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Hereafter Our Sister by Marlee Joy Hawkins (I used a different name here so I wouldn't give away the plot)
Hereafter-Our-Sister-Illustrated-Prejudice-ebook/dp/B0CJ5T3RYB?ref_=ast_author_mpb
Here is an excerpt from Hereafter our Sister where Caroline and Elizabeth are switched as children so the Caroline in this excerpt is Elizabeth and this happens two years before canon.
August 1809, Pemberley
*~.*.~*
As it was only a small, familiar party, Georgiana would join them for dinner. Anxious about her dress in the company of such elegant friends, she soon begged to be likewise excused. Fitzwilliam gave her an indulgent smile and watched her leave the room before he returned to his study. There he reviewed work he had completed that morning and checked correspondence he had answered the previous afternoon, hoping in vain to find a task undone to fill this idle hour with anything other than his treacherous thoughts. Surely, in this intimate setting, she would grow less appealing. Marriage was not to be considered; they would instead have an intellectual friendship. Something like Heloise and Abelarde without the endearments. They would be married to other people and to think, much less speak, in such a way would be disloyal. He could not propose it outright; it must develop naturally.
He thought of their second dance. How uncomfortable it seemed when he attempted to make a beginning of such a friendship. He started with easy commonplaces; she responded politely, with no hint of teasing or laughter in her voice. He had thought carefully about what he would say to her during this dance. He spoke of Plato and his categories of friendship. Whilst responding intelligently to all he said, she never appeared interested or wished to delve more deeply into the subject. It was disappointing.
She had engaged with him in another philosophical discussion over the rights of man. They were dining at her father's home, and on that occasion, she responded with wit and spirit. Yet during the dance, he felt that he could not engage her in the subject. She is an impossible lady. Shaking his head he vowed to be realistic; she is not impossible but dratted impudent. He sighed out something like a laugh. That was not the word he intended either; imprudent was the word he ought to have used. He smilingly acknowledged to himself that both descriptors were apropos on occasion. Then to his great relief the gong rang. He rose, commanding his limbs to move at his customary pace. With measured steps he reached his room and sighed.
*~.*.~*
Caroline was sitting in her dressing gown when she heard a timid knock. Her abigail was prepared to leave but remained cautiously by as her mistress responded. Georgiana hesitantly stepped inside and asked if everything was to her liking.
"Very much so! Dearest Georgie! you have grown so tall and ladylike; you will be as tall as I by next summer, I am certain!" The dressing room door opened and closed with only a whisper, and the girls were alone.
"Miss Bingley, I–" Catching Caroline's expression she smiled and said, "You are too elegant for me to call you 'Linnie' as I used to."
"I dare say I am, and I will address you as 'Miss Darcy,' shall I? We may speak of the weather and music, or perhaps poets if we feel daring. We must never laugh, however, and if we are so unguarded as to smile, we must be careful not to show our teeth. Thank you for reminding me of my manners." With supercilious formality, she took out her needlework and began asking about the state of the garden. Miss Darcy gave a decidedly inelegant and shockingly toothsome laugh. "You do not approve of that manner, I suppose?" Georgiana shook her head, "Not at all."
"Excellent, now we shall speak in earnest. You are correct; we are not children any longer. We must leave those old names behind with our alphabet tiles. Shall we be Caroline and Georgiana then?"
"Oh, Caroline, I am so relieved. I did not know how it would be."
"Whatever do you mean, you goose?"
"Well, you are all grown up and go to parties and balls, and I am a little girl still."
"No, that is not quite true; you are a young lady, or very soon will be."
"Sometimes, I cannot wait to be a lady, and—" Here she smiled a guilty smile that vanished as soon as it was realised, "dance with gentlemen, but even more often I cannot abide thinking of it. Do you like it? Being out in society? Well, of course, you must, because you are so brave." "You make me laugh! What is there of bravery in going to a dance?"
"You must talk to all those strangers—and dance with them." "They will not all be strangers. It may indeed shock you to learn that, sometimes, they are even friends."
"Yes, yes, to be sure," Georgiana spoke quietly, "but what is it like? What does one do?"
