Okay, so this is my very first Pride and Prejudice fanfiction. Please don't kill me. It's AU so…yes, it is in the past, but things change and it's all Elizabeth's fault…who's surprised?

Chapter 1

She stared at the mirror in silence. She loved this time of the morning. Before she had never even realized it existed, but now it was what she lived for. She had spent the last two weeks living for it. In a house with four sisters, silence was a rare and beautiful thing indeed. No one was awake yet. They were all dreaming peacefully in their beds as she stood, staring thoughtfully at herself in the mirror. A candle was the only thing that lit the room. Her curtains were not drawn and therefore there was no daylight. The sun wouldn't be very bright at this time anyway.

The young woman slowly turned to the side as she tilted her head. She examined herself as she had every morning for the past fortnight. She was not tall by any stretch of the imagination nor was she overly thin. Her height and weight were neither a strike against her or a mark in her favor. Her eyes were a light caramel with flecks of gold and her long curly hair was a golden blonde that was very close to the same shade as her eldest sisters'. She had large full pink lips and her skin was a milky white. Some would have considered her pretty and yet she had not received one single offer of marriage from one single gentleman. In fact, men rarely even glanced in her general direction. She was puzzled by this fact. For the life of her, she could not understand why she had not found love within the past eighteen years.

Sighing deeply, the young woman turned again, this time examining herself from the other side. She knew that letting Hill do her hair did cause her to look more than slightly disheveled half of the time. The poor woman was constantly called upon to do every Bennet woman's hair in the house. The most important was Jane who was the loveliest, then Lizzie for she was next in line with both age and beauty, then there was of course Lydia who was the most favored by their mother, finally there was Mary and Kitty who were last to have their hair pinned up. By the time their maid had gotten to them she was almost too exhausted to stand.

There was also, of course, the fact that her mother was constantly picking out horrible fabric to make her dresses out of. They were bright and exuberant, but also blinding and confusing. It was a well-known fact that if a person stared at one of her dresses for too long they could become ill. The colors looked terrible with her skin tone as well as her hair.

Was it possible that none of the men were capable of looking past her messy hair and awful dresses? She had wondered that many times over the past two weeks. Her thoughtful state had been brought on by something her elder sister, Elizabeth, had said. She had bluntly told her to grow up and be herself. She said that she needed to stop following around her sister and start realizing the affect Lydia was having on their reputation as a family.

She didn't know why Elizabeth's words had affected her so, but she had decided to take her advice and look at how people perceived them. After merely two days, Katherine Bennet, was humiliated. Lydia was outrageous and needed to be stopped. She soon realized that everyone associated her with her younger sister. Everyone thought that her personality was a mirror of Lydia's. They were most definitely wrong.

Kitty and Lydia had always been close. They really had no choice. Mary was very introverted and dove into her books, while Jane and Elizabeth were both incredibly tight long before Kitty was even born. It was as if they were friends by default. As they aged, Kitty found herself simply following Lydia around. She was actually quite shy and became embarrassed when spoken to. She needed a large push to say anything in front of strangers. Lydia was just large enough to push. It was hard to be shy around Lydia. Kitty never had to be embarrassed by the attention she received because Lydia was always receiving more.

When Kitty finally stepped back and examined how Lydia acted she was mortified. Her shyness and embarrassment was back with full-force. People in Meryton were accustomed to how Lydia acted and therefore accepted it, simply saying that she would eventually grow and mature. Kitty was not accepting it. She could not allow herself to be humiliated and seen as the same person as her younger sister any longer. She had to be herself. She had to step out of Lydia's shadow, whether that meant losing every friend she thought she had or not.

Her first step in being her own person was requesting to pick out her own fabrics. It had been a hard fight that her father had finally settled for her. He assured her mother that he thought eighteen was quite old enough to pick out her own clothing. She did so with great joy. She picked colors she liked and thought matched her personality as well as her hair, eyes, and skin. Then she had decided that she would get the other maid, Betsy, to do her hair. It was too much work for Hill anyway. She had stopped spending time with Lydia and spent more time reflecting by herself. She had sneaked into Mary's bedchamber and had borrowed some romantic literature, which Mary had probably never even touched and wouldn't notice had gone missing from her ever-growing collection.

Today was the day that Kitty would show her change. Her clothing had finally been finished and she had asked Betsy yesterday if she could find time to do her hair in the morning. She stood in front of the mirror continuing to examine herself. She was nervous. No matter how she had acted the past few years she was still the shy soft-spoken girl who became embarrassed in front of people. She wasn't sure if she was ready to be herself or not. It was easier to hide behind Lydia.

