Disclaimer: I do not own JANE AUSTEN'S WORKS. AT ALL. SO DO NOT SUE ME PLEASE. I AM STILL TRYING TO SAVE UP TO GET A MANUSCRIPT APPRAISAL. I NEED THE MONEY.
Chapter 5
A girl sat on the sofa, reading a book; her dark eyes alight with anticipation. Every few moments, she would glance up and look around eagerly. A man entered the room from a door behind her.
"Annabelle."
"Father!" The girl sprang up and rushed around the sofa to give her father a hug.
"How are you, Annabelle?" Darcy asked, hugging his daughter back.
"So much better for your return." She quipped, smiling happily. "I missed you, Father."
"And I you, child."
"How is Aunt Georgiana?"
"She is very well… and you have a new cousin." He watched in satisfaction as Annabelle's eyes lit up.
"Oh! I am so glad! Is it a girl or a boy? What is its name?" She fired a barrage of questions at her bemused father.
"It is a boy. His name is to Fitzwilliam, after your uncle and myself."
"I do enjoy Uncle Fitzwilliam's company." Annabelle mused, collecting herself. She looked at her father.
"You have grown, Annabelle." Darcy smiled. "Why, you are almost as tall as me!"
Annabelle blushed.
"At sixteen it is perfectly natural." She said, chin in the air. Then she laughed, and hugged her father.
"I do wish… I do wish I had a sibling!" She exclaimed. She felt her father stiffen, and pull away. "Why, whatever is the matter, Father?" Annabelle looked at her father in concern.
"Are you quite alright, Father?"
"Yes, perfectly." He said, with as natural an air as he could manage.
"Very well then." She decided to let it go. Darcy shook his head briskly.
"I do not linger here long, Annabelle. I must go visit my aunt. You do not wish to come, do you?"
Annabelle shook her head vigorously.
"Oh no, not at all, Father!"
Darcy smiled.
"Perhaps you would like to play mistress of the house until my return? It will be good practice for when you shall inherit Pemberley."
"Very well, Father." Annabelle replied, bowing her head like a dutiful daughter. When she looked up, her eyes were shining. "That would be wonderful!" She exclaimed with an abrupt return to her cheerful manner.
"I take my leave, madam." Darcy bowed smilingly. He turned on his heel and walked out, leaving Annabelle in the suddenly empty house.
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Annabelle sat in her father's study, marvelling at all the paperwork necessary to run Pemberley. A rectangular object – a painting – caught her eye. She walked over to it, and was about to lift the dust cover from it when a knock on the door distracted her.
"Come in." She called in a surprisingly mature voice. The door opened.
"Begging your pardon, mistress, but there is a woman and a man to see you."
Annabelle frowned.
"Where is Mrs. Reynolds?" She asked, referring to Pemberley's housekeeper.
"She is sick at home, mistress. She sent me to fill in for her." The grey haired woman replied. Annabelle tilted her head on its side.
"You are her cousin?"
"Indeed, mistress."
"Very well. I shall pay her a visit later on. Send the woman up."
Another knock at the door.
"Enter." Annabelle commanded. The door creaked steadily open. A woman and a young man entered. Annabelle scrutinised them.
The woman had the faint look of someone who has aged considerably in the last few minutes, and the young man looked vaguely concerned. The woman's hair was brown, with stands of grey showing through. Her eyes were dull and tired. She hunched slightly. The young man was handsome – very. He had a determined smile on his healthy face, and his hair was distinctly ruffled.
"Mrs… Darcy." The woman spoke. Her voice was crackly. Annabelle didn't bother to correct her. The woman looked at her, as if seeing her for the first time. "You have a ponderous job for someone so young."
Annabelle reddened, suddenly reminded vividly of her great-aunt, Lady Catherine De Bourgh.
"I did not know that it was proper to comment on one's age." She snapped. The woman bowed her head.
"Forgive my forwardness."
Annabelle shrugged, then remembered that it was not proper.
