"Jane! Here comes Mr. Bingley!" Kitty said excitedly. She had been perched on the window seat for well over an hour, sketching in a book Jane had given her for just such a purpose.

Mrs. Bennet, who had been quite out of sorts since dinner the previous evening, suddenly recovered all her vigor at the announcement. "Jane! You did not say Mr. Bingley would be coming!"

Jane was not even offered the chance to come up with an excuse or apology as Mrs. Bennet began fluttering about the room. She called for Hill, straightened things that did not need attention, and adjusted the neckline of Jane's gown, though Jane quickly set it back when Mrs. Bennet turned away.

"Does anyone come with him, Kitty?" Lizzy asked while her mother continued moving about. She had seated herself in the corner with one of her Transfiguration books, though she no longer bothered to disguise it. She, Jane, and Mary had agreed they would speak more freely at Longbourn now that Kitty and Lydia had joined them at Hogwarts.

Kitty gave Lizzy a knowing look and twitched her eyebrows. "He brings neither of his sisters, but Mr. Darcy is with him."

"Mr. Darcy?" Mrs. Bennet asked tightly. She bumped Kitty in her hurry to look out the window. "So it is," she said unenthusiastically. "Well, we shall tolerate him as best we can, for Mr. Bingley's sake, though I cannot imagine why he chooses to keep such unpleasant company!"

Lizzy gave Kitty a warning look when the young girl looked ready to burst out in laughter and objection. She was glad for the distraction, as she was not very happy to hear such a declaration from her mother.

When Bingley and Darcy were announced, Mrs. Bennet quickly settled herself in her usual chair and did her best to look as though she had not just been dashing about the room like a madwoman.

"Mr. Bingley!" Mrs. Bennet gushed. "You are very welcome here! What a great pleasure it is to see you!"

"I am happy to be at Longbourn," said Bingley in reply. Lizzy appreciated his graceful way of dancing around saying he was pleased to see Mrs. Bennet and noted that his eyes did not sparkle quite so much as they usually did.

"And Mr. Darcy, you are welcome too," said Mrs. Bennet in a barely civil tone.

Mr. Darcy gave a slight bow in acknowledgement.

Lizzy could immediately sense how very uncomfortable Darcy was, and she found herself feeling much the same. She very much wanted him to come sit by her and greet her by kissing her hand, but knew such could not happen. Mrs. Bennet was barely tolerable now. If she were to discover their courtship, she would become absolutely insufferable.

Mr. Darcy's eyes did not scan the room. After grinding out a greeting to Mrs. Bennet, he made his way directly to the window at which Kitty was not seated and stared out at the garden with his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

Suddenly, Kitty was beside Lizzy to serve as a welcome distraction, both from desire to alleviate Darcy's unhappiness and from Mrs. Bennet's one-sided conversation with Bingley. "Lizzy, I am determined to add a creature to this drawing," Kitty said in a low, firm voice. "I am in need of your opinion, for I am not sure what would look best."

Lizzy welcomed the whispered conversation with Kitty. The pair eventually settled on hinkypunks, and Kitty was delighted to begin on the challenge. With everyone so well settled, Lizzy thought it might finally be safe to approach Darcy without arousing suspicion from her mother. She poured a cup of tea from the tray Mrs. Bennet had ordered, pleased that Darcy had ignored it before so she had an excuse to tend him.

"Is the garden so very fascinating?" Lizzy asked lowly upon coming to the window and offering Darcy the cup she had prepared.

Darcy took the tea without looking at Lizzy. "There are other things I would prefer to observe, but I do not think I would handle myself very well," he said from behind his indifferent mask.

"Oh?" Lizzy asked lightly with a raised brow. She took a sip from her own cup before elaborating, as she knew Darcy was waiting for her to do. "I have stood many times where you now stand, sir, and, if I remember correctly, the table at which Kitty currently sits and I only just vacated reflects rather clearly in the glass of the window."

