Matters of Chance

Chapter 11

Elizabeth pulled the metal zipper up Lydia's back until it hooked. Lydia turned around and struck a pose in the navy colored dress that she pulled from Lizzie's closet.

"You look great, Lydia," Elizabeth smiled, "You can keep the dress if you want, I don't wear it too often."

Lydia shook her head, "No, it's not my style. I'm only wearing it for tonight because Charles said dressy casual." She twirled in the dress and the skirt flared out. "I do look good though!"

Elizabeth smiled and began combing through her closet. She hadn't looked for what she was going to wear yet. Her and Jane spent most of the afternoon playing 'say yes to the dress' with Lydia and Kitty as they tried on different dresses for Charles' dinner party. In the back of her closet was a white button up with flowers embroidered on the collar. She carefully unhooked it from its place and set it down on her bed.

Lizzie crouched down and began shifting through her dresser. Soon her hand landed on soft, black material. She pulled it out from the depths of the drawer and shook it out. The dark skirt had been sitting in there for a while, and Lizzie considered herself lucky that it didn't have any wrinkles. She showed the skirt to Jane, who gave her a thumbs up in approval.

Within a couple minutes, Lizzie was changed into her outfit. She tucked the shirt into the skirt and slipped on her faux leather oxfords. She made finger guns at herself in the mirror and winked, which caused Jane to laugh from across the room. Elizabeth smiled and walked to the sisters' shared bathroom to join Lydia and Kitty in doing their makeup.

By 5:30, the Bennet family was out the door, and in the minivan. Mrs. Bennet managed to convince her husband to attend a social event instead of enjoying what would have been an empty house. The minivan seated exactly seven, just enough for everybody to cram into the family car. Lizzie frowned. She was excited getting ready for the party, but the thought of interacting with Darcy after what George Wickham had told her made her sick to her stomach. She did her best to distract herself by scrolling through Instagram on her phone.

When they arrived at the Netherfield building, Charles Bingley was waiting just outside of the revolving door. When he spotted the Bennets, a smile took over his face and he waved. Elizabeth glanced at Jane, who gave a shy smile back.

When they made it to the revolving glass door, Charles held out his arm for Jane to take and they all walked inside. Charles brought them all up to the penthouse floor. Other than Darcy and Caroline, there were a few other people at the party. A few of Mr. Bennets' friends and their families that lived in the Netherfield building were chatting in the living area. Lizzie spotted Charlotte sitting at the breakfast bar. Lizzie jogged up to her and hugged her from behind.

Charlotte tensed up in Elizabeth's arms and turned around. She relaxed when she met her friend's familiar brown eyes.

"Lizzie, you scared me!" said Charlotte, turning around fully. It was then that Lizzie noticed Charlotte holding a flute of champagne.

Lizzie eyed the bubbly, golden liquid, raising an eyebrow. "Where'd you get that from? I'm gonna need it," she said.

Charlotte laughed and pointed to a row of champagne glasses already poured sitting on the kitchen counter. Elizabeth mouthed a quick 'thank you' and whisked away to grab one. She swiftly returned to Charlotte and sat next to her at the breakfast bar. Elizabeth was one sip into her glass of bubbly when Charles clapped his hands.

"Hello everyone! Thank you for coming to my dinner party," he said, "I don't have a dining table, but the food is all lined up in the kitchen. Let's eat!"

The penthouse filled with cheers as people got up and made their way to the food. Most of it looked hand prepared, no doubt by Charles. Elizabeth waited for the line to die down before getting some herself. When she had gotten back from fixing her plate, she noticed that Jane had made her way to the breakfast bar also. Elizabeth smiled and slid back into the seat.