AN: Thanks for the comments, and for reading! This story may not have as much etiquette as some other Pride and Prejudice fanfics. This is my take on how the Bennet sisters would run their households. Despite their high standing in society, Lizzy and her sisters were raised in a laid back home, and that is how I have molded their families. I know that it may not be proper for them to act this way in society, which most of the children know, but when with family, they are easier, more care free, and more human. So, there is my explanation for my characters, hopefully it will still be believable for you all. Also there is an attachments of families at the end of the chapter
Chapter 2
The whole house rose early the next morning, well all except Victoria Bingley who slept until nearly ten o'clock, her beauty rest she called it. The rest of the family however, was far to excited to sleep in. Breakfast was filled with energy and excitement as the rest of the family should be arriving at any moment. After eating, they could hardly keep entertained for they were so restless. Then as they were engaged in a game of cards, heard the faint sound of a carriage. Cards dropped quickly and the children raced to the entrance.
They anxiously awaited the carriage but it seemed to be approaching ever so slowly. While waiting, the children began guessing who the first guests could be. An hour seemed to go by as the carriage inched closer. They began to grow impatient when the carriage finally came to a stop. After a moment there was no doubt as to whom was inside.
"Mr. Bennet! We are here! Get one of those young men to help with my chair!" a shrill voice called from inside.
Samuel glanced at the other boys and sighed, "Grandmother." He and Charles walked down the steps and lifted her chair off the carriage. After they had set it up on the ground, they helped their grandmother into it and pushed her up the small ramp leading to the entrance of Pemberley.
"Well then, give me a kiss then, all of you." her voice was high pitched and broke through the silence of the morning.
The children lined up dutifully and began to kiss their grandmothers very wrinkled cheeks. Once Albert and Edward had given theirs, they moved to the carriage to help their grandfather from it. For as old as he was, he could still walk rather well, only needing a cane for help.
"Hello boys, thank you for your help. I am a bit stiff after such a long ride."
"It is good to see you Grandfather." Edward said, slightly louder than usual to accommodate for his deafness.
"You too my boy, you too."
"Father!" Lizzy cried as he reached her, she wrapped her arms around him. "I've missed you."
"And I you. It is a difficult task to live with your mother and her nerves." he smiled.
"I wonder you haven't come to live with any one of us yet. We would have you."
"Yes, but your mother would not have it. She wants to keep Longbourne away from the Collins' for as long as she can." he laughed.
"Oh Mama." Lizzy laughed as well, glad to have her father with her again.
Despite the arrival of grandmother and grandfather Bennet, the children were still anxious to see the rest of the family. Lunch came with still no more arrivals but it proved to be very interesting with Mrs. Bennet there. She shrieked about every topic brought up, and spent a good deal of time criticizing each grandchild. One boys hair was to long while the next's was to short. And the girls received critique on their attire. The only one to receive her favor, was Victoria, probably because she was dressed for a ball at lunch time. As they finished, the sound of crackling gravel could be heard once again from outside. Chairs scuffled as the children raced to the front door. This carriage approached much faster and was quickly parked. It was recognized quickly as the Dison's.
"Jake!" Emily cried as a tall handsome boy took his first step into the light.
"Emma!" he jumped from the stairs and ran quickly to pick her up and spin her happily.
The rest of the family slowly stepped out of the carriage. Sophie was still as beautiful as ever and still very much in love with her husband Mr. Dison. They had four children, the oldest of which was Jacob, Emily Darcy's best friend. Then there was Caleb, Julia and Maggie who was only eight years old.
"Sophie! How are you?" Lizzy smiled, ushering her into the house.
"I am doing well. We are all very glad to be here, especially Jacob. He could not wait to see Emily."
"Yes, she has been looking forward to his arrival for weeks."
"Is my brother here yet?"
"I am afraid not, but they should be here sometime before dinner."
As Lizzy showed the rest of the Dison's to their rooms, Emily and Jacob ran to the woods of Pemberley. In a small clearing their were three large swings, it was Emily's favorite place. She and Jacob sat on the same swing and began to launch themselves in the air. They managed to get extremely high in the air and then rested as the swing slowly came to a stop. Both were laughing as Jacob rolled himself onto the ground and faced Emily, who still swayed lightly on the swing.
