If Only In His Dreams (2 page)

“If I have no other choice, I will have to accept what our brother decides.  I pray that it never comes to a marriage of convenience.”

Chapter 2

Elizabeth was sewing a dress for one of the daughters of a tenant of Longbourn when she heard Alex return from riding with his steward, Mr Jackson.  “Lizzy, I would have thought that you would be upstairs preparing for the assembly tonight.”

“I know I am not as beautiful as Jane, but it is not necessary for me to spend hours in preparation.  Mrs Hill is pressing my gown as we speak, and then I will take a bath before beginning my preparations.”

“Well, as long as you spend at least three hours attempting to hide those hideous horns on the top of your head, I can ask for no more.” Alex teased his sister.  She was more outspoken than Jane, but she was also a great deal more fun to spend time with.

“Oh, my, I forgot all about hiding them from our new neighbors.  Everyone from the neighborh
ood is
used to seeing my horns.  I do hope that Mrs Hill can arrange my hair appropriately.”  Elizabeth laughed.

“If she cannot, make sure they are well
polished at least.  We must make
a good impression on our new neighbors.”

Elizabeth looked at her brother.  “So is it certain that they will attend tonight?”

“Sir William Lucas said that he personally invited them and Mr Bingley accepted for his entire party.  I understand that his sisters and a brother in law will be with him.”

“I do hope that they will be in the mood to dance, as I know that some of the young men are still working the harvest on their properties, which will leave us on short supply for men tonight.”

“We will make sure that you have your fair share Lizzy.  And remember, you owe me the third set.”

“Of course, dear brother, I could never forget something so important.”  Elizabeth said as she smiled.

“What are you working on?” Alex asked, looking at the fabric in her hands.

“It is a dress for little Susan Barrows.  She is growing so fast and it is difficult for Mr Barrows after losing his wife last month.  Jane is working on some clothes for his son.”

A grim smile graced Alex’s face.  “Thank you, Lizzy.  You and Jane are so dear to our tenants and I know that your efforts
mean a great deal to them.  I hear the appreciation nearly every time I make my way upon our lands.”

Elizabeth looked up at her brother.  “Mrs Hill taught us well that it is important to take care of those who work hard to make our lives better.  Mamma took care of the tenants before she…”

“She would be very proud of you, Sister.  As would our father, though I do not believe Father would approve of your sneaking looks at the books on the restricted shelf beside my desk.”

Elizabeth looked surprised.  She had tried desperately to make everything appear the same as it had been when she moved the books.  “How could you possibly know that I looked at those books?”

Alex leaned over his sister and placed a kiss on the top of her head before taking his finger to gently poke her nose.  “Because, dear sister, you just admitted to me with your question.”

“Unfair, Alex, you tricked me.  Oh, I will seek my revenge against you, count on it.”  Elizabeth threw a sofa cushion at him as he made a quick move to leave the room.

Their carriage arrived at the Meryton Assembly and Alex stepped out first before t
urning to hand his sisters down. 
Once both Jane and Elizabeth ha
d their feet on the ground, Alex offered each an arm and escorted them into the assembly.

They were one of the first families to arrive for the event, and the sisters made their way over to speak with Sir William and Lady Lucas’s eldest daughter, Charlotte.  Charlotte was eight years older than Elizabeth, but they had a very dear friendship.  “Charlotte, you are wearing the new gown
of which
you were telling me
.  It is beautiful, and is quite fetching, bringing out the color of your eyes.”

“Elizabeth Catherine Bennet, you are so elegant with your words and compliments, but so very bad at convincing me of my appearance being anything more than fair.”  Charlotte embraced her friend.  “You, on the other hand, are stunning this evening.”

“Please assure my brother that my horns are well hidden so that our new neighbor does not find out that I am far from being a sweet natured, good girl.”

“You have nothing to fear there, Lizzy, for I believe that we took an ad in the papers informing every one of your tendency of being a demon in disguise.”  Charlotte laughed.

“Well, that is wonderful, as it relieves me of even attempting to behave as a proper young lady would.” Elizabeth smiled.  “Have our new neighbors arrived yet?”

“Not yet.  Mamma is eager, as Papa told her that Mr Bingley is wealthy; at least five thousand per annum.”

“Did he say if Mr Bingley was at all attractive or good natured?  Perhaps he is a short, fat man with a wart on the tip of his nose.” Elizabeth said with a chuckle.

“Well, it seems that we will soon learn of his appearance as the carriage from Netherfield has just arrived.” Charlotte looked out the window at the carriage that had just pulled up for the occupants to step out.

Everyone was curious for a look at their new neighbor.  But from the upstairs window, no one could get a good look.  Waiting for them to enter the room, many whispered comments were made in regards to speculation over the newcomers.

When Mr Bingley and his party were welcomed to the assembly, the whispers grew.  The young man was attractive and wore a pleased expression.  He had reddish blonde hair and a smile which was quite warm and approachable.  The ladies with him, his sisters from the reports circulating, were fashionable, though it was apparent that they had a great deal of contempt for being at this gathering.  The one who appeared to be older was not very tall, also had a head of reddish blonde hair, and was holding the arm of a rather rotund gentleman, which was most likely her husband; Mr Hurst was the name that had been heard to be the brother in law of Mr Bingley.

