he was breaking it off, just that he needed space and time.
"And in a couple of days I was supposed to be travelling down to London, myself, to visit the Gardener's. You remember them? My aunt and uncle."
Georgie nodded.
"Well, I've now cancelled it because I dread the chance of accidentally running into him. He said he was going down there and I know his family have a house in one of the hoity area's." Jane paused and looked positively miserable with what she was about to say. "And the worst thing of it all is that I still love him and in some ways I do want to see him, but I know I can't." She sighed. "But please don't bring this up. I'd rather not talk of it further." She added. And with that, Jane resumed eating.
Georgie considered a moment; she watched the rest of the table as she thought. They were oblivious to what she had just heard, being far too interested in one of Richard's stories. Taking advantage of this semi-privacy, Georgie voiced her opinion to Jane.
"I think you should go down and seek Charlie out."
Jane nearly choked on her drink and sputtered. "What?!"
"Just hear me out. What he did was the coward's way out. I've known Charlie almost all my life and he is one of the kindest people I know. His sisters on the other hand are a different story." Georgie said.
"But they had been nothing but sweet to me." Jane defended.
"I'm sure they were - to your face. But behind closed doors those sisters are mean. Believe me, I've heard them. I wouldn't find it at all hard to believe that they influenced him in some way. Charlie is just not the sort of person to do that on his own, he's far too sensitive. Besides, you'd be able to see your family and they'd be right there supporting you." Georgie said very convincingly. Jane pursed her lips and scrutinized.
"I'm tempted. But...what if he really doesn't want to see me?" She asked sorrowfully.
"Doesn't matter," Georgie answered immediately, "you still demand an explanation."
Jane gave it another moments thought. "Yer sure about this?"
"It's what I would do." Georgie said truthfully.
With a new determination, Jane clasped Georgie's hand in her own and squeezed it. "Thank ye. My parents have tried talking me round, but some how it made sense coming from ye. I'll do it. I'll go down to London and find him."
"I'm glad. And remember - a brave face. If you run into his sisters you don't want them scaring you off." Georgie said.
"I will, though I doubt they would try to scare me off." Jane said, still the ever naive one.
Lizzy sat on her bed. Her windows were wide open allowing the warm summer breeze to circulate through her room, though she was hardly paying attention to the weather. All her energy was on the mobile phone resting on her knee. Making up her mind she picked it up and punched in the numbers before she changed her mind.
"Westerham Police Station. State your emergency." A feminine voice said in an almost bored way.
All the former day, Lizzy knew that she couldn't physically go into the station to report Wickham but he wouldn't know if she called them. She had battled it in her head all that day and night, rising in the morning to being very grumpy and snappish. To spare Maria's feelings, she had locked herself in her room for the first hours of the day and just stared at her mobile.
Lizzy took a breath and was about to reveal Wickham when a rock came flying in through one of her windows. She gave a shriek as it landed by the foot of her bed.
"Ma'am are you alright?" The woman seemed a little more concerned now. Lizzy, however, ignored her for a second and scrambled off her bed to see the rock. A string was tied around it, connected to a scrap of paper. Turning it, Lizzy saw that there was a message.
I wouldn't.
Lizzy gulped.
"I'm sorry. My little brother called this number and scared me. We won't call again. Sorry." Lizzy hung up before she could hear the annoyed complaint from the woman.
'How is he doing this?!' Lizzy practically screamed in her head. She went to all her windows and closed them, drawing the shades as well. The rock still lay on the floor and she was tempted to throw it back out, but stopped herself. If she ever did manage to get to the police station she'll have evidence and perhaps even fingerprints.
'Damn. I already touched it.'
Going into the bathroom she grabbed a handful of tissue and returned to the rock, careful to not have her skin touch anymore of it as she placed it in a drawer. Shaken, but not wanting to sit down and do nothing, Lizzy descended the stairs and went in search of her cousin. She found him in his study, working on next Sunday's sermon. She knocked on the door and waited for his invitation, knowing that he could be very strict about when people disturbed him.
"Come in."
Lizzy entered and saw the pleasant shock on Mr. Collins's face.
"Elizabeth! What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if I might borrow-"
"Scriptures?" He interrupted. "Or perhaps you care to look at some Psalms?" He began to rise from his desk to go in search of those items.