There was a loud sound from her left, which indicated that Lydia was awake in the next room. Soon everyone was moving around, but she still couldn't tear her eyes off the mirror.

A knock sounded from behind her and Kitty sighed. She turned around and walked to the door. She slowly opened it and smiled at Betsy. "Good morning."

The small maid smiled back at her. She stepped into the room and quickly opened the curtains drawing in the light from the sun. "Good mornin', miss." Without another word, she moved to the closet and looked at all of Kitty's new dresses. She smiled brightly. "They are so lovely."

Kitty nodded as she stepped forward. "I know. I think I did very well."

"Which do you wish to wear to church?" Betsy questioned as she ran her fingers over the fabric of each dress.

Kitty sighed as she examined her closet. She looked at her new wardrobe before shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know. Which do you think I should wear?"

Betsy turned to stare at her stunned. She was merely a servant and yet Kitty was asking her opinion. She pushed away her amazement and turned back toward the closet. She pulled out a light sky blue dress and handed it to Kitty. "This one."

Kitty smiled widely. "Do you know...that's my favorite one?"

Betsy laughed. "It will look good with your eyes."

Kitty retrieved a corset, which Betsy quickly helped her into. It was tight, but not too tight. After a moment of adjusting to the lack of air, Kitty turned so that Betsy could help her step into the dress. It took quite a bit of time for the small maid to fasten each button on the back of the gown, but once she was done, she couldn't help but stare at Kitty in amazement.

The light blue dress was made out of a soft material that clung to every curve that Kitty had. The edge of the top of the dress was lined with a white lace like material. It was cut perfectly, showing off Kitty's lovely milky white skin, but not too much to be indecent. The color did bring out Kitty's eyes, but also the pink in her cheeks and made her hair appear even lighter.

"You look so beautiful." Betsy said in awe.

Kitty blushed. "Thank you." She wasn't sure that Betsy was right to call her beautiful, but it did feel good to hear it.

After a moment, Kitty took a seat at her vanity and allowed Betsy to brush her hair. It felt good to have the maid run her fingers along her scalp before pulling a soft bristled brush through her blonde locks. "How would you like your hair pinned, miss?"

Kitty smiled. "It really doesn't matter. I just want it to look nice."

Betsy laughed. "And Mrs. Hill does not fix it nice?"

"Mrs. Hill is very busy." Kitty replied, avoiding the subject.

Betsy laughed again, having noticed, but didn't comment. She went to work on Kitty's hair quickly. Her small fingers moved in and out of the golden locks with ease. She weaved the silky strands together tightly and yet made it appear loose. She pinned the blonde curls to the back of Kitty's head with a beautiful pin that Kitty had never seen before, while she allowed some of the curls to fall loosely framing Kitty's face.

When the maid was done Kitty smiled at her brightly. "Thank you, it's lovely."

"Do you like the pin?" Betsy asked.

Kitty nodded. "It's the perfect touch. Where did you get it?"

"I found it in the laundry." Betsy laughed.

Kitty sighed as she stood to her feet. "Which means it probably belongs to Lydia." She turned and looked at the mirror. She couldn't help but smile at her reflection. She looked much better than she normally did. "Yes, this will do nicely."

"You look very handsome, miss." Betsy told her honestly. "I would be happy to help you dress tomorrow as well."

Kitty turned to look at her with the same stunning smile. "Really?"

Betsy nodded. "Yes."

"Thank you." Kitty replied as the maid turned and left the room.

Taking a deep breath, Kitty walked toward her closet and retrieved a pair of light white shoes. Once she was done, she turned toward the door. She stopped to glance in the mirror and pinched her cheeks giving them more color before leaving the room.

Kitty almost ran directly into Lydia who was running recklessly down the hall. Her younger sister barely even noticed as she continued on her way, stomping down the staircase. Apparently, she was late for breakfast.

"Good morning, Kitty." Mary murmured without looking up from her book.

Kitty smiled brightly. "Good morning, Mary."

Mary's face twisted in confusion, but she still didn't glance up. She simply continued walking in silence.

Kitty shrugged before following after her sister. She took the stairs two at a time, making it to the dining room in seconds. Her family was already seated around the table.

"Morning." Kitty said happily before taking a seat next to Mary. She quickly began to put food on her plate. It took her a few minutes to realize that her entire family was staring at her. She frowned confused. "Yes?"

"You look...different." Mrs. Bennet stated in bewilderment.

