Shortly after the gathering at Lucas Lodge, Mr. Darcy left Hertfordshire for London to visit with his sister. He was glad to be away from Netherfield Park. Although he enjoyed Bingley’s company, he could not say the same for his sisters and brother-in-law. With the exception of Jane Bennet, whom they were damning with faint praise, they found nothing to admire and considered the local society to be inferior in every way. Darcy could not agree to such a general statement, but as a rule, society in the country varied little from one month to another, which was to be expected. Anything new was immediately seized upon and shared, including what had happened at Lucas Lodge. While he was listening to Miss Elizabeth play on the pianoforte, Lady Lucas had made a remark to Mrs. Long concerning how much attention he had paid Elizabeth. As a result, he had decided not to fuel the fire by dancing with her, which was unfortunate because she was a skilled dancer and pleasant company. In addition to visiting with his sister, Darcy had another purpose in going to London, and that was to begin a courtship with Miss Letitia Montford, an attractive lady of twenty-two years, and a granddaughter of an earl and, thus, his equal in rank. Because the Darcy estate was entailed away from the female line and Georgiana could not inherit, Darcy must have an heir, and for that he needed a wife.