Chapter 1
“Even after twenty years, I still marvel at how much Lizzy and Jane look alike and yet how different they are in nature and behaviour,” Mrs Phillips whispered to her sister, Mrs Bennet.
The Phillipses had been invited to dine with the Bennets that evening. It was an occurrence that was repeated regularly, as the sisters and their husbands lived but a mile from each other.
“They are so different in manners that one hardly notices their resemblance,” Mrs Bennet agreed, rolling her eyes.
“When they were infants, we could hardly tell them apart. But as soon as they learnt to walk, we knew Lizzy was always the dirty one, who climbed trees, ripped her clothes, and brought puppies and kittens home. We hardly called her Elizabeth at all, as such a formal name sounded inappropriate for her!”
“When I was younger, I could not tell which one was Lizzy and which was Jane!” Lydia, Mrs Bennet’s youngest daughter, declared.
“What do you mean, when you were younger? You are still only a child at fifteen,” Mr Bennet said.
“But it is true, Papa! Neither could I!” Kitty, the second youngest, added.
“I could always tell which one was which,” Mary uttered with the calm wisdom of the middle daughter. “Besides, Lizzy plays the pianoforte and likes to read and walk. Jane is a better rider, and she writes poetry and is better at needlework.”
“That is true, Mary,” Mrs Bennet agreed. “But everything Lizzy does is done in a wild manner, while Jane’s manners are always impeccable!”
“Mama, Lizzy was always cleverer and braver than me,” Jane intervened shyly. “I know she learnt to walk and talk before I did, even though I am older.”
“You are older by only a few minutes, Jane,” her mother said.
“And it is of little use for a woman to be clever and brave if she disregards decorum and never shows proper demureness! Lizzy still keeps up the habit of wandering alone and bringing home all sorts of animals! It was annoying even when she was little, but now it is quite irritating! No worthy gentleman will want to marry a wild wife.”
“Mama,” Lizzy finally replied, covering her laughter with her napkin, “I only bring home animals who are hurt and need help. Besides, I have already resigned myself to the thought that I shall not marry. Jane will surely find the perfect husband — very handsome, very rich, and very much in love with her. I shall become a spinster and move in with her to take care of her children.”
Mrs Bennet’s nerves became further inflamed.
“See! What did I tell you, Sister? Did you hear her? She has no consideration for my poor nerves! She does not even care that I had to go through torture to have twins, and I almost died in childbirth because of them!”
“Mama, I do appreciate everything you have done for us…and you still do. I cannot understand why you find my behaviour so vexing. I do nothing to upset you!”
“Nothing to upset me? You know very well that your father’s estate is entailed, and as soon as he dies, that horrible cousin of his will throw us out, and we shall starve to death! You must do everything to find husbands before then!”
“My dear Mrs Bennet,” Mr Bennet interjected, “let us hope that fate will not be so cruel. There is always the possibility that you will die before such a tragedy occurs, or perhaps my cousin will prove himself to be a kind, generous man who will take you all, along with Longbourn.”
Elizabeth continued to laugh under her napkin, while Jane watched with obvious distress. The two opposing responses emphasised, once again, the differences between the two sisters, who were otherwise identical in appearance.
Mrs Bennet continued to complain about her nerves and that her family were not taking her warning seriously, while Mrs Phillips attempted to calm her.
“My dear sister, if something so dreadful does happen, I shall not allow you to starve! Surely you know that. Between us and the Gardiners, you will find enough support for you and the girls. Let us speak of more entertaining matters. Like the recent lease of Netherfield Park!”
Mrs Bennet needed a moment to calm herself; she threw a glare at Elizabeth and one at Mr Bennet, then turned her attention to the more thrilling subject.
“In all truth, Sister, I cannot believe Netherfield has been let at last. And precisely by so perfect a neighbour!”
“It is true, Sister, I tell you! Lady Lucas told me earlier. A young gentleman, single and rich — five thousand a year, I heard. It is such a fine thing for your daughters! You cannot miss this opportunity!” Mrs Phillips said with equal enthusiasm.
Mr Phillips was occupied with refilling his glass with brandy, while Mr Bennet enjoyed his meal, remaining silent.
