So, it is back at last! Enjoy :)

Prologue

"Is it not nice to have one's house to oneself again?" Caroline Bingley remarked as she watched the carriage depart from Netherfield, carrying away Jane Bennet and, more importantly, her sister Elizabeth.

No-one answered, not even Louisa, and then again her exclamation had been nothing more than a rhetorical question at any rate. Smiling sweetly she turned around to bat her eyes at Mr. Darcy who, unfortunately, deep in his own thoughts, did not notice. His eyes were firmly fixed on the chaise as it drove towards Longbourn three miles down the road, about to turn into the sheltered well-used country lane and at last out of their sight.

The attention Mr. Darcy had paid the second oldest Bennet daughter had begun to irk her of late, though she had tried her utmost not to appear too concerned about the influence this self-sufficient country no-body seemed to have on her intended husband.

If only Mr. Darcy knew he was intended for her it would not be so very bad, but as yet he was perfectly ignorant of this fact. Even the few weeks under the same roof, her complying behaviour, her attentions, and machinations, had as yet been unsuccessful to secure his attentions. All this was very vexing.

And then there was this ridiculous ball Charles meant to give! - And no doubt Jane Bennet would think it to be in her honour.

Oh, had they never come to Hertfordshire in the first place!

All her pursuits of the last months, nay the past two years, seemed now in danger to come to nothing. Her brother was besotted, while Mr. Darcy was not – at least not with her.

It really was quite ridiculous to think that all the elegant ladies of the le bon ton had never interested him all that much, if at all, and now Miss Elizabeth Bennet had come along with her fine eyes and impertinent behaviour and he was thoroughly enchanted.

Ha! It was not to be borne. Something needed to be done, and quickly as well as thoroughly.

As the men went out shooting she sat down with her sister, making herself comfortable in the parlour for yet another afternoon of uninterrupted boredom.

Another pitiable creature she thought to herself as she watched her sister take out her needlework. Caroline bit her tongue lest the thought would escape her lips.

But truly, with that husband of hers, it was astonishing Louisa always seemed in such good spirits. Then again, her sister had always been much more like their brother than herself, calm, complying and fairly self-sufficient.

She might have a taste for fashion and society but lately, often enough, she had watched her skip, well not literally skip but rather swiftly walk much as Miss Elizabeth always did, along the lawn and paths of Netherfield in pure enjoyment of a sunny late autumn day. She had picked up leaves to press them for whatever reason and one evening Louisa had even dared to put one of the last roses, very late ones indeed, into her hair. A natural rose! It was quite laughable really when she had access to the finest silk flowers one could possibly wish for.

Caroline herself would never be caught dead with something as simple and unpretentious as a single white rose, freshly plucked from the bush, in her hair. She preferred feathers anyway.

But alas, currently Louisa was her sole consolation as everybody around her seemed to lose every bit of common sense to this drab and most inelegant country. Not that her sister was that much better, but she had at least something akin to sense left in her.

"You look relieved." Mrs. Hurst addressed her at last and thus made it necessary for Caroline to wake from her reverie.

"Are you not?" was her testy reply as she elegantly leaned herself against an embroidered silk cushion on her favourite settee closest to the fireplace.

"Oh, only to an extent. I rather liked to have Miss Bennet here, and Miss Elizabeth was quite amusing to have around as well."

"You found her impertinence amusing, did you not?" Caroline spat back, staring at her sister aghast.

Louisa sighed and put down her needlework, a project that never seemed to make any progress at all even though she worked tirelessly at it.

"Sister dearest, what troubles you so?"

Was that not obvious?

For a moment Caroline said nothing in reply, making up her mind, but when she began to speak her sister, with some astonishment, listened to what she had to say – or rather to propose.

"Louisa, will you promise to help me?"

At this Louisa Hurst sat up a bit more straight as if in some alarm as to what might follow this request.

"If it is in my power to do so, for certain," she answered quietly after a moment's hesitation.

"Good, listen. I intend to use this blasted ball Charles intends to give to my advantage to once and for all fix Mr. Darcy. After all, I cannot have this country chit ruin my prospects just because she has fine eyes. She is nothing, a nobody with no fashion, elegance or even beauty. And her relations! With them being in trade and living in Cheapside. - Cheapside, Louisa! And then this mother of hers... - It cannot be. It must not be!"

By now Mrs. Hurst had put down her embroidery and looked at her sister with an equal share of incredulous curiosity and concern.

"And what do you intend to do about it?"

Caroline took a deep breath before announcing confidently: "I plan to compromise Mr. Darcy."