Chapter 1
Neil watched as two men rode their horses in the field below him, then stopped outside Netherfield Park. After a few minutes, where the men seemed to converse, they rode off again. He walked down the trail after they left, picking flowers as he went, before walking into the house, where he could hear his sister Ginny, and their cousin, Knox Overstreet, fighting about something. He looked into his father's window, watching as he looked up from his book and rolled his eyes.
“Give me my hat back Ginny,” Knox yelled, chasing her around the sitting room.
“I shall not,” laughed Ginny back, with the hat on her head, “It is so much more comfortable than my bonnet anyways”
Then their mother, Mrs. Perry, walked into the room and tutted in disapproval, making Knox and Ginny freeze into place.
“Ginny, do give your cousin his hat back before you rip your dress to shreds. Do have some compassion for my poor nerves,”
Ginny flung the hat back to Knox and threw herself in a chair, muttering under her breath. Neil chuckled as he walked in, handing his mother the flowers and kissing her on the cheek. She then said
“Everyone get ready, we must go to church soon. Ginny, do go and find your bonnet. Neil, get your father,”
Then went to find a vase for the flowers. Neil went to his fathers study and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” He heard. He pushed the door open and saw his father putting his book down. “Ah, Neil, what did you need?”
“I was just coming to tell you we have to go to church soon sir. Probably 5 minutes,”
“Thank you Neil, I’ll be ready whenever we need to leave,” And with that, Neil closed the door.
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“My dear! Mr. Perry! Wonderful news,” Mrs Perry exclaimed, rushing over to him. “Netherfield Park has been let at last!”
“Ah, is it?” Mr. Perry said, uninterested, walking down the path to their home.
“Yes it is, for I have just heard it from Mrs. Hager,” She replied. “And do you not want to know who has taken it?”
Mr. Perry sighed, saying “You want to tell me and I shall have no objection hearing it,”
“Well then,” Mrs. Perry smiled, “It has been taken by a young man, who has large fortune, from the north of England.
A single man of large fortune my dear. His name is Dalton, and he has 5000 a year! What a fine thing for our family,”
“Really? How so? How could it possibly affect us?” Mr. Perry questioned
“Oh Mr. Perry, how could you be so tiresome? You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of the three children?”
The three snickered behind them.
“For a single man with a large fortune must be in want of a partner,” Neil laughed. Mrs. Perry turned around
“Exactly right Neil, and who better than one of you three?”
Mr. Perry rolled his eyes.
“So that is his reason for settling here? Choosing one of the children to marry?”
Mrs. Perry scoffed, eyes wide
“How could you possibly talk such nonsense? But it is very likely he might fall in love with one of them, therefore you must visit him directly as soon as he comes,” She stated firmly
“Visit him? Oh no, I see no occasion for that. Go yourself, with the children,” Mr. Perry said. He then stopped outside of their house and turned around. “Or better yet, send them alone,”
“Alone?” Mrs. Perry shrieked
“Yes, for you are as handsome as any of them. Mr. Dalton might like you best of the party,” He walked in through the door, with Mrs. Perry swatting his arm. Knox, Neil, and Ginny were all standing outside trying hard not to laugh.
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Later that night Neil was sitting in Knox’s room while he got ready for bed. While Knox was brushing his hair with a comb, Neil said
“If I could love a man, who would love me enough to take me for 50 pounds a year, I should be very happy indeed,”
Knox chuckled at that, agreeing.
“Of course, such a man could hardly be sensible, and you know I could never love a man who was out of his wits,”
Knox laughed harder at that.
“Oh, Neil. A marriage where either partner cannot love or respect one another could surely not be agreeable on either side,”
“I know that. We have daily proof. But beggars can’t be choosers you know,”
Knox turned around to face him. “We aren’t extremely poor, Neil. I know we still have some money from my parents left, and we have enough for this house and cooks and maids and food,”
“Yes, but after father passes away we shall have hardly anything at all, which means we will have to sell the house, you know that. Without him, we shall only be able to find well connected partners. I’m afraid that job can only fall to you, for you are the only one with enough patience to put up with people,”
Knox looked back in the mirror and sighed.
“I know that. But Neil,” he looked back at Neil from the mirror, “I would so desperately like to marry for love,”
“I’m sure you will,” Neil answered back, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Just take care to fall in love with someone of good fortune,” They both laughed.
“Well, I shall try to please you. What about you though,” Knox asked. After thinking for a moment, Neil replied
“I am determined that only the deepest love will convince me to marry. Which means that I shall end up an old servant who shall teach your children to dance and play their instruments very poorly,”
They both laughed at that, and after a few more minutes, Neil excused himself to his room, saying goodnight as he did so.
