#and later in the netherfield ball conversation

[anghraine]

I love that Elizabeth and Darcy are so ready to effectively tell each other they're full of shit. This happens a bunch of times, but I was re-reading their conversation at the Netherfield Ball and they're both kind of refreshingly Done.

[Darcy:] “Do you talk by rule, then, while you are dancing?” [Elizabeth:] “Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be entirely silent for half an hour together; and yet, for the advantage of some, conversation ought to be so arranged as that they may have the trouble of saying as little as possible.” [Darcy:] “Are you consulting your own feelings in the present case, or do you imagine that you are gratifying mine?” “Both,” replied Elizabeth archly; “for I have always seen a great similarity in the turn of our minds. We are each of an unsocial, taciturn disposition, unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to posterity with all the éclat of a proverb.” “This is no very striking resemblance of your own character, I am sure,” said he.

It's also pretty funny, because I suspect Darcy is thinking of this sort of thing in a later conversation at Rosings:

“You mean to frighten me, Mr Darcy, by coming in all this state to hear me. But I will not be alarmed, though your sister does play so well. There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me.” “I shall not say that you are mistaken,” he replied, “because you could not really believe me to entertain any design of alarming you; and I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance long enough to know, that you find great enjoyment in occasionally professing opinions which, in fact, are not your own.”

[misspermitted]

The thing about pride and prejudice is that I’ve heard complaints that Lizzie changes her mind about Darcy way too quickly. Falls in love way too fast compared with how long she didn’t like him. But the thing about it is that Lizzie one hundred percent liked, or at least was diverted by, Mr. Darcy from the beginning.

She is preoccupied by him to the point where she is unreasonable. And both Jane and Charlotte comment on it. She is hurt by him not finding her attractive to the point of her being prejudiced, when we see her respond to Mr. Collins’ changing regard and Ms. Bingley’s rude comments with relative amusement. You only really get upset by someone not wanting to stand up with you if you wanted them to like you.

Let’s consider Lizzie’s other “love interest.” Lizzie literally only gets interested in Whickam when it becomes about what Mr. Darcy did or didn’t do. Before then she describes him as amiable but doesn’t look forward to or seek out his conversation. When justifying her regard to Darcy later she literally says she cares because of what Darcy did to him.

We repeatedly see Lizzie wondering what Darcy is doing and being concerned about what he thinks before it becomes a sign of her affection at Pemberley. At the Netherfield ball she is mortified by her family because Mr. Darcy is watching, when before this she just found their ridiculousness amusing. Whereas her mother stated she doesn’t care what Mr. Darcy thinks because she hates him so which, for once, actually makes complete sense.

At Netherfield she gets diverted from her work multiple times because she is so intrigued by watching how Darcy interacts with others, in a way that you don’t see her do with people for longer than a first interaction. As Lizzie states, she tires of ridiculous people after the first few interactions. But not Darcy.

We often laugh at how often Darcy stares at Elizabeth but it should be minded in the book that Elizabeth only knows he’s staring at her because she keeps looking at him. Why does she do that? To frighten him with her contempt?

My biggest point on this matter though, is that Lizzie realises she’s not in love with Wickham because she doesn’t actually feel hurt or angry when he moves his attentions to another girl. She says, if she was actually in love she’d have the pleasure of hating him and the girl. But she’s just utilitarian about it. Her utilitarianism is shown in reference to Mr. Collins as well, who she is embarrassed about rejecting, and irritated that he won’t accept it, but doesn’t get too upset about it. Let’s compare this established trend with when she rejects Darcy, gets incredibly angry to the point where she loses her composure, and then cries for 5 hours and cannot leave the house the next day from distress. This and Lydia running off, are the two only times we see Elizabeth lose her composure and cry in such a way. Because both are distress and heartbreak. If we go off Lizzie’s own feelings, she would know she was in love if she was upset. And she was very upset after rejecting Darcy.

[bethanydelleman]

Darcy’s Excuses

This is the most frequent passage cited to prove that Darcy is shy/socially awkward/introverted. I want to break it down.

“Perhaps,” said Darcy, “I should have judged better had I sought an introduction, but I am ill-qualified to recommend myself to strangers.”

“Shall we ask your cousin the reason of this?” said Elizabeth, still addressing Colonel Fitzwilliam. “Shall we ask him why a man of sense and education, and who has lived in the world, is ill-qualified to recommend himself to strangers?”

“I can answer your question,” said Fitzwilliam, “without applying to him. It is because he will not give himself the trouble.”

“I certainly have not the talent which some people possess,” said Darcy, “of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done.”

Firstly, Darcy is flirting with Elizabeth here. When he says he should have sought an introduction, he’s trying to indicate that he likes Elizabeth and should not have snubbed her. I doubt he cares about the others. However, he does say what some people use to justify the shy/socially awkward argument, he doesn’t recommend himself to strangers.

But then right away, Elizabeth calls him out, he’s well-educated, why the heck not? Because for context, these people are taught how to converse. Their society has far more “scripts” for conduct than ours. Darcy could easily have gotten through the entire Meryton assembly on canned phrases, just like Elizabeth jokes about at the Netherfield Ball:

“It is your turn to say something now, Mr. Darcy. I talked about the dance, and you ought to make some kind of remark on the size of the room, or the number of couples.”

Now his cousin jumps in, Colonel Fitzwilliam probably gives us the most truthful answer, given what Darcy says about himself later. Darcy doesn’t recommend himself because he doesn’t want to most of the time.

Then we have Darcy again. Now some of this statement does sound a lot like someone who struggles socially, “catch their tone of conversation”, but the second part, “appear interested in their concerns”, that is just basic politeness! “My mom is sick.” “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Many people are actually concerned about other’s concerns, but Darcy in his radical truth telling phase, HE isn’t going to pretend. 

And then we have this passage, which some people interpret as an extrovert attacking an introvert (just TRY to be less introverted):

“My fingers,” said Elizabeth, “do not move over this instrument in the masterly manner which I see so many women’s do. They have not the same force or rapidity, and do not produce the same expression. But then I have always supposed it to be my own fault—because I would not take the trouble of practising. It is not that I do not believe my fingers as capable as any other woman’s of superior execution.”

Darcy smiled and said, “You are perfectly right. You have employed your time much better. No one admitted to the privilege of hearing you can think anything wanting. We neither of us perform to strangers.”

This is the key! Darcy will not perform. He knows how, he’s perfectly capable. We see him do it multiple times. Why did he not get through the Meryton Ball on canned niceties? Because to him that’s performing to strangers and he doesn’t want to do it. Why is he so rude to Sir William when he says something trite? Because Darcy doesn’t do small talk, he’s not going to perform. The problem is that small talk is what makes the world go round.

So yes, if you cherry pick from the passage, Darcy seems shy and socially awkward, but if you take it as a whole, the truth becomes more apparent. Colonel Fitzwilliam is probably a more reliable witness here, he’s not flirting! And we know many of Darcy’s other thoughts, he know what he says at the end:

“What did you say of me that I did not deserve? For though your accusations were ill-founded, formed on mistaken premises, my behaviour to you at the time had merited the severest reproof. It was unpardonable. I cannot think of it without abhorrence.”

Your reproof, so well applied, I shall never forget: ‘Had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.’ Those were your words. You know not, you can scarcely conceive, how they have tortured me; though it was some time, I confess, before I was reasonable enough to allow their justice.

Darcy’s reasons are excuses, when he actually suffers for his behaviour (finally) in the form of Elizabeth’s rejection, he reviews what he has been doing and changes. He doesn’t stop being socially awkward, he just actually puts what he was fully capable of doing into action. Because he has known how to do it all along, he just didn’t bother.

Also, Elizabeth can identify introverts. When she meets Georgiana, she immediately guesses shy and pities her for it. Her beloved sister Jane is modest and reserved. I doubt she’d be shaming someone for having a personality type.

Furthermore, Austen celebrates introverts! Mansfield Park is a whole freaking novel about an introvert who figures out everyone! Fanny Price would have seen through Wickham no problem. Austen knows the values of shy and introverted people. Darcy’s problem therefore is not that he is shy/socially awkward. It’s that he’s a dick about it.

[taradactyls]

Timeline of the Start of Pride and Prejudice

I think it's easy to forget just how short a time Bingley and Darcy were actually at Netherfield - from the Meryton Assembly (when they meet the Bennets) to the Netherfield Ball (after which they leave the neighbourhood) is only six weeks. After only knowing each other six weeks Bingley and Jane were so in love that is endured an almost ten-month absence when they thought their love was hopeless. After only knowing Elizabeth a month Darcy began to feel he could be in danger if she were not so beneath him.

That would seem foolishly fast for a relationship to move in modern times, but a six week affection was totally normal to marry on back then. It's no wonder Jane Austen saw so many ill-suited couples.

I was trying to make my own timeline when I found the Pemberley.com one, so I used that as the base and added some extra information. I'm using the 1811/1812 calendar. I'm doing this to show where my fic Trying to Tread Water diverges from canon and as some people were surprised at the chapter 6 line mentioning Elizabeth has known Darcy less than 2 months.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE TIMELINE

Before 29/9/1811 (Michaelmas)

Mr Bingley takes possession of Netherfield.

Soon after

Mr Bennet is one of the earliest to wait upon Mr Bingley but keeps that secret from his wife and daughters.

A few days later

Mr Bingley returns Mr Bennet’s call. He does not see the young ladies, but from an upstairs window they see he has a blue coat and rides a black horse.

Tuesday 15/10/1811

Mr Collins letter of reconciliation and request to visit sent to Mr Bennet, who doesn’t tell his family.

Around the same time (middle of October)

The Meryton General Assembly. Mr Bingley dances twice with Jane and Mr Darcy says Elizabeth is "not handsome enough to tempt me."

The following day (middle of October)

The Bennets and Lucases meet to talk over the ball. Around now Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst declare Jane Bennet to be a "sweet girl" and Mr Bingley feels authorised to think of her how he chooses.

A day or more later (middle/late October)

The ladies of Longbourn wait on those of Netherfield. This is likely the morning mentioned later when Jane sees Bingley at his own house and when Darcy looks at Elizabeth only to critise.

At least the next day (middle/late October)

In due form the Netherfield ladies wait on the Bennets.

Unknown (multiple different days in middle/late October)

Jane (and presumably the other Bennets) dine in company with Mr Bingley four times. Mr Darcy begins to admire Elizabeth during these dinners.

unknown (middle/late October)

Militia appear to arrive now - after the General Assembly and recently enough that Kitty and Lydia are still learning about them, but long enough that they have been introduced to Sir William Lucas and some receive an invitation to the evening at his house. They will remain quartered at Meryton for the winter.

About Tuesday 29/10/1811

A large party assembled at Sir William Lucas’s. Jane and Bingley have known each other a fortnight and Elizabeth observes how much they seem to admire each other, and that they're well on their way to being in love. Charlotte thinks Jane should show more affection than she feels, to secure him, as "happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance." Elizabeth thinks it is not a sound way to approach marriage. Mr Darcy wants to know more of Elizabeth, and listens to her conversation with Colonel Forster, would have danced with her at Sir William's suggestion, and thinks about "the great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow;" much to Miss Bingley's annoyance.

Multiple instances - likely just before, but perhaps starting immediately on 30/10/1811 or just after

Kitty and Lydia are visiting Meryton more frequently than normal for them and their sisters (which was three or four times a week) on account of the officers.

About Monday 4/11/1811

Mr Bennet replies to Mr Collins, consenting to his visit. He still does not tell his family.

Tuesday 12/11/1811

Jane is invited to dine at Netherfield by Miss Bingley, the gentlemen are dining with the officers. She goes on horseback in the rain and must stay the night, thanks to Mrs Bennet's machinations.

Wednesday 13/11/1811

Jane writes she is ill, and Elizabeth goes to Netherfield to be with her. Her petticoat is six inches deep in mud but Darcy thinks her fine eyes "were brightened by the exertion." Elizabeth does not play cards with them that evening but does join their discussion about what being an accomplished woman entails.

Thursday 14/11/1811

Mrs Bennet, Kitty, and Lydia, visit Netherfield and mortify Elizabeth. But Mr Bingley does promise to host a ball once Jane is well. That evening Darcy writes a letter to Georgiana, which Miss Bingley keeps interrupting. Darcy, Bingley, and Elizabeth, have a spirited conversation and discuss the character of the gentlemen. When Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst play the piano-forte and sing Darcy asks Elizabeth if she would like to dance, but she rejects him.

Friday 15/11/1811

Miss Bingley tries to provoke Darcy into disliking Elizabeth in the shrubbery the next day and is almost overheard. Jane is able to come downstairs temporarily and is entertained by Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst. When she grows bored of reading the second volume of the book Darcy is reading, Miss Bingley invites Elizabeth to take a turn about the room with her. Elizabeth learns Darcy is not to be laughed at and Darcy begins "to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention."

Saturday 16/11/1811

When requesting the carriage so they may go home, Jane and Elizabeth are persuaded to stay one more day at Netherfield. Darcy adheres to his book and barely speaks ten words to Elizabeth, as he does not want to give the impression that she may influence his happiness.

Sunday 17/11/1811

Jane and Elizabeth leave Netherfield after morning service and go home. Lydia and Kitty reveal it is hinted that Colonel Forster is going to marry soon.

Monday 18/11/1811

At breakfast, Mr Bennet reveals that Mr Collins will arrive to stay at four o'clock. Mr Collins wonders to which of his fair cousins the excellence of the cookery was owing, and is told they can afford a cook. He tries to read Fordyce's Sermons, as he never reads novels, but is interrupted by Lydia. He came to Longbourn to find a wife and initially settles upon Jane.

Tuesday 19/11/1811

Mr Collins learns from Mrs Bennet that Jane will likely soon be engaged, and switches his attention to the next eldest and prettiest - Elizabeth. On their way to see Aunt Philips the girls meet Mr Wickham walking with Mr Denny, whom has just returned from town. Elizabeth notices his and Darcy’s odd recognition of each other.

Wednesday 20/11/1811

Supper with the Philipses, Where Wickham uses his charm to convincingly lie about his history with Darcy. Elizabeth goes away with her head full of him.

Thursday 21/11/1811

The Bingleys pay a visit to Longbourn and announce their ball. Mr Collins engages Elizabeth for the first two dances, which she had hoped would be taken by Mr Wickham.

Friday 22/11/1811 to Monday 25/11/1811

A succession of rain keeps the ladies indoors.

Tuesday 26/11/1811

The Netherfield Ball. Elizabeth and Darcy share a dance and verbal spar. Mr Wickham stays away. Mr Collins embarrasses Elizabeth with his dancing and by introducing himself to Mr Darcy, and generally makes a fool of himself. Mrs Bennet is vulgar and embarrassing by talking of Jane marrying so well by getting Mr Bingley. Mary exhibits and Mr Bennet intervenes poorly. Kitty and Lydia generally make fools of themselves. Elizabeth considers it a complete disaster except that Jane and Bingley seem happy to spend all their time together.

Note: In the book, this is the last time Jane and Bingley see each other until mid September of the next year. Elizabeth won't see Darcy again until the 24th March in Kent. Six weeks together versus months of separation.

The canon divergence for my fic (Trying to Tread Water) begins the next day:

Wednesday 27/11/1811

Mr Bingley still leaves on business as normal; and Mr Darcy, Miss Bingley, and Mrs Hurst discuss his attachment to Jane and resolve to follow him to London. Charlotte also still visits as per the book, but she finds a very different scene when she arrives. For during Mr Collins' proposal to Elizabeth, Mr Bennet collapses and remains unconscious, apparently near death.

This ripple event changes most of the rest of the book, as Mr Darcy hears that Elizabeth will have no choice but to marry Mr Collins lest her family become destitute. He finds the thought unbearable to him, and he resolves to make her a better offer. But, when she refuses him, he finds that he's willing to do anything for love - even marry her without the hope of being with her.

[fanmoose12]

"Soo," Hange wrapped her arm around her brother Mike, sitting down next to him. "What is awaiting for us this fine evening? What kind of guests do you smell?"

Mike grinned at her, before closing his eyes and taking a deep inhale, his nostrils flaring with the movement.

"I smell..." he did another inhale. "I smell a bunch of rich men, who aren't nearly as rich as they think."

"Typical for such balls," Hange huffed. "What else do you smell?"

"A dozen of girls, who are desperate to find a rich husband."

"What else?"

"A couple of men and women, who genuinely came here to find themselves a true love."

Hange snickered. "…What else?"

“I smell… I smell someone utterly gorgeous. Tall, blond, with one hell of a jawline and a pair of the bluest eyes I've ever seen."

Hange looked up at her brother, his description was way too accurate, even Mike's nose wasn't that sharp. And sure, his eyes weren’t closed anymore and instead focused on the center of the room, where stood a man, who fitted Mike's description perfectly. He was incredibly handsome, there was no denying that, but Hange was more curious about his short, black-haired companion.

She nudged Mike in his side. "What about his friend?"

Mike spared him no more than a single look. "He's arrogant, selfish little man."

"Mm," Hange cocked her head to the side. Mike certainly seemed to be right. The man was scowling so fiercely at every one, who dared to approach him, that Hange began to wonder why did he bother to attend the ball in the first place. She continued to watch him, her sharp eyes boring into him, when suddenly he turned around.

Their eyes met.

Hange's heart skipped a beat. She felt a blush spread across her cheeks. She raised a hand, giving him a little wave. The man narrowed his eyes, his gaze emanating even more annoyance than his face. He plucked his lips in disgust, as he noticed that Hange was wearing a man’s clothes, instead of a dress.

She hastily looked away. If he looked at her for a second longer, she was sure her heart would jump out of her chest.

"Let's go and introduce ourselves," Mike said, getting to his feet.

Hange pulled him back. "Sit down," she hissed. "Moblit is going to be here soon. He'll tell us about those mysterious newcomers, I'm sure."

"Mysterious?" Mike grinned. "So they've managed to grip your interest too?"

"I'm not nearly as interested in them as you seem to be," Hange retorted. "But I haven't seen them around here, and that's certainly... intriguing."

Oh, that man was intriguing alright. But Hange wasn't ready to come face to face with him just yet.

Thankfully, a couple of minutes later, Moblit did enter the huge ballroom. Hange waved at him with a smile, beckoning her friend to come closer.

“We’ve been waiting for you!” she exclaimed, dragging him down to sit next to her. As soon as he did so, Hange wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She sighed in content. Sitting between Mike and Moblit, two men she cared about most in the world, she felt warm and safe. “So!” she clasped her hands. “Tell us all the juicy gossip!”

Moblit chuckled, scratching his neck. “I don’t really know anything worth your interest…”

“C’mon!” Hange urged. “You always know that kind of stuff. So spill it out!”

“Well, Rico Brzenska just returned from her trip to Scotland….”

“Oooh, little adorable Rico?” Hange gave her brother a mischievous look. “You remember her, don’t you, Mike? Remember, when you’ve danced with her during last year’s ball and you stepped on her f—”

“Don’t remind me,” Mike shuddered. “I thought that glare of hers would kill me.”

Hange laughed, throwing her head back. Mike rolled his eyes, playfully smacking her arm.

“I don’t wish to hear about Rico or others boring neighbors,” he said to Moblit. “Better tell us about them,” he pointed at the two mysterious men from before. “Do you know anything about them? Especially the handsome blonde?”

“The angry shorty, too!” Hange added, pointedly ignoring a curious look from Mike.

“Oh, that’s Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman. I’ve heard that Mr. Smith recently rented Netherfield and Mr. Ackerman came to visit him.”

“Netherfield?” Mike’s eyebrows shot up. “So he’s rich.”

“He is,” Moblit nodded. “And Mr. Ackerman is even richer.”

“That shorty is wealthy?” Hange gasped.

“He may be short,” Moblit agreed. “But the pile of riches he owns is most definitely not.”

Hange whistled lowly, glancing at Mr. Ackerman again. He was still standing next to Mr. Smith, who was talking to some young lady. His stiff posture spoke volumes about his awkwardness. Hange snickered in her sleeve.

“Alright, we’ve heard enough,” Mike announced, grabbing Hange by the hand. “Let’s go and introduce ourselves.”

Whatever protest Hange had was promptly ignored, as her brother started to pull her upwards. Before he dragged her away, though, she reached out and swiftly ruffled Moblit’s hair, promising to get to him later.

