Revised on 1/16/24

Chapter 1
September 1811

Elizabeth Bennet dressed carefully for the quarterly assembly that was to take place that night. Netherfield Park had been empty for much of the last five years but had recently been let out to a young man in possession of four or five thousand a year and was to lease the estate for a year, according to the local gossips. Elizabeth had laughed when she heard the news, especially as the number of his party was a subject of much speculation in the neighbourhood, leading to rumours that a party as small as two and as large as twenty had taken up residence. Mrs Bennet had already claimed the tenant, a Mr Bingley, as intended for Jane and commanded all her girls to make themselves as presentable as possible for the event in case other wealthy gentlemen accompanied him.

It was fortunate for Elizabeth that Mrs Bennet no longer attempted to confiscate the dresses she purchased while in town. In her second-best gown, which was finer than most of those owned by her cousins, she stood out amongst those in Meryton. Jane was dressed almost as well, and she possessed a rare beauty, but Elizabeth was the one who drew the attention of many that evening and every time she was in company.

When the party from Netherfield entered the hall sometime in the middle of the second dance, having been delayed by Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst, all eyes turned toward the newcomers. As the residents of Hertfordshire watched them, the newcomers turned a practised eye toward those already in attendance. It was clear that they were all displeased with what they saw except for the younger, slightly red-headed gentleman.

While a popular dance partner, Elizabeth was not a marriage prospect for the few gentlemen in the village since it was widely believed that she had nothing, not even the twelve hundred pounds her cousin would inherit upon their mother's death. There was some speculation about the fine clothing she wore at events like this since everyone knew the dressmakers in Meryton did not make them. When Mrs Bennet took her to the dressmaker in Meryton to order her clothing, it was always made from the least expensive materials, and she loved to complain about the cost of taking in the orphaned child.

Because of this, she occasionally directed the available gentleman to other girls to dance and would choose to sit out several dances at each assembly. During one of these times, Elizabeth heard a conversation between two of the gentlemen.

"Come, Darcy, you must dance." Charles Bingley said to his friend, standing by the wall watching the others dance. "I hate to see you standing about in this stupid manner."

"Charles, you are fully aware that the sole reason I am present tonight is to avoid being alone with your sister," Fitzwilliam Darcy responded with a brusqueness not uncommon to him. "Had you informed me of tonight's assembly, I would have delayed my journey by a day to avoid having to attend. It would be wise for you to remind your sister that I have no intention of ever proposing to her—no matter how persistently she pursues me. Now, return to your partner and enjoy her smiles. I have an excruciating headache and no desire to partake in dancing tonight, particularly not with a lady I am not acquainted with."

Unnoticed by both men, Elizabeth overheard them and smiled slightly at their conversation. She had seen the predatory lady in their party grabbing at the taller gentleman's arm from the moment they walked in and watched with amusement as the gentleman repeatedly attempted to extricate himself from her grasp—much to the lady's displeasure. She could certainly understand why he had a headache if he was constantly subjected to that.

She silently walked into the kitchen attached to the assembly room, prepared a glass of willow bark tea, and carefully returned to her spot by the gentleman she understood to be Mr Darcy.

Careful to keep herself hidden from the rest of the room, she quietly spoke to the gentleman. "Sir, I hope you will forgive my impertinence, but I overheard you speaking to Mr Bingley about a headache. My family often uses tea with willow bark to help with pain, and I have prepared a cup for you. It has a bitter taste, but it should help your head if you want to try it."

He startled and then turned slightly to look at her. She appeared vaguely familiar, but the pain in his head had kept him from paying much attention to the introductions. "I also must apologise as I do not remember your name, Miss. While I appreciate your effort, I am not accustomed to accepting drinks from women I do not know. In my position, it is unwise."

"I had not considered that, sir, but having watched Miss Bingley's pursuit of you, that seems wise. My name is Miss Elizabeth Bennet, by the way. We were introduced earlier, but if your head hurts as much as it appears, I dare say it is hard to remember so many introductions in such a short time," she replied, keeping her voice low and attempting to avoid notice. "I will leave the tea here if you change your mind, and then I will leave so my aunt does not observe me talking to you. I must confess she is one to watch out for."

He barked a laugh and quickly covered it with a cough. "I appreciate your help, Miss Bennet, and I will take a chance and try the tea. It was a pleasure to meet you, though I also feel you are familiar. Have we met before tonight?"

"We might have seen each other in London at some event or something," she offered before dipping a shallow curtsy. She made one final comment before slipping away. "I must correct in one respect, sir. My elder cousin is Miss Bennet; I am called Miss Elizabeth. Do take care, Mr Darcy, and I hope you feel better soon."

Darcy watched her as she left and laughed inwardly at her pertness in introducing herself to him and correcting his address. She was unlike most women he knew. It was refreshing to meet an attractive woman who exhibited genuine kindness, bringing him tea to relieve his headache while not attempting to curry his favour. Even more astonishing, she warned him about her aunt's matchmaking schemes.

He desired to get to know her better; however, he idly wondered if there was any point. In this small market town, it was unlikely she had a fortune or any worthwhile connections; since his infancy, his duty to marry for fortune and connections had been drilled into him, first by his parents and, since their deaths, by his uncle, the earl. Could he genuinely throw those expectations aside for a country maiden? Shaking his head, he wondered what had come over him and how a short conversation that she had been careful to ensure no one had observed could have caused him to begin pondering marriage to a woman he had just met. Perhaps it was simply that she had not attempted to attract attention to their conversation and the genuine kindness in her actions.

From across the assembly hall, Caroline Bingley kept a watchful eye on Mr Darcy. She observed him conversing with an indistinct figure, the identity of whom eluded her, as the person remained in the shadows. Her keen eyes detected him sipping from a cup of tea, leading her to believe he had been speaking with one of the attendants.

