First Impressions: A Modern Pride and Prejudice Adaptation

Chapter 4

"Caroline and Lo invited me over for dinner. Can I borrow the car?"

"What, dear?" Mrs. Bennet asked, blinking. Her hearing caught up with Jane's words. "Oh! Will Chip be there?"

"No, Mom. Just Caroline and Lo."

Mrs. Benet narrowed her eyes. "What time do they want you there?"

Jane looked down at her phone. "Six."

"Certainly not. Take the ferry."

"But it only runs until eight!"

"Yes," she said with a glint in her eye. "And if you miss it, Chip will have to drive you home or perhaps you can stay the night. I'm sure they can spare a room in that house of theirs."

"Mom!"

But Mrs. Bennet refused to listen to her complaints or concerns. There was a ferry that ran across the thickest part of Hertford Lake, carrying passengers from the main town of Meryton to the more residential neighborhoods and back again. While it was fast to take the ferry—drive around took close to half an hour, the ferry only 14—it ran only from 9 AM to 8 PM every weekday. (On Saturday, it was 10 AM to 9 PM and it didn't run at all on Sundays.)

Jane finally admitted defeat, throwing her hands in the air and running up the stairs to change clothes. Liz was already in their bedroom, lying on her bed and reading a book. Usually so placid, it was easy to see whenever Jane was ruffled or upset. She sat down on her bed in a huff and Liz gently placed a bookmark between the pages. "What's up?"

Jane told her as she dressed.

The girls had never seriously redecorated their room since they moved in. The walls were still a shade of powdery blue and their furniture was mostly brown wood, save for Liz's bookshelf and the replacement nightstand Jane had purchased in high school when her previous one collapsed. They could not fit more than two twin beds in the room, and they used blankets and comforters until they were worn through with holes, sharing them between all of the girls. On Liz's bed was a comforter originally purchased for Cat with, of course, cats on it. The one on Jane's bed had originally been Mary's, featuring a rocket ship and the night sky.

"She means well, but—"

"You're being too generous. She's trying to set you up with Chip."

Jane blushed. "But we just met each other! He's very nice, I like him a lot, but I don't know..." She paused and bit her lip.

"I know." Liz got up and gave Jane a quick hug. "You don't have to explain to anyone you don't want to. Not even Mom." She paused, watching over Jane's shoulder as she put on lipstick. "I'll walk you to the ferry."

Jane stood up for an outfit check and, upon receiving the thumbs up, picked up a pair of shoes from the bottom of the closet, and exited the bedroom.

"Have fu-un," Lydia called out to them as they came down the stairs. They could just see the top of her head where she was lying on the couch in the living room. She raised her arm to waggle her fingers dramatically. Jane looked a little ill.

"Ignore her," Liz muttered and shuffled Jane out the door.

"I wish Mom wouldn't share everything with Lydia..."

The early evening air was pleasant to walk through. They followed the main road until the sidewalk began, taking a leisurely pace.

"Really, I don't know what Mom's getting at."

Liz laughed at her. "Yes, you do. You're just too nice to call her out on it." Before Jane could continue the thought—when she was thinking very hard, her eyebrows pulled together to make a little V of skin just above the bridge of her nose, and it was already forming—Liz cut her off and said, "Jane, I know you want to like them and they say they're your friends, but I'm not sure if they really respect you. They don't seem very nice."