Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for the ones I made up :-).
OK, this was my first fanfic, so I really hope you guys like it. In the last chapter, however, I noticed a couple of mistakes... I referred to the Lucases as Mr. and Mrs. instead of Lord and Lady, which is what I'm pretty sure I remember from the book. Also, I have Maria and Charlotte shopping in Brighton, when they would have shopped in Meryton, which was the closer town. Just small things, but it bugged me. Thanks for reading, and please review! This chapter is alot shorter, but I like the way it ended so I just left it.
"Have you known Mr. Bingley long?" Maria asked Mr. Shipman as they wandered through the garden at Lucas Lodge that afternoon.
He nodded. "Quite a few years, actually. My mother was the best of friends with his mother when they were growing up, so we were often thrown together in company."
"How did you happen to join him here at Netherfield?"
"Well," he replied, "Recently I've helped him with some business, and he invited me here as his thanks."
"That was very kind of him." Maria said, looking at the ground. She was finding it hard to concentrate on a conversation. Charlotte's words from that morning were fresh in her mind. That's silly, she told herself. Just forget she said anything and pay attention before you look like a ninnyhammer!
"Miss Lucas?" She looked up. Mr. Shipman was looking at her expectantly.
"I'm… sorry?" she stammered.
"I said, are you well acquainted with Mrs. Bingley?" He asked. "Oh," she replied, "Not so very much. Jane and Elizabeth were so much older. I mostly spent time with Kitty and Lydia, their younger sisters."
"What about the other Bennett girl, the one who so played the pianoforte to Harold's liking?"
"Harold, sir? Do you mean Mr. Townsend?" she asked.
"Oh, yes of course, forgive me." He smiled at her sunnily.
"Well, Mary is very nice, but she's not much fun. At least, she spends most of her time reading Fordyce's sermons."
She was appalled when he started to laugh. "I don't mean to say that Fordyce's sermons are not a commendable way to spend the day! It's just that, well, you can only improve yourself so much before it's time for a good laugh."
He was grinning. "Sir, you are laughing at me!"
"No, no," he said between chuckles. "You are absolutely right. People take themselves too seriously."
"Yes, indeed! That is exactly my opinion on the matter." Maria said, pleased.
His forehead crinkled in thought. "Do you think there is such a thing as too much laughter, Miss Lucas?" He looked at her.
"Well," she said, "I suppose you shouldn't laugh at another's expense—too much, that is. And one should always know when to be serious. But isn't laughter one of the best things in the world!"
He smiled. "Yes, indeed it is."
They walked along in happy silence for a few moments. Thinking about their conversation, Maria asked, "What kind of business do you help Mr. Bingley with, sir?"
He laughed. Is he blushing? Maria thought.
"Just the ordinary dull kind of business. You know the sort." He answered vaguely.
Maria did not know, but she sensed he would rather not talk about it. Immediately her curiosity was aroused. Why did he not wish to speak of it? Was it some sort of dishonest business? Surely this amiable young man would not be involved in anything untoward. And Mr. Bingley! He would never do anything shady if his life depended on it.
No, Maria thought, it must be something else. Perhaps it was some kind of government business, the highly secretive confidential kind. Maybe Mr. Bingley was buying a silk farm in India! Was silk production done on farms? She didn't know. But Maria had always wanted to visit India.
Now she was determined to find out what sort of "business" Mr. Shipman was involved in. This could turn out very interesting, indeed, Maria thought.