Page 18 of Puck and Prejudice

“Dad!” Jane interjects. “Stop giving Chad a hard time.”

I’m about to come to Chad’s defense, but then I notice the upturn of Mr. Bennet’s lips. He glances at Izzie and winks. She’s also sporting a hint of a smile. But poor Chad is panicking, and he doesn’t seem to notice the exchange.

Mr. Bennet laughs and then pats Chad’s shoulder. “Relax, son. I’m yanking your chain.”

“Oh my God,” Jane blurts out. “You’re the worst, Dad.”

Izzie covers her mouth to hide a chuckle, but then she catches me staring and the amusement vanishes from her face. I suppose our interaction at the stables did little to change her opinion of me.

“And who’s this young man? A spare?” Mr. Bennet asks, and it takes me a moment to realize he’s talking about me.

I peel my gaze off Izzie and stare at the man. “Hello, sir. I’m Jackson Darcy, Chad’s best friend.”

Mr. Bennet offers me his hand. “Nice to meet you, Jackson. I’m John Bennet, but you can call me John.”

“Nice to meet you, John. I didn’t realize you were English.”

“Born in London, then my family moved to Seville when I was eleven or so. There’s where I met Mrs. Bennet.” He beams at his wife.

“Izzie told me you used to play polo.”

He turns to his daughter, and smiles. “Ah yes. That was a long time ago. Do you like horses, Jackson?”

“I love them.”

“Excellent. I shall introduce you to Cicero, Ophelia, and Toledo.”

I could tell him I’ve already met Cicero, but I don’t want to rob the man of the pleasure. “I’d like that very much. Chad loves horses too,” I add, knowing Chad wants John’s approval.

His eyes bug out. “I do?”

I give him a meaningful glance. He’s the worst at getting hints.

“Y-yes. I love them,” he amends.

“Brilliant. I shall give you both a tour of the stables.”

“Not right now, honey.” Mrs. Bennet chimes in. “Let’s eat lunch first.”

“Right. I hope you lads like Spanish cuisine. It’s the best food in the world in my opinion.”

“I love it,” Chad replies.

I glance at Izzie. “Yeah, me too.”

Her eyes lock with mine, then she frowns. Even though I shouldn’t care what she thinks about me, her grimace bothers me.

Mrs. Bennet hurries ahead and when everyone else catches up with her in the dining room, she’s busy switching plates on the long table. She seems flustered, but I can’t fathom why. There are enough chairs for everyone, and she did say earlier she had made enough food to feed an entire hockey team.

Chad and I wait to be told where to sit. Mr. Bennet pulls up the chair at the head of the table and then tells us, “What are you waiting for, lads? Sit, sit.”

“Where…” Chad starts.

Mrs. Bennet points at the second chair away from Mr. Bennet’s. “You sit next to Jane, dear.”

Izzie makes her way to other side of the table, and directly across from Jane. Lydia, the younger sister follows her and starts to pull up the chair next to Izzie’s, but Mrs. Bennet blurts out. “Lydia, you can sit next to Chad.”

“But I always sit next to Izzie.”

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