"No Mr. Collins, I'm sorry, but it's nothing like that. I just wanted to borrow your mobile for a second. Mine has run out of charge and I need to ring my aunt." Lizzy explained.
Mr. Collins looked a trifle disappointed but offered his mobile nevertheless.
"Thank ye. I'll be right back with it."
If the vicar's phone wasn't safe than nothing was, Lizzy figured. She dialed her aunts number and waited for her to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Aunt, it's Lizzy."
"Oh, Lizzy. It's so good to hear from you." Aunt Gardner said.
Lizzy expressed the same sentiment, but quickly asked the question that she needed an immediate answer to.
"Aunt, I know I was supposed to come visit ye in a couple weeks time, but do ye think it would be possible if I come after my birthday? I know Jane is no longer coming down -"
"Oh no, but she is. She changed her mind and she'll be here tomorrow. And as to you, I don't see why not. The more the merrier is what I say. Do the Collins's know of this yet?"
Beaming, Lizzy answered. "No. I wanted to make sure it was fine with ye first. I'll tell them now though."
"Yes, tell them we want our niece and soon."
At last, Lizzy felt some relief when she handed Mr. Collins's mobile back. She wouldn't tell him yet, she'd wait till they were all at dinner. Charlotte would be the only one who knew the true reason for her early departure and for now that would have to do.
The dinner's at Rosings were always detailed affairs, even if it was only ever Lady Catharine De Bourgh partaking in the cuisine. She believed in tradition and value; 'if something isn't done right then there is no point in doing it at all,' was a motto of hers. She would rather starve than make dinner a small and insignificant affair. With the addition of her nephew and Anne Whitney, the menu's were near perfection. The table was set with the very finest crystal, china, and silver. The place settings consisted of at least two plates, one for salad the other for the main course, a bowl for soup, two glasses, one for water the other for something a little stronger, a small crystal chalice that was for the dessert of ice cream, and there were at least three forks, two spoons, and three knives for each person.
Punctuality, too, was an important ingredient for Lady Catharine's dinners, so when Will walked in ten minutes late his aunt was quick to rebuke him on it.
"William, we have dinner here at 6:00 sharp."
"Yes aunt." He mumbled, taking his seat across from Anne. She gave him a wink and a smile which he didn't return, and began eating his meal.
"I'm sorry Anne, I interrupted you. We were speaking of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, were we not?" Lady Catharine had her attention back on Miss Whitney, thus missing the surprised jerk that Will gave. He remained quiet and listened to what they had to say on his lass.
"We were, Cathy, and I was just saying how sweet I find her to be, if a little simple."
Will's grip tightened around his spoon, but he bit his tongue.
"Yes, I agree. Not a bad face either. She may be a little rough around the edges, but those things can be mended. I wonder where she is planning to go for university. Will," Lady Catharine turned to him with all the energy of a lioness. "Do you know? I've seen you speaking with her occasionally and you had known each other at Netherfield. Has she ever told you where she plans on going?"
Will kept his arm frozen in midair for what seemed a century, but with a clearing of his throat he told his aunt that they hadn't discussed it.
"Hmm." Dissatisfied, her ladyship turned back to Anne. "I really think I could make a project out of her; turn the country girl into a refined young lady of society. Yes, I think I can see that. Though, she would never truly be that." Lady Catharine added. "Everyone in our circles would know that she wasn't born to wealth or any family connections. But at least to her peers she would be something special. When is it that she is leaving Anne?" The lady inquired.
"I believe she and the Lucas's will be departing in a fortnight, Cathy."
Here, Will cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the table. "Actually, I found out today that she will be leaving after her birthday."
Anne's jaw clenched for a moment, but she regained her composure and went on to question Will.
"And how do you know that? Did the two of you meet in the park?" Her insinuation was clear and Will's eyes flashed.
"No." He said slowly, trying to reign in his growing temper. "I had gone to Hunsford today to see the vicar and his wife."
This, however, was not the truth. Lizzy had Ted deliver the message to Will, not trusting the phones. It was just before dinner that Ted had appeared on the steps of Rosings, asking to speak with William Darcy. The butler had told him to leave, but the commotion had caught Will's attention. Ted quickly handed Lizzy's note to him and was off back into the night. Reading the note, Will was upset that she would be leaving, but she had explained that her aunt and uncle were missing her terribly. It was due to the note that Will had been late for dinner, and he had quickly shoved it into his pocket upon entering the room.
