Hi everyone, once again I would like to thank you all for the support you have been showing my story. I don't write fanfiction very often because I find it difficult to translate the ideas in my head into a coherent and well expressed story. This was particularly evident while writing this chapter, this is the seventh rewrite as I really struggled to have Mr Bennet come across in the way I wanted.
The positive reviews give me the confidence to carry on writing the story, knowing that people are enjoying it though.
My friend once told me that I was too critical of my own perceived flaws because I was self-conscious of them. I hadn't believed him until I showed a recording of me performing a song to someone else. I hated the recording but loved the song; the person I showed the recording to loved it all. It made me wonder whether my friend was right, that maybe my own self-consciousness led me to have incredibly low self-esteem.
While, logically, I know that not everyone will like or enjoy my story, that not everyone will post a nice review; I am exceedingly gratified that the reviews I have been getting for this story are so positive. It's kind of like being reminded that my best can be good enough.
I really didn't mean for this author's note to be so long or depressing, but I kind of felt ready to explain why each author's note for this story, other than the first, thanks everyone for their reviews and responses to the story, and also why it took so long to update this chapter.
Any way, back to the story.
Heaven x
Mr Bennet sat in the breakfast parlour, waiting for his two favourite daughters to enter to break their fast. When he had awoken that morning in his bookroom, he had seen the weather and knew his daughters would need to remain indoors all day, he had hoped to entice them into playing chess with him, so as to avoid Mrs Bennet who would be unable to visit her sister in Meryton because of the weather.
After a half hour without having seen or heard either Lizzie or Kitty, Mr Bennet summoned Hill.
"Hill, where are Lizzy and Kitty; the weather would have stopped them from going on a walk this morning," questioned Mr Bennet.
Hill shuffled nervously on her feet, trying to think of the best way to word what she had to say.
"Well sir, the mistress forbid them from returning last night, and forbid us from letting them in should they try to return. So Miss Lizzy and Miss Kitty are at Netherfield Park."
Hill was proud of the way she had explained the situation; she had laid out the facts without saying anything that Mrs Bennet would fire her for if the conversation was overheard.
"Hill, why would they be at Netherfield rather than at Lucas Lodge, the Netherfield party are near strangers?"
"Well sir, Sir and Lady Lucas have some of their tenants in the guest rooms because of last months fire, so they had no rooms spare."
"Oh yes, quite. I had rather forgotten about that..." Mr Bennet appeared deep in thought, so Hill dared not disturb him to ask whether that was all she was needed for.
As Mr Bennet opened his mouth to speak again, Mr Hill came in with a note from Netherfield. Mr Bennet read it hungrily, and then nodded satisfied to himself.
"My two middle daughters are to be at Netherfield until the roads are safe to travel again. After that, should they choose to do so they will come back here but if they choose not to return to Longbourn they will visit with my brother Gardiner until the yule season. Mrs Bennets instructions to the contrary will be ignored. Mr Hill can you take a note to the girls after I have written it to explain this course of action?"
"Yes Sir." replied Hill, pleased that they would have a reason to openly defy the harpy that Mr Bennet had married.
Mr Bennet quickly penned the note for his two favourite daughters and handed it to Mr Hill before dismissing both Hills. He decided to read a book while waiting for his wife to rise, he wasn't looking forward to the confrontation but knew that his wife needed to be brought to task. Only he had the right to disown any of his offspring, and it most certainly would never be his two favourites.
Unknown to those who had just been in Mr Bennet's bookroom, Jane Bennet had been listening in the hallway outside and wasn't impressed. If Lizzie and Kitty were staying at Netherfield, that meant that neither of the handsome, rich, single gentlemen of the party would be in their company rather than hers. She had no doubt that if her sisters weren't residing in the same house as them that she could have kept Mr Bingley's interest, but now her sisters would gain his interest.
This was not to be borne, and so Jane went to complete the nigh impossible task of rousing her mother to inform her of what her father had said.