Miss Bingley had been pleased to learn of Darcy's visit to her brother's leased estate, as this presented her with the perfect opportunity to show that she would be his ideal wife. If, for some reason, he failed to succumb to her charms, she had contingencies in place to ensnare him. The necessary arrangements had been discreetly set in motion long before his arrival. Although her brother did not overtly endorse her designs, he was well-informed of her plans. Despite Darcy's insistence that he would never marry Caroline, they both had faith in Darcy's honour to choose the path of righteousness in the event he was compromised.

Indeed, at this juncture, Bingley felt an almost desperate urgency to marry off his sister to anyone—willing or unwilling. Her extravagant spending habits were siphoning his resources at an alarming rate, and frankly, her sour disposition made her a challenging companion. While Darcy genuinely liked Bingley, he harboured a strong aversion towards his unmarried sister, and his agreement to visit Bingley at his leased estate was contingent upon Caroline's absence while he was there. Darcy was livid when he arrived and discovered Caroline in residence and acting as Bingley's hostess. This, coupled with the upcoming assembly that evening, had nearly led to Darcy returning directly to London. However, after some coercion from his friend, he reluctantly consented to a shortened stay to assist him in his endeavours. Darcy also reminded Bingley that he would never marry Caroline under any circumstances, and he requested Bingley to make sure Caroline understood that.

Bingley's other sister, Louisa Hurst, and her husband were also present for Darcy's visit. Louisa knew about Caroline's plan for a compromise, having been informed of it by her sister, and she informed her husband of all its particulars. Gilbert Hurst intended to be on guard and would apprise Mr Darcy when the plot was ready to be acted upon. The Hursts genuinely appreciated Darcy's company and did not want to risk injuring their relationship with him. Therefore, they intended to thwart Caroline's efforts and were ready to act if required. To avoid unnecessarily alarming Darcy about plans that might never come to fruition, they did not disclose Caroline's plans to the man himself. Instead, Hurst's valet notified Darcy's valet and kept him apprised of any developments. When this was first discussed, Hurst was very amused to learn that the man always slept in Darcy's dressing room and took extra effort to protect Mr Darcy whenever he was in the same house as Caroline at that gentleman's request. The valet was very familiar with his master's insistence that he would never marry Miss Bingley regardless of the circumstances, which was reasonably well known by the staff.

With all this in mind, both Hursts kept an eye on their sister and guest at the assembly, and Hurst, from his location sitting near Darcy, observed the exchange with the young lady. He had likewise noted Darcy's pleasure in it and observed to himself, "This should be interesting to watch." When they returned to Netherfield that night, the couple would discuss what they had seen in great detail.

The rest of the dance proceeded as one would expect. Bingley danced every dance, two with the eldest Miss Bennet, which was observed with mixed emotions by those in attendance. Darcy, whose headache had largely abated by the end of the evening, did not dance at all but did speak briefly to Miss Elizabeth to thank her for her assistance, and he found that, once again, he thoroughly enjoyed her conversation. It had ranged beyond a simple thank you into their shared love of books and nature; in fact, they had spoken for the entirety of one dance, giving them a full half hour in each other's company. The longer they talked, the more a nagging sense of familiarity struck him, although he could not recall ever meeting an Elizabeth Bennet. He wondered who her family was and if they had, as she suggested, crossed paths in town at some point.

When the Netherfield party departed, Caroline spent the ride complaining bitterly about the assembly and the lack of breeding displayed by the entire company. Only Miss Bennet was spared from the general disdain and was given scant praise as being "passably pretty." So determined was she to disparage the town and its society that she failed to notice no one else spoke the entire way to express either agreement or disagreement with her words.

In the Bennet carriage, the conversation centred on the charming Mr Bingley and his equally charming sisters, although the other gentlemen of the party did not receive such praise. Mrs Bennet had observed Mr Darcy speaking to Elizabeth toward the end of the evening and was unhappy about that development. Mrs Bennet believed the possibility of Elizabeth marrying well, or at all, could harm the rest of her family. As a result, Mrs Bennet glared at her niece and disparaged that "unpleasant Mr Darcy" at every opportunity.

Once all the girls were in bed that night, Mrs Bennet spoke to Mr Bennet about the gentleman from the north and their concern about her marrying someday. This summer had marked Elizabeth's twentieth birthday, a milestone which left Mr and Mrs Bennet fretting more than usual over the impending changes since the stipend would stop when she reached her majority. Mr. Bennet did not know about any other stipulations in the will, but he knew that Elizabeth's family had owned an estate in the north. He assumed that it would come to Elizabeth when she reached her majority. He did not share this with Mrs. Bennet, but she did know the stipend would end soon.

In Mrs Bennet's opinion, they should cast Elizabeth from their home the minute that happened. It never occurred to her that the funds had to come from somewhere or to wonder if Elizabeth would gain access to them when the stipend stopped. Perhaps if she had, she would have treated her niece better, but perhaps she would not. After all, if Elizabeth had a substantial inheritance, it would make her more likely to attract a suitor than Jane, and Mrs Bennet did not want to imagine anyone else's daughter being more attractive to a gentleman than Jane.

Mr Bennet was far more worried about the end of the stipend because, without it, Longbourn would not be enough to support the habits of his family. He had been indolent in its management since taking over and had not done anything to increase the profits; instead, they had decreased under his management. Without the stipend, he faced the daunting prospect of making substantial cutbacks in his family's expenditures, and he still had four daughters to settle. The stipend they received for her care enabled him to spend much more freely on books and port and allowed his wife to spend as much as she liked on dresses and other fripperies. Their own daughters' allowances were also paid out of the stipend, and his daughters, particularly Lydia, would not appreciate those funds being cut.