Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner always believed their house to be eminently adequate to their needs. It was just the right size, with just the right number of rooms, it was in a good part of the town, neither too low, nor too high, and it was right next to Mr. Gardiner's warehouses. All in all the house was a good reflection of the people who lived in it.

Looking around his parlour on a Saturday morning, Mr. Gardiner was drumming his fingers on his knee and racking his mind on how to solve the problem of too little space. He never noticed before how small his house was. Why, there was barely any room for his feet between the toy horses the boys insisted to pile in front of him! He was to be the hill and was given a wooden box as a sort of a castle the knights were going to storm later on.

Mr. Denny was visiting with Lydia this morning, but owing to the light drizzle outside they were confined to the house. As Mrs. Gardiner was seeing to an emergency in the kitchens, Mr. Gardiner thought it would be a good idea to bring the children and all his nieces down. It wasn't like they would be interrupting anything: Denny and Lydia still had years before they got married, if he read his niece right and the young man had his work cut out for him.

Unaccustomed to having no restrictions on their activity while also having visitors, the little ones were running around and any word they uttered was at the top of their voices. It might have shown his parenting in a not so favourable light, Gardiner thought wryly, but it showed Lydia in the perfect one: she was right there in the thick of it, organizing the children's games and wrestling them into harmony when they failed to keep count.

Into this came Mr. Bingley. There had been no prior arrangement for him to visit with Jane, but then again the time for such was long passed. Bingley was almost a daily visitor at their house and nobody stood on ceremony anymore. He was the same jolly fellow Gardiner first met some three months ago, although he carried himself straighter these days and he was not so quick deferring to somebody else's preferences. Not a bad thing, even if in some respects it made life more complicated for say, a diligent chaperone, or, who knows, a future business partner.

Bingley wasted no time and situated himself on a very low stool where Miss Gardiner insisted he would be served tea by herself and herself alone. A bit of wrangling then took place, but Jane too had grown in the past months, so she managed to be allowed to prepare the tea, while his daughter would bring him the cup.

She was just about to put the cup and saucer down when noise was heard at the door and everybody waited to see who that was. They were not expecting anybody, so maybe some of Mrs. Gardiner's friends? Ah, no such luck.

"Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy to see the family," was heard from the door and right away the two men appeared.

They entered and Gardiner could almost read their thoughts as they took in the scene before them. He made to stand up fully this time. When Bingley came he tried, but the younger man had waved him not to bother. Besides now it seemed a good moment to free himself from the duty of being a hill with a castle. While he did so he tried to discreetly kick some of the horses aside so he would step on them, but at least one of the blasted things ended up all the way at his new visitors' feet.

"Hm, these are quite well made," the Colonel said, picking a couple of them up. Mr. Darcy said nothing; he had the look of a man who wanted to escape. "I observed the formation right away and I must say that your strategy could be improved, young generals."

The boys shrieked and ran to the Colonel and Lydia and Denny moved immediately to contain them, although there was no need.

"Some introductions would be in order first," Mr. Gardiner addressed the room and Bingley sprang to his feet.

"Mr. Gardiner, Lt. Denny, allow me to introduce you to my, erm, my friends Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy. Darcy, Colonel, these are Mr. Gardiner, the Misses Bennet's uncle and Mr. Denny, a friend of the family."

Bows and salutations were properly exchanged and then the children were introduced in turn. The newly arrived gentlemen looked around for places to sit.

Yes, Gardiner thought, the house is entirely too small. The morning parlour especially had to be a lot larger.

"And I am Miss Lydia Bennet, Colonel," Lydia said with an annoyed huff directed not at Bingley, but at her sisters who did not think to introduce her too.

"Charmed, Miss Lydia," the Colonel replied and bowed over her hand. "I see you were organizing an assault on the … crate?"

"Castle," she replied, and then gestured towards the now empty chair "on the hill."

"Of course."

"Denny was seeing to the attack; I believe I am just keeping my cousins from doing too much damage to the surrounding - ah..."

