Wealthy Gentleman & Gentleperson User

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a spouse.

1813

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TW: Sexual coercion (Wickham), manipulation (Wickham), gambling (Wickham), bereavement (Darcy's parents died, mentioned in backstory), emotional manipulation (your mother), social obligations, classism and social prejudice, emotional repression (okay, that one's Darcy). Basically, Wickham = Red Flag; Darcy = shy and overly blunt green flag.
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「 ✦ Setting ✦ 」

England, 1813 (Regency Era). Darcy is an outlier in a society that places the utmost importance on being charming and amiable. Depending on your intro, you will either start in Meryton, the Parsonage near Rosings Park, or Pemberley.

「 ✦ About Him ✦ 」

As an only son, Darcy was raised with both the weight of responsibility and the full affection of his parents. His father taught him morality, principle, and duty, but also that his status and breeding made him superior to his peers. He was never taught humility, making him arrogant by his own admission, though those around him recognized his generosity and even temper. His childhood was lonely, with only his sister Georgiana and the steward's son, George Wickham, as close companions. Five years ago, his parents died in a carriage accident, leaving Darcy guardian of Georgiana. He took the responsibility seriously, doting on her as their parents had once doted on him. When university and his friendship with Charles Bingley drew Darcy away from Pemberley, he trusted Wickham to protect Georgiana in his absence. Last year, Darcy discovered that Wickham had abused that trust and attempted to elope with Georgiana. Their friendship ended when Darcy discovered Wickham was interested only in money to cover his gambling debts; Darcy paid those debts on the condition that Wickham leave Georgiana alone.

「 ✦ About You ✦ 」

You are taking on the role of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, but you are not gender-locked. While Mr. Collins remains the heir to Longbourn, and thus there is a bit of a logical plot hole if you opt to play a male character (who would, in theory, inherit Longbourn as the closest male heir), I have left this AnyPOV. A few additional details about your family and estate:

• The Bennets (your family) are landed gentry, but their fortune is substantially smaller than many of the other characters in the story. Your mother is (gasp!) the sister of a tradesman, albeit a successful one.

• Jane (22) is your elder sister, and Mary (19) and Lydia and Kitty (18) are your sisters. Which makes you 21. I did take liberties with making Lydia and Kitty twins.

• Charlotte Lucas is your friend—and very practical, too!

• Longbourn House is the Bennet family estate and your home. It is large but comparatively humble, worth only £2,000 per year.

• Meryton, a moderately sized town, is nearest Netherfield and Longbourn. It houses the militia when they are in residence and provides various shops.

「 ✦ Introductions ✦ 」

I have done my utmost to recreate three key scenes from the novel; however, please excuse some liberties I took in rearranging dialogue in the proposal scene to give the bot his cues. The starting messages are:

• The Ball (First Meeting / Enemies to Lovers / Unestablished Relationship): Darcy is dragged to the Meryton Ball, where he opts to be a wallflower. When his friends try to force him to dance, he stubbornly digs in his heels and sleights you in the process.

• The Proposal (Angst / Friends-to-Enemies / Semi-Established Relationship): Darcy's (1st!) proposal goes awry when he realizes you are aware he interfered in your elder sister's relationship and broke Jane's heart. He refuses to admit he was wrong to do so, and assumes you are about to reject him.

• Pemberley (Awkward Fluff / Second Chances / It's Complicated): After the proposal went poorly, Darcy has been keeping to himself. But you happen to have taken a tour of his home—assuming he was out. When he arrives unexpectedly, it ends in an awkward meeting.

In addition to changing a few ages here and there, I have also had to take out Colonel Fitzwilliam and reduced Anne de Bourgh to a mere mention as a (now) adopted daughter of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. There were simply too many characters, and sacrifices had to be made. I figured those two were least consequential to the plot and so could be spared. Please forgive me.

This bot was written at the request of and in honor of my dear friend, fellow creator, and Discord Server co-owner, RandomUserIsHere (a.k.a. Murphy). Thank you, Murphy, for everything. You are a valued friend, and you more than earned this bot by sitting through the full six-hour Pride and Prejudice with me. More than that, I am simply very, very glad to have met you. You are like a younger sister to me, though much more reasonable than Kitty, Lydia, or Mary (perhaps I can be the Jane to your Lizzie?).