Matters of Chance

Chapter 1

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young woman starting her career must be in want of some peace and quiet.

Someone must have died. That's the first thing Elizabeth thought when she heard screaming from the living room. With 5 daughters and bickering parents, it was safe to say that the Bennet home was never quiet. However, the current ruckus was enough for their elderly neighbors to call the police on them. Elizabeth sat slouched over her laptop on her bed, staring at the screen. The words of her current article stared back at her. Her fingers hovered over the keys as she tried to block out the noise from down the hall. The artificial light emanating from the surface was almost enough to draw her back into her work until her door slammed open. In the doorway stood her youngest sister, Lydia, with a gleeful look on her face and excitement in her eyes.

Lydia flicked her bleached blonde hair over her shoulder. "Elizabeth, come out of your hiding place! Mom has news," she said, practically rocking on her toes. Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, but she knew better than to ignore her mom. Last time she did, her mother started crying and proclaiming that none of her daughters loved her.

Elizabeth scooted off her bed and onto her feet. Her back hurt thanks to her slouching and she groaned. Some of her joints popped loudly as she stood, reminding her that she was dooming herself to joint problems at the ripe age of 23. She practically waddled down the hallway, her body not quite ready to let go of its stiffness.

She rounded the corner into the living room to see her father sitting in his easy chair. His wire frame reading glasses sat low on his nose as he read a book. Mr. Bennet was a rather large man. He stood well above the members of his family and had gained weight in his mid adulthood. His hair was turning white.

Elizabeth's mother paced in front of him, waving her arms around enthusiastically and speaking in a rushed tone. Mrs. Bennet was a second generation Asian American. Next to her husband she looked tiny, but she made it up with her loud voice and extravagant hand gestures.

The rest of her sisters, including Lydia, stood at the other side of the living room, standing in anticipation of what their mother was about to say.

"Edwin, you must know how exciting this is!" Mrs. Bennet said, "I am sure you have heard!"

Mr. Bennet never took his eyes off of his book. "My dear, I do not know why you are so excited, as I have no idea what you are talking about."

Mrs. Bennet gasped, scandalized over the fact that her husband had not heard of the latest gossip. "Don't you read the news, Edwin? Someone has finally bought the Netherfield Penthouse!"

Mr. Bennet did not reply, but instead continued to read his book. Elizabeth tried not to laugh. Her father just loved to rattle her mother, and ignoring her was the best way to do that.

"Edwin! Aren't you going to ask me who it is?"

Mr. Bennet still did not look up from his book, and flipped the page, still reading. "You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it."

This was as good as a yes as any from Mr. Bennet, and so Mrs. Bennet squealed with delight.

"It was taken by a handsome and rich young man. His name is Charles Bingley! His family owns a chain of luxury restaurants. This is a great opportunity for our girls."

"For our girls?"

"My dear husband," replied Mrs. Bennet, "He could marry one of our daughters!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Her mother's definition of success was marrying a rich man and settling down as if it were the 1800s. Mrs. Bennet would grab onto any young man and thrust him at her daughters, in hopes that one of them might stick, and one of her daughters might finally move out of the house. The eldest Bennet child, Jane, was 25 and still living at home.

"Mom," said Elizabeth, "we can't just throw ourselves at a man we haven't even met."

"Speak for yourself," said Lydia, grinning, "I'm going to get myself a man."

"Oh hush, girls," said Mrs. Bennet, "Your father has some friends that live in that high rise. He can go meet him for us."

"I see no reason to go. How about you just bring the girls? It seems rather ridiculous that the head woman of the house cannot go instead of the man. Just don't let Mr. Bingley steal you away from me, Shannon."

Mrs. Bennet giggled. "Oh, stop teasing! I am certainly not as beautiful as I used to be, but our daughters got my genes. Jane, most of all. She's a beauty, I bet Charles Bingley would be fawning over her, if only you introduced us."

Mr. Bennet simply laughed at the frustration in his wife's voice. The Bennet patriarch was a mix of sarcasm and reserve, and in the thirty years he had been married to his wife, she had never figured him out. Mrs. Bennet was prone to taking sarcasm seriously and overreacting. The two made an odd couple that somehow managed to raise five daughters.

Mrs. Bennet continued to whine over her husband's lack of commitment to the girls, claiming that if her daughters grew up to be lonely cat ladies, it would be all his fault.

Elizabeth groaned. "I haven't even met Charles Bingley and I am already tired of him," she said.

Her father finally looked up from his book. "Well that's a shame, because the highrise is holding a housewarming party to celebrate Mr. Bingley's arrival and finally selling the penthouse," he said, "but I suppose I can turn down the invitation."

Mrs. Bennet squealed in delight. "Oh girls, do you see how good your father is? He got us invited to a party!" All of Mrs. Bennet's sorrow over her husband seemed to have dissipated in seconds. "We will have to go shopping to get you all new clothes. I think one of you will finally be moving out of here."