The other lady was taller, and appeared taller still as she wore a turban with feathers on top of her head. 
This was an unusual sight, as none of the residents of the neighborhood had
ever worn such headdress
.  What hair could be seen appeared to be a darker red than her brother or sister, which was unfortunate with her choice of color for her gown.  The burnt orange gown was in a newer fashion than any of the local ladies wore, and was quite honestly very…different from what was normally accepted in Meryton.  The daring cut of the bodice was nearly scandalous.

Behind everyone else in
this party was a young man who
kept himself more as an afterthought
,
rather than prominently displayed.  When he first looked up and scanned the room, his eyes roamed over everyone with disdain until they came to rest upon the face of Miss Elizabeth Bennet.  Fortunately no one could hear him gasp, as his eyes were locked with hers.  Could this young woman truly exist? 

Fitzwilliam Darcy had been staying in London the past month, awaiting his friend, Charles Bingley to take possession of the estate he was
leasing.  As Bingley did not have experience with running an estate, he turned to his dearest friend to assist him.  Darcy, being not only his dearest friend
,
but
,
also
,
in possession of his own estate, was the first person he turned to for assistance.

Darcy was two years older than Bingley, and the two had been friends for the past ten years.  They met at school, and became fast friends, as each complimented the other.  Where Bingley was outgoing and saw the good in everything and everyone, Darcy was shy and withdrawn, seeing the many evils of the world.

The two men had lost their fathers when they were quite young, Darcy’s father died five years previous, while Bingley lost his nearly seven.  Bingley’s mother had died when he was only two years of age, making it very difficult for him to remember her clearly. 
Darcy’s mother was frail, though she was still alive and was living at their family estate of Pemberley with his younger sister, Georgiana.

Darcy’s family structure was far from Bingley’s.  His uncle was the Earl of Matlock, who was staunch in his beliefs of propriety. 
Lord and Lady Matlock, otherwise known as Henry and Rebecca Fitzwilliam, had three sons and two daughters.  Their eldest, heir to the
Matlock estate and title was Matthew, who was married and had three children of his own  The next eldest was Gertrude, who married and
was
living in Scotland on her husband’s estate with their son.  Then came Richard, a colonel in his majesty’s army.  Fourth in line was Eleanor, who was only twenty and unmarried.  She lived mainly in London, enjoying the social life of the Ton.  The baby of the Fitzwilliam family was Paul.  He was still attending Oxford at the age of eighteen.  His desire was medicine, and he hoped to one day have his own practice in the country.

Lord Matlock was the only son, having two sisters, one older and one younger.  The younger was Anne, who was Darcy’s mother.  She had been fortunate in the marriage that had been arranged for her
by her father
, as Gerald Darcy was a kind man who cared for her and their children. 
The eldest sister, Catherine, was not as fortunate in her marriage.  Catherine married Sir Lewis de Bourgh, a cruel man who had been quite demonstrative in his bitterness towards the world.  After the birth of their only child, Anne, Catherine was informed by the doctors that it would not be safe for her to ever have another child.  This infuriated de Bourgh and the next time the family saw Lady Catherine, she had a broken arm.  Fortunately for Lady Catherine, her husband died when their daughter was only three years old.  His death caused a great deal of gossip, as he was killed by a jealous lover at a brothel, while he was in a bedchamber with one of the whores. 

Also
,
fortunate for Lady Catherine
,
was the fact that there was no entailment on her husband’s estate, therefore she was able to take the reins of his estate of Rosings Park in Kent.  Her daughter was set to inherit when she turned twenty eight which was in two more years.

Catherine’s daughter, Anne, was engaged to marry Richard Fitzwilliam.  He was
preparing to resign from his commission in the spring for them to marry in May.  Though Richard had not been Catherine’s first choice for her son in law, Darcy had made his decision quite clear that he was not interested in marrying Anne, and Anne was not interested in her somber and taciturn cousin in return.  Richard had a pleasant and jovial attitude which was more appealing to Anne for a spouse.
  But this engagement was something that Richard’s father refused to acknowledge and had vowed to see that Anne did not marry his son.

Arriving at the assembly, Darcy was not in the mood to associate with anyone.  He had spent the day traveling to Netherfield after dealing with some difficult negotiations for a piece of property Darcy was attempting to acquire in the south. When he arrived and learned from his friend that they were to attend an assembly, Darcy was not pleased at all.  The only other option though included Miss Bingley remaining at Netherfield to keep company with him, and Darcy had no intentions to spend any more time than necessary in her company.  It was clear that Miss Bingley had set her cap for Darcy, as she made it quite clear that she wished to be the next Mistress of Pemberley.  And Darcy had
no intentions to ever make an offer for the likes of Miss Bingley, even if she were to attempt a compromise to force him.

So Darcy found himself in a room filled with country folk whom he had never met before, at a dance which he had no desire
in which
to participate in.  That was until he laid eyes on a young lady with dark brown hair and even darker brown eyes which sp
arkled with delight.  “It is she
” he thought.  For nearly a year, Darcy had been dreaming of a young lady, a dark haired lady who had stolen his heart and soul each night.  Everywhere he had gone, he looked for her, throughout London’s society and beyond, finding ladies who were slightly close in appearance, but none who could come close in the entire picture.