"How are you Jake? It has been a while since I last received a letter from you." Emily joked.
"I wrote you one two weeks ago! You had to have just received it." he smiled.
"Well yes, but perhaps you formed a new attachment in those two weeks? Or, got married?"
"Emma, I am only 18!" he laughed. "I assure you I am a long way from marriage."
"Yes, but a very handsome 18. Despite the fact that you are a bit unfashionable."
"Oh please! But, on a more serious note, I am looking forward to starting at University in the fall." he said, attempting to move away from her mocking.
"I am looking forward to finishing school as well, although I will miss my father. But, we will be close! That means I will get to see you far more often than once a year." They really were very close, he was the one person that she looked forward to seeing every year. Somehow he knew exactly what to say to make her laugh. And, they seemed to think of the exact same thing at the same time, a trait that annoyed the rest of the family. They were also quite different, a perfect complement to one another at times. At any rate, they were the closest of anyone else in the family, despite the fact that they were not technically related at all.
They were enjoying their time so much, that they missed both the Rawlins and the Burton's arrivals. As they raced back to the house, to decide who was the faster of the two, they heard the carriage of the last remaining family members. Jacob won the race easily and managed to arrive just as the carriage stopped in front of the house. Kitty was the first to exit and smiled excitedly at her sisters.
"Kitty Cadogan! You certainly are cutting it close! Dinner is in an hour!" Lizzy joked.
"Well, it wasn't my fault! My darling husband thought he misplaced his hunting things. We would have been here hours ago if he had asked me, I had already packed them." she rolled her eyes as she laughed at her husbands foolishness.
"She usually hides my hunting things because she doesn't like me to go at all. Who knew that she had changed her mind this year."
As the adults laughed over the misfortune of what caused the Cadogans lateness, Samuel moved to the carriage to assist his cousins. The younger children bounced out quickly, anxious to stretch their legs. Abigail was next and thanked her cousin graciously for his assistance. As she reached the ground, she turned and looked back into the carriage and let out a sigh.
"Hannah! It's fine, just leave it for now, you can fix it in your room. The family will not mind, we've been traveling for hours."
A sigh came from within the carriage and then another young girl appeared at the door. Samuel offered his hand and then slowly looked up at his cousin. As his eyes met hers he couldn't manage to look away. Her hair was down, a mass of golden blonde curls flowing down her back. Her bright blue eyes were enchanting, which matched her beautiful smile. She had changed a great deal in the past year and had blossomed into a beautiful young woman.
Hannah suddenly realized her cousins stare and blushed. "I know, my hair, I'm sorry. The carriage ride was far to long to keep it up. I am going to fix it as soon as I get to my room."
Samuel quickly came out of his trance as he discovered she was talking to him, and stumbled to answer. "No, no, it's fine. Who see's you when you travel but your parents. You have very beautiful hair."
"But there is so much of it!" she said, pulling two ends of hair out to the side making Samuel laugh.
"Well, if your feeling so self-conscious about it, let me show you to your room so you can fix it for dinner." he smiled, offering his arm.
"Thank you, I would appreciate it, I really feel quite awkward. Thank goodness Victoria hasn't seen me." she giggled.
"Yes, or Grandmother." She laughed even harder now and he was glad he could make her smile. Why had he never noticed her before? Yes, she was always at holiday week, and he always said hello and hugged her goodbye, but never this. His heart had stopped when he first saw her exit the carriage, and he could stare into her eyes forever.
"Here you are." he stopped at the door and smiled, for he could go no further.
"Thank you Samuel, you have been most helpful. It's good to see you again."
"I will see you at dinner." he bowed politely and turned as she walked though her bedroom door.
Dinner was full of fun and noise. Everyone seemed to speak at once, or they were holding their own private conversations. Though he tried, Samuel could not manage to stop looking at Hannah. She smiled easily and laughed as her cousins and Aunts spoke to her. He did his best to make sure no one noticed, but he was unsuccessful.
"Sam, what happened at dinner?" Rebecca joked as she took a seat next to him in the parlor after dinner.