 ***

When they came to stand in front of Mr. Ackerman and Mr. Smith, Hange had to admit – up close, Mr. Smith was even more handsome. His blue eyes shined even more brightly and his soft smile would have made even a gal like Hange swoon.

If she managed to look away, of course, from his short companion.

Standing so close to her, Mr. Ackerman looked much more annoyed. However, Hange couldn’t help but notice that he too wasn’t that bad looking. One could even call him handsome, if he would stop scowling so much.

“G-good evening, sirs!” Mike exclaimed way too loudly.

Hange gave her brother a critical look. And as she did so, she barely managed to conceive her laughter. She had never seen Mike so nervous – the poor man was sweating and blushing at the same time! As a good and caring sister, Hange had to step in and save at least some of his dignity.

“We’ve heard you’re our new neighbors!” she smiled brightly. Mr. Smith smiled back. Mr. Ackerman did not. “I’m Hange Zoe and this is my brother, Mike,” she pointed at him and her eyes didn’t miss the way Mr. Smith’s smile widened ever so slightly, as he gazed at Mike.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Mr. Smith took Hange’s palm in his to plant a small kiss there. Then, he grabbed Mike’s large hand and gave it a firm handshake, that lasted only a little too long. “My name is Erwin Smith and this is my friend, Levi Ackerman.”

Mr. Ackerman said nothing for a long moment. Hange started to feel a little awkward, and she was definitely not alone in this, as Mr. Smith discreetly elbowed Mr. Ackerman in the side, mumbling something that sounded a lot like ‘For the love of god, be nice”.

“Why aren’t you wearing a dress?” he asked finally, regarding Hange with cold gaze.

“Oh my, please, forgive him—” Mr. Smith hastily tried to apologize, simultaneously giving Mr. Ackerman a disappointing look.

“I take no offence,” Hange waved him off. “I get that question a lot, actually, and the answer, I’m afraid, is fairly simple – I don’t like them.”

“But everyone else wears them,” Mr. Ackerman crossed hands on his chest.

“I’m not everyone else,” Hange noted with a grin.

Mr. Ackerman didn’t seem satisfied with her answer, as he rolled his eyes, huffing in annoyance.

“I’m afraid, Levi isn’t a very sociable person,” Mr. Smith said with a tight smile. “It’s just a flaw of his character, do not take it personally.”

“You’re staying at Netherfield, right?” Hange swiftly changed the topic. “I’ve heard that it has one of the most extensive libraries in our country.”

“It’s true,” Mr. Smith nodded with a smile that told Hange just how much he was grateful for a change of subject. “The library is simply gorgeous, I honestly can’t stay away from it.”

“Ah, I envy you,” Hange sighed dreamily.

“Hange enjoys reading,” Mike joined the conversation. He didn’t sound as awkward as before. Hange reached to his hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “You can’t imagine how hard it is to drag her away from her books.”

“That’s a feeling I’m most familiar with,” Mr. Smith chuckled. “And if you share my passion for knowledge, please feel free to visit my library whenever you wish. Of course,” he looked at Mike. “My invitation extends to you as well.”

“You’re very kind,” Mike answered, his voice sounding higher than usual. Hange hid her grin. Gosh, her brother had it bad.

“Would you like to dance?” Mr. Smith asked, extending his hand to Mike.

“With a pleasure,” he agreed, taking Mr. Smith’s arm in his and leading him to join the crowd of dancers.

And also leaving Hange alone with Mr. Ackerman. He was still staring at her, his glare not lessening.

“So,” she began, feeling more than a little awkward. “Do you dance, Mr. Ackerman?”

“Not if I can help it,” he answered curtly.

Oh Jesus, Hange thought. He really wasn’t going to make it easier for her. For the first time in her life, Hange didn’t know what to retort. She looked around the ballroom, trying to find Moblit’s face in the mass of dancing guests. As soon as she spotted him, she hurried to join his side, feeling immensely relieved that he didn’t find some pretty girl to dance with. Hange was lucky that Nifa was on her trip in London and couldn’t attend the ball. It would be hard to converse with Moblit, if she was there.

“Why aren’t you dancing?” he asked, as Hange approached him.

“I just don’t feel like it,” she said, taking him by the hand and leading Moblit into a more secluded area.

 ***

They were sitting behind the benches, talking about nothing, when Hange saw Mr. Smith and Mr. Ackerman walking side by side.

Against her better judgment, she strained her ears, listening intently.

“It’s a beautiful evening, is it not, Levi?” Mr. Smith asked with a dreamy smile.

“It is not,” came Mr. Ackerman’s reply.

“Ah, Mike is really handsome, is he not?” Mr. Smith continued, evidently used to his friend’s attitude.

“If you say so.”

“His sister is very pretty, as well. You should have asked her to a dance.”

“Pretty?” Mr. Ackerman huffed. “She is barely tolerable. And not handsome enough to tempt me.”

Hange felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. She knew she wasn’t the fairest of the fair and she was more than okay with it her whole life. But for some reason, those words struck some cord inside her.

“Don’t listen to him,” Moblit whispered, squeezing her hand in his. “And count your blessings. If he liked you, you’d have to look at his sour face for the whole evening.”

“Just the thought of it terrifies me!” Hange chuckled, smiling gratefully at Moblit. “I wouldn’t have danced with him, even if he was richer than a king himself!”

After that little accident, Hange and Moblit returned to the ball. They danced and laughed with other guests. Hange was enjoying herself immensely.

However, every time she stopped and looked around, she saw that Mr. Ackerman’s cold eyes were following her every move. She was always quick to look away. His intense and yet unreadable gaze unnerved and confused her.

 ***

“Your dancing skills are very impressive,” Mr. Smith told Mike after their second dance had ended.

“Thank you,” Mike mumbled, hiding his burning face behind his hair.

“If you think his dancing is impressive,” Hange cut in, always ready to tease her dear brother. “Then you should have read his poetry. That is most certainly impressive.”

“Hange,” Mike whispered lowly, both as a warning and a plea.

“You write poetry?” Mr. Smith asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“It happened only once—”

“When we were younger,” Hange grinned crookedly, cutting Mike off. “There was this girl Mike fancied. She seemed to fancy him back, and so he decided to write her a poem, as a way of confessing his feelings.”

“Did it work?”

“Oh, it worked just fine,” Hange couldn’t keep in her giggles. “Mike’s poem was so good, that girl never spoke to him again. I’m afraid that my brother once again proved the power of poetry in driving away love.”

“I thought the poetry is the tool that strengthened one’s love, not destroyed it,” Mr. Ackerman intervened. The bored expression on his face didn’t disappear, yet his eyes looked into Hange’s with utmost graveness.

“If we are talking about powerful, lasting feeling, then you are most certainly right, Mr. Ackerman,” Hange answered, her glasses glittering in a bright candlelight. “But if it is just a poor inclination, then a bad sonnet will most certainly eliminate any affection.”

“And what do you suggest to encourage affection?” He made a face at the last word, showing Hange just how uncomfortable he was with personal feelings. This new knowledge didn’t surprise her in the slightest.

Hange’s grin turned into a smug smirk, as she looked Mr. Ackerman up and down. “Dancing. Even if one’s partner is barely tolerable.”

The way Mr. Ackerman’s eyes slightly widened because of her words was the best thing that happened to Hange this evening. She turned around, feeling giddy and cheerful.

‘Take that, annoying shorty,’ she thought, as she made her way through the crowd.

[juliandev0rak]

Snow Day

The morning after the Yule ball brings snow, laughter, and some friendly competition.

characters: Ella Sagen (of @leechobsessed), Leila Lonan and Lachlan Lonan (of @leila-of-ravens​), Beatrice Viano, also ft. a brief cameo by Julian Devorak

words: ~3000

notes: writing about snow in the middle of summer was a very nice distraction from how hot it is outside

a Hallmark Yule side fic set after Netherfield Ball pt 2

When Beatrice wakes up the morning after the Yule ball something seems different. 

The air feels colder, and everything is so bright, the edges of the furniture in her room are sharper than they should be. She rubs her hands against her eyes to clear her vision which is still fuzzy from sleep, but the lighting in her room remains the same. Beatrice never draws her curtains at night, preferring to let the moonlight in, but this morning the usually weak sunlight flooding through her window is almost unnaturally bright. 

Her bed is warm and comfortable and the room is cold, but ultimately her curiosity wins out and Beatrice gets out of bed to look out the window. She gasps as she sees the Lonan’s garden covered in a blanket of bright white snow, the source of the light. She’s never seen so much snow before and in her excitement she opens the window and sticks her head out. 

The snow is still lightly falling and Beatrice laughs as a cold drop of snow melts on her nose. Before she can help it, she finds herself thinking back to the evening before when she’d sat out in the garden with Lysander. The snow had just begun to fall by the time he escorted her back to the ball, the frozen flurries sticking to his dark hair and getting caught on his eyelashes. They’d sat out there for a few minutes, watching the snow fall and enjoying each other’s quiet company.

A knock on the door pulls Beatrice from her thoughts. She can tell by the knock that it’s Leila, and she rushes over to open the door for her friend. “Good morning, you’re up early!’ 

“It’s snowing!” Leila is practically bouncing with excitement and Beatrice privately wonders how many cups of tea her friend has had this morning.

“It is! Did you have anything to do with the weather, by chance?” Beatrice watches as her friend’s expression turns into a grin.

“I might’ve helped the snow a little, it’s not Yule without snow,” Leila laughs, tugging on Beatrice’s arm to pull her out of the door. “Let’s go out and look at it! You’ve never seen snow before, this is a special occasion.” 

“Yes, I must admit I’m quite eager to see it,” Beatrice smiles. “But perhaps I should put on more suitable clothing.” She gestures to her nightgown and socks with a laugh.

“Yes, but hurry!” Leila makes no move to leave the doorway so Beatrice sighs and tugs her inside, pulling the door closed behind her. She pulls on her warmest clothing and takes her time lacing her boots even as Leila paces in the corner out of impatience. 

“Alright, I’m ready. You’re so excitable this morning.” Beatrice allows herself to be pulled down the hallway towards Ella’s room.

“I’ve already had two cups of tea, and as I said it’s a special day, your first real snow day!” Leila knocks on Ella’s door and Beatrice smiles at her friend, pleased that she’d guessed correctly about the tea. There’s no response to her knock so she tries again, and this time the door opens a tiny crack. 

Ella’s face appears in the doorway, just one blue eye and a mess of dark hair visible through the crack. “Why are you two up so early?”

“Beatrice and I are going out to look at the snow, come with us!” Leila says.

“You two go on ahead, I’ll be right there.” Ella starts to close the door but Leila puts her hand out to stop her. 

“Why don’t you just let us in, we can wait while you get ready,” Leila suggests. Beatrice watches as a look of panic flashes across Ella’s face and she tilts her head to try to get a better look through the doorway. 

“No! That’s ok!” 

“Ella?” A voice calls from inside the door, a familiar male voice. Leila turns to Beatrice who turns to Ella who blushes and tries to close the door in their faces again. 

“Ella, who's in your room?” Beatrice asks, though she’s certain she knows the answer already

Her question is answered as the door opens a bit wider and Lachlan’s face appears in the crack of the door next to Ella. 

“Good morning, ladies, what brings you to Ella’s door at this hour?” Lachlan smiles, not the least bit concerned at the embarrassed blush on Ella’s face as she tries to push him back into her room.

“I would ask you the same question, but I don’t think I’d like to know the answer,” Leila wrinkles her nose. “Just meet us downstairs when you’re ready, Ella. And Lachlan, you'd better not distract her, I worked very hard to make the snow perfect.”

“I’ll be out in just a minute!” Ella says, successfully pushing Lachlan out of the way so she can shut the door. Beatrice and Leila are left out in the hallway staring at each other. A moment of silence passes before the two of them immediately burst into laughter.  

“Well, I’m happy to see the two of them have made up,” Beatrice says as Leila leads her down the stairs. 

“Me too, though I wish I hadn’t seen it first hand.” Leila’s face scrunches up again.

Beatrice laughs as she dips down to pick up Bramble who had followed her out of her room. “I’m sure the snow will make us forget all about it, but first I’d like to get some breakfast.”

They head to the dining room where an impressive array of breakfast foods awaits them. There's everything from scones and fresh fruit to eggs and cured meats, and like every meal at the Lonan manor it’s a veritable feast. Beatrice sets Bramble down on the seat next to her and reaches for a plate which she piles with a variety of pastries. She does her best to try a little of everything else as well, but the scones are still her favorite.

As they eat, Beatrice and Leila talk about their plans for the day. Beatrice feeds Bramble a bite of apple from her plate and finishes her cup of tea as she listens to Leila tell a story about Julian’s dancing from the night before. She reaches to pour a second cup of tea just as Ella finally appears. Her hair is neatly brushed and she looks less tired than she has in weeks, but her cheeks are still quite flushed and her expression is a bit sheepish as she looks at her friends.

“Nice of you to join us,” Leila teases. Ella takes the seat in between Beatrice and Leila, who puts a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry we laughed at you, I’m glad that you and Lachlan are on good terms again.” 

“As am I,” Beatrice says and Ella gives her a kind smile in return. 

The three continue breakfast, talking all the while about the ball they’d attended the night before and all that has happened since. Though the conversation mainly focuses on Lachlan and Ella’s renewed relationship, Beatrice does not escape questioning. She blushes furiously as Leila asks her about her night at the ball with Lysander.

“There’s not much to tell, I’m afraid,” Beatrice frowns as she stirs three sugar cubes into her cup of tea. “It was nice.” 

“Nice?” Ella prompts, and Beatrice looks away from her friends, her eyes travelling down to examine the decorative details on her plate. 

“That’s all you can say about the ball?” Leila asks, looking at Beatrice with a degree of confusion.

“What would you like me to say?” Beatrice says, perhaps a touch too loudly. Ella and Leila look at her in question and she sighs, keeping her eyes glued to the table. “I’m sorry. It was a lovely night and despite the fact that I hate balls I enjoyed myself immensely. Lysander was an excellent dancer and somehow he managed to make it feel like we were the only two people in the room. I wish the evening had never ended, and I wish that I could dance with him again.” 

“That sounds great, Beatrice!” Leila smiles, her open expression encouraging Beatrice to talk more.

“It feels like last night was a dream. We sat together in the gardens and he lent me his jacket, and for a moment I could almost pretend he felt the same way I do.” Beatrice looks down at her tea again. “But that’s all there is to it really, dreams and wishes and pretend fantasies.”

The table falls silent for a moment as Ella and Leila look at her. Beatrice keeps her eyes down, but her attention is pulled away from the table as Ella pulls her into a hug.

“I’m sorry, Beatrice.” 

“It’s quite alright, I just need to manage my expectations. He’s my friend, and I care for him a great deal no matter the outcome,” Beatrice sniffs, determined to maintain composure. Ella releases her from the hug and Beatrice reaches for her teacup again to have something to do, missing the way Leila and Ella look at each other with concern.

“He cares about you, too, Beatrice,” Leila says softly, “He doesn’t know how to tell you that, and he doesn’t exactly know how to show it either, but Lysander does care about you.” 

At Leila’s words, Beatrice’s lips pull up into a sad half smile and she takes a sip of her earl grey. As she drinks her tea, she takes one last moment to think about Lysander and the ball. She can picture his face so clearly, all of the smiles he’d given her, and the way his hands had felt in hers as they’d danced.

When Beatrice looks up a moment later she’s determined to leave her feelings behind, and she meets her friends’ eyes with a happier expression. 

“Yes, well I’ll simply have to think about other parts of the evening instead, like the chocolate fountain. We need those in Vesuvia.” Beatrice thinks back to the buffet full of sweets she’d enjoyed, most of them were things she had never seen before but everything she sampled had been delicious.

“I thought you’d enjoy that,” Leila smiles, “As soon as I walked in I told Julian ‘If we lose sight of Beatrice just look for the chocolate fountain’. I’m glad you had a good time, I know how much you hate events like that.”

“It seems we all had a nice evening.” Beatrice looks over at Ella with a raised eyebrow, wanting to turn the attention away from herself again.

“Yes, I think we’ve already established that fact,” Ella grimaces. “Now can we please stop talking about it?”

“We’re your friends, it’s our job to torment you a little,” Leila laughs as she gets up from her seat. She gestures to the door, “Now, how about we take both of your minds off of my brothers and go enjoy the snow!” 

Beatrice manages to laugh too, her mood brightened by Leila’s enthusiasm. She sets Bramble down and her familiar hops off to find a warm spot in front of a fireplace. She links arms with Ella and the two follow behind Leila, who leads them out towards the gardens. 

When she steps outside Beatrice can hardly believe how beautiful it all is. Her eyes widen in awe at the winter wonderland around her and she lets go of Ella’s arm as she begins to wander. Everything is sparkling in the winter sun, the landscape glittering with ice dripping frozen from the trees and benches. Beatrice had thought the Lonan garden was beautiful before, but its looks are only heightened by the snow.

The air is cold and her breath comes out in visible puffs, it’s much colder than she’s used to but Beatrice finds she doesn’t mind it. Still, she reaches into her pocket to pull her gloves on and casts a quick warming charm on her cloak.

“Leila, did you really do all of this?” Beatrice asks, turning to look at her friend. 

“Not all of it, I simply encouraged the weather,” Leila grins. She seems proud of herself and Beatrice smiles at the thought, remembering how long it had taken Leila to come to terms with her magic. Leila’s magic is powerful, but it’s also breathtakingly beautiful. 

“It’s gorgeous, Leila!” Ella says, turning in a circle as she revels in the still-falling snow. 

Beatrice reaches over to squeeze Leila’s hand. “You never cease to amaze me.” 

She turns to wander further into the garden, but before she can make it very far Beatrice feels something hit the back of her head. She yelps and reaches up with her hand to feel the icy ball of snow she’s been hit with. She turns around to find Leila gleefully laughing as she bends down to pick up more snow. Beatrice’s eyes narrow and she realizes this has suddenly become a snowball fight, a concept she’s heard of but never had a chance to participate in until now. 

Beatrice hurriedly bends down to scoop snow into her hands, cringing at the cold she feels through her thin gloves, but determined to get Leila back. If this is a competition she intends to win. Leila manages to dodge the snowball, but it hits Ella instead who yells and quickly starts scooping up snow of her own. 

Soon enough the air is full of flying snow and the sound of their laughter and screams. Ella’s aim is impeccable, and she manages to hit both Beatrice and Leila in quick succession before either can duck out of the way. Beatrice hides behind a hedge to catch her breath and takes a moment to stockpile snowballs. When she pops her head back up she throws one towards where she’d last seen Leila, only to find Leila has constructed a wall of ice as a shield. 

“Hey! That’s cheating,” Beatrice calls, though she has to admit it’s a clever idea.

Ella’s voice comes from behind her, “We all have magic, it’s fair game!” 

Beatrice ducks out of the way just in time to dodge the giant snowball Ella throws at her, the size clearly aided by her water magic. Beatrice runs across the lawn, looking for cover of her own as Leila emerges from behind her ice shield with a barrage of icy snowballs. Beatrice manages to duck behind a large tree and begins to strategize. Leila might have won this round with her ice wall, but she won’t win the war. 

Beatrice hears Leila laugh as Ella tries her best to get past the ice but ends up covered in snow. It’s a direct approach, and Beatrice decides on a more subtle plan of attack. She can’t scoop up snow fast enough so she uses her magic to conjure the falling snow from the air into a ball, hurling it towards Ella’s turned back. She hits her target and Ella whirls around, her dark hair flying in her hurry to retaliate.

Beatrice catches Ella’s next snowball in a shield of water, dissolving the snow on impact. Ella throws her own wave of water in Beatrice’s direction and she doesn’t duck fast enough and ends up drenched in cold water.

“Ella, this is a snow fight not a water fight,” Beatrice complains, casting a quick drying spell so she won’t freeze in the cold. Ella simply laughs and runs in the opposite direction before Beatrice can get her back. Leila finally emerges from her ice wall to go on the offensive, and the fight continues for a few more minutes. 

There seems no clear winner as the three each use their magic to give themselves an advantage, they are evenly matched and equally determined to win. Leila is about to throw a snowball at an unsuspecting Beatrice when a voice calls from an upstairs window. 

