Matters of Chance

Chapter 25

Lydia got back at 6:00 AM the following morning. It was evident by her quiet closing of doors and careful steps that she was trying not to alert anybody to her return, but when she got to her bedroom, the whole house woke up. None of the Bennets had been able to sleep well with the prospect of Lydia coming back, and every little bump in the night stirred their sleep.

Lydia looked like she had been run through a hurricane. Her eyes had dark bags under them. Her bleached hair was messy, frizzing out around her head, unbrushed. Elizabeth caught glimpses of bruises and bandages littering Lydia's forearm. Sorrow and anger coursed through Lizzie's body. Her sister looked like crap, and she couldn't help her.

Questions poured from Mary and Jane about what he did to her and if she was okay, but Mr. Bennet ushered everyone away from Lydia.

"What she needs is rest," he said, "Leave her alone for now."

Lydia didn't speak throughout the whole ordeal, instead, she padded her way to her bed and buried herself under the covers. Kitty closed the door and locked it behind them, leaving everyone to return to bed.

Elizabeth decided not to sleep anymore. Lydia's return had filled her with too much anxiety to go back to bed. Besides, someone would need to stop their mom if she woke up and found out about Lydia's return. Mrs. Bennet might actually try to knock down the door to obsess over Lydia, which was the last thing she needed.

Elizabeth shuffled to the kitchen and fixed herself a quick bowl of cereal. It was extremely sugary and a little bit stale, though she didn't complain. She couldn't bring herself to cook anything at the moment. She stirred the crunchy loops in the milk with her spoon, watching as they twirled around in the milk. The hypnotic swirl brought her into her thoughts.

Would Lydia like it better if they treated her normally? Or would she need extra comfort? Should she go to Lydia herself, or wait for Lydia to come to her? Lizzie had no clue.

The remainder of her cereal had gone soggy and Elizabeth gave up on eating it. She put the bowl away and stood up from her place at the dining room table. She'd work until the house woke up, and then she'd help to manage the aftermath of their family's latest disaster.

Elizabeth grabbed her laptop from her room. Jane appeared to have fallen back asleep, though Lizzie could bet money that her sister was awake under the covers. She carried her computer to the dining room and settled back into her seat. She opened her laptop and finally allowed herself to get started on work.

She opened her latest recording on her phone, only to immediately be pulled out of her concentration by the sound of a woman's voice welcoming her to Pemberley. It had only been a couple days since Elizabeth got back from San Francisco, however the craziness of her time back in Meryton pushed those moments back into her mind. She had been in San Francisco for Pemberley... Darcy's company.

Elizabeth paused the recording. She tugged at her hair. What was proper etiquette for writing an article about the company of a man whose house you fled in the middle of the night? For a man who's worst moment you dragged from the mud?

She tapped her fingers against the wooden table. Darcy had been incredibly kind to her in San Francisco. It was awkward, but he was nothing but polite and accommodating. Maybe he was trying to make up for the past, or maybe he was trying to become friends with her. It seemed okay to write the article then. It also seemed okay to write the article before, when she thought she'd never see him again.

She didn't know anymore, though. The two of them bonded at least a little bit at his house, but she had left his house in the middle of the night because her own family got involved with the very man he warned her about. He hadn't contacted her since she left. She didn't blame him. Elizabeth almost got Darcy reinvolved with the man who had abused Ginny.