"I have found the reflections offered by this window particularly bewitching, though the original is much more to my liking," Darcy said, mostly into his cup.

Lizzy quickly brought her own cup to her face to hide her smile. After regaining equilibrium, she set the cup back on its saucer and said quietly, "I am going to go check on Lydia, as I have not seen her in a few hours, and will then await you in my father's bookroom."

Darcy sighed almost imperceptibly. "Very well. I will follow in a few minutes."

Lizzy checked all of Lydia's usual haunts within the house to no success and began to become concerned that the girl had left despite promising not to. When she saw Hill, she leapt at the opportunity to gain information. "Mrs. Hill, have you seen Lydia recently?"

"Miss Lydia has been in with Mr. Bennet for quite some time now, Miss Lizzy," Hill readily replied.

"In with Mr. Bennet?" Lizzy asked, completely failing to mask her shock.

"I brought her, myself, when Mr. Bennet asked for her," Hill elaborated.

Lizzy shook her head to clear it. "Thank you, Hill." She made her way to her father's bookroom, knocked, and entered upon receiving invitation to do so. She froze halfway through opening the door, so surprised was she by the sight that greeted her: Lydia was sitting across a chessboard from Mr. Bennet.

"Lizzy!" Lydia exclaimed. "Have you come to save me? Papa has insisted I play with him, but I do not get on at all."

"You must practice patience and think ahead in order to understand the game and have a chance at winning, Lydia," Mr. Bennet said amusedly.

"I hardly think this is much of a game at all," Lydia snorted. "Honestly, I think I'd rather be in History of Magic!"

"I did not come with the intention of saving you, Lydia, but I would like to talk to Papa," Lizzy said. She felt much better for knowing Lydia had not requested to play chess. She was not sure how she could have made sense of such a thing.

"Well, Lydia, I suppose that is enough for today," said Mr. Bennet. "You would have lost in another three moves, in any case."

Lydia flicked her king over as she stood. "And he can stay dead, for all I care," she said with a sniff, then walked out.

Mr. Bennet chuckled lowly. "Are you sure you no longer have any silly sisters, Lizzy?"

Lizzy fought the urge to smile. Lydia was still Lydia, just in a much more reasonable capacity. "Lydia does not particularly enjoy exercises that are strictly mental. She does very well with physical challenges, however."

"You have spent a great deal of time observing her, then?" Mr. Bennet asked as he began resetting his board.

"Lydia and I are in the same house at Hogwarts," Lizzy answered. "We have become rather close."

"You have been coaching her, then," said Mr. Bennet.

Lizzy felt a flare of anger she could not quite explain and responded flatly, "I have been parenting her."

The air of levity Mr. Bennet had been managing dissipated immediately and he fell back heavily into his chair. "Well," he said hoarsely after a few moments, "you have been doing a fine job with Lydia."

"And Jane with Kitty," Lizzy added.

"Is this what you came to discuss?" Mr. Bennet asked after clearing his throat.

"No," Lizzy answered. "It was not my intention to discuss any extra responsibilities that Jane or I have assumed. I have not come to discuss anything, really."

Before Mr. Bennet could ask what his daughter meant, a knock sounded. Lizzy opened the door without consulting her father to allow Mr. Darcy entry.

"You are aware that Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy attend Hogwarts with us?" Lizzy asked.

"I am," said Mr. Bennet. He looked calculatingly at the couple in front of him and some hints of anxiety began to display themselves.

Lizzy took a deep breath to brace herself and then said, "Mr. Darcy and I have resolved our former misunderstandings and have grown quite fond of each other. We are courting, Papa."

Mr. Bennet's eyebrows rose dramatically. "This is certainly an unconventional way of going about the business of discussion with a young lady's father," he said to Mr. Darcy.

"I already said, Papa, that I did not come to discuss anything," Lizzy said with bite. "We have chosen to tell you as a courtesy, though we expect that the knowledge will go no further than this room."

