What a coincidence that the 25th Chapter is posted on the 25th of December. Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy your day, take care and stay safe : )

RECAP:

Chapter 24 – More background about Elizabeth's brothers and Darcy finally had the talk with his father.

© 2019 Zest Layne


After four days of being confined in her chambers, Elizabeth was happy to finally be out of it. Her parents never failed to visit her after they were done with their duties but her brothers – along with Mr Knight – were her constant company these past few days. The hours she spent with them caused her to learn many things about her siblings – and her brothers' guilt about their family's current situation was one of them.

She did not expect Tony's story to be like that. Poor Alex! What made the tale even more realistic was yesterday when Alex showed her a part of his injuries. He only had to move up his sleeves a little bit to be able to see the burn marks on her brother's skin. Though she only saw a small part of his injury, Elizabeth couldn't imagine how painful it had been for her brother. Still, she was proud of him, for even though she had only met her siblings for half a month, she could tell that they were the best of brothers.

Because of this, Elizabeth was determined to bury her unpleasant past with the Bennets as well. Each member of her family was already blaming their selves for what happened to their family; Papa for not taking quicker action, Mama for giving her away, Alex for being irresponsible and Tony for causing harm to both his siblings. Elizabeth did not want to add to their pain if they found out that she'd been treated badly by Mr and Mrs Bennet.

No, she was past those experiences already and she was ready to think only of the past as it gave her pleasure.

"Are you ready for our adventure, Beth?" Tony asked as he placed his chosen book back on its rightful shelf.

Elizabeth nodded excitedly at her siblings. They had been staying in the library for less than an hour so it was time to move on to their original plan – to steal biscuits from Cook.

Once their parents left them in the drawing room to tend to their duties earlier that morning, the three of them had come up with a plan to do the things they hadn't done together as children. Since the first snowfall happened that morning, Elizabeth suggested that they should have a snowball fight. Naturally, since she had just recovered from her cold, her brothers wouldn't allow it.

Instead, they suggested doing things inside the Manor first and then, once they had finished their list of things to do, they would play outside in the following days. The first one on their agenda was to steal biscuits from Cook. Of course, being the mastermind, Alex told them that in order to do it, they needed to act innocent, which means pretending to study in the library. In truth, they had asked a maid to bring them some berries and they began a competition of catching it with their mouths, which Tony won predictably.

Still, it was a more entertaining pastime. They also tried questioning each other about their knowledge in literature and the one who answered correctly would be allowed to eat a berry. Needless to say, it had not been thirty minutes yet when they ran out of prizes. To pass the time, they started picking random books on the shelves and tried telling a story using sentences from various parts of the book they had chosen.

"We need to be very quiet. Follow my lead." Alex said in a hushed whisper before slowly tiptoeing to the door. When he encountered a bookshelf on the way, he hid behind it and looked around before gesturing for Elizabeth and Tony to follow him.

She let out an amused smile at his antics and thought that Tony was doing the same but he was just like their elder brother. "Don't look at us like that, Beth. We are very good spies, unlike you."

She narrowed her eyes at his comment and so she managed to follow their lead without laughing out loud. However, she couldn't help but let out a little giggle as they tiptoed down the staircase with their backs hunched and their heads looking all over the room. A footman was standing by the drawing room as they passed and so she and her brothers began walking casually once again, which was too stiff to be believed casual.

Finally, when they almost reached their destination, Alex stopped them and whispered. "I will distract the servants. Tony, distract Mother and Cook. Ellie, this is your chance to be one of the best spies. Take a whole bunch of biscuits and take it back to the library, alright?"

She was only going to nod at him, but when she saw Tony gave a salute to Alex, saying, "At your service, General Brother," she did the same.

And so, as her brothers distracted the servants and their Mother, hiding her from anyone's view, Elizabeth placed the freshly baked biscuits into a clean plate as quick as she could and left the kitchen in the same manner. After distracting the footman she passed with the unexpected help of Mr Knight that was roaming around the house, Elizabeth rushed upstairs into the library. Only once she had closed the door did she release a sigh of relief.

She set the plate of biscuits down on the table and took one for herself. She could understand why she and her brothers planned to steal the biscuits, it was delicious and it melts in her mouth. She was about to take another one when she heard footsteps. Expecting that it was her brothers, she stood up straight and saluted, "The biscuits are here, General Brother, Major Brother."

"I didn't know my children entered the army," said her amused Father, making her eyes grew wide.

