Chapter 4: Where is Lizzy

Elizabeth came in through the back door and saw their housekeeper, Hill. "Hill is my mum upstairs?"

"Yes, she is," Hill said as she went back to preparing some bread rolls. "You might want to lay low; she's in one of her moods today."

"Thanks for the warning," Elizabeth told her as she carried her things up the back stairs to her room as quietly as she could. She almost made it to her bedroom door, when she heard her younger sister Lydia call out in her usual shrill voice. "Mum!" she yelled. "Mother!" she cried out again. "Kitty will not give me back my black shoes!"

Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh as her mum came down the hall yelling at Kitty to return the shoes. Mrs. Bennet completely ignored Kitty's protest that the shoes were hers and not Lydia's. "I don't care, Kitty, my head is pounding. Give Lydia the shoes this instant!"

"She always gets her way!" Kitty cried as she made her way back to her bedroom and slammed the door shut. Lydia laughed and went back to her room with a contented look on her face. Their mum always gave into her demands, and Lydia took full advantage of the fact.

Elizabeth was just about to close her bedroom door when her mum turned toward her and yelled. "Lizzy! How could you come home looking like that when you know we are going to the Lucas's party in less than an hour? Now you will not have time to get ready, and you will never catch the eye of a wealthy young man looking like that," she said point to Elizabeth's faded blue jeans, pink tank top, and jean jacket.

"I don't need a rich husband to take care of me. I have a job, remember?" Elizabeth told her as she went into her bedroom to put her camera equipment away.

"You call what you do a job!" she laughed in her usual shrill way. "Your photography is not a job. It's more like a hobby. Why you don't make enough money to support yourself properly."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Yes Mum, I do make enough money to live on," she said. "And I would be living in my own flat already if you weren't so against the idea. I'm fully capable of taking care of..." she began to tell her but was interrupted.

"A flat of your own; don't be ridiculous Lizzy! You could never afford a truly nice place to live!" her mother snapped at her. "The only flat you could get with what you make would be in the worst areas of town. Is that what you want? I suppose you don't care that I would stay awake all night worrying that someone has broken into your shabby little flat and..." she began trembling from the thought of it. "See what you have done to me, Elizabeth, you cause me nothing but worry and stress. You better hope that your sister marries well. Then maybe she will be able to help you find a husband who can take care of you. Have you all forgotten that this house and your father's business all go to your distant cousin, thanks to your grandfather's will? That man never liked me, and he was determined to make you all suffer for it!" she said bitterly.

"No, I'm sure they haven't forgotten my dear." The sound of a friendly voice came from Elizabeth's doorway. "How could they possibly ever forget, when you bring it up several times a day," her father said sarcastically.

Elizabeth smiled. "Sorry for being so late, Dad," she told him as she walked over and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Don't you worry about it, Lizzy. Take all the time you need. I have every confidence you will look lovely, you always do," he told her as he motioned for his wife to leave the room with him.

"You spoil her! It's not alright that she's late," she wailed as her husband led her out of the room. "Tonight, of all nights to be late, when we are all supposed to go and meet Jane's potential wealthy fiancé."

Mr. Bennet ignored his wife's rants and whispered to Lizzy before leaving, "If it were up to me we would all stay home. Then I could spend the evening with my books."

Elizabeth smiled and closed the door after them. She headed to her bathroom and hurried in the shower. She did feel sorry for causing them to be late on Jane's big night with Charles. As she took her shower, she thought about what her mother said. She did want to make a good impression for Jane, but she had no desire to attract the attention of any young men, wealthy or otherwise regardless of what her mother wanted.

Darcy stood in front of the mirror in his dressing room looking at his reflection. He let out a small sigh. He wasn't looking forward to this evening, but he knew as Bingley's best friend it was his duty to meet this woman and see what her motives were. It was the sound of a soft knock at his door that caught his attention. "Come in."

Georgiana opened the door and poked her head through, "Rupert said you were looking for me?"

Darcy smiled, "Yes, I was wondering if you would like to come with me this evening to a cocktail party. Charles Bingley and his sister are going to be attending. There's someone he wants me to meet, and I thought you might like to see Caroline again."

Georgiana lowered her eyes. "It was very thoughtful of you to invite me along, but I don't think that it's a good idea. I won't know anyone, and you will feel obligated to stay with me the entire evening."

Darcy walked over to her and took her hand in his. "You know Georgiana; it has been several months now since... well since things happened," he said trying to be as understanding as he could. "Don't you think it's about time you get back out into the world."