Mr. Bennet's eyes swiveled onto his daughter and remorse flooded them. "I am still your father, Lizzy," he said quietly.

"That is true enough," Lizzy said, feeling her muscles becoming more and more rigid with each passing second, "but seeing as, for the last three months, I have been presuming myself disowned, I thought it seemed perfectly reasonable to make the decision without consulting you and I have no intention of the courtship being broken off now. I told you before, sir, that I no longer – "

"Please do not repeat it, Lizzy," Mr. Bennet interrupted quickly. He sighed heavily. "Have you anything to say, Mr. Darcy?"

"I have plenty I should like to say, Mr. Bennet, but chose to refrain for the sake of Elizabeth," Mr. Darcy said through tight lips.

Mr. Bennet had the sense to look properly embarrassed. He turned his attention back to his daughter. "Your sisters know, I assume?"

"Yes," Lizzy answered. "Lydia spread the news at Hogwarts, herself."

"And you would have me keep the knowledge from Mrs. Bennet."

"If Mrs. Bennet cannot be pleased with me for the sake of my own self, I do not want her to be pleased with me for the sake of who I have taken interest in!" Lizzy said vehemently.

Mr. Bennet nodded. "How long has this been going on?" he asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Since the day after I was attacked," Lizzy answered.

Mr. Bennet's eyes darkened with anger and snapped back to Mr. Darcy. "Did you take advantage of – "

"I will not stand for Darcy's honor being questioned," Lizzy hotly cut in.

Mr. Darcy's cool façade broke for just a moment, showing Mr. Bennet the rage he felt, but he quickly gained control of his face again and would have seemed as calm as ever, if not for his fingers curling in and out of fists at his side. "My only goal, Mr. Bennet, is to see Elizabeth safe and happy. I have done, and will continue to do, everything in my power to see that goal met."

Lizzy wound her arm around Mr. Darcy's and squeezed gently to calm him. "I am not asking for your approval, sir," she said to her father. "If it will ease your mind to have such information, however, I shall tell you that our professors, friends, and my sisters are well pleased with the courtship."

"As is my own family," said Mr. Darcy. "Well, most of them."

"Yes, we do still need to discuss Lady Catherine," Lizzy answered, temporarily ignoring her father's presence. "I know you said she has fairly well isolated herself, but she will find out sooner or later and I think the whole thing will go over much better if she hears about it from you."

"Is this really the time and place you would like to discuss this, Elizabeth?" Mr. Darcy asked.

Lizzy turned back to Mr. Bennet. "Have you any other concerns? I may or may not address them, but you might as well voice them."

Mr. Bennet looked Mr. Darcy over. "This is truly who you wish to be with, Lizzy?" he asked after staring at Mr. Darcy's haughty expression for several seconds.

Lizzy surprised her father by laughing quietly. "Shall you come out of hiding, Mr. Darcy?" she asked lightly.

"I doubt that would endear him to me, at present," Mr. Darcy answered honestly.

"Then look at me," Lizzy coached. Mr. Darcy quickly obliged. "Tell me again of how you managed to get Menace into his basket for me to bring him to Longbourn."

"Well, he was being his usual stubborn self – "

Lizzy shook her head to interrupt the beginning of Mr. Darcy's tale told with an emotionless voice and blank face. "William, tell me," she said.

Darcy's eyes flashed at hearing his given name and he frowned frustratedly.

Lizzy knew full well what she had done and smiled impishly. Nonetheless, her goal was accomplished. Darcy told the harrowing tale of how he had laid an elaborate trap for Menace, managing to bruise his shin spectacularly in the process, with hardly a trace of the reserve he had leaned on so heavily before.

"You see, Papa, he is not so formidable as his façade would lead you to believe," Lizzy said after smiling contentedly at Darcy for a moment. "Yes, I enjoy being with Darcy, whatever his faults may be, and I know he enjoys being with me."

"Well, Lizzy," said Mr. Bennet after clearing his throat, "thank you for putting me more at ease. I know you felt no obligation to do so, and I am pleased you put forth the effort. It means a great deal to me.

