A/N: I'm redoing this chapter. I don't like the way it turned out. Thanks to my beta, Harriate Slate!
Elizabeth felt it her duty, and great pleasure, to write to her aunt about her impending wedding:
My Dear Aunt Gardiner,
You will be surprised to hear, I fear, of my engagement to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley. Perhaps you know the family- you grew up within five miles of their house. I am so happy! I know he will make the perfect husband, and I hope you agree. He is off now to London to obtain a special license. We loathe waiting for the banns to be read so we may be married- but my poor mother thinks otherwise. She insists we go shopping for wedding clothes- and here I must ask your help. Would it be too much if we imposed on your hospitality next Wednesday? We hope to stay no longer than a fortnight.
But I have neglected you dreadfully! I must tell you of the happenings at Longbourn. Jane is her ever-serene self. I envy her, as our mother goes on about my engagement so dreadfully as for the whole neighbourhood to hear the noise- and I suspect they already have. Father, as is usually his habit, keeps to his study, not bothering to calm his wife. My mother is in quite a flutter, although I suspect you know that from the rest of the content of my letter. Mary keeps to her pianoforte and her Fordyce's Sermons. Lydia and Kitty both flirt with the officers dreadfully, which I do have some concerns about. But alas! My father will not talk sense into them. So there it is.
Yours, etc.
Not a few days later, a reply came from Gracechurch Street.
Lizzy,Thank you for your lovely letter. I am very happy for your good fortune, and I hope you will not think me too impertinent to ask after your motives. Why are you to marry this man? I have heard no mention of him from you besides of his ill nature, his propensity to hate everyone, and his slight of you at the assembly rooms. Please explain, dear Lizzy, for I fear that you may be entering into a loveless marriage, and I do not wish that for any of my nieces. I can only speculate why you would. Is Mr. Bennet still as healthy as ever? I hope your mother has not forced you into this engagement.
You will, of course, be welcome at Gracechurch Street at any time.
Yours, etc.
Lizzy and her mother and sister went to Gracechurch Street as planned. Their arrival was greatly anticipated by the children, who all ran out to greet them.
"Aunt Lizzy! Tell us a story!" cried the youngest of the Gardiner children, Sarah.
"I certainly shall, as soon as we get inside," replied Lizzy, guiding her cousins inside. The Gardiners found it much more understandable for the young ones to call the Bennet sisters their aunts.
The children and Lizzy assembled in the drawing room, Lizzy sitting in a comfortable armchair and the children in a semicircle on the floor.
Lizzy began. "Once upon a time, there was a princess. She had everything money could get, but no one to share it with. Her parents wished her to marry a prince so they could join together the kingdoms. The princess wanted to marry for love.
One day, the queen held a ball. Princes and princesses and dukes and duchesses from all around came. They all loved to dance and make merry.
One, however, was not satisfied. He did not feel comfortable with strangers, although he was the king of a large land. He insulted the princess because he was too shy to dance with her.
The princess let her vanity overrule her rational thinking, and got very upset at the man. She walked out onto the balcony, where she met a dragon, disguised as a handsome prince. The dragon did not like the shy prince because he would not feed any of the villagers to the dragon, so he spun astonishing tales about the prince's past. The princess, as her vanity still hurt, took it all in and added to his traits she disliked.
The day after the ball, a man came to court her. This "man" was not really a man, but another dragon in disguise. The princess had known him only for a bit, and did not like him at all. The shy prince came in, saving the princess from the dragon. The princess was very grateful. The prince and the princess fell in love and got married. And they all lived happily ever after."
"That was a lovely story, Aunt Lizzy," said Sarah, "Please, could you tell another?"
"I'm sorry, Sarah, but I think it is your bed time," Lizzy responded, then gave each of her cousins a hug.
When the children were taken off to bed, Lizzy finally saw her aunt standing in the back of the room.
"That was a lovely story, Lizzy," she said, and something in her eyes showed that she understood the realness of it.