"Villages," one of the young Gardiners said from the floor.

"Lt. Denny, would you mind having me in your regiment?" the Colonel asked with a smile and then together with Denny proceeded to give his entire attention to the boys and their cavalry toys.

Lydia too was having a great time. The Colonel was rather old and not very good looking, but she still liked him. The uniform had lost none of its charms as far as she was concerned.

Between the three of them, the young Gardiners were treated to a jolly geography lesson courtesy to Lydia, apart from learning the proper military parlance suited to castle storming purposes.

"Denny, eh?" the Colonel asked when the children were not paying particular attention to the two of them. "Any relation to Mr. Canning's protégé?"

"You could say that," Denny answered after briefly considering the matter and then changed the subject back to toy horses and the proper way to build ramparts from pillows. It was no hardship for the Colonel, as he had no intention to further delve into the minutia of Denny's work just then, not to mention that the Gardiners' morning parlour was by far not the best place to do so.

-`o´-

For the first quarter of an hour of his visit, Mr. Darcy did nothing much but look around and try to not be in anybody's way, the task made that much more difficult by there being no less than eight adults and four children in what was, by all accounts, a rather small drawing-room. That and he cursed his cousin for dragging him along on this announced visit.

Miss Elizabeth was also placed in an unfavourable position, stuck as she was near a window without any room besides her that would admit his person. It put him in a decidedly sour mood until he chanced to catch the eye of his cousin who frowned at him in wordless admonishment.

Well, then, into the breach! If Bingley could take tea with Miss Gardiner, then so would he. The next quarter of an hour was much more pleasant. For all the ruckus and apparent chaos of their play, the Gardiner children were well behaved and clever. There was no want of discourse and the topics were interesting and diverse, even if all the adults forbore touching on subjects that would be beyond the understanding of the children.

Miss Lydia especially was very knowledgeable in geography and her skill in imparting information to the children under the guise of playing with them was especially intriguing to him. He found himself debating with her the accuracy of various maps and methods of measuring land features and drawing them.

They were just about to leave after the polite half-hour of the visit when Mrs. Gardiner appeared and on apprehending she too hailed from Derbyshire, from a small town neighbouring his estate, he indulged in exchanging opinions about the place and providing her with recent news about some of the people she knew in that area.

One consequence he could immediately notice was that the more he talked to Mrs. Gardiner, the more Elizabeth smiled at him. While at first she did not seem happy to see him, she looked almost apprehensive if he was honest, she was now back to her former cheerful self.

Where once he would have thought the morning to be completely wasted, as he barely exchanged two words with Elizabeth, now he was quite content with an hour spent in the company of the Gardiners and their family and friends.

-`o´-

"I did not know the Bennets were so well connected, cousin, you never said a word of it. I quite expected to meet a bunch of savages."

"Enough, Fitzwilliam."

"Although I knew I would not mind the savages were they all to look like Miss Elizabeth and her sisters. Miss Lydia is not perhaps as beautiful as the two eldest," he mused, "but I believe she might have a more informed mind. I can see why young Denny looked at her and not the others, especially if he knew beforehand the kind of posting he was likely to be assigned."

"You know the lieutenant?" Darcy chose to ignore the notion that Miss Lydia might have a more informed mind than her elder sisters. It was preposterous.

"I did not know the man, I knew of him. Canning has some plans for several people, some of them from the military, and I was very curious to meet him. I also knew he was young, but he surprised me there too, as he cannot be more than three and twenty."

They travelled in silence for some time, until the Colonel spoke again:

"Cousin, you might not like what I have to say, but I urge you to put aside your pride and take my words to heart."

"It was your idea to visit the Gardiners, Fitzwilliam!" Darcy exclaimed. "You did not need to make their acquaintance if you did not wish for it."