"Mr. Darcy, I assume you would not take my telling you to treat Lizzy well with good grace?" Mr. Bennet asked, turning his attention.

Mr. Darcy's mask had reassembled the moment Lizzy turned her face from him. "I would listen," he said neutrally.

"Might I have a moment alone with my daughter?" Mr. Bennet asked.

Lizzy tightened her grip on Mr. Darcy's arm. "Whatever you have to say, Papa, I will tell to Mr. Darcy anyway."

Mr. Bennet observed the stubborn expression on his daughter's face with which he was well familiar, then sighed. He rose from his chair and moved to stand directly in front of her, ignoring Mr. Darcy all together. "I have done a horrible job of showing it, Lizzy, but I do truly love you and wish you to have only the best in life. So long as I draw breath, I will work to prove it to you and see you lack for nothing you deserve. Please do not rush into anything that will ultimately cause you pain simply for the sake of security or to spite me."

"I make my decisions according to my own wishes, Papa, and certainly do not let fear control me," Lizzy promised.

"There's my girl," Mr. Bennet said affectionately. He kissed Lizzy on the forehead and then went to sit behind his desk. "Now, if you truly want to keep this courtship a secret from Mrs. Bennet, I highly suggest you return to her before she notices the pair of you are missing."

Lizzy allowed herself to smile at her father before leading Mr. Darcy from the room. "I am glad that is over," she breathed in the hallway.

Darcy looked both ways, then grabbed Lizzy's hand and kissed the back of it several times. "You amaze me, Elizabeth."

Lizzy blushed profusely. "Perhaps you will not look favorably on my actions when you have daughters of your own," she said.

"I sincerely hope I act in such a way as to never put any daughters I may be blessed with in such a position," Darcy said fiercely.

"I believe you will not give them cause to speak to you as I have to my father," Lizzy said, turning her head slightly down and to the side.

Darcy grabbed Elizabeth's other hand and began drawing circles on the backs of them with his thumbs as he took a step closer to her. "Say it again," he pleaded. "In the bookroom. You said it. I would like to hear you say it again. My name."

Whether or not Elizabeth would have complied, Darcy never got to find out, for Mary entered the hall just then.

"You called, Lizzy?" said Mary with an arched brow.

Darcy looked rather like a scolded puppy, and Elizabeth laughed. "There is no need to pout, Darcy!" she chided. "I called to her before we ever left my father's room. I should like to know the climate of the parlor before I enter it again, and suspected Mary could use a distraction, at any rate."

"You are quite correct, Lizzy," said Mary. "I would much rather be in this hall with you and Darcy than in Mama's web that is the parlor. Jane and Charles have still been unable to say anything beyond a greeting to each other. Kitty's gone back to her drawing; the hinkypunks are coming along nicely. Lydia is flipping through an old Quidditch magazine of yours that, to Mama, looks like one for fashion."

"That thieving little pixie!" Elizabeth burst. "I know exactly what magazine you speak of, and it was tucked neatly away in my room!"

"Perhaps you should go confront her, then," Mary suggested. "I will occupy Darcy for a few minutes, so Mama does not get any ideas with the two of you entering together."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes in frustration before setting off.

"Where have you been hiding, Mary?" Darcy asked.

"I was in the sitting room with the piano," Mary answered readily. "I had intended to play, but the instrument has suffered for not being used, so I had to do some upkeep, instead. Lucky for Lizzy, really, or I might not have heard her summons."

Darcy frowned at the reminder of being interrupted.

"You know, Darcy, that I think you and Lizzy are well matched," said Mary, "and it is perhaps for that reason that I suggest bowing to the Muggle norm of always having a chaperone."

"What?" Darcy heard himself say.

Mary gave a half smile. "Remember, Darcy, that there is very little you can hide from me."

Darcy quickly adjusted his gaze to admire the carpet as he felt a blush creep up his neck.

