March 1811
Three months after his father's untimely death, Fitzwilliam Darcy moved into the parsonage at Netherfield Park. The house was comfortable and in good shape; it had three bedrooms, a garden, and a small orchard, and his neighbors were welcoming and friendly
His first sermon was interesting, to the point, and well-received by his parishioners. Most of them agreed the young parson was a serious, kind and pleasant gentleman with a passion for his job. Several young women spoke in hushed voices among themselves, remarking that he was handsome and had a beautiful voice.
A week after arriving at the parsonage, he went shopping for the first time in the nearby village of Meryton. He was at the bookshop looking at some new books when a young woman entered the shop. She had dark hair and a fair complexion. Due to the high quality of her gown, he deduced she was the gentleman of a gentleman or a rich merchant. He could only partially see her profile, but he noticed she had a delicate nose and full lips. Without realizing it, he slowly approached her as she was speaking animatedly with the shop's owner - Mr. Hudson.
He heard Mr. Hudson say, "Miss Bennet, I am glad to inform you the book you have been looking for finally arrived from London." He took a book out of a drawer and handed it to her.
"Thank you, Mr. Hudson!" Smiling she added. "Please, don't tell my aunt that I bought this book; if she found out, she would say that I am not a good influence on my cousins."
"I can assure you, Miss Bennet. That I shall not divulge your secret to anyone" He smirked and added, "However, it is highly improbable your esteemed aunt shall grace my bookshop with her presence."
She laughed, "You are right; this is a secret we should keep to ourselves."
At that moment, she noticed Darcy's presence and looked at him with curiosity. Their eyes met. For a few precious moments, the only sound in the room was their breathing.
Darcy was speechless; undoubtedly, the young woman was handsome, but her expressive eyes captivated his attention more than anything else. She had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. They were dark green with gold highlights and long black eyelashes.
Darcy looked down at the book she held in her hand, and his eyes widened. She noticed the way the gentleman was looking at the title of the book - A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. She blushed slightly and looked back at Mr. Hudson, feeling self-conscious.
Seeing the young woman was a bit uncomfortable, Darcy decided to quickly introduce himself to ease the tension, "Good afternoon, my name is Fitzwilliam Darcy. I am the new parson of Netherfield. May I have the honor of knowing your name, please?"
Some of Elizabeth's neighbors had already given glowing reports about him, so she replied, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Darcy. My name is Elizabeth Bennet. I am the niece of Thomas Bennet, the master of Longbourn." With a mischievous smile, she added, "Have you read this book, Sir?"
Darcy nodded. "Yes, I have read it."
Elizabeth looked at him in surprise. "What is your opinion of the book?"
"In some aspects, I agree with Mrs. Wollstonecraft." Seeing Elizabeth's astonished face, he added, "I believe women should have more rights and access to education in order to have more opportunities in society." He smiled. "Unfortunately, we live in a society with many asymmetries of wealth and power; and women clearly are some of the most affected."
"I agree with you, Mr. Darcy," She smiled, "Due to your comment, I assume you are not going to criticize me for my reading preferences?"
He shook his head sadly. "No, Miss Bennet. But you have to keep in mind that it is quite difficult for people to change the norms and expectations of society."
Before Elizabeth could answer, two young women entered the bookshop; one was tall, blonde and classically beautiful, and the other had dark blonde hair and glasses. Elizabeth smiled at both of them and asked, "Have you finished shopping?"
"Yes, Lizzy. Aunt Phillips invited us to have tea with her, so we came looking for you to join us."
Elizabeth smiled. "Mr. Darcy, allow me to introduce you to my cousins: this is Miss Jane Bennet, and this is Miss Mary Bennet."
After the courtesy greetings, Elizabeth paid for her book and left with her two cousins. Darcy stared at her as she walked away. He would never know exactly why he approached her that day and introduced himself. As a parson he was not shy and was used to talking with people he hardly knew, but approaching a young lady without an introduction was unusual.