“Mr Bennet, you must visit him first thing tomorrow morning!”
“Visit whom, Mrs Bennet?”
“Whom? Are you making sport of my poor nerves? Mr Bingley, of course! Our new neighbour. The new master of Netherfield.”
“I shall see whether I have time for calls.”
“But what else would you be doing? I know you hardly leave your library, but you must do it for the benefit of your daughters!”
“I agree, Brother,” Mrs Phillips added. “Just consider, there will be a ball in a few days. You must be on friendly terms with Mr Bingley by then.”
“I am lost to your meaning, ladies,” Mr Bennet replied. “How did we jump from a mere call to balls and friendship? And how is this related to our daughters?”
“How? How? You know too well that I hope he will marry one of them! Can you imagine how such an event would change our lives?”
“I cannot, madam, and I shall not even attempt to. We have no connection with this man and should have no expectations from a stranger who has appeared in our vicinity by accident.”
“He is not a stranger, and it is not by accident! It is fate! A single man in possession of a good fortune should be in want of a wife. And he will surely not find anyone better than our daughters in all of Hertfordshire!”
“I agree with my sister,” Mrs Phillips uttered. “Just keep in mind that the Lucases have two daughters, and Charlotte is almost a spinster. Sir William and Lady Lucas would do anything to secure a husband for her.”
“I disagree, but I shall still drink to that,” Mr Bennet replied. “Sir William and Lady Lucas might do as they please. I trust we shall find other subjects of conversation by the end of dinner.”
Mr Bennet’s hopes remained unfulfilled, as the ladies continued to talk about Mr Bingley, while the gentlemen tried to drown their vexation in brandy.
The following day, the same subject occupied the entire family. Mr Bennet did visit Mr Bingley — much to his wife’s joy — and returned with a good report, which only enhanced the ladies’ imaginations.
“Mrs Bennet, I shall only say this once, then I shall return to my library with the serious request of not being disturbed.”
“I promise not to disturb you as long as you provide us with all the details,” his wife said.
“But Mary — who has the best handwriting — should write down everything you say, in case we need it repeated later,” Elizabeth suggested.
“Lizzy, stop jesting! Let your father tell us what we need to know! Or even better, go to your room. With such behaviour, surely Mr Bingley will not show any interest in you!”
“And yet, I shall stay and listen, Mama. But I shall not jest until Papa completes his narration,” she declared, annoying her mother even more and amusing her father exceedingly.
“So,” Mr Bennet continued, “Mr Bingley is a gentleman of about twenty-five years of age. He has two sisters, who will join him next week. He intends to attend the next assembly, and apparently, he will bring his sisters and several friends with him. I did not ask how many. He said he wished to return my call and meet you all tomorrow, but he must travel to London to fetch the aforementioned party. And that is all.”
“But Papa, is he handsome?” Lydia asked.
“With my limited knowledge of men’s handsomeness, I would venture to say he is a pleasant-looking fellow and has quite amiable manners.”
“Oh, is he? How lovely!” Mrs Bennet exclaimed. “And—”
“No ‘and’, madam! I have told you everything I know. For the rest, you will have to wait until we see Mr Bingley again. Now, please excuse me. I shall be in the library, and I hope nobody will need me.”
Mr Bennet removed himself from the ladies’ presence, but they continued to speak about the gentleman now known to be handsome and have amiable manners. Elizabeth was the only one more amused than interested, but she kept her promise and did not joke about it any further.
***
The gleeful anticipation continued at Longbourn for several days.
The prospect of the assembly became more interesting with the addition of the new gentleman, Mr Bingley.
Some people had met him, others were eager to make his acquaintance soon.
The party he was expected to bring with him changed from two sisters and a few friends, as stated by Mr Bennet, to ten ladies and ten gentlemen, according to other reports.
“Lizzy, do you think we are in such a desperate situation as Mama claims?” Jane enquired one evening when the sisters were preparing for the night.
“Mama is always too impassioned. I am sure we have no reason to worry for many, many years, as Papa is still a young and healthy man. But we are not in a very good situation either. We have little dowry and no important connections. And we have few accomplishments to recommend us. Except for you. You are perfect in every way, and I am sure you will find a perfect husband,” Elizabeth declared, embracing Jane affectionately.