Caroline began very seriously, "Well, very often, as you imagine, there are many people filling the room. There is some little comfort in a large crowd: you know you are only one of many ladies all in fine dresses. You look through the masses of people to find your friends, knowing that all those other people are doing just the same."
Georgiana's head was lifted a little as she listened, unwilling to speak, imagining it all as her friend continued.
"You find someone soon, and you talk about anything at all. If it is a good friend, you laugh about how much trouble you had with your pins to make your hair look just so, describing how your abigail needed to bend them all out of shape. If it is a common acquaintance, you speak of how nice it is to see them, and how nice everyone looks, and wasn't it nice that Sir Whatnot had so many friends at his party? Then you move a little further into the crowd until you find someone you know well enough to tell about the hairpins."
Georgiana giggled, looked earnestly at Caroline, and then averted her eyes to ask, "What about the dancing?"
"Oh, that part is very distressing. A young man of your acquaintance approaches you to ask if you would care to dance the next with him. You, unwilling to face his wrath should you answer in the negative, agree. He stalks away until the music halts, and all the ladies who have just endured the ordeal of the previous dance flee their captors, returning to the safety of their chaperones' waiting arms or their friends' anxious questions. It will be she, you know, forced to dance the next set."
Georgiana laughed, then sobered. Looking into her eyes, Caroline gave her a reassuring pat and continued more seriously.
"The young man returns, taking you by the hand; he leads you to the lines of ladies and gentlemen, all looking very fine, and you take your places. When the music begins, your feet and arms know just what to do, for they have made all those movements countless times, at family parties and during dancing lessons. You will be expected to converse and begin by commenting on the party or your host if you are not well acquainted with your partner. If you are well acquainted, you can talk about any number of things. With your cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, I spoke a lot of nonsense; we laughed a good deal."
Suddenly very animated, Georgiana leaned forward and asked, "You danced with Richard? And was he a good partner? "
"Anyone who is a friend is a good partner." "And of course, you danced with my brother?" "I did have that honour, twice." "Only two times in the whole season? Oh, no it must have been twice at one ball." "No, you understood me perfectly." "Oh, I see. Well, what did you talk about with him?"
"For our first dance we spoke very little. Your brother you know has very little patience for talking in company; talking to his friend's younger sister is as distressing as it is unnecessary."
"That, I know, is not at all true. He said that you were 'delightful company' and that he enjoyed your conversations. Pray, what about the other time you danced with him? What did you talk about then?"
"We talked about our mutual acquaintance at first; then we spoke of friendship, I think. Yes, we spoke of the value of good friends. It was all very philosophical and seemed out of place accompanied by light steps and joyous music. I was careful not to make him laugh; it was our laughter that led to the silence of our first dance. To attempt philosophy while skipping, hopping, and turning was, I must acknowledge, rather challenging. There are not many partners who would make such demands of you; you have no need to fear it."
"You have made it sound very easy. I hope it will be so."
"It will be, and there are still some years yet before you must attempt it. By that time, you will have changed to such a degree that it will not seem so very intimidating. Young men are just people, you know, and are sometimes even more frightened of you."
Georgiana giggled, then said, "I am very glad you are here. It has been ages since we had you at Pemberley. This is my first time to act as hostess for company. I am so afraid of making a mistake."
"You cannot but succeed! Everyone here knows and cares for you. Louisa, you remember, thinks you a perfect angel, as I never was. She dislikes being wrong, so even if you do blunder, she will ignore it. I will pretend to until we are alone and I may tease you. The men, you know, will never notice. Ah! There is the gong declaring my victory by denying you the chance to argue." They embraced, and Miss Darcy entered her room with renewed confidence before her brother sedately turned the corner into the family wing.
*~.*.~*
I moved this section because the full story is not available for new readers.
If you read and enjoyed the full Very Different Sort of Men plot check out these similar titles.
Reversed Fortune by Sydney Salier
Mr. Darcy Switched at Birth by Ada Byrn
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A suggestion from a reader review : One similar story "The Fortune he ought to have" by Victoria Cl on Roads Not Taken (must be her site)
I found it in Jane Austen index under either author Victoria Cl or Darcy As a Clergyman etc.