Prologue

Darcy

20 th November 1811

Grosvenor House, London

“A nd the youngest sister, Lydia, I have never met a young lady so uncouth,” Caroline Bingley said, before raising her cup and taking a sip of tea. She glanced at Darcy over the rim of the cup and curled her lips into what Darcy assumed was her version of a charming smile. He shifted uncomfortably and focused on her sister who’d slipped to the edge of her seat, eager to continue the conversation.

“Indeed,” Louisa said, picking up the conversation. “The entire family is unsuitable. The younger sisters are loud and lack any decorum. You know we hosted a ball at Netherfield, of course?”

“Of course he knows, nothing escapes Mr Darcy’s attention,” Caroline said, continuing to smile at Darcy.

“Charles told me about the ball in one of his letters,” Darcy agreed, motioning for Louisa to continue.

“Well, the middle sister, Mary, played the pianoforte rather dreadfully and did not know when to stop. And the mother—”

“Oh, the mother,” Caroline exclaimed dramatically. “It is clear where the younger sisters get their behaviour from, for Mrs Bennet is entirely impossible. She too is loud, and she announced at the dinner table that she feels a marriage between Jane Bennet and Charles would help her other daughters as well, due to his wealth.”

“She thought Charles would open doors for them, in fact,” Louisa added.

“What do you say to that, Mr Darcy?” Caroline asked, her head dipped to the side as she eagerly awaited his opinion.

Darcy ran one hand along his black pantaloons and drummed his fingers against his knee. Indeed, what did he have to say to that? He’d hardly been at the Hursts’ home for an hour, and already he’d heard all manner of dreadful tales about the woman Charles Bingley wanted to marry. Or rather, about her family, for even Caroline and Louisa seemed to carry a level of fondness for their brother’s intended. The family, however, sounded utterly outrageous. Still, wanting to be fair, he reserved his judgement.

“What of the father? And the other sister? In his letter, Mr Hurst mentioned there was another older sister.”

Caroline shrugged. “Elizabeth Bennet, yes. She appears a little less silly in comparison, but her judgement is lacking. Miss Bennet became unwell at Netherfield during one of her visits, and Miss Elizabeth deemed it proper to walk through the mud and rain, arriving entirely dishevelled.”

“It was quite a disgrace,” Louisa added. Darcy could see how they might have reached such a verdict. A part of him admired this Elizabeth Bennet’s tenacity to reach a sister who’d evidently fallen quite ill. Still, one had to wonder why she would not have hired a carriage. However, that brought him to another matter.

“I see. Well, that is unfortunate but hardly reason to oppose the marriage. However, their finances…” he started. Mr Hurst, who had slumped in the armchair in such a manner Darcy hadn’t been sure if he was awake or asleep, cleared his throat.

“Not in good order, I’ll say,” Hurst said and got up with a groan. He retrieved a ledger from the table by the window and handed it to Darcy. He flipped through the pages and took a deep breath, feeling his chest rise under his waistcoat.

“The estate is entailed away from the family?”

“Indeed. Since there are no sons, the estate will go to a relative of theirs in Kent,” Hurst confirmed. Darcy’s eyes examined the words and he let out a scoff.

“William Collins is the heir?”

“You know him?” Caroline asked, and Darcy nodded.

“He is the vicar at my aunt, Lady Catherine’s estate. Dreadful man, he thinks himself rather more important than he is, or so I have heard,” he declared, running a hand through his hair.

What was Bingley thinking? He’d heard everything about Jane Bennet, the young woman who had enchanted him, and by all accounts she sounded like a respectable woman. Even Caroline and Louisa acknowledged her refinement and poise.

But the family? They hardly had a sixpence to scratch together and their circumstances were less than ideal. Mr Bennet, an inept landowner if his finances were anything to go by, had five daughters to find husbands for, and an estate entailed away from the family. Given their precarious finances, there was no way to break the entailment—not unless…

Darcy sat up straight, “What is it you said Mrs Bennet declared at the ball? That this would be beneficial for her daughters?”

“Yes, it is quite clear that she intends to use Charles to find rich husbands for her other daughters,” Caroline said, twisting her mouth as if she’d bitten into a lemon.

“Pray, when you have seen Miss Bennet with your brother, does she appear enamoured of him?” he asked, feeling uneasy to even pose such a question. Indeed, the entire conversation he was currently involved in was not proper, and he would not usually engage in such a debate if not for his genuine concern for his friend.

He’d been happy for Bingley when his friend had first written to him about the woman he’d met in Hertfordshire. He was renting an estate there with the view to making a purchase. He’d described a gracious, gentlewoman who appeared on the surface much like Bingley himself—kind, amiable, and perhaps a little na?ve. Alas, since then he’d received word from Thomas Hurst who’d written to relay the concerns of his wife and sister-in-law regarding the marriage.

Instantly, Darcy regretted not accompanying Bingley to Hertfordshire as he’d requested, in favour of spending the summer at Matlock with his cousin and uncle. If he’d been there, he could have judged for himself if this woman was indeed good for his often-gullible friend.

Had he gone to Netherfield with Bingley, he would have been able to assess the situation better and perhaps dissuaded Bingley from pursuing this young woman and ending this entanglement before it commenced.

“Mr Darcy,” Caroline said, “I fear he’s going to make an offer when we return to Netherfield next week.”

Darcy scratched his temple. “I shall speak to him. It truly does sound like a very poor match.”

“You know how he is,” Mrs Hurst chimed in. “He has always been a man who has his head in the clouds when it comes to romance. How a man who has such a mind for business is so easily swayed by a pretty face, I do not know.”