Anne considered him and Lady Catharine continued talking.
"I think I shall have to insist that she stay, now that I have this thought in my head, I must act on it."
"Aunt, you can hardly force her to stay where she does not want to be." Will said exasperated.
"Of course I can. Once I tell her of my project she will understand that it is her duty to be educated thus, and she will stay." Lady Catharine said with unbound confidence.
"William may be right Cathy. While I did say she is sweet I also said she's simple. Just the other day I was telling her of my cousin and the tenant, and she could only see my aunt Lavinia as the culprit." Anne said.
"Really?" Her ladyship was shocked beyond words.
"It's true. I even tried to explain the principle of certain people matching and others not, and how it was cruel of Liam raising the hopes of that girl only to have to crush them. For example, you wouldn't allow your nephew, here, marry someone from Elizabeth's status. It just isn't our way, is it Cathy?"
"You are one hundred percent true, my dear. But, nevertheless, I will tell Miss Bennet of my plans, and if in the end she truly passes this opportunity then we shall know what character she really is." Lady Catharine and Anne shared smiles of understanding. Will, however, was far from understanding their nonsense of right matches. With an agitated sigh, he excused himself and stormed out of the dining room, out of Rosings, and into the park. Only one thing mattered to him at that moment and nothing his aunt or that crazy woman said was ever going to make him see differently. With Lizzy leaving and Lady Catharine so stubbornly set in the past he had next to no hope of ever, peacefully, telling his aunt of his relationship. He knew now, with bitter disappointment, that Lady Catharine would never smile upon them and that they would have to keep their secret until Will was at least twenty-one.
But he was starting to fear that Anne Whitney truly did know something and was only waiting for the right moment to reveal everything. With the thought of that, Will knew his aunt would take drastic measures, even more so than Lavinia, so he led his feet to Hunsford. He could see a few lights on, but his eye quickly caught sight of a mane of black hair walking into the kitchen. He approached the door and rapped his knuckles against the glass. He saw Lizzy jump in fear at the sudden noise, but she relaxed when she saw who it was. With confusion she came and unlocked the door.
"Will, what are ye -"
She was cut off by Will's mouth on hers. She made a soft grunting noise at the back of her throat in surprise to his sudden proximity, but quickly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, as his slithered around her waist. He held her tight in his embrace and brought her even closer to him. Running his fingers through Lizzy's hair, he cupped the back of her neck, bringer her nearer. In the past they had shared many kisses, which were all very enjoyable, but something about this one was different. They both clung to each other, not caring if anyone saw them. All the emotion and fear of what the future might bring swirled in both of them, erupting now into this one kiss.
When they finally broke apart, they were both very short of breath and kept their arms around the other to steady themselves.
"Um...what was that for?" Lizzy panted.
Resting his forehead on hers, Will closed his eyes and whispered, "I love you."
With a final kiss to the tip of her nose, he vanished back into the night.
A/N: In regards to Dizzy Lizzy.60's comment, we live in a global world where injustices anywhere on this planet affect all of us. The States have always stood for human rights and in the past have always protected the hopeless and helpless regardless of religion, colour, nationality, etc. The hatred against Jews and the rising level of anti-Semitisim in the world is a barometer for how low humanity has fallen on this planet at any given time. It is sad when anyone dies, but when four religious people are slaughtered in their house of worship just for being the religion they are, it affects all of us everywhere in the world. These rabbis were innocents and were hurting no one. On the other hand, Michael Brown grew up in the States as an American citizen protected by all the unalienable rights that every US citizen is born with. Yet when looking at the facts of what actually happened, he had a history of terrorizing and stealing from local businesses and individuals in his city. Just prior to this incident he was recorded on video terrorizing and pushing a store clerk, stealing cigars. Who was protecting the innocent store clerk and all the other people terrorized by Michael Brown? We all our told to follow the directions of police officers and it is recorded that Brown punched the officer in the face and did not follow the direction of said officer, while charging at him. Why is there one law for American's who follow the law and another law for those who don't? All police have the right to stop an assault when being charged at, regardless of who the assaulter is. Michael Brown should be held accountable for his actions. As a citizen, you should be concerned about what is happening in terms of social injustice, in that people are not being treated equally according to the law.
