Pride And Prejudice

4

Since Lottie was in need of new shoes they traveled into town the next day. Louis and Fizzy joined for company and the twins came along for the opportunity to meet military men. They were lucky. As soon as they entered the town they came across Liam Payne that Louis had exchanged words with at the ball. He introduced them to his friends Zayn Malik and Mr. George Wickham. Phoebe and Daisy immediately started to flirt with the handsome men while Louis, Lottie, and Fizzy held a polite conversation.

Mr. Horan and Mr. Styles walked by and Niall immediately stopped when he laid eyes on Charlotte.
"Miss Tomlinson! I was hoping to run into you. How are you this fine day?"

Mr. Styles bowed his head in something that was supposed to consider a greeting.
"Mr. Horan. I'm well." Lottie answered.

"Splendid! I was wondering if you would do me the honor and join me for dinner tonight? I know it's short notice." Niall said.

"I would love to." Lottie smiled excitedly.

"Wonderful. Seven." Niall smiled.

Louis had been watching Mr. Styles and noticed that he didn't seem pleased to see the men, and from the daggers his eyes shot, one man in particular was the recipient of his wrath, Mr. Wickham. Louis got curious but obviously he didn't ask about it.

They said their goodbyes and returned home. Lottie tried dress after dress while Louis just spent a quiet afternoon in his room. He came out to wish her luck before she disappeared for dinner. She walked the short distance even though it was pouring outside. She brought an umbrella and a coat.

Louis sat down to eat dinner with his family. The conversation surrounded Lottie and the hopes that she was having a pleasant evening in Mr. Horan's company. When they had finished eating they sat down to play chess. It was getting late and Jay was getting worried when Charlotte didn't return. She was just about to ask Louis to bring her home when a knock at the front door had them on their feet. Mr. Styles entered the room.
"Excuse me for my late arrival. I just want to inform you that Miss Tomlinson has come down with the flu and is currently hosted in one of the guestrooms. I assure you that Mr. Horan and I will attend to her illness."

"Oh dear, I shouldn't have let her go out in the rain." Jay said in concern.

"Mr. Horan has sent the doctor to check on her. She has a high fever. I will leave you now." Mr. Styles informed them.

"If you don't mind I would like to attend to my sister. Would you allow me to accompany you to Netherfield?" Louis required.

"Of course." Harry immediately agreed with a bow.

Louis hurried out of the room to pack an overnight bag. He kissed his mother's cheek and promised her to take good care of Charlotte before he walked over to Mr. Styles. They headed outside where Mr. Styles' horse was waiting.
"I will walk. You can return by yourself." Louis said.

"Nonsense. My horse can carry both of us." Mr. Styles said.

Louis hesitated but Mr. Styles entwined his hands, and waited for him to step up on the horse. Louis allowed him to help him. Riding would be faster and he just wanted to see Lottie. Harry got up behind him and they rode in the direction of Netherfield. It had stopped raining but the air was chilly and it was dark outside. They didn't talk during the ride to the mansion.

As soon as they arrived Harry got off and helped him down by placing his hands around his waist.
"Uhm, thank you." Louis mumbled and looked up at Mr. Styles.

They locked eyes. Mr. Styles was close enough that he could feel his breath on his skin before the man in question took a step back.
"No problem. I'm going to tend to my horse. Feel free to enter the mansion."

Louis grabbed his bag and walked up to the door and knocked. He was let inside by the butler and Mr. Horan came to greet him. Louis required about his sister and Mr. Horan immediately showed him to the room she was set up in for the night.
"You can take the room next to hers if you wish to stay the night." Niall said.

"That's very kind of you but I'll just stay here and tend to my sister if that's alright?" Louis replied.

"Of course. I'll send up a cup of tea. The doctor said that the fever hopefully will break in the morning." Niall informed him before he exited the room.

Louis took a seat by the bed and made himself comfortable. Lottie was asleep but he put his hand on her forehead. She was burning up. He found a cloth and a bowl of water on the nightstand and wet it before he laid it over her forehead.

A soft knock at the bedroom door made him turn around. To his surprise, Mr. Styles opened the door with a tray in his hands.
"Your tea. How is Miss Tomlinson doing?"

"Her fever is running a high but it's just a cold. Lottie always gets really ill. Sometimes I think she's faking it because she loves the attention." Louis replied with a fond smile.

For the first time since he met the man, Louis saw humor spark in Mr. Styles' eyes.
"Let me know if you need anything. Good night."

"Good night." Louis replied.

Harry handed him the tray and walked out of the room. Louis brought the tray to the chair beside the bed. He drank the tea and watched over his sister. When he had finished his cup he put it down on the floor and grabbed a blanket on the bed and tried to get comfortable on the chair. He got a few hours of uncomfortable sleep during the night. When he woke up in the morning Lottie looked much better but she was still sleeping. He tiptoed to the bathroom to freshen up.