Kitty fought the urge to roll her eyes or groan. That would be disrespectful. She plastered a fake smile into place. "It must be my new dress."

"The color does look very good on you." Lizzie commented.

"Thank you." Kitty replied.

Jane smiled one of her normal blindly beautiful smiles. She had the ability to make anyone happy by just looking at them. Joy poured off of her eldest sister in waves. "Your hair is different as well."

Kitty nodded. "Yes, Betsy did it."

"Betsy?" Mrs. Bennet frowned. "Why?"

"Hill was busy so I asked if Betsy would mind doing it." Kitty replied before taking a bite of her breakfast.

Jane continued to smile. "It looks beautiful, Kitty."

Kitty blushed as she smiled back at her. She wasn't used to so much attention. "Thank you." There was a happy silence that fell over the table at that. A happy silence, which was never meant to last too long.

"Don't I look lovely?" Lydia questioned irritated.

"Well, of course you do." Mrs. Bennet said in the whiny voice she always used when she spoke to Lydia. The tone had always grated on Kitty's nerves, but had only recently started driving her to the brink of insanity.

At that, everyone began eating again in silence. When breakfast was over, the entire family began to move to gather their things for church.

Kitty ran upstairs to retrieve her new bonnet only to find that it was missing. She frowned as she looked all over her room for the garment and finally resigned herself to wearing another one. She decided on a beautiful spring bonnet that had several pieces of light blue lace holding it together.

After putting on her hat and positioning it on her head while looking in the mirror, Kitty grabbed a small bag that held her bible. She then turned and walked back down the stairs. Lizzie, Mary, and Jane were already waiting to leave.

"You really do look lovely." Mary told her.

Kitty smiled brightly. "Thank you." She looked her elder sister over for a moment, noticing something she had never really noticed before. Mary was actually quite attractive. Well, that was once you got past the dark drab colors she wore. She had long dark brown, almost black hair with dark smoky brown eyes to match. Her skin was pale and her lips were a very light shade of pink. She was tall and thin, like Elizabeth. "You are lovely too." Jane, Lizzie, and Mary all turned to look at her stunned. Kitty shrugged. "Well, she is. She wears terrible colors, but she is still extremely handsome."

"Did you fall and hit your head last night?" Mary questioned in shock.

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Do not be so ridiculous. If you didn't hide behind your books and brown dresses, everyone could clearly see that you're handsome."

Mary turned to look at Jane and Lizzie, who were both examining her very closely. "She fell and hit her head last night."

Elizabeth laughed. "No, she speaks the truth, Mary. You are handsome."

Mary looked up to the ceiling, obviously calling on God for assistance. "Are you all mocking me now?"

"We would never mock you about that, Mary." Jane told her. "We are only honest."

Mary sighed. "Of course."

Kitty rolled her eyes as her sister buried herself back into her book. She tried to be nice to Mary and she ended up getting offended. Yes, this was working out wonderfully. They all stood in silence, waiting on the rest of the family.

There was a sound from above, causing Kitty to look up and suddenly she knew where her bonnet had run off to. Fighting the urge to scream, Kitty stared at Lydia who was wearing her brand new bonnet. Her younger sister smiled mockingly at her, trying to tempt her into a fight, but Kitty wasn't biting.

Kitty's anger continued to build as Lydia's mocking smile widened. It only took a moment for Kitty to realize how ridiculous she was being. It was only a bonnet after all and she could take it back from Lydia later. She took slow breaths, willing herself to calm down.

Mary, who had never been very observant, frowned up at Lydia. "Isn't that your new bonnet, Kitty?"

Jane and Elizabeth laughed lightly. They had been staring at Kitty the entire time. They would've never laughed at her anger and therefore Kitty could only assumed she had a rather amusing facial expression at the moment. Kitty almost bit through her lip to keep her anger from flaring back up at Lydia's triumphant expression. "Apparently, Lydia decided to borrow it."

"It looks much better on me." Lydia replied arrogantly. "You would look dreadful in it."

Kitty tilted her head to the side as she examined Lydia. She frowned slightly for a moment and then shrugged. "I suppose you're right. It does far more for you than it could for me."

Lydia nodded arrogantly. "Of course."

"Yes, it hides how frizzy your hair is very nicely." Kitty replied.

Lydia looked appalled. "What?"

Kitty nodded. "Oh, you know it has that tendency to frizz. Today is just one of those days." She paused for a moment. "It must be the weather."

