So I was encouraged enough by many to try this Pride and Prejudice Dair fanfic. Now, a couple of things before the journey starts. First, this will not be an exact copy of Jane Austen's novel. Many events will differ and many characters may or may not be modified or absent. This is because I think nobody wants a story that mirrors exactly what happens in Pride and Prejudice. It would be a little too predictable. However, I can guarantee that the major events in the story will be featured as well as the classic lake scene from the Colin Firth adaptation.
Second thing, Dan will be the Elizabeth of this fic while Blair is the Darcy. This means that many events in the story will have to be reshaped in order to fit the scenario. It is going to be very unconventional indeed but again, I hope to keep the spirit of Pride and Prejudice still intact.
Thirdly, I would like to thank all of those who have shown me support and encouragement, especially with my other ongoing Dair fic The UES Killers. To those of you who haven't heard of it, you are welcome to check it out :-)!
And at last, I hope I will not disappoint. If this fic turns out to be a success, I will attempt other novels from Jane Austen such as Persuasion or Emma.
Please review, comment and suggest! It is always my pleasure to read anything you have to say, however long or short!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters nor the setting or anything. I own nothing but the ideas and the story I created.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. In the rare event where this single man happens to be a woman, the possession of a good fortune is often enough to secure a sense of general happiness to the blessed lady. She need not marry for money and the gentlemen were perfectly aware of this rather bothersome fact. No, such a woman could only be tempted by a true charming character. It was the heart which needed to be targeted by the young suitors and only manners, level of birth and education could assure them success. Yet, most of the time, such a woman would prefer the state of celibacy over the simpering words of a suitor who only thought of her heritage. This is the story of Mrs. Blair Waldorf, the said fortunate lady and Daniel Humphrey, a man whose charm might just be enough to shatter the prejudices that the great people of her kind may nurture.
"Father! Father!" cried Jennifer. "Have you heard the news? Oh please say you did! Netherfield Park is to be occupied at last! I have heard it from Vanessa, who has heard it from Henry's son."
Rufus Humphrey sat in his study, examining a particularly astonishing kind of flute, a design that had been sent to him from the Americas. Mr. Humphrey dedicated most of his time to the learning of music, particularly doting on the unconventional musical instruments of which nobody has heard of. His daughter's sudden and tempestuous interruption was no surprise but it accomplished the purpose of extricating a sigh of resignation from him.
"Do you not care?" His daughter asked as precipitantly as she had entered his study.
"Perhaps I would tell you the opposite if you allowed me the opportunity." Rufus offered setting the flute aside and promising himself that he would dedicate his afternoon entirely to it. Locking the door would suffice to keep the most disturbing elements of his household at bay.
Jennifer Humphrey walked to her father's side, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Vanessa says that the tenant would be a lady named Serena Van der Woodsen. She has a great fortune papa, all to herself!"
"And pray, how does her great fortune matter to you little Jenny?" Daniel Humphrey interrupted. He had heard his sister return from her daily walk in a concerto of hysterics and excitement which had prompted him to follow her into their father's abode.
"It does. These fine people will be so much more interesting. I have been growing restless for something new to think about and new faces to behold. There will be balls and there will be afternoon teas. Besides, you should be the one to concern yourself with this Serena Van der Woodsen. She is not engaged to anybody and as free as a bird. Vanessa says she is as magnificent as a Greek Goddess."
Daniel had no doubt that this Van der Woodsen lady would reveal herself to be a beauty. Great ladies with a heavy fortune were always blessed with the looks that matched their grandeur in some lucky twist of fate.
His father offered him an all-knowing grin that he could not help but return. He was a young man of twenty-five after all and while he was more prone towards reading and writing, he could not ignore altogether the alluring power that a beautiful woman could possess.
"Well then, perhaps Daniel here should be the one concerned. I see a marriage opportunity before us if he could simply rehearse his methods of charming. Throw in some great philosophical lines from Locke and a few of your own making and I dare say she would gladly offer her heart to you." Rufus Humphrey chuckled a little, visibly exceedingly proud of his witticism.
Jennifer saw in this the opportunity to push her father towards making a call to the new resident of Netherfield Park.
"You have to call upon them father! How else is our shy Daniel ever going to make her acquaintance?"
"I am hardly shy!" Daniel cried out in defence. "Forgive me if I am not inclined to make a new acquaintance only for the sake of money and beauty. I would much rather steer away from these rich beings for I am sure I have nothing in common whatsoever with them. It may be easier for you though. You could talk of gowns, petticoats and Indian shawls."
Jennifer turned to her father ready to plea for her case but she immediately saw that Rufus was laughing with her brother. Instead, her quick mind decided to address more urgent concerns than her brother's remarks and being a sixteen-year old girl in a family of men, she had learned how to get her way.