“What are you three up to out there?” Julian calls, his red hair standing out brightly against the snow. Leila turns to look at Beatrice and Ella with a mischievous grin and they all understand her silent meaning. They each throw their snowballs up at the window instead, all three hitting their new target-- Julian. 

“Hey!” He sputters, brushing snow off of his face, “No fair! Leave me out of this.” He shuts the window with a huff and the three burst into laughter. 

The attack on Julian brings them to a truce, and Leila plops down on the snow to make a snow angel. Ella collapses next to her, still giggling as she moves her arms and legs wildly. Beatrice sits next to them with a happy sigh, but she yelps as Leila grabs her by the leg, pulling her down into the snow. 

“Beatrice, you must make snow angels with us! The trio must be complete,” Leila laughs and Beatrice gives in, tentatively moving her arms as she’d seen the other two do. After a few minutes it gets far too cold to be laying in the snow and Ella stands up first, offering the other two a hand. 

“Let’s go inside, I’ll make us some tea,” Leila suggests, throwing an arm around Beatrice and Ella’s shoulders. The three walk towards the house and Beatrice nods and smiles innocently at Leila’s suggestion, but she’s got one more trick up her sleeve. 

When the other two aren’t looking, she pulls the snowball she’s been saving out of her pocket and shoves it down the back of Leila’s dress. Leila squeals and turns to glare at her and Beatrice resists the urge to stick her tongue out at her. She lunges out of the way before Leila can grab her and runs towards the house. 

“I win,” Beatrice declares, shouting over her shoulder. She nearly skips as she runs, all memory of her earlier melancholy mood erased by the snow and the laughter of her friends.

“Lysander had better watch out, she’s crafty,” Ella jokes as she and Leila follow Beatrice inside. 

Leila links her arm through Ella’s and smiles, “I think he likes that about her.” 

[pls-let-me-out]

Pride and Prejudice

PART ONE

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single Alpha in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a spouse. So one can only imagine Mrs. Solace’s delight, when such a man arrived in their neighborhood.

She had been married to Mr. Solace for not many years, as they had both been widowed, driven together by the struggles of being single parents. They lived with the children they had both previously had–four from Mrs. Solace’s previous marriage, three from Mr. Solace’s–and the one they’d had together, who was only seven years old.

The first thing Mrs. Solace did as soon as she knew of the newly arrived, was telling her dear husband. Although it couldn’t be said that they were madly and deeply in love, friendship had remained between them. Sometimes, at least. In other times, such as this, Mrs. Solace’s insistence annoyed Mr. Solace beyond measure. However, as many other times, his anger had melted into sarcastic amusement.

“Have you heard, Mr. Solace?” She asked, once again, gripping the armrests of the chair, bouncing her leg up and down. “Have you heard who bought Netherfield?”

“I have not,” he admitted. “Although I have reason to think, you will tell me in a few instants.”

“Oh, Mr. Solace, must you always play with me? Do you not know what it does to my nerves?” She fanned her face, her gaze dancing around the room. “You should be delighted at the prospect of finally having one of our children married!”

Mr. Solace abandoned the book he had been reading on the desk, and walked to the window. He caught sight of his aged reflection in the glass. “I know who has bought Netherfield. He has also already arrived.”

“He has? Oh dear, Mr. Solace, you must introduce him to–”

“I have introduced myself already,” he interrupted her. His wife gasped, and he couldn’t hide a smile. “And I have learnt that he makes £5,000 a year.”

Mrs. Solace covered her mouth with her hands, as laughter exploded from behind the closed door. Far too loud and clear to be coming from any other part of the house. When Mr. Solace opened the door with one smooth move, their children almost fell to the ground.

“If anything is to happen,” he said, his voice strong enough to be heard over their giggles. “I believe it will happen at tomorrow’s ball.”

“Mr. Solace, you must–” Mrs. Solace started, only to be interrupted by her daughter Piper.

“Are we going, father?”

Mr. Solace’s smile widened. Chaos among the children erupted.

 The assembly rooms often held balls. It was already crowded inside, the whole neighborhood had been invited, and no one would refuse, when they knew that a rich and single man would be present. Will arrived with his siblings, but they quickly scattered around, leaving him alone.

Mr. Solace squeezed Will’s shoulder as he passed by him, leaning closer to whisper into his ear where he’d be going. Will wasn’t surprised to learn that his father would be with his old-time friends, although Mrs. Solace was looking around to find the newly arrived man.

“Lou Ellen!” Will exclaimed, as soon as he saw his friend, moving in her direction through the crowd.

She smiled, nodding in his direction. She was a Beta the same age as Will, and they had been friends even before his father had remarried. As soon as they were close enough, their fingers tangled.

“Your sister is beautiful tonight,” she said, her emerald eyes fixated on Drew.

Will nodded. “She has taken after her mother, she always is, and she always knows.”

Lou Ellen laughed, hitting him square on the chest. Crinkles formed at the corner of her eyes. “Come, concede me this dance, at least.”

“You should ask her to dance with you,” he said, nodding with his head to Drew, although letting Lou Ellen take him to the dance room.

She stomped on his foot as they danced, and he tried to believe her when she said it was just an accident. They were only on the second dance, when the doors opened, and everyone held their breath.

There, in the doorway, stood four people Will had never seen before. The crowd divided, the music died.

“Who are those people?” He asked.

“Mrs. and Mr. Jackson, Alphas, married and mated, cousins to Mr. and Miss Grace, both Alphas. They are siblings. Mr. Grace is our bachelor.”

“Is that strange man behind them with them?” Will said, just then noticing the fifth figure, remaining in the shadows. “Who is he?”

“Oh, that must be Mr. di Angelo,” Lou Ellen said. “Alpha. I heard he makes £10,000 a year, and that he owns half of Derbyshire. I haven’t met him when I visited with my father.”

Mr. di Angelo turned his head to the side, looking at the quartet in the corner of the room, but his high-collar made it impossible to see whether he bore marks of a mating or not. The light put his high cheekbones and strong jaw on display.

The major moved forth, introducing himself, and generally welcoming the five foreigners. Will didn’t listen to a single word he said, too captivated in the way Mr. di Angelo’s eyebrow rose higher with every detail of the room he noticed.

“He doesn’t look too friendly,” he whispered to Piper.

She startled. Only then did Will realize how deeply in thought she had been, how her gaze had looked a little lost. She blinked, looking up at him. “Mr. Grace?”

“No, Mr. di Angelo,” he said. He raised an eyebrow, and hid a smile. “However, what do you think of Mr. Grace?”

“He’s very handsome,” she said. “He looks kind. A little clumsy.”

“You know all of that with only one look?” Will asked.

The music started again, and people moved to dance. Lou Ellen disappeared in the crowd, but Will stayed close to his sister. He couldn’t help but notice, how Mr. Grace’s eyes lingered on his sister when he passed by.

“He’ll ask you to dance,” he told her.

Piper turned red, hiding her mouth behind her hand. “Do you think so?”

Before Will could respond that he did think so, their forearms were grabbed by Mrs. Solace.

“It’s not time to play, sweeties,” she said. “Now we go on scene. Be on your best behavior.”

Will furrowed his eyebrows, but he didn’t have time to ask for an explanation, as she dragged them both to the end of the dance floor, where Mr. Grace was talking to his friends. They major had just introduced them, when Mr. Solace also appeared, looking like he’d been thrown off center by his own move.

For a time that seemed infinite, Mrs. Solace talked with the guests, telling them about their family–only the bright side, of course–and something about many of the other families there–“Lou Ellen, you might know her. She is a Beta, she is such a lovely girl, a pity she isn’t much pretty. Take my Piper, for example. She is much prettier, so beautiful. She has taken after me, but also after her late father, he was so very beautiful, and he did promise me we would have the prettiest children. I had other three with him, although they were all adopted, we were so lucky they were pretty, too. She reminds me of my first daughter, I had her with my first husband.”–and some rather embarrassing things about those other families, that Will tried to forget as soon as they reached his ears. Eventually, she saw a friend of hers on the other side of the room–whom she had just finished gossiping about–and fled the scene, leaving Piper and Will alone and embarrassed.

“I understand that you are step-siblings, am I right?” Mr. Grace asked.

Piper, rather red in the face, didn’t raise her eyes from the floor, muttering a very quiet ‘yes’.

“And are you all related, Mr. Grace?” Will asked, fighting to keep a smile on his face when Mr. di Angelo’s eyes fell on him, and the eyebrow rose again.

Mr. Grace’s smile was small but warm, and it showed a little scar he had on his upper lip. “We are. Thalia is my sister, Nico and Percy my cousins.” When he saw Will’s confused smile, he blushed, and said, “I meant to say, Mr. di Angelo and Mr. Jackson.”

“I believe this is meant to be a lesson for you, Mr. Grace,” Mr. Jackson said, a lopsided grin tugging one corner of his lips upwards. He leaned closer to Mr. Grace, with a glint in his eyes that could only be described as wolfish. “Keep your distance.”

Miss Grace shook her head, as Mrs. Jackson raised her fan to hide a smile. Will couldn’t help but laugh, and Piper smiled. Will’s laugh died short when his eyes met Mr. di Angelo’s colder ones.

“Miss McLean, may I ask for a dance with you?” Mr. Grace asked, his words falling out of his mouth in a single breath, as though he were afraid of never getting the possibility of asking again.

Will’s smile widened when Piper accepted, and they left together. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson both excused themselves to dance shortly after. Miss Grace disappeared, too, and Will found himself alone, in the company of the aloof Mr. di Angelo.

“Do you not dance, Mr. di Angelo?” Will asked.

Mr. di Angelo’s gaze fell on him again, and Will almost regretted his words, however the energy buzzing underneath his skin kept him standing, curious to hear the response, whatever it may be.

“Not if I can help it, no,” Mr. di Angelo said, in a tone that made it impossible to continue the conversation. He excused himself shortly after.

 Not much later, Will found himself in the patio with Lou Ellen. They had to be careful when they sneaked around like that. If anyone were to find them alone at night, they would have been believed to be in intimacy with one another. Mrs. Solace already thought so. Anytime she started talking of them as though they were about to get married, Will’s skin crawled.

They talking quietly when new voices reached them from the inside. The first one to talk was clearly Mr. Grace. Sharing only one look, they decided to eavesdrop.

“She is so pretty, but also so humble. She must know that she is beautiful, right?”

His interlocutor huffed. “I’m sure she will know if you tell her.” It was Mr. di Angelo.

“How am I supposed to go up to someone that beautiful, and just tell her, ‘Miss McLean, I believe that you are the most sublime creature I have ever seen in my life’? Tell me and I will!” Mr. Grace exclaimed, sounding agitated.

Lou Ellen elbowed Will in the ribs, and he smiled widely at her, ignoring the pain. Although he had known Mr. Grace would find Piper beautiful, he was still as pleased as if his compliments were a surprise.

Mr. Grace talked again. “Do you agree? That she is beautiful?”

“I am not attracted to women, but I guess that she is.”

“Has no one caught your eyes? No pretty boy for you to dance with?” Mr. Grace hummed, and Will imagined that Mr. di Angelo had somehow responded. Probably raising his judging eyebrow. “Miss McLean’s step-brother is very pretty.”

“He is.”

Lou Ellen elbowed him so hard Will almost yelped out loud. Without the possibility of doing that, he could only elbow her back. She stepped on his foot.

“But not enough to tempt me,” Mr. di Angelo continued, and for a moment everything stood still in Will. “He also smiles a bit too much.”

Mr. Grace sighed, though with a fond undertone, and asked what he should do with Mr. di Angelo. Not long later, they were both gone. Will took one look at Lou Ellen and the surprise written in her dropped jaw, and he couldn’t help a loud guffaw, even bending in two as he laughed.

“What can it even mean that I smile too much?” He wondered out loud. “He may own half of Derbyshire, but I’m now sure that it is the sad half.”

“On the bright side, you won’t have to talk to him, since he doesn’t like you either,” Lou Ellen said, as though she could read into Will’s mind, where he was vowing to himself to never like Mr. di Angelo.

“Maybe Aphrodite is right, and I’m getting too old to temp and seduce alphas. Ah,” Will sighed dramatically, as he had only seen his father and Aphrodite herself do. “The struggle.”

It soon became a recurring joke, between them and his siblings, too, how Will wasn’t aging as well as they had hoped, and Mr. di Angelo’s dislike for him. By the next morning, Will’s own dislike for the other seemed to be something that had always existed, almost like an old friend.

 Three days after the ball, Aphrodite, Will, Piper and Mitchell met Mr. di Angelo and Mr. Grace again. They were in the tea-shop, with fuming cups on the table before them, when Mr. di Angelo and Mr. Grace entered.

Mr. Grace greeted them with a smile. Mr. di Angelo’s face remained stoic, but at least his eyebrow remained in place.

“It’s such a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Grace,” Mrs. Solace said, not even glancing in Mr. di Angelo’s direction. He didn’t seem to be paying attention to her, as his eyes were on the world outside the window.

“For me, too, Mrs. Solace,” he responded. Subtly–not enough to not be seen by Will–he nudged Mr. di Angelo’s foot with his own.

Mr. di Angelo smiled, too. It was forced, similar to a grimace. Will didn’t bother hiding his amusement.

“I see you have already found this town’s greatest gift, Mr. Grace,” Will said. “Our tea-shop.”

“Greatest gift after our beautiful Piper, of course,” Mitchell said, batting his eyelashes up at Mr. Grace. “But I’ve seen you found her dancing of your liking, Mr. Grace.”

At that, Mr. di Angelo’s eyebrows shot up, this time both of them. Mr. Grace blushed, as Piper tried to hit Mitchell under the table, and the hit landed on Will. He bit his tongue to avoid gasping.

Aphrodite laughed, looking far too proud of her son’s smooth words. “Darling, don’t embarrass Mr. Grace and your sister.”

“I have to admit to my finding Mr. McLean’s words completely true,” Mr. Grace said.

Will hid his smile behind a sip of tea, only to burn his tongue. Piper looked at him as though he deserved it.

“Forgive me if I say, Mr. Grace, that I am not surprised at all,” Aphrodite continued, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. “My dear Piper is no stranger to Alphas’ and Betas’ attention.” She sighed, as Will blushed for Piper, trying to catch Aphrodite’s eye to make her stop. “She is just very beautiful. One should do their best to keep her interested.”

Mr. Grace’s calm reached an end, he blinked, clearly unsure as to what to answer, as Mr. di Angelo’s eyebrows rose so high, they might as well have fallen off.

“Are you finding Netherfield of your liking, sirs?” Will asked.

Mr. Grace sent Will a grateful smile, clasping his hands behind his back. “You see, Mr. Solace, life in the city can become too much to bear, at times. Being here, in the country, is far calmer. I’m lucky enough to have friends willing to come with me.” He squeezed Mr. di Angelo’s shoulder, whose eyes warmed, a little smile curling his lips upwards.

Still, Mr. di Angelo cleared his throat. “Your sister is outside,” he said. When his eyes landed on Will, they were completely blank, as though he were looking at nothing more than an ant.

Mr. di Angelo turned, his back stiff, and in a few quick strides, he left the shop.

“He seemed in a rush,” Will said, unable to contain himself. Someone’s foot hit his shin.

Fondness sparked in Mr. Grace’s eyes. “Forgive him, sometimes he lacks in manners. If you’ll excuse me, I’m afraid I have to leave as well.”

At least he smiled and tipped his head before he did.

 It was Kayla and Austin who introduced Will to Mr. Bryce Lawrence. The first time they actually met was when the Regiment passed through the city, but Will didn’t notice him, too engrossed in a talk with Piper, regarding a book he couldn’t find at the library. Later, they found Kayla and Drew talking to a man, and they learnt that it was Bryce Lawrence. He wore a red uniform, and he kept his hair gathered on the back of his head.

Mr. Lawrence was beautiful, in a way that didn’t have Will’s breath caught in his throat, but made his heart stutter when he noticed. He smiled, and Mr. Lawrence smiled back.

“Let me walk you home,” Mr. Lawrence said, his eyes in Will’s.

“We have been here much longer than you,” Will teased him. “I find it difficult to believe that we will get lost on the way.”

“Of course not,” Mr. Lawrence said. “But I would love to talk to you a bit more. Forgive me if I am too greedy.”

For no reason at all, Will blushed a deep red. He turned, Kayla hanging off his arm, as they walked back home. Mr. Lawrence walked beside them, stopping at the side of the road to look at the flowers.

“Do you have other siblings or am I meeting the whole family?” He asked at some point.

“We have other four, Mr. Lawrence,” Will said. “The youngest hasn’t presented yet.”

“And the others, if I may ask?”

Kayla giggled, kicking a stone on the ground. It rolled forth, hitting Drew’s feet and making her stumble on her steps. She turned to glare at Kayla, who didn’t pay her any mind. “We are all Omegas,” she instead told Mr. Lawrence.

“It must be quite a hassle for the matters of succession,” Mr. Lawrence said.

“It is,” Piper confirmed. “But Jonathan, the youngest of us, hasn’t presented yet.”

“We all know he’s an Omega,” Drew said.

Piper elbowed her. Even if their succession problems weren’t a secret for anyone who knew them, Mr. Lawrence didn’t need to know just yet. While Omegas, both males and females, couldn’t be heirs, Alphas and Betas could own anything.

“I’m sure you will find a solution,” Mr. Lawrence said, looking in Will’s eyes, for so long it was Will who looked away, and still felt the other’s gaze on him.

“I imagine you have traveled a lot, by being part of the army, Mr. Lawrence,” Piper said.

Mr. Lawrence told them that he had, but he didn’t explain further. Drew used the occasion to talk about the latest gossip she had heard. Ignoring her voice as one would with a background noise, Will couldn’t help but think of his oldest siblings. If they were still alive, the house would be theirs. Then his mind wandered to his mother, and he quickly shut his thoughts off.

 Mrs. Solace was in tears when they arrived at home. Will sat close to her, more than he normally would. Piper sat on her other side, putting her face in her mother’s neck to scent her.

It didn’t happen often that Aphrodite broke down. Will had only seen it happen once before, and only as he passed in front of an open door. It was the anniversary of her oldest daughter’s passing, which had happened a few months after her fiancé had died.

“Mom?” Piper asked. “What is it?”

“Your father’s cousin is coming to visit us,” she said, her voice breaking on the last word. “The next week.”

Will froze, his heart ceased, and he couldn’t help but think of his older siblings again. Aphrodite fanned her face, but tears continued falling.

Mr. Solace’s cousin. Finally, they would put a face to such title, putting an end to the sinister curiosity that had haunted them for so long. Mr. Solace’s Alpha cousin, that would inherit his whole fortune when he died, throwing them on the streets. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Solace had ever stated it out loud, but they knew that a big hope of their marriage had been to finally give Mr. Solace an Alpha heir. Will hoped the knowledge would never reach Jonathan, in fear it would crush him. Drew’s words, as harsh as they had been, were right: they all knew he was another Omega.

“He may decide to let us live in here, after all,” Piper said.

It threw her mother under the waters again. A new wave of tears ran down her rosy cheeks. “He will throw us out,” she hiccupped, almost wailing. “All my children, my dear children, will live on the streets.”

“Father isn’t dead yet,” Will reminded her. “There’s still time to find a solution.”

“Your father never follows the medic’s orders, he doesn’t have much longer, I feel it in my nerves,” she replied. She covered her face with her hands, and Will and Piper exchanged a look, as her scent turned sour. “My only hope is that Piper will get married. At least then one will survive.”

“If I got married, then I wouldn’t let you all live on the streets,” Piper said. “And I’m sure that my husband would have enough heart to not let you, either.”

Aphrodite hiccupped harder, and at that point Will wasn’t even sure what she was crying for. She muttered something about her nerves, curling under the blankets.

“Your husband should be a saint for that,” she said. “A saint! Seven children, only one married. God, my poor, poor nerves!”

Will patted her back. It would be a very long evening.

 “What do you think he’ll be like?” Piper quietly asked Will, when all the other siblings were already asleep, buried in the furs on the beds.

“I have no idea,” Will said. “But he’s an Alpha. They are all the same, in my opinion. They only think about their urges, and watch us Omegas like we are nothing more than an object that needs to keep itself pretty.”

