Chapter Six

First non epistolary chapter. Full on Drama. Only Drama. Enjoy!

P.S. Guys, I know you are reading this, I can see that on the Stats Page but could you please please please review? I would love to know what you think. Writing on and on without any feedback feels like shooting in the dark!

Disclaimer: Any resemblance to actual persons, whether living or dead is purely coincidental. This is a fictious story about a fictious family set in a real location. These characters in no way reflect any member of the Fitzwilliam family.

Alina put down her feather quill on her writing desk and sighed. Thank the Lord that Michelle had forgiven her. She did not know what she would have done without her. She was her first, truest friend and Alina wouldn't trade her for anything in this world or the other.

She gazed out of her window at the beautiful starlit sky and became lost in her thoughts. She wished that Michelle had been at Milton for Christmas. It would have been supremely amusing. They could have played jokes on Cousin Darcy, showed Georgiana the little meadow they had found once in the woods, the one which only Michelle could find again, they could have stolen cakes meant for tea, pretended to be out in society and dance to imaginary tunes in the ballroom. She hid it well but she was lonely. Everybody loved her but they looked only at the court jester she pretended to be. No one, except Michelle and Richard, ever saw the person she was underneath the wild, mischievous sprite she was to the world. And now, they were both gone. One to make his way in the world and the other, banished to a cottage in G because of entail laws that decreed that the estate pass on to a male heir. She would never marry a man whose estate was entailed. Never subject her daughters to the constant threat of eviction and the consequent financial instability if God forbid anything happened to their father.

She jumped up as the clock rang. It was finally midnight. The whole household would be in their beds and it would be safe for her to go and meet Sarah. Drawing her robe around herself, she tiptoed out of the room and made her way down the hall to the servant quarters, her drawing of Sarah's brother clutched to her chest. Just as she was making her way across the landing of the grand staircase to pass into the servant wing, she collided with somebody coming up the stairs. They both fell rather ungraciously to the cold, marble floor.

'Thief! Thief!', the ear-splitting shriek rang out loud into the night and judging from the horrible tone, the person she had collided with could be none other than Aunt Catherine.

She tried to escape to her room before the old Harpy woke up the whole household with the din she was making but Aunt Catherine hold on her was unexpectedly strong as she continued to scream.

'It's I, Alina, Aunt,' she admitted finally, if only to stop the noise and save herself from going deaf and thankfully, there was a sudden silence before she was roughly hauled to her feet.

'What are you doing out of your bed at this time of the night, you wicked girl?' Aunt Catherine asked, simultaneously shaking her so hard that her teeth rattled.

'Let go of me', she cried, frightened of her Aunt for the first time in her life.

Aunt Catherine's reply was interrupted by the sound of rushed footsteps and her father came running, her brother and Cousin Darcy close at his heels, all clutching candlesticks in their hands which illuminated the dreary scene. Lady Catherine stood tall and clutched the shoulders of a scared Alina like a fury from Hades.

'Catherine!', exclaimed Lord Milton crossly. 'Why in the Lord's name are you creating a ruckus at midnight? And unhand Alina, this very instant.'

'It is not I who deserves your censure dear brother, but your beloved, perfect daughter who roams the hallways of your house alone at night', declared Lady Catherine. 'Why don't you ask her what she was doing near the entrance to the servant wing?'

She pushed Alina towards her father who caught her before she could fall to the floor.
'Catherine!', said Lord Milton angrily, his eyes glinting dangerously in the dark. 'How dare you treat Alina thus?'

'How dare I?, replied Aunt Catherine, incredulously. 'If you ask me, the girl could do with a hiding or two. Always running about in dirty petticoats, consorting with servants and being as coarse and wild as possible. She'll drag our name through the mud, mark my words.'

'Catherine, please leave me to deal with my daughter', the Earl said tiredly. They should have abstained from calling Catherine this Christmas. She was nothing but a loud, preachy nuisance.

'As you see fit Damien', she replied snottily and turned to go down the stairs when a piece of paper caught her eye. She picked it up and seeing the sketch on it, turned to her brother, her eyes blazing and her face flushed.

'I knew it! I knew it!', she exclaimed fanatically, brandishing the drawing at the Earl. 'I told you this girl would be trouble. Look, she draws servant boys and goes to meet them at night! She is just as wanton as her mother.'

'Catherine!', roared the Earl as Darcy tried hard to restrain Richard from attacking Aunt Catherine 'Go to your chambers before I lose my temper and slap you.'

But Aunt Catherine, it seemed, refused to stop once given a chance to detail her niece's inadequacies and her mother's fault in it.

'I told you not to marry that loose Russian witch. You already had a heir. But you, you were enraptured by her 'violet eyes'. Look what she's given you, a daughter who is even less morally sound than her!'

This impassioned but reckless speech was the last straw for Lord Milton whose patience for his sister's nonsense had been hanging by a thin, frail thread.

'OUT! You'll be out of this house at first light!' shouted the Earl, angered beyond reason by the insults to his family.

He handed Alina to her brother and gripping Catherine's arm, dragged her down the stairs and to her chamber. He pushed her inside and locked her door.

'You'll keep quiet if you know what's good for you, Catherine. You've already said enough,' he hissed through the door.

He looked up to see his daughter and nephew stare at him wide-eyed as Richard clutched the Bannister so hard that his knuckles turned white.

'Richard, send Burton to my study,' he ordered.'I need to make arrangements for your aunt's departure.'

'Darcy, escort your cousin to her chamber and lock her in. I shall deal with her in the morning.' He did not even look at Alina while saying this and looked past her at Darcy.

With this cold dismissal, he turned towards his study while tears ran down Alina's cheeks as she stared after him. She had just wanted to give Sarah a drawing of her brother for Christmas. And now her father was terribly angry with her.

'Allie,' called Darcy gently. 'It'll be alright.'

She could hold herself together no longer and ran to her cousin, collapsing and sobbing brokenly in his arms.

Darcy, sorely out of his element, nevertheless tried his best to console his little cousin. He murmured indiscernible words of comfort and rubbed her back till her sobs changed to hiccups. He offered her a handkerchief and Alina giggled meekly. Trust Fitzee to carry a hanky even in his night shirt!

He smiled at her and held out his hand, 'Come,let's get you to bed.'

Miss Price scribbled a few words hastily on a piece of paper and slid it under Lady Catherine's door.

END OF CHAPTER SIX

Be kind people, this is my first non-epistolary chapter and I don't have any beta to fine-tune my work.

I hope you liked this chapter :) I love Darcy in this, he's just so sweet!

Coming up next: The Aftermath of the midnight escapade.

Response to Reviews on Chapter Five

Guest: Thank you for your review :D :) The last chapter you found short was a preview for the fifth chapter. Hope you are satisfied with the chapter length now.

EnglishLitLover: I so agree with you. But a pair of fine eyes in Hertfordshire may entice him away from Alina for all we know ;) Thank you for your review :D