"It would be far from proper to neglect giving them a welcome visit. What would they think of us? The Archibalds already made themselves known. Nathaniel told me that his father had called upon Ms. Van der Woodsen yesterday." She then turned towards her brother. "Would you rather have Ms. Van der Woodsen marry Nathaniel or will you join me in my attempts to convince father to go?"
Daniel remained silent. His curiosity was indeed piqued but he would not by any means admit to it in front of his little sister who would take a pleasure far too large in teasing him when the famous Serena Van der Woodsen would be in their presence.
"There is no need to convince me of anything." Mr. Humphrey said in a serious tone.
Jennifer's face registered an infinite worry, being almost certain that her father had decided against the connection.
"Why is that? Papa I urge you, please! Think of the uneventful winter we have had. Think of how many mendings I have had to do in order to procure myself that beautiful silk gown that is dying to be worn. Certainly, you cannot-"
"Now, now dear Jennifer. You always jump to the bleakest conclusions. I am a compassionate man and I must say that I took pity on your gown. That is why I have already called on Ms. Van der Woodsen."
"You have called already? Can this be true?"
Even Daniel was a little surprised.
"Two days ago. You two had gone to visit the Archibalds and I found myself in need to fulfill my duty both to this great lady and to your gown."
Jennifer's joy was monumental. She hugged her father and wished him all the happiness she was feeling herself. Her recovery was rather quick as she realized that there were more pertinent questions that needed to be asked about the lady.
"How is she? Is she as lovely as they say?"
"I would say even more. I had the honour to meet her mother too and it is plain to the world that Ms. Serena's beauty originates from her. They make quite a lovely pair."
"Her mother?" Daniel inquired as he took a seat in front of his father, ready to listen to the account he would give of these foreign visitors.
"Well yes. The daughter had no intention of settling alone in the county. She told me that she needed a companion, and what better than one's own mother to keep you company. Ms. Serena is also expecting friends soon and she says she cannot wait until we are all acquainted. How joyous that would be. Especially for your silk gown!'
'I see you are in no mood to forget the matter of my silk gown.' Jennifer replied. 'I shall endure your teasing. I am too happy to be concerned with anything for now.'
'I will add to your happiness.' Her father added jovially. 'The two ladies are returning the visit tomorrow and I have also invited the Archibalds to join us for tea. Does that render you ecstatic enough dearest Jenny?'
His daughter's face registered every shade of joy which made Daniel realize that she was about to begin an endless list of preparations and expectations for which he was not ready to listen to. Instead, he took his leave of the room and made his way to his own chambers in order to enjoy a little solitary reading. However, he found himself excited too and the words of the novel in front of him had become unreadable for his mind was elsewhere. Netherfield Park was the pride of the county and it had stood its ground, uninhabited and tenantless for a long while, creating a growing sense of expectation in the hearts of the many people who lived around. They had all been waiting for the day where it would be filled with new people who would be wealthy enough to organize balls and fuel the gossips of the numerous ladies who had nothing else to do with their time.
His sister counted among those ladies. She had very few distractions from the monotony of their daily lives. Her visits to the Abrams, their closest friends after the Archibalds were all that sustained her good humour. Jennifer also occupied herself with knitting and sewing, two activities in which she particularly excelled. Daniel had watched her confection gown after gown, amassing the funds from the selling of what she had previously created. Since the death of their dearest mother, Jennifer had taken upon herself the role of the lady of the house, something at which Daniel and his father were entirely useless at. She would see after the dinner and supper, would coordinate the servants' work according to the budget and priorities of the little estate they possessed and sometimes, she even made the purchase of their own attires, judging them too lousy to have good taste. Daniel could never cease to be amazed at his sister's determination and yet, she had also acquired a strong taste for country gossip and flirting with any young gentleman who happened in her way. He understood her eagerness to seek entertainment from any willing source but it had often reached the limits of what was appropriate. Daniel feared that his sister's excitement at the new acquaintance would prove itself a little too intense and although he cared nothing for the opinion of great people, he hoped that she could at least maintain a semblance of propriety for his father's sake.