"Papa!" She exclaimed in surprise before recovering herself and smiling innocently at him. "What a surprise to see you. Shall I help you find a book?"

Her Father only raised an eyebrow at her. "I was initially looking for a book, but I think that biscuits are more interesting, do you not agree?"

"But the biscuits are in the kitchen."

Before Papa could reply, the door opened and her brothers stepped in. As soon as they saw Papa, Tony gasped loudly. "General Brother, one of the enemies has caught us. Lieutenant Sister failed her mission."

Upon hearing this, Elizabeth crossed her arms. "Lieutenant?! I told you, I am Captain Sister, Major Brother."

"We will discuss your ranks later. Now, do what we practised." Alex said sternly.

"Aye, General Brother." She and Tony replied in unison.

She could see Papa watching them with undisguised amusement and she clenched her fist at her sides to control herself from laughing and remain serious. Then, they all stood up facing their father with serious faces. For Elizabeth's part, she tried to imitate her betrothed's expression whenever he was serious about something.

It seemed that Papa had just pieced what happened and was about to ask a question when Mama also entered the room.

"What is going on here?" Mama asked with furrowed brows.

"I think, I had just captured the biggest mice ever, dear," Papa said with a smile before turning to them sternly. "Did you take biscuits from the kitchen?"

"No, Sir. We know nought about biscuits, Sir."

At their chorused responses, Mama only shook her head before letting out a chuckle. Then, she stood beside Papa and narrowed her eyes at them. "Did you or did you not steal Cook's freshly baked biscuits?"

"No, Ma'am. We know nought about biscuits, Ma'am."

Mama raised a challenging brow at them. "Is that so?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Very well," with a light smile in their direction, Mama walked towards the coffee table where the plate of biscuits was placed. She then took one and started eating it. From the corner of her eye, she could see Alex pout. She felt his pain, seeing as they shared their love for sweets. "Arthur, would you like some?"

Papa took a biscuit from the plate and Mama took another one as well.

"Still not going to answer correctly?" Mama asked.

When Mama reached her fourth Cookie and Papa his second, Alex whispered: "Remember our last resort?" She and Tony nodded. "We shall do that in three, two, one."

With that, they did their best 'puppy eyes' and looked hopefully at their parents. It didn't take more than five seconds before Mama and Papa started laughing together.

"Oh, very well, you have convinced me. Come, my innocent and adorable children, eat these biscuits with me."

She and her brothers cheered and kissed both of their parents on the cheek before grabbing a piece of biscuits for themselves.

"I see that you planned this well, General," Papa teased Alex. "You do know that enemies in real life won't surrender with a look like that. I hope you have a backup plan."

"We have many substitute plans, Father. We plan to take the plate of biscuits by force but we Biscuit-Bandits are too honourable for that." Alex replied.

"Of course," Papa nodded making all of them chuckle once again.

For the following days, they did not try to get into 'trouble' again. Instead, Elizabeth asked her brothers to teach her fencing. Later on, when her family deemed her well enough to go outside, her brothers also offered to teach her how to shoot with a gun. When they were not doing that, they used their time to practice a trio piece in the pianoforte (it was actually a duet but Tony likes to play random keys while she and Alex played). They also played charades, card games, chess and sardines. Sometimes, their parents would even join them.

Elizabeth's favourite, however, was when she built a snowman with her brothers and the snowball fight that followed that. It started with General Brother leading them against their parents and ended up with Mama and Tony on one team while Elizabeth and Alex and Papa were on another. However, Alex betrayed them later on when Mama promised him some jelly pudding if he helped her and Tony win. Needless to say, Elizabeth and Papa ignored him later, in favour of a game of chess. He earned their forgiveness later on when he offered to share pudding with them.

Before they knew it, it was Christmastide already.

Christmas dinner was a busy but enjoyable celebration. Mama made them randomly pick a folded paper with Christmas-related objects written in it. The goal was to dress like the item written on their chosen paper, and so, that Christmas afternoon, Elizabeth asked Chloe to dress her in her white gown with small golden patterns in it. Since the one she got was 'Yule Candle,' she added a light golden pelisse over it. Not only did it bring more character to her simple yet elegant gown, but wearing it helped her deal with the cold.

Papa got 'Yule log' so he was wearing a dark brown coat with light brown breeches. Alex got 'winter' so he was dressed in a light blue coat with a white vest and breeches. Tony, on the other hand, got 'holly' and his attire was composed of a green coat with red accents and black breeches. Mama got 'Christmas tree' so she was also wearing a green evening gown with a gold ribbon sash around her waist.