“You won’t talk like this anymore when you’ll fancy someone,” she said. She sighed, furrowing her eyebrows. “Have you ever fancied someone, Will?”

“Never,” he said. “I have felt attraction, and sometimes wished to get to know someone better.” And image of Mr. Lawrence flashed behind his eyes, and he blushed again. “But I only want to marry someone for true love, so that I never regret it, and only once I know them enough.”

“I suppose you haven’t had the best examples as for love,” Piper said.

Will grimaced. “I suppose I haven’t. I’m not precluding myself from it, I just want to keep my distance from one that would be terrible for all the people involved. And if my expectations are too high, then I’ll never marry, and I will still find my happiness.”

Piper smiled. “That’s a bit cynical, maybe. But I understand.”

“Let’s not talk of dark matters. They have tired me already.” Will repositioned himself on the pillow, hugging it closer, and Piper’s smile turned shier, as she already knew what he was getting at. They had known each other for a long time, after all. “Talk to me about your Mr. Grace.”

“He is not my Mr. Grace. I have received a letter, today,” Piper said. “I didn’t say it, because my mother already looked desperate, and I didn’t want to tire her nerves more, so I’ll tell her tomorrow during breakfast. Miss Grace and Mrs. Jackson have invited me for dinner tomorrow. I’m so glad I have received this invite. Lou Ellen told me that Mrs. Jackson is a strategist, one of the most erudite women of the country. And Miss Grace is part of an elite group of women in London, who dedicate themselves to advocate for Omegas’ rights.”

“Oh. She is?”

“Yes, she is. Mr. di Angelo’s older sister was a part of it as well, or so I’ve been told,” she said.

“And where is she now?”

Piper hid a yawn behind her hand. “I don’t know. Lou Ellen didn’t know either, or at least she didn’t tell me.”

Will hesitated for a moment. “Don’t you find him a bit weird?”

“He is aloof, maybe he just doesn’t like balls all that much.”

“Nor smiles.” Will furrowed his eyebrows, frowning in the direction of the ceiling, as though he were asking God themselves. “If he didn’t like balls, he wouldn’t have come at all. He just looks down at us, as every other Alpha does. As I have already said.”

“What about Mr. Grace? He has never done such a thing, since he came here, and he is kind.”

Will rolled his eyes. “You never have an ill word for anyone, do you?” With a sigh, he rolled on his side, snuggling closer to Piper. “Mr. di Angelo is as rude as every other Alpha, and Mr. Grace is an exception, needed to confirm the general rule.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Jackson and Miss Grace–”

“Mr. Jackson brooded for the first half of the night, Mrs. Jackson grimaced whenever someone opened their mouth to talk to her, and Miss Grace looked just about ready to kill everyone.”

Piper sighed. “With all the love I have for you, I really wish you would see things a bit differently.”

 As predicted, Mrs. Solace was absolutely delighted when Piper shared the news during breakfast. Mrs. Solace sent her to Netherfield with the horse, unwilling to let her use the cart, stating she would need it in the afternoon. When the clouds finally broke, not long after Piper left, Will finally understood.

“Let’s hope Piper’s death is worth winning Mr. Grace’s affection,” Austin commented, as a thunder broke between the grey, dark clouds.

Mrs. Solace waved her hand in dismissal. “She will not die.”

Drew rolled her eyes, sitting by Kayla as she started a new song on the old piano. Austin let his hand fall on Will’s shoulder. Lacy padded in the room, still in her nightclothes, and Mitchell sent her a confused and slightly disgusted glance.

“Who will die?” Lacy asked, her big eyes wide open.

“Piper,” Will replied, turning to rest his back against the window. He could feel every drop of water that hit the glass. “Unluckily, she couldn’t use the carriage, because someone had a plot.”

Mrs. Solace clicked her tongue, fanning her face despite the cold temperature. “I didn’t raise you to be so disrespectful, boy.”

Mitchell laughed. “Mother always has a plot, especially if an Alpha is nearby.”

Lacy groaned. “Mother, you should think about me next, when Piper is finally married to Mr. Grace.”

“I am already thinking about your brother,” Mrs. Solace replied. “He is next in age, and you will not be married before he is.”

Will grimaced, feeling his nose scrunching up. “Her wait will be long and terrible, then.”

Jonathan laughed, and his sweet scent spiked, despite being almost covered by kids’ default one, which they had until they presented. A smile began spreading on Will’s face.

“Who are you even thinking of having him marry?” Kayla asked, a lazy smile dancing on her face. She got up from the piano, stretching her back, and fell on the sofa in a mass of limbs.

Austin took her place at the piano, starting a new melody. He and Kayla were the best of the family when it came to playing, as Mr. Solace had taught them himself. Will never had the patience to learn.

“Miss Lou Ellen Blackstone, of course,” Aphrodite said, opening a book and keeping it in her lap, but with no intention of ending the conversation anytime soon. “She is a dedicated, young, Beta. She makes enough to maintain a family, when the time comes. I have even talked to her mother, she would be happy to see her with Will, too. They have been friends for so long, we all know what the next step is.”

Will could hear Drew’s heart stopping, even though she didn’t move, and the calm on her face didn’t falter. She showed no emotion, and it was far worse than devastation.

“Lou Ellen and I are only friends, and we will never marry,” Will said. He looked in Aphrodite’s eyes as he talked, although his words weren’t for her. “She is interested in someone.”

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. “That someone won’t hold a candle to you.”

Before Will could defend Drew, the door opened to reveal a servant, with a letter to Mrs. Solace. She took it with glee, her voice getting even higher in pitch when she discovered it came from Netherfield.

“What does it say?” Will asked, after Mrs. Solace had read the whole thing, and her smile had grown tenfold. “Is she alright?”

“She is more than alright,” Mrs. Solace said, folding the letter and leaving it on the table. Mitchell moved faster than he ever had, and snatched it. “She will spend the next few days in Netherfield.”

“Why?” Kayla asked. She gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands. “Tell me my horse hasn’t died.”

“Your horse hasn’t died,” Mitchell said, rolling his eyes, although he sounded very delighted. He waved the letter. “We can’t say the same about Piper.”

Will took the letter from Mitchell’s hands. Mitchell’s glare would have sent grown man running, but Will had gotten used to it. As annoying as he could sometimes be, Mitchell would never hurt him.

With the words he had just read spinning in his head, Will looked up at Mrs. Solace. “You caused your daughter to catch a cold.”

Mrs. Solace waved her hand in dismissal. “I caused her to get a husband.”

“Oh, but if she were to die, it would be so worth it, wouldn’t it?” Austin said, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

“Do not use that tone with me, boy,” Mrs. Solace said, whacking him on the head. “She will be treated there. It says right there,” and she pointed at the letter, a smug and self-satisfied smile still on her face, “that a doctor was coming to Netherfield.”

“We don’t even know what doctor,” Will said. He shook his head. “Tomorrow I’m going there.”

 Will met with Mr. Lawrence on the way. He was still in his red uniform, and he looked exactly like he did the last time Will had seen him, except for the faint smell of rum clinging to his natural scent.

“Mr. Solace,” Mr. Lawrence said, bowing his head.

Will bowed his back, a small smile blossoming on his face.

“May I walk you to wherever you are going, Mr. Solace?” Mr. Lawrence asked.

“I’m visiting Netherfield,” Will said. “My sister has fallen sick as she was visiting Mrs. Jackson and Miss Grace.”

“And they are throwing her out?” Mr. Lawrence asked. “It wouldn’t be the first time Mr. di Angelo does that with someone who is sick.”

“The contrary, actually. They have offered her to stay until she is well enough to travel,” Will said. “Although I’m sure it wasn’t Mr. di Angelo’s suggestion. You don’t sound fond of him, Mr. Lawrence. Do you already know him?”

Mr. Lawrence sighed. “Oh, I do. We grew up together, my father worked for his. He died when I was only seven, so Mr. di Angelo’s father… well, I saw him as my own father, and I was a son to him. Mr. di Angelo was as dear as a brother to me, but I wasn’t to him. His father died, less than two years ago, when Mr. di Angelo was very young, only nineteen, and he inherited his father’s fortune, but a part of it was meant to be for me.” Mr. Lawrence shook his head, rubbing his cheek.

“What happened then?” Will asked, when it was clear that Mr. Lawrence had no intention of continuing.

“Mr. di Angelo decided that I wasn’t worth their family money.” He took another deep breath, as though he were trying not to cry. “He cut me off the testament, ignoring his father’s wishes. If he didn’t, I would be a clergyman now.” He laughed, looking down at his uniform. “Let’s just say it didn’t go as planned.”

Will couldn’t find anything to say. Mr. Lawrence excused himself, and by the time Will had reached Netherfield, his dislike for Mr. di Angelo had morphed into something far more dangerous and deep-rooted into his chest.

 Piper knew Will would have come, or so Mrs. Jackson said. Will didn’t see any of the other Alphas for a while, as he was brought into Piper’s room. She told him about the doctor, but mostly about Mr. Grace, and the things Miss Grace and Mrs. Jackson had said about him.

“And he’s so kind,” she kept on repeating.

He must be saying the same of you, Will thought, but he didn’t dare saying it out loud.

Piper fell asleep mid-sentence, and Will tucked the blankets around her, before leaving her to rest some more. He followed Mrs. Jackson’s previously given instructions to find the parlor, were he found everyone else. Even Mr. di Angelo, whom Will did his best to ignore.

Will apologized for the inconvenience, but Mr. Grace said it was a pleasure – “I mean, I’m not pleased that your sister is unwell, but I’m, I’m honored to have her here” – and he insisted Will stayed, too.

For a while, things were pacific. No one talked much, as Mr. Grace and Mrs. Jackson were having a chess match. Mr. di Angelo was writing, looking absolutely detached from the world, and Mr. Jackson… well, Will wasn’t sure what Mr. Jackson was doing, and Miss Grace was sitting beside Will, with a book open in her hands. Will took another book, and read half-heartedly.

“Tell me, Mr. Solace,” Miss Grace said, her eyes never leaving her book. “Do you often read?”

“I do,” Will responded, hiding his surprise at being spoken to by Miss Grace. She hadn’t been very friendly either, although far less than Mr. di Angelo.

“Isn’t it curious, how all Omegas share the same hobbies?” Miss Grace asked, side-glancing her brother.

Mr. Grace and Mrs. Jackson raised their eyes from the chessboard, while Mr. di Angelo didn’t even blink.

“I find it far more curious how we are required to have these hobbies to be considered instructed,” Will replied.

Mr. di Angelo turned to look at him. “So you agree that it is a choice.”

“Is it?” Will tilted his head to the side. “A choice between never finding a spouse, because we are deemed unworthy, and suffering through endless hours of playing piano and studying. How fair.”

“So you see studying as a suffering, Mr. Solace?” Mr. di Angelo asked.

“No, I do not. I see playing piano as a suffering, not only to myself, but to anyone forced to listen to me. Unlike my younger siblings, I have never managed to get the hang of it.”

“That’s clever, Mr. Solace. When you put yourself down, you make others want to know whether you are as terrible as you say, or you are just too humble. In any case, you increase other’s interest in you.”

“You are very suspicious, Mr. di Angelo. When you do that, you make others wonder what has happened to you to make you such, and whether there’s more to you than that. In any case, you increase other’s interest in you.”

Mr. di Angelo blinked, slowly, as though he wasn’t sure he had heard Will’s words right. Will, on his part, recalled every lesson Aphrodite had ever given him on how to be a perfect Omega, and kept a cordial and innocent smile on his face.

“That was very beautiful to watch,” Mr. Jackson said, his chin resting on his fist as he watched the spectacle unfold. “I have never seen Nico speaking so many words to someone he barely knows.”

“Dear,” Mrs. Jackson said, moving a piece on the board. “Let the boys be.”

Mr. Jackson’s smile widened, but he didn’t look away from Will. “You see,” he said. “I have known Nico for so long, he is almost like a son to me.”

“You are barely three years older than me, Jackson,” Mr. di Angelo said, resuming his writing.

“I have three years of experience on you, yes,” Mr. Jackson replied, continuing as though he had never been interrupted. “Truth be told, I have a younger sister by blood. You have many younger siblings yourself, don’t you, Mr. Solace?”

“You have met them all, Percy,” Mr. di Angelo said, but his words sounded gritted through his teeth.

For some reason, Miss Grace scoffed. “I can’t recall half their names.”

“You haven’t met them all, Mr. Jackson,” Will said, ignoring Miss Grace’s intervention. “My youngest brother is too young to be a part of society.”

Mr. Grace smiled. “Jonathan, yes? Your sister has talked about him.”

“I’m not surprised,” Will said. “She has always had a soft spot for him. Everyone in our house does.”

“It must be hard, living under the same roof as so many people,” Miss Grace said. “We’ve been here together for a week, and I already want to buy a house for myself.”

“My, thank you, cousin,” Mr. Jackson said.

“Not really,” Will said. “At the begging it wasn’t easy, but it was more about our new relationship with our step-parent, than that with our step-siblings. After all, I had known them my whole life.”

Mrs. Jackson smiled. “It must have been hard for your parents, too.”

“They had been friends before their marriage, too,” Will said simply. He didn’t add that their marriage had dimmed such friendship to barely kept civility with one another.

 Will had thought that a group of Alphas wouldn’t have much to talk about, if not politics and their riches (and also which Omegas they found more appealing) but that particular group seemed to do. During dinner, Mrs. Jackson asked about Mr. di Angelo’s sister.

“She is an Omega,” Mr. Grace quietly told Will. “She is a lovely girl.”

“Why has she not come with you?”

Mr. Grace leaned closer. “Mr. di Angelo had planned for her to come, too, but she has chosen to stay at Pemberley House. And I have to admit, it is a good thing.”

“It is?”

An apologetic smile tugged Mr. Grace’s lips upward. “Forgive me, Mr. Solace, but I have said too much.”

After Mr. Grace leaned back in his seat, Will didn’t have the possibility to talk to him anymore.

 On the third day of Will’s stay at Netherfield, Piper was finally well-enough to travel, and Mr. Grace offered them to travel with his carriage. Piper accepted with a shy smile, and Mr. Grace blushed beyond reason.

They walked outside, and found Mr. and Mrs. Jackson with Miss Grace, already waiting to bid them goodbye.

“Mr. Grace and Mr. di Angelo will come with you,” Mrs. Jackson said, squeezing Will’s hands. “It was a pleasure having you here. Both of you. I wish it hadn’t been under such circumstances, but I’ll look forward to having you again.”

Mr. Jackson smiled, putting his arm around Mrs. Jackson’s waist. “You can’t invite people to others’ houses. Although I do agree, and I’d like for you to visit us soon.”

“It would be our pleasure,” Piper said.

Mr. Grace opened the door for them, and he and Piper stayed there, for a few seconds, just looking into one another’s eyes.

Mr. di Angelo, on the other side of the door, offered Will his hand, as soon as he walked close to the steps. Will, only because he had been raised with manners and wasn’t rude, accepted the hand. However, when he took it, he saw how Mr. di Angelo’s body reacted, as though he were fighting the urge to flee. Had it been a sort of challenge? He had to have thought Will wouldn’t have accepted.

His hand was cold, a bit calloused, although Will hadn’t seen him spending time outside, or engaging in practical activity. In reality, during their stay, Mr. di Angelo always seemed to be inside, almost following Will around, as though he were afraid he was a thief.

“Thank you, Mr. di Angelo,” Will said, finally sitting down.

Mr. di Angelo’s expression fell back to his usual bored one. He didn’t even bow his head at Will, nor in any way replied, only took a couple of steps back, looked down at his hand, flexed his fingers, and quickly walked away.

The doors of Netherfield closed behind him, and the carriage started. Will hadn’t even noticed Piper entering.

 “He will be here tomorrow morning,” Drew said, all siblings on only one bed, when the night had long since fallen. “Father didn’t want us to know.”

Mitchell stretched his legs, and they ended up over Will’s and Kayla’s lap. “How do you know, then?”

“We heard him talking to the steward,” Kayla replied. She threw an apologetic glance at Piper. “We didn’t want to eavesdrop, of course.”

“Of course,” Drew echoed, but her smile wasn’t apologetic at all, and she rolled her eyes.

Kayla looked at Piper as though she were the best thing to have ever happened to the whole world, Drew tried to be as different from her as she could. When she was younger, Piper couldn’t find much to like in Drew, either. The loss of their oldest sister had hit them in different ways.

“Don’t you find it strange to think?” Austin asked. “We have grown up in this house. Jonathan is still doing so. How can he just come and get it?”

“It’s not strange, it has happened to other before. Mr. Markowitz’s Alpha father was the cousin of the previous owner, who didn’t have any Alpha nor Beta heir,” Will said, a knot slowly tightening his throat. He gulped, but it didn’t loosen at all. “And no one bat an eye.”

Piper’s head fell on his shoulder. Jonathan was asleep in her lap, his mouth hanging open. “We don’t know him yet, he might surprise us.”

“Right, he might want to keep a harem of Omegas in his house,” Will said.

Lacy widened her eyes, her jaw falling slack. Piper took her hand between her own, shaking her head.

“Will is only joking,” she said. “We can’t know anything without knowing him first.”

Will chuckled. “Although he is a man called Octavian Caesar. We can’t expect him to be humble or pleasant, can we?”

 Will was proved right the very next morning. Mr. Caesar spent breakfast talking of novels, and how they were deceiving.

“Your considerations are so interesting, Mr. Caesar,” Will said, his innocent Omega smile on display. “I wonder whether your salmons are half as much.”

If looks could kill, Will would have already been dead. However, since they could not, he could keep on enjoying his breakfast, even with Mrs. Solace glaring in his direction. Mr. Solace brought the calix to his lips, hiding a smile. Mitchell openly laughed.

“I have been told that they are, Mr. Solace,” Mr. Caesar said. His voice was monotone, no emotion ever filtered through his words. “In the evening, I often enjoy reading the classics, although I much prefer the Holy Bible.”

“Completely understandable,” Will said, nodding his head.

Mitchell snickered, as Drew turned her red face away from the others’ sight. Her shoulders shook, but she didn’t emit any sound. Kayla was equally red in the face, but she managed to stay more composed.

“Thank you, William,” Mr. Caesar said. “May I call you that?”

Will smiled. “I would prefer to keep formalities, Mr. Caesar.”

Aphrodite’s fork fell in her plate, with a loud clang that resonated in the silent room. For a long moment, as he chewed with red cheeks, Will believed that he could even hear the dust settling.

“As you wish, Mr. Solace,” Mr. Caesar said, although he looked a bit constipated. He turned to Mrs. Solace. “May I ask which one of my cousins I have to thank for this well-cooked meal?”

Her smile turned sharper around the edges. “We are comfortably able to have a cook.”

“Does that mean none of them can cook, Mrs. Solace?” Mr. Caesar continued.

Maybe looks couldn’t kill, but Will wasn’t as sure about Mrs. Solace’s smile.

“No well-instructed Omega would spend their time in such a way,” she said.

Mr. Caesar dropped the matter.

 Whenever the siblings went, whatever they wanted to do, Mr. Caesar was watching like a hawk from behind their shoulders, giving unwanted comments to unwelcoming ears. He was a dark shadow of despair.

One of Will’s hobbies, if it could be called that, was gardening. He liked growing flowers and plants to put in his teas and infusions. Even the doctor had asked for the recipes of some of his pharmaceutic creams.

He usually cultivated this hobby twice a day, in the morning and late in the evening, when his younger siblings were studying with Mrs. Solace, helped by Piper. Sometimes he had to help them, too, but most of the time he was left alone. He wasn’t patient enough to deal with them.

With Mr. Caesar in the house, he found himself with no free time to care of his plants in peace. The first day, Mr. Caesar followed Will in the garden, his breath constantly on the back of Will’s neck, as he gave many unwanted (and also untrue) tips.

The second day, Will woke up with the sun, and sneaked outside. He found his usual peace, and when he was done, he was much calmer and satisfied.

When he turned, his eyes met his father’s, who was watching him from his studio, and gestured for his son to reach him.

Will walked through the house without making a noise, and hoped he wouldn’t meet Mrs. Solace. She would have fainted, if she had seen the dirt on his fingers. And Mitchell would have either been disgusted or thrown a tantrum, but it was too early for him to be up.

“Were you calling me?” Will asked, pocking his head in the studio.