Nathaniel Archibald was Daniel's closest friend. His father had been a captain who, after having laboured long and hard for the navy, had decided upon settling for a charming piece of land slightly larger than theirs. He had fathered two sons and a daughter, the eldest of which was Nathaniel and had been content in exchanging news of the world with Mr. Humphrey for the past fifteen years. The friendship between the two men had grown profound and there rarely passed a day without one visiting the other. Sometimes, they will meet half-way as one was heading towards the other while the latter had been doing the same. Captain Archibald had taken pity upon Mr. Humphrey for having no living wife to keep him company and the thought always made him think warmly of his own spouse who had borne through every hardship his nautical life had thrown on their way. He was a man with a generally cheerful temperament, fond of pot roast and always delighted in making new acquaintances. These qualities of his had been generously transferred into his children. Nathaniel was everything Daniel was not. He possessed a sociable disposition and therefore knew, and was known by, everyone in the county. He could find a topic of discussion with any being, be it the farmers, the milker's son or the clergyman. Nathaniel was not the type to stay indoors, favouring hunting, fishing and riding to anything else. Daniel's friendship had moderated his constant desire for sport and had forced him at times to sit down and peer over a book of his friend's recommendation. In his turn, Daniel learned to enjoy the less literary sort of activities which have worked well for his physical shape. They were also at opposite ends in their appearances. While Daniel was dark-haired and dark-eyed, Nathaniel had light chestnut hair and eyes as blue as the seas his father had roamed. However, they resembled each other in their height, being both tall enough to make them worthy of praise even if Daniel lacked the astonishing physical attributes of his companion.
They both sat in the drawing room of the Humphreys, each trying to hide from the other the expectation they felt about their upcoming visitor. Mr. Humphrey had listened duly to his daughter's instructions and had worn his finest velvet overcoat while Daniel had been subjected to a variety of hair-taming procedures. The current fashion required most men to have either well-structured curls or no curls at all, the latter being close to an impossibility when it came to Daniel's case. His sister had patiently combed his hair herself, judging the servant's job inappropriate, which only meant that she personally did not approve of it, and since nothing could take place without Jennifer Humphrey's approval, Daniel let himself be handled by her hoping he should be rewarded with a higher stand in Ms. Serena's regards.
"What do you make of this new tenant?" Nathaniel asked him.
"The usual I shall suppose. She will be delightful, well-bred like most ladies of her rank. There will be a higher likeliness for balls and and even higher rate of gossip. I can foresee that she is no person to value a life of seclusion or privacy. Her willingness to return both our fathers' visits says the opposite."
"Yes, yes. But I meant in the, well, matrimonial sense?" Nathaniel clarified. Daniel should have seen it coming. His old friend thought of matrimony more often than not nowadays, seeing it as the only way to satisfy one's urges without degrading oneself.
"I'm sure she will be marriageable. Everyone says she is a beauty. And you are no beast either Nathaniel. Well, not when you are hunting, but I don't think Ms. Serena will witness that." Daniel replied in a jest.
"No! I was speaking of the differences in our fortunes, whether that would change anything. I don't exactly own anything that resembles Netherfield Park."
Daniel could not help but frown. He could not understand why his friend was so concerned with such futilities. Nathaniel was the eldest of the Archibalds. He would inherit the estate which in itself was large enough and well-situated, not to forget that its land contained a lake large enough to contain two war frigates, something that the Humphreys lacked.
"You mean to say that you are already certain you will fall in love with her without having met her? This is presumptuous, even for you. But I believe that difference in fortunes and level of birth have no space in the matter of the heart and it is self-destructive of you to believe that, my friend. It will destroy your hopes before they even take shape. Although, I should say, my presence will destroy your hopes quite certainly. I am after all, the greater talker of the two. And since we are not in the outside, you will have no opportunity to show your own talents."
"We shall see, shall we?" Nathaniel replied and they both laughed.
The Van der Woodsen ladies were all that had been promised to them. They were both equally beautiful, the mother seeming almost just as young as the daughter. They were well-conversed, easy to smile and of open opinions. The daughter had the two young men in the room struggling to detach their eyes from the visually-pleasant scene she offered while the mother had the eldest Mr. Humphrey entirely engrossed by her person. As to the little Jennifer, she was in a great internal battle, trying to absorb as much of the two ladies as her attention could allow her to.
It was easily noticeable that Nathaniel was Ms. Serena's central interest and after a while of polite inquiries, Daniel allowed the two of them to converse without the constraint of having to look in his direction. He instead settled on observing them, a little smile of amusement on his lips while he wondered whether there could be anything more obvious than those two beings. She spoke of the outdoors and of her desire to see what the county had to offer. It was as if she had known exactly that this was Nathaniel's domain and profession. His friend was delighted and had started enumerating the many great sights that the county had to offer, passing by the yellow woods half a mile away to his father's lake. She expressed an eagerness to have him as her guide, stopping herself in the remembrance of the laws of propriety to politely inquire whether Daniel would like to join them.
Daniel promised they should make it a party, knowing full well that the two of them could not go off alone without sparking villainous rumours. Instead, he believed he could assemble a sufficient amount of people for Nathaniel to be able to secure Serena's attention without being interrupted.
