by Jann Rowland
“With whom were you dancing?” asked Fitzwilliam, striding up to him a few more moments later. “I could not see her well from where I was in the line, but she appeared exquisite.”
“That was Miss Elizabeth Bennet,” said Darcy, turning away so his cousin would not see him watching her. “The sister of Bingley’s wife about whom I told you.”
“Oho!” cried Fitzwilliam. “A woman like that might be just what you are looking for.”
Darcy turned a disgusted scowl on his cousin, as much for Fitzwilliam’s teasing as for the uncertainty of why she had affected him so much. “I will remind you I have only been in her company for a few hours altogether.”
“Then why did you single her out when you have been doing your best to remain invisible all evening?”
“Because I knew she would read nothing into a dance that I had not intended,” replied Darcy.
“Unlike Miss Bingley, for example.”
“If you will excuse me, I shall not confirm or deny your conjecture.”
Fitzwilliam fixed him with a grin and ignored his obfuscation. “And how would you know that after such a brief acquaintance?”
Darcy shrugged. “I account myself as being an excellent judge of character. It was obvious from the way she acted while in Hertfordshire that she is not looking to snare herself a wealthy husband.”
“Is that so?” asked Fitzwilliam. “If she is not, then she is a rare breed.” Fitzwilliam paused and then said: “Do you know her age? She seems full young.”
“Not her exact age, no,” said Darcy. Though he seemed to remember asking her in Hertfordshire, her answer now escaped him. “Since she is in society in London, I assume she is at least eighteen, but I am uncertain.”
Fitzwilliam nodded, glancing back to where Miss Elizabeth was dancing with her partner. “Eighteen is full young but old enough to marry. A young woman of such tender years, however, is likely to be shallower than a woman of more experience.”
Snorting with derision, Darcy said: “If you speak but a few moments with her, you will know how wrong you are to suspect her of that. She is as intelligent as any woman I have ever met and as thoughtful as a woman twice her age.”
With a low whistle, Fitzwilliam regarded Darcy. “That is as much praise as I have ever heard you give to a lady.”
“I have no difficulty in speaking the truth,” replied Darcy.
“Yes, I can see that.” Fitzwilliam paused as if weighing his options. “I must beg Bingley for an introduction, for you have intrigued me.”
Fitzwilliam laughed and added: “With such a recommendation from you, if she were possessed of a substantial dowry, I might consider pursuing her myself.”
This was, Darcy knew, nothing more than an attempt to provoke a response, though Darcy also recognized his cousin was at a point in his life where he wished to marry. Fitzwilliam was a teasing man, one capable of sensing the smallest chink in a man’s armor and exploiting it without hesitation or mercy. An acquaintance spanning his entire life had schooled Darcy in giving little away to his cousin, and he put his inscrutability to excellent use in this instance.
“Then you had best be about it, for I suspect she has few free dances left.”
“Excellent advice, Cousin!” replied Fitzwilliam. “I believe I shall.”
When the current sets ended, Fitzwilliam did exactly that, gaining an introduction to all three Bennet sisters as he did so. The next set it appeared Miss Elizabeth was engaged. With good humor, Fitzwilliam requested and was granted, her hand for the sets after. His cousin’s absence for the sets allowed Darcy the time to think about what had happened that night.
It was beyond dispute that the woman had interested him, and this after only a little time in her company. How deeply that interest went, Darcy could not state at present. It was much deeper than he might have anticipated, he suspected. The way she had captured him that evening guaranteed it.
Soon Darcy left the ball, eager to continue avoiding Miss Bingley and wishing to think more on this slip of a girl who had seemed to draw him in with so little effort.
Chapter IX
Had Elizabeth considered the matter in advance, she would have known it was inevitable she would receive some vitriol from Miss Bingley. The woman was so intent on Mr. Darcy as a husband that any competition, real or imagined, must be an anathema to her, and the man singling Elizabeth out as a dance partner the previous evening must be an unexpected threat to her designs.
Elizabeth, though she did not think much of Miss Bingley and had little interest in placating her, also lived in Mr. Bingley’s home at present. For his sake, and that of her sister, she would do well to attempt cordial relations with Miss Bingley, despite how the woman sometimes behaved. That resolution Miss Bingley put to the test the morning after the ball.
“I suppose you must consider you have achieved quite the triumph, little Miss Eliza.”