Mr. Hudson, seeing that Darcy had paid much attention to Miss Elizabeth, remarked. "Miss Elizabeth Bennet is one of the most intelligent and charming young women I have ever met, but there are people who might censure her literary tastes."
Darcy nodded. "Yes, I know many people don't agree with Mary Wollstonecraft's ideas about woman's rights."
"Not only for this reason, but also because she enjoys reading books by the great philosophers of antiquity." He paused, "There are some people, particularly young gentlemen, who prefer young women who are less intelligent and educated than them."
Darcy looked at him in surprise; then remembered some disparaging comments his cousin - the Viscount – had made about a lady whose 'sin' was to contradict him when he was wrong. So, he replied, "You are right, Mr. Hudson. Some gentlemen prefer docile women who would never contradict them."
For her part, Elizabeth was greatly impressed with Mr. Darcy; until that moment she had never met such a handsome and pleasant gentleman.
PPP
In the following days, Darcy met several of the most prominent families around Meryton, including the Lucases and the Bennets of Longbourn. Netherfield was the largest and most important estate in the area, bringing in an annual income of 5000 pounds. The second largest estate was Longbourn.
During the day, Darcy visited the tenants of Netherfield and the poor people who lived in the surrounding area to ensure they had enough food and appropriate clothing for the winter. Wherever he noticed something that needed to be fixed or improved in the estate, he would report it directly to Netherfield's steward.
One of the things that pleasantly surprised him, was no families were starving, as there were in other parts of the Kingdom. However, on the other hand, it appeared that several of the children and adults had never had the opportunity to learn to read and write.
Since he was such a compassionate gentleman, he wanted to help the people in his congregation to have a better life. So, after some thought and consideration, he decided to add some chairs to the small building next to the church, set up a classroom, and teach anyone who wanted to learn how to read and write.
The following Sunday, in church, he announced to those gathered that he would open a school. However, to his surprise, less than a half of the congregation were interested in learning to read and write, a quarter were skeptical about the benefits, and the rest genuinely thought it would be of no use to them since they had lived without knowing it, and had never lacked for anything.
The news that the new parson wanted to open a "school" quickly spread throughout such a small community; Darcy's reputation as a well-liked and generous parson gained even more popularity with the locals.
A few days later, Darcy went to Meryton to buy pencils, ink, and paper for the school; when he ran into Miss Bennet again. She was with a young woman who looked to be a few years her senior.
When Elizabeth saw him, she grinned. She had heard rumors that he would open a school, and she wanted to show her approval and support. She was quite happy to see him.
Darcy smiled. "Good morning, Miss Bennet. It is a pleasure to see you again." He looked at the other young woman and asked, "Would you be so kind as to introduce me to your friend?"
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Darcy. This is Miss Charlotte Lucas."
He looked at Charlotte curiously, "Are you Sir William's daughter?"
Charlotte nodded thoughtfully, "Indeed." She smiled and added, "Did you receive my father's invitation?"
"Yes, I received it yesterday afternoon. If you would be so kind, would you thank your father for me, and tell him I gladly accept the invitation?"
"Does that mean you will be attending the assembly tomorrow?" asked Elizabeth, smiling.
"Yes; it is an excellent opportunity to get to know my neighbors better." He paused, looking at Elizabeth with a smile. "Although I admit I am not much of a dancer, would you do me the honor of dancing a set with me, Miss Bennet? And would you as well, Miss Lucas?"
Smiling, Elizabeth replied: "Only if you solemnly promise not to step on my feet. What do you think, Charlotte? Are you willing to take the risk and dance with Mr. Darcy?"
"It would be my pleasure, Mr. Darcy." She smiled warmly, "Lizzy, we have to head back now so we can get home before it gets dark."
The two friends quickly left for their respective houses, and for a moment Darcy watched Miss Bennet as she walked away. He liked Miss Bennet very much; she was kind, intelligent and beautiful.