"You mistake me, Darcy. I quite like Miss Elizabeth's family; all of them. I could not say the same about you. You barely said a word for almost half of our visit and it has not gone unnoticed. Should you continue in your quest to gain her hand and should she accept you, which is not certain at all, then all these people will become your family. If you cannot find in yourself to be courteous when in their company, then maybe you should leave her be and fix your interest on another."

-`o´-

With the gentlemen on their way, the observations of uncle and aunt now began; and each of them pronounced him to be superior to what they had expected. "He is polite and unassuming," said her uncle, "if a little quiet".

"There is something a little stately in him, to be sure," replied her aunt, "but it is confined to his air, and is not unbecoming."

"I do believe you charmed him, aunt," Elizabeth laughed. "I have never seen Mr. Darcy talking so animatedly to anybody before."

"It was my pleasure, dear, you know it is not often I encounter people from that part of the country."

-`o´-

Three days later Darcy was again present in Mrs. Gardiner's parlour, this time without his cousin, but with a travel book about Derbyshire and the Lakes.

He had taken the admonishments of his cousin at heart and promised himself he would try harder. He would not judge the Bennets for the foibles his own family so freely exhibited to the whole world to see. In all likelihood, they were no better or worse than any other family.

He had been in a rotten mood last Autumn, coming to Hertfordshire as he was after Georgiana's misadventure. That much was true, but it was not the whole truth and he should admit it, at least to himself.

It was like Fitzwilliam said, he did not give himself the trouble to be agreeable to people who were so much below himself in consequence. Even Elizabeth said it to him when he arrogantly demanded an explanation for her court rejection.

He did not wish to dwell on her words too much, lest he would lose all his hope. In hindsight, he could see what his cousin meant that his behaviour the other day did not go unnoticed. Elizabeth made no effort to speak to him and she seldom looked at him. She had only started to smile after Mrs. Gardiner engaged him in conversation and he had the good grace to reply to her and in a few more minutes they were conversing like long time acquaintances.

Then there was the matter of Lydia Bennet. He had been impressed by her knowledge of the map-making process. He thought her the most outrageous flirt and empty-headed, yet there was more to her. He thought about her manner when they briefly talked, never once backing down and simply deferring to him, so much like Elizabeth. She had also handled his cousin with confidence, despite him being a complete stranger to her.

Would his dear sister Georgiana even survive having to entertain a man more than twice her age who fooled around and played at flirting? Would she even understand what was going on around her? It was more likely that she would shrink from the company, afraid to repeat last year's mistake, while privately her thoughts would go from flirting to admiration, from admiration to love and on to matrimony in the blink of an eye.

For all her bold and brash manners, Lydia Bennet was more likely to succeed in society than Georgiana.

So here he was, back in Mrs. Gardiner's parlour, with the gift of a book for the lady of the house and an invitation for them all to the theatre.

-`o´-

"The theatre, Charles? Truly?"

"Again, Caroline, if you would like to attend, then you will have to join the Colonel and the Gardiners in a separate box."

"What nonsense! Why, there is more than enough room in Mr. Darcy's box for us all!"

"There will be me and Jane, Darcy and Miss Elizabeth, and our sister and her husband. There's barely enough room as it is. You will join the Colonel or you will stay home; the choice is yours, Caroline."

"Why doesn't Eliza Bennet stay home? Why should it be me saddled with their Cheapside relations? If they are unwilling to be seen with them, why should I be the one to make the sacrifice?"

"I suspect you know exactly why Miss Elizabeth is joining us in Darcy's box," Bingley replied with a wry smile. "In retrospect, I should have seen that Darcy was fascinated by Miss Elizabeth, but I confess I did not during our stay at Netherfield. However, even a blind man would not be able to miss what happens now: she was invited to dine at Rosings by Lady Catherine all the time, Colonel Fitzwilliam visited the Gardiners at their home and he will host them at the theatre. What do you think they mean by giving their approval so publicly?"

