His Pride & Her Prejudice (in the 21st Century)-unedited.

Chapter Fifteen

After meeting Charlotte and her unfortunate husband, she went to her parent's house to find Uncle Gareth and Aunt Tilly, along with their children, who were enjoying time off from school due to the summer holidays. This meant Jane was back. The greetings and hugs dominated a good few hours, followed by a hearty dinner.

Afterwards, they all demanded what Ella had seen in the U.K. and thanked her for the souvenirs she had brought for them. The 'Queen's Guard' teddy bears that she had gotten for her aunt were a hit with everyone. The plush toys even made Mary croon like a proud mama.

Then Lydia dropped a bombshell on everyone. Zora Shah and George Wickham had broken up after two months of dating, and he was rumoured to have left for New York. No one knew what happened between the two, but Shazia and Zora had departed soon after for Canada to visit relatives.

"With Zora gone, I can't find out why Wickham dumped her?" Lydia said. "I need the juicy deets."

"He was too old for her anyway. She is twenty and he is twenty-eight," Mary opined. "Maybe the age gap got in the way."

"Age is just a number," Lydia pointed out. "I am sixteen and way more responsible now. My boss has made me in charge of cash reconciliation, weekly inventory count and closing the store when I am on duty. My guts tell me that I will become a manager soon."

"Lydia, I am so proud of you," Margaret cooed. "Tilly, I told you she is sharper than most girl's her age."

Her aunt threw Ella a meaningful look before saying. "I believe all my nieces are special in their own way."

Ella bit back her smile. Lydia and her impetuous behaviour had never endeared her to her aunt. Aunt Tilly, who worked at the art gallery in Manhattan, had always instilled good manners in all her children. Debbie, who was closest in age to Lydia, was intelligent and showed no symptoms of being boy-crazy and foolish.

"Aunt Tilly, did you know Ella got fired as she ran away to meet the Queen," Lydia taunted her older sister. "Ella, weren't you the one making fun of me for not holding a job. I guess adulting isn't for you."

"Don't you have anything better to do than act childish?" Ella asked. "If you must know, I hadn't taken a holiday in two years. I am not worried, as I was way overqualified for that position. I will find something, but you have to first graduate from high school."

Lydia stuck her tongue at her.

Ella knew what had bolstered her sister's confidence. Mary had told her that she had gone out to movies and a house party with Bruno, behind Laila's back. Her sister was officially the other woman with her continued hanky-panky with the senior.

Just then, their other cousin, Ronin, the eldest of the Gardiner children, who was studying at Columbia University, entered with her father and uncle Gareth. They came laden with takeaways from a Lebanese restaurant.

"Ronin, did you get the baklava?" Kitty asked with eagerness. I hope you didn't forget it."

"How can I? I remember your sweet tooth too well." Ronin glanced at Jane. "I am surprised she hasn't polished off your bakery already."

"She tried, but I booted her from there," Jane said with a laugh. "Before I left, I gave my staff strict orders not to give her free stuff, no matter the puppy face."

"You are so cruel." Kitty folded her arms across her chest. "No wonder the pastry chef was tailing me everywhere when I went there two days ago. He even refused to give me a family discount."

The bickering continued well into the dinner. It was a typical fare amongst sisters in the Bennet household. It was no surprise to Ronin, his sisters or their parents.