I wanted to get one more chapter out for this story before the New Year and I am happy to be able to deliver it! There is a bit of frustration expressed in this chapter by a particular character, so I hope you won't hold it against them. I pray you all have a Happy New Year!
"How long shall we remain angry with Lizzy?" Kitty asked in the dark.
At first, the response she received was a single sigh. Finally, Mary deigned to speak. "I am no longer angry so much as I am frustrated. Lizzy refuses to think that she is wrong; that there is no way that her impression of a person could have been derived from a misconception or misunderstanding. I am frustrated that Lizzy is always taken seriously and while I am always met first with doubt or scoffs. What must I do to prove myself?"
"You know Lizzy is Papa's favorite."
"Yes, and it is entirely unfair. I suppose I cannot fault someone for having a favorite, for favoring something can't be helped. I favor beef while you favor chicken, I favor darker colors while you favor brighter colors; however, favoring something or someone doesn't mean you have to treat the alternatives as inferior, and that is what our parents do. To Papa, there is no one better than Lizzy, and to Mama, no one can outshine Jane for her beauty or Lydia for her entire self. But us? They both list our faults for all to hear!"
The conversation had definitely taken a more depressing turn than Kitty had intended. She usually liked to ignore the truth of her parents' favoritism; though she was sure it could be worse. The thought that she could be a silly as Lydia made her shutter. There was no denying her sisters words.
"I favor you," Kitty finally gave as a reply.
"And I favor you," Mary said softly, reaching for her hand.
"Then what does it matter what they think. Papa is taking you more seriously now, but what should his opinion matter to us now. I love Papa; he is our father after all, but he is as stubborn as Lizzy, so I don't see why we should value his opinion above any other. We managed to garner the favor of Mr. Darcy so much so that he brought his sister here simply so that she could make our acquaintance. I would say that says a lot about us!"
Turning, Mary chuckled. "I suppose it does. But Kitty, I know Papa and Mama's opinions matter to you."
"Perhaps they do. Perhaps what I have said to you is meant just as much for my own ears. No matter what, we have each other."
"That we do."
"So, how shall we handle Lizzy on the morrow? Shall we continue to be silent, or shall we act as though nothing is the matter?"
She was met with silence once more. Another sigh rolled across to her. "You can act as you will. I cannot act as though I am unbothered by her words or that I give in to her will, but I shall give her an indication that I refuse to continue to act as though I am angry with her when I am not. I think it is sad that she is determined to view and treat Mr. Darcy as though he is the villain, but it shall be her loss. As for me, I shall not let it ruin another day."
Anger burned in Richard's heart as he sat and contemplated his evening. It had started out bland, to say the least, until he and Darcy had retired to his sitting room. Miss Bingley laid out a table worthy of the royal family, but listening to her prattle on about her perception of her virtues verses those of the ladies in the neighborhood was as dull as the first time he had been forced to sit through it, but he would have rather continued to endure it instead of burdening his cousin as he did when they finally managed to break away from the group for the night.
On a good day, Darcy struggled with interacting with people. Unless you knew him, it could be easy to misunderstand his intentions. His mother was always on Darcy about how he appeared to people, but Darcy was not very sociable by nature. While he could understand Miss Elizabeth's offense, he could not understand her need to continue to see the worst in his cousin, and for that, Richard began to feel a strong dislike grown for the young woman. He especially felt it when he thought of his cousin's countenance when he told him that Miss Elizabeth thought the worst of him. Richard now feared that his cousin's reserve was going to return in full force, and that is what angered him. Since arriving at Hertfordshire, his cousin had actually come out of himself quite a bit, especially considering the events of the summer; and now it seemed it was for not.
Why were women so complicated? At that moment, there were only five women that he found tolerable: his cousin's, Anne and Georgiana, Miss Mary Bennet, Miss Kitty Bennet, and Miss Jane Bennet; though the last only by a small margin. (He didn't include his mother in that as, well, she was his mother and her position shifted from day to day as most mothers did in the lives and opinions of their sons. Currently, her lamenting of his bachelorhood made her a bit more intolerable.) He supposed he shouldn't fault women so much; they were a product of Society; a Society that gave them little worth and told them they had to look for men Society considered of worth. Money and connections. Listening to the ministers at church, you would think other more personal characteristics would be considered of higher value, such as good morals, but no, it was all about money and connections. Perhaps some of his bitterness came from his lack of the one, while he had the other is spades. His brother was thought of as better and he ran up debts their father was constantly having to pay off, or engaging in trysts with women of questionable character. Richard had served faithfully in his majesty's army, and never ran up debts or kept unsavory company. It was he who would help his parents sort out their tenants needs; stepping up and convincing his father to provide for those unable to provide for themselves. It was he who always made himself available to his relatives every need.
He never voiced his thoughts of Society's unfairness aloud, though, lest he be labeled jealous or ungrateful. Still, knowing his cousin's personality and the women he dealt with on a daily basis, he couldn't leave them entirely blameless. Miss Elizabeth was the first female to actually express her disfavor of him. Most women flocked to his cousin, not caring about the defaults in his character, thinking only of the money that would be at their disposal and prestige the title of Mrs. Darcy would bring them. While he cannot fault the original offense Miss Elizabeth received from his cousin, he found he had to fault her for her continued resentment towards him. Had Darcy not showed her, through his efforts with Miss Mary and Miss Kitty, that he was not the ogre she thought he was? He did not think a woman should be forced to show affection for a man she did not desire, but she didn't have to treat him as though he were refuse.