The floorboards creaked behind him, and Darcy turned to see his friend standing in the doorway, pale faced. His blond hair had fallen into his eyes, and he pushed a lock back with his right hand while looking around the room.

“Darcy? I did not expect you. You were not due in Town until next month.”

Darcy rose and shook his friend’s hand. “I had not planned to be here, but an urgent letter reached me from Mr Hurst.”

“From Mr Hurst?” Bingley asked, the confusion evident in his face. He eyed his brother-in-law, who nodded sheepishly and then looked away. “But why?” However, his shoulders dropped, and Darcy could see that he already knew what this was about.

“Please take a seat,” he said gently, and Bingley walked to the empty armchair between Caroline and Mr Hurst. He sat down and looked from one to the other.

“Have you come to talk about Jane?” The pleading undertone in his voice almost broke Darcy’s heart as he knew this would hurt his friend.

“Indeed. We had to summon Mr Darcy because you will not listen to any of us,” Caroline said with an accusatory tone.

“But I do not understand,” Bingley replied. “What is it you have against her?”

“We have nothing against her,” Mrs Hurst repeated. “And we have already told you this. It is her family whom we dislike. You must see it, Charles. They are nothing but villagers looking to marry up. Mrs Bennet said as much at the ball.”

Bingley looked around the room as though he were a fox being pursued by the hounds.

“I understand your circumspection, however, they are not lowly villagers,” he said. “Indeed, they outrank us. Darcy, surely you understand.”

Darcy cleared his throat. “Your brother is correct. Technically, the Bennets do outrank you. They are landed gentry, and Mr Bennet is a gentleman. Socially, they are on the same level as myself and other landowners.”

His friend smiled with gratitude, but Darcy knew this would not last long. “On the other hand, from what I have heard, their behaviour is hardly that of genteel people. Miss Bennet might be an exception, but the rest of the family, from what I have been told, are not. Or do you deny your sisters’ and brother-in-law’s observations?”

He wanted to give Miss Bennet and her family the benefit of the doubt because he knew that Caroline especially could be very judgemental. At times she seemed to forget that she too was from humble beginnings. She might not remember the days when she was a tradesman’s daughter who was just coming up in the world, but Darcy did.

The late Mr Bingley had changed the family’s fortunes with wise investments and a sharp sense for trade, which he’d passed on to his only son who’d increased the family’s wealth since taking over.

Bingley wasn’t the sort to forget where he came from, but the same could not be said for his sisters, Caroline especially. At times when Darcy spoke to her, he had a feeling she already fancied herself a gentleman’s sister, and the push for Bingley to purchase land had come from her. She’d become insistent after Bingley acquired Netherfield on lease. In the end, Darcy knew, this was because she too hoped to elevate herself in society and marry well. Indeed, her attitude to Darcy himself was a constant reminder of her ambitions. A gentleman such as himself would be a more than suitable match in her eyes.

“I do not deny their observations, and I appreciate their candour though I do not agree,” Bingley replied reluctantly. “Indeed, Mrs Bennet has a tendency towards effusions and can be rather boisterous, but then again, Darcy, have you not heard that Lady Catherine de Bourgh can also be rather loud and overbearing?”

“Point taken,” Darcy said with a faint smile. “Lady Catherine does have an imperious attitude at times, indeed. But she does know how to conduct herself in public.”

“Whereas Mrs Bennet does not,” Caroline said pointedly. “And what of her sisters, Charles? Are you not concerned that you would have to spend your life in their company as well?”

“Indeed,” Darcy chimed in. “What would become of Miss Bennet’s sisters should you marry her? I assume you have thought about this?”

He was met with silence. He gave Bingley a moment, hoping his friend had indeed given this some thought.

“Honestly, I have not thought about this,” he said quietly. “I did not think it my place to decide what happens to her sisters. That would be up to her father.”

“Would it?” Darcy asked. “The estate is entailed to William Collins, a man who will hardly take care of five young women. You know how it is for young women in society. Her sisters would look to you and your wife for support.”

“I am sure they would make their own matches,” Bingley said, but Darcy shook his head.

“How? You are a businessman, my friend. You must understand that as long as they are left without a fortune, it is unlikely they shall ever make a good match. Consider how much it would take for them to live comfortably. Even if you and Miss Bennet were able to assist her family, the expectations that would be put on you would be immense.”

“Do you really wish to spend your life taking care of five young women who have no fortune and no connections? A gentleman like Mr Darcy can afford such a burden, but you cannot. The dowries for one, let alone five sisters would be exorbitant,” Mr Hurst said.

It was a point well made, and Darcy nodded. Even he, with his immense wealth, would struggle with such a situation. Georgiana was only a year younger than Lydia Bennet, and if he found himself in Bingley’s situation, he would be forced to sell one of his estates, perhaps even Pemberley, to care for the sisters.

“Charles,” Darcy said, “I do not say this to hurt you. I do it out of love and friendship. Please, consider what will happen if you proceed with this match.”

His friend sat quietly, his shoulders slumped. Darcy’s heart ached for him, but he had to ensure that his friend’s future was secured.

Finally, Bingley spoke. “I must think on this.”

“Please do, Charles,” Caroline said. “We want only what’s best for you.”

Darcy sat back and sighed. He knew his docile friend well enough to know that he’d been swayed. Now, he only had to hope that Miss Bennet had not captured his heart too deeply for his advice to be in vain.

As he made his way back to Darcy House, he found himself thinking of Elizabeth Bennet, the sister who’d walked through mud to care for her sister. He could not help but admire her tenacity, but he hoped to never make her acquaintance. He could do without being caught up in this entanglement of emotions and social standing. The Bennets, he’d come to understand, were the kind of family a man such as him did well to stay away from.