A/N: This is a modern retelling of pride and prejudice, set in Australia. I've chosen to ignore the fact that the characters have the same name as the book even though I will be mentioning the book quite frequently. For all intents and purposes their names are different.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Chapter One- A Truth Universally Acknowledged
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man of good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Elizabeth read from her novel, "However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood-"
"Enough Lizzy, we just finished the darn book in literature, we don't need to you renew the damn torture!" Her younger sisters, Lydia and Cathy groaned. Though Lydia was a year younger than Cathy, they were so close Mrs Bennet couldn't bear to separate them for school. Thus it was that Lydia and Cathy were in all the same classes, all the same teams, had all the same friends and suspiciously often handed in all the same work. They were complaining about Lizzy's obsession with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, while they hadn't minded over the last few months,-her obsession helped with their studying, and she had all the movies so they didn't even have to read the book!- they thought it was just weird to love such a boring book.
Lizzy rolled her eyes and sat in the window seat of their lounge to continue reading silently. Before long her twin, Jane walked into the room, flushed and smiling. "You will never guess Lizzy! People are renting Netherfeild!" Lizzy smiled at her sister and jumped up in excitement.
"Really? I love that old house, it is so beautiful! I've always wanted to see inside." Lizzy gently put her book down and began asking questions when she was interrupted by her mother and father who had just returned from the shops where they had been picking up the middle daughter Mary from the poetry session the bookshop held every month.
"Netherfeild Park is taken!" Mrs Bennets high pitched voice burst out excitedly, "And by such wonderful people! A Mr Bingley, his sister and his friend whose name escapes me, will be living there!"
Sharing a glance Lizzy and Jane smiled at their mothers exuberance, while Lydia's and Cathy's head snapped around simultaneously. "Bingley? The Charles Bingley? That total hottie whose always on the news?"
"The very one," Mrs Bennet screeched, her voice rising as she grew more excited, "Won't this be an opportunity for our girls! Jane specifically, my dears, she is so much prettier than Lizzy."
While their mother continued on about 'The' Mr Bingley, Lizzy and Jane escaped to their room.
"Bingley," Lizzy mused, "Who exactly is he?"
"He's the rich business man, heiress to Bingley Oil Industry, who Paris Hilton dated last year."
"Oh, the red head who always looked like a trapped rabbit when Paris started in on him?" Jane snorted and smiled shyly at her sister, "I wonder what he's like?"
"No doubt he'll like you Jane. You're the prettiest girl at Hertfordshire High or even at the local uni. I'm sure he'll want to get to know you." As Jane blushed the girls were called down for dinner.
"Oh dear, you must go and meet him. It would be terribly rude not to, and if you do then he might take a liking to one of our girls!" Mrs Bennet beseeched her husband with what she thought was a very endearing look.
"Nope." He stared resolutely at his meal.
"But Daniel, you must, or he'll marry Charlotte Lucas instead!" Mrs Bennet looked physically pained at the thought of Charlotte Lucas getting something she felt only her daughters deserved.
Three months later the Bingley's and their still unnamed friend had moved into Netherfeild and Charles other sister and her husband were staying with them as well. As well as that, Jane and Lizzy learnt that Caroline Bingley, the 'unattached sister' would be starting year 12 with them when school started. This of course caused much excitement amongst the students at Hertfordshire Secondary College, but when the youngest Bennet sisters attempted to tell all this to their mother they found her quite unreceptive.
"Charles Bingley, Caroline Bingley! Oh how I wish I never heard the word Bingley again!" She whined pitifully over the news as Mr Bennet tried to watch a piece on Castro and the upcoming election.
Never taking his eyes from the screen he said, "You should have told me that this morning, then I wouldn't have bother going over to welcome him to the neighbourhood and convinced him and his companions to go to the Lucas Australia Day party."
"Oh, Daniel! I knew you would do it." she threw herself on him and kissed his cheek, shrieking her thanks over the volume of the TV.