Pride and Pandemonium
Chapter Four
"Let me get this right, you allowed Miss Dashwood to scamper off in the company of a strange man to a strange home at the behest of a young girl none of you knew before this morning?"
Hotaru held her breath; she stood slightly behind Kunzite as he calmly faced a tall young man with suspiciously feminine features and very long black hair.
"That's correct, Mr. Willoughby, though I don't think I'd put it quite that way," Kunzite replied, evenly.
Seiya, for that was who it was despite anything that silly cat said, looked extremely displeased. He (She?) paced back and forth through the room while Kunzite sat calmly watching from his chair, and Mina and Hotaru stood behind him. Kunzite took a sip of tea.
"How can you be drinking tea at a time like this?!" Seiya exploded, tossing a cushion violently from the couch to sit.
"Excuse me, but I really don't think -" Kunzite began.
"Listen," Mina broke in, "I know these people that Marianne went to see - they're my next door neighbors. And the gentleman," she stressed the word, "that accompanies her is my fiancee, Mr. Knightley."
Seiya blinked in surprise and seemed to become rather calmer.
"Your fiancee?" He repeated, "Ah, in that case..."
"Where did you say they were going?" He asked again.
Kunzite sighed.
"They are simply going for a -"
"They are going to Miss Bennett's home to meet her sisters," Mina put in, and was rather startled when Kunzite sent her a warning glance.
Neither caught the quick look in Seiya's eyes.
"I see. Well, then, if you'll excuse me, I have some pressing business to attend to before Miss Dashwood returns."
Seiya rose and they made their goodbyes. Hotaru exited swiftly behind Mina, catching sight of Seiya marching briskly out through the back door of his home toward the stables.
Kunzite handed Hotaru into the buggy, but caught Mina firmly by the elbow before she could enter as well. Mina turned to him in surprise but was stopped from saying anything by the serious look in his eyes.
"Must you always speak before you think, my dear Miss Woodhouse?" he asked.
"I don't have an idea of what you can be talking about, un-hand me." Mina declared.
He adjusted his grip in order to make her more comfortable but did not let go.
"Do you not see that Mr. Willoughby intends to follow Miss Dashwood to Miss Bennet's house, where he will, no doubt, cause a great deal of mischief as is his wont?"
Mina blinked.
"But," she argued, "how can you be sure? He may very well have had business as he said. Besides, Marianne is with Knightley and he is more than capable of taking care of her."
Kunzite sighed in a long suffering manner and aided Mina into the gig beside Hotaru.
"No doubt he is," he conceded, climbing up to the box, "but you do not consider that all uneasiness might have been averted entirely had you allowed me to give Willoughby a vague idea of Miss Dashwood's intended direction?"
Mina sniffed and settled her light summer shawl around her shoulders more comfortably.
"I do not see that at all," she informed him primly, "Besides, if she does not like his advances she must tell him so plainly, for he is not the kind of man to take a subtle hint."
Kunzite clucked to the grays and they set off at a brisk trot for Bath - or at least, that was where Hotaru thought they were going. To her dismay she saw that Kunzite's prediction was correct - in the distance behind them she saw a man on horseback who looked very much like Seiya riding off toward her own home. And on the pummel of his saddle she spotted a black cat with a malicious grin on her face.
"Willoughby is not subtle, that is true," Kunzite remarked, "However, I fear that Marianne does not wish to discourage his attentions."
Hotaru turned back to listen to the rest of this conversation, plainly shocked.
"Well, I have noticed a slight preference for Willoughby in Marianne's manners, I confess," Mina admitted, "But I hope she will have better sense than to link herself with such a rapscallion."
"You do not approve of rapscallions, Miss Woodhouse?" Kunzite asked, almost casually.
"Not at all. They are all very well to flirt with, but one does not marry a fool."
"What kind of man does one marry?" He pursued, amused, "Someone like Mr. Knightley?"
"Knightley is very honorable, very estimable...though he can be vexing at times, to be sure," she muttered to herself.
Kunzite was about to comment further on this interesting subject when a hard cry behind them caused them to pull up short.
"What in the world?" Mina began.
"It's Rei," Hotaru exclaimed, "I mean, it's my sister, Elizabeth."
And there, capering after them in Mr. Knightley's gig was none other than Jadeite and Rei. In marked contrast to the comfortable set up of Kunzite's gig, Jadeite was driving the horses hard and Rei was standing up in the buggy with her hair flowing behind her looking very much like a Roman queen leading a battle charge.
"There you are," she exclaimed, leaping out of the gig before it had properly stopped, nearly giving Jadeite a heart attack.
"I cannot believe you, Kitty," she continued, dark eyes flashing as she rounded the side of the buggy to get to Hotaru.
"What on Earth were you thinking to run off with these people, and to cajole them to come to our home? You have most seriously disappointed me."
