AU: How would things at the Bennet household be different if Elizabeth had a twin brother: Edward?
Disclaimer: I do not own Pride and Prejudice or any of the characters. This is just a story that I am writing for fun.
Mr. Bennet and Edward visited Mr. Bingley the day after he arrived in the country. Elizabeth knew of the visit, though no one else in the family did. Mr. Bennet chose not to tell Mrs. Bennet of his visit until a few days before the Meryton Ball. Mrs. Bennet was frustrated with Mr. Bennet's lack of respect for the rich new neighbor and constantly pestered Mr. Bennet about calling on Mr. Bingley. Mr. Bennet was too pleased with his joke to give it up easily.
"It is only three days until the Meryton Ball, Mr. Bennet, and because you have refused to visit Mr. Bingley he will not dance with our daughters, and they will not be able to marry well, and Edward will be stuck with five unmarried sisters to care for after you are gone. Do you wish to inflict that on your son?" Mrs. Bennet was using every excuse that she could think of to get Mr. Bennet to visit Mr. Bingley. Even when the whole family was together in the drawing room, she pestered him. "Well, Edward, you must become accustomed to caring for your sisters, for we are never to meet Mr. Bingley. We might as well not go to the Meryton Ball."
"But we must go to the ball!" exclaimed Lydia. "We would be made fun of for sure if we did not go. I have already told everyone that we would be there!"
"I would be satisfied to stay at home," stated Mary dryly. "I find that I do not enjoy balls."
"Mr. Bingley would be sorry if you did not go tonight," said Mr. Bennet. "I told him that you all would be attending the ball. He would be disappointed if you did not. He wants to meet all of his new neighbors."
"Oh, Mr. Bennet, why did you not tell us that you had visited?" asked Mrs. Bennet excitedly.
"Oh, I hope he is handsome," said Lydia.
"He is sure to be handsome," replied Kitty. Lydia and Kitty talked loudly and excitedly to each other about the ball, what they would wear, and who they would dance with. Mary was disappointed that she would have to go the ball. Elizabeth and Jane smiled at each other. They knew that Mrs. Bennet would try to get Mr. Bingley and Jane together. Mrs. Bennet had been trying to marry of Jane since she was sixteen. She thought that Jane was the prettiest of her daughters.
"Lizzy, Jane, would you like to join me on a walk?" asked Edward. He did not want to be in the drawing room while their mother tried to plan to marry off one of his sisters to Mr. Bingley, and he thought that Jane and Elizabeth might like to leave as well. Edward had also made a good impression on Mr. Bingley; Edward had already been over to shoot with Mr. Bingley and his friend, Mr. Darcy, a few times (though Mrs. Bennet did not know because Mr. Bennet and Edward knew that she would take advantage of their acquaintance to try to introduce her daughters to Mr. Bingley). Bingley had told Edward during their last shooting session that he should bring his two eldest sisters over (for Edward had been talking much of Jane and Elizabeth as they were his two favorite sisters).
"Yes," replied Jane and Elizabeth in unison. They all got up and left the drawing room. Jane and Elizabeth went up to their room put on shawls before going out on the walk. They walked through the small park at Longbourn before turning down the road.
"Where are we going, Ed?" asked Elizabeth. "I know that you did not just want to get away from the conversation of the drawing room. What are you planning?" Elizabeth and Edward knew each other well; they could never keep any secrets from each other.
"We are going to visit Mr. Bingley at Netherfield; he has shown much interest in meeting you two."
"Is it because you have been talking about us?" asked Elizabeth.
"When have you been talking to Mr. Bingley?" asked Jane.
"He had invited me to go shooting with him and his friend, Mr. Darcy. I met Mr. Bingley when our father first went to visit him; he took me with him because it will someday be my job to greet new neighbors. He invited me over to shoot with him, and I have been over three different times. On the last visit, he said that I should bring you two over at my earliest convenience, so that he might meet you before the ball at Netherfield."
"And did you know about this, Lizzy?" asked Jane.
"Yes, I knew that he had gone with father on the first visit, and that he had gone shooting with the men a few times. I did not know that he talked about us as much as he did. I was in our father's library when they decided to go and visit Mr. Bingley, so I was aware of the visit. I wanted to tell you, Jane, but our father wanted to keep it a secret from our mother as one of his little jokes.
"I am not offended, Lizzy. Thank you for explaining everything." Jane paused. "Edward, what is Mr. Bingley like?"
"I believe you and he will get along well, Jane. He is a very kind man. I do not have the gift that my sisters have of talking of someone's personality and giving them credit, so I will let you decide for yourself."
"Is only Mr. Darcy with him?" asked Elizabeth.
"No, he came with his two sisters as well, a Miss Bingley, and a Mrs. Hurst, whose husband is also here. He only went shooting with us on one occasion. Mr. Hurst is the kind of man who drinks more than he should, sleeps it off, and drinks all over again. I am glad that he is already married, for I would not want him pursuing any of my noble sisters."
"Have you met the sisters?" asked Elizabeth.
"Only in passing, they did not seem too pleased with me, but it was a short meeting, and I could have judged their character entirely the wrong way."
"And Mr. Darcy?" asked Elizabeth.
"He is a quiet fellow; he seems to be a guide for Mr. Bingley. Bingley's family is not one who has always been a prominent family, from what I have gathered. Mr. Darcy has the airs of one who has grown up in an old family that has been prominent for years. I have not had too much opportunity to sketch his character, so, again, you will have to see for yourselves." Elizabeth and Jane smiled at each other; they were used to Edward's way of getting around actually answering questions.
They soon caught sight of Netherfield and were almost to the house. Jane commented that even though the house was not altered much, it seemed that it was more welcoming than it formerly was because it was inhabited. Upon arriving at the house, they found Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy touring the grounds outside.