The next day Knox and Neil were walking down a trail when they heard Ginny calling for them
“Knox! Neil! Hurry home, for there is exciting news,”
When they all got home they went to the sitting room, where Mr. and Mrs. Perry were both sitting, Mrs. Perry with a tissue under her nose and Mr. Perry reading the newspaper.
“Mama, Mr. Dalton has already moved into Netherfield, and Sir Henry Meeks has already called on him,”
“Oh save your breath Ginny, for there is no point in knowing since we shall never be acquainted with him,” At his Mrs. Perry glared in Mr. Perrys direction
Ginny sat down next to Neil, mumbling
“Then I suppose you’ll have no interest in knowing that he said he shall come to the next ball at the Assembly Room with some friends of his on Saturday,”
“Oh Ginny, I beg you would stop! We will never know Mr. Dalton and it pains me to hear of him,” Mrs. Perry cried, waving her hands about.
At this, Mr. Perry put his newspaper down and cleared his throat.
“Well I’m sorry to hear that. If I had known as much this morning I should never have called on him,” Mr. Perry then picked his newspaper back up while Mrs. Perry started shrieking
“You have called on him!?”
And Knox and Neil looked at each other with open mouths, while Ginny watched in delight.
“Yes, I am afraid we cannot escape the acquaintance now,” Mr. Perry mused. Mrs. Perry laughed in delight and got up to hug him.
“My dear Mr. Perry! How good you are to us, isn’t he children? And never to tell us, what a good joke. Oh and now you shall all dance with Mr. Dalton,”
“I hope not mama,” Neil replied laughing “Maybe just one dance partner for the night shall do,”
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When the day of the ball came Mrs. Perry would not stop fussing about how untidy their clothes were, and would not let them leave until they all looked perfect. Once they got there Ginny went off to dance with her friend Gloria, leaving Knox and Neil to socialise. Eventually they found their friend Steven Meeks, and went to dance. In the middle of their third dance the ballroom went quiet, and at the entrance stood what could only have been Mr. Dalton, with a blond man and a blonde woman behind him. Everyone stared as the men took off their hats, but the music suddenly started again, with Knox and Neil finishing the dance. Once it was over Neil spotted Mrs. Perry waving them over. She and Ginny were standing in front of Mr. Dalton and his 2 acquaintances. Neil grabbed Knox and walked over, bowing as he did so.
“Ah, Mr. Dalton, this is my son, Neil Perry, and my nephew, Knox Overstreet,” Mrs. Perry gestured to them both as she introduced them.
“How do you do,” Mr. Dalton asked, bowing to them both. “And please, just Charlie is fine with me,” He looked at them both, eyes resting on Knox just a bit longer.
“We are quite well Charlie,” Neil responded. “And who are your acquaintances?” He asked. Charlie looked away from Knox and answered.
“Ah yes, how rude of me. This is Mr. Todd Anderson, a lifelong friend of mine, and his cousin Miss. Chris Noel,”
Miss Noel curtsied, and looked up at Ginny, seeming very excited.
“Lovely to meet you all,” she said.
“And you dear,” Mrs. Perry replied. “Now, Mr. Dalton, are you fond of dancing?”
“There is nothing I like better ma’am,” he responded, “And, if you are not otherwise engaged, may I claim your next two dances, Mr. Overstreet?”
Knox looked shocked, but after a few seconds said “I am not engaged, it would be an honour sir,”
Neil smirked, and Mrs. Perry looked like she was going to cry tears of joy. She then turned to Mr. Anderson and said to him
“What about you sir? Do you enjoy dancing too?”
Todd looked shocked at the question, and didn’t respond until Chris nudged him in the ribs
“Thank you madam, I rarely dance,”
Mrs. Perry stood in silence for a bit, before answering back
“Well, let this be one of the times sir, for I wager you’ll not easily find such lively music, or such pretty partners,” She turned to Neil when saying this.
At this, Mr. Anderson bowed and turned away. Mrs. Perry looked shocked, and Charlie turned around, before rolling his eyes and bowing, muttering a polite, “Excuse me, ma’am,” then walking away, not before winking at Knox, whose face was so red he could have easily been mistaken for a strawberry. Chris also curtsied, then followed them.
Mrs. Perry watched them go, turning to Neil and grumbled
“Well! Have you ever met such a proud and disagreeable man!”
Neil looked around in alarm.
“Mama, he will hear you,” He whispered, trying to take her arm and lead her away.
“I don’t care if he does,” she responded, snatching her arm away, “And to think, his friend is so agreeable and charming. Who is he to think himself above any of us?”
“Well, the very rich can offend anywhere they go. We do not need his good opinion,”
“No, indeed,” His mother agreed, huffing. Neil looked back at Mr. Anderson and Mr. Dalton one more time, satisfied they had not heard a thing his mother had said.