A/N: Hello readers, this is a little something I've had in mind for a while, I consider my other stories on hiatus until I have the time to upload as all my material was deleted unfortunately. However, I'm extremely excited about this. It has to be a little OOC due to the setting and I've switched things around, all for good reasons. I'm using the plot but adding my own twists and changing the language a little and throwing in the occasional reference for my own amusement.
I hope supernatural and Austen fans alike enjoy it. Please, any questions, criticisms, ideas, comments, I would love to hear your thoughts and it would definitely help me to write better content for you so if you have a moment to spare just drop me a message I will love you for it. Alright, enough from me, I hope you enjoy this opening.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a partner.
When an unmarried man enters a new neighbourhood, he is immediately the object of prey for all the Mother's on behalf of their often reluctant, unmarried children. Their design to create an advantageous marriage that will be the talk of the town for years to come, as is the way with many small town gossiping Mothers with no better occupation than the match-making of their children.
"Bobby, hey, Bobby, one of the servants just told me someone's bought the Netherfield Mansion!" Cried Ellen Winchester after bursting into his study one Thursday evening. Robert Winchester, her unruffled husband merely nodded, not lifting his eyes from a book of machinery. His lady huffed impatiently.
"Do you not wanna' know who's taken it?"
"You want to tell me, so I guess I don't have a choice." She needed no further invitation.
"Apparently he is a man of large fortune travelled from town to the house under instruction from a friend to check it out. I hear he loved it so much he agreed on the spot he'd take it! Some of his servants should be in by the end of next week as he's taken possession.
"He got a name?"
"Bingley."
"Is he married?"
"He's single Bobby! A single man of large fortune, something like four or five thousand a year! How great for our boys!"
"What's it got to do with them?"
"Mr Winchester, don't be so tiresome, I want him to marry one of them!"
"So that's why he came here then?"
"Why? Don't be a fool, Bobby, but he very well might fall in love with one of them and want to marry them so you have to go and meet him as soon as he comes, you know we can't go if you don't and the Lucas' are determined and I'll be damned if they get their girls married off rich before our boys, you understand?"
"What if I just write a letter and send you off with it, and I'll put in a good word for Dean,"
"Don't push me, Bobby, why'd you always favour Dean anyway? I love the boy, make no mistake, but he's not nearly as sweet as Sam or Garth or as smart as Kevin and not as good humoured as Benny or Ash, yet you always give him the preference."
"We have the silliest bunch of boys I've ever met and they squabble like a bunch of babies, but Dean's got something about him, he's quicker than his brothers, doesn't let anyone take him for a fool."
"Don't talk crap about your own kids; you really like to rile me up! You have no appreciation for my temper!"
"You're mistaken there, Ellen, it's been my closest friend these past twenty years at least."
Robert Singer was an odd cocktail of good humour, underlying wit and clever intuition. He was somehow candidly subtle in his sarcasm and quips and had no quarrel with anyone unless they slighted him or his family. He took great amusement in teasing and bantering with his wife who was still caught off by his character at times but was feisty in her challenge. She was a woman of uncertain temper and had a fierce capacity to love her offspring. Her whole life was consumed with marrying off her sons to rich respectable (if possible noble) partners.
"Is that a new jacket, Dean? It's pretty nice, you should make sure to show it to Mr Bingley if you're to win him over as your Mother wishes." Bobby Winchester addressed his son as everyone was adjourned together in the sitting room.
"We're never to know if Mr Bingley is to be won over if you don't go to visit and introduce everyone," Mrs Winchester snapped resentfully.
"We'll see him when the Lucas' introduce us, Ellen," Dean reminded his Mother, showing his maturity by acknowledging her by her first name as the children did when they were considered to be eligible young men. Her gaze softened upon hearing it but soon hardened again when she caught sight of her husband's smug expression.
"I'm sure those Lucas' will do nothing of the sort, they've got girls of their own to get married, plus Lady Lucas' always been jealous of not having any boys," The last she offered a little scornfully. Ash, after drinking yet another scotch despite it being only three thirty in the afternoon, and his only being seventeen, belched loudly and Ellen slapped him on the upside of the head.
"Don't be so foul, Ash. I swear if I catch you with one more drink, I'll string you up, boy, you hear?" Dean and Benny exchanged smirks whilst Sam tried to intervene to stop Ash saying something to anger his Mother further.
"Dean, when's the next ball?" He queried.
"Fortnight from now,"
"Oh yeah!" Dean caught Sam's clear relief at this successful diversion.
"And Lady Lucas doesn't get back until the day before so it's impossible for us to be introduced before then." Ellen Winchester moped.
"I guess you'll have to introduce her to Mr Bingley instead then," Bobby said cryptically and the boys all stared.
"What're you talking about? I've been surrounded by men for so long I no longer hear sense in your words, you old boot," She snapped.
"Kevin, you're always deep in thought, maybe you can explain to your Mother?" Bobby directed at Kevin whose brow furrowed as he considered this statement. He wanted to say something intelligent but wasn't sure how.
"Well, you keep chewing on that, boy, let's talk some more about Mr Bingley," His wife made a sound of exasperation.
"I'm sick of Mr Bingley."
