Posted on Wednesday, 1 November 2000

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

Although this may sound very old-fashioned, this truth is still apparent in twentieth century life. The Bennet family of the Upper East Side lived comfortably on an inheritance Mr. Bennet received from an uncle, and which was to go to the uncle's favorite charity on Mr. Bennet's death. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Bennet worked. Three girls still lived at home; the other two lived on their own.

"Jane dahling," said Mrs. Bennet to her eldest daughter over the phone, "cancel your plans for New Years. We are all going to Le Cirque as a family; there is someone I want to you meet. Try and reach Lizzy, I don't know who she could be talking to all morning. We will see you on Monday night, sevenish, black-tie."

Jane Bennet, the eldest and by far the prettiest of the girls, dropped out of school at nineteen and was a model for Elle and Glamour, as well as numerous designers. Elizabeth, the second, was a journalist with the New York Times. She lived in an apartment down the block from her sister Jane, with her boyfriend George Wickham. Lizzy Bennet was a favorite of her father from childhood because of her brilliance. Her mother resented her success, partly because it was unfeminine to her true southern sensibilities. Mary was a plain, ignorant young woman who went to secretarial school and spent the rest of the time reading Harlequin Romances. Lydia, and Kate, the youngest and silliest of the girls were the most popular cheerleaders in their high school, dated the co-captains of the Football, Basketball, and lacrosse teams, whichever was in season, and lived their lives for Spring Break.

New Year's Eve dawned and Mrs. Bennet grew excited at the prospect of introducing her daughters to their new neighbor. He was a movie star by the name of John Bingley who had come to the City to star in a Broadway musical and live with his sister, Caroline, a society columnist.

Mr. Bingley arrived at the party just after the Bennets with his sister and his friend William Darcy who was staying with him. The rumour circulated around the room that Darcy was even richer than Mr. Bingley, due to his wise early investment in Microsoft as well as owning several Middle Eastern Oil Companies. He was admired and talked of, but soon became ridiculed for his haughty pride.

Elizabeth, sitting with her boyfriend Wick, was introduced to Mr. Darcy who did not speak to her or Mr. Wickham after the introduction. Wick told her that Darcy once refused to give him a job, so he was probably embarrassed. She thought that so rude that she was in a bad mood for the rest of the evening, and placed Will Darcy on her blacklist forever.

The New Year was rung in, and to Mrs. Bennet's satisfaction Mr. Bingley asked Jane out to dinner for the following weekend.

Time passed and Elizabeth was sent by her editor to write a column on Bingley's show. She was welcomed for dinner graciously by Caroline who was anxious to have herself put in the paper, but was soon even more anxious for Lizzy to leave when she saw Mr. Darcy's admiration for her.

Caroline Bingley was a scheming, calculating woman who relished commenting on the social affairs of others because otherwise her own life was so mundane she would have been bored sick. She had grown up with Will Darcy and had had a crush on him since she was twelve. Caroline had been a contestant on the television special "Who Wants to Marry and Multi-Millionaire", in the hopes that Mr. Darcy was the man in question, and would pick her. She was disqualified in the first round, and Will Darcy would never have stooped so low. However, she also had a past with George Wickham, Lizzy's significant other, and felt it her "duty" to tell Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was determined, though, not to listen to Caroline, and continued to shadow Mr. Bingley throughout the week, and avoid Will and Caroline. Will Darcy was attracted to her because of her beauty, wit, and the fact that she was so different from all the women who had come near him in the past, and pursued her from afar.

Jane Bennet and John Bingley continued to date exclusively for several months. However, when his show ended, Caroline and Darcy convinced him she was cheating on him, and he moved back to Los Angeles with them. Jane was devastated, especially when Caroline e-mailed her that he was planning to sell his home in New York, and rarely return. Elizabeth told her that Caroline was just being mean, but she couldn't believe that.

Elizabeth's editor was a pompous man named William Collins. He was not married -- no surprise there -- but was always flirting with her, which she hated, and pointing out his advantages compared with her boyfriend's. One evening he actually proposed to her, which she found so disgusting she quit her job and moved to the Post. Mr. Collins, just to show her, hired her former secretary and confidant, Charlotte Lucas, paid her the same complements, and married her within three months. This made Mrs. Bennet very mad, because she was of the true blue-blooded southern mind that a woman should, if possible, be married before she was twenty-five, and Lizzy was so outspoken she would never receive another proposal.

Business deals brought Will Darcy back to New York. He and Lizzy met at a party, and afterwards, while sharing a cab to their homes, which were, as her apartment was being fumigated, right next door to each other, he professed his love to her and she coldly and viciously refused him. His meanness to Wick, her boyfriend, his convincing Bingley to leave New York, not to mention his excessive pride, were her reasons.

