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Four and twenty years ago…

Miss Francine Gardiner, Fanny to her friends and family, had a plan.

The rich, very handsome owner of Longbourn and Netherfield, Mr Thomas Bennet, an untitled gentleman, or so she believed, had taken up residence at the home at last. At seventeen, Fanny only had one aim in life: to marry a landed gentleman, preferably a very rich one.

Her victim, who was yet ignorant of her designs, met both of her criteria in spades.

Fanny was the youngest of three Gardiner children.

She had a brother, Edward, not quite two years her senior, who was studying at Oxford.

The oldest was Hattie, five years older than Edward, who had recently married her father’s clerk at his legal practice in Meryton, a Mr. Frank Phillips.

Fanny had decided to flirt with her sister’s betrothed one day and was surprised that he had no interest in her.

She had always got what she wanted! She, with her golden locks and her cerulean eyes, was acknowledged as Meryton’s beauty.

What those around her also knew was that she was mean of understanding, vain, selfish, and vindictive.

Phillips’ rejection of her had angered her greatly, and she swore that she would get even with him one day.

She did not care for Phillips in her heart; she wanted something that her sister had, and she did not.

Fanny, although lacking in intelligence, was devious.

She hated anyone else having something, be that person or material possession that she wanted.

Fanny broke the commandment, ‘ Thou shalt not covet…’ daily.

The monthly assembly would be held in a sennight and Thomas Bennet’s housekeeper, told Sarah Lucas, that her master would be attending the upcoming event.

Fanny was somewhat friendly with Sarah, or as friendly as she could be with someone who had married a man in the trade, some five years previously.

As Fanny was only twelve at the time, she had made no attempt to interfere with Sarah’s courtship, and subsequent marriage to William Lucas.

Mr Lucas was merely a tradesman after all, and Fanny would never accept a man with the stink of trade on him.

Armed with the knowledge that Mr. Bennet would be at the assembly; she used what little intelligence she had to plan a compromise of the unsuspecting gentleman.

She would have her gown pre-weakened and then would fall into his arms, making sure that her gown ‘tore’ and her reputation ruined by the ‘careless’ man.

Fanny Gardiner thought of nothing but her plan; she did not even spend time and money buying fripperies like bonnets as she normally did.

She had a plan, and she meant to see it succeed!

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

As was usual for Miss Francine Gardiner, she only knew a ridiculously small part of the story.

Yes, Thomas Bennet was a rich landowner, much richer than Fanny with her small mind could conceive of, and it was true that he owned Netherfield, a large and prosperous estate, while his father, for now, owned the much larger estate of Longbourn.

The man that she was planning to entrap was in fact Lord Thomas Hayward Bennet, Marquess of Netherfield.

His father was Lord Hayward Sedgewick Bennet, His Grace, Duke of Bedford and Hertfordshire.

He had two sons, Lord Sedgewick Hayward Bennet, called ‘Sed’ by his family and friends, Marquess of Birchington, who was ten years older than Thomas Bennet.

Their mother had a few miscarriages before she was blessed with Lord Thomas Bennet.

After the future Duke of Hertfordshire was born, sadly, the late duchess never managed to become enceinte again.

The brothers had been as close as brothers could be their whole life.

They were not just brothers; they were best friends.

The current Duke held both titles as his father had been an only son and the titles were coparcenary.

Until Thomas had been born, his older brother had held both secondary titles, giving him the second, or lesser title.

Most second sons did not receive such a blessing, and he was deeply grateful to have been granted it.

Both titles had massive fortunes and multiple estates attached to them, the Bedford title having more as one would expect to go to the eldest. Lord Thomas Bennet had nothing to repine; he had more money than he could ever use in twenty lifetimes, Netherfield, and a second estate.

When the sad day came and his father went home to God to be with his beloved wife, he would inherit four more estates that came with the Dukedom of which Longbourn was the largest, as well as all of the wealth attached to the Hertfordshire title.

There were only a few select people in the area who knew Lord Netherfield’s true lineage and wealth.

Thomas Bennet was not an outgoing man; he preferred to live a quiet life in the country.