"I know you ultimately respect Lizzy and do not think you would purposely commit some notable impropriety, but thoughts come before actions," said Mary. "Until I see that you are making progress toward schooling your thoughts, at least when it comes to interactions you wish to have with Lizzy, with the same discipline you exercise on your schooling your facial expression, I will make it my personal mission to see to it that the pair of you are always in company."

"Is that really necess – "

Mary cut Darcy off with a stern look. She waited for him to close his mouth before speaking again. "I have experienced the thoughts of a great many people that have been through various experiences with the opposite sex, Darcy. If you are not careful, you will begin to see Lizzy as an object; I have seen it many times before. I will not have my sister come to harm, intentionally inflicted or not, and I would rather not see you burdened with guilt, both of which results would occur if you were to give in to baser desires in a moment of weakness.

"Lizzy understands more than a Muggle of her age would, but not as much as you," Mary continued pragmatically. "She likes you a great deal, appreciates your affections, and feels safe with you. Let that be enough. You will both be happier for it."

Darcy was sure another ten minutes would pass before he composed himself enough to be able to be in company. He did not know that he had ever blushed so deeply in his life. To be called out for his thoughts, and by his beloved's sister, was a horrifyingly humbling experience, one he could admit he was well deserving of.

"Thank you, Mary, for setting me straight," Darcy said after collecting himself somewhat. He very much wished he was at Hogwarts so he would not have an absurd cravat pressing against his flushed throat. "You are, as per usual, correct. I have not been careful with my thoughts."

Mary smiled gently. "I believe you will conquer this. I understand from previous 'experiences' that the thoughts will still occur, but it is fully within your power what you do with those thoughts, whether you entertain them or master them."

Darcy nodded uncomfortably. His throat felt rather tight, and so he did not speak his intention to take a short walk around the front of the house, but he was entirely confident Mary knew his intention, and so simply left.

Mary kept her word. Every day that Darcy met Elizabeth for a walk, Mary came along. Lizzy thought she was offering Mary a reprieve from Mrs. Bennet, and perhaps that was so, but Darcy and Mary knew the truth of the matter.


"Lizzy, is it alright if I go call on Maria Lucas?" Lydia asked, striding into the parlor with her bonnet already in hand. "It has been an age since I saw her last!"

"Of course you should go see your friend, Lydia!" Mrs. Bennet cried. "You have been around the house too long, at any rate. Go out and socialize."

Lizzy turned her head from her book to look at her sister. She had made herself rather comfortable sitting in an armchair completely wrongly, with her legs swung over one of the arms and her back against the other. "Must you go now?" she asked as she set her finger on the paragraph she had been examining.

"I have already given you my permission, Lydia," said Mrs. Bennet rather forcefully. "What need have you to consult your sister? Go!"

Lizzy was distressed to see a flash of the old Lydia cross her sister's visage at her mother's pronouncement.

Lydia looked between her mother and sister, weighing her options. Slowly, finally, she turned her full attention back to Lizzy, and so missed the look of affronted shock on her mother's face. "Jane expects Bingley soon, Kitty cannot act as my chaperone, and Mary's head aches so badly she is refusing to get out of bed. Can you not pick up your book again later?"

Lizzy sighed heavily and swung her legs around so her feet could rest on the floor. "Go tell Mary I insist she get up, and help her get ready," she said resignedly. Poor Mary was literally being made sick by the strength of Mrs. Bennet's wild thoughts. Lizzy knew getting out of the house for a while would be the best fix for her sister. Besides, she was so well pleased with the way Lydia was handling herself that she could not help but agree to the excursion. "We shall both go with you."

Lydia looked far less than pleased with the task she had been given, but left to accomplish it, all the same.

Lizzy rubbed her face before carefully marking her place and setting her book aside. She had much rather stay in her chair and keep to herself, but she would see to the care of her sisters.