"That's a problem, should've told me earlier, I wouldn't have gone and seen him. Can't get out of talking to him now, sorry." The astonishment from his sons was clearly his intention as his trademark Winchester smirk grew and Ellen bellowed a laugh.
"You old dog, I knew you loved your boys too much to not call on Bingley! Oh, one of you are gonna' get married to the richest man in Longbourn!" She announced happily to the bemused young men as a collective. Bobby heaved a laugh as he stood up from his chair.
"I think you can drink as much as you like now, Ash," He chuckled as he left the room, exhausted from his wife's raptures.
"You boys have an excellent Father right there; you'd better work hard to bag this guy to repay him for such kindness. Garth, honey, you worked on your dancing didn't you?"
"Don't worry about it, Mum, he's sure to get Garth-ed!" His brothers winced at the catchphrase that he wouldn't let die.
The rest of the evening was spent in high spirits as everyone in the house discussed the ball. As young men had reputations of honour to uphold, they weren't often allowed out and mixing with other people their age without previous acquaintance was unheard of, so balls were the exciting exception to the strict rules and expectations of their society. Though Benny, being the eldest, was considered the prize of the Winchester sons, the others were still anticipating an evening of fun away from their overbearing Mother.
As the ball approached the boys and their Mother tried to get a description of the man out of their Father. Bobby, as usual, found his amusement with them and didn't grant any clues as to his character. In the end, much to the unhappiness of Ellen they were obliged to gain a second-hand account of the man from Lady Lucas who'd visited him with her husband not long after Bobby.
She gave a very grand report of him. Gabriel Bingley was said to be extremely rich, handsome and had wonderful manners, in order of importance to the women. To put the icing on the cake he was to attend the next ball which allowed all the boys an attempt at snagging a dance partner in him. Ellen was certain these were all definitive steps towards him falling in love with one of her boys. They heard also from Lady Lucas that he was gone back to town for a day to collect his party for the ball of one woman and one man.
When they entered the assembly room everyone had been increasingly excited to seeing the mysterious Mr Bingley. He was handsome and entered with a bright smile; he was rather short but made up for it with his happy manners, pleasant address and keen conversation. The lady accompanying him, to the collective relief of the ladies who stared from afar, was discovered to be his sister. Her countenance was far gloomier and she looked around, disinterested and generally dissatisfied with her surroundings. Miss Meg Bingley was arrogant to excess and found only happiness in picking fault with others and elevating herself beyond her rank.
The other young man, however, who accompanied the party, was singled out to everyone as he was exceptionally handsome, tall with an air of noble pride around him. Also, it soon circulated that he earned nearly ten thousand a year which was only a helping attribute in people's opinions of him. He was announced far more handsome than Mr Bingley and was the subject of admiration for about half the evening until people found his manners to be ugly as he was eat up with pride and was above his surroundings.
Everyone then declared him to be the most detested man in the assembly and was not in any comparison to his friend. Mr Bingley was funny and unreserved as he danced every dance and made it his mission to introduce himself to everyone in the room. His friend, Mr Castiel Darcy, danced only one dance with Miss Bingley and declined any other offer. His disdainful character decided he was avoided and frowned upon by the room.
Ellen Winchester in particular took a dangerous disliking to him after he made comment on her son Dean whom overheard the conversation. Gabriel Bingley had danced two dances with Sam and was clearly enjoying himself a great deal with Dean's friendly giant of a little brother. As Dean was sat in ear shot of Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy, next to his best friend, Jo Lucas, he listened to their conversation, eager to witness Mr Bingley's appraisal of Sam.
"He is the most fun person I've met in a long time. I haven't laughed so much in ages. Tall and handsome is rare too, don't you think?" He addressed his friend with a laugh who kept his quizzical brow.
"You've got to have at least one dance, there's so many partners to choose from it's incredible. What about Sam Winchester's brother, look, he's just there, he's certainly a looker himself, you could do much worse,"
"He's tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me, go back to your partner and enjoy his smiles, you're wasting your time with me." He said stiltedly and Dean turned to look at him, a little snubbed at his comment.
He still had a good time talking to Jo about it, who decided she'd take time picking out every exaggerated fault she could find in him, making Dean laugh loud enough to forget his insulting comments for a while.
Everyone was pleased with Mr Bingley. Sam had been singled out as the only person to have a second dance requested of him. Kevin had heard Mr Bingley call him the most intelligent young man he'd ever met and both Garth and Ash had been ambushed with dance partners all evening which was all they cared about at a ball.
Ellen took great happiness in relaying every detail of the ball to her husband who sighed as little as possible but took interest when she gave a disgusted report of the events including Mr Castiel Darcy. Dean listened on in slight amusement and slight annoyance. Despite not at all wanting the attention of such a snobbish man, he was a little irritated he'd been so easily pushed aside as another 'commoner'. Still he found it funny to listen to his Mother gain speed in her insults of him and tried to put the man to the back of his mind.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed! I will soon be finding a beta for this story but for now please excuse any errors in spelling or grammar! A new chapter should be up this weekend and if you have a moment to spare writing a review with what you thought would be so wonderfully helpful of you! Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading!