I will modify this story and rewrite it in French with another title : At first glance. However, I will try to translate it into English using the Deepl system which is better than Google Translation. Let me know if you agree. I'm waiting for your opinion on this story. Enjoy your reading. I now have two betas that will help me correct translation errors. Reviews, please.

Chapitre 1 PROLOG

Matlock, Derbyshire, 17...

Richard Fitzwilliam was facing his father. He wanted his consent to marry the most beautiful, spiritual young woman he had ever met, Lady Elisabeth Bennet, granddaughter of the Duke of Wrexingham and the Earl of Stratton and youngest daughter of the Earl of Longbourn.

His father, the Earl of Matlock, who was seriously ill but refused to admit it, was in his office. He was sitting in a huge high chair that looked like a throne. Next to him were his elder brother, Matlock's Viscount, and George Darcy, Duke of Wrexham, the fiancé of his younger sister, Anne. But, thank God, his older sister, Catherine, wasn't there. She probably would have made a very unpleasant scene when she found out what was going on. The idea that one of her brothers might want to bond with a member of the Bennet family would probably drive her mad. But he cared very little.

"Father," Richard began, "I have come to announce that I have proposed and obtained the hand of the most wonderful young woman I have ever met, Lady Elizabeth Bennet."

"What? How could you do such a thing?" his father shouted, "I will never give you my consent, do you hear me? Never! I arranged your marriage with Lady Heloise Kingston and you pretend to tell me that you want to marry a girl of nothing!"

The Count did not control his anger or words by describing what he thought of the young woman in question.

Richard clenched his fists, his face pale with fury.

"Sir, if you were in better health, I'd ask you why you insult me!" Richard said to the Count, knowing full well that the man was weak and dying though his voice was louder than ever. "Even to satisfy you, I would never stoop to marry Giles fucking Tremayne, daughter of a murderer of women and children and sister of one of the worst debauchers in England. I can't believe you're thinking of connecting with a family like that. The idea is repugnant!"

He clenched his fists again while speaking. His two companions held him back because it was obvious that he was trying to control himself so as not to hit the man in front of him.

"Lady Elisabeth Bennet is the daughter of a count and the granddaughter of a duke and a count," Richard continued, "She is a respectable, well-behaved young woman. I cannot say the same for the girl to whom you are trying to sell me. That woman is no better than a courtesan! I am certain that half the gentlemen in London have been her lovers and that she intends to do the same with the other half. Besides, I think Lady Heloise is too ambitious to settle for an untitled cadet. I even believe that she has set her heart on the Duke of Tremayne, even if it is obvious that he does not want her. You are deluding yourself, sir. Lady Elizabeth will be my wife and the mother of my children. I would never stoop to marry Lady Heloise; I can swear on my honour."

The Count, furious at the rebellion of his younger son and at the oath he had just taken, which forbade hope that Richard would obey his orders and, in spite of his weakness, stood up from his chair and replied:

"I disown you. I will not leave you a penny. You are no longer part of our family. Your brother will not help you as long as he depends on me and neither will Darcy if he wishes to marry Anne."

The two men looked at the Count with horror, visibly shocked by his threats and furious. Richard sighed deeply, then looked at them both.

"Charles, take care of Mother, our sister, Eleanor and little Henry," he said, "Darcy, take good care of Anne."

With those words, he left the room without looking at the Count. The valet who escorted him to the door did not seem happy to obey his master's order. Although he had no choice, the valet could not help showing how sorry he was for the situation of his young master.

Richard realized it and gave him a smile. "Travers, do not worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"I wish you good luck, sir," said he with a bow.

"Thank you, Travers."

Lord Richard Fitwilliam came out of the house, climbed on his horse and left without looking back. He was ready to face his destiny.

?

Longbourn, Hertfordshire, 17...

Lady Elisabeth Bennet sat by her bedroom window and looked thoughtfully out. She was still thinking about the terrible scene she had had with her father not long before. She was absolutely furious that he wanted to force her to marry a man as disgusting as Mr Collins. She swore she'd never marry that man. Mr Bennet was furious at her and told her she would obey his orders because she was a minor. She truly had no choice.

