Pride and Prejudice

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As long as Jane was present, it scarcely mattered to Bingley whether Elizabeth stayed in the room or not. So intoxicated was he with Jane's charms--NOT only her visible appearance, but the way she had behaved, not ridiculing him for his riding error--that the roof of the house could have magically flown away, and rain could have begun pouring into the parlor, and he would hardly have noticed it if only Jane stayed in that rain with him.


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OOC: Before this goes any further, and to make it easier for people to join, you, Hannah (since you wanted this roleplay) should put on this thread some of the summary material you've been able to find about the actual book. Of course, we are not required to copy EVERY event in the book or it wouldn't be a roleplay; but we do need to know who we all ARE.
 
Elizabeth knew she should borther being down stairs with her sister and Mr. Bingley so she went up stairs writing a letter to her Uncle and Aunt.
 
We pause for exposition! This is what I said was needed. A free site called "Pink Monkey" provided the following. Any spoilers to the BOOK don't matter to the ROLEPLAY, since we can endow our characters with free will and CHANGE the events anyway; but as I said, we need to know who we ARE.



SETTING

The novel is set in 19th century (1800's) England, principally in Longbourn, the Hertfordshire country town that is a mile from Meryton and twenty-four miles from London. It is a well-ordered, provincial town, filled with landed gentry and oblivious to the sweeping changes occurring outside the fringes of its narrow, circumscribed vision.

LIST OF CHARACTERS

Major Characters

Mrs. Bennet

The matchmaking mother of five daughters. The wife of Mr. Bennet and "a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper," who embarrasses her older daughters with her lack of class and entertains her husband with her ignorance.

Mr. Bennet

A country gentleman, who is the sometimes irresponsible father of five daughters and the husband of Mrs. Bennet. He is fond of books and can be witty and amusing.

Jane Bennet (Dayhawk's character)

The eldest daughter of the Bennets who is pretty, shy, calm, gentle and good-natured; she falls in love with and marries Mr. Bingley.

Elizabeth Bennet (Lizzy--- Hannah's character)

The second daughter of the Bennets who is lively, intelligent, witty and sensible; she at first strongly dislikes Mr. Darcy and then falls in love with him.

Mary Bennet

The third daughter, who is pedantic, tasteless, plain, vain, silly, and affected.

Catherine Bennet (Kitty)

The fourth daughter, who is almost a non-entity in the novel except for chasing soldiers.

Lydia Bennet

The youngest daughter who is silly, thoughtless, stupid, unprincipled, flirtatious, loud-mouthed and scatter brained; not surprisingly, she is Mrs. Bennet’s favorite daughter. She elopes with ---

George Wickham (treat as nonplayer character)

A seemingly charming man with attractive manners, who is really selfish, unprincipled, extravagant and prone to gambling; he is the villain of the novel, who elopes with Lydia Bennet

Rev. Mr. Collins

Mr. Bennet’s cousin who is to inherit Mr. Bennet’s property. He is a pompous, undignified mixture of servility and self- importance.

Charles Bingley (Copperfox's character)

A wealthy country gentleman who is kind and charming. He falls in love with and marries Jane Bennett and is Darcy’s best friend.

Fitzwilliam Darcy (THE MALE LEAD!!!!!--where are you, B-King?)

The wealthy, best friend of Charles Bingley who at first is proud, rude, and unpleasant; after falling in love with Elizabeth, he is shown to be discreet, shrewd, generous, and magnanimous; in the end, he wins Elizabeth’s love.

Caroline Bingley

Mr. Bingley’s unmarried sister, who is snobbish, conceited, scheming and jealous.

Mrs. Hurst

Bingley’s married sister who lives a lazy, purposeless life.

Mr. Hurst

Bingley’s brother-in-law, who is lazy and purposeless, like his wife.
 
OOC: That synopsis confirms Charles Bingley's sibling supply; but it seems even Jane Austen didn't supply a first name for his _married_ sister; so I'll imagine one for this scene. She might never need to be mentioned after this, so I'll give her a yucky name.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Mr. Bennet, the father of the household, spoke up now: "I understand, Mr. Bingley, that you are an only son, but you have sisters. Are their fortunes well settled?"

"Sir, that is the case with Hortense, my elder sister. She has been married for several years now to a gentleman whose incomes are substantial. As for Caroline, our little sister, she remains coy [OOC: this word used to be used to describe an unbetrothed maiden], but entertains high hopes--and fanciful ones. She sometimes declares that she wishes Napoleon would stop trying to conquer more people, so that _she_ may have a chance to meet and marry some Frenchman."