She didn't like letting him down. "William, is it terribly important to you that I go along tonight?"

"No, not at all. I only thought that it might be good for you to get out and have some fun. Caroline would be there, and the two of you could catch up," he said.

Georgiana sighed. "I know that I do need to be out and about more, and I appreciate that Miss Bingley is very friendly with me. But I think I would rather stay home. I have had a rather long day, and I'm tired."

He could see by the look in her eyes she still wasn't ready for social engagements. He understood her reluctance since he didn't enjoy parties very much either. He decided to change the subject. "So where were you earlier? Rupert said that you left and had an appointment."

Georgiana smiled. "It's a secret. A surprise for you. So I can't tell you where I was," she said, teasing him.

"You know I'm not very fond of surprises," he reminded her.

"Oh, but I think this one will make you happy. Let me do this for you, William. You have been such a wonderful big brother. Let me surprise you just this one time," she pleaded.

"Alright Georgie," he said as he returned his attention to the mirror. "So how do I look?"

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "You look impeccable, as you always do."

The sound of Darcy's cell phone ringing interrupted their conversation. "It's Charles," he said as his sister excused herself from the room. "Hello, Charles... Yes, I'm on my way out the door," he told him as he grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

"Darcy, thank you for coming," Charles said. "I'm so looking forward to you getting to meet Jane. She's the most wonderful girl."

"I can only stay for a while; I have to be back in London early for a business meeting in the morning," he told him.

Charles laughed, "Yes I know, but just wait until you get to Netherfield, you might end up liking the countryside and wanting to stay for a few days. Jane has four younger sisters you know; you never know you might find yourself interested in one of them."

"Charles, I'm coming to meet Jane Bennet," he said. "I'm not interested in her sisters. So please no attempts at matchmaking. We both know that never ends well. I will stay for the party, and that's all. I have no desire to be set up with anyone's sister."

"Fine, you can leave whenever you wish, after you meet Jane," Charles said before hanging up.

Darcy decided to drive himself to Netherfield. There were only a few parts of the country that he was unfamiliar with and the small town of Meryton, counted as one of them. The traffic leaving London was hectic even though it was still early in the afternoon. But once he made it out of the city it was a rather pleasant drive. He saw the appeal the area might have for his friend. There were plenty of older homes with large trees that lined the lanes, and it was a very lovely country setting. Darcy knew that it wasn't the surroundings that brought about this sudden desire to relocate out of London. But rather his friends wish to be closer to his new love interest. The fact that Charles was considering buying the property and making Meryton his home was a clear sign of how serious things were progressing with this girl. Darcy glanced down at his watch, he used his car phone and called his cousin. "Richard, I was just calling to check in. How did the meeting with Hanover go?"

Richard laughed, "I knew you couldn't leave for an entire day and not check in. The meeting went fine. We take ownership of the building at the end of the month as agreed upon."

"What about the employees that are there now? Do they understand the direction we want to take the company in?" Darcy asked.

"I think so, but to tell you the truth most of them are just thrilled that we didn't come in and lay them all off. Having Darcy Industries takeover is going to give that plant another chance and saved a lot of people's livelihoods," Richard told him.

Darcy laughed, "That's not how the press will see it. They will run another story about how the big bad Darcy Corporation came in, bought up another little business to take over and put everyone out of work. By their account, we are nothing but cold, unfeeling corporate raiders."

"We both know they will spin it that way. It's what sells newspapers," he said. "So where are you now? Have you made it to Netherfield yet?"

"No, not yet," Darcy told him. "Charles is renting this place way out here in the middle of nowhere. It's a small country town with some farms and small estates surrounding it. It's nice enough I suppose, but I don't like this kind of setting."

"Darcy, you're a snob. Meryton is not more than thirty minutes from town. I've been out that way a few times; it's a beautiful area. Just enjoy yourself, and I will see you tomorrow," Richard said.

"How can I enjoy myself? Honestly the further I get from town the more rural everything looks. I'm positive this place won't even have proper internet," he said. "I'm only doing this because Charles is my friend and I promised that I would come. Besides I want to meet this girl before he rushes off and marries her."

"Do me a favor and try to be nice when you meet Jane," his cousin reminded him. "You don't want to assume the worst of her just because Charles has had some challenging relationship choices in the past."

Darcy was surprised by his comment, "I'm always nice."

Richard laughed, "Sure you are, cousin," he said sarcastically.

"I am," he protested. "I would never just assume anything about someone I haven't even met."