She couldn't understand why her father would insist on marrying her to a man of such low rank. Mr Collins had neither title nor fortune, just a vague possibility of inheriting the estate of Longbourn. Even if it was implausible as Elisabeth had two brothers, he must still have hoped that it would one day happen.

Did her father not understand that no one would want this disgusting man? Her elder sister, Victoria, was the proof. No, Mr. Collins should have gone elsewhere. But perhaps he had discovered that no one wanted him, which was not surprising given that he was repugnant.

Mr Collins, on the other hand, was even more furious to be rejected by the young woman he coveted because it was the second time it had happened to him. She had told him that she did not want to be married to an ignorant, stingy and almost illiterate fool whose physical appearance was disgusting, just like his morals. Moreover, he had an intelligence inferior to that of an earthworm.

The Earl of Longbourn had told her clearly that she would be married in two weeks and that Mr Collins would make her regret her insults. But Elizabeth coldly informed her father that she would refuse to answer the pastor and that he would be ridiculed in front of all Meryton along with the toad to whom he was trying to sell her.

Thomas Bennet, the young woman's brother, Viscount of Longbourn, had been sickened by the situation. He had therefore decided to help Elisabeth escape to Gretna Green, as he had done for Victoria, even if, as it had been in her case, his help was not generally known. He had attended her wedding and accompanied Victoria and her new husband to Dover so that they could embark for India.

The Earl and Mr Collins had been mad when they found out, but it was too late to change anything. Mr. Collins vowed revenge for this new humiliation. He would make sure that his cousin never had a son, which meant that Longbourn would return to him one day. He would stop at nothing to achieve his goal. His cousins would see what opposing Mr. Collins would cost them.

Because Richard had been disowned by his family. Lady Anne's marriage to George Darcy was delayed, but it was eventually celebrated. As for Lady Catherine, the eldest of the Fitzwilliam children, she sent a virulent letter to her brother who, despising the thought of reading it, returned it unopened with the notation: "Unknown to the addressee". This caused a real fury in the lady for Lady Catherine was not used to being ignored. Her brother's contempt made it clear that he cared very little for her opinion and this was something that a woman as proud as she could not tolerate. However, there was nothing she could do to change things.

The Count declared that his daughter's name would never again be pronounced in Longbourn during his lifetime, but he failed to disinherit her. Richard had the inheritance that his mother had given him when he came of age. Moreover, when he was a student he had won large sums of money at gambling with the help of Thomas Bennet but Richard's father did not know this. Contrary to what he might have hoped, his youngest son would lack nothing.

If the marriage of Richard Fitzwilliam and Lady Elisabeth Bennet caused a scandal, there was another one, far worse, when Lady Heloise Kingston's shameful relationship with Giles Tremayne was made public through mysterious letters sent to certain people. The two culprits were forced to marry because it was obvious that they would never be received in good society again.

Needless to say, Lady Heloise's dowry did not last long with such spendthrifty people and they tried to circumvent the Duke of Tremayne so as not to find themselves in absolute misery.

He agreed to pay them a pension, provided they lived in the country, which they reluctantly accepted. They were both angry because of their situation but could not change it. They refused to acknowledge their responsibility in their situation.

Lady Héloïse had planned to seduce the Duke of Tremayne and keep him at her mercy to prevent him from getting married one day. But her project failed completely. The Duke looked at her with deep disgust, declared that for nothing in the world would he taste his cousin's leftovers, before turning his back on her. She was mad with rage, but powerless to change the situation. It was even more so when, six months later, the Duke married another Duke's daughter whose beauty made hers seem bland and unattractive in comparison.

As for her brother, the Duke of Kingston, he could do nothing to help because he himself was desperate, his debts being even greater than his considerable income. He sought to marry a rich heiress but no young girl wanted to marry a man linked to a scandal, even with a duke's title. Moreover, its repugnant aspect made all the women flee. None wanted to be seen in his company.

