Lydia packed whatever of hers she had and was ready to go by noon. She and William had a speedy lunch and by fifteen pass noon, they were both in the carriage they were wishing their goodbye's to William's mother.
The ride was long, but to the pair in the carriage, time had no meaning. They were together. Lydia smiled and leaned on William, her head resting on his shoulder. Before she knew it, her eyelids became heavy and she dropped off into a light sleep. When they arrived, William gently shook her awake.
A servant greeted them at the front door and welcomed them inside. The house was warm and well furnished. Lydia looked around in absolute fascination.
"Mrs. Darcy will be right out." She said.
"This is…" Lydia managed. The words had failed her. She had never seen such a grand and beautiful house before. Her fingers gripped William's coat tightly and she realized she had been holding her breath. Lydia let it out slowly and a small whistle escaped her delicate mouth. William wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled down on her.
"Have you been here before?" she asked him. William nodded in response.
"Amazing, isn't it?"
Elizabeth appeared in the room dressed in a simple dress that suited her very well. Lydia looked at her sister for a while, remembering every detail. She had not seen her sister for a long time and some things she had forgotten. Lizzy looked older, wiser, but still pretty. Wrinkles creased the skin at the corners of her eyes and her mouth and the smoothness of her skin was somewhat lost. The glow in the eyes remained, though. Still as beautiful, still as captivating.
"Lizzy," Lydia whispered, "Oh, Lizzy, I am so happy to see you." And without further ado, she rushed over to her sister and wrapped her arms around her in a sisterly hug.
"Lydia! How different you are!" Elizabeth replied. She took her sister by the shoulders and viewed her. "You have definitely become much prettier. Indeed. Don't you agree, William?" William nodded as the corners of his mouth turned up. "Well, Fitzwilliam will be here either late tonight or early tomorrow. Come, I have prepared you your rooms." And she led them up the stairs to their quarters.
Later that evening, Darcy came home with a none too welcome guest. The moment they came into the dining room, Lydia cried out and looked utterly betrayed.
"The hateful man!" she cried, then turning to Elizabeth she asked, "What is he doing here?!"
"He is our guest, and will be treated like one." Elizabeth replied softly. Lydia looked on the point of emotional breakdown. If it wasn't for William and his ability to calm her, she would have burst. Wickham totally ignored his wife, but switched between glaring at William and sending adoring looks to Elizabeth.
"Sarah, please show Mr. Wickham his room." Elizabeth told the servant who was standing outside the door, as chills ran down her spine at Wickham's gaze. The hunger in them frightened her.
That night, Elizabeth couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned in her bed, haunted by Wickham's gaze. Darcy had to go out for business, though Elizabeth could not understand what business could be done at this hour. She lay awake, staring at the ceiling, tracing the shadows from the moon with her eyes. The skies were quite clear outside and an occasional hoot of an owl could be heard. She got up and walked over to the window. The moon sparkled in the lake as the clear water reflected its pale face. The fields rippled in the breeze, creating their own seas of dark, green, and brooding grass. It was beautiful.
Elizabeth opened the window to let the night air in, and as she opened the window, someone opened the door.