"No, of course, you wouldn't, not you," Richard laughed. "I'm hanging up now cousin, do try to have a nice evening."

Darcy was about to argue the point further when the line went dead. He took in a deep breath and looked out the window at the countryside. The area was acceptable, but it paled in comparison to Pemberley. When it came to Pemberley, he was a bit of a snob. It was his childhood home and would always be the most beautiful place in the world to him. Everywhere in the world paled when compared to Pemberley and the views that Derbyshire had to offer.

Elizabeth finished working on her hair when someone knocked at her door. "Come in," she called out. Jane opened the door and walked in. She was wearing a beautiful soft blue gown. The neckline had a slight v shape to it that was not too revealing. Her hair was pulled into a beautiful upsweep that showed off her well-defined neck and shoulders. Elizabeth smiled, "Jane you look amazing."

"You do too. I love this color of green on you," she told her.

Elizabeth looked at her reflection in the mirror. She decided to wear her emerald-green gown. She left her hair down, with a few soft curls to give it some body. She hated wearing high-heels but knew her mother would throw a fit if she wore her flats. So she chose the heels to go with her gown. She glanced back over to Jane. "Ready for this evening?"

Jane had a worried look on her face. "Lizzy, you will remember to help with Mum, won't you?"

Elizabeth wanted to ease her sister's fears. "I promise to be on guard all evening. If she gets out of hand or carried away, I will make sure to keep her away from you and your darling Charles," she promised. "Even if I have to spike her drink, render her unconscious, and stuff her in a closet!"

"I hope it won't come to that," she laughed.

Elizabeth smiled mischievously. "You never know, this is our mum we are talking about," she laughed.

Jane whispered so only her sister could hear. "I hope tonight goes well. I hope everyone likes Charles and he's not frightened off by Mum's meddling."

"Jane, if he has won this much of your heart already then he must be an amazing guy," Elizabeth told her. "Don't worry so much. It will all be fine. I'm sure we will all like him. Besides Mum already considers him to be perfect for you based solely on his bank account."

Jane was just about to say something when the sound of their mother's voice calling from the hallway interrupted them. "Do come along girls, we must be going."

Elizabeth opened the door, and they both made their way out into the hall. Mrs. Bennet looked them both over and sighed. "Jane, you look beautiful as you always do."

"Thank you, Mum," Jane said.

Mrs. Bennet turned her attention to Elizabeth. "I guess that must do since you had so little time to get ready," she mumbled. "I do wish you would take more care with the way you look Elizabeth. You have already worn that gown at least three times in the last six months. You really might want to think about going shopping for some nice new things to wear for these occasions."

Elizabeth was about to say something, but the appearance of her two younger sisters got her attention instead. "Mum, you can't seriously be allowing them to go to the Lucas's party dressed like that?" she asked shocked by their appearance. Both Kitty and Lydia were wearing very short gowns that barely covered them. Lydia's was especially revealing since it also had a plunging neckline and was very form-fitting.

"I see nothing wrong with their gowns. We went shopping for them together. The sales lady assured me that these are the latest styles the young girls are wearing." Mrs. Bennet said sounding agitated.

"Yes, those are the latest styles for call girls maybe, but not teenage girls attending an evening party with friends," Elizabeth began to protest when her mother interrupted her.

"It's none of your concern what they are wearing, Elizabeth!" she snapped at her. "At least Kitty and Lydia are willing to put forth some effort in their appearance. Look at you, how do you ever expect to get married?"

Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh. "Mum, Kitty, is only 17, and Lydia has not even turned 16 yet. They are hardly in need of finding a husband anytime soon. It's not the middle ages, women have some choices in whom they marry, and when they marry, or if they even want to marry."

"Well with your attitude, you will probably never marry!" she snapped at her. "You have no idea how difficult life can be. There is comfort in having someone to take care of you and in having the money to do that with. Is it so horrible that I don't want my daughters to end up old and alone with no one to take care of them?"

"Just because we aren't old enough to get married doesn't mean that we can't have some fun," Lydia said snidely. "Besides how will I ever know what I want in a husband if I don't try on a few cute boyfriends first!" She laughed as she followed her mother down the stairs talking about all the college guys that would be there because Charlotte's brother was home from school with several of his friends.

Elizabeth sighed as she leaned over and whispered to Jane. "I would rather end up old and alone than married off to some man of Mum's choosing for his money. Besides what so bad about being alone. There are times when Mum and Lydia make me wish for more time alone."

Jane wrapped her arm around her sister and smiled. "All will be well, Lizzy," she said attempting to assure them both.