Daniel could not say he was not disappointed but the feeling did not rise from jealousy. Although Ms. Serena was charming, her conversation did not inspire him much. He found no challenge in her, no opportunity for literary debate and criticism. He was not indifferent to her looks and easy smiles, but they did nothing more than please his eyes. She was however, everything that Nathaniel could possibly hope for.
His father himself was deeply in conversation with the mother, who was a little more reserved than her daughter. They had been speaking of London and Bath and lengthily describing to the other the advantages and disadvantages of the two cities. Jennifer was intruding the exchange, determined to recommend any of the two places for they were surely more animated than their current location.
Tea was served and conversations were forced to take a slower rhythm. Mr. Humphrey had noticed the separation of the small party and therefore took upon himself the task of creating a collective conversation.
"So, I was told you were expecting visitors soon?" His father asked.
"Oh yes! My close friend, Ms. Blair Waldorf is coming, along with my own brother Eric who is a lawyer and who just finally found enough time to dare a visit. Then, there is Charles Bass, who is like a brother to us. They will be staying for a month or two. I promise you will find them agreeable."
It was Ms. Serena who spoke and Daniel was suddenly aware that these guests would prove as great as the Van der Woodsens. He could already feel Jennifer's excitement building so intensely it was almost palpable.
"When will they be here?" Jennifer asked excitedly.
Daniel gave her a look that suggested she should tone down her enthusiasm. His father simply laughed.
"You see, my daughter is in dire need to try on her new gown and there is not much pleasure to be obtained if it is to be showcased in front of the same entourage she has always known. She would much rather have the opinion of the London folks."
Mrs. Van der Woodsen was surprised at Mr. Humphrey's honesty which obtained him many looks of undisguised interest. He was a breath of fresh air when compared to the other gentlemen she had known in her life. He seemed unaffected by appearances and the silly rules of propriety, favouring instead genuineness and late husband had been everything but and she was beginning to be intrigued by Mr. Humphrey's laughing green eyes and sympathetic countenance.
"They should be here in two days." Mrs. Van der Woodsen offered. "I do hope they will not be missing any important event. Mr. Archibald has told me of the country dance that should be taking place sometimes this week. I do hope our friends can make it!"
"It is set for this Friday." Daniel replied, deciding that he should be heard at least once or twice before the two ladies make him up for a mute and witless young man. "They should be there. I warn you beforehand, country dances are messy affairs. They are nothing like the organized events of the great cities. We abide by slightly different rules here."
Of course, this would draw exclamations of delight from Ms. Van der Woodsen who could not wait but to attend such a party. Daniel was very fond of their country dances and little make do balls. They did not require one to be accomplished fully in the art of dancing (which Daniel was exactly so) and seemed to rely more on the merriness of the party and the willingness of the members to set the rhythm. His dancing partner was usually Ms. Vanessa Abrams, with whom he had danced so much, he could scarcely think of asking anyone else.
However, he was not convinced that the forthcoming visitors would share the Van der Woodsens' open-mindedness and enthusiasm. It was already a surprise that these new comers appeared willing to explore and try everything. They could not be lucky twice.
After tea, the discussion followed its natural course until the time to leave had happened upon them. Promises of future visits were set and both Nathaniel and Daniel had secured Ms. Serena's hand for the Friday dance. Mrs. Van der Woodsen was then asked by his father for the same favour, to which she accepted with a pretty blush that made her look not one day over her thirties. His sister was thankful for their visit, repeating her gratitude as much as they would hear it.
She had plenty to talk of when the guests finally left and the two Humphrey men had not finished hearing about the two ladies until well after midnight. After convincing her that he really was not disappointed by Ms. Serena's obvious interest in his friend, Daniel finally took to bed. He gave one thought to the future visitors before discarding them entirely from his weary mind.
I really hope this turned out to be a great introductory chapter. I wanted to get our fancy visitors in and a little bit of the Humphreys' story before we can get to our Elizabeth-Darcy business. So basically, I am making Serena the Mr. Bingley of the story and Blair is her friend (Darcy!). Also, I am not forgetting on Rufly. Lily was married to Bart Bass but he died, leaving her with no husband and enough space for our Mr. Humphrey to get a happy ending. Anyways, I also tried to embody the Bennett's sisters ridicule all in Jenny. So she is a mix of all of them. As you can see as well, Jane is represented by Nate, who is Dan's close friend and Serena's main interest in the story (just like Bingley loved Jane).
Anyways, PLEASE do review! It's a hard endeavour I have taken and I would like to know whether it is going on the right path or not. I appreciate any kind of comment, short, long, positive, negative, helpful and unhelpful!
And next chapter, our two main characters shall finally meet!
Will also be incorporating Blair's point of view too. And may be a lake scene for those of you who are familiar with the Colin Firth adaptation!