Lydia looked out the window and then looked back to Kitty with a horrified expression. "It's sunny outside."

Kitty frowned as she looked out the window and then back to her younger sister. "So it is."

Just then their mother and father both walked into the hallway together. Lydia looked to her mother with wide eyes. "Mama, is my hair...frizzy?"

Her mother looked stunned. "What?"

"Is it frizzy?" Lydia asked.

"Of course not." Her mother replied in her normal whiny tone. "Who would say such a thing?"

Kitty fought the urge to roll her eyes. This was great.

"Kitty mentioned that it was frizzy and that her bonnet covered it up nicely." Lydia replied sounding almost tearful.

Kitty's father turned to look at her stunned. His blue eyes sparkled. "It was nice of you to allow Lydia to borrow your bonnet."

"My NEW bonnet, which it took me two months to save up for and three weeks to mend. I am extremely charitable, but she is my sister after all." Kitty replied before turning to look at Mary, Lizzie, and Jane. "Well, we best be off or we'll be late for church."

"Mama!" Lydia exclaimed.

Her mother sighed. "Your hair is not frizzy, Lydia. It is lovely."

By the time they had reached the church, Kitty was ready to solve Lydia's problem about her frizzy hair by ripping every strand of it out.

"I regret ever saying anything." Kitty grumbled.

Lizzie laughed. "If it's of any consequence, I do not regret it."

"We will NEVER hear the end of it." Kitty whimpered.

Jane sighed. "Of course we will. She will soon find something else to stress over."

Kitty turned to look at Jane stunned. "You never say an ill word of anyone."

Jane smiled softly. "I love my sister dearly, but she does have a tendency to be..."

"Self-absorbed?" Kitty questioned.

Elizabeth laughed and Jane shook her head. "I was going to say dramatic."

"Oh...you were going to be nice. I understand. You're Jane, that's what you do." Kitty replied as she watched the people enter the church.

Everyone piled in together. The Bennets sat in their normal row, but Kitty refused to sit next Lydia. She insisted that she didn't wish to sin in church. Therefore, Kitty was seated in between Mary and Lizzie.

The service was long and passionate, but Kitty kept getting distracted. Everyone normally took this time to gossip, which was apparently what Mrs. Bennet was doing. Kitty was surprisingly uninterested in anything anyone had to say. She was actually beginning to wish that she had brought the book she had stolen from Mary. It was far more interesting than the preacher's sermon on the sins of women.

Mary had hidden her book in her bible and was reading it while Lizzie kept snorting her nose at what the preacher was saying. Kitty wondered briefly if anyone would notice her slipping out of her seat and leaving the church.

Kitty glanced over the congregation and noticed someone was staring at her. She frowned deeply as a blush spread across her face. After a moment of shifting in her seat, Kitty elbowed Lizzie. "Why is Charlotte Lucas' elder brother staring at me?"

Lizzie snorted. "Which one?"

That was when Kitty realized that most of the Lucas' males were staring at her. Her blush deepened as she looked to Lizzie. "Is there something wrong?"

Lizzie laughed. "No, Kitty, there is nothing wrong."

Kitty sighed. "Then why are they staring?"

Lizzie shook her head. "They must be amazed at your silence."

Kitty nodded. That must have been it. Normally Lydia would talk during church, causing Kitty to laugh. Lydia was always loud. Her voice just seemed to carry for some reason. Therefore, it was hard to hear the sermon over both of them.

Kitty smiled widely at the men despite the fact that she was still blushing. She noticed the shocked expressions that crossed their faces, but shrugged it off before turning to look back up at the preacher.

When the service was finally over, Kitty stood and stretched. She followed Mary out of the church, before turning to talk to Lizzie and Jane.

"The Lucas' are very strange. Surely, Lydia and I did not disrupt church too much." Kitty replied in shock.

Jane laughed. "More than you realize."

Kitty shrugged. "Oh, well, Maria, interrupted just as much."

Lizzie sighed. "Yes, that she did."

"It was impolite to stare." Kitty frowned as she began to blush again. She didn't like for people to stare at her. It was embarrassing.

Jane laughed. "Is that why she thinks they were..." Suddenly, she was cut off by Elizabeth.

"Did you see how lovely Maria's new dress is?" Elizabeth questioned.

Kitty frowned, not missing the change of subject, but shrugged it off. "Yes, it was very pretty, although a bit too large."

Elizabeth nodded. "I noticed that as well."

"It's of little consequence. The color looked good with her skin tone and she will most likely grow into it within the next season." Kitty told her as she turned to look at Mary who was still engrossed in her book. "Did you listen to any of the sermon?"