Other families with their station would join balls hosted by other family or they would host one but Elizabeth had been told by her brothers that their parents usually keep it a quiet Christmas affair since Mama had given her away. That was not to say that it was a simple celebration, no.

Elizabeth could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the food on the table for there were so many. There were roasted beef, venison, goose, capon, pheasant, and bustard. Of course, sweets like Christmas puddings, gingerbread, and sugar plums were present on the table too. There was also a wassail bowl with spiced ale.

Her attention was pulled away from the delicious treats when her Father stood up and announced his toast. "This year has been good to us. Not only do our estates keep prospering but our servants and tenants are well and taken care of. But the greatest thing we had been blessed this year was my daughter's presence," he smiled with a glance in Elizabeth's direction. "Our family is now complete. Let's raise our glasses to family and many years of happiness."

After dinner, Mama and Papa took the lead giving the servants their presents. Then, their family headed to the drawing room where she and her brothers performed their 'trio'. It was evident that Tony could sing as much as he could play the pianoforte so Elizabeth and Alex had fun teasing him. Still, Elizabeth enjoyed playing and singing with both her brothers nonetheless. Their parents also enjoyed it too judging by the smiles on their faces.

When her performance with her brothers was done, Mama joined her in the pianoforte for their duet. Papa attempted to sing for her after that, and while he was no better than Tony, she had fun playing for him, especially when Tony joined Papa on the chorus while Alex pretended to cover his ears on the settee. Soon, all of them got tired and they exchanged gifts before retiring.

Since Elizabeth didn't get the chance to be outside their estate – indeed, she was not sure if her family would allow her to go shopping – she got their gifts from Uncle Gardiner. It was a new chest set for Papa, a book by his favourite author for Alex, a pen workbox for Tony and dark blue and gold fabrics for Mama. All of these are accompanied by two handkerchiefs with their initials which Elizabeth had embroidered for each of them.

For her part, she received a jewellery box along with a simple pearl necklace from Papa, her own rapier from Tony, a small dagger with a scabbard from Alex, and especially made fencing gear for her from Mama.

She was surprised with the three latter gifts but Papa had assured her that it would be good for her to have her own weapon so that she could defend herself properly anytime. Mama also told her that her own brothers had taught her the same thing and it was the reason she was alive right now, no matter how unconventional it might be. Elizabeth accepted the gifts happily for she liked the idea of being able to protect herself as well as they did.

The gift that touched her the most though, was when Mama gave her the golden hair comb that proved her origins. It was still the same in appearance, containing Emerald, Amethyst and Lapis stones. However, aside from the engraved two roses behind it, surrounded by two crescent moons, there was now a small cursive writing below it: Elizabeth Artemis Leighton.

"We know that you feel pressured in calling you Isabel," Mama began, "so your father and I decided to legally change your name [1] into Elizabeth Artemis Leighton."

This statement made her tear up and she hugged her parents and siblings to express her love and gratitude. When she retired late that night, her mother accompanied her to her room and showed her a hidden compartment under her bed where she could hide the rapier and dagger.

"Do not worry too much, Sweeting," Mama said once they hid the weapons, "'tis only for practice and you need not use it in a real situation. We will protect you."

When Mama left, Elizabeth placed the hair comb inside the jewellery box Papa gave her. Then, she put the jewellery box inside the drawer of her vanity mirror. Then, she rang for Chloe to help her change into her nightgown. Once she was alone, she took out the golden pocket watch with an engraved 'E' in the centre and opened it.

Earlier that day, apart from the letters she received from Mary, Kitty, Mrs Winters, Alexa, the Lucases, the Gardiners and Fitzwilliam, she received their gifts too. To her surprised, Fitzwilliam had managed to send her a gift with Alexa's help.

She'd initially thought it to be a small pocket watch and she was confused at why her betrothed had instructed her to turn the key in his letter. Apparently, she was wrong and his present was not only a watch but a music box [2] too.

"I am thinking of you every second that passes, my love. I thought my gift was only fitting, for if I did not hear you sing that fateful day in the rain, then we would not be where we are now." He'd said in his letter.

She hoped he loved her gift for him too, as much as she loved his. She also wished that her Bennet sisters, along with the Gardiners, the Lucases, Mrs Winters and Alexa were all in good health. Hopefully, they'd like their presents from her as well.