He had enjoyed Cambridge where he had met and made friends with some of his colleagues.

One was Lord Cyril De Melville, Viscount Westmore and heir to the Earl of Jersey.

He had also become close to Lord Reginald Fitzwilliam, Viscount Hilldale, and heir to the Earl of Matlock.

Lord Fitzwilliam was ahead of him by three years, but the age difference did not influence their connection.

He had visited Fitzwilliam’s family estate, Snowhaven, once or twice while at university, had met the Viscount’s sisters, and was fascinated by the history of the castle that the first Earl of Matlock was presented for playing a key role in the Wars of the Roses.

His older sister was Lady Catherine Fitzwilliam who loved to dispense unwanted advice but was otherwise harmless, and the younger sister, who was not yet out, was Lady Anne Fitzwilliam.

She was beautiful and was favoured with the blonde hair and blue eyes of the Fitzwilliam’s, as was her older brother.

Lady Catherine had her mother’s colouring, with auburn hair with light brown eyes.

He did not consider her as pretty as her younger sister, but she was not homely by any stretch of the imagination.

His friend had fallen for Miss Elaine Woodhouse who he was planning to court as soon as he finished Cambridge that year.

Thomas had also visited the Jersey estate, Ravenswood, in Warwickshire.

There he met Cyril’s family, which included his younger sister Sarah.

She had been fifteen at the time and not out, but Thomas Bennet knew when he saw the raven-haired beauty and her hazel eyes with flecks of gold and green that he had met his wife.

Over the next year, Lord Jersey had taken note of Lord Netherfield’s interest in his only daughter and informed him that he would welcome a courtship, but not before Lady Sarah was nineteen and had completed her first season.

Until then, he forbade Bennet from declaring himself in any way, but he was not blind.

He saw that Lord Thomas was not alone in his feeling; his daughter returned them fully and was looking forward to leaving the nest well before her father was ready to let her go.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Longbourn’s butler, a Mr. Hill who had only been in his current position for a few months, brought his master a glass of port as he sat in his study.

Thomas’ mind was on his ladylove, wishing time away so that he could finally claim her heart as his.

‘ Only a month until the end of the season and then I will be able to declare myself to Sarah. I can finally start to live my life fully. I know that I prefer to be in the background, unknown and away from people, but Sarah with her vivacious personality always draws me out. ’ He sighed as he thought about the woman that he loved beyond any in the known world, ‘ Soon, my love, soon. Once we are together, my days of books and port will be behind me, and I will walk life’s path with the only woman that I could and will ever love. ’

Lord Thomas Bennet, Marquess of Netherfield had but one ‘flaw’; he was one of the most honourable men that one could find.

His family placed being an honourable man above almost all else, and Thomas Bennet, the scion of Dukes, epitomised the ideals of honour and honesty.

Unbeknownst to him, in a few short days, he would meet a woman who could never be called a lady, who could not spell honesty or honour, never mind live the ideals behind the words, and who would make him question his constancy to both honour and honesty.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

On the night of the assembly, as Lord Netherfield was dressing, Miss Gardiner was putting the finishing touches on her dastardly plan to entrap the ‘wealthy gentleman’ who owned the two primary estates in Hertfordshire.

She had her pre-torn dress held together with pins that would give way as soon as she pulled on the gown.

Fanny was waiting like a spider in her web as the unsuspecting man walked in.

Not one to let the grass grow under her feet when she wanted something, she waited only until the man entered the assembly hall where all could see him.

She ‘tripped’ in front of him and he, being a gentleman, instinctively tried to stop the unknown beauty from falling.

As she was falling toward his arms, Fanny gave a hard pull of her gown, and the pins flew free.

By the time she was in her victim’s arms, one breast was free of its restraints!

“What have you done?” the woman shrieked, her performance worthy of Drury Lane.

“I-I did nothing, madam, besides try and stop you from falling.” The Viscount was starting to become concerned. He was a highly intelligent man and had no doubt that the damage to the dress that he was seeing had not been caused by the woman’s fall.