"But, Rei, I -"
"Miss Bennet, I presume?" Mina asked, imperiously.
Rei halted in her tirade and looked with caution at Mina sitting serenely in the gig between her and Hotaru.
"Yes, I am. And this is my little sister, of whom I am quite -"
"Disappointed, yes, we are all quite aware of your sentiments on the subject," Mina stated flatly, "But allow me to inform you that there is no cause what-so-ever for these histrionics. Miss Bennett and I are friends and I merely invited her to go with me to see another friend of mine."
"She is no more than fifteen, and you have been friends for...?" Rei asked, snidely.
Mina did not even blush as she answered, "We have had a long friendship in spirit if not in actual years."
Rei snorted, but before either of the women could say anything else Kunzite leaned over and touched his hat to Rei.
"Miss Bennet, I am very sorry to have caused you any alarm over your sister's safety. We were delighted with her company at the Dashwood residence this morning and at her request we were conveying her to Bath to meet some friends of both Miss Woodhouse and myself. I assure you she is quite safe with both of us, though you must decide of course."
Rei seemed to react favorably to this well polished speech, coming as it did from such a very respectable looking man as Kunzite.
"Indeed, Miss Bennet, you ought to accompany us," Jadeite put in with a naughty glint as he looked from his fiancee to Rei.
"I think you could use a bit of fresh air and the sea will do you good."
Rei colored and turned to meet his humorous gaze.
"Mr. Knightley," she nearly growled, "I thank you for your concern in my health but I think that my little sister could hardly have any reason to incommode you all by insisting on being driven to Bath."
"Nonsense," Jadeite persisted, tossing away her objections as if they were nothing, "You entirely mistake the matter."
"Do I?" Rei asked, through gritted teeth.
"Indeed," Jadeite continued with a wink to his wondering fiancee, "You see we requested Kitty's company to Bath, that is Miss Woodhouse and I requested it, as she is such a delightful companion and expressed a wish to see the sea shore - which she says she has never seen and longs to."
Hotaru had seen the sea more times than she could count, and more seas than she could count, with Michiru-mama, but she declined to mention this.
Rei turned surprised eyes to her and frowned.
"I didn't know that you wanted to go to Bath so badly, Kitty," she said, quietly, "I wish you would have told me."
Hotaru colored, but Jadeite slipped smoothly in to ward off her having to lie.
"You know better than anyone, Miss Bennett, how shy and selfless your sister is."
Rei nodded, feeling very properly chastened.
"Well," she replied, uncertainly, "I suppose if you want to go, and these people wish to take you, then you must go. Only," she added, rather defiantly, "I shall certainly go with you."
Jadeite's eyes sparkled, though Mina looked rather put out.
"You may ride with me, if you wish Miss Bennet?"
"I should like to ride with my sister, if you don't mind," Rei countered crisply.
"I shall take the gig, then," Kunzite suggested, and Hotaru sensed suddenly that he and Jadeite had an unspoken agreement with one another.
"Please accompany me, Miss Woodhouse?" He requested and Mina, not wishing to ride with Rei, relinquished her seat beside Hotaru with only slight misgivings. With Kunzite and Mina in the gig and Rei, Hotaru and Jadeite in the buggy they all set off at a smart pace for Bath.
They arrived only a short hour later (though to Hotaru it seemed an eternity in the way of dreams and because she'd had to listen to Jadeite's merciless teasing of Rei - very similar to their real life habits). Hotaru tumbled out of the buggy and almost immediately collided with a very tall, broad shouldered man.
"Look out there, Miss," he said in a jovial, deep voice.
"Ah, is that you Wentworth?" Kunzite called, helping Mina down.
"I was hoping we would see you directly we came to the Elliot residence."
A dark shadow passed over Nephrite's face, or perhaps Hotaru had only imagined it.
"Yes, indeed, Brandon," he replied to Kunzite, "It is excellent to see you again. I am staying with some friends of mine who have rented Kellynch Hall from the Elliots for the summer."
The two men clasped hands then Mina jumped between them and pushed Hotaru with her.
"Captain Wentworth!" she exclaimed happily, "I am so glad to see you again. You are still single, I trust?"
"Eh - yes," Nephrite answered, a bit unbalanced by the direct line of Mina's questions.
"Excellent, I have a particular friend I wish you to meet, no where did she disappear to?"
Hotaru looked at Mina in bewilderment as she stood on tip toe to look behind them. With an unnatural squeal Mina plunged into the crowd of people and horses and produced a very frazzled looking Rei.
"Captain Wentworth, meet my friend, Miss Elizabeth Bennet."
Mina nearly threw Rei at Nephrite. He bowed politely and Rei dropped a short bob of a curtsy, all the while glaring meaningfully at Mina.