After saying her prayers, Elizabeth fell asleep with the lull of soft music from Fitzwilliam's present.

-p&p-

Mary Bennet smiled as Kitty entered her bedroom. If she was being honest, earlier had been one of the most… successful Christmas dinners she had ever experienced in Longbourn. Mama was her usual loud self but she made no ill comments about anyone which was nice to see. However, Mary thought that the credit should be given to Mr Bingley.

As sad as she was to admit it, Mary knew that Mama had only been on her best behaviour because Mr Bingley, along with Mr and Mrs Hurst, were dining with them. Miss Bingley left more than a week ago to see her Aunt in Scarborough but Mary suspected that her brother sent her away after the gossip she tried to spread during the Netherfield ball.

Mary was still confused at how Miss Bingley would think that Lizzy was not a Bennet and an illegitimate child at that. People knew Mama was pregnant at the time Lizzy had been born. Lizzy was the twin of their brother. If that was not the case, surely rumours like Miss Bingley tried to spread would happen back when they were much younger.

But then again, didn't Mama and Papa dislike her second elder sister? As much as Mary was sad about it, it was the truth. But then again, Lydia and Jane were the favourites of the family, were they not? Even she and Kitty, though Papa liked to spend time with them when Lizzy was not around, were almost always ignored.

"So, who shall open their present first?" Kitty's excited voice brought Mary out of her thoughts, which she was thankful for. Now was not the time to think of such gloomy things. It was Christmas after all.

"You should open yours first," Mary suggested. They had already opened their gifts earlier, back in the drawing room. However, Lizzy's presents for them were left unopened. They wanted to open it earlier too but they feared that Mama would not like it. She and Kitty even had to ask Mrs Hill for help to distract Mama while they try to sneak Lizzy's gifts up into Mary's room. Kitty's room was not safe for Lydia often borrowed Kitty's things without permission and Mama always let her.

Kitty picked one of the prettily wrapped boxes and started opening it. "Mary look, new drawing and painting materials!" She smiled as Kitty showed her the different coloured paints and brushes along with a canvas.

Mary thought that it was all the contents of the box but Kitty gasped, "There's another box in here."

"Go on and open it, Kitty." She encouraged.

Slowly, Kitty untied the ribbon and it revealed several shiny and fashionable hat pins. There were also bright coloured ribbons in it as well as a short note with their sister's handwriting: 'I also asked Aunt Gardiner for new fabrics so you can both have new gowns by next year."

"Oh, these are beautiful."

As her younger sister stared in awe at her presents, Mary couldn't help but think why Grandmother Claire had been closer to Lizzy than to any of them. She remembered the woman being nice to them too, but Mama always took them away from her presence so they never really had the chance to get close. Lizzy was the one closest to her so it was no surprise when they were told that Grandmother Claire left Lizzy some funds. It was probably the reason why her parents did not like Lizzy because their Grandmother left her everything.

Still, Mary could not see why they shouldn't just be happy for Lizzy. Did they not see that Lizzy did not cause their brother's death? Mary might have been very young when it happened but she knew that it was wrong to blame someone's natural death on another.

"Mary let's see your presents now," Kitty smiled, and placed the only unopened box in Mary's lap.

She smiled back at her sister as she untied the ribbon. She was not surprised when she received the newest music sheets from one of her favourite composers. However, she was in awe of the fancy box underneath the stack of papers. Lizzy told her in a note that it was a box where she could keep her music sheets. "It's wonderful."

"Look inside," said Kitty.

She did, and instead of an empty box, there were also ribbons and hat pins in it. However, Mary's were composed of pastel colours than bright ones like Kitty.

"I love our gifts but I wish Lizzy was here."

Even if Lizzy was there with them in Hertfordshire, they would not be able to celebrate with her until the morrow. However, Mary preferred that as well. According to Lizzy in her last letter, she was still in Bath and she would explain everything once she got back. And while Mary and Kitty were filled with many questions, they were willing to wait to get their answers.

"I do too, Kitty."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes after that, admiring their gifts until a knock sounded from the door. With wide eyes, Mary and Kitty both placed their presents in their rightful boxes, as quickly as they could, and hid them under Mary's bed. Then, she went towards the door to unlock it.

"Finally, I was wondering what was taking you so long," Lydia said crossing her arms. "I was about to call Mama to let me join you and Kitty. But Jane," she gestured to their eldest sister beside her, "will not let me."