Kitty Bennet, the fourth daughter, piped up here: "Indeed, sir, meaning no slight to Englishmen, there are many handsome fellows in France."

"There'd be _more_ Frenchmen drawing breath in this world," observed Mr. Bennet, "if Emperor Bonaparte _didn't_ send them off to kill and be killed in Germany, Spain and whatnot."

"Quite so, Mr. Bennet," Bingley agreed, reminding himself that the more he won the father to his cause, the more promising his own intended campaign of kindly conquest with Jane.
 
Copperfox said:
OOC: That synopsis confirms Charles Bingley's sibling supply; but it seems even Jane Austen didn't supply a first name for his _married_ sister; so I'll imagine one for this scene. She might never need to be mentioned after this, so I'll give her a yucky name.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Mr. Bennet, the father of the household, spoke up now: "I understand, Mr. Bingley, that you are an only son, but you have sisters. Are their fortunes well settled?"

"Sir, that is the case with Hortense, my elder sister. She has been married for several years now to a gentleman whose incomes are substantial. As for Caroline, our little sister, she remains coy [OOC: this word used to be used to describe an unbetrothed maiden], but entertains high hopes--and fanciful ones. She sometimes declares that she wishes Napoleon would stop trying to conquer more people, so that _she_ may have a chance to meet and marry some Frenchman."

Kitty Bennet, the fourth daughter, piped up here: "Indeed, sir, meaning no slight to Englishmen, there are many handsome fellows in France."

"There'd be _more_ Frenchmen drawing breath in this world," observed Mr. Bennet, "if Emperor Bonaparte _didn't_ send them off to kill and be killed in Germany, Spain and whatnot."

"Quite so, Mr. Bennet," Bingley agreed, reminding himself that the more he won the father to his cause, the more promising his own intended campaign of kindly conquest with Jane.
Click to expand...

"It is such a dreary topic, France I mean. If only Napoleon was less of a tyrant...but I guess I shouldn't say that. Its not my place to judge him, only God. "
 
Once AGAIN, this would have been posted _much_ sooner, if the site software had not _pretended_ to be working, lulling me off guard, then crashed at the chosen moment to erase this entry, forcing me to write it all over.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


Hearing both elder daughters talking gave Bingley his pretext to turn his attention back from the father to Jane. "In terms of the material and practical situation, Miss Jane, I fear that Napoleon _must_ be fought. But you are quite right, indeed most insightful, to maintain that we must not judge the man with regard to claiming a certainty of whether his final eternal destiny will be that which all of us hope--"

"Ha!" interrupted Kitty, the fourth daughter. "Our father's own cousin, vicar though he be in name, has all _his_ hopes aimed at inheriting the very material and earthly property of our father. My sisters and I shall have none, because of the stupid will of--"

"Hush, impudent girl!" snapped Mrs. Bennet, whose countenance had already convinced Bingley that the girls here must have inherited all their good looks only through their father. "You will not speak ill of the Reverend Mr. Collins, and still less of your grandfather! You will retire to your room until Mr. Bingley's gracious visit is concluded."

But before the sullen girl could rise to depart for exile, Bingley said, "Good Mrs. Bennet, I beseech you to hold me, and not your daughter there, culpable for this unfortunate and certainly unpremeditated turn of conversation. The estimable Mr. Bennet and your sagacious Jane had already said as much as needed to be said on the subject of the French Emperor; it was ill-considered of me to prolong that subject, when I should have been more diligently pursuing the immediate duties of a new neighbor in the area of establishing friendships. Please excuse me in this; I fear that my social manners are scarcely better than my horsemanship."

As Mrs. Bennet was allowing herself to be mollified (if only because the genteel visitor was rich), Bingley looked away from the girl for whom he had just interceded. If he were to receive any grateful gazes, he would rather that they came from Jane rather than Kitty.


OOC: This is probably the only scene in which Kitty will have any lines to speak. Hoping, however, for JANE to speak plenty more lines to Bingley.
 
Jane could not keep her gazes off of the dashing strawberry blond that was Mr. Bingley. He had an elogant manner to him. If only she could talk to him in private! But Lydia and Kitty would never have it.

"I think your horsemanship is quite well Mr. Bingley, you just had a pert horse."
 
