--

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Pride and Prejudice

--

When word spread across town that the previously reclusive Colonel O'Neill was throwing a dinner party for May Day, the fallout in Gateshire was really quite remarkable. There was worry because the guest list was one of the most varied in the town's long memory, including both the well-respected General Hammond (who, as it turned out, was one of O'Neill's former commanding officers) as well as the disreputable Janet Fraiser. The idea of mixing with that many undesirables had many of the town's stodgier folk offended for weeks before the actual event. Moreover, there was the ever present concern about what to wear and how formal exactly this event was going to be, but for answers to those questions, one just went to Walter Harriman, who assured everyone to dress their best—in recognition of his oversight in neglecting his new neighbors for so long, O'Neill was now pulling out all the stops.

But more rampant than any of the serious considerations that arose when such an event was announced was the not-so-serious speculation over what could have possibly motivated O'Neill to suddenly take an interest in his surroundings. Some thought that maybe he was just a man who needed more time to acclimate to new surroundings than most. Some believed that he was about to announce some adventurous business dealings that would affect the infrastructure of the town and wanted the blessings (and possibly even financial support) of his more prosperous neighbors. But if that were the case, why invite those of less than fortunate status?

Of course, the most popular theory was that he had secretly been courting some young maiden of the village and was merely looking for an excuse to see her in a public setting.

Strangely enough, these last reports, while not entirely accurate, were certainly the closest to the truth. After six weeks of acquaintance with Samantha Carter, Jack O'Neill had discovered himself to be quite taken with his young neighbor. While certainly not anywhere near considering marriage or even, as some rumors detailed, a formal courtship, he found himself for the first time wanting to socialize because it meant that she would be present.

Plus, he desperately needed to do something to get Walter to stop pestering him. A party seemed like the lesser of many evils—after all, at least a party involved food.

Though really, he had to credit Teal'c with the idea for the party in the first place. His friend had come to him expressing a desire to expand his social set—as well as simultaneously improving his acquaintance with a certain notorious midwife. Seeing as Jack was an obliging friend, the least he could do was tell Walter to set things in order—and if he himself happened to benefit from the venture as well, then so much the better.

All this was how he found himself dressed up and waiting in the parlor (a room he was uncertain that he had ever entered before this evening) for his guests to arrive. As they streamed in one by one with their platitudes and niceties, the novelty of the entire escapade quickly began to wear thin. Lady Travell was ensconced in one corner glaring at everyone in a reproving manner. The local vicar's daughter, Carolyn Lam Landry, kept looking at him with a distinctively speculative eye. Daniel had stationed himself in the center of the room and was arguing about the hierarchy of Egyptian Gods with Teal'c at an ever-increasing volume. For his part, Jack was beginning to seriously consider just throwing everyone out and sealing his fate as a social recluse.

Then Samantha Carter walked through the door, shining in a long dress of blue satin and all thoughts the Colonel may have had about making everyone leave vanished entirely. Greeting her with as stately of a bow as he could manage, he couldn't help but smirk at the face she made before curtsying in reply.

"I hope you know that I hate dressing up like this," she said softly as he offered his arm and escorted her further into the room. "I always feel so out of sorts in outfits like this one."

"Well, do not trouble yourself, Miss Carter. I assure you, it's…you."

--

The food was fairly good (though, admittedly, a bit burnt on the edges) and the company was certainly more interesting than these dry dinner parties normally entertained. Somehow, Samantha had found herself with the seat next to the host himself, conveniently surrounded by all of her friends. This seating arrangement created a lovely buffer between her and all of the other guests, so that for the first time in memory, she was actually free to relax a little in the company of others.

Taking a sip of her wine, she looked at Colonel O'Neill and suddenly realized that other than greetings at the beginning of the evening, he had yet to converse with anyone outside of the small group that surrounded the head of the table. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?" she exclaimed, wondering why it hadn't occurred to her before.

Wide brown eyes looked back at her guilelessly. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

Laughter escaped her before she could even think about curbing it, and his eyes narrowed. "Stop giggling—you'll tip everyone else off!"

Sobering, she took another bite of the as of yet unidentified meat on her plate. "Somehow, I think they've already figured it out."

He waved his hand vaguely. "Nonsense. It is a brilliant strategic maneuver and is now being flawlessly executed."

"…You haven't said a word to anyone but the four of us."

"Exactly. It's working out perfectly. They are free to entertain themselves while we enjoy ourselves. Everyone can be happy."

"Then why is Lady Travell glaring in this direction?" she pointed out.

"After careful consideration, I've decided that she's simply physically incapable of smiling."

"Mmm. Or she's caught on to your not-so-subtle 'brilliant strategic maneuver'."

Colonel O'Neill scoffed. "You're being ridiculous."

"Maybe it's the company I'm keeping, sir," she suggested lightly.

At that, he actually laughed. "I never doubted it for a moment." He hesitated then, his demeanor changing from easy to slightly uncertain. "Now that we've settled that particular issue, I have a somewhat personal question to ask you, but I'll refrain if you would rather not discuss it."

Intrigued by the sudden change of subject, Samantha nodded her head so that he might feel free to continue his inquiry. Strangely, he still seemed a bit cautious. "This may be an awkward subject, so you'll have to forgive me for that. But several times now, you've made mention of a few former fiancés, and something Mrs. Fraiser said the other day indicated…well, I was forced to wonder…what I mean is—exactly how many engagements have you previously been involved in?"