"Well, Miss Lizzy, seeing as you have taken it upon yourself to be the lady of the house, perhaps you ought to remain until you can greet the guest Longbourn is expecting," Mrs. Bennet said petulantly.

Lizzy's immediate response was anger, but she made herself take a deep breath before responding. The time allowed her to consider how frustrating it must be to Mrs. Bennet that she was no longer being consulted by any of her daughters. That such was her own fault was not a fact Mrs. Bennet could easily grasp and so Lizzy found herself feeling some amount of pity for the woman.

"Lydia has become accustomed to me acting as her guardian at school, Mama," Lizzy calmly explained.

"I am her mother!" Mrs. Bennet objected.

"I doubt Lydia has forgotten who you are," Lizzy said with an edge to her voice. "If Lydia's actions are so distressing to you, you are more than welcome to discuss them with her when we return from Lucas Lodge. As you have said, she ought to socialize with her neighbors while she is home, and as she rightly concluded, she ought not do so alone."

Lizzy shoved herself out of her seat and quickly left the room before Mrs. Bennet could raise further objections.

"Go with Lizzy!" came Mary's voice as Lizzy made her way upstairs. "Leave me be!"

Rolling her eyes, Lizzy opened Mary's door to see her and Lydia fighting over the coverlet.

"Lizzy said you are to get up and come with us, though I should be perfectly content to let you stay here and rot in bed!" Lydia snapped with a mighty tug that finally won her the bed clothing.

"Lizzy, take Lydia and be gone!" Mary whined upon sighting her elder sister.

Lizzy approached the edge of Mary's bed, then put her hands on her hips. "Come along now, Mary. You know you will feel better for getting away from Mrs. Bennet for an hour or two. Perhaps we can extend the trip and go into Meryton to see if there is any new sheet music we might get for you to work out."

Mary was stubborn to the point that Lizzy began to worry she may actually be sick, but as soon as Lizzy and Lydia managed to get Mary out of the house, the legilimen's expression began to clear.

"Mama is very angry with you," Mary said lowly to Lizzy while Lydia skipped ahead of them.

"Is she?" Lizzy asked tritely. "I had not noticed."

Mary gave her sister an unamused sideways look.

Lizzy sighed. "I am not trying to be adversarial, Mary."

"I recognize that easily enough," said Mary. "You are simply acting as you have at Hogwarts. Though you are much better suited to the role of guardian than Mama, I think it will make everyone's life easier if you encourage Kitty and Lydia to defer to her on unimportant matters."

Lizzy worried at her lip for a moment as she considered. "I am afraid of what might happen if I do," she confessed. "I saw Lydia consider giving in to her old, petulant impulsivity."

"Yes, I felt that moment very acutely," said Mary dully. "Luckily for us, Lydia quickly realized it would be in her best interest to maintain your favor, as she prefers the freedoms offered her at Hogwarts over the frivolities promised by Mrs. Bennet."

"I suppose I will be content with that," Lizzy said heavily. "Very well, Mary. I will do as you suggest."

Lizzy, Mary, and Lydia saw Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy on their horses heading toward Longbourn as they were on their way to Lucas Lodge. Lizzy regretted her decision to supervise Lydia all the more.


Lizzy found herself in her father's bookroom on the evening of Easter Sunday. She was not quite certain how it happened, as she had been skillfully avoiding as much interaction with her parents as she could manage. Nonetheless, she sat across the chessboard from him and resigned herself to being in his exclusive company for the duration of the game.

She supposed she was not too terribly irritated with the situation, only guarded. Though Lizzy had largely avoided her father, she had observed him closely throughout the week and been pleased by what she saw. Mr. Bennet rode the entire estate once and left on two other occasions to see to an issue personally. He denied Mrs. Bennet's request that Kitty and Lydia be given an increase in their allowance, a conversation Lizzy was certainly not supposed to have overheard. He had a book of ledgers in front of him as often as he had one of his favored Greek classics, and Lizzy even saw him with a newspaper once. Three times, men of business came to the house to discuss dealings. Mr. Bennet was considering investing in sheep.