"I would reply, Miss Jane Bennet, that you are too charitable to me, except that this would require me to contradict you, a thing which I would not lightly do. But the gelding indeed is pert, in a good sense. If any of your household care to accompany me out of doors, I shall re-saddle him straighaway, and see if without mishap"--here he shot an emphatic smile at Jane in the ambitious hope of seeing it reciprocated;--"I can mount once more and show you a little of his paces."
 
"I dont think it necessary," Jane relied with a smile, "For if you do fall again I'll just as well blame the horse again. I'm afraid my mind is made up on the matter."
 
The younger daughters, however, all wanted to see the horse in action. Therefore, still with his eyes on Jane as much of the time as was feasible, the visitor went outside and got his horse ready for use once again with more efficiency than they would have expected after the first impression he had made. Soon he was beginning by simply walking the beast around--while seeming to test his own hurt leg for stiffness. When he seemed satisfied that he had retained the use of this extremity, he spoke again...directly to Jane.

"There is a kind of gait not seen in many horses, known as racking. In it, contrary to the usual habit of horses, _both_ feet on the _same_ side move ahead and back as they were one united appendage. This chestnut has that added arrow in his quiver. If I can remember the signal I was told to give him..."

It seemed to the onlookers that Mr. Bingley tapped the animal twice with his heel only on the near side, and then only on the off side. Sure enough, then, the chestnut gelding shifted from his walking stride, not to the usual trot, but to the racking pace which Bingley had just described. In this fashion man and steed paraded a few times back and forth before their spectators; and Bingley succeeded in staying securely mounted.
 
Eilzabeth clipped " Yes, ever good," she told him, with a smile then looked at her sister " I do think he likes you," she told her.
 
Mr. Bingley, for his part, halted the horse again as near to Jane as he could without hazard to her person...and so dismounted as to come to earth as close to her person as he dared. "Miss Jane: I really must continue my visits to my new neighbors, but _this_ visit already, in advance, excels all others I shall experience today." Seeing that she _was_ returning his smiles, he found in himself a bit more boldness. Looking past her at her father (the cantankerous Mrs. Bennet had not come outdoors), Bingley said more loudly: "Kind sir, in view of the soreness of my right limb, skillfully though your two splendid elder daughters ministered to me, I could wish to leave my gelding in your temporary care--at my own expense, of course--and hire a small carriage, in which one or more of your household could with your permission accompany me, to help me find my way about."
 
ooc: Even thought I'm totally new to this, I've decided to be Mary. ^_^

Mary seeing her eldest sister with such admiration pulled on her father's sleeve and whispered, "Papa, have Jane accompany Mr. Bingley!"
 
Since no one else was yet playing Mr. Bennet full-time, I can say with assurance that Mr. Bennet thought this a capital idea. There would be no scandal about it, for the ride would be in broad daylight. So Mr. Bennet, who had not failed to mark his eldest daughter's visible interest in the good-natured caller, said, "Jane, if it pleases you, and if Mr. Bingley will bring you home at a reasonable time, you shall be his guide for the environs of Longbourne and Merytown."

Now it was Jane's turn to try not to look too eager. She demurely accepted the assignment, knowing that the parental approval was real; it could only help, not hurt the Bennet family's prestige for one of its daughters to be seen--in such respectable and permissible circumstances--keeping company with so important a gentleman as the new occupant of Netherfield Manor. She and Mr. Bingley both refrained from showing too much delight as arrangements were made for a small open carriage.
 
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Elizabeth smiled at her sister " Oh, Jane you well have so much fun," she told her, then walked over to her father " Papa isn't this wonderful Jane have someone," she told him.
 
(ooc please no character modding)

Jane smiled fully. Now she was able to finally be alone with him. But, she was a bit hesitant. She was not sure that she would have the same graceful manners as Bingley. She dreaded doing something stupid.
"This should prove most invigorating," Jane said, not knowing what else to say.
 
"Remember about counting unhatched chickens," Elizabeth's father gently chided her. "Time will tell if Jane 'has' this kindly squire"--he sighed, as if remembering Kitty's late reminder of his inability to leave his dear daughters any substantial inheritance--"or indeed any husband."

Lydia, meanwhile, was pouting to Mary, "I don't see why * I * should not have served just as well to show Mr. Bingley the neighborhood."
 
Mary turned to her sister Lydia with a glint of humor in her eyes. "If you were the one to show Mr. Bingley around he'd never make it home!"
 
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