"What are you talking about?" he did his best to avoid her eyes. His sister knew him far to well.
"You barely spoke and kept your eyes focused on your plate. When you finally did look up, your eyes always managed to travel in the direction of, Hannah Cadogan."
"Alright, alright, she's beautiful, and it has me exceedingly puzzled. I have known her since I was three, and never thought this way about her before." he sighed.
"Oh Sam, you are more romantic than I am." Rebecca laughed, shaking her brothers arm.
"Really Becca, who isn't more of a romantic than you?" he teased.
"No fair!"
After desert and an exhibition by some of the young ladies, everyone was told to go upstairs, but, going upstairs didn't mean sleep. The older girls went quickly to their rooms, changed and moved to Rebecca's room. They sat on the floor and pulled out their hair. While sitting in a circle, the cousins began braiding each others hair to prepare for bed, while talking about the days events. Victoria was the only one not involved, she sat on the seat of the vanity and began to pin her hair back up.
"Victoria, you are going to bed! And, the only people here are family." Sarah laughed.
"You never know who you might see in the morning."
"Well perhaps in the morning, but who is going to see you while your sleeping? And do you think the nice hair would prevent them from seeing you drool or hear you snore?" Emily laughed.
"I don't do either!"
"Believe me, you do. I had to become quite comfortable under my pillow last night." The girls laughed as Victoria turned quickly back to the mirror.
"I do hope I don't have to room with you at school." Victoria finally snapped.
"I am so jealous, I wish I was going to school with all of you." Beth said softly.
"I can only imagine a school with all of us in it." Abigail laughed. "They are going to have quite a year with us."
"There certainly will be enough of us there." Hannah laughed.
"I don't even know why my mother is sending me. I am already quite finished. But I can't complain, I will be glad to be away from her." Victoria said, turning her back toward the group.
"Your mother is the sweetest woman, probably on the planet, why would you want to be away from her?" Rebecca asked.
"Sweet, yes, but that isn't always a good thing. She worries constantly and because she worries, she's strict. I am not allowed to do anything. Probably because she thinks I am going to run off like Aunt Lydia."
"Victoria!" Rebecca yelled.
"What?" she replied, unaware that she had done anything wrong. But her eyes drifted to Sarah and Beth. "Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's alright, she probably is protective because of our mothers foolishness." Sarah smiled weakly.
The room was filled with awkward silence, the girls merely stared at each other. Finally Beth began to speak about something completely different, and in moments, laughter ensued. The girls laughed for a great deal fo the night before Rebecca suggested they go to bed. They did want to be awake for the next days events.
Breakfast was more quiet than expected, because none of the older girls had woken up. Everyone figured they had been up late and had overslept, so no one bothered them. Around tea time, the girls began to appear, but chose to take their tea outside, leaving the parlor for the sisters to have their tea alone.
"Your children really are getting big Mary." Lizzy smiled.
"I know, it's incredible. Molly was so looking forward to seeing her older cousins. She is suddenly interested in fashion, and we all know I am no help when it comes to fashion."
"I'm sure Abigail will be happy to help her with that." Kitty offered. "She's a bit less silly than I was, but she takes after me in most other aspects."
"She looks like you too." Sophie smiled.
"Yes, she does, and Hannah looks like her mother. Andrew is always saying how much she reminds him of her."
"It's very strange how greatly she resembles her." Sophie sighed.
The room was silent for a moment, no one really knew what to say next, then Lizzy continued. "Your children certainly are quiet Georgiana. Although, I can't say I'm surprised."
"You would be surprised if you heard them at home." she laughed. "I'm sure by the end of the week they will have warmed up to everyone. I'm sure Samantha will be climbing trees before long."
"No, not one of your children." Jane said in a shocked tone.
"Oh yes, you have no idea the influence my husband has on them. As long as she doesn't hurt herself."
"Emily has hurt herself more times than I'd like to remember." Lizzy laughed.
The sisters continued talking for quite a while, laughing over memories of their children. Outside, the girls were still not all awake. Just as everyone was finishing their tea, Hannah, the last of the sleeping girls, finally stepped outside into the sunlight. A maid quickly brought her a cup of tea and a strawberry muffin.
