As per my reviewer's requests this story has been revised so that now Mr. Bingley is played by Jasper Hale! Jacob Black will come into the story later on.
Hello and thank you for reading my second Twilight fic titled: Twilight and Prejudice. As you may have seen from the description, this in an AU story with your favorite twilight characters mixed in with the amazing novel Pride and Prejudice! I have taken a little from both books and combined them into my own little mixup fanfic! So please read and review and let me know what you think!
(A few little side notes) If you have not read and or seen the movie Pride and Prejudice, I HIGHLY recommend them! One of the greatest love stories ever told. Just want to let you guys know that there are some differences in this story between characters (most notably Alice is Bella's sister, not Edward's) so please keep in mind that this will not be completely canon. Also, this story takes place in the mid 1800's.
If you have any constructive criticisms or tips would be greatly appreciated!
Now!
On with Chapter 1f
"Bella Swan! BELLA! Get in this house this instant! Your father and I have something to discuss with you and your sisters! Gather them at once!"
My mother. Always so…dramatic…. There is never a dull moment in our quaint little farm house as long as she is awake. Even my poor quiet father never gets a moments peace when she is around.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Isabella Marie Swan. Everyone calls me Bella. I live on a little farmstead with my mother, father and two sisters. We have a quiet little life together, and I love it….Even with my overly dramatic mother's bouts of excitement…
Walking across our small bridge that looks out over our blue stream, I spot my sister Alice looking dreamily into it. She looks like an angel that has fallen from the sky. Her coal black hair curls neatly on her head and her dark eyes shine with curiosity. She is a year older than me, but she definitely has the spirit of a much younger person.
I called out to her. "Alice! Mother and father are calling us into the house! Do you know where Jessica is?"
Alice jumped up immediately, her blue dress covered in bits of grass.
"Bella! Oh you startled me! I was just watching the most curious school of orange fish swim by! What colors they had in the sunlight!" She seemed to float over the grass towards me.
"You are looking for Jessica? The last I saw of her, she was attempting to spy on poor Peter again while he milked the cows."
I had to suppress my laughter. You see my other sister Jessica was something of an innocent flirt. If there was such a thing. She was four years younger than my 20 but she, unlike Alice wanted to act much much older than she was.
"Well, run along into the house Alice, and I will fetch Jessica. Hurry, I don't know how much longer mother's voice can keep up. Can you not hear her calling to us now?"
Alice laughed lightly. Her laugh sounded like bells twinkling together. I walked quickly along our pasture until I reached the barn. Sure enough there was my little sister Jessica hiding behind a bale of hay, watching our handsome stable boy take care of the animals. Not wanting to embarrass her, I walked up slowly and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Bella!" Jessica whipped around quickly, startled despite my efforts to do the opposite. Her bright blue eyes were wide and her long blonde hair had pieces of hay sticking out in all directions. "What are you doing!? Don't let Peter see you! He doesn't know I am here."
A little too late, Peter had noticed me and walked out of the barn quietly. "Hello Miss Swan, Jessica. How are the Swan ladies doing this afternoon?"
Jessica simply blushed and giggled beneath Peter's dark blue gaze. I had never been one to be shy around the opposite sex, so I responded cheerfully. "We are doing fine today Peter. I have just come to fetch Jessica here as mother and father would like to speak to us right away."
"Off you ladies go then. I should get back to my chores." Peter tipped his cap to us and returned to the barn.
"Come along Jess. Your eyes will pop out of your head if you stare any longer." We both walked together back to the house. "Ohh Bella! Isn't he handsome? He has really grown into such a nice looking boy…"
I simply smiled and left Jessica to her thoughts while we walked back into our little house.
When we arrived in our living room, it seemed as though our mother was going to burst with excitement. Poor Alice looked as if she was going to go mad watching mother flit about the room. Our father was the epitome of calmness, as usual and sat reading a book in a nearby chair.
"Oh girls! What took you so long! I am simply going to faint dead away if I do not tell you the exciting news this very minute! Sit! Sit!" My mother ushered myself and Jessica onto the couch next to Alice who smiled sweetly.
I suppose you are wondering about my parents… Well let me tell you before we continue with the exciting news. My mother and father were married very young. 17 to be exact, and had Alice only two years after being married. Alice definitely took after my mother the most. They both had the same dark curls and shiny dark eyes. My mother was not very tall though, my sisters and I must have gotten that from our father. He was tall, with light brown hair and blue eyes. That is where Jessica got her looks from. Of course she had blonde hair, but our father had been blonde when he was a child. I took after both my mother and my father. My hair was long, usually kept in a bun at the base of my neck. It was a shade lighter than Alice's, but still dark. And my eyes were a light brown color.
Now, as for my mother's news….
"Dearest daughters! Do you know what I heard from Sir. Johnston at the bakery today? Well, I heard that a handsome bachelor has decided to move into Netherfield Estate! Netherfield! Can you believe it! The residence has been empty for years, but apparently the woman who owned it before left it to her handsome and very rich nephew! Do you know what that means girls!?"