"Join us?"

"Yes," Lydia said as if it was the most obvious thing. "You and Kitty are having a late celebration of Christmas, right? I heard about it from Maria Lucas. She said that she and Charlotte stayed up all night to talk and play games. Since I'm your sister, I have a right to join."

"Lydia," Jane sighed, "You have to ask Mary properly. You can't just invite yourself."

Lydia pouted but turned to Mary, "Can I join?"

"I suppose," Mary answered, still stunned at their presence. However, they were her and Kitty's sisters too and it was Christmas so perhaps they could bond together. The last time something like this happened was when they were children. "You can join us too, Jane."

Upon hearing that, Jane smiled and entered the room as well.

For the first time in years, the Bennet sisters spent Christmas in the same bedroom, playing silly games, telling anecdotes and just simply enjoying the presence of one another. Mary wished they could be like this on days without occasions too. And that someday, they would be able to do it again, but the next time it happened, she wished there would be five of them.

Meanwhile, Mrs Bennet was passing Mary's room when she heard laughter coming from there. Recognizing her daughters' voices she smiled. She was right that if that Lizzy was not here, all her daughters would get along just fine.

Mr Bennet, on the other hand, was surprised when his wife entered his study with a smile on her face. It had been so long since he'd seen her genuinely smile. When his son died, a part of his wife did too, taking a part of him with them. Now, however, he was happy to sit in silence with his wife. And when she fell asleep, he took her in his arms and hugged her, a silent tear escaping his eye.

-p&p-

Three miles away from Longbourn, Charles Bingley lay on his bed contentedly. He was a little sad that Caroline was not with them but he knew that his sister needed this. Not really one to be kept in a gloomy mood, his thoughts drifted to his sister Louisa, whom he thought, had become stronger yet softer, with her coming motherhood. He was going to be an uncle! Oh, it has been a month but the news still excited him.

Another source of good thought was his courtship with Miss Jane Bennet. He could tell that what he had with her was more than an infatuation. Perhaps, he would ask for her hand one day but he was in no rush. He wanted to make sure first.

A few rooms away from him, Louisa Hurst lay awake in her chambers with her husband. Not for the first time this past month, her husband was not yet drunk asleep. Indeed, he had limited his intake of alcohol since he found out she was with child. She could not believe that next Christmas, it would no longer be just the two of them. They were going to be a family of three.

She wondered if their child would be a boy or a girl. Her husband told her he had no preferences and that he was just excited to have their first child. Louisa felt the same. But often, she'd think of who would the child take after. Would the child inherit her appearance or her husband? Would the child prefer vegetables like her or meat like her husband?

Speaking of food, Louisa guiltily turned to her husband who was already smiling at her.

"Plum pudding?"

She only smiled in reply.

Sitting on her bed at her Aunt's house in Scarborough, Caroline Bingley glared at the fireplace. It was that Eliza chit's fault why she was stuck here. She should be back in Hertfordshire, stopping his brother from a match with Jane Bennet but instead, she was here with her strict Aunt who restricted her actions based on her brother's letter!

She should at least be at the nearest ball or gathering. Not here! Crossing her arms, she glanced at the miniature of her parents displayed on the nightstand beside her. She turned away from them immediately. She was doing all she did for her family, to raise their status and improve their wealth and connections. She did not regret one bit of it.

Her eyes then caught a bottle of sherry and she poured another glass for herself. Merry Christmas, she thought.

-p&p-

Charlotte Lucas' Christmas with her family was both a happy (because they were able to celebrate it together) and melancholy (because it would be the last Christmas she would have as a Lucas) affair. In just a few days, she'd be married to Colonel Forster and she would be called Mrs Forster. As much as she loved the idea, she knew that she'd miss her family.

Anne de Bourgh was having much the same thoughts. Since she was getting married early next year, she agreed with her mother not to accept any Christmas invitation. Instead, the two of them spent it alone at Rosings with their trusted people such as Mr Collins and Mrs Jenkinson. Anne treasured this Christmas with her mother and she knew that her mother did as well.

It was not like they would not spend Christmas together in the next years. But this year, she only had one role; as a daughter. By then, she would also have to be a wife. Something she looked forward to but at the same time, she would miss being her mother's little girl.

The Gardiners celebrated their Christmas together with Mrs Winters and Alexa in London. The children were now asleep after exhausting themselves at opening presents. For the part of the adults, they were a little sad that Lizzy was not with them but they were happy for her that she finally found her real family. Still, they also wished to see her soon.

