A/N : Hi everyone :) This is a Regency set, what if story. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single young woman with no fortune must be in want of a husband. Preferably wealthy and in full command of all his faculties.

That the young woman possesses no feelings of love or affection of any kind towards said young man is not important. The only circumstance taken into any consideration is that the young woman will be in a position to save her family from the hedgerows on the occasion of the passing of the family patriarch.

And so our story begins when a certain poor young lady with close to no dowry meets a very rich young gentleman of ten thousand a year.

"Ten thousand a year!" The words condemning the gentleman in question to the unwanted attentions of all the town's fawning daughters and matchmaking mamas spread around the assembly room like wildfire on a dry summer's day. For to catch such a handsome, not to mention rich, gentleman for a husband and son-in-law would be a great achievement indeed.

The not so hushed whispers of Meryton's chief gossips made their way to the ears of the second eldest daughter of the most prominent member of the local gentry. Elizabeth Bennet was the well-known favourite of her father, Thomas Bennet of the modest estate of Longbourn.

Of gentle birth and gentler manners, she was a great favourite with all that met her. She was a reputed local beauty second only to that of her elder sister, Jane, who was by all standards, an angel. In fact, none of the Bennet sisters, of which there are five, were in any way plain. Even Mary, the middle child who was often considered the plainest of all five, was quite pretty when she was away from her sisters.

But let it not be said that Lizzy, as those nearest and dearest to her refer to her, was in any way meek or weak, or in any way like many others of her sex. Her witty and lively personality coupled with her sharp tongue rendered her unique within her circle of peers. She was well read and outspoken, well versed in the modern languages and extremely accomplished in not only the art of embroidery and mastery of the pianoforte, but she was also an excellent horsewoman, had brilliant skill with a foil and possessed a deadly accurate shot.

And how, you may ask, dear readers, did she come to gain such an …unorthodox… education? Well, as I stated before, she was the favourite of her father, who had immediately taken to her quick mind and curiosity and raised her as he would have done his heir, if one had been in existence. Duty and honour had been drilled into her from the moment she could think and understand. Everything a son would have done, Lizzy took on.

So it was that Lizzy was trained at a young age on how to run an estate. She received a gentleman's education taught by her father in the comfort of his study. No book in her father's extensive library was off limits to her. No nook or cranny of Longbourn was left unexplored. She knew the lands of her ancestral estate like the veins on the back of her hands.

And so due to the indolence and love of peace and solitude of the father, the day to day running of the estate fell to the daughter. And she ran it better than a Navy Admiral ran a tight ship. It was a poorly kept secret that Elizabeth, and not her father, ran Longbourn, and it was no secret at all that she did it better than Thomas Bennet ever could.

From her mother, she received no such attention. In her mother's eyes, she was a poor substitute for a son. After all, a daughter could not inherit and save them all from the hedgerows, now could she? What good was the ability to read, write and speak in Italian, French, German and Latin when they are penniless on the streets? And not to mention her penchant for playing with guns. Had anyone ever even heard of such a thing? A lady. Shooting. Why such behaviour was preposterous! Scandalous!

No, Elizabeth would do better to practice her feminine wiles and catch a rich husband. Jane, of course was so very beautiful, and she could not be so beautiful for nothing. Young men threw themselves at her feet all the time. She had no doubt that one of them would surely propose and save them from the hedgerows. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was not as pretty, and her hoyden ways would catch up with her, and she would send all the good men within a mile of her running. After all, gentlemen were not in need of a wife who was smarter than they were, and who – admittedly – ran the estate with great proficiency.

Mrs Bennet was a matchmaking mama of the highest degree. No young gentlemen who came within ten miles of Meryton and Longbourn were left alone. All were fawned over and subjected to an interrogation to rival the Spanish Inquisition. And when – or rather, if – they survived the rigorous questioning, they were pushed relentlessly towards her daughters. With rather limited success. Evident in the fact that all five daughters were still at home. And unmarried. How unfortunate it was indeed for the gentlemen who had recently taken a lease on the estate neighbouring Longbourn – Netherfield Hall.

And this brings us back to the topic of the assembly. The entrance of the new resident of Netherfield Hall and his party of family and friend caused a stir not seen since the leaving of the previous tenants of said estate. The gentleman who was leasing the estate was a young man of genial manners, oozing joy and optimism. He was instantly liked by all in the room and declared to be a gentleman in every way. And of course, his five thousand a year may have helped with his acceptance a little. Okay, maybe a lot. But still.

However, the same could not be said about the other members of his party. According to the bits and pieces of gossip circulating around her, Lizzy gathered that the two women with him were his sisters. She found it rather unbelievable that such different people would ever have come from the same gene pool. Where Mr Bingley was all smiles and affability, the sisters were all haughty arrogance and disdain. How on Earth had Mr Bingley turned out like he did while surrounded with such company?

Of the two other gentlemen who made up their party, one was rather rotund and unremarkable. As soon as they had entered the room, he had stationed himself near the refreshment table and proceeded to drink himself to oblivion. From her observations, it was obvious that none of the party cared particularly much about Mr Hurst. How Mr Bingley could possibly allow his sister to marry such a… well never mind, the thought was not complimentary… was well beyond her. She could understand very well marrying for duty and monetary reasons, but to such a man? It was beyond what even she would be able to stomach. And that was saying something.

The second gentleman, was another level of being altogether. Such an excellent representation of the male species could not be found in all of England, she was sure. Tall, regal, well built, and handsome. If it were not for the look of utter disdain on his face, he could have been called an angel. But alas, words of his prideful and contemptuous manners soon replaced the rumours of his reputed ten thousand a year. It seemed that even his ten thousand a year! could not redeem him in the eyes of the townsfolk of Meryton.

Elizabeth stood in the corner of the room with Jane and their best friend Charlotte, who was the eldest daughter of their neighbour, Sir William Lucas, and was fast on her way to spinsterhood at seven and twenty and unmarried. To say that the three ladies were embarrassed at the rather vulgar manners of those assembled towards the newcomers would be a colossal understatement. They each studiously ignored the newly arrived party, despite all the murmurs of their neighbours.

While her eyes were studying the intensely interesting looking nail on the floor of the assembly room, the wheels of Lizzy's mind started turning. She had believed, once upon a time, that there was such a thing like true love conquering all. She had dreamed of handsome princes on white horses that rode up and took her off into the sunset. But look where that fairy-tale ending got her parents. And so she had learnt at a very young age that love was a shallow thing. Like beauty. And love was not a necessity in life. No one could live on love alone. No, they would starve to death first.

Although she loathed to admit it, her mother was right. Girls could not be heir to an entailed estate. Girls could not carry on the family name. And no matter how hard she tried, she was but a poor substitute for a son.

A/N: I am currently suffering from a case of writer's block with Strangers, but I hope you all enjoy this first chapter of this new story :)

Reviews are appreciated.