Hotaru only sighed. In her efforts to meddle in the other's lives she had thus far only been able to get two couples within five feet of one another, and events did not look promising. Kunzite and Mina seemed to have a slight glimmer of hope, but now that Mina was mistakenly trying force Rei on Nephrite things were looking down once more. She only hoped that Usagi and Mamoru were fairing a bit better.
Well, she reasoned, it was now or never. The time had come to take matters into her own hands.
"Miss Woodhouse, Col. Brandon, I would very much like it if you would show me the sea shore."
Mina blinked but Kunzite smiled and offered her his arm, inviting Nephrite to accompany them. To Hotaru's delight, Rei and Jadeite walked at a steady pace behind them, still arguing with one another apparently, while Mina chattered with Nephrite and Kunzite.
Walking a long the shore, a glint of blue attracted Hotaru's attention and she turned to catch sight of a short haired woman in a long blue gown, walking alone on the shore. Surprised, she broke away from the group and ran down to the sand.
The woman turned at her approach and looked at her with wide, sad eyes.
"Hello," Hotaru said, uncertainly, "I saw you walking her by yourself, and I wondered if you'd like some company. My name is Kitty Bennet."
"Oh," the young woman blushed slightly, "How considerate of you. You may certainly share my walk if you like. I am Anne Elliot."
Otherwise known as Ami Mizuno, Hotaru thought, but kept this to herself.
"Actually," she hedged, "I'm with a large group of people, but we would like to request your company."
Ami looked startled and somewhere between shyly pleased and anxious. She spared a quick glance up to the company and Hotaru watched as her face turned white.
"Oh, I d-didn't realize," she stuttered, "That is, I - you -"
"Miss Elliot," a deep voice intoned behind Hotaru who looked quickly around to find Nephrite eying them both with solemnity.
Ami blushed.
"Hello, Captain." She managed.
Hotaru cringed inwardly. Of course, she had forgotten Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth's long standing 'issues' with each other. If only she knew where Makoto was, this all might come right yet.
"It is always a pleasure to see you." Nephrite said, bowing.
Ami nodded and murmured her thanks at his compliment.
"Will you join us?" he asked, though his tone seemed to imply nothing more than polite disinterest.
Ami was on the verge of saying 'no' when Hotaru, spurred on by courage, grabbed her hand and replied for her.
"She said she would," Hotaru exclaimed, "I'd love to see - uh -um...Brighton."
"Brighton?" Nephrite asked, perplexed, "I think you're a bit confused, but we shall show you a sea shore much superior, never fear. Come, Miss Bennet, Miss Elliot."
Ami followed Hotaru and Nephrite without any further comment.
Hotaru felt, after reflecting on the subject for some moments, that she was finally gathering all her little eggs into one basket at last. She only had to find Makoto and Haruka-papa still. But how to sort them all out once she had found them would prove an impossible task, she was sure.
When they arrived back where the group had been, Hotaru looked around in surprise.
"Where are Col. Brandon and Miss Woodhouse?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," Jadeite replied, equally as mystified.
"They were talking with each other and then they walked off together toward the shore," Rei answered, "And as they walked off toward the sea they sort of disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Nephrite repeated, skeptically.
"Probably they've gone for a walk," Jadeite suggested.
"You don't seem very concerned," Rei pointed out, suspiciously.
Jadeite spared her an unusual glance.
"I'm not." He replied, enigmatically.
Hotaru's heart gave a leap. Was it possible that she had done something right at last? It seemed that way. As the rest of the group went on their way Hotaru was stopped by a small, fury sound close to her ankle. She only jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being clawed on the foot by a very angry Luna.
"So," the little cat hissed, "you've managed to wreck two stories already and are on your way to wrecking a third," she looked at Jadeite and Rei as she said this.
"Well, I'm warning you that you'd better not try anything else. Elizabeth is marrying Darcy, not Mr. Knightley."
Hotaru gathered her courage and stuck out her tongue.
"That's what you think," she pronounced.
Luna gave a mean smile.
"Well," she said, washing a paw and admiring it's long, dagger like talons, "I've stopped your little ploy with Marianne and Darcy, and if I'm not much mistaken you'll have a whole barrel of trouble to contend with when you arrive home."
With a sinking feeling Hotaru belatedly remembered Seiya's trip to her home.
"I hope you like duels," Luna said.
"What!?" Hotaru shrieked. The others heard her, and realizing they'd left her behind, came back to fetch her.
"Oh," Luna added, "And as for your missing heroine, I hate to inform you but she'll be getting married to her proper match in little more than an hour. So there's one you can't mess with!"
Hotaru stamped her foot in frustration as the cat disappeared.
"What's wrong?" Nephrite asked as he and the others caught up with her.
"I have to find a wedding," Hotaru replied, "But I don't know whose and I don't know where!"
There was no Mina/Emma to help her out of this one.