"I didn't think you would ever wake up." Rebecca laughed as Hannah joined her.
"Someone should have woken me."
"It's alright that you slept, you looked so peaceful, and that long of a ride would make anyone tired."
"Yes, not to mention staying up late with you girls."
"I am glad we let you sleep." Rebecca laughed. "I need to go speak with my mother for a moment, do you mind terribly being alone for just a short while?"
"No not at all. You are all finished, please do not feel obligated to sit with me, I am fine on my own."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course!"
"Well, I will come right back after I speak with my mother."
"Take your time." Hannah smiled, pulling a piece of muffin and placing it in her mouth elegantly.
Rebecca smiled once more and left Hannah alone. She was content by herself, enjoying the sunshine of the day from under an umbrella. Her tea was soothing, and the muffin delicious. She was happy to have something to eat, sleeping for so long had left her quite hungry. After a sip of tea, she placed her cup back on the table and found a stray hair that had fallen from her twist. She pulled at it and began to twirl it between her fingers, daydreaming.
"My sisters certainly aren't very polite are they? Or our cousins for that matter." Samuel smiled as he sat in the chair beside Hannah.
"Oh, good morning Samuel. Rebecca was here, but needed to speak with your mother about something. I told her I was fine alone." her flirty smile made him blush, feeling foolish.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you wanted to be alone."
"No, no, I'm just teasing. Please, I would love your company, I just didn't want you to think your sisters rude."
"As long as your sure I won't be bothering you." he joked, finding his confidence again.
"Not at all, please, tell me how your morning was." Hannah adjusted her seat and turned so she was facing him. The stray piece of hair was left alone and fell softly against her cheek. Her hands fell easily into her lap, he had her undivided attention, and he liked it.
"Truthfully, not very much happened. It was rather quiet without the girls awake."
"Oh really."
"I didn't say I enjoyed the silence," he said quickly, noticing her tone, "I was merely acknowledging there was a lack of conversation. Actually I just returned from a walk with the little ones."
She laughed, "and how did you get pulled into that?"
"I volunteered. They were anxious to explore and I know these grounds best."
"Do you."
"Of course! I have been wandering them since I could walk. And once I started riding, I discovered even more of the grounds."
"Well then, I shall have to have a tour before the end of the week." The smile she gave was sweet and innocent, and perfect.
"Absolutely, whenever you'd like."
"If you aren't busy, how about right now?"
"I do need to take Winchester for a run." he spoke to himself.
"Who is Winchester?"
"Oh, my horse. Would you mind a tour on a horse?"
"I don't ride, never really learned."
"You can ride with me." he smiled, anxious to spend more time with her.
"Well, alright, but you had better not let me fall!"
"Promise."
They both stood and walked toward the stables. Samuel helped Hannah up and then mounted behind her. The pace was slow at first, he wanted to make sure she was comfortable. She turned and nodded her head, granting him permission to increase the speed. He tightened his legs on the horse and it's hooves broke out beneath them. Hannah squealed with a shot of fear and excitement. Samuel laughed, enjoying her reaction and continued riding.
After about fifteen minutes, Samuel slowed Winchester. With the lack of speed the two found it easy to talk. The conversation contained nothing of importance, but was enjoyable just the same. Samuel could not believe he had never realized how much he liked Hannah. In years before, they barely spoke. He had always merely associated with the other boys, now, he wished he had noticed her sooner.
Families
The Bingley's
Charles (22)
Edward (20)
Victoria (17)
The Darcy's
Samuel (21)
Rebecca (18)
Emily (16)
The Rawlins' (Mary's family)
Benjamin (12)
Molly (10)
The Cadogan's (Kitty's family)
Hannah (19)
Abigail (16)
Andrew (15)
Jonathan (13)
Charlotte (10)
The Wickham's
Sarah (22)
Beth (21)
Albert (21)
Anna (10)
The Dison's (Sophie's family)
Jacob (18)
Caleb (14)
Julia (10)
Margaret (Maggie) (8)
The Burton's (Georgiana's Family)
William (17)
Samantha (11)