Mr. Solace nodded, but didn’t other move as Will sat in front of him. He kept his fingers intertwined on his lap, and simply watched Will. Sometimes he did. He looked at Will, and he thought of his siblings and his mother, and Will let him.

“I saw you in the garden,” Mr. Solace said. “I always wonder who you got it from. Neither me nor your mother ever liked caring for plants. Your mother always forgot to water them, and thought they would still be alive when she returned to them much later.”

In one of his books, Will had read that plants were much like feelings, that needed to be nurtured and treated every day. Maybe his mother had thought that Will would be waiting for her, young and in blossom, the same way she had thought her plants would.

Mr. Solace had fallen for his first wife quickly, and asked her to marry him, even if it wouldn��t bring him any benefit. Not only did they marry, but they also mated, a bond which would never break. However, Mr. Solace had wanted children, and since his wife didn’t want to carry them, as she was too frail of health, they had adopted. They had adopted two at the same time, and they had both been Alphas. A little later, they also decided to adopt another, thinking another child might bring them only pure happiness.

His mother had faded right before their eyes.

“What do you think of Mr. Caesar?” Will asked, willing the lump in his throat away.

“He seems very self-absolved, doesn’t he?” Mr. Solace chuckled, the crinkles at the corner of his eyes deepened. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. “When I die, whether you are still in this house or not, destroy it as much as you can. The thought of him keeping it makes my skin crawl.”

 The Solaces met with Mr. Grace and his companions after the Mass. It had been a terrible experience for Will, who was forced to sit next to Mr. Caesar, and suffer through his comments, all his ‘A beautiful salmon, but I would have changed this into that, and that into this,’ with escape nor hope to do so.

When he was finally outside, Mrs. Solace brought them over by Mr. Grace, who was talking with Mr. Jackson.

“Mrs. Jackson isn’t with you, Mr. Jackson?” Will later asked Mr. Jackson, as Mr. Grace and Piper did their strange dancing around each other, as they always did when they were together, and Mrs. Solace was embarrassing them both in ways Will didn’t want to listen to.

“Please, don’t try to seduce me just because my wife isn’t here,” Mr. Jackson replied in a teasing tone.

Will only shook his head. In the days spent at Netherfield, he had come to know that Mr. Jackson was often sarcastic, teasing people whenever the possibility presented itself, but with no ill-intent.

“I find your wife far more appealing,” Will said quietly, so that his siblings wouldn’t hear and report back to Mrs. Solace. “Her I would certainly try to seduce. You, on the other hand, Mr. Jackson, not so much.”

Mr. di Angelo’s stoic face contorted into a strange expression, and he quickly turned away. At least he was learning to hide his disgust, or so Will thought to himself, as Mr. di Angelo’s shoulders shook as though he were shivering.

“My wife and I are waiting your next visit,” Mr. Jackson said. He threw a glance at Mr. Grace and Piper, not far from them, still talking in hushed tones. “So is my cousin.”

Will smiled. “Maybe you should invite us,” he suggested.

“You can’t invite people over at someone else’s house, Jackson,” Mr. di Angelo said, his face back to being stoic.

Mr. Jackson laughed. “Excuse him,” he told Will, whose blood was flowing in irritation. “Today he isn’t feeling well.”

“That’s not true,” Mr. di Angelo immediately said. “Today I feel rather well, far more than I usually do, as a matter of fact.”

Mr. Jackson smiled in a way that said he knew far more than anyone else. “And I wonder why that is.”

Will lost Mr. di Angelo’s response, as he noticed Mitchell and Kayla going back to where Mr. Grace and Piper were standing, with Mrs. Solace watching it all unfold before her eyes. Will excused himself from the conversation, to reach them, and possibly put Piper out of the misery she seemed in.

“–it unfair?” Drew was saying, smoothening her gown, a little pout curling her lips. “Piper has seen Netherfield, and this I can understand. But William, too?”

“Of course you are always welcome in Netherfield,” Mr. Grace said.

It seemed the right thing to say, as Drew’s mood lifted visibly. “Then it is decided! We must visit!”

Mrs. Solace giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hand. Piper looked ready to be sent to Heaven.

“Please Drew, don’t invite yourself to other people’s houses,” Will said. He took her hand, and peeled her away from Mr. Grace’s side.

“It’s no problem at all,” Mr. Grace said. “And it would also be a pleasure to have all of you over. Mr. Solace, too.”

“Oh, he is right there, if you have anything to ask him,” Mrs. Solace said. “Wouldn’t it be nice, if you were comfortable enough when you talk to him, that asking questions one would otherwise be nervous about, such as matters of love, didn’t make you nervous at all, Mr. Grace?”

Piper’s cheeks seemed to be on fire. “Mother, please,” she muttered.

Mr. Grace wasn’t much better, his eyes fixed on Mr. Solace’s back. “Is it little Jonathan with him?”

“Yes, our youngest child,” Aphrodite said. “He will be so pretty when he grows up, I already know. He’ll have as many Alphas at his beck and call as my Piper does.”

Piper blushed a deeper red. “That is completely untrue.”

A frown appeared on Mr. Grace’s face, but it smoothed away on its own. “I will formally ask your husband to come to dinner,” he told Mrs. Solace. “If you’ll excuse me.”

 Dinner was a tremendous affair.

Will could stand his family’s antics. At balls, they were generally scattered around, and he didn’t have to suffer through seeing them humiliate themselves all at once. When they went to dinner with people of their neighborhood, their personalities were already known. No one was surprised by Mr. Solace’s sarcasm, Mrs. Solace’s long ill-talks about her friends, nor by his siblings’ lacking manners.

What he couldn’t stand, was Mr. Caesar’s additional antics. Since he was their guest, it wouldn’t have been polite to leave him home alone when they were all invited to another’s house, so they had been forced to bring him along.

Unfortunately, he had also recognized Mr. di Angelo as his patron Lady Demeter’s grandson. Will found himself sitting between Mr. Caesar and Jonathan, Mr. di Angelo in front of Mr. Caesar, and Jonathan next to him. Will hated to admit it, but he had ended up in the sad part of the table.

Mr. di Angelo seemed to share his opinion, as he looked into his plate as though afraid it would disappear if he didn’t, and Mr. Caesar kept on talking. Mainly about himself. Jonathan was the first of them to grow tired of him, as he turned to look at Mr. di Angelo next to him, and cleared his throat, also interrupting Mr. Caesar, who sputtered with indignation.

“Where are you from?” Jonathan simply asked him.

Mr. di Angelo’s eyebrow rose. “Derbyshire.”

“You name doesn’t come from there. My mother told me.” Jonathan took a sip of water, wrinkling his nose as he drank.

“Jonathan, be polite,” Will reprimanded him. He (Piper, too, but secretly) was hoping to instruct him well enough in manners.

“Mr. di Angelo,” Jonathan said, turning back to said Mr. di Angelo. “Your name does not come from here. Am I right?” He looked back at Will, as though asking for approval, and Will nodded. Jonathan’s shoulders visibly relaxed.

“You are right, Mr. Solace,” Mr. di Angelo said. A glint Will had never seen before shone in those dark eyes. Jonathan giggled. “My name comes from Italy, as my mother did. She lived in Venice.”

Jonathan hang off every word Mr. di Angelo pronounced, even when he was only replying to Mr. Caesar’s questions about the well-being of his family. Mr. Caesar actually seemed to know more about the topic than Mr. di Angelo did, as he had been away from them for less time. Mr. di Angelo managed to look annoyed at Mr. Caesar’s questions, even though his face was carefully blank. Usually only boredom slipped through the cracks of his mask. It irked Will the wrong way.

After dinner they moved to the parlor, and Will found himself sitting beside Mr. and Miss Grace, Mr. and Mrs. Solace with Mr. di Angelo on the sofa in front of them. Piper was at the piano, playing it with the ease Will lacked, but also not with Austin and Kayla’s skills. Mrs. and Mr. Jackson were offering the other siblings a tour of the house. Will wasn’t sure where Mr. Caesar had gone, but he surely didn’t want to know.

“You see,” Mrs. Solace quietly told Mr. Grace. “Some years ago, when my dear Piper was only fifteen, an Alpha took an interest in her.”

Will met Mr. Solace’s eyes, begging him to stop his wife before it was too late, but Mr. Solace was already wearing a resigned expression.

“He wrote some very good sonnets dedicated to her and her beauty,” she continued, with the tone one would use to talk about the greatest of news. “I still have them somewhere.”

“As one could have imagined,” Will smoothly cut her off. “Those sonnets killed the romance.”

“Shouldn’t sonnets and poetry feed romance?” Mr. di Angelo asked, with the tone of someone who already had their answer, and no intention of listening to anyone else’s.

“If it is already strong,” Will replied. “Otherwise, the spark dies, leaving nothing behind.”

“Wouldn’t that make love an ephemeral spark?”

“Love is a flame, romance a spark. The flame comes from the spark, only if one keeps the second alive, otherwise it dies.”

Mr. di Angelo seemed ready to answer, but Mr. Grace’s low chuckles interrupted the two of them. Will realized that the whole room had fallen into silence, watching the two of them as though enjoying a play at the theatre.

“Forgive me,” Mr. Grace said. “But you two always amuse me.” He looked back at Mrs. Solace, with which he seemed to find himself more comfortable with than Mr. Solace. “I’m afraid your son and my friend don’t get along much.”

“That’s not surprising,” Mrs. Solace said, pettiness written all over her face, as she hadn’t yet forgiven Mr. di Angelo’s words about Will at the assembly rooms. “They are very different, after all.”

 “Why do you dislike Mr. di Angelo so much?” Piper asked him when they were laying side by side in bed.

“He’s rude and prideful.”

“That doesn’t make him a bad man.”

“And what about the things he has done to Mr. Lawrence?” Will asked. “Doesn’t that raise any concern to you?”

“You have only heard Mr. Lawrence’s side of the story. And even before that, you didn’t like Mr. di Angelo.”

“He’s far kinder than Mr. di Angelo, that’s for sure. And I don’t think hearing the other side of the story would make me any less disgusted. You are naïve, sometimes.”

“And you judgmental. Mr. Grace is kind, and he is a dear friend to Mr. di Angelo, does that mean nothing in your eyes?”

“They are cousins, of course they need to be friends. That’s the explanation that I gave myself, or at least the preferable one, the other being that Mr. Grace is actually just another Mr. di Angelo disguised as a sheep.”

Will could see Piper rolling her eyes even if the darkness.

“A wolf disguised as a sheep, if anything. I don’t think Mr. di Angelo would ever willingly dress himself as a sheep. And we are cousins to Mr. Caesar, but I don’t see you trying to be his friend.” There was a long pause, and Will thought that Piper had fallen asleep, when her voice reached him again. “One day you’ll see that there’s always more than meets the eye, and maybe you’ll regret disliking Mr. di Angelo so much. Mr. Grace told me he is a good friend to him.”

“Poor Mr. Grace,” was Will’s last comment, before Piper bid him goodnight with a loud sigh. “He must have had terrible experiences in friendships.”

 Lou Ellen glared at Mr. Lawrence, but he didn’t move from his spot next to Drew. She had been watching their moves like a hawk, ever since she had sat with Will at the table near the window.

“You have no right to be jealous,” Will told her, stirring the tea in his cup. “She doesn’t know you fancy her.”

“I wouldn’t even if she did,” Lou Ellen said.

Mitchell and Drew had convinced Mr. Grace to hold a ball at Netherfield, not that it had been hard. He was convinced the second Drew said ‘Piper always has so much fun at balls’. At the moment, Drew was with Piper, Austin and Kayla, buying some ribbons to go with their dresses. Drew had invited Mr. Lawrence to go with them, as soon as she had recognized him on the street.

“You should ask her to dance with you tonight,” Will said. “Before Mr. Lawrence does.”

“You should worry about Mr. Caesar, who never leaves you alone.”

Will rolled his eyes. “He has no second intention. He is just a strange man.”

“Aren’t you the same one who says Alphas that give more than a second glance to Omegas, do so because they want to bed them?”

Before Will could respond, Mr. Grace entered the shop, the dark shadow that was Mr. di Angelo right behind him. Will had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

“Do not turn,” he quietly told Lou Ellen. “But Mr. di Angelo and Mr. Grace are here.”

Lou Ellen promptly turned, giving the both of them a bright smile. They stood to greet Mr. Grace and Mr. di Angelo, who bowed their heads right back. When Mr. Grace asked to sit with them, Mr. di Angelo sent him a glare that screamed betrayal.

“Of course,” Lou Ellen said. “It would be our pleasure, Mr. Grace.”

“I hope we will see each other at the ball, tomorrow,” Mr. Grace said.

Will smiled. “Of course. I wanted to sincerely apologize for my siblings’ manners, or lack of thereof. Sometimes, they don’t realize how they are acting.”

Mr. Grace reassured Will, but Mr. di Angelo’s attention had been caught by something outside the window, and when Will followed his gaze, he realized he was watching Piper and Mr. Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence’s confession came back to Will’s mind in full force, and he had to fight against the anger clawing in his chest.

“Mr. Lawrence,” Will said. “I heard you already know him, Mr. di Angelo.”

Mr. di Angelo startled, hitting the table with his knee. Mr. Grace’s attention quickly shifted to him, as did Lou Ellen’s.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Mr. di Angelo said, before standing and leaving quickly.

“What did you tell him?” Lou Ellen asked, crossing her arms on the chest.

“Nothing,” Will said. “I only noticed that he was watching my siblings on the other side of the road, and I told him who the man with them was.”

Mr. Grace looked over at Will’s siblings, squinting his eyes. “Oh, I don’t think Nico knows him. He probably remembered about something he needs to do.”

So Will had his confirmation, that Mr. Grace simply didn’t know much of Mr. di Angelo, especially what type of man he was, to steal from someone for simple pettiness.

“He seems so mysterious,” Lou Ellen said. “Mr. di Angelo, I mean. No one seems to know a thing about him.”

Mr. Grace scratched his neck, a shy smile on his face. “He doesn’t like it when people pay him too much attention.”

Will had to restrict himself from scoffing. As if. Mr. di Angelo had proved himself to a be a prideful and arrogant man, time and time again. He was the type of man who would have walked into a duel without a gun, believing himself that much better than his opponent. He wasn’t the first Alpha of the type that Will had met, although he was the first to make flames spark in his chest.

 The ball was absolutely beautiful. Unluckily, it didn’t seem like Will would be enjoying the night. As soon as he had tried to reach Lou Ellen and Cecil, Mr. Caesar had attached himself to Will’s side, as though afraid to leave him.

Once more, Mr. Caesar thought himself in need of congratulating Mr. di Angelo on both his family and his achievement. Mr. di Angelo didn’t seem pleased in the slightest, but Will took the possibility, and escaped.

“You won’t believe what is happening,” Cecil said, as soon as Will reached him.

Before Will could give a response, Cecil turned him by force, so that he would face the dance floor, where Lou Ellen and Drew were twirling together.

“How has that happened?” Will asked, in complete delight.

Cecil laughed. “I told Lou Ellen I was about to ask Drew to dance, and that I planned to see whether we had what we needed to mate.”

“Oh, good Lord, that’s disgusting,” Will said.

“How is that the point? Lou Ellen got offended and told me to know my place.”

Will laughed. “It’s disgusting because the thought of any of my sibling with you, makes me want to puke, Mr. Markowitz.”

It was later, when Will and Cecil were resting on the sidelines with Kayla and Austin, that Mr. Caesar found him again, and revealed, as his pale, blue eyes never left Will’s, that he planned on enjoying the night in Will’s company.

“After all,” Mr. Caesar continued, ignoring how Austin and Kayla were holding onto each other, shaking with silent laughter. “I have been told many times that I have a very light footage, perfect for dancing.” He offered Will his hand, too fast, barely missing sticking it in his face. “If you’ll concede me the honor of proving myself.”

And as they walked to the dance ground, Will looked back at his siblings and his friend, but they were all laughing at him. He even caught Mr. di Angelo’s eyes, and he seemed amused plenty.

Another dance began, and Will positioned himself next to Piper. She was dancing with Mr. Grace, and she seemed to share his pain when she saw who had come with him. As they moved, Will found himself following two conversations, separated from one only to continue the other.

“You won’t believe what I heard,” Piper told him quietly. “Mr. Lawrence–”

“You see, Mr. Solace, my patron, Lady Demeter, she wishes for me to–” Mr. Caesar started.

“–Mr. Grace had invited him, but he had to return to London abruptly–”

“–take a spouse, she is a traditionalist, and I couldn’t help but come to–”

“–and I was told that he actually wanted to come, but then–”

“–Longbourn with the desire of finding my spouse amongst one of my cousins–”

“–Mr. di Angelo went in search of him, and after their talk he disappeared.”

Will missed a step, and stumbled. He turned to Piper, but she had already moved, while Mr. Caesar was looking around, confused as to where his partner had gone. However, the song had come to an end, and Will sneaked off the dance room.

Austin was sitting at the piano with Mitchell, whose head rested on his shoulder. As Austin played the piano flawlessly, Lacy screeched obnoxiously, in what she thought was a perfect example of good singing. Mitchell’s shoulders shook, and his face was red. Although he was laughing like a madman, poor Lacy didn’t have a clue.

Will walked to the side of the room, where Mr. Solace was quietly enjoying the show.

“Father,” Will pleaded him. “Can you do something before they humiliate themselves and us further?”

Mr. Solace sighed. “They are only having fun.”

“Father,” Will said again.

Mr. Solace shook his head. “You will be the death of me,” he said, but he moved, and less than a minute later, another Omega girl had sat at the piano.

Will avoided the stairs, where Mrs. Solace was talking animatedly and loudly to Mrs. Blackstone and Mr. Wakefield about what a beneficial wedding Piper would have. To avoid being seen by Mr. Caesar, Will had to step aside, and walked into Mr. di Angelo.

Mr. di Angelo looked at him, the imperious eyebrow raised. If Will had some more of his family pettiness in himself, he would have told Mr. di Angelo to have it checked by a doctor.

“Mr. Solace,” Mr. di Angelo said, with a quick bow of his head.

“Mr. di Angelo.” Will waited for Mr. di Angelo to say something else, or to move out of the way, but when he didn’t, he took it upon himself to talk. “It is a beautiful ball.”

“Yes,” Mr. di Angelo said, as though it had been a question. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“I am,” Will said, and only later realized it wasn’t the truth. “Are you?”

“I rarely enjoy myself at balls.”

“Then do you come to make sure everyone else is as miserable as you, Mr. di Angelo?”

“I never said I was miserable. Not enjoying myself doesn’t equal them. If I were miserable, I would make sure to mask it, as to not offend anyone.” Mr. di Angelo tilted his head, almost exposing his neck. While Omega showed theirs, Alphas and Betas usually kept it covered. “As to why I come, I am respectful enough to not ignore people’s invitation. In this particular case, wouldn’t it be even worse, being in a room alone when I can hear the music and others?”

Will’s next words were proof that he had indeed some of his family’s pettiness. He smiled, so sweet it was saccharine. “Music you wouldn’t dance to, because the company isn’t pretty enough for you?”

Mr. di Angelo had the audacity of blushing. Will found a particular kind of pleasure in it, that slowed his heart and relaxed his muscles.

“The company is pretty plenty,” Mr. di Angelo said, as though the words were crawling their way out of his throat. He looked at the other side of the room, before squaring his shoulders, and turning to a confused Will, to say: “Would you dance with me?”

And Will, as he wasn’t one to back down from a challenge, gratefully accepted.

 Mr. di Angelo’s heart was beating wildly, and Will could hear it even above the music. Maybe he really didn’t like having people’s attention on himself, and everyone’s eyes were on them. Mr. di Angelo had only ever danced with his group, after all.

“Life in the countryside must be boring to you,” Will said. The imperious eyebrow rose, and he had to restrain himself from stomping his foot, preferably on Mr. di Angelo’s. “If you are used to the city.”

“Different, but not boring,” Mr. di Angelo said. He added, as if it were an afterthought, “I thought it would be.”

“Maybe because you moved with a group,” Will said. “Everything is more enjoyable that way.”

“If that is what you think, being in such a big family must be a pleasure to you.”

“A group to move with can be chosen.” Will sent a glance at Mitchell, who was chatting up a man in the corner of the room. “However, family can’t.”