Lady Matlock, known to her loved ones as Elinor Fitzwilliam, was celebrating one of her happiest Christmas. Many a good news had come to her these last few months and she wanted to celebrate it all. Not only had the daughter of her good friend, Sophia, been found but her youngest son Richard had sold his commission and was no longer in the army.

While she had always been proud of Richard for being a brave and responsible man, she had also always feared that something bad might happen to him. Luckily, now that he was soon going to get married, he decided to give his sole focus to his future wife. Surrounded by her children and husband, she beamed happily.

-p&p-

Fitzwilliam Darcy applauded when his little sister, Georgiana, finished playing the pianoforte. He just knew that she and Elizabeth would bond over it when they met. He just hoped that his father was the same too. After their last talk in his study, his father never brought up the subject again. Fitzwilliam would like to talk about it but his father seemed to avoid him or perhaps it had just been a really busy Christmas celebration.

"Time for presents," his Mother declared, making Georgiana smile and rushed beside her.

As he watched his sister open present after present, his hand unconsciously moved to his breast pocket where Elizabeth's gift was placed. It was a lock of her hair tied in a dark green ribbon safely tucked within the handkerchief she'd embroidered with his initials. Of course, it was not her only gift for him. The silver inkstand she had given him was safely in his chambers. Just like her letters, they were all sent under 'John Lucas.'

Since the man had been very helpful, Fitzwilliam had sent gifts to the Lucases and the Gardiners as well – nothing too fancy but enough to show them that he appreciated their help. Aside from his Fitzwilliams and De Bourgh relations, he also sent presents to his Godfather Leicester and his sons, Alex and Tony, along with their cousins and his other Godparents.

To Richard, Henry, Alex and Tony, however, he had enclosed a letter asking for advice on how to be on the good side of elder brothers. He was an older brother himself so he had some ideas but he wanted to make it right. His cousin Matilda was already tricking her brothers into letting gentlemen call her so he might get the end Richard's and Henry's frustration or teasing. As for Tony and Alex, he knew that their sister was always a sensitive subject, and he did apologise for bringing her up, however briefly, in his letter to them, but he knew that they would give sound advice.

"Thank you, brother," he was pulled out of her thoughts when Georgiana hugged him once she opened his present, which was a harp. She had told him once that she got bored during long carriage rides so he thought of something that could entertain her during travels.

"You're welcome, Georgie," he smiled.

He opened his presents next which was mostly books from his favourite authors. He was about to head up to his own room once his sister retired but his mother stopped him. "William, will you talk to your father?"

His gaze then went past his Mother to his Father who was sitting on the settee.

Silently, he nodded.

With that, his mother kissed him and his father on the cheek before leaving the room. Once his mother left, he sat back down on the chair across from his Father. "You wanted to talk to me, Father."

"Yes," his father sighed, "Your mother believes that it is time to let everything out and after our last conversation, I think she is right."

Fitzwilliam remained quiet, waiting for his Father to elaborate. The elder Darcy did not disappoint.

"When you mentioned Wickham last time, I detected the frustration and hurt in your voice."

Fitzwilliam froze. He knew, he had even confessed it to Elizabeth as well in his letter of apology to her back in Hertfordshire, that he was jealous of George Wickham because his Father always favoured him. He was always so careful not to let his insecurities show but perhaps it was time to admit it. "I admit that I used to be jealous of him because you always sided with him no matter what I do or what I try to tell you. I never understood it."

He wanted to stop right there but it seemed that once he started, he couldn't stop revealing everything. "I know that you can't always favour me even though I am your son but why can't you at least see my side of the story? It hurt to think that you always choose him, especially when I try so hard to be perfect to you. I love you, Father, but sometimes, I do not know if you feel the same."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, not wanting to cry. He was embarrassed to admit all those things but at the same time, he felt lighter. He cleared his throat and clenched his fist on his sides to regain some composure. Once he felt more in control of himself, only then did he dare look at his Father's reaction.

His Father had now stood up from the settee across Fitzwilliam and started pacing, a frown etched in his face. "You have no reason to be jealous of that scoundrel. The only reason I looked after Wickham was because before his Father became Pemberly's steward, he was in the army and he saved my cousin's life. Though my cousin was alive, he was not the same. His spine was damaged and it had affected not only his body movements but his ability to speak as well. Still, he was alive and to me, that was all that mattered. When I found out that the man who saved him had been injured in his leg and cannot go back to the army, I asked him if he was willing to be my steward. He was an honourable man and when he asked me to take care of his son on his deathbed, I agreed."

