Authors note: I do not own any characters created by Jane Austen. Full credit goes to her for all situations and information mentioned in her book Pride and Prejudice, the storyline of this fanfic is all me and the little voice in my head – and thus, of course, not to be copied by anybody else – that would be stealing my creativity, my ideas – and not very nice
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of this man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.
And it was with this truth in mind, that I, Fitzwilliam Darcy, was trying very hard to dissuade my friend, Charles Bingley, from renting the house he had set his eye on.
Only last monday had my friend travelled south to inspect this house. He had come back filled with plans for redecorations, parties, and most of all: meeting new people and expanding their social circle.
I am, even now, not ashamed to say that I did not, at the time, understand the attraction of the so-called 'rural life' and, if I were to be completely honest with myself, I could not phantom what good could come from moving away from the busy life of London, to a place where I doubted people would have ever heard of such a thing as business.
If Bingley had to move about, I thought, he might as well go to a place with some decent entertainment, acceptable company and a large library.
The alternatives offered by an estate such as Netherfield Park, whether they be long walks, the simple life in the outdoors or splendid views, would, after all, hardly suffice to keep a company of the likes of our friends entertained.
After all, Mr. Hurst, quaint though he may be, was, if nothing else, quite set in his ways within the busy life that London held for him. The clubs, the cards, the gambling, ... No, I could not see how he would manage to settle in at Netherfield, even if it did hold a rich collection of french wines.
Mrs. Hurst, quite unlike her husband, was not that much of an avid for the ladies' clubs. She did, however, seem rather put on her daily walk trough the busy streets of London, searching for a dress, a hat, or just a simple trinket which she could wear at one of the numerous parties she had become quite famous for throwing.
Charles' other sister, Caroline, enjoyed these parties just as much as her sister and brother-in-law, but to her, London held the added comfort of having all her painting- and drawing supplies right at her disposal, as well as having her numerous partitures always at hand.
Really, I thought, the only one who might possibly enjoy this trip into the stranger outskirts of England, was Bingley. And eventhough the two of us had been friends for longer than I cared to remember, I would never deny the fact that Bingley had a way of looking at things, that made them see much more easy than they actually were.
In short, Bingley could not be allowed to progress in this fashion, and if there was one person who could tell him so, it was me.
It was with this resolve in mind, that I left for Bingley's.
When I returned, it was not to celebrate the results I had expected from our converstaion - and, quite honestly, I was a bit shocked with Bingley's reaction to my expressing my doubts.
The younger man was usually easily influenced by those he considered his friends, feeling that, being the youngest, he should take into account the added experience they had.
However, he had proven to be most headstrong on this particular subject.
He was absolutely certain that this was the right thing to do, he was sure that I would come to see this too, and he just knew that we would all toroughly enjoy our stay at Netherfield Park.
Because if he went to Netherfield Park, so would all of us, and go to Netherfield Park he would.
A/N So, here you have it: Pride and Prejudice, what Darcy thought... I'll try to update regularly, but those of you who are reading any of my other stories know that doing so is not my strongest point. However, I don't abandon fanfictions (like, ever) so don't worry: I'll eventually add a new chapter... Until then: please let me know what you thought by reviewing/following/favoriting!