"I know you heard me deny Mrs. Bennet's demands to increase the allowances of your sisters," Mr. Bennet said as he made the first move of the game.

"I did," Lizzy confirmed without elaborating.

"And your opinion?" Mr. Bennet asked.

Lizzy devoted an inordinate amount of attention to moving a pawn to hide the extent of her surprise. Mr. Bennet asking after her opinion was not so unusual, but it was usually done in the pursuit of a joke.

"I do not think my sisters need an increase in pin money," Lizzy said finally. "They have little enough cause to spend it at Hogwarts."

"I thought as much, though I do have money I intend for them," said Mr. Bennet with a nod. He reached behind him and grabbed a ledger book. "For reasons I am sure you will be able to easily deduce, I have not informed Mrs. Bennet of the improvements I have been making around Longbourn, nor the extra revenue such improvements have generated."

Lizzy took the book and flipped through it. Soon she was nodding in approval. "I am glad to see things are going well," she said noncommittally. She was unsure where this conversation was leading.

"If this business with the sheep works out as I think it will, you and your sisters will have double the money I was able to give you at the beginning of this year for your next term," Mr. Bennet said, moving another piece.

Lizzy considered what to do with this information even as she considered her next move on the board. Jane had insisted she did not want to take any of the funds from their Gringotts account with her when she married and that Mary take over helping Lizzy manage the account, which Mary had flatly refused as she did not want the responsibility. Effectively, Lizzy now controlled the finances of herself and her sisters in the magical world. If Mr. Bennet were to make good on his promise, Lizzy thought she might feel comfortable investing the extra revenue. With the interest earned, her sisters might be able to make Grand Tours when they completed their schooling.

"Would you consider telling me what weighs so heavily on your mind?" Mr. Bennet asked after observing Lizzy's deep thought.

"I am simply considering the possibilities an increase in school money would create for my sisters," Lizzy answered, and then moved her piece.

"And yourself," Mr. Bennet added.

"I do not need the money," said Lizzy.

"Is there nothing you would want with it, Lizzy?" Mr. Bennet asked. He seemed part disappointment and part anxiety.

Lizzy thought of how she would like to take a Grand Tour, herself, and how she hoped to repay Zebulon's parents for their gift of her broom by investing in their shop and of the owl she hoped to have, but quashed the desires. She could do some amount of travel, eventually, as well as invest in the Thomas's apothecary with money earned from working. The owl, she already knew, would be easily attainable with a steady flow of cash. Mary, Kitty, and Lydia did not have quite her methodology and would benefit far more from the gift of funds.

"I am content with what I have," Lizzy decided on saying.

"Are you, Lizzy?" Mr. Bennet asked with evident concern. "Content?"

Lizzy abandoned the board as her father did and observed his face as she thought, her lips pulling into a slight frown. She knew he was not referring to just her material needs. Soon, she decided she would prefer not to answer at all. Mr. Bennet seemed in a rare mood to talk, and so she would let him.

"I have been trying, Lizzy, really and truly, I have," Mr. Bennet said when he realized Lizzy's resolution to remain silent. "I know you have noticed the efforts I have been making in running the estate, managing your mother, and coming to know all of my daughters better. I will continue with all those paths regardless of your answer, but I find I simply must know if I have any hope for regaining your trust."

Lizzy crossed her arms as she considered. "I do want to trust you," she said eventually, "but I am not sure such is possible. I confess there is part of me that is beside myself with fury to see you extending yourself in such a fashion now that we are all grown. Our lives could have been much easier and more comfortable had you simply done so from the beginning."

"You are not so very grown, Lizzy, and surely you cannot consider Kitty and Lydia to be so," said Mr. Bennet gently.