Mr. di Angelo followed his gaze. For a moment, something like understanding filled his eyes.

Their dance came to an end. Will had to admit that Mr. di Angelo wasn’t a terrible dancer, but he also had to remind himself that it didn’t make him any less of a terrible person. Mr. Lawrence’s story was proof of that.

 Mrs. Solace had drunk too much at the ball, and to escape her and her nerves, Piper, Will and Drew escaped to the fields. They went out before breakfast, Will didn’t even have time to tame his curls or to wash his hands after caring for his plants. Drew and Piper appeared at the door, and Drew put a hand on his mouth before he could protest. Piper had a basket in her hands.

“We are escaping,” Drew whispered. “You can come with us, or forget we have ever existed.”

Right that moment, Mrs. Solace’s cry of despair reached their ears. Piper flinched. Will took a decision, and they ran before anyone else could notice they weren’t in bed, buried under their furs.

So they sat on a blanket by the river, the rising sun turning the sky pink. They chatted, but the silence would have been filled by the birds’ chirping and the river flowing, if they hadn’t.

“How was it, dancing with Lou Ellen?” Piper asked Drew.

Something shut in Drew’s face, and she turned to Will, as though unsure on what she should respond.

“You know she has fancied you for years, right?” Will asked.

Drew’s eyes filled with wonder, as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She tilted her head to the side, and for once she looked her age, and so beautiful and confident in her skin. “She does?”

Will’s smile turned softer. “Of course she does. Why do you think she has kept me around for so long? She just wants to know about you.”

“I liked it,” Drew revealed. She avoided both Piper’s and Will’s eyes, instead focusing on the slice of cheese in her hands. “I liked dancing with Lou Ellen.”

“She is a good Beta,” Piper said.

Drew rolled her eyes, shrugging with only one shoulder. “Whatever.” She couldn’t hide the smile on her face.

“What about Mr. Grace?” Will asked Piper. “Do you think he has the intention of marrying you?” He knew the answer already.

Piper blushed to the tip of her ears. “I wouldn’t know.”

“Have you never talked about the future?” Drew asked. She narrowed her eyes. “What do you spend so much time together for, if you don’t even talk?”

“We talk plenty,” Piper defended herself. “What I mean, is that I don’t know whether he sees that for our future.”

“What will you answer when he asks?” Will asked.

Drew giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, while Piper rolled her eyes, and corrected him.

“If he asks.” She looked down at her hands, and smiled. “I would say yes.”

 “I want you to know,” Mr. Solace told Will, as soon as he, Piper and Drew walked in the house. “That I will not force you.”

“But it’s the only way,” Mrs. Solace added, her enchanting smile a force of destruction. “So you will know what to say, for your family.”

Mr. Solace exhaled sharply, but Will interrupted them before it could evolve into a real fight.

“What is going on?” He asked.

Neither of them had time to respond. Mr. Caesar arrived from the stairs, peeling Jonathan’s grabby hands off himself. Jonathan, who smelled distressed, and had tears running down his face.

Will kneeled, and Jonathan ran past Mr. Caesar, throwing himself at Will, muttering about not going, not leaving. Mrs. Solace bent down, trying to take him. He had his face hidden in Will’s neck, scenting him heavily before giving up, and letting go.

“Would you accompany me for a walk?” Mr. Caesar asked, and it took Will a moment to realize that he was the one being talked to.

Will searched for his father’s eyes, but he looked away. Mrs. Solace looked far more delighted than she had sounded in the morning. She hadn’t looked so happy in years. She accepted Mr. Caesar’s offer for him, pushing Will out of the door, and he didn’t even realize until the sun was shining in his eyes.

Mr. Caesar walked closer, but Will took off walking before he could offer his arm. They hadn’t even reached the gates when Mr. Caesar started talking.

“As I tried telling you yesterday night, I have been wanting to take a spouse,” he said. Will stumbled, his throat dry. Mr. Caesar didn’t even notice. “When I came here, it was with the idea of finding one amongst my cousins. I would have preferred to take a female one, as I have always found the adoption practice quite tedious.”

“Mr. Caesar–”

“There are many reasons I find the union between us will be beneficial. The first, I am a very generous man, you would never need anything, so long as you are with me. The second–”

“Mr. Caesar, I–”

“–I am a clergyman, I live by the rules of the Lord, which bring me to–”

“Mr. Caesar,” Will interrupted him again, stopping in his tracks, and the other had no choice but to notice, and stop, too. “I haven’t said I would marry you.”

Mr. Caesar blinked. “Are you one of those who wish to hear the question?”

“There’s no need for that,” Will said. His heart was beating so loudly, he was sure Mr. Caesar could hear, too. “I already know my answer. And it is a no. I won’t marry you.”

Mr. Caesar blinked again, furrowing his eyebrows. “You won’t marry me.”

“No, I won’t. I have no intention to do so.” Will took a step back, without breaking eye-contact. “Apologies for wasting your time and attention. I would ask you not to follow me.”

Will turned, and didn’t wait a second more before he started running. He passed through the gates. Behind him, the door of the house opened, and Mrs. Solace ran after him, shouting about what an ungrateful son he was.

 Mr. Caesar and his belonging were gone by the time Will returned home. Kayla said that he had left as soon as Will had ran away. Mitchell laughed when they met in the bedroom, but he was ignored in favor of Austin and Piper on the bed. The scent of distress was hanging in every corner of the room.

“I’m sorry for the house,” Will blurted out, falling on the bed. “But I couldn’t marry him, I don’t–”

“Will,” Austin interrupted him, shaking his head. Piper’s head stayed in the crook of his neck. “It’s not that.”

Austin offered Will a crumpled letter. Will’s fingers shook when he opened it, and smoothed it out. It was from Mrs. Jackson.

Will had to reread several times before he finally understood. She said they had returned to London, and didn’t know when–nor whether–they would be back. Mr. Grace had some urgent business in the city.

In the meantime, I would hope to keep a correspondence with you. I have found a friend in you, and it would break my heart to lose that.

Mrs. Jackson.

PS: my husband says he will miss you, too.

[spacesunflcwer]

reasons why i love pride & prejudice, specifically the 1995 adaptation

(ok when i started this i was going for a list of reasons but it ended up more like live commentary of the series oops)

it's so accurate???!? i read the book for the first time after having seen the miniseries like 4 times and i was stunned by how identical the dialogue was

"oH mr bEnNEt"

literally all of mr and mrs bennet's dialogue is hilarious. she's such a drama queen and he's just there like please shut up but also sassy

mr darcy at the first ball is literally like a socially awkward emo teenager who hates everything whose mum (mr bingley) is encouraging to be more social and make friends lmao

when mr darcy compliments lizzy's eyes to miss bingley and she's so offended..... she's like wtf fitzwilliam how dare you appreciate a peasant??!?

elizabeth "i promise i shall never dance with [mr darcy]" bennet hahaha think again lizzy

when jane gets invited by miss bingley and mrs bennet is like go on horseback because it looks like raining so you'll spend the night lmao this woman is ready to do anything to see her daughters married huh

all the awkward encounters between elizabeth and darcy when she goes to netherfield like when she walks into the biliard room and they just stare at each other until she leaves lmao

that scene when they're all in the drawing room and miss bingley is like let's go for a walk around the room to refresh ourselves lmao people in the 19th century were really bored huh

the amount of tension between lizzy and darcy when they have that conversation about pride sksksksks

mrs bennet sure knows how to throw shade (at darcy) lmao

MR COLLINS

i really dislike him because he's so annoying but he's also so stupid and full of himself in a funny way it's hilarious i love it lmao

i literally lose it every time he mentions lady catherine de bourgh which is A LOT

just the tone in his voice when he says is so funny to me

for real why didn't mr collins go for mary she's literally the female equivalent of him like.....

oh wait i know why misogyny lmao

you know, i'm not going to talk about wickham because fuck him

the netherfield ball!!!!!

when miss bingley goes up to lizzy to diss wickham and lizzy looks so ready to cut a bitch lmao

when mr collins goes up to darcy to talk about lady catherine and lizzy and jane are like oh god oh fuck someone stop him shit it's too late and then darcy is like *read at 7:39pm* ajsnsjsks

ok but when mrs hurst goes and plays the piano that was amazing i don't like her but that was really good

mr collins's proposal. just. when he's like "let me tell you the reasons why i want to marry. and then the reasons why i want to marry you specifically" like pull out a whole powerpoint presentation why don't you

oh and OF COURSE lady catherine de bourgh is amongst the reasons ("that should have been the first reason actually")

when lizzy says no for like the second time and he's like "ah but a lot of times women refuse when they really mean to accept" unfortunately not much has changed in the way of men has it, no means no!!!

"if you do not accept his proposal, your mother will never see you again. and if you do accept his proposal, i will never see you again" i'd forgotten how much i love mr bennet he's so great

when lizzy finds out he proposed to charlotte and charlotte accepted and she's like BITCH WHAT THE FUCK

literally fuck miss bingley what a bitch. let jane be happy!!! fuck you

oh my g o d when they go to visit charlotte and mr collins and he starts going on about the STAIRS and how their steepness is ideal and the closet in lizzy's and how lady catherine suggested they put shelves in and cOuSiN eLIzAbEth LoOk hOw prAcTicAL iT iS laDy cAthEriNe tHinKs oF evErYtHinG shE's sO gOod tO uS

lmao when charlotte is like yeah i like my life most days we barely even see each other

when they go to rosings park and mr collins won't shut up about the 64 windows of the house and how amazing they are

lmao when lady catherine asks lizzy something and then turns away and lizzy CONTINUES TALKING and lady catherine just turns slowly like bitch wtf did i allow you to keep talking

when darcy won't stop STARING AT HER (because he's so in love) and she's there like wtf

the scene at the piano omg the amount of romantic tension between them and the staring at each other again god help me i love them so much

lmfao when mr darcy randomly visits lizzy and just sits with her for like 5 minutes and then gets up and leaves mood tbh

i will never get tired of the love confession scene tbh he goes in and literally walks around the room sits down gets up walks around some more for like 5 minutes before he finally starts talking

"in vain i have struggled. it will not do. my feelings will not be repressed. you must allow me to tell you how ardently i admire and love you."

and then elizabeth is like bitch what the fuck and pulls out a 40 slide powerpoint on why she could never love him

which was completely justified of her btw. darcy was a dick back then

the sequence at the beginning of ep4 when they're both having flashbacks to what the other said lol

also when lizzy has those flashbacks where darcy's full face just randomly appears out of nowhere like a ghost yeah what the fuck was up with that it’s SO WEIRD

when they go dine at rosings for the last time and lizzy is full on sarcasm about how oh so sad she is to be leaving and oh so grateful to lady catherine and mr collins loses his shit because he thinks she's being serious lmao

honestly though when she's all dramatic about darcy to maria but without actually saying anything and maria is just like ok wtf but whatever i guess, and then she does that again to her aunt and uncle when they're at pemberley and she's all like wE hAvE tO LeAVe nOw and they're just there like ummm ok?? what just happened here. i mean this is a thing that she does frequently and idk i'm wondering how her general acquaintance feel about it. like every once in a while she'll go all dramatic and everyone is like oh there goes lizzy dramatising her life and not explaining anything to anyone, again

lmao when maria tells her she's been packing and unpacking all night and lizzy tells her she can pack it however she wants and lady catherine will never know. like yes maria you are a strong independent woman and can pack your suitcase however you please

when lydia gets invited to brighton oh noooooooooooooo

time for kitty to develop her own personality i guess lol

i will never get tired of elizabeth only deciding to go to pemberley because she's 100% she won't run into darcy and then she does

also when they're staring at the house and she's like damn that is a nice ass house

i love how bad the paintings of darcy inside the house are because everyone is look how beautiful he is! and what a realistic painting this is! and then they show it and you laugh at loud because that shit is UGLY and nowhere near like colin firth

i still don't understand why darcy jumped in that pond. was it because he was trying to clear his head to not think about elizabeth? was this something he did regularly on his way home?

on that note, if he did it to forget about elizabeth it was pretty unfortunate for him that he literally ran into her 5 seconds later lol

HIS LACK OF SOCIAL SKILLS NEVER CEASE TO AMUSE ME

"are your parents well?" "yes" *1min later* "and your parents? are they well? and your sisters?" and ofc lizzy laughs at him

ok what i still don't understand is how when darcy returns suddenly he's all smooth and talkative and keeps the conversation well and alive and just what?? he went from 0 to 100 real quick in terms of social skills and i Do Not Understand

omg the next day when him and bingley and georgiana go the inn to meet her and bingley starts talking to her and he's so HAPPY AND EXCITED and i love how he goes "yes we haven't seen each other since we danced at netherfield on the 26th of november". boy's been counting the days since he last saw jane and i love it. he's so in love

on that note of so in love, the way the scene immediately switches to show us darcy staring at elizabeth while she plays the piano with full-on HEART EYES ahhh i'm so soft for them

and then that BITCH caroline goes and mentions wickham and darcy panics because his sister is right there elizabeth IMMEDIATELY sees and knows and goes back to georgiana to help her and changes the subject

i really think darcy fell even more in love with her when he saw how well her and his sister got along, and how much she cared for georgiana, because he probably could never love anyone who didn't seeing how important georgiana is to him

and then it just shows elizabeth and darcy staring at each other like this 💘💖💗💖💕💗💖💘💖💘 total heart eyes

when caroline basically roasts him for being in love with liking elizabeth and he just snaps at her and says she's the most beautiful woman he knows GET REKT CAROLINE

omg when lizzy gets jane's letter and is really upset and he tries his best to comfort her ahh my heart

"i will never see him again" YES LIZZY YOU WILL

mrs bennet's worst case scenarios... convinced mr bennet's going to fight wickham and wickham will kill him lmao

you know I WONDER where lizzy gets her dramatic airs from

when mr collins shows up and is all basically throwing shade at them and lizzy is just like ok then if we're so bad how about you leave so you don't have to be around us for any longer

like yes lizzy drag him!!!!

when they show us lydia and wickham in london and you can see wickham starting to get pissed off at lydia... looking like he's regretting all his life choices

which he should, btw. he made terrible life choices and they’re literally all his fault

when everything is (sort of) resolved and mrs bennet is like i knew everything would turn out well in the end! yeah SURE you did

when lydia and wickham come back and you can tell lizzy is so ready to fight

when lydia spoils that it was darcy who helped them and lizzy is like mr darcy?? did you just say mr darcy????

oh yeah also darcy taking all the blame for all that happened and insisting to pay for everything... i love one (1) wholesome responsible man

jk i love two (2) wholesome men because bingley

mr bingley and mr darcy came back to netherfield!!!!!!!!!

when they go to longbourn and darcy and lizzy just stare at each other the whole time. again

when darcy finally tells bingley he purposefully kept him and jane apart and admits that it was completely wrong of him. GROWTH

bingley still asks for darcy's blessing & darcy tells him he shouldn't need it & bingley replies that he would still rather have it. WE STAN A WHOLESOME & SUPPORTIVE MALE FRIENDSHIP

and then bingley just sprints to longbourn to propose to jane when most of them have barely woken up lmao

the scene when they're all sitting in the drawing room and mrs bennet is trying to get them to leave so it's just bingley and jane is so AWKWARD and funny lmao

"mama, why did you just wink at me??" "why would i wink at you kitty"

"actually now you mention it i need to talk to you about something UPSTAIRS!"

and then jane is happy :) finally :) jane deserves ALL the happiness :)

when lady catherine randomly shows up and just starts insulting their poverty lmao

while lizzy, kitty, and mrs bennet just stand there awkwardly

"your hall is too small" "so you call this a drawing room" "your west facing windows must be awful in the summer" ok boomer

and then proceeds to lose her shit at elizabeth while elizabeth just stands there

"he is a gentleman and i am a gentleman's daughter. we are equals" YOU TELL HER ELIZABETH

and then tells her she doesn't owe her anything which is just 19th century equivalent of go fuck yourself bitch

that whole scene was a big fuck you lady catherine de bourgh

and is probably one of the most iconic scenes in the show

when mr bennet calls up lizzy about how he's heard rumours that she's to be engaged to darcy and just finds it so funny and lizzy is just there like hahahahaha yeah that would be hilarious wouldn't it when she's probably just dying inside because darcy!!!! love of her life!!!!

no offense but the part when they go for a walk and confess their love to one another among other things is literally one of my favourite things ever

apart maybe from the piano heart eyes scene

it's just so soft

when he says he hates himself for the things he said the first time he proposed and can't believe that was thing

and that he's eternally grateful to her because he doesn't think he would ever have changed if it hadn't been for her

on that note, gotta appreciate the fact that this isn't one of those stories where girl meets guy who's a dick, girl proceeds to change dick guy into a nice guy. no, lizzy did not change him herself, and she literally refused to be around him for as long as he was rude and selfish and everything she stood against. he himself decided to change, yes because of her, because he loved her and wanted her to love him back, but ultimately he did all the necessary changes to his character by himself. and only then, only then did lizzy properly start loving him. so yeah, here's more proof of why pride & prejudice is one of the best and one of my favourite love stories :)

oh yeah also, about how darcy wanted her to love him back ; “one word from you will silence me forever” yes he was openly grateful to her for everything BUT he was also 100% ready to shut up and leave her alone and accept it if she said no again. because he is A GOOD WHOLESOME MAN WHO RESPECTS WOMEN AND KNOWS THAT NO MEANS NO YES I'M LOOKING AT YOU MR COLLINS GET ON DARCY'S LEVEL

anyway yes i love mr darcy A LOT

but seriously i have such high standards for men and for any future relationships i may be in because of p&p and mr darcy specifically lmao

anyway going back yes i love that scene it is precious

they're so in love and the way they look at each other is so soft and ugh i love them so much

"dearest, loveliest elizabeth"

my heart :,)

i can't believe they're not even holding hands in that scene

and then when mr bennet finds out he proposed to him and he's like bitch what the fuck because darcy??? this guy??? seriously???

as was jane, by the way

anyway wedding time!!!!!

"join this man, and this woman... and this man, and this woman"

we love a double wedding of the two best and most wholesome couples

lmao caroline and georgiana's faces at the wedding. fuck you too :)

when they walk out and they're so happy!!!!!! their smiles!!!!! aaaaahsjskssjajanj

for real colin firth's big smile in that scene is just,, precious,,

and then they kissed :)

ngl, one of the things i wish would have been included in the miniseries is the epilogue from the book... i loved it it was so happy and wholesome

anyway i love this book and this story and the 1995 miniseries and i need to reread the book

oh and also, the music in the miniseries is really good!! the theme song is literally perfect i love it so much

so yeah i love pride & prejudice :,) thank you jane austen for giving us this beautiful beautiful story

💖💖💖💘💘💘💗💗💗💕💕💕

[tortoisesshells]

Esteemed Madam! ⭐ for their dance at the ball, please?

Equally Esteemed and Honorable Madam, you may indeed ask, for that Sequence remains a Particular Favorite of mine.

(let me preface this by admitting there was a brief moment of insanity where I thought, huh, I wonder if I should stick the ball on the Garland for the hell of it before realizing that would never work, logistically, and having both learned to polka and tried to teach the fundamentals of contra dancing on the deck of a tall ship during one of the less mis-spent parts of my youth, I really couldn’t imagine where you’d safely stick more than one or two sets at a time. so that went by the board, with me sadly mourning a sequence that would have been impossible but also deeply Aesthetique.)

The Dance! This started as an Austen pastiche, and by golly, The Dance had to happen and it had to be good. At one point, The Dance was going to be the minuet, but since Nellie’s opening a ball for the first time in her life, she’s more concerned with dancing flawlessly than interesting banter. And given that Lieutenant Nibley’s recent actions have made the squadron even more controversial, Norrington’s got to be very careful here, too. So, not much room for revelations or revealing conversations - scratch that, and back to the drawing board, until I hit on the much-later-in-the-ball sequence.

