Grey Skies: A Pride And Prejudice Fanfic

Chapter 3

Charlotte Lucas was plain. There was no way around it. She was not going to attract gentlemen based upon her beauty. She knew it better than anyone else. At a young age she had come to terms with her lack of physical charms, and so bettered her mind to compensate. Although she had had the good fortune to interpret others well, she could not seem to understand herself.

She wished that someone would someday come up to her and give her some purpose in life. That someone would tell her who she was meant to be. She desired desperately for someone to help her, to give her a little friendly advice. Yet no one ever approached her about anything of any significance, and even trivial things were barely mentioned to Charlotte. She struggled to understand why society was so afraid of her it seemed, she did not think of herself as intimidating.

Yet what Charlotte did not realize was that her quiet nature was indeed intimidating, she looked severe and stern a majority of the time. So, because nobody helped her, Charlotte decided not to help anyone else. She kept her mouth shut when her father made a fool of himself. She giggled quietly to herself when the youngest Bennet girl's dress ripped without her noticing, and she refrained from telling Elizabeth Bennet that Mr. Darcy was paying special attention to her.

It wasn't that Charlotte was particularly malicious, it was more that she felt that by keeping very helpful advice to herself, she was doing herself justice. Nobody helped her, and so she would not help anyone else.

However, she found herself helping Mr. Darcy by advising him to smile more. She saw that Mr. Darcy obviously admired Elizabeth Bennet. But she knew that his nature would not bode well with her. Charlotte was not close with Elizabeth Bennet, yet she knew that she was the most rebellious of the sisters. She remembered one time when the girl was about twelve, a rare moment that their families spent together. They were visiting the Bennet's and as the children played, Charlotte sat in the corner. While the other girls played with dolls, Elizabeth tried to catch a toad outside. Her mother was furious with her. All the other times Charlotte had seen Elizabeth there was always a gleam in her eye, that told Charlotte, Elizabeth loved to laugh and be merry. Mr. Darcy would increase his chances greatly of getting along with the lady, at least Charlotte thought so, if he would merely smile.

There was nothing truly special about Mr. Darcy that made Charlotte help him. She knew that he would never be interested in her and accepted that. She did not want his approval, no her motives were quite independent of the actual man who she was helping. If she could even call it motives. There was nothing that Charlotte could gain from helping this man, yet she felt compelled to do so. She was paying her respects to the past by helping this Mr. Darcy.

He reminded her of someone who she once loved. The only person in the whole world who had ever helped Charlotte in any way, her only friend. Elizabeth's brother, Edward Bennet.

Note from author: I apologize for this taking forever! All comments are very much appreciated :) I intend on making Charlotte a little younger here just so that romantic relationship with her and Edward Bennet could have existed prior to him leaving for school, if that's alright with all of you :) Thank you