A heavy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach and a wan sort of smile was the only response she could manage at first. "I should have guessed that this would become an issue eventually."

"It's not…you don't have to answer, I was just…"

She interrupted his stuttering. "No, it's fine. I suppose if we are to be…friends…then you have a right to know exactly what kind of a wanton woman you're acquainting yourself with."

His hand discreetly settled over hers and squeezed it briefly. "You're being ridiculous again."

Warmth at his defense of her character spread through her being. "Wait to say that until you know the whole sordid story."

At his nod, she took one last fortifying sip of wine before launching into her tale. "You are right in thinking there were more than the two you've already heard about. In fact, since coming out into society, I've had five fiancés."

Seeing no reaction on his part at this new piece of information, she gathered the courage to continue. "The first was when I was barely seventeen. Jonas Hansen was a young corporal who was in training one summer while I visited my father. We quarreled and he was eventually sent to India on a military campaign, where I heard that he caught jungle fever and lost his mind."

Of course, looking back, Samantha had to admit that she wasn't sure how much mind Jonas Hansen had to begin with. But that was more information than the Colonel needed, so she continued without mentioning it. "Next was Simon Narim, followed by Martin Tokra, both stories with which you are already acquainted. Fourth was a lovely, if somewhat intense man named Orlin Ascended. As it turned out, the only thing he loved more than me was God—he was secretly a Papist and as such, felt a call to join the priesthood. I felt it only right to release him from our engagement so that he might move to France and pursue what he saw as his calling."

She did not at this time divulge the relief she had felt when Orlin had come to her, torn and conflicted. He had been a perfectly lovely man, but in the long term he would have made an exhausting husband in his zeal for their relationship.

This brought her to the most recent escapade in her somewhat woeful love life, and she hesitated because her behavior in this last situation was perhaps what she regretted the most. "Last, and most recent, was Pete Shanahan. He was a constable."

"And? What sort of surreal situation prevented that particular union?"

"There wasn't one. Mr. Shanahan was a perfectly nice man, and would have made a fine husband."

"…But?"

She sighed. "But nothing—except for the fact that I believe he really did love me. It was appealing and easy to be with him. I thought…I don't know. I thought that would be enough, I suppose."

Confusion colored O'Neill's face. "It wasn't?"

"Well, successful marriages have certainly been built on less. I just…it felt wrong, marrying him."

There was no way she could possibly explain that she had simply woken up one morning and realized that while Mr. Shanahan's feelings about her were certainly sincere and true, the most she had ever been able to muster for him was a warm sort of affection. Perhaps love would have grown from that—but looking back, she doubted it. Even now, she regretted letting the situation continue on so long when, as it turned out, she was a person who was incapable of entertaining the thought of marriage without a certain shared regard from both parties.

Shaking off her melancholy, she pasted a smile across her face. "So now you know. I've since come to the conclusion that I'm just not meant to marry—and by this point I'm nearly qualified for old maid status anyway. I am quite content to run my father's estate in his absence and keep to myself."

Well, mostly, her mind qualified silently.

For his part, O'Neill treated her with what she suspected was a rare sympathetic smile. "You never know—someone could arrive tomorrow to sweep you off your feet."

Looking at him there in the candlelight, she wondered for a moment if—but no. That was ridiculous. They would be friends, nothing more.

She liked him too well for anything else.

--

Though he had yet to figure out why, after dinner, people had adjourned to yet another room he hadn't realized he had and begun singing and playing an instrument he hadn't realized he owned. While Jack by no means objected to this turn of events because it kept everyone quiet and out of his hair, he was more than a little unclear on how it had happened in the first place.

Miss Carolyn Lam Landry finished a rather strident sounding solo and took a curtsy, and there was a moment of hesitation before Daniel led a reluctant looking Miss Carter to the pianoforte.

Though it quickly became evident that she had absolutely no intention of singing, the piece she set about playing was more complex and intricate than anything played previously that evening. Her fingers flew over the keys and Jack watched with interest as she focused all of her considerable energy on the notes, making them sound right and fall correctly and evoke the perfect emotion. He wondered if she was always as single-minded in her pursuits as she was in playing that one piece of music.

When it was over, the crowd applauded her enthusiastically and she accepted the praise with a surprising amount of grace considering her usual relations with some of the people present. When she returned to her previous seat and the next performer took her place, he sidled next to her unnoticed. After studying her for a moment, he surprised himself by saying, "Miss Carter…would you do me the honor of joining me in a hunt?"

Her wide-eyed look of surprise satisfied his somewhat perverse sense of humor. "A hunt? Me?"

"Yes. And Teal'c—he's been expressing the desire to engage in some more physical activities now that our repair of the fence has been completed." Teal'c seemed to be his excuse for everything lately—he would have to thank his good friend for that.

Her thoughts were almost visible in her eyes, turning around the invitation over and over again to make sense of it. But there was no hidden motivation—he knew that she liked to shoot and so did he and this was something that could be enjoyed together as well as it could separately. Granted, he had no idea if it was exactly traditional for a woman to participate in events like this, but that wasn't really a problem for Jack O'Neill. All together, he had spent more years of his life in foreign countries than he had spent on his native soil—what was traditional really had little meaning for a man such as him. Wanting her to say yes, he clarified his invitation. "There's no hidden agenda here—it's not that complex. Just three friends, enjoying a hunt."

When she smiled and nodded, he felt distinctly relieved. With her assured participation taken care of, there was only one more issue that needed clarification. "Good! Now…what exactly does one hunt on a hunt?"