For almost 200 years the Bennet family had lived in Longbourn. In 1764 George Bennet married Clara Rochester in an arranged marriage. With the bride's £10,000 dowry, Mr. Bennet paid off his father's gambling debts and made some repairs to the estate. They were blessed with only one son, Thomas who was born in 1765.

Clara Rochester had two younger sisters, Maria and Elizabeth. Maria was married in 1766 to Mr. Bennet's cousin Mr. William Collins and Elizabeth in 1767 to Mr. Thompson who had a small estate in Derbyshire.

Mr. Collins had a habit of drinking too much wine and when drunk was violent. Shortly after their son was born in 1768, Samuel Collins, in a fight with his wife because she reproached him for losing a lot of money playing cards, struck her several times hard and Maria fell, hit her head, and died. As a result of that terrible incident, the Bennets and the Thompsons severed relations with the Collins.

On the other hand, the Thompsons were a happy couple; they had two daughters: Marianne, who was born in 1769, and Victoria, who was born in 1770.

Also, in 1770, when Thomas was five, he had pneumonia. Due to his mother's care, he survived the terrible disease. For several years, his parents overprotected him and controlled his outdoor activities. Thomas was a curious child; he liked to read and ask his father questions of a philosophical nature. He did not like to do physical activities, and learned to ride a horse when he was 12 years old.

Although the relationship between the Thompsons and the Bennets was very good, due to the distance between Hertfordshire and Derbyshire they rarely saw each other, but they maintained communication by letter.

The years passed, and when Thomas turned 18, like his father, he went to Cambridge. A month before starting his last year at university, Thomas returned to Longbourn for the holidays. That year the Thompsons, after five years without seeing the Bennets, came to visit them.

During the month the Thompsons were at Longbourn, Thomas fell deeply in love with his cousin Marianne. Marianne was 17 years old, and in addition to being an educated young lady, with a dowry of £10,000, she was also very pretty and charming. She had entered society a few months ago, but no gentleman had caught her eye until she met Thomas.

Since Marianne was still very young now, and Thomas had to finish university, their respective parents suggested that they wait at least a year before getting engaged.

During that year, with Mr. Thompson's permission, Thomas and Marianne were able to communicate by letter. As the months passed, both became more and more convinced that they had a lot in common and wanted to get married. When Thomas finally graduated, he traveled to Derbyshire to ask for Marianne's hand. Three months later, they were married at Longbourn.

Victoria Thompson was very happy because her sister was marrying for love, and she also had a good relationship with Thomas.

During the first year of their marriage, George and Clara Bennet died in a carriage accident. In their will, they left their estate to Thomas and the remaining £2,000 of Clara Bennet's dowry.

In 1790 Victoria Thompson married Mr. Harrison, in a love match. The gentleman was intelligent and nice and had a small estate in Derbyshire.

In 1791 - after four years of marriage and two miscarriages - Elizabeth Bennet was born. When the midwife told Thomas that a girl was born, Thomas was initially disappointed, as he wanted to have a son. But the first time Lizzy looked at him and smiled, Thomas knew he was going to adore his daughter.

A year later, Marianne died at childbirth along with the child. Thomas was completely devastated as he adored his wife and could not imagine how to continue living without her.

A week later, the Thompsons along with the Harrisons arrived at Longbourn to attend the funeral. Thomas amended his will, bequeathing the £12,000 dowry from Marianne and his mother to Elizabeth.

PPP

Fanny Gardiner was the youngest daughter of Meryton's solicitor. Her mother had died a few years ago, and her father paid little attention to her as he was concentrating on raising his only son. She was the prettiest girl in Meryton, but she was also shallow and poorly educated. In 1788, when she was 16, she fell in love with a soldier – Mr. Smith. As her father opposed the marriage because the gentleman did not have sufficient money to support her, the couple anticipated their vows, and Mr. Gardiner was forced to consent.

Seven months after the wedding, Jane Smith was born. After three years of marriage, Fanny had to return to her father's house with little Jane because Mr. Smith was sent to fight in America where he died in combat.

At 20 Fanny was a widow, beautiful, with a 3-year-old daughter. Shortly after the mourning ended, she began to search for a new husband. In her first marriage, she had had many problems due to the constant lack of money, now she was more astute and was going to choose a wealthy husband. The gentleman who best met the conditions to be her husband was Mr. Bennet.

After several months of Fanny taking every opportunity to fawn over Mr. Bennet, and little Lizzy, Thomas proposed to her. A few months after they were married, Thomas realized that he had made a serious mistake...