Chapter Text
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man in the business of dealing with possession and the undead, must be in want of a wife.
Such as this truth was so well fixed in the minds of the families in and surrounding the small town of Meryton, whenever such a man appeared, he was often already considered the rightful property of some of their daughters.
“Girls,” a Mrs Carlyle said to her daughters one Sunday, “have you heard the news? Netherfield is let at last!”
“Why, no, Mama,” Mrs Carlyle’s current eldest, Lucy, replied, exchanging an amused glance at her sister. “Such news had not reached our ears.”
“Mrs White passed it on at church this morning,” Mrs Carlyle continued, missing the mockery in her daughter’s tone. “She has told me all about it.”
Lucy and her sister, Mary, did not reply, for they were each suppressing a giggle at their mother’s expense.
“Well, do you not want to know who has taken it?” Mrs Carlyle cried impatiently.
“Of course, Mama.”
“Had we a choice?” whispered Mary to Lucy.
“Why, Mrs White tells me it has been taken by a young man of large wealth from London. He came down on Monday in a carriage drawn by four horses to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed to it immediately. He is to move in by next month, with some of his servants to be in the house by next week. It is also rumoured that he himself will perform the supernatural cleanse of the place.”
“Ah,” said Lucy, “so he is Talented.”
“Of course he is Talented, dear, do not be so tiresome. All young men of great fortune are.”
“And the name of this Talented young man?” asked Mary.
“Karim.”
“And I suppose we are to assume from your enthusiasm that he is a single man of great fortune?” said Lucy.
“To be sure!” exclaimed her mother. “Four or five thousand a year! What a fine thing for you girls!”
“For us?” exclaimed Lucy, feigning surprise. “How could it affect us?”
“My dear girl, how can you be so tiresome! You must know I think of him marrying one of you!”
“Is that his design in settling here?”
“Nonsense! But he may very well fall in love with one of you.” Mrs Carlyle sniffed pompously. “It is a pity we have no men at Longbourn to visit him.”
“I am sure you could persuade Mr Barnes to go for us?” Mary said.
“It is hardly the same. He has daughters of his own to think of; he will hardly stoop to think of us.”
“You forget, Mama,” said Lucy. “Mr Barnes’ daughters both live in London.”
“There is no reason we could not all go,” said Mary, “to welcome him to Meryton.”
“He might like Mama the best of us.”
“You flatter me, child, but no, it will not do. We shall just have to wait to be introduced in town. Hopefully Mr and Mrs White will be so kind, for I know they are planning to visit. Though, they may decide to steal him for their own Norrie. Perhaps you are correct, Mr Barnes is our best hope.”
“Mama, you astonish me, talking so badly of the Whites!”
“Oh, well. It vexes me so that we are disadvantaged so.”
“We are not disadvantaged. You have four daughters married already.”
“I should like to see all my daughters married.”
“Well, may you hope to see twenty such young men of four or five thousand a year come into the neighbourhood.”
“If there ever are twenty,” remarked Mary, “we won’t need anyone to visit them for us, for we shall be the only unmarried girls in town.”