Jessica jumped up immediately. "Oh mother! A handsome neighbor! Tell us about him! How old is he? How much money does he have? Is he alone?" She pranced around the room happily as questions continued to flow from her like river water.
"Sit down child! Stop flitting around!" My mother ushered the happily giggling Jessica back into her seat. Alice and I remained quiet. You see my mother, since the day that we had turned sixteen, had tried to hook every eligible bachelor with a fortune into marrying one of her daughters.
The sad matter was that we were not very well off when it came to money. We weren't poor. We just weren't rich enough for certain men's tastes. I was fine and well with that. If I grew to be an old maid, so be it. I wasn't going to simply marry someone because of their vast fortune. If I married I wanted it to be for love. Plain and simple. No matter what. I believed that Alice felt the same way. She never really conveyed her emotions too much to anyone. She was a shy person, who liked to keep to herself. There was no denying, though that her beauty would one day win over the handsomest, richest man in England.
Our mother meant well, you see. She just went about the wrong way of conveying her well doings. Pushing men on us was not the way to make us fall in love. Well, Jessica maybe, but she would soon grow out of that, hopefully. Alice and I were too smart for that.
My mother's voice interrupted my thoughts suddenly. "Bella! ISABELLA! Did you hear me?"
"What mother? I'm sorry I didn't…"
"Young girl, always drifting off into dream land….There is to be a ball at Meryton Park! Tomorrow night! We have all been invited! And guess who is going to be there? Mr. Hale! Our handsome new neighbor! We were of course invited by Mr. Chatterley and his wife! Oh if this Mr. Hale does not marry one of my daughters at this ball, I do not know what I will do! Heaven help me!" Mother flopped herself dramatically down next to my father, who simply kept reading the paper.
Alice and I glanced at each other and suppressed our laughter. We had heard that phrase a million times over….
The next day was hectic as preparations were made, dresses mended, hair done…All in the hopes (at least our mother's hopes) that one of us would catch the eye of the handsome Jasper Hale. Jessica's excitement was catching, and soon everyone in the house was buzzing about what food there would be to eat at the ball, what sorts of music would be played, and of course, who would be there.
When the time to leave came I slipped into Alice's room to get her approval on what I wore. It was a simple outfit really. We didn't have extremely nice ballroom gowns like the richer ladies in town did. I wore a light pink off the shoulder dress that flowed beautifully to the floor. It made me feel like a graceful orchid. Of course walking in and seeing Alice made me feel more like a crab weed…
Alice had pinned her beautiful curls on top of her head, with just a few hanging down in the back and the sides. She wore a dress that was the blue of the afternoon sky, and in her hair small delicate white flowers were placed gracefully.
"Oh Alice, you look like an angel. Really. If this Mr. Hale doesn't fall head over heels in love with you tonight, well I am no judge in beauty!"
"Oh stop Bella. You look just as beautiful. That dress is very becoming to your figure. Here, put this white rose behind your ear. It will bring out your ivory skin that much more."
Alice and I met our mother and father at the stairs. The coach was outside waiting to take us to the ball.
"Jessica! Dear! Come along! We are going to be late! I'm sure there are plenty of handsome men waiting for your arrival! I heard that even Peter was invited!"
Those magic words sent Jessica careening ungracefully down the stairs. I must say despite her entrance, that she also looked very pretty with her blonde hair flowing and a lovely mint green dress on.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach on the bumpy coach ride over to Meryton Park. We certainly weren't that far from there to begin with. Fifteen minutes by coach. But it seemed ever so much longer.
When we arrived, I could hardly keep Jessica from bouncing out of her seat next to me. Coaches lined up one after another to let the ball-goers out. Beautiful music flitted out of the large open front doors of Meryton and over the encompassing front lawn. Meryton and the Chatterley's had always been a favorite place to visit when I was a child. It had been a year at least since I had last been here though. It hadn't changed one bit. Still beautiful, and extremely large.
My family and I stepped from our coach when it pulled up to the front of the house and walked quickly into the warmth. It was a chilly night and our thin dresses did not shield the cool air. Mother of course would not allow any of us to wear our coats, as it would surely ruin our gowns.
After greeting Mr. Chatterley and his wife, I made my way through the crowds with Alice, eyeing handsome men here and there and greeting people I knew from town. I soon spotted one of my closest friends Angela walking quickly towards me. Her light brown hair is curled tonight and her light brown eyes are sparkling with the excitement of the ball.
"Bella dear! How are you! I haven spoken to you in weeks! You look beautiful, as do you Alice!"
"Oh thank you Angela! You look lovely yourself! How have you been!" I said as I hugged my old friend tightly. As Angela started talking about how she had been, I let my eyes wander across the crowds trying to spot the infamous Mr. Hale. I spied my mother in a far corner going on loudly about one of us I am sure. Jessica was dancing in the middle of the floor, surrounded by three young men her age. All of them were laughing cheerfully.
I turned to say something to Alice, but as soon as I did I noticed that the music had stopped and the crowd had become quiet. Alice was staring at the front of the room towards the entrance. I follow her gaze to see what had caused the interruption.