"Some, did you?" Mary asked as she looked up from her book.

Kitty laughed. "Enough to realize he was insulting our entire sex."

Mary smiled. "That's exactly how much I listened to."

"Imagine that." Kitty snickered.

Mary sighed as she examined Kitty for a moment. "I like the change that's come over you, Kitty. I know not what caused it, but I do like it."

Kitty smiled brightly. "I like it too."

"As do we all. We were actually able to sit through a Sunday service without feeling the need to hide under our seats out of humiliation." Lizzie replied as she turned to smile at Kitty, trying to soften her words.

Kitty shrugged, knowing that what Elizabeth said was true even if it were a bit harsh. "Yes, it is nice not to feel like that."

"Miss Bennet." A deep voice called from behind them. Kitty fought back a smile. Ah, one of Jane's many suitors, chasing her down for a small word or two.

Kitty sighed as she turned and walked toward her father, mother, and youngest sister with Mary at her side. "It's a beautiful day today, don't you think?"

"Miss Bennet?" The deep voice called again. Kitty barely even heard it this time.

Mary looked up at the sky and then frowned. "It's a bit hot."

Kitty nodded. "But otherwise, quite beautiful."

"Miss Katherine Bennet, are you hard of hearing or just enjoy ignoring me?" The deep voice asked.

Kitty turned around quickly. She stared up at Reginald Lucas with a mix of shock and embarrassment. Though Charlotte was a close friend of the family, Kitty had never really spent much time with the woman's brothers, especially, the eldest of them. "I am...I am very sorry, Mr. Lucas. I believed you were speaking to my eldest sister, Jane. People refer to me as Miss Kitty Bennet or Miss Katherine Bennet, but never as Miss Bennet alone."

"Pray, do not make yourself uneasy." Reginald replied. "I merely wished to speak with you."

Kitty fought back her immediate reaction, which was 'why', and tried to think of something else to say. Her face was burning brighter than the sun and no words were coming to her mind. "Um...thank you."

Reginald laughed. "For what?"

Kitty frowned. "I cannot remember."

Mary snickered and Kitty glared. This was not funny in the slightest. Well, maybe it would be funny for someone else, but this was not funny for her.

"What did you wish to speak with her about?" Mary asked, voicing the words that Kitty should've thought of.

Reginald looked to Mary. He examined her appearance for a moment, which Kitty would have found offending had she not been completely lost in her shyness. He then turned to look back at Kitty uncomfortably. "Oh, well..."

"Yes, I see that Mama is motioning to me." Mary said as she smiled wickedly at Kitty. "I must be going."

"But...but..." Kitty managed to stutter as her sister ran away. She forced a fake smile on her face before turning to face Reginald again. She laughed in embarrassment. "She ran away."

"I noticed." Reginald replied as he stepped toward Kitty, completely invading her personal space. Without thinking, Kitty began to look him over. Reginald Lucas was a tall man with broad shoulders. He had light blue eyes and long blondish brown hair. He was quite possibly the most handsome man in Meryton. "Allow me to take you home."

"Um..." Kitty began. For some reason that was a very bad idea. Kitty couldn't remember why, but it was.

"Kitty." Reginald purred her name. "Will you allow me to take you home?"

Kitty stared at him confused. Good Lord, why was it a bad idea? There was a reason. There was a good rational reason that it was a very BAD idea for Kitty to let him drive her home in his carriage. What was it?

"Kitty, are you alright?" Maria asked as she stepped up next to Kitty's side.

Kitty let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding before turning to look at Maria. "Yes." Her voice was a very high-pitched squeak. "Yes, I'm fine." Suddenly her mind cleared of it's humiliating haze and she realized EXACTLY why it was a bad idea to let Reginald give her a ride home. She turned to face the man. "I cannot ride home with you in a carriage unaccompanied. You are a single man of a decent fortune and a known rake. It is practically impossible for me to come out of that with my reputation untarnished." She looked to Maria with a smile. "I am sorry I could not speak with you longer, but I am afraid my family is leaving me."

With that, Kitty turned and ran to catch up with her parents and sisters. Lizzie, Jane, and Mary all laughed at her embarrassed face while Lydia looked on confused. "What? What is so funny?"

Kitty glared at Mary. "NEVER leave me like that AGAIN." She paused for a moment and then sighed. "He is VERY handsome."

"And a rake." Mary replied disgusted.

"And charming." Kitty continued.