He stopped pacing and turned to Fitzwilliam. "I knew that the boy was mischievous and I let it pass when you were children. The only reason I told you to play with him was because you were lonely when Alex, Tony and their cousins stopped visiting."

"But I remember telling you that I do not like him as a playmate."

His father nodded. "Yes, you did, but I did not stop you from spending time with him for two reasons. The first one was that I wanted to see if you could influence him in being a better lad. I knew his Father would not like his attitude and I wanted to at least stop him from growing up into a man his father would be ashamed of. The second reason was because I wanted to see if you would let him influence you on your behaviour."

"I did not," Fitzwilliam said.

"No, you are a strict follower of the rules. You know what is right and wrong. You always strive to do the right thing."

"I am glad you think so, Father." He replied solemnly. "But I had good influence from my playmates and Godparents. Mother, though she was not always with us, had taught me good morals at a young age and even though you have been strict on me, I think your lessons taught me well too."

His father shook his head. "You can give your Mother and the others the credit that they deserve but you shall give none to me. I was strict with you because my own Father was not. I grew up spoiled. My mother died when I was little and my father loved her dearly. Because of this, he made sure I get everything I warned. I didn't care about the servants or the tenants. I used to think that I was higher than them because I was the son and heir of a Duke. I grew up with friends but they only like me for my fortune and title. I had always avoided women for I do not want to be attached to someone who is not fit to be my wife but I did like gambling."

For his part, Fitzwilliam could only stare at the man in front of him in surprise. He had always seen his Father as the paragon of good conduct. While his Father might not smile at servants or tenants, he had always treated them with respect. His Father handled estate and business matters professionally well. His father had always been good with money. So calling him a gambler… Fitzwilliam never expected that.

"I like the feeling when I win and vex my opponents. Unfortunately, that was not always the case for I almost lost half our family's fortune with my ways. When my 'friends' found out about it, they left me on my own one by one. The only one who stood by me was my cousin before he left the county to fight. He opened up my eye to my situation and so I forced myself to stop gambling. Despite that, my father was sick at that time we are full of debt. I decided that it was time to search for a wife."

His father sat back down on the settee across him. "I attended balls and started looking for a potential bride. On one such night, I stumbled upon a man trying to compromise a young woman by the balcony. I may be a gambler, but I was never a rake. Though my Father indulged most of my wishes, he still had his limits and he taught me to never disrespect a woman. So naturally, that night, I grabbed the man by his scholar and scared him away so that the young woman could be left alone. As soon as I did that, the young woman fled from the scene. I thought I would never see her again but we encountered each other again in another ball three weeks later while I was hiding by the balcony."

His father smiled. "She thanked me for saving her and I told her that any gentleman would do what I did. Our small talk grew into a full conversation until I asked her to dance. Only once our dance ended did I realised that I did not get her name. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you are going to see it, the then Viscount Buxton approached me after our dance, brought me to a private corner, and said. "Do not go near Anne again. You will not play with my sister."

"The young woman was Mother?"

His father looked at him as if offended by his question. "Do not look so surprised, William. Do you seriously believe I would be smiling about another lady other than your mother?"

"No," he answered honestly, "but I cannot believe that such a horrible thing almost happened to her. How come Uncle Matlock lose sight of her the night she was almost compromised?"

"Your Aunt Matlock was pregnant with Henry at the time. Your mother had her own group of friends to look after her. However, since one of them, Lady Cassandra was also with child and your Aunt Catherine was still grieving for her first love even though it's been years, Lady Sophia's attention was torn."

His brows furrowed upon the new information about his Aunt Catherine but instead, he asked, "Lady Sophia… my Godfather's wife?"

"Yes, she's Arthur's wife, the current Duchess of Leicester, Tony and Alex's mother and also one of your mother's dearest friends. Lady Cassandra is her sister. You remember them, I assume? They used to visit Pemberly and we used to go to their estates when you were little."

"I do know them by name but their faces, I am no longer sure."

