I'm really sorry for the delay in posting this. My family and I are going to Newcastle this weekend to visit Alnwick Castle (where they filmed part of Hogwarts) and to watch my uncle run the Great North Run. Between packing and work and last minute errands I hadn't had the chance to proof read the chapter after finishing it. Now it is proof read, so hopefully I haven't missed any mistakes.
I have had a few reviewers ask why I spell Lizzie with an 'ie' rather than a 'y', and the truth is that I just think it looks prettier that way. Plus two of the three Lizzie's I have came into contact with in the past were spelt 'ie' so it became force of habit. Sorry if this upsets anyone.
And lastly, I know that it seems out of character for Lizzie to respond to Mrs Bennet the way that she did; but she has reached her breaking point of tolerance. She admires Mr Darcy, and the thought of Mrs Bennet accusing her of the exact behaviour that she and her youngest daughter have been acknowledged to participate in, in front of him, finally causes her to snap. She retorts with all of the nasty little comments that spin around a person's head when someone upsets them, but she is different from Mrs Bennet in that she regrets her words, as will be evident in this chapter.
Rant over; back to the story.
Heaven x
Lizzie finally became aware of the audience the confrontation with her mother had drawn. Some of her neighbours were looking at her with pity and some with approval. It brought tears to her eyes because she didn't want their pity and she didn't deserve their approval.
Spotting Lady Lucas, Lizzie hurried over to her and began to apologise loudly enough for the rest of the guests to appear.
"Lady Lucas, I'm terribly sorry to have ruined your evening; I should not have allowed my mother to raise my ire so much as to behave so in public. Furthermore I should not have made such unladylike accusations, especially in a home where I was merely a guest. Although I take full responsibility for my inappropriate behaviour, I will understand if you wish for me to excuse myself."
Lady Lucas just looked at Lizzie kindly and squeezed her hand reassuringly before speaking, also malimg sure that her words would be discernable to all of the room's occupants.
"Lizzie dear, you have nothing to apologise for. Fanny Bennet knows exactly what to say and do in order to bring out the worst in people. Aside from that, what did you say that we have not all wished to utter at least once in her presence? And as for leaving, you shall do no such thing; after such an exhibit I feel the only thing that will calm my poor nerves would be another performance from you on the pianoforte." The last was said with a small wink at the allusion to Mrs Bennet.
The rest of the guests began to disperse again as, after giving Lady Lucas a small grateful smile, Lizzie began to once again make her way to the pianoforte. As Lizzie began to play and sing once more, Mr Hurst, Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy turned toward Kitty.
"Miss Catherine," began Mr Hurst, "I would like to apologise if my words made the confrontation worse for either yourself or your sister."
Before Kitty could reply, Mr Bingley piped up.
"Indeed, Miss Catherine, I feel incredibly responsible as your mother was trying to garner my attention. If yourself and Miss Elizabeth truly do find yourselves without access to your home tonight it would be my pleasure to host you both until the situation was resolved."
"You are both very generous, especially considering the situation may very well have arisen in your absence anyway. Our mother is not very fond of either of us and I fear she has been seeking such an opportunity to remove us from her company in a more permanent arrangement than frequently sending us to our aunt and uncle in London."
As Kitty spoke she was mentally calculating the likelihood of her and Lizzy truly being unable to gain entrance into Longbourn that night. When she reached a conclusion, she continued.
"As to your offer, perhaps if myself and Lizzie were unable to go home tonight we could accept your hospitality for tonight until we can either speak to our father or until we can send word to our aunt and uncle in London, so that they might host us until further notice."
Mr Darcy subtly nodded to Bingley to let him know that it may very well be the best solution, and so Bingley graciously agreed to Kitty's suggestion. Following this, they all returned their attention to Lizzie's performance all in their own slightly pensive state.
Mr Darcy had found himself both horrified at Mrs Bennet's behaviour and slightly pleased that it meant he may have more time in Miss Elizabeth's company. While he enjoyed Miss Catherine's company likewise, Miss Elizabeth enthralled him because he was also attracted to her.
Mr Hurst was silently wondering whether his wife would behave more like she did when he was courting her under the influence of sharing a house with the two pleasant Bennet sisters, and found himself glad that he hadn't already drank a lot that evening.
Mr Bingley, was wondering whether the protectiveness he felt for Miss Catherine and Miss Elizabeth was what it felt to be an older brother. He knew what it was to be the younger brother, but wasn't sure whether this subtle change he felt was akin to what Darcy felt for Georgiana or not.
Kitty was wondering whether Lizzie could accept this extra time with Mr Darcy without feeling even more guilty about the reason for it. Kitty knew that Lizzie would have regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth because Lizzie never took pleasure in purposely upsetting someone else, even if the deserved it.
