After her conversation with Lydia, Lizzy felt unusually content and at peace. Unbeknownst to her, these were precisely the words she needed to hear.

She happily made her way to her father's study, where, upon seeing his daughter looking so refreshed, Mr. Bennet smiled. He hadn't had a good book discussion or game of chess in days, yet from the look on Lizzy's face, it didn't seem like she had merely come in for a visit. She appeared quite serious, which amused Mr. Bennet, and he asked,

"What's the matter, Lizzy? You look a bit anxious."

Elizabeth took a deep breath and replied, "Papa, I want to talk about Mary, Kitty, and Lydia."

Mr. Bennet raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What have those silliest girls in England done this time?" he said in jest. The phrase wasn't new; yet this time it irked Lizzy, but she chose to ignore it and continued:

"Papa they haven't done anything wrong actually - they are being rather well-behaved. And I think we should hire a companion for them - it would be very beneficial." Her speech came out in one breath as she awaited anxiously for his reply. After surveying her for a few moments, he laughed before saying: "Are you jesting ? Do you really think someone could teach them anything? Hiring a companion for them is equivalent to punishing some unfortunate lady who would have to endure being their chaperone; not to mention your mother would become infuriated about it."

Annoyed by her father's attitude, Lizzy spoke up. "But Papa, Mama always causes a commotion about anything new! I don't think my younger sisters are silly at all - it's just that they never had good governesses or even companions to teach them how to adhere to social norms or any other accomplishments. Mary loves music, and she taught herself, though it might not be perfect with the proper tutor she could improve it. Kitty can get some help in her art and Lydia in languages - did you know that Lydia is trying to write a book?"

Mr. Bennet stared at her in shock and answered mockingly, "My dear, I think you need some more rest before you're completely recovered."

Lizzy tried to respond but was stopped by a hand gesture from Mr. Bennet. He said, "Lizzy, if Jane or you need masters for something then I'll certainly consider it; however, don't ask me to waste money on something that will never grow."

Elizabeth was astounded by her father's rudeness, as she had always venerated him and her sister Jane. She still loved them both, but now realized that even those closest to her had flaws which had escaped her notice due to the blinding nature of affection. She could not fathom how a person she loved so much could be so hard-hearted towards his other children. However, there was no point in pondering over this; instead, she asked her father if she could have lessons in pianoforte and languages, so that she can read a wide variety of literature, despite being too old for them. Mr. Bennet eyed her dubiously before nodding slightly and telling her he will think it over.

Exiting his study room with a sigh, Elizabeth thought that she could share these lessons with her sisters. Thankfully, her aunt and uncle Gardiner were more welcoming of her request and agreed to extend their offer to Mary . When Elizabeth informed Mary of this news, Mary was initially confused as to why she needed such lessons, but accepted them gladly afterwards.

A few days after Mr. Gardiner sent his letter to Mr. Bennet asking that Mary be allowed to come to London, Mr. Bennet was taken aback. He could not believe why out of the blue, the Gardiners were showing such interest in Mary when they had never invited her before and only Jane or Elizabeth had been asked. After a while he concluded this might have something to do with Elizabeth, and felt rather amused. Ultimately, he agreed for Mary's stay in London.

Elizabeth started investing more and more time with her younger sisters - teaching them as much as she could and learning from them as well. She tried to spend time with Jane too but sadly she was being preoccupied with writing letters to new friends, the Bingley sisters, and following Mrs. Bennet's instructions that she didn't pay Lizzy much attention.

The day before Mary's departure for London, all the sisters gathered around her and wished her have a good time away from home. Lydia and Kitty took it upon themselves to help Mary pack; picking up dresses and trying different hairstyles on her that made her appear quite attractive, although Mary had a disapproving expression at first. This caused laughter among everyone present there.

The sisters talked as they found out that John Lucas had asked Kitty for courtship, which surprised them all. When Elizabeth inquired if he had obtained Papa's permission, Kitty answered that he planned to do so after the house party. Lydia took the chance to tease Kitty incessantly about John Lucas and this lifted the spirits in the room once more. Despite knowing about the looming darkness outside their discussion, Lydia and Lizzy shared their side of the story, which left everyone in shock. Elizabeth also learnt about a maid from Netherfield who had been abducted in a similar fashion and Mr. Bingley and his friend Mr. Darcy had come to investigate it.

Elizabeth was taken aback and felt empathy for the abducted girl; She tried to decide whether or not she should share with them what she knew about this incident. She feared that revealing it might affect her reputation and her sisters hopes of marriage but telling them may have saved someone's life. Her mother had mentioned that Mr Darcy was an arrogant man who had snubbed the entire assembly and called Jane's smile ghastly - making Elizabeth feel somewhat offended on Jane's behalf. Yet, seeing him showing concern for a mere servant had made her doubt her own judgement again.

Finally, Lizzy decided that she would judge Mr. Darcy only after meeting him. She put extra effort into her appearance while getting ready for the Lucas house party. The bruises were very faint now, but they were still slightly visible. Lydia helped her to conceal them with powder, while Mrs. Bennet gave special attention to Jane's appearance. Kitty was trying to look her best for John.

At Netherfield Park, Darcy received a letter from Colonel Fitzwilliam stating that he was on his way to visit him and would reach there in three days. Darcy was happy but still worried. He and Bingley hadn't stopped their search; they, along with the local constable and a few Bow Street Runners, had been searching the entire area repeatedly, but so far, they hadn't found any clues. The Colonel was now their last hope.

He did not want to attend any festivities, but on the insistence of Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, and out of a sense of duty toward his friend Bingley, who wished to establish himself as a country gentleman, Darcy reluctantly agreed to accompany them to Lucas Lodge. To his astonishment, a pleasant surprise awaited him there, as he encountered the pair of fine eyes that had been haunting his dreams for several days.

Author's Note

To Xpochakkox :

Thank you for pointing that out.

I mistakenly pasted this chapter twice while uploading it in the document manager.