"I am sure you will see them again. For a few days after your Uncle Matlock approached me, your Aunt Catherine and Lady Sophia called at my house and warned me at playing with your mother's feelings, saying that he could look for possible dowries to increase my fortune elsewhere. I was shocked at their presence but those two were not really conventional ladies. They could act all proper around the Ton but if you threaten one of their friends, they cared not for propriety. What they did not know was that I did not know about your mother's name when I began liking her. So despite the challenges her brother and friends presented, I fought for your mother's love."

Fitzwilliam smiled a little. He knew that his parents loved each other but hearing their story brought joy to his heart. "I do not know that the Duchess of Leicester did not like you for mother." He pointed out.

"Your mother asked her friends to give me a chance to prove that I am no longer the man I used to be but I know that she decided to give me a real chance when I asked for Arthur's help in managing the estate and doing business. He might have been only a gentleman without a title back then but he was very wise in his investments and I decided to do the same. Later on, when the Dukedom of Leicester had been passed to Arthur, I helped him adjust to his new position too."

His father paused and looked him in the eye. "I know that I have not been the perfect Father to you, son, but I am glad and proud to see that you grew up a better man than me. Hearing you defend the woman you love the other day was only proof of that."

"You mean to say that all of it has been a test? From George Wickham to everything else?"

"Yes."

Fitzwilliam stood up from his seat in disbelief. "I understand that you do not want me to repeat your mistakes, Father but to know that this is all for the sake of a test! Do you realise that you hurt me every time you tell me that I am not good enough? Every time you prefer Wickham? When you make me feel like it was my entire fault every time something bad happens?" He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "What changed then? How come you are telling this about me now?"

"You stood up to me for your betrothed."

"I… I do not even know what to feel about all of this. May I please retire to my chambers?"

His Father sighed but nodded and Fitzwilliam wasted no time to leave the room. Once he reached his bedroom he slumped on the bed and covered his head with his hands. He could not believe his Father. While a part of him was happy that his Father had never really believed Wickham, he still did not know what to feel about the entire situation. It had all been a game to him? Did his Father care for his feelings? Fitzwilliam had always been deeply affected in everything that comes to his Father and now he found out that he was just testing him?

Not wanting to spend the night overthinking, only because it was Christmas, Fitzwilliam got up from his bed and took out Elizabeth's letter from his locked drawer. Tracing over the lines of 'I love you, Fitzwilliam and I wish you a merry Christmas,' he finally fell asleep.


[1] Contrary to popular belief, it has always been possible to change your name without having to register the change with any official body. It is still perfectly legal for anyone over the age of 16 to start using a new name at any time, as long as they are not doing so for a fraudulent or illegal reason. However, when a legacy/inheritance was involved, a more formal means was practised, for a person's name was considered part of his identity and was not to be changed in a casual manner. It was given and recorded at the sacrament of Baptism/Christening, and it was confirmed at Confirmation. A change in a baptismal name could result in a marriage being invalidated. That being said, the bishop sometimes changed names at Confirmation if he found them displeasing. One could not change his/her name in order to commit fraud or to cheat one's creditors or to commit bigamy.

Source: /2019/05/20/changing-ones-name/

[2] The music box was probably invented about 1770 in Switzerland. The earliest music boxes were small enough to be enclosed in a pocket watch, but they were gradually built in larger sizes and housed in rectangular wooden boxes. The music box was a popular household instrument from about 1810 until the early 20th century, when the player piano and the phonograph rendered it obsolete.

Source: art/music-box

* The tradition of a Christmas tree in the house was a German custom and apparently brought to Court in 1800 by Queen Charlotte, wife of George III.

* A great blazing fire was the centrepiece of a family Christmas. The Yule log was chosen on Christmas Eve. It was wrapped in hazel twigs and dragged home, to burn in the fireplace as long as possible through the Christmas season. The tradition was to keep back a piece of the Yule log to light the following year's Yule log.

Source: /CultureUK/A-Georgian-Christmas/


I'm not entirely sure if women were allowed to fence in Regency Period (though I think ladies could do so discreetly if they wanted) but I included it anyway. I just think that Elizabeth's family would let her learn about it, considering their situation.

We've started working on Elizabeth's Family and now we're working with Darcy's. As for the Bennets, we'll see more of them too.

Anyways, this has been a fun chapter to write and I hoped you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. My goal in this chapter, apart from exploring the characters and moving the plot, is to show how different people celebrate Christmas and I hope that you can relate with them. I can't believe we've gotten this far in the story. Thank you for your reads, favourites, follows and reviews. I couldn't have done it without you guys.

Merry Christmas to you all! Take care and stay safe : )