There in the entrance hall, walking slowly towards the dance floor were three people. The first man on the left was very tall and very handsome. He had blonde shoulder length hair that had been tied up with a dark blue ribbon. His dark eyes scanned the room and he had a wide friendly grin on his face. He was dressed smartly with a dark green coat and black pants on. Next to him walked the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
Next to Alice of course.
She had pale golden blonde hair and the most piercing amber eyes I had ever seen. She, unlike the Mr. Hale, is not smiling at all. In fact she looks as if something terrible had come up and bit her square on the nose.
Even with the look she had on her face, she outshined every woman in the room. And then as I glanced at the man standing next to her, my breath caught in my throat. The most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on walked steadily on towards the crowds. His auburn hair seemed to gleam in the candlelight, and his amber eyes look straight ahead. He seems to not notice anyone around him, he looks right into my eyes as he walks by. He seems to glance right into my soul for a split second, and then he is gone. How tall and graceful he looks. All three of them as a matter of fact. They all seem to float across the floor and melt into the crowds.
My friend Angela spoke up next to me. Quietly she said, "The tall man on the left is Mr. Jasper Hale. You know of him Bella, he has moved into Netherfield. The young lady next to him is his twin sister Miss Rosalie Hale, and the tallest man on the right is Mr. Edward Cullen. They are all staying at Netherfield indefinitely to help Mr. Hale get settled.
I am still speechless as the music started to play again and things returned to normal. Suddenly I heard my mother's loud voice calling to myself and Alice over the crowds.
"Bella! Alice! Dears! Over here!" She ran up to us quickly, almost knocking a drink out of a young man's hand in the process. "Oh you must hear what I have just found out! The young man with the golden hair is Mr. Hale!! And do you know what else I heard? Why his friend Mr. Cullen is richer than even he! At least three times moreover! Oh my dears! Don't you see! We will make a match tonight! Just you wait! Come! Come! I must introduce you!"
Taking a deep breath, and holding Alice's hand, we followed our mother over to where the three guests of honor are waiting. I noticed that Edward's gaze drifted over to me a few times, almost scrutinizingly. I hoped he wasn't going to be like his sister.
"Mr. Hale! Mr. Cullen and Miss Hale! It is a pleasure to finally meet you! I would like to introduce you to two of my daughters. This is my eldest daughter Alice Swan, and my middle child Isabella Swan. My youngest Jessica is over on the dance floor now."
Jasper's black eyes lit up at the sight of Alice's shy smile and he introduced himself to all of us. He had an extremely deep voice, but it was gentle and kind. "It is an honor to meet such beautiful ladies here tonight." He bowed gracefully and we returned his bow with nods of our heads. "Let me introduce you to my friends. This is Mr. Edward Cullen, and this is my sister Miss Rosalie Hale. Again we bowed our heads to each guest.
Jasper immediately struck up a conversation with Alice, and my mother with his sister Rosalie. That left me with Edward's penetrating gaze. I spoke first simply to break the tension.
"So, um Mr. Cullen. Do you dance?"
His eyes swept the room when I spoke, and his voice came out like smooth velvet. He was so much more taller than me so I had to gaze up into his beautiful features to focus on what he said.
"Not if I can help it."
Well…that was not something I expected to come from his mouth…Not knowing what else to say to such a response, I bowed my head lightly to him as I walk away to find Alice. I must tell her about this Mr. Cullen and the airs he put on.
Later in the evening, after discovering that Alice and Mr. Hale are completely inseparable, I discover my friend Angela sitting behind a lace dressing curtain sipping a glass of wine. I snuck behind the curtains and we started to chat about what had been happening.
Suddenly I silenced her. I heard a familiar deep voice just outside of the curtain. We opened it just a slit to see Jasper and Edward talking quietly.
"Edward, old boy, why are you not out dancing with every lady in sight! There are so many lovely ones here this evening."
I looked at Edwards's ridiculously handsome yet overly serious face. He did not crack a smile while he spoke.
"Jasper, you know that you are dancing with the only handsome lady here this night."
"Oh Edward do cheer up a little. Oh, Alice is beautiful isn't she? The most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on actually. But what about her sister? She is quite agreeable isn't she? Very very pretty!"
"She's barely tolerable, I dare say. But not handsome enough to tempt me. You should run back to your partner and enjoy her smiles. You are wasting your time with me."
I closed the curtain slowly after hearing the men walk off. My friend Angela looked at me with sympathetic eyes.
"Oh Bella, be happy that he thinks that of you. Had he liked you, you might have had to dance with him."
My insides burned at the audacity of Mr. Cullen's remark. Barley tolerable!? How dare he….
Of course I would never let my friend know that his comment had stung me deeply.
"Oh Angela, I would not have danced with him for even half of Netherfield.
Not even the barely tolerable half."
CHAPTER 1 END
I am so sorry for deleting my story and reposting it….I just thought that it would be better to just start over. My apologies to those who had it on their favorites lists and alert list! Thanks so much for reading my story! I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! Please read and review!