There’s a particular dance I had in mind for this, and for a few different reasons: Mr. Beveridge’s Maggot. First, it appears in a 1695 edition of Playford’s The Dancing Master, so I felt okay using it in a 1738 ball. Second, this is an Austen pastiche, and a version of this dance features at the Netherfield Ball in the ‘95 P&P. Third, “maggot” doesn’t actually refer to larvae, but a whimsy or a fancy (obsolete definitions sure are fun!) - but the double meaning allowed me to stick in an atrocious pun AND a probably-obnoxious allusion to Viola-as-Cesario’s speech to Orsino in The Twelfth Night (which Norrington referenced earlier anyway) about Viola-as-Cesario’s imaginary sister, who would not express her love, and died from the grief it gave her. Surely a speech about love from someone pretending to be someone they aren’t has nothing whatsoever to do with the plot! Surely said speech being about the hazards of bottling up one’s emotions is not relevant to Nellie “I can and will avoid my grief and it will absolutely just go away!” Treat and James “if I refuse to acknowledge my emotions I don’t actually have them!” Norrington!

But in all seriousness, I wanted the Dance to give Nellie and Norrington individually a better idea of who the other is, and both of them vaguely refer to parts of their life that helped turn them into the people they’ve become. Norrington alludes to his experience of being brought aboard ship as a five year-old by his father while editing out the terrifying parts; in response, Nellie, who is horrified by the idea of a five year old being intentionally stuck in a place where they could be shot, makes a crack about not being trusted with anything but the most menial of tasks as a girl of five. Nellie doesn’t know about Norrington’s (debatably canonical) abusive father & the time where Jack Sparrow’s own father saved kid!Norrington from drowning (and doesn’t understand why Norrington’s so relieved that the most recent time he’s nearly drowned, he owes a life debt to a “respectable matron”. Irony is a cruel mistress.); Norrington doesn’t quite pay attention enough to wonder why the well-to-do and respected Mrs. Elinor Treat’s childhood included more manual labor than one would have expected if she had married into the same class she was born in.

By the same token, both of them pick up on - but don’t note out loud - something about the other: Nellie realizes partway through that Norrington has painful associations with this particular dance (even if, in his internal narration, he stops short of admitting to himself who he had been dancing with that makes the memory difficult, in the same way that Nellie never uses her late husband’s first name to refer to him), though she doesn’t follow through to wonder why on earth he’s in the set with her now. Norrington, via an observation from Groves (which matches up with a previous encounter with her), picks up on Nellie’s nervous/upset tell while she’s speaking to Mr. Loring, but refrains from admitting as much to her when she asks how he knew she needed an out. And therein lies the problem! The better Norrington knows Nellie, the more of a threat he becomes to her economic survival; the better Nellie knows Norrington, the better equipped she is to try and stay one step ahead of him - although she does have a deep-seated sense that using his grief against him is a bridge she doesn’t want to cross.

And so by the end of it, they’re both greater threats to each other’s goals, though only Nellie is aware of it.

One last thing I realized while re-reading this section! Norrington thinks to himself “the flash of her earrings must have caught his eye” when he realizes Nellie’s in a conversation she wants out of, but doesn’t feel she can prudently escape. This ended up being a dangling reference to a cut segment - initially, Nellie was going to narrate the start of the ball, and Norrington the end of it, and so I had a long section about Nellie getting dressed, where Nellie hesitates to put her earrings in because they were a gift from her late husband. The earrings are pearl drops, which aren’t exactly “flashy” in the same way that, say, gems (real or paste) would have been; implying that Norrington has been paying closer attention to her than either he realizes or is admitting to himself. Whoops.

[send a ⭐ for director’s commentary on fanfic]

[anghraine]

A OTP thing that always gives me a great deal of satisfaction and entertainment value:

Elizabeth, after seeing Darcy's and Wickham's chance meeting:

Allowing for the common demands of the game, Mr Wickham was therefore at leisure to talk to Elizabeth, and she was very willing to hear him, though what she chiefly wished to hear she could not hope to be told, the history of his acquaintance with Mr Darcy.

Elizabeth at the Netherfield Ball:

In vain did Elizabeth endeavour to check the rapidity of her mother’s words, or persuade her to describe her felicity in a less audible whisper; for to her inexpressible vexation she could perceive that the chief of it was overheard by Mr Darcy

Elizabeth in conversation with Mrs Gardiner, who is trying to talk to her about the low odds of Jane encountering Bingley in London unless he goes out of his way to see her. Elizabeth's response:

“And that is quite impossible; for he is now in the custody of his friend, and Mr Darcy would no more suffer him to call on Jane in such a part of London! My dear aunt, how could you think of it? Mr Darcy may, perhaps, have heard of such a place as Gracechurch Street, but he would hardly think a month’s ablution enough to cleanse him from its impurities.”

In a later conversation about Mrs Gardiner not wanting to think ill of Wickham as "a young man who has lived so long in Derbyshire," Elizabeth replies:

“Oh, if that is all, I have a very poor opinion of young men who live in Derbyshire; and their intimate friends who live in Hertfordshire are not much better.”

Elizabeth's first impression of Lady Catherine, Darcy's maternal aunt:

When, after examining the mother [Lady Catherine], in whose countenance and deportment she soon found some resemblance of Mr Darcy, she turned her eyes on the daughter, she could almost have joined in Maria’s astonishment at her being so thin and so small.

Elizabeth after the first proposal and Darcy's letter:

“But vanity, not love, has been my folly. Pleased with the preference of one [Wickham], and offended by the neglect of the other [Darcy], on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away where either were concerned.”

Elizabeth upon returning to Hunsford with the letter:

Elizabeth could but just affect concern in missing him [Colonel Fitzwilliam]; she really rejoiced at it. Colonel Fitzwilliam was no longer an object. She could think only of her letter.

Elizabeth upon hearing that Darcy hasn't spoken crossly to his housekeeper in her 24 years at Pemberley:

Elizabeth listened, wondered, doubted, and was impatient for more. Mrs Reynolds could interest her on no other point.

<3

[eruden-writes]

Pride & Prejudice & Orcs - Ch. 1

I’ve been working on this for a couple days. I may go back and rewrite this chapter, if I decide to continue this project.

The night had been long awaited. A ball at Lucas Lodge! Precisely, the first ball the new residents of Netherfield would attend. As much as the populace of Hertfordshire attempted to go about their business, making acquaintances and sharing gossip with old and new friends alike, there was an anticipatory buzz in the air. Eyes often drifted to the entryway, hoping for the first glimpse of the newcomers arriving. Even the dancers upon the floor seemed to find their attention drifting toward the door.

Or, perhaps, that was merely Elizabeth’s interpretation. Between her mother and Mrs. Lucas nearly constant chatter on the subject, sharing tidbits they’d learned from their respective husbands, and the rumors brought home by Lydia and Kitty, intrigue had certainly been piqued. The amount of new embellishments - lace, netting, and ribbon - on old gowns seemed more than a coincidence.

“He shouldn’t be hard to spot,” sighed Elizabeth as she stood amongst her sisters. “I heard he’s bringing quite the platoon of gentlemen and ladies.” 

“Four men and six ladies, I hear,” came an excited giggle from Kitty who, moments earlier, had been sizing up potential dancing partners.

There was a quiet smack as Lydia elbowed the Kitty, her voice taking on an almost annoyed tone, “I heard it was six men and twelve ladies.” 

“Either way, too many ladies,” remarked Mary, whose voice dipped low with sarcasm as she turned the page of her book. She, along with her sisters, knew the main delight in the newcomers were the prospective bachelors. Not that she cared much for such trappings. However, the more women there were, the less likely one of the new men were available.

Her words were lost as Kitty and Lydia both gave soft squeals of joy, pushing forth toward a group of friends not far away. Already, the thought of newcomers was forgotten by the two.

“However many he brings,” Jane cut in, her voice soft and filled with a delighted excitement, “I’m certain they will all be well-mannered and lovely.”

Elizabeth hummed in reply to Jane, her lips pressed together in a smile. She didn’t wish to put a damper on her sister’s unerring sense of optimism. It was part of Jane’s charm, so different from Elizabeth’s own demeanor. 

Charlotte Lucas, a homely young woman with a pleasant smile and long-time friend of the Bennet sisters, scuttled through the crowd, an excited smile barely contained on her lips. “They’ve arrived. Three men and two women.” 

“Promising,” laughed Elizabeth, sharing a look with the two sisters who remained near her.

Seconds later, the strangers entered and, with them, came a renewed slew of conversation in the room. So many suddenly animated conversations, so many people enjoying their night and paying the strangers no mind! Attentive eyes followed the party as Sir Lucas greeted and welcomed them.

A man with dark skin - reminiscent of purple calla lilies - and long pointed ears parted from the group, a brilliant smile splitting across his lips. Adorned in well-tailored clothes, that showed off his lanky, streamlined figure, and accessorized with silver jewelry, he carried himself with an air of grace and regality while maintaining a warm smile. With long white locs that fell to his hips and a tattoo of silvery swirls along the right side of his face, the man certainly stood out among the mostly human populace of Hertfordshire.

Charlotte leaned close to the Jane and Elizabeth, her voice dipping quietly, though her eyes lingered on the contingent. “The drow is Mr. Bingley.”

“And the ladies?” Jane’s soft voice barely carried over the renewed conversation around them. Her eyes had flickered to the fashionable women with him, one baring long pointed ears while the other appeared just as human as the rest of Hertfordshire. 

“His sisters, I understand. One is married to the elven man behind them, a Mr. Hurst.”

Behind the drow woman, a well-dressed elven man did, indeed, stand.

Elizabeth minutely inclined her head toward the final newcomer. “And the last?”

Standing ramrod straight with his arms folded behind his back, and taller than the rest of the room, he cut quite a figure. Broad shoulders and musculature pulled his tailored clothes taut, drawing the eye along enticing arcs of his arms and legs. Ice blue eyes contrasted against his laurel green skin, face marked by one long scar along his right cheek. Filed down tusks jutted from his lower jaw, capped with silver adornments. His dark hair pulled into a low bun, his ears hidden beneath the locks.

“That is Mr. Darcy. I’m told he’s one of Bingley’s closest friends.” Charlotte managed to say no more, as her father - Sir Lucas - waved her over. Elizabeth and Jane nodded politely after her, as she skittered to greet her father’s guests. 

When compared to Bingley’s sunny disposition, Darcy’s sobriety appeared detached and standoffish. He gave only the slightest incline of his head and the briefest smile in greeting to Charlotte as Sir Lucas introduced his daughter. Bingley, on the other hand, shot her a smile that could cleave a cloudy day in twain.

The two men were, in a way, a very visceral depiction of night and day, thought Elizabeth.

“Quite a pair, the two make,” she mused, a smile curling at her lips.

“Yes, a very rich pair!” The words announced the arrival of Mrs. Bennet, a stout and soft woman whose gaze could shrewdly size one up in an instant, as she elbowed through the crowd. After the last few days, Mrs. Bennet became a font of knowledge all things Bingley related. From his newly bought estate - Netherfield - to his wealth of five-thousand, you could hardly go an hour without her mentioning something pertaining to the man. This before he even introduced himself to Hertfordshire society!

She leaned close to Jane and Elizabeth, her whisper not quiet enough, “Lady Lucas has told me of Mr. Darcy. He’s of a mighty fortune, twice that of Bingley, and owns a great estate in Derbyshire. Such a handsome man, too!”

“Mamma, please,” Jane pleaded, her voice quiet yet firm in her discomfort of the subject.

Mrs. Bennet gave out a gasp, standing a bit straighter and completely ignoring Jane’s soft spoken reprimand. “They’re coming over. Smile, girls, smile!”

“Mrs. Bennet! Mr. Bingley here expressed an interest in becoming introduced to you and your daughters,” chuckled Sir Lucas, his face ruddy with the heat of the room and delight.

“Sir, how good of you!” Mrs. Bennet gave a curtsy, her daughters following suit. Mr. Bingley bowed deeply, that eternal sunshine of a smile still lighting his features, while Mr. Darcy remained behind him, expression stony.

“Here, we have my eldest, Jane,” Mrs. Bennet motioned to her blonde daughter. Among the Bennet sisters, her beauty and angelic countenance had always been talk of the town. Even now, among the swaths of people, she was a beacon. Mrs. Bennet’s hand flicked toward her oldest brunette daughter, who shared her mother’s shrewd gaze. “And my second eldest, Elizabeth.” 

“Mary is seated in the corner. Such a well-read little thing.” Indeed, Mary had re-positioned herself in a far corner, eyes locked to a book, utterly disinterested in the world around her.

With a final flourish of her gloved hand, Mrs. Bennet indicated toward the dance floor, where a lively jaunt and giggles arose. “My two youngest, Kitty and Lydia, are occupied with dancing.” 

Mr. Bingley’s smile never faded, his gaze flickering from Bennet sister to Bennet sister.

Not one to let the situation teeter away, Mrs. Bennet - a bit louder - inquired, “Do you like to dance, Mr. Bingley?”

“I find it one of the best joys of life, madam,” laughed Mr. Bingley, attention drawn back toward Mrs. Bennet. Somehow, his smile broadened as his lavender eyes moved toward Jane. “If not otherwise engaged, would Miss Jane do me the honor of the next two dances?”

Jane’s expression rippled with pleasant surprise, before she replied, “I am not engaged.”

“May I take that as a yes, then?” Mr. Bingley raised an eyebrow, his lips curling with an almost teasing smile.

“You may,” Jane said with a slight nod, her own lips twitching at the corners.

“And you, sir? Are you fond of dancing, too?” Mrs. Bennet turned her gaze to Darcy, her eyebrows raised and eyes gleaming.

Darcy shot a look at Bingley, eyebrows furrowed and lips pressed tight. 

Bingley started at the expression, embarrassment coloring his cheeks as he motioned toward Darcy. “Oh! Forgive me. Mrs. Bennet, may I present my friend, Mr. Darcy, to you and your lovely daughters?”

“You are very welcome to Hertfordshire, sir! Do you come with the same eagerness to dance as your friend?”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Darcy inclined his head to Mrs. Bennet, his voice deep but tone detached. “I fear I rarely dance.”

“Well, I do hope that changes tonight!” Like a bird, Mrs. Bennet seemed to puff out her chest with pride, looking over the merrymaking. Elizabeth’s gaze followed her mother’s, a warm smile breaching her lips as she found all her neighbors clustered and smiling or dancing to the happy, trilling music. “I daresay you will not find music as lively nor partners as lovely.”

A beat of silence fell between the two and, without another word, Mr. Darcy gave a nod and moved away.

Mrs. Bennet blinked, shocked at his sudden departure from the conversation, her pleasant countenance dropping slightly. 

“Pray, pardon my brief leave, ma’am,” Bingley gasped, giving a brief and polite smile before darting after his friend.

As soon as the two were far enough away, Mrs. Bennet sputtered, “What a disagreeable man!”

“Mamma, he may hear you.” 

“And what if he does?” Mrs. Bennet turned to her eldest, shooting her a righteous look of annoyance. “His friend is everything charming. Who is he to believe he’s so above us, he may excuse himself from our presence without a word of warning?”

Elizabeth sighed, knowing better than to argue with her mother in this mood. She’d be lying if she didn’t feel the same prickle of irritation. Who simply walked off, in the middle of a conversation?

As she turned, to survey potential dance partners, cool blue eyes caught hers from across the distance of the room. Her heart stuttered, realizing Darcy seemed to leer right in her direction. More precisely, the distasteful gaze was upon her mother who had continued her tirade, unaware her daughters were not listening. His attention shifted slightly to Elizabeth, no doubt drawn to her movement.

Unable to do anything else, Elizabeth simply gave a slight nod and uncertain smile. He stared at her, face stony, before Miss Bingley beckoned his attention away. Whether Darcy had truly been focused upon them or not, she couldn’t determine. However, Elizabeth breathed easier as his attention shifted.

If she hadn’t known better, she’d think he could hear their conversation, in spite of the general chaos of the dance. That was silly, though, wasn’t it?

[bethanydelleman]

This is from the Netherfield Ball (Ch 18):

She had dressed with more than usual care, and prepared in the highest spirits for the conquest of all that remained unsubdued of his heart, trusting that it was not more than might be won in the course of the evening.

Here is more (Ch 16):

Mr. Wickham was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy woman by whom he finally seated himself; and the agreeable manner in which he immediately fell into conversation, though it was only on its being a wet night, and on the probability of a rainy season, made her feel that the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting by the skill of the speaker.

Mrs. Gardiner's observations (Ch 25):

Mrs. Gardiner, rendered suspicious by Elizabeth’s warm commendation of him, narrowly observed them both. Without supposing them, from what she saw, to be very seriously in love, their preference of each other was plain enough to make her a little uneasy

I quickly googled the definition of a crush, this is according to Google:

a brief but intense infatuation for someone, especially someone unattainable or inappropriate.

I would say Elizabeth fits the definition exactly. The Miss King doesn't happen until much later, after the original infatuation has cooled.

Do you think there is an adaptation that sufficiently shows how much of a crush Elizabeth has on Wickham at the beginning?

She wants to dance half the night with him at Netherfield, Mrs. Gardiner actually warns her marriage would be imprudent because they are so often together, and she calls him "her former favourite".

I almost want a scene where she's writing "Mrs. Wickham" in her diary or some significant heart eyes...

I bring this up because a lot of people argue to me that Elizabeth never liked Wickham (wut?) when it's very clear in the novel that she did. It wasn't love, but she was definitely crushing hard.

[fleurderussie]

Rereading Pride and Prejudice. Part 2. First impressions

Okay, okay, okay, I actually intended it to be the first part, but I was unexpectedly blown away by my own thoughts on Mr. and Mrs.Bennet and when I got back I realised that I’d already written too much for anybody to read, so, here we’re at the second part of my essay that is basically part number zero.

As I’ve mentioned before, there’s some pleasure in finding the hints about the ending of the story that you’d read before. And I daresay there’s A LOT OF foreshadowing (can I call it foreshadowing? Sorry, English isn’t my native language) in Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen is a master and I respect her even more now after noticing all these little (sometimes - not so little) details that point to the chain of events. 

First of all, the ball where Jane and Bingley see each other for the first time. Jane is a beauty, Bingley is Bingley, Mrs.Bennet already counts their future children (only to pretend afterwards that she isn’t quite sure whether he liked her or not) and later Charlotte Lucas discusses the whole deal with Elizabeth. 

Jane is known for her easiness and lightness of heart but at the same time she’s quite good at hiding her real feelings and Charlotte gives a comment that I didn’t pay attention to at first (it’s easy to forget as the conversation takes place early in the book) but that hits me hard now:

“If a woman conceals her affection with the same skill from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of fixing him”

Elizabeth strongly disagrees and even says that Charlotte makes her laugh and her words are not the case for Bingley and Jane’s love, but...we all know what is going to happen after some chapters. (Charlotte, by the way, kind of foresees her own wedding, saying in that very scene, that it’d be better for people to get engaged before they really got to know each other!)

And it’s not the only case of Elizabeth’s opinion turning exactly against her. 

Thanks to their mother’s care, Jane falls ill and has to stay at Netherfield for some time. Lizzy, being a good sister (I absolutely love their friendship!) follows her. During her stay there was a bunch of conversations, one of them - with Mr.Darcy. Darcy states that Mr.Bingley only boasts that he could leave a place at any time, had he wish to do so, while in reality he would stay if a friend asked him to stay, being, hence, too easy to persuade. Lizzy disagrees:

“You appear to me, Mr.Darcy, to allow nothing for the influence of friendship and affection. A regard for the requester would often make one readily yield to a request, without waiting for arguments to reason one into it”

Lizzy praises friendship - and I give her all the credits for it! - but later, when Bingley, basically, does what she was talking about: yielded to his friend’s request and left Netherfield, she is angry at him, calling him inconsistent. 

While Elizabeth is quite inconsistent herself and Jane Austen makes sure that WE KNOW IT. She is disappointed in her old friend for marrying for the sake of not being an old spinster and really struggles to forgive her (now, I’m not in any way blaming Lizzy as I experienced something like this myself), but at the same time she can easily justify Wickham’s actions, which, in my opinion, are much more morbid:

“The suden acquisition of ten thousand pounds was the most remarkable charm of the young lady to whom he [Wickham] was now rendering himself agreeable; but Elizabeth, less clear-sighted perhaps in this case than in Charlotte’s, did not quarrel with him for his wish of independence. Nothing, on the contrary, could be more natural.. she was ready to allow it a wise and desirable measure for both”

Here, she calls it a WISE decision while in Charlotte’s case marrying for money and position is something unforgivable, though Charlotte’s perspectives were far worse than those of Wickham’s. Not to mention the fact that Wickham is just an immoral scoundrel (but more of it later). And, surprise-surprise, Charlotte foresaw it TOO (I’m honestly amazed at this woman’s talents):

“When Darcy approached to claim her [Elizabeth’s] hand, Charlotte could not help cautioning her in a whisper, not to be a simpleton, and allow her fancy for Wickham to make her appear unpleasant in the eyes of a man ten times his consequence”

BOOOOM!

It’s actually amusing how many times Elizabeth was completely wrong. I mean, it’s right there, in the title, but still, Lizzy is so amiable as a character (jokes aside - she’s my forever number 1 in any list of favourite characters) that we easily overlook her lack of judgement and even rushness in deciding one’s character. Moreover, Jane Austen tricks us into feeling like Elizabeth, thinking like Elizabeth and, man, being Elizabeth! Not that I complain about it, but once you start looking at the events from the side, everything seems quite obvious. 

But more of this “obviousness” and other things in the next part (yes, I’m here for a loooong ride)

[noona-clock]

Confusion & Coincidences - Part 3

Genre: Regency!AU

Pairing: Yongguk x You

By Admin B

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

It had been a week since you’d finished reading Pride & Prejudice, and you were already itching to pick it up again. You had enjoyed it even more than Sense & Sensibility, and you hadn’t thought that at all possible!

But ever since turning the last page, the characters had stayed with you. You wondered what Lizzy and Darcy’s life was like now. They were most certainly happily married as their love for each other had blossomed so fully by the end of the story. But did they have children? Did Lizzy ever feel lonely in so enormous a manor as Pemberley? What about Lydia and Wickham? What about Jane and Bingley?! Kitty and Mary?! Charlotte and Mr. Collins?! Oh, god, what about poor Charlotte?

You were currently scribbling your thoughts down to your own cousin - thankfully, not one so repugnant as Mr. Collins - since she had written to you about purchasing the novel not too long ago. She had surely finished it by now, and since no one else you knew had read it, you were keen to discuss it with her.

Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. The Earl of Blackman had mentioned it during your extremely awkward run-in the other week.

But you weren’t about to seek him out to talk about it, now, were you?

“Y/N!” your mother called up the stairs, startling you so much that you scribbled a jagged line across half of your writing paper.

“Oh, drat!” you murmured as you hastily set your quill down and attempted to wipe it off (to no avail, obviously). “What, mama?!”

“Get dressed for an outing, my dear,” your mother replied.

“...An outing? Where are we going?”

“To pay a visit to Mr. Kim.” Her tone was one of exasperation as if you were supposed to have known this already.

“Mr. Kim? Whatever are we paying him a visit for?”

You heard her let out a sigh before she marched up the stairs, coming to stand in your bedroom doorway. “To see the Earl, of course.”

Your head jerked back in surprise, and you turned around to make sure your mother could see just how confused you were. “Why would we go see the Earl?!”

“Because I changed my mind. You have absolutely no prospects, and apparently, you have absolutely no desire to find yourself a husband. He’s our only option at the moment, and I am desperate.”

...Of course. You should have known.

“Mama, I am not going,” you stated with the simplest but utmost conviction. Because you weren’t!

You absolutely and completely and totally and utterly and vehemently refused to go.

So... tell me why you found yourself bouncing along the road in your family’s carriage not even an hour later. On your way to Mr. Kim’s estate.

Because your mother had a very specific talent for breaking you down. Mostly because she was stubborn and had a habit of continuing to bug you until you gave in.

Which is exactly what had happened tonight. You had refused to go, and your dear mama had kept saying ‘but I am desperate.’

‘You need to get married eventually.’

‘It’s not like you’ll be getting engaged tonight.’

‘It’s just a social visit!’

And then finally, ‘I’ll give you two pounds to buy as many books as you like.’

So, really, it was less of a talent for breaking you down and more of a talent for bribing you. Which worked almost every time.

What can you say? The prospect of a good book is a powerful thing.

When the carriage rolled to a halt in front of Mr. Kim’s stately manor, you followed your mother out, murmuring your ‘thanks’ to the footman who assisted you.

As it usually did when you were about to engage in social activity with anyone outside of your family (or Alice), your heart began to beat just a bit quicker. A knot of nerves formed in your stomach. Your palms became slightly wet, and you silently thanked the societal gods for the fact it was proper for ladies to wear gloves. Most of the time, you hated the restriction. But when they successfully hid your nervous, sweaty hands? They were most certainly a good thing.

You liked Mr. Kim, of course. He was always very friendly, and he never once made you feel uncomfortable. But you despised small talk, and all these social visits consisted of was small talk. It was really quite painful, and you had suffered through too many in your lifetime to count.

Mr. Kim’s butler escorted you and your mother into his drawing room. The man himself stood from his writing desk to greet you, a shining smile gracing his lips.

“Welcome, my dear ladies,” he said kindly. “Please, sit.”

He gestured to a sofa, and you followed your mother in perching politely on the edge. As much as you complained about your mother, you found you always somewhat copied her in these sorts of situations. She knew what she was doing, and she was just so comfortable talking about this and that and the weather.

At a ball, it was much too easy to get lost in the crowd of people and not worry about someone noticing you weren’t socializing or dancing (though the Earl had done a fine job dispelling that notion...). But when you called on someone like this? When it was just you and the other person, sitting across from each other? There was no way to hide.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Mr. Kim asked with slightly raised eyebrows.

“Oh, we were just in the neighborhood, and my dear Y/N brought up that we haven’t seen you since the ball!”

Okay, well, that was just not true. But your mother knew what she was doing, so you simply grinned.

“That’s right! What a delightful ball it was, don’t you think?”

“Oh, very much!”

The two of them jabbered on about the ball, discussing the refreshments and the music and the dances and everything which made you want to curl up into a ball and cast the world away.

“Although my cousin didn’t really seem to enjoy himself, but that can’t be helped.”

You could feel your mother’s posture straighten. “Oh, that’s right! Your cousin was there, was he not? Well, why could it not have been helped? He doesn’t enjoy balls?”

“No,” Mr. Kim chuckled. “He’s quite a shy fellow. Doesn’t really like to meet new people, and he doesn’t dance if he can help it.”

Your mother reached out her hand and set it on your knee, patting you there gently. “Sounds familiar to me,” she said with a barely hidden sigh.

“You know, the two of you are actually quite similar,” Mr. Kim pointed out after turning his gaze on you. “You would probably get along swimmingly!”

Oh, great. That’s the last thing your mother needed to hear.

The words ‘I highly doubt that’ almost escaped your lips, but you held back, simply pulling your lips into a slight grin and nodding your head.

“Where is the Earl?” your mother asked. You had to applaud her for how casually she spoke because you knew she was dying on the inside. “We didn’t get a chance to really converse with him at the ball, I would love to get to know him a little better.”

“Ah,” Mr. Kim said with a disappointed sigh. “Regretfully, he has gone back to London. He was only here for a brief visit. It appears he prefers the bustling city over the serene countryside.”

“Well, that doesn’t make sense!” your mother laughed. “If he does not care to socialize, why live in a city surrounded by people?!”

“I suppose we could say the same thing about us,” Mr. Kim laughed. “Just the opposite.”

“Ah, yes, you are right. How clever you are, Mr. Kim!”

As the two of them rattled on and on, you couldn’t stop your brain from wandering. The mention of the Earl going back to London had sparked another connection in your brain.

You thought of when Mr. Bingley suddenly went back to London in Pride & Prejudice. Of course, he had gone because his sisters forced him to. They had surmised he was falling in love with Jane Bennet and wanted to destroy any chance of the two engaging in a romantic relationship.

This was, obviously, not the reason the Earl had left. In the book, Jane was over halfway in love with Mr. Bingley and so was disappointed to find out he was no longer residing at Netherfield in Hertfordshire. You were certainly not halfway in love with the Earl; you had spoken to him once! You barely knew him at all!

...But, still. It was a little odd.

As one would expect, you thought about what happened after Jane and Lizzy found out Mr. Bingley had left for London. To be quite honest, you’d sped through the book so eagerly, the timeline got a bit jumbled up. You were fairly certain you remembered, but you wanted to be sure.

You sat on Mr. Kim’s sofa as politely as you could, trying your best not to fidget and contributing to the conversation with at least a hint of thoughtfulness.

But you let out the most relieved, inward sigh when your mother announced you had better be on your way.

You nodded your head and dipped into a small curtsy, thanking Mr. Kim for his time before following your mother out to the carriage.

As soon as its wheels halted in front of your home, you practically leaped down to the ground and strode inside.

After springing up the stairs and locating your book, you flipped through until you found the chapter relaying Mr. Bingley’s departure. Your eyes flew across the page until the words jogged your memory.

Of course! After learning that Mr. Bingley was now in London, the Bennets decided to ship Jane off to London, as well, to spend some time with her aunt and uncle.

Well, that was good news. There was no way you would be going to London just because the Earl was there. Your mother didn’t actually believe you stood a chance with him, surely. It would be a colossal waste of time to send you to London seeing as she had no idea you’d spoken to the Earl; as far as she knew, you’d met him at the ball and so ended your acquaintance.

Yet another relieved sigh escaped your lips as you set your book down and flopped back onto your bed. This anonymous female author could write a good story, but she wasn’t writing your story. You were most decidedly not going to London.

Your mother appeared suddenly in your doorway, popping her head in and advising you to call on your handmaid to pack your trunk.

“Pack my trunk for what?” you asked.

She replied without missing a beat.

“We’re going to London.”

Part 4

[pikartiste]

P.R.I.D.E

Hey ! This month is Pride Month where everyone shows their proud, I wanted to show mine. I'm Fictosexual / Fictoromantic What is it ? It means that someone is attracted (sexually and / or romantically) by a fictional character. And yes, this is what I am. It started when I was a kid. My very fictional was Simba from The Lion King movie. I began to develop such a fascination towards this character, imagining myself discovering Pride Land or stargazing with him.My love for him never stopped since. Later growing up, I began to crush into the little mouse Diddl, who had such a popularity into little girls (even boys) at elementary school in my era. I loved him deeply and I collected anything related to him (papers, pencils, mugs, plushies .... and I even still have my baby Diddlina plushie !), he was there in my hardest time at school and, despite not being into this fandom anymore, I still keep very pleasant memories of him. Then, in my Harry Potter years, I fall in love with Neville Longbottom because I felt so much related to him (and I believed I was a Gryffindor first LOL !) Once I entered in my first year at middle, I felt right into one of my main important fandom in my life : Happy Tree Friends !!!! A fandome where I finally discovered Deviantart and met a lot of my virtual friends (they'll recognize themselves HI !), and I crushed (like around 90% of the fandom) into Flippy. It was one of my best Internet years ... before everything went to Hell because of some stupid SJW ... Anyway. Later in my middle school years, I developped two others crushes into anothers fictional characters : First Edward Cullen when I was into my Twilight years thanks to my best friend (Damn me), then Sebastian Michaelis from Black Butler who remains my very first long "love story" (as well as my most beloved manga character) from my last year of middle school into last year of high school; alongside with Wolverine from X-Men (Hugh Jackman my love !!!). I could talk from all my fictional crushes but let me talk about my most recents ones. When I entered into my preparatory class, and before leaving for holidays; my English teacher decided to let them watching a movie, and she chose Pride and Prejudice (2005 version), then we began to watch it and remembered enjoying it. Then came the Ball at Netherfield scene, where I saw for the first time Mr Darcy (and discovered Matthe Macfadyen) ... and I remembered feeling my heart beating so fast and I couldn't leave my sight from him. At the end of the movie I thought "HOLY SH*T ! He's so goddamn handsome !". Once I went back to my home, I made some researches of Macfadyen and checked all his filmography ... and my eyes stopped into the title Ripper Street ... which changed my life. I remember the day I saw the first episode of this serie and immediately fall in love with it it ... as well as Edmund Reid who's the (fictional) man of my life. I feel so connected with him, I feel every emotion of him. He changed my life, I love making fanarts / fanfiction of him, having some conversations with him. When I don't feel good, I imagine him by my side and I feel much better. He means a lot to me. At first, I believed I was in love with fictional characters just because I was single a long part of my life. Then I'm with my boyfriend for 1 1/2 year and, although I love him so much, my love for fictional characters didn't stop. This is how I realised I was fictosexual / fictoromantic. And I'm proud of it !!! Don't be afraid to be in love with fictional characters ! People who judge you about it are just sh*theads ! It's totally okay and you are valid. WE ARE VALID !!! --- art and character (c) me

[powerfulweak]

Something I thought about today...

A Pride and Prejudice AU where Darcy married Caroline instead of Lizzie. Like, everything in the books happened and Darcy saved Lydia's virtue and Wickham is exposed as a cad. Darcy admitted the truth of his actions to Bingley and he and Jane reconnect. Darcy and Lizzie settle on friendly terms, but they never reconcile their feelings and he marries Caroline because, well, it makes sense.

Lizzie meanwhile is courted by Col. Fitzwilliam. She ends up marrying him and becoming part of Darcy's family anyway. A few years pass as normal. Jane and Bingley marry, everyone is happy, but then Waterloo happens and Fitzwilliam is killed in battle. Lizzie is left widowed with their unborn child. Not long after, maybe a month, Caroline dies in childbirth along with her and Darcy’s baby

Darcy is devastated, but more for the loss of his friend (because Caroline was his friend) than the loss of his wife

Bingley and Jane are genuinely shattered over the loss of a sister, and Jane, now pregnant with their third child, finds herself having fainting episodes (or some other suitable Regency-era ailment) from the stress. Lizzie, although pregnant herself and still in mourning, rushes to her sister's side to be with her.

They are all at Pemberly, dealing with their grief and Lizzie becomes everyone's rock, as she always has been. Her presence draws Darcy out of his isolation, which he finds himself falling into again, and her demeanor calms a harried Bingley, who is concerned that all of this will affect Jane and her pregnancy.

Lizzie is in a lot of pain, and while everyone realizes that she herself is in mourning (hello, black clothes), she is reassuring them she wants to take care of them… Until she goes into labour and the baby is breech

Lizzie loses her composure. She’s sobbing and begging everyone in the room to save her baby, she can't lose him too. Jane is on bedrest, Bingley is a mess. Darcy steps up and stays at her side. It's not the norm, at all. Men don't stay around during childbirth but Darcy is as fierce as a wolf, literally growling at anyone who looks at him side-eyed. (Col. Fitzwilliam doesn't have a first name in the books, so I'm taking Liberties)

Thomas Gregory Fitzwilliam II is born on a rainy night, healthy and crying. Darcy face is full of relief and joy until he looks back at Elizabeth to see her pale and her eyes rolling back in her head. She is losing a lot of blood and this time the servants actually do push Darcy out in spite of his shouts of "I am the Lord of this house!!!"

Darcy slumps on a bench in the hallway, completely numb. He has flashbacks of Caroline's death, but somehow this is worse... so much worse. He loved Caroline, they were so close, but… His feelings for her paled in comparison to what he feels, has always felt, for Lizzie... er, Mrs. Fitzwilliam.

He falls asleep waiting for new and is woken the next morning by Bingley shaking his shoulder. He lets him know that the bleeding has stopped, but Mrs. Fitzwilliam is sleeping

Darcy asks after the baby and Bingley leads him to the nursery where Little Thomas is swaddled in the nurse's arms.

The sight of the child triggers something in Darcy, something he can't explain tells him that this is his son. Not directly by blood of course, but he makes a promise that he will be there for this child as his father would've been. He will teach and rear the boy and make him into a proper gentleman. Fitzwilliam would've done the same for Darcy if the situations were reversed

When Lizzie wakes, Darcy is at her side, his eyes swollen and red from crying. She starts to  panic that she lost the baby but Darcy quickly reassures her that he's fine and healthy. As soon as Lizzie sees her son for the first time, she starts to cry happy tears and says "He looks just like his father". Darcy's stomach drops because, oh yeah, this is his cousin’s widow (twice removed?) and she is in mourning... And so is he. So we get Lizzie and Darcy pining and bonding and taking care of Little Thomas.

Lizzie stays at Pemberly until Jane gives birth to her daughter (named Caroline, in memorial) and soon after Georgiana Darcy's engagement is announced and she stays on for the wedding. All of this time is intercut with long looks and pining and Darcy and Lizzie dancing around each other and feeling of impropriety, because now instead of their pride getting in the way, it's their concern over ruining themselves

Eventually, though, Lizzie must return to her own home. Luckily, It's not far from Pemberly. Darcy makes assurances that he will visit often... For Thomas' sake of course.

Lizzie’s mourning period ends shortly after her return home. Generally, Regency mourning periods were about one year, but Lizzie extended it because she didn't feel ready. Word soon spreads about this and now Lizzie is seen as a very eligible lady.

Fitzwilliam wasn't nearly as wealthy as Darcy, but he was the son of an Earl, and Lizzie was bequeathed quite a lot of money. Darcy can already detect the eager suitors sniffing around and he takes it on himself, under the pretense of "As Fitzwilliam's Cousin and Friend", to make sure no one takes advantage of Mrs. Fitzwilliam or the estate. Lizzie meanwhile is trying to not let her feelings be shown. Darcy is being kind for the sake of Fitzwilliam's memory and Little Thomas. That's all, just kindness

Then one day, there's a ball and a man by the of Mr. Thomas Bertram arrives (see what I did there?). Mr. Bertram had a roguish youth, but a serious health scare several years ago in addition to the death of his father put him on the straight and narrow as he took on the role of Baronet of Mansfield Park. He has been a bachelor for years, but, as the saying goes, he is in the possession of a great fortune, so he is now in want of a wife.

When Mrs. Elizabeth Fitzwilliam crosses his path, and Mr. Bertram is smitten. Lizzie herself is charmed by Bertram. He acknowledges his past and has a self deprecating sense of humor about himself; in truth, he reminds her much of Col. Fitzwilliam. It's not long before society is a twitter over the two of them. They seem so well-matched and everyone agrees that Little Thomas needs a father. An engagement is expected soon.

Darcy sees red. He can't believe this upstart (who is older than himself) has the nerve to approach a widow in mourning (she's not) and propose (he hasn't yet). He spends several nights ranting and raving to Bingley and Georgiana's husband David on the matter, bellowing and shouting enough to alert the whole house. And Bingley, bless his dumb ginger soul, says "If I didn't know better, Darcy, I'd say you were in love with Mrs. Fitzwilliam yourself.”

Darcy is left stunned, because words were finally put to his feelings. He's been in love with Lizzie... Mrs. Fitzwilliam for years now. He considers Little Thomas as close as his own son. He can't lose them.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bertram and Lizzie are talking. The conversation meanders, but when the topic of marriage is brought up, Lizzie can only admit that while she enjoys Mr. Bertram’s companionship a great deal, she loves another. Mr. Bertram gives her a soft smile and admits that companionship and friendship are all he wants in a marriage. His feelings about love and romance and ... intimacy don't align with what you generally find in books. He doesn't provide further information, but Lizzie fills in the blanks. She understands that their union would be one solely of companionable love, much like what her sister and Collins have (In this version, Collins marries Mary instead of Charlotte, for… reasons)

Lizzie says she'll consider it and give him an answer in a fortnight and Mr. Bertram agrees and departs.

Later that night, Darcy arrives in a huff at her home, banging on the door. The servants don't know what to make of the haggered-looking Lord of Pemberly, no jacket or waistcoat, shirt undone and fire in his eyes.

"I must speak to the lady of the house!" he demands. Lizzie rushes downstairs to see a dishevelled looking Darcy standing in her foyer. His speech mirrors pretty closely a combination of Darcy's first and second proposal, saying he can’t keep his feelings to himself and he must admit how deeply and ardently he loves her. He can't let another man swoop in and announce his intentions before he has a chance to share his own. He proclaims he knows he may never have a chance to be with her and Mr. Bertram may have already proposed but... he loves her, truly.

"Mrs. Fitzwilliam... L-Lizzie..."

Lizzie is speechless, breathless, and basically rushes into his arms. They hold each other tightly and Lizzie talks about how she's loved him for years, since a dance at ball in Netherfield. They stay there for a long while, holding each other, finally feeling the warmth of one another’s embrace. 

(and Mr. Bertram is soooo understanding of everything. He get's it. "You should speak to my sister in law." he jokes)