Lizzy felt the fury she had told her father of begin to sizzle. "Kitty and Lydia are not, I will readily admit. And perhaps I should not be, but I am." Mr. Bennet made to interrupt, but Lizzy forestalled him with an open palm. "Jane and I have always had to watch out for our sisters and have suffered many an embarrassment due to Mrs. Bennet's manners or your own. The moment we first discovered you would give us charge of some funds for our schooling, we began plotting what to do with it.

"As an eleven and nine-year-old, we began making the decisions of adults," Lizzy continued. "Jane and I exercised a great deal of economy, and have managed to set aside a good amount of money that has provided well for us and for our sisters. If you were to cut us off entirely, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia would still be able to get through the rest of their time at Hogwarts.

"I watched as you and Mrs. Bennet indulged my youngest sisters, all the while thinking how I would handle them differently. Thanks to Hogwarts, I have been able to handle them, and you have noticed the improvements. Such tasks were not mine to take on, and well beyond my years.

"As I told you the day we returned to Longbourn, I have felt well and truly abandoned since December," Lizzy plowed on, despite the increasing sorrow on her father's face. "Since then, my thoughts have been much occupied by how I can provide for my sisters. How I can keep them safe. How I can make them feel loved. I may only have turned sixteen years of age a few months ago, Mr. Bennet, but my mind is that of a full-grown woman in charge of her family."

"Lizzy, please, let me do my duty and take over those concerns for you," Mr. Bennet earnestly offered.

"No," Lizzy answered with hardly any hesitation. "I have the assistance of Jane, Mary, Charles, and Darcy. I do not need you, nor do I trust you after all I have endured. I will not see my younger sisters suffer as I have."

"Misters Bingley and Darcy have no place to see to the future of your sisters," Mr. Bennet argued.

"They have exercised a much more active role in the lives of Kitty and Lydia than you have before this week," Lizzy spat. "Furthermore, Charles is to marry Jane, and will soon have the 'right' to help them as he sees fit, even from a Muggle's perspective!"

"Darcy, then!" Mr. Bennet stubbornly insisted.

"William has been a vigilant guard for my sisters and treated them with every bit the same amount of care he would his own!" Lizzy replied.

"And with an ulterior motive," Mr. Bennet growled.

"I will say this only once, Mr. Bennet, so listen closely," said Lizzy tightly. "William has had more opportunity than you would know to compromise me, ruin me, control me, bend me to his will. He has not. Instead, he has aided me through great emotional turmoil, offered me choice, made me feel safe, and put my happiness above his own. At every turn, he has succeeded where you have failed, and I will not tolerate you questioning his honor."

The blood drained from Mr. Bennet's face and he appeared to instantly gain ten years.

"You may be trying sir, and I respect your efforts," Lizzy said in a more level voice after taking several heaving breaths to calm herself. "All the same, it does not make up for your years of neglect. You want my trust, but my wounds run deep and will never heal completely. I have explained my reasons to you fully, and if you cannot accept them, then it is likely best I quit Longbourn permanently. I have had enough of my concerns not being taken seriously."

"Please stay," Mr. Bennet eventually choked out.

"I will, but not for you, and not for Mrs. Bennet," Lizzy said flatly. "It is your turn, sir," she added, gesturing to the board.

Mr. Bennet and Lizzy went through the motions required of the game, but neither said another word. After Mr. Bennet conceded defeat by toppling his king, Lizzy rose and went directly to Jane's room. Her sister was already within and lying abed.

"Lizzy?" Jane said sleepily. "I thought I heard raised voices at some point. Did you and Papa have a fight?"

"No, Jane, you must have been imagining things," Lizzy said easily. "Go to sleep."

Jane rolled onto her side and her light snores told Lizzy she had, indeed, gone back to sleep.

Lizzy was surprised to feel herself completely at peace as she readied herself for bed.


Author's Note

Oh boy is my lack of usual routine messing with me! Sorry, lovelies. I'll set some alarms or something to help me keep track of my life a little better.

Lots happened in this chapter! I am really, truly wanting to know what you (yeah, you right there!) think about it all. Consider leaving a review or sending a PM. Have a good day!