Mary frowned as her disgust doubled. "And a rake." She closed her book and turned to look at her sister. "Honestly, I have heard so many horrible accounts of the things that Reginald has been involved in. He is the head of the Lucas' family. He is to inherit and yet he runs around acting like a petulant child. How does he expect his brothers to act when he sets such a bad example?"

"Mary, all of the Lucas family is deeply respected, including Mr. Reginald Lucas." Elizabeth replied.

Mary huffed. "One has to wonder why."

"He is a good man and loves his family." Jane replied. "Even if he has been known for a scandal or two."

"OR TWO?" Mary screeched. "Try or twelve. Just last week he was in a duel, having been caught in a compromising position with a lady of little standing."

Kitty looked to her with wide eyes. "Really?"

Mary glared. "That is not a good thing, Kitty. He is a rake."

"And you left me alone with him." Kitty replied. "He offered to take me home and I couldn't for the life of me remember why that was a bad idea."

Mary's mouth fell wide open in shock. "That is a disastrous idea! Our entire reputation as a family could have been destroyed by you riding in his carriage. He could have...could have...wooed you into doing things you wouldn't normally do."

"Mary, I was so embarrassed and shy that it was possible his youngest brother Charles could've wooed me into doing things I normally wouldn't do." Kitty replied.

"Charles is seven." Mary squeaked.

Kitty snorted. "My point exactly."

Jane and Lizzie laughed while Mary scowled. "Alright, I admit it was unwise to leave you alone in his presence, but he clearly wanted to speak with you by yourself."

"Of course he did. Then no one could interrupt and explain the downfalls of riding home with him." Kitty snorted, causing Jane and Elizabeth to laugh again.

Mary sighed. "I apologize."

Kitty shrugged. "It matters very little. Nothing came of it. I am safe."

"Safe?" Lydia's irritating voice joined their conversation. Kitty almost rolled her eyes. She hadn't realized her sister was listening. "Who wishes to be safe when it comes to Reginald Lucas?"

Kitty frowned as she looked at Jane, Elizabeth, and Mary. "All of you agree with me and not Lydia, correct?" They nodded and Kitty turned back to face Lydia. "Good."

"He is SO handsome and would make a fine husband. You know that reformed rakes make the best husbands." Lydia replied.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth." Mary replied.

"Let's not be too hasty." Kitty snorted.

Everyone laughed, but Lydia who had completely missed the point. "Everyone says it." Lydia continued on. "They are the best husbands."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Yes, because obviously someone who has broken so many hearts as well as noses would make an excellent husband."

"They have..." Lydia began. "Experience."

"They have..." Mary mocked. "Diseases and scars."

Lydia opened her mouth to comment, but Elizabeth interrupted. "Enough."

"Mr. Bennet you will not believe the news I have just received." Mrs. Bennet said excitedly, causing everyone to fall silent. "Netherfield Park is let at last."

"Is it?" Mr. Bennet asked dryly.

Mrs. Bennet sighed in exasperation. "Do you not wish to know who has taken it?"

Mr. Bennet shrugged. "You wish to tell me and I have no objection to hearing it."

"It is a single man of large fortune named Mr. Bingley. He rides in from the north." Mrs. Bennet replied. "What a fine thing for our girls."

"How so?" Mr. Bennet asked confused. "How does it affect them?"

Mrs. Bennet looked shocked. "Surely you see that I wish for him to marry one of them."

"Is that his design in settling here, to find a wife?" Mr. Bennet questioned.

"Design!" Mrs. Bennet yelled in outrage. "Of course not, but he could very well fall in love with one of them."

Lydia giggled loudly. "Could you imagine him choosing me?"

Kitty snorted. "No."

Suddenly, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet began arguing over whether Mr. Bennet should write to Mr. Bingley. Kitty fought the urge to laugh at how upset her mother was becoming. How did she not realize that their father would always do what was best for them? It was possible he wanted them married more than she did. If they didn't marry he was going to be forced to live with all of them for the rest of his life, which was apparently getting shorter by the second according to Mrs. Bennet.

By the time they had all reached Longbourne, Mrs. Bennet was having a complete nervous breakdown. Her nerves, according to her, were getting the best of her. She took her distress out on the closest person, that being Hill.

Kitty shook her head at her mother's foolishness before turning and walking up the stairs toward her bedchamber. She could hear her mother's voice echoing off the walls as she entered the room and shut the door. She sighed before lying down on the bed and closing her eyes. Sometimes living at Longbourne was like living in a war zone.

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