With that last thought, Wickham came to mind. Damnable coward. He had caused his family nothing but trouble since the day he went off to University. George Wickham had been given everything to give him a better future in their Society, and he had squandered it all, taking up with ruffians who convinced him his bad luck was the fault of others instead the work of his own hands. Well, Richard wasn't having it anymore. Perhaps there was nothing he could do for his cousin's heart, but he could do something about another problem.
Smiling at the militia colonel, Richard nodded as he listened to the man's thoughts and opinions on maneuvers he wished to work on with his soldiers. Had he not been silly in so many other ways, he thought he might recommend him advancement to the regulars, but he had met his new, young wife, and it made him question decisions he might make down the line. They finally made it to the lodgings of a few of his officers. The look on Wickham's face when his superior announced him and his desire to speak with him was truly priceless. The knave led him to his room where they would have more privacy.
"What do you want?" Wickham growled.
"Hello, George. I am well, and you?" Richard smiled.
"What do you want?" he repeated.
"Now, now, I know you were trained in proper etiquette, but since you wish to get right to it, we shall. You are not going to cause trouble in this neighborhood, you are not going to tell lies about my family, you are not going to run up debts you cannot pay, you will not take advantage of unsuspecting females, and you will especially stay away from the Bennet family; am I understood?"
"I didn't realize that you had a say in what I do or who I associate with."
"Considering you have a history of ruining or nearly ruining young women, I have decided that I do! What happened to you? You had everything, and you let some unfavorable boys convince you to lose it all. Your father was an honorable man; a man worthy of being looked up to, and you choose, instead, to follow the ways of your spendthrift mother!"
"Watch what you say about my mother!" Wickham clenched his fists tight.
"Or what? I would think you would care more for the father who spent time with you than the mother who ignored you. You spent more time at Matlock than you did in your own home with her! Even my own mother and father showed favor to you for a time, and you threw it all away! I have a right to have a say because I, too, invested in you, stood up for you, and you threw that in my face by your actions! So, I will tell you again; you will be on your best behavior, you will leave the Bennets alone, and you will keep Darcy's name out of your mouth. Do you understand?"
He heard Wickham muttering under his breathe.
"Pardon? Do you wish to share that loud enough for the rest of us to hear?"
"I said that it's not fair that I should be treated so!"
"Fair? I don't want to hear about what you think is or is not fair. Life is not fair; however, you have called this upon yourself. You should have taken the opportunities you were given and used them to your advantage instead of wasting them. Few are handed anything; the rest of us have to earn our way. If you keep on as you are, you will find yourself as unsatisfied and miserable with life as your mother did. Find a purpose other than what you have been chasing."
"It is my destiny to be greater than I am!"
"Your destiny?" Richard laughed. "You think your destiny is somehow supposed to be better than everyone elses? Your destiny is to be a productive member of Society, like the rest of us. Your destiny was to find a profitable pursuit, contribute, and have children to continue the endless cycle. You could have been profiting from your own parish by now. You could have been on your way to being a much sought-after barrister. I bet if you had decided, you could have risen high in the ranks of the regulars, but instead, you waste your time trying every quick, get rich scheme you can think of. Fathers and guardians are becoming harder on their charges, Wickham; many won't release the dowries of the young women under their guidance who step out of bounds. You would have been extremely lucky had you actually managed to entrap Georgiana, but make no mistake that your life would have been very much in danger."
Wickham swallowed heavily. "And what am I to do now? You are preventing me from doing better for myself."
Richard regarded him with a considering eye. "I was fond of you once, and I don't trust you not to cause trouble. How about this; I will get you a better paying rank in the Regulars, and I will let you use my name to an extent. You have enough charm to get you somewhere, and many men are making their own fortunes in this war; but mark my words, Wickham, you cross me, and it will very likely be the last thing you ever do. Do you accept?"
Wickham considered him with the same intensity that he had him. "I accept."
"Lydia, you will not be traipsing off to see the officers today," Mr. Bennet said as he continued to enjoy his favorite breakfast foods. "I dare say, in light of all of the information and events that have been brought to light, we could all benefit from staying at home for a while."
"Mr. Bennet, what are you saying?" Mrs. Bennet shrieked.
"I am saying, Mrs. Bennet, that the members of this household have been too busy being involved in the lives of others in the neighborhood that I think we will benefit from simply staying home for a few days. I will not bar anyone from the house, and Mary and Kitty have already promised to visit Miss Darcy today, but barring that, I see no reason for us to leave the house."
Mary and Kitty stared at their father in shock as their mother and Lydia cried out at their perceived injustice. Lizzy mentioned her desire to see Charlotte that day, but she accepted his rejection of the idea.
"No, I am quite firm. Your friends may come here, but there will be no leaving to visit."
Breakfast ended, and Mr. Bennet headed for his study while Mrs. Bennet and Lydia escaped to Mrs. Bennet's rooms, leaving the remaining sisters to go to the parlor.
"I am not displeased that Papa has decided to keep us home for the next few days, though I do wish I could see Charlotte today," Lizzy commented. "I do not relish being trapped in the house with Mr. Collins."
"He is only here for a few more days, Lizzy," Jane comforted.
"You could probably write a quick note to Charlotte, and she will come to you," Mary suggested, to the shock of her elder sisters.
"Yes," Lizzy said, slowly, "that would be best. Thank you, Mary."
And just like that, Kitty knew Lizzy had decided to let it go. She had a feeling it wasn't quite over yet, but it would make for a few peaceful days, at least.
"Well," Kitty said, getting up, "I suppose we should be off, Mary."
"Yes, and we should probably make it a quick visit. But maybe Georgie can come back with us and we can make a day of it?"