"Caroline, either you come to the theatre or you do not, but I for one am tired of your complaints. Desist!" Hurst said from the other side of the room. The siblings did not even know he was there, slumped as he was on a settee, although the decanter and glass on a nearby table should have been enough to alert them to his presence. "And do not think of importuning Louisa; I left word that you should not be admitted in our chambers."

-`o´-

Author note: Thank you all for your comments, they are wonderful!

Guest Les (Chapter 7):

Sorry I didn't answer the last chapter.

Colonel Foster would like to have a very uncomplicated life. Since he'd rather not be at fault for whatever bad things happen, somebody should be. Mr. Bennet is as good as any for the role.

Guest Colleen S:

Elizabeth is into overthinking, yes :)

She's also a bit of a control freak, I believe. She likes to have everything happen just so.

Guest Lisa:

Lydia grew up a whole lot, didn't she? And she was never Elizabeth's particular friend, so to speak, so she doesn't have the baggage of already knowing how her sister's mind works.

It can obviously help in many cases, but it can also hinder us from seeing what's right in front of us. Jane would not have been able to help Elizabeth in the same way.

Guest Lachensis:

Stay tuned, I have more :)

Guest Otho:

This thing with "The Lady doth protest too much" merits a whole chapter, not just a foot note.

In the original I don't see any attraction from Elizabeth in the first half. Much was made of her antagonism, but I just don't see it. Wickham appears very quickly and she likes him.

From Chapter 26: "Her heart had been but slightly touched, and her vanity was satisfied with believing that she would have been his [Wickham's] only choice, had fortune permitted it."

So she thought about becoming Mrs. Wickham, although not seriously.

Without a doubt Darcy was living rent free in her head, but I don't think there was any attraction on her side; not at first.

I disposed of Wickham quickly, so she doesn't have all those months to be in his company and flirt with him. I don't see it as a matter of protesting too much, but as an acknowledgment that Darcy really is a good looking man. She feels safe to admit it to herself, because he already said he loves her.

The only real issue is that my skill is not at the level where a reader would pick up on what my intention was. Never fear, I have a couple more ideas and I will write again :)

Guest who said Elizabeth was treated badly because she doesn't have enough time with a governess:

True. Jane as well, will only benefit from a few months of piano lessons and then she'll marry Bingley and that's it.

However, nobody will prevent them from continuing to practice and even from hiring masters if they so wish.

Guest cfw:

Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying the story!

I think I said this before, but anyway here it is: I'm kind of writing about the characters I wish I would have read more about. Give the rest of the cast a bit of time in the spotlight and a better situation, but without really exaggerating their virtues.

Guest who commented about picky readers:

We cannot help ourselves; we read and write fanfiction because JA was kind of stingy with some of the characters and we all want our favourites to shine!

Guest R:

They are learning, although they're not quite done yet :)

Guest willow: (chapter 18)

I'll go back and re-read it, because I honestly don't know which part you are referring to, although I can't promise it will be this weekend or even this month.

I have every intention of reviewing everything and correcting everything, as much as I can, once the story is complete.

Guest sfdogofdnh:

It took me some 5 chapters (give or take) to get myself to not use "Jane and me are going to..."

I will try, in fact I am trying all the time, but for the moment that's the best I can do.

-`o´-

From Wikipedia:

George Canning FRS (11 April 1770 – 8 August 1827) was a British Tory statesman. He held various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, including two important terms as Foreign Secretary, finally becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the last 118 days of his life, from April to August 1827.

The son of an actress and a failed businessman and lawyer, Canning was supported financially by his uncle, Stratford Canning, which allowed him to attend Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. Canning entered politics in 1793 and rose rapidly.

His father-in-law was no less interesting:

Major General John Scott of Balcomie and Scotstarvit (1725–1775) was a Scottish politician and senior British Army officer. He was nicknamed Pawky Scott. Pawky is Scots for sly, shrewd or one who tricks you.

Through a mix of skill and luck he is said to have gained £500,000 through gambling, over and above his other inheritances and military income.[4] This is around £60 million in modern terms.