Will, very upset over her refusal, wrote Elizabeth a letter describing her boyfriend's true past with him, which was not quite the way Wick had said. Wickham had applied for a job with him, and Will had given it to him, but in the meantime Wick had managed to seduce Will's younger sister Georgiana and ruined her reputation. Will had fired him, and Wick bore such a grudge that he told all his acquaintances of Mr. Darcy's evilness, when he was really the bad guy.

Elizabeth was mortified, because even though she didn't have to worry about her reputation -- she wasn't sixteen like Georgiana Darcy-- she had believed her boyfriend and held it against Will Darcy, who really didn't seem bad after all.

Time passed and Elizabeth was invited to the Vineyard by her aunt and uncle for a month's vacation in the summer. She went and loved the tranquil society of New England, away from all the traffic and fashion of the City. One night Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, her aunt and uncle, took her to a party at the huge compound owned by Will Darcy. The Gardiner's assured her that Mr. Darcy wasn't going to be there, but when they arrived, a very shocked Will Darcy greeted Lizzy.

Both of them were embarrassed, but especially Elizabeth, because she had been so mean to him before, and now that she knew the truth -- and had dumped Wickham -- she didn't know how to act.

Somehow they got through the party, and Georgiana, who made friends with Elizabeth, invited her over the next day for lunch. Will promised to drive to pick her up, so they were forced to meet again.

The next morning Lizzy received a phone call from Jane. Lydia, their youngest sister, had been seduced by Wickham, evidently while he was still dating Elizabeth, and was now pregnant. She was sixteen, the same age as Georgiana Darcy when Wickham seduced her. Just as Elizabeth was getting off the phone with Jane, and about to make arrangements to return to the City, Will Darcy came into the room. Lizzy was in such a state that he was concerned and begged to know what was wrong. She told him, and he was terribly sorry, but excused himself politely after she told him he couldn't do anything to help.

Teen pregnancy was a common topic in some societies, but in Manhattan's Upper East Side, a pregnant teenager was almost banned. Such a thing was unheard of to Mrs. Bennet and her friends, that they were shocked and mortified and frightened all at once.

"Oh Lizzy, oh Jane, what is this world coming to? I knew that when we landed on the moon we were all damned forever. Oh, what is to become of us" their mother wailed.

"Oh mother, it'll be all right, Uncle Gardiner said she can always go stay with him, if you like" Jane said soothingly.

"Yes, yes, but goodness, why did this have to happen. Lydia, oh, my poor darling girl."

Lydia's situation was resolved by an anonymous gift of a place to live in Maine until she gave birth, and a private teacher for herself and Kate, who she insisted go wherever she went. Mrs. Bennet was very upset to see them leave, but Mr. Bennet and her sisters were glad to have the matter taken care of so easily. However, Mr. Bennet was concerned that Mr. Gardiner had paid for this arrangement, and he would have to repay him.

Lydia and Kate were in constant contact through the Internet and phones with their family. Lydia, in an excited narrative of the town where they lived, let it slip to Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy was actually their benefactor. Lizzy thought this was impossible, and called her aunt who confirmed the story, but said he asked to remain anonymous.

A few months later John Bingley came into town to audition for another play. He held several parties at the house next to the Bennet's which he still owned, and invited the Bennet family. His interest in Jane was still the same, and, encouraged by Will Darcy, who was visiting him as well, asked her to marry him soon after his return to the City. She gladly accepted, and they planned a huge gala wedding at St. Patrick's.

Elizabeth, who ran into Will at John Bingley's parties, wanted to approach him about his kindness to her sister. Finally, while waiting for the valet to bring their cars one evening, she started to speak.

"Mr. Darcy, Will, please, let me thank you for your discretion when I told you about Lydia and Wick-ham. I have to confess that I was fooled also by his kind manners. If you hadn't told me of your past experience with him, who knows where I would be today. I know you didn't want us to know it was you who helped Lydia, but please, allow me to thank you for my family's sake."

"If you must thank me, let it be for yourself, your family owes me nothing, I believe I thought only of you."

"But how could you, Will, when I was so cruel to you when I first met you? I took a completely undeserving man's word in a situation, and refused to listen to your side of the story. I was completely thoughtless, and I can't understand why you liked me in the first place."

"Oh Lizzy, you're unpleasantness was such a nice change from Caroline Bingley who is like a leach whenever we're in the same room together. You're a smart woman, Lizzy, which I admire, and you don't let others bother you. Please believe me when I say my first proposal still stands, I love you with all my heart, and my mind, but if you're feelings are the same as they were, I will never talk about them to you again." Will Darcy said with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Will, I can't even believe I was so mean to you in that cab months ago. I now know that I feel the same way that you do, and I apologize for my actions of the past."

Sealing their pact with a kiss in the street-lamp light, Elizabeth and Will took another cab ride together, this time with brighter prospects for the future and pleasanter topics along the way.