It had been weeks since the night of the party and Charles and Jane only seemed to have grown closer than ever and it was noticeable by everyone.
They had started spending more time with each other, going to lunches or having dinner together and Lizzie would often wake up at night to find Jane still on the phone giggling as the hours passed by. She was happy for her elder sister but also extremely scared. The fact that Charles and Jane were from two completely different backgrounds had not escaped her and even though Charles had proved to be nothing but a sweet and down-to-earth gentleman, the same could not be said for his family and his snooty best friend.
However, right now something else had been on her mind. Lizzie although, loved her family and was especially close to her father and elder sister had always wanted to move out of the family home, and have a taste of the typical singlehood, and now with her recent promotion, she was dying to move out into her own apartment and live independently. Another reason that prompted her even more towards this dream of hers was the fact that it created a distance between her and her mother.
Mrs. Bennet had been particularly known for her bombastic and dramatic antics, as well as her nagging behavior, but things only seemed to have taken a turn for the worse, since with the progress of the relationship between Jane and Charles had only seemed to egg her on and there seemed to be no stopping her.
Entering her father's study, Lizzie took a seat next to the fire place where her father had been enjoying another one of his video games.
"Papa, I want to move out and live on my own." Lizzie had always been the one to cut straight to the chase, she hated talking in circles or people who did so. It took Mr. Bennet a second to realize what his daughter had said but he was not surprised like Lizzie had expected him to be.
He had always been aware of the friction between his wife and his second yet dearest daughter. Both the women were poles apart and the only similarity they shared were the color of their hair and their stubbornness. Mr. Bennet had also been aware of Lizzie's desire to be independent and prove it to her mother that life was more than getting married to a rich, entitled and arrogant fool and giving birth to a line of similar heirs.
"Well, it's alright dear. I won't stop you, since I trust you and respect your decisions and I believe that you are capable enough to lead your life the way you want to. Just let me know where and when do you plan to move in and always know that in case things don't work out the way you had expected them to be or you wish to meet your old father, this home will always be welcome to you." And saying that, Mr. Bennet again immersed himself with his video game, while an ecstatic Lizzie jumped over with joy and embraced her father in a quick hug.
She had already talked to the broker and had got an affirmative, that she would find the perfect place for her within a few days and let her know as soon as possible. However, what surprised her the most was the unexpected happiness that was portrayed by both of her sisters regarding her decision to move out.
Jane was happy, because she could has found the perfect place to escape to, when their mother became too nagging or just when she wanted to be alone and pamper herself, while Lydia had found herself the perfect hook up and party spot.
The only person not happy with this decision however, as expected was Mrs. Bennet, for she believed that living alone would draw away all the prospective grooms for her daughter.
"What is wrong with living with your parents?" Mrs. Bennet wailed as she was informed of the news of Lizzie moving out. "What are people going to say ? That we torture you kids and that's why you decided to move out, wouldn't it show poorly upon your sisters as well. And what about you ? Do you think you will be able to manage without all of these luxuries that you are so accustomed to ?"
Lizzie huffed with annoyance, it has already been more than an hour since this racket had been going on and her patience was waning thin. "Mother, I am a corporate lawyer for god's sake, I can afford all of those luxuries that you have been going on about and if someone questions about my reason for moving out, you can just tell them that it's none of their freaking business."
And with that the wild brunette left the room, to go and find some peace within the confines of her room, buried under her work files.
***
William on the other hand could still not let go of the memories of one particular Ms. Bennet. He just could not understand the reason behind him acting so irresponsibly and brazenly. But did he regret it ? Not, even a single second of it.
In fact if he would get his head out of his ass, he would even accept the fact, that given the chance again, he would not hesitate to jump in with Elizabeth again.
Pushing those thoughts away, William tried to bring his attention at the matter at hand. His company seemed to have been going through losses even though the accounts showed it to have been making profits from its ventures, which only meant that someone was stealing from his company and he needed to fix it soon.
His phone pings with the alert of a message received.
Charles : Hey, weekend retreat to countryside resort. You in ?
As William checked the text, he immediately understood his friends reason for a sudden brief vacation. He wanted to spend some time with Jane Bennet, but not overwhelm doing her so and hence had invited him along. He thought of rejecting his invite at first, because god knows he did not want to be stuck as third wheeling between the two birds, neither did he want to be stuck with Caroline, whose advances towards him had become a lot more open and forward.
However, a sudden thought stopped him.
William : Who all are going to be there ?
Charles : Not much. Caroline, us, Jane and Elizabeth Bennet.
William : I'm in.
And with that, he could not wait for his second encounter with the wild Ms. Bennet.
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