"It is already forgotten."
"I was hoping to speak to Mr. Darcy…" The woman looked up hopefully.
"He left for town this morning."
"Do you know when he will return?"
"This evening, the very latest. He dreads spending the night at his aunt's." Annabelle bit her tongue. The woman looked as though she might laugh, if only she had the strength.
"I shall not stay… no. I shall not." The young man looked as if he might protest, but she silenced him with a glare. "Perhaps we could confer in private for a moment?"
Annabelle inclined her head and gestured to the door.
The pair stepped out of the room.
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"Reached a decision yet?" Annabelle asked dryly as they re-entered the room. "I do not see why you are so apprehensive. If you are old friends of Mr. Darcy's as you seem to be, he should be pleased beyond measure to see you."
The woman looked at her, for a long moment. Annabelle began to squirm under her gaze. Finally she flicked her gaze away.
"I doubt it." The woman said in a tone of dire finality. She glared at the young man, who hastily stepped forward to speak.
"May I return to see your father later in the evening?"
Annabelle smiled at the man, who she had taken a liking to.
"Certainly."
"Excellent. Now we shall depart," said his companion with shocking bluntness.
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"How was your day, daughter?" Darcy asked as he entered the study.
"Excellent, father." Annabelle laughed. "There was a woman here, who mistook me to be your wife. Amusing, is it not?"
Darcy chuckled appreciatively.
"Immensely."
"Oh! And there was a young man with her, who wished to return to speak with you. I told him that you would not mind. I hope that true?"
"Yes, as you wish. Does he come to ask for your hand in marriage?"
"Father! He is younger than me! How can you speak so!"
"Forgive me, daughter. I have witnessed a newborn first's cry, and I am in high spirits. Perhaps more so for having escaped my aunt for yet another month."
"Father!"
"Do not deny it. You are as glad for me as I am for myself. Fortunately for you, your great-aunt does not require your presence for another two weeks."
"Yes… I should dearly love to see little Fitzwilliam soon though." Annabelle's face took on a wistful expression.
"And so you shall." Darcy's smile seemed a little forced, as though he knew what was going through his daughter's mind.
A knock resounded on the study door.
"Enter." Darcy called. Mrs. Reynold's cousin stepped in.
"Excuse me, sir. There's a young man here to see you."
"Send him up."
"Very well, sir." The door closed.
Darcy raised his eyebrows at his daughter.
"I suppose this is the young man you spoke of?"
"Indeed. It sounds like him."
There was a tentative knock at the door. Darcy smiled at his daughter. He stood up, picking a sheaf of papers off his desk, and gathering them in his arms.
"Enter." He said, shuffling the papers.
The door opened. Slowly and cautiously.
The young man stood there, an inscrutable expression on his handsome face.
Darcy looked up.
The papers fell to the ground.
A/N: CHOCOLATE PUDDING TIME! When I call out your name, you will file across the virtual stage to wild virtual applause to collect your virtual chocolate pudding. Hey, who said anything about wild virtual applause? At my end, I'll be clapping for you!
Okies… here goes…
the Mouse in the Opera House… Jules (thank you!)… staricefire… ionalama (no they don't and no, it's not rubbish)… embracing… Allison (neither! Haha…)… Lovin'Mooney… Lucy (thanks!)… lasswithadelicateair45… bobmcbobbob1… Kyra3… FutureFamousMovieDirector…
YAY! WOOT! GO GUYS! claps wildly
Okay, maybe I should stop that. Dad's giving me funny looks. Whoops.
How about… ice-cream cake and hot chocolate next time? So that if you live somewhere where it's BOILING HOT at the moment, you can eat the cake and throw away the chocolate, and if you live somewhere where it's FREEZING cold, you can drink the hot chocolate and throw away the ice-cream cake. Or you can just eat both. :P
Love you all! (platonically)
Slam a revolving door
P.S. I'm not mad. REALLY. :D