AU Pride and Prejudice

Unbreakable Bonds

NOTE: ALL ESTATES except Pemberly, are within either withing walking distance, or no further than a day's drive.

2nd NOTE: If you do not care for AU stories that mess with family dynamics AND other facts than this story is NOT for you. If this chapter is 'unbelievable' to you easy solution...do not review or continue reading. If none of that bothers you happily read on :D.

Will

Ch. 1

The sky was overcast, and the sun barely peeked through the clouds. It was definitely not a cheery spring day. The graveyard was still quite gloomy, with a cold breeze blowing over the headstones and grass. A few people rode by in carriages or buggies, but they ignored the lone figure standing over a grave on the far end of the cemetery. He wore a dark cloak that fluttered slightly in the wind, and he held his hat with one hand while his other clutched a folded piece of paper.

"You pulled more than your fair share of stunts in life. This...this takes the cake." Mr. Bennet shook his head. "I should have known there was a personal motive for your spending being curtailed so sharply. Kitty and Mary's own behavior while not totally...strange...was still a bit off after your unplanned trip to Brighton; they are still a bit off as far as I am concerned at least when it comes to the women around me. A trip which, I might add, no one witnessed, but all three of you insist was taken." Once again he looked at the paper. "How on earth did you get Mr. Collin's to agree to with Mary and Kitty on the subject of them being the ones to pick a wife for me? They will not tell me, no matter what I threaten them with, Mrs. Collins is no better and her husband's answers make no sense. And this will?" Again Mr. Bennet shook his head. "I cannot fight it; it would ruin Longborn for you saved more than I thought possible; and if I do not honor your last wish, now backed by Mr. Collins and even Lady Catherine, I lose my home before my demise and yet our daughters would not." A stunt he was certain had only been pulled off due to who his late wife had hired; very few people won cases against Daniel Thatcher. "Is this your way of getting back at me for my odd humor all these years? I never meant to make fun of you personally; I simply developed a habit, rather horrid one at that I suppose, of mocking personality traits. I fear I did come across wrong and withdrew far more than I ought to have."

A cooing dove could be heard as it landed on a branch overhead and Mr. Bennet gave a half-hearted smile. "Is that your way of saying things will be alright? That there will be peace in my home in spite of your crazy stunt before your death?" He continued to speak as Mary and Kitty watched from where the stood near the cemetery iron fence; their conversation would not have been heard by Bennet even if he had not been speaking, the gentleman was too far away and even if they had been close to hear his private promises of how he would conduct himself in the future, they would not have listened as they were focused on their own conversation.

"Do you think she will come soon? It is not like we have told people where the lady is from; thy would lock us up and throw away the key deeming us to be absolutely mad. You know as well as I do mother had to have another source of money other than what she had saved up in order to pull off that will."

"Forget origins or the money in that will. We have not even told our own Father the lady's name, only that I will know his future wife when I see her. And that if I do not within the time set by in that legal piece of paper, he is free to pick his own bride." Mary did her own share of head shaking. "And the 'I will know when I see' type of reply is not my standard one to give out." She replied, when her sister mentioned the time frame their mother had set. "I am certain Mrs. Bennet decided upon it due to the strange circumstances of our meeting. Why else make father wait so long?" Ignoring the money yet again as Mary saw no need to hash out a subject that would not alter any situation now at hand.

Kitty changed the topic, sort of, and wondered aloud if their mother even remembered their trip as she had not spoken of it since their arrival home; and had always been in a rush whenever her second to youngest had attempted to bring the subject up.

"She had to have, or at least towards the end of her life, for she made that will, adding our names to the conditions and even pulled Mrs. Collin's into giving us aid into convincing Mr. Collins to pester father so much on the matter that he, along with that will, convinced him to go along with us being allowed to have so much say in his personal affairs." Mary said.

Kitty sighed. "It is a wonder Father is not fighting against her last wishes."

"Mr. Bennet cannot risk losing." Mary shook her head. "Our mother may not have been considered intelligent, but there was no question her mind was fully intact. It was not forged, and Mr. and Mrs. Philips are not only our relations, but our uncle is a country attorney. If he says it is a legal document, Father knows he is not likely to win in court."

The two Bennet sisters began softly discussing an event which had occurred that neither of them had shared with anyone other than themselves since Mrs. Bennet had passed away. It involved an empty mansion, a fireplace, their mother not feeling well, and a lady they had never met wearing men's clothing.

"Here, take these and drink this." The lady who called herself Miss Perry handed Mrs. Bennet a couple of pills and a glass of milk. "It will settle your stomach shortly." She then turned to the Bennet sisters. "Pray tell, how did you all travel here? It should have been impossible as I have known no other travelers who have come our way, none that have survived that is."

"Through that empty hearth." Mary nodded to their point of entrance. "Though we were nowhere near a fireplace upon our walk to my aunt, Mrs. Philips' home." When asked what they had been near, Mary replied, "An English Oak tree with an unusually large hole at its base." She then asked why the place they were in looked so much like the buildings she had seen in London, or even Brighton.

"The architect patterned this building after the regency period." Her answer made no sense to them, and they opted to ignore the answer. Mary and Kitty had then been pointed to a room and told to stay put, where Miss Perry would bring them some food. She then stayed to talk to their mother alone.

"It must have been their private discussion which spurred our mother into the actions she took. Maybe, it was a deal that mother thought would be beneficial to both if the kind lady were to come here unmarried after Mrs. Bennet's death?" Kitty asked, unable to fathom otherwise.

"I dare say you could very well be correct." Mary then had them cease their conversation as their aunt, Mrs. Philips, was heading their way from one direction and their father was making his departure from the cemetery.