Situated as she was in Jane’s sitting-room with her sister and not having seen Miss Bingley yet that day, Elizabeth started from her memories of the previous night. Elizabeth detested the way Miss Bingley shortened her name, for she said ‘Miss Eliza’ in the most contemptuous terms as if Elizabeth was a girl of five rather than a young woman of eighteen. The sight of the woman, looking down on her as she stood nearby, reminded Elizabeth of her determination to get along with her, and informed her an argument was in the offing if she spoke without thinking. Thus, Elizabeth decided avoidance was the best strategy, at least at the beginning.
“I am certain I do not know to what you refer, Miss Bingley. A triumph in what way?”
The look with which Miss Bingley speared her suggested she was determined that Elizabeth would not mislead her. “Why, last night at the ball. Even given your lack of experience, I would not think you so witless as to believe that dancing with the most prominent man in the room would not garner you enemies aplenty.”
A little surprised, Elizabeth blurted: “Enemies? Is that why there were so many stares in my direction last night?”
Miss Bingley shook her head in exasperation. “Of course, it was. Mr. Darcy has been in society for several years now, yet he remains aloof from all but his closest friends. Did you think it would go unnoticed when the gentleman enters the room, asks an unknown girl for a dance, and then departs soon after?”
“According to your brother,” said Elizabeth, “Mr. Darcy was in attendance half the evening.”
“If he was, I saw little of him,” groused Miss Bingley. “Nonetheless, it is true he danced with none other than you. Do you think you have caught him where many have failed?”
Diverted, Elizabeth said: “Miss Bingley, it was nothing more than a single dance. If the ladies of society hate me because Mr. Darcy asked me for one dance, I must wonder as to their sense. Does it not show how a lady’s fancy springs from acquaintance to marriage in one huge step? Why, I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life!”
Regarding her, Miss Bingley said: “So, you deny you have any expectations of Mr. Darcy?”
“I am certain I do not know Mr. Darcy well enough to harbor such expectations. My knowledge of the gentleman consists of one morning in company at a wedding breakfast—and that when we were thrown together when I stood up for the bride and he, for the groom—and one thirty minute dance at a ball. In the intervening months I have not seen the gentleman at all. Tell me, why I should suppose he is on the precipice of proposing to me?”
It was clear Elizabeth had answered the question to Miss Bingley's satisfaction, for she paused and considered the matter. A moment later, she gave Elizabeth a slow nod and some measure of her belligerence drained away.
“It pleases me that you have seen the truth,” said Miss Bingley, her tone a little less antagonistic than it had been before. “Many would see Mr. Darcy dancing with them alone as a reason to purchase their trousseau.”
As I suspect you might have done if it had been you, thought Elizabeth to herself, wishing she could indulge in a cleansing laugh.
“I am not senseless, Miss Bingley,” replied Elizabeth. “Mr. Darcy, I suspect, will be in some evidence while we are all here together by virtue of your brother’s close friendship with him. Though meeting new people is always welcome, I am certain I expect nothing more from Mr. Darcy than I should.”
Elizabeth paused and considered the situation. “Is Mr. Darcy truly that prominent? He is not nobility, even if he is connected to an earl.”
“Yes, that is true,” affirmed Miss Bingley. “But his name is ancient and his connections are vast. Mr. Darcy inhabits a peculiar position in society, where he is not nobility, but he may as well be for all the influence he wields.”
Certain Miss Bingley was overstating at best, and misunderstanding at worst, Elizabeth nodded. “That is something I did not know, Miss Bingley. I thank you for informing me so I may be on my guard.”
While she looked at Elizabeth for some moments, trying to translate her meaning, Miss Bingley decided there was no need to worry. “Yes, well I should not wish to see my brother embarrassed should you speak when you should not. Now that I have forearmed you with the required understanding of the situation, I hope you will practice circumspection.
“Jane, dear,” said Miss Bingley, deciding the conversation was at an end, “I am going out with some friends. I will be back for dinner.”
With those words, the woman rose and departed without looking back, leaving Elizabeth in the company of her sister. Elizabeth turned an arched eyebrow on Jane, who smiled and shook her head.
“Tell me, Jane,” said Elizabeth, when she sensed her sister would not speak of the subject, “are your sister’s words about Mr. Darcy hyperbole, or is there some truth to them, do you think?”
“I shall remind you that I am as new to this society as you are,” replied Jane. “Charles has said, however, that Mr. Darcy is a prominent man, and it may be he is more so than most other gentlemen of his stature. Beyond that, I cannot say.”
Nodding, Elizabeth sighed and looked out the window, seeing nothing. “One thing supporting Miss Bingley’s assertions is what I witnessed last night after I danced with Mr. Darcy. It seemed to me I was the greater focus of attention, and not all the whispers I heard were kind.”