“Stop saying such nonsense, Lizzy,” Jane said affectionately. “You look just like me, but you are better than me in many ways. I do not need a perfect husband, only a man whom I can respect and perhaps love. A man who will respect and love me too.”
“I do not doubt you will find him, Jane.”
“It scares me to know Mama expects me to marry someone who will take care of our entire family. Such a man is difficult to find.”
“You must not be scared, Jane, and you must not look for a man to fulfil Mama’s expectations. We certainly shall not starve to death, regardless.”
“What about you, Lizzy?” Jane asked. As Elizabeth was helping her sister to brush her hair, their faces were close to each other, and the image in the mirror seemed duplicated.
“Me? I would not marry for anything less than the deepest, strongest love. I shall only marry if I find the one man in the world whom I consider suited to me. Such an expectation is, of course, as ridiculous as it is impossible. Therefore, I know I shall remain a spinster,” Elizabeth responded, laughing again and inducing Jane to join her.
***
Three days later, the long-awaited Meryton assembly finally took place. Mrs Bennet demanded that all her five daughters prepare themselves with extra care and inspected each of them carefully. While Jane chose to wear a dress of a pale-blue colour, Elizabeth preferred one of ivory.
Mr Bennet chose to remain at home, and Mrs Bennet was too thrilled about the event to even attempt to change his mind.
The six Bennet ladies arrived with much anticipation.
Their carriage stopped in front of the building — where several carriages were already standing.
A slight rain began, and they hurried inside, lifting the hems of their gowns to protect them from the mud.
Lydia and Kitty ran ahead, while Mrs Bennet and Mary were behind, with Elizabeth and Jane following them.
The sound of voices made Elizabeth turn her head at the top of the stairs. A group of strangers, dressed most fashionably, were speaking animatedly and were apparently in disagreement.
“Charles, it was a very bad idea to attend this assembly. The location is questionable, and the weather is horrible.”
“You may return to Netherfield if you prefer, Caroline. I am anticipating dancing and meeting new people.”
“I shall return to Netherfield, if I am allowed,” one of the men said. “It is not the location or the weather, I simply dislike such parties.”
“Come, Darcy, give it a chance! You may very well enjoy yourself!”
“I doubt it very much, Bingley.”
At seeing Elizabeth’s curious gaze, the strangers suddenly ceased their discussion. The three men and two women paused in their ascent of the stairs and scrutinised her.
“Lizzy, are you coming?” Elizabeth heard Jane’s voice.
Her sister stopped next to her and turned, and suddenly, a male voice whispered, “Oh dear! What an image!”
Before she could ascertain whose voice it was, Jane grasped her arm, and they entered the assembly together.
“Lizzy, Jane, where have you been? Come here!” their mother demanded. “My sister Phillips and Mrs Long have told me that Mr Bingley will attend only with his sisters, his brother-in-law, and a friend — Mr Darcy — who is exceedingly rich! Twice as rich as Mr Bingley — at least!”
Mrs Bennet’s whispers — as well as the others’ — ceased when the long-expected guests finally entered the ballroom.
Sir William hurried to the illustrious group, bowing to them.
A short conversation followed, and since they were only a short distance away, Elizabeth took the opportunity to look more attentively at Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy.
One could hardly find two more different people in appearance, posture, manners, and the expression on each’s countenance.
Mr Bingley was all smiles and joy, and he glanced repeatedly at the Bennets. Mr Darcy was taller, and one could probably declare him more handsome if his face was not so dark, frowning, and expressing a deep dislike for everything around him.
Surprisingly, Elizabeth’s gaze met Mr Darcy’s, and his expression changed slightly.
She tried to avert her eyes; however, they felt trapped by his.
There was nothing she could do but hold his intriguing look; he seemed so serious and miserable that she wondered how Mr Bingley had forced him to attend the ball.
She could not conceal her amusement, and she knew she was smiling.
To her utter shock, a little smile seemed to twist Mr Darcy’s lips too, and his entire countenance changed for a brief moment.
However, he returned to his usual seriousness when Sir William escorted him and Mr Bingley towards the Bennets and stopped only steps away.