Chapter 1

Meryton 1811

Elizabeth Bennet looked around the room of the assembly hall at Meryton with concern. The door had just admitted a very late party - the new tenant of Netherfield, Mr. Bingley, and his companions - and Jane was nowhere to be seen.

Finally spotting her elder sister near their mother, Elizabeth gave a sigh of relief and made her way over to the two ladies.

"Lizzy!" hissed Mrs. Bennet loudly. "Have you ever seen such fine-looking gentlemen? And the lace on the ladies' dresses!"

The matron's voice faded to the background as Elizabeth attentively watched Sir William Lucas circulate the room with the newcomers and make introductions. When the master of ceremonies finally reached the Bennets, they encountered Mrs. Bennet and all five of her daughters.

Elizabeth almost let out a groan of dismay when she saw Mr. Bingley's eyes widen in delight when they fell on Jane's face. Like so many men before, Bingley was instant captivated with the eldest Bennet daughter's unique appearance. Her large, upturned eyes, delicate ears, and elegant neck all combined to make Jane into a uniquely beautiful woman.

The smitten man beamed at Jane, who smiled gently at him. When he asked her to dance, her smile deepened, and the two made their way to the dance floor.

Mrs. Bennet turned her attention to Bingley's friend - a Mr. Darcy, if Elizabeth was remembering correctly - but the man only gave a short bow before walking away without a word.

"Well! Have you ever met such a disagreeable man?" cried Mrs. Bennet.

Elizabeth paid no heed to her mother; instead, she watched apprehensively as Darcy stalked around the room, staring intently at Jane. When one of the Lucas boys came to ask for a dance, she politely declined, thus forfeiting any further dances for the evening.

After the dance ended, Bingley escorted Jane back to her mother before going to his friend. Elizabeth, conscious of her role as Jane's protector, moved surreptitiously closer to the pair of gentlemen.

"I say, Darcy! I can't bear to see you standing around in such a stupid manner. You should be dancing! Come, allow me to introduce you to my angel of a partner. She is delightful! I daresay I've never met a more pleasant young lady in all my life."

The look on the taller gentleman's face was that of scorn and disdain. "No, Bingley. She may look tolerable, I suppose, but I'm in no humor to give consequence to such an unnatural creature as she. I wonder that her parents do not keep her locked away from society."

A hot, white anger swelled within Elizabeth's breast, and Bingley gaped at his friend. "Unnatural creature? Locked away? Good heavens, man!"

Elizabeth had heard enough. She knew making a scene would only call the attention of their neighbors to Jane's differences, so she dismissed her first inclination to walk up to the man and slap him across the face. Fuming, she instead stared hard at Darcy. When his eyes moved to her, the rage she felt radiating into his very center. After several long moments, she deliberately turned her back on him, giving him the cut direct without arousing the suspicions of the other guests.

While she was debating what to do, she missed Darcy's reply to his friend. With a sigh, he said, "Forgive me for my poor choice of words, my friend. I am sure that it is her unique beauty that would have the gentlemen lining up. Any father would wish to lock her away to protect her from those of lower character. Go take advantage of her smiles, although I daresay she does smile too much."

Mollified, Bingley retreated. Darcy's headache increased, and he looked around the room at the revelry. His gaze fell on Elizabeth, and when his eyes met hers, she turned her back.

Darcy's eyes widened and his nostrils flared. How dare this insignificant country chit disrespect me? Does she not know who I am? And with her sister bearing the subtle signs of an idiot, she cannot disagree with what I said. Insolent girl!

For the remainder of the evening, his eyes remained fixed on her form. If it was pleasing to his baser nature, his proud mind refused to admit it. He told himself such close monitoring was necessary to prevent her from causing problems with his friend.

For her part, Elizabeth remained close to her sister's side when they weren't on the dance floor. Jane was very popular at each assembly; her kindness, grace, and charming smiles made any man feel as though he could conquer the world, even if he weren't in search of a wife.

The eldest Lucas boy asked Jane for a dance, and she gave him the same smile of delight that she gave Mr. Goulding, Mr. Long, and all the rest. Jane enjoyed standing up to dance, and her smile made her beauty radiated throughout the room. Even the gossiping biddies never could think of something negative to say about such a gentle creature.

Her innate goodness was what caused Elizabeth to react so violently towards Darcy's cruel words. He doesn't even know her, she seethed to herself as she watched the tall man watch Jane. How on earth could he think to lock away someone based solely on her appearance!

To Elizabeth's delight, Bingley returned to Jane's side again and again between dances. He even went so far as to solicit her hand for a second time. Elizabeth watched her sister's happiness with a mixture of joy and apprehension. Jane's heart was pure and innocent, and it was too easily misused,

Bingley seemed affable, however, and Elizabeth mentally gave her sister permission to like him. Jane had liked many a stupider person in the past, after all.

In the wee early hours of the morning, the two sisters burrowed under the covers of Elizabeth's bed. "What did you think of the Netherfield party, Jane?"

"Oh, Lizzy, it was such a wonderful night! Mr. Bingley is everything a gentleman should be. I hope we get to meet with him again. He introduced me to his sisters, did you see? They were so elegant and fine!"

Elizabeth pictured the two arrogant ladies who looked down their noses at the entire company. Jane would oppose anything negative, so Elizabeth simply replied, "They did seem to dress very elegantly indeed. I am glad they were kind to you."

"Even Mr. Darcy seemed polite, even though he didn't smile as much as his friend."

Having vowed to keep the odious man's words to herself for fear of hurting her sister, Elizabeth smiled and repeated, "I am glad everyone treated you well, dearest."

Eventually Jane's happy ramblings faded into soft snores, but Elizabeth was unable to join her in dreamland. Instead, her mind worried over what Darcy's detection of Jane's unique nature might mean for her gentle sister. All the world was good in Jane's eyes, and Elizabeth dreaded the day her tender Jane was forced to see otherwise.