“The competition in London can be ferocious,” replied Jane. “Or so I understand. There are all sorts of people looking for advantageous marriages: ladies looking to improve their situations, men on the hunt for a woman of fortune, and those of high society searching for matches to increase their wealth and standing. Mr. Bingley informed me of at least once when a woman misrepresented herself, only accepting his overtures because her family had fallen on hard times.”
Grimacing, Elizabeth nodded. “That is the sort of behavior I wish to avoid. Your success in marrying a man of fortune has not affected my desires. If I cannot find a man whom I can love with all my heart, I am convinced it would be better if I remained unwed. Such a cold marriage must be worse than any other fate; even if the man possesses vast wealth, that cannot overcome the misery of such a situation.”
“You know my sentiments on the matter,” replied Jane. Her sister’s look then became teasing and she said: “Does that mean you will reconsider and live with us?”
Elizabeth laughed. “But I am determined to find a love such as you have with Mr. Bingley. If I do not, you may be assured I shall live with you. Five minutes after returning to Longbourn, the disadvantages of living with Mr. Collins will drive me to you.”
“Excellent,” said Jane. “I should have been concerned if being left behind at Longbourn had worked to erode that resolve.”
The sisters descended into laughter together, Elizabeth exclaiming: “If I had after months enduring Mr. Collins, I am certain you could not have blamed me!”
While she still chuckled, Jane turned a questioning gaze on her. “Mr. Collins was not that bad, was he?”
“Indeed, he was,” replied Elizabeth with a grimace. “Though I have always felt unwelcome in his home, it increased tenfold when I was the only remaining sister there. Then he called me into his room the day before I departed.”
Having not heard this, Jane regarded her with interest. Elizabeth, though she had intended to keep the matter to herself, explained what had happened and what Mr. Collins had said, explaining to her in as dispassionate a manner as possible what she had thought he was saying to her. When Elizabeth’s account came to an end, Jane sighed and shook her head.
“There is nothing we can do to change Mr. Collins. I hope, Lizzy, this makes your choice whether to come and live at my house easier to make.”
“The thought of going back to Mr. Collins’s house causes me to pause,” confessed Elizabeth. “But let us wait until that choice is upon us, shall we not?”
With that, Jane was content, for she turned back to her needlework.
It could not be supposed that one day at the shops of Bond Street would be enough to acquire all the items they needed for the season. While Elizabeth was concerned with spending more of Mr. Bingley’s money than she ought, and Caroline openly sneered at her, Mr. Bingley would have none of it.
“I have settled a sum of money on your sister for her personal use,” said the gentleman, “and if it is not enough, she need only come to me. Do not concern yourself, Elizabeth; the amount Jane has spent on your effects has been negligible, and we would not have you look like a vagabond.
“Furthermore,” said the gentleman, leaning forward as if to impart a secret, “do not concern yourself for what Caroline should say. She loves to trumpet her fortune to all who will listen, but I still pay for all her purchases. Though she is accustomed to exceeding her allowance, I informed her some time ago I would no longer cover her overages. When I compare you with her, there is no comparison, for you are easy to support, while my sister always demands more.”
While Elizabeth did not think she needed to know what he told her about his sister, the gratitude she felt for his reassurance put her worries to rest, even as she determined to economize. Mr. Bingley laughed when she said that, claiming it only proved his point and sent them on their way. Thus, the sisters entered the carriage to go shopping.
Of their time at Bond Street there was not much to say. Elizabeth was not fond enough of shopping that her every action, every bit of muslin or bonnet purchased would become a memory to cherish all of her life. The interesting part of their experience shopping that day happened after they had finished for the day and were making their way back toward the carriage. As they were walking, talking, and laughing, Jane caught sight of someone she knew and stopped to speak to her.
“Miss Darcy,” said she, curtseying to the girl, who returned the favor. “How do you do today?”
“Very well, Mrs. Bingley,” said Miss Darcy.
As the girl straightened, Elizabeth had her first glimpse of the sister to Mr. Darcy of whom she had heard so much. Miss Darcy was a girl of about seventeen, tall and fair, a light dusting of freckles decorating the bridge of her nose. The resemblance to Mr. Darcy was strong in her jawline and nose, but whereas the effect rendered the gentleman uncommonly handsome, in Miss Darcy it rendered her pretty and pleasant, but not in an extraordinary way. The girl looked at once to her, to which Elizabeth smiled and Jane accepted as a request for an introduction.
“Miss Darcy, please allow me to introduce my sister, Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth, this is Miss Georgiana Darcy, Mr. Darcy’s sister.”
The two girls curtseyed and Elizabeth nodded, saying: “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Darcy, for I have heard so much about you.”
When the girl’s eyes darted to Jane, