December 1808 – November 1810

For the next two years, Darcy attended several events of London's season events as he felt he was in a position to find a suitable wife. His aunt, Lady Matlock, did indeed introduce him to several young ladies whom she considered appropriate to be the future Mrs. Darcy. Most of them were daughters or nieces of political associates of Lord Matlock, all of them had a good dowry, and had been educated at the same seminary Georgiana was attending.

At one at a ball, he met again with Lady Isabella, who had married the eldest son of a marquess ten years older than her. The high society of London – including Lady Isabella – knew that her husband had a mistress and at least one illegitimate child. Since Lady Isabella had already fulfilled her duty of having an heir, she saw very little of her husband. The couple sometimes attended parties together, but many times Lady Isabella attended alone. On more than one occasion Lady Isabella made advances to Darcy and blatantly flirted with him, but he did not agree to have a relationship with her, as she was a married woman.

Added to that, at every party Darcy attended, there was more than one father who tried to promote one of his daughters as the perfect Mrs. Darcy, or even some young women openly flirted with him. In those moments he remembered his father's warnings, and he was on his guard to avoid a compromise at all costs and having to marry one of those young ladies.

Of all the young women he met in those two years, only one of them caught his eye for a few days, Miss Carrolton. She was a young lady with dark hair and very pretty eyes, physically similar to Miss Thompson. She was the daughter of a gentleman with connections to the nobility and had a large dowry similar to Georgiana's. But after dancing and chatting with her, the third time they met, he completely lost interest...

"Mr. Darcy, you dance really well. Why don't you dance more often?" she told him coquettishly.

"Honestly, I don't really like dancing."

"I can't believe you! You are the first gentleman I know who does not like to dance. May I ask you, what do you like to do in your spare time?"

Darcy shrugged slightly, "I like other things, like reading, going to the theater..."

"Reading! Well, once in a while I like reading a novel. Actually, I am reading The Mysteries of Udolpho. You should read it; it is an exciting story! I also like to go to the theater, there is no better place to see people and be seen. Probably you heard that last week, Lord XXXX went with his mistress to the Opera. As you can imagine, we were all scandalized. Poor Lady Isabella! Everybody in London knows her husband prefers his mistress to her." She sighed dramatically.

Darcy shook his head, "No, I didn't know."

Miss Carrolton's eyes widened, "Mr. Darcy, you should read the gossip pages more often or at least pay more attention to rumors and gossip. It is important to know what is happening in London, especially if it is something so scandalous."

Darcy nodded, "I'll keep in mind your advice in the future. Do you prefer living in the country or in the city?"

"Of course, I prefer living in London. Life in the country is so boring, there is nothing to do and the days are all the same. Although, every August, my parents organize a one-week party at our estate that is very entertaining. Perhaps you can come this year. Probably you know that last year Lady Maria met…"

For the rest of the set, Darcy just nodded and answered briefly some questions, and was very happy when the set was finally over…

PPP

During the months he spent in London he used to visit Georgiana at the seminar once or twice a week, but the relationship with his sister was cordial but distant. He was aware that Georgiana was becoming more and more withdrawn, and it was becoming more and more difficult for him to have a conversation with her. His aunt, Lady Matlock, told him that Georgiana's mood swings were typical of her age and that he shouldn't pay too much attention to her. Lady Matlock was sure that in a couple of years Georgiana would be ready to enter society.

Unfortunately, Georgiana did not have the courage to tell her brother that she was deeply unhappy at the seminary and wanted to return to Pemberley with him, as Lady Matlock and even him constantly told her that what she was learning at the seminary was very important for her future.

Every April, at Lady Catherine's request, he went to Rosings to check the ledgers and supervise the steward. The estate was becoming prosperous again, and Lady Catherine, thanks to the money Lord Matlock and Darcy lent her, had managed to pay off most of her debt to her creditors. After three or four weeks of hard work at Rosings, he returned to Pemberley. Fortunately, Lady Catherine no longer insisted that he should do his duty and marry Anne. Unfortunately, Anne was getting sicker with each passing year, and the doctor estimated that she would live only a few more years.