His situation made him enraged, for he was full of himself and his importance, but he could do nothing to change it. He did not seek to reduce his expenses or stop his debauched life to pay off his debts. On the contrary, he was only making them worse, as if he had the right to live as he saw fit. Many women had closed their doors to him, but there were still a few who were ready to receive him.

The Earl of Matlock had been very shocked by the scandal caused by the woman he had wanted to marry to his youngest son. He had not believed Richard when he revealed Lady Heloise's shameful behaviour, but he could no longer ignore the truth. He had to admit that he had made a mistake.

He was aware that his son had avoided defiling their family name. Obviously, Giles Tremayne was not Lady Heloise's first lover. But that didn't stop the Earl from being furious with his son for marrying the daughter of the woman who had dared to refuse him years earlier. It was something he could never forgive.

The shock of this entire episode ended up being fatal to the Earl of Matlock and he died one month after the marriage of his youngest daughter, Anne. He was not present when his eldest daughter, Catherine, married Sir Lewis de Bourgh, of Rosings Park, Kent. He was a widower and father of a four-year-old boy.

The young Fitwilliam Darcy was five years old when his cousin, Anne de Bourgh, was born and Lady Catherine decided as soon as she knew the child to be a girl that when the two children grew up, they would marry. She ignored the wishes of her nephew's parents, for she was not a woman to let anyone get in her way. But she was to be disappointed and discover that her whims were unimportant to anyone else.

Lady Anne and George Darcy were perfectly aware of her schemes, but they had no intention of giving in to them, which made Lady Catherine rage that no one wanted to take her seriously.

Ten years after the birth of her son, Lady Anne gave birth to a little girl, who was named Georgiana. Lady Anne had been very ill and her family feared for her life but, despite her weakness, she refused to give up. She wanted to live, to see her children grow and to see her grandchildren be born. Eventually, she healed, much to the relief of her loved ones.

Lady Catherine was the only one who did not rejoice that her sister survived because it spoiled her plans, but she could not show it. She was angry to see that everything was contributing to the ruination her plans but she could not change anything.

Sir Lewis worshipped his little Anne and spent much time with her. Knowing his wife's ridiculous plotting, he had made sure to protect his daughter from his wife's schemes. Lady Catherine was to discover her insignificance, as other women would do in the future.

Lady Catherine had another brother, aside from Richard, and he was Charles, Viscount of Matlock. And another brother, John, who was an army officer.

Charles had married the daughter of a peer of the realm with a dowry of fifty thousand pounds. Lady Catherine had tried to oppose this union because Miss Melton did not seem worthy of a future Count. In reality, she was furious because the young woman was not willing to submit to her authority and recognize her superiority. Lady Catherine had chosen a duke's daughter for her older brother, the same one she wanted to marry Richard. But neither of her brothers wanted the young lady whose father had just been hanged for the murder of many young women and girls. Moreover, the young lady was completely immoral and her brother was no better. He was debauched, like his father, and if Lady Catherine believed that the duke's family was rich, she was in error. The reality was that they were deeply in debt. Charles had put his sister in her place by advising her to mind her own business and it was not at all up to her to decide whom he should marry. This, of course, infuriated Lady Catherine.

She had also tried to oppose her sister Anne's marriage to George Darcy on the pretext that he had no title. However, from the moment that she had seen his estate, Pemberley, she had desired it for herself but George Darcy had not given Catherine the slightest attention. Only Anne mattered to him. Lady Catherine had wanted Anne to marry the new Duke of Kingston, which had shocked the other members of the family. The Count had made it clear to her that he would never allow this man to approach one of his daughters and that if she considered marrying him herself, he would disinherit her. She had been so astonished by this threat that she had been forced to give up her ambitious plans.

So her sister had married the man whose estate she coveted. But Lady Catherine thought that she had found another way to get what she wanted and whether her sister and her husband opposed the plan did not matter at all. She knew how to get what she wanted.