You wrote:
I find this intriguing and would be more interesting in reading either of these ideas than the exercise in style you recently offered in the story thread. You did a good job in that story of weaving your own words seamlessly with Austen's but there seemed little point in the story. I do note that given Austen's words, the colonel might have been interested enough in Elizabeth to marry her (I don't think it's the most likely possibility, but ok) and, given Lady Catherine's strenuous efforts and fervent expectations, Darcy might have fallen to family wishes and married Anne. I admit that perhaps the reason I don't see the point in that story is I hate the outcomes--so, prejudice may be the basis of my distaste. :)
But, coming back to your ideas here -- Austen did punish Mrs. Bennet for her dismissive words about Charlotte when the Mistress of Longbourn had to accept she would be succeeded by the homely maker of mince pies. I would not mind seeing Mrs. Bennet subjected to even worse punishment--Jane beaten by Charlotte? Bingley snatched away? The horrors! Yeah, that would be good.
The Bingley sisters would not be able to fool Charlotte in the same way they led on the naive, sweet Jane. They might try to stop the match and find out -- oh, any number of things that they would not like. And, while Charlotte was most definitely born the daughter of a tradesman, he has been elevated to a knight who has presented himself in St. James Court. Tee-hee. What great conversations the clueless but affable Sir Wiliam could have with these ladies, whom he would frustrate by totally failing to see their barbed meanings. I wonder where Darcy would stand in all of this? Would he promote the match out of spite toward Caroline (mostly and there could be many reasons why Darcy would want to spite Caroline) or would he take a more standard route and be almost as horrified that Bingley was choosing to marry less than he could? But, again, in this case Darcy would be powerless because Bingley would be assured of the young lady's affections and gratified by how much love she shows him. Showing someone love can be the best of aphrodisiacs, and Bingley would not be the first man to find a woman more attractive on the second and third glance than the first.
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I've thought of an AU pairing of Bingley-Charlotte with his interest in her beginning when Mrs Bennet was sneering at her, it would serve Mrs Bennet right. Bingley did say that Charlotte seemed a very pleasant young woman, it could be -- Bingley had brief infatuations for pretty women but it turned out that a plain but sensible woman was the one who really won his heart. Or it could be a comedy when the mention of Charlotte helping with the mince pies was what first drew his attention -- Bingley loves mince pies, and loves her delicious pies! And remembered the mince pies from the old days when he was a little boy, before the Bingleys had made a large fortune -- when his mother also used to help with the mince pies!
I find this intriguing and would be more interesting in reading either of these ideas than the exercise in style you recently offered in the story thread. You did a good job in that story of weaving your own words seamlessly with Austen's but there seemed little point in the story. I do note that given Austen's words, the colonel might have been interested enough in Elizabeth to marry her (I don't think it's the most likely possibility, but ok) and, given Lady Catherine's strenuous efforts and fervent expectations, Darcy might have fallen to family wishes and married Anne. I admit that perhaps the reason I don't see the point in that story is I hate the outcomes--so, prejudice may be the basis of my distaste. :)
But, coming back to your ideas here -- Austen did punish Mrs. Bennet for her dismissive words about Charlotte when the Mistress of Longbourn had to accept she would be succeeded by the homely maker of mince pies. I would not mind seeing Mrs. Bennet subjected to even worse punishment--Jane beaten by Charlotte? Bingley snatched away? The horrors! Yeah, that would be good.
The Bingley sisters would not be able to fool Charlotte in the same way they led on the naive, sweet Jane. They might try to stop the match and find out -- oh, any number of things that they would not like. And, while Charlotte was most definitely born the daughter of a tradesman, he has been elevated to a knight who has presented himself in St. James Court. Tee-hee. What great conversations the clueless but affable Sir Wiliam could have with these ladies, whom he would frustrate by totally failing to see their barbed meanings. I wonder where Darcy would stand in all of this? Would he promote the match out of spite toward Caroline (mostly and there could be many reasons why Darcy would want to spite Caroline) or would he take a more standard route and be almost as horrified that Bingley was choosing to marry less than he could? But, again, in this case Darcy would be powerless because Bingley would be assured of the young lady's affections and gratified by how much love she shows him. Showing someone love can be the best of aphrodisiacs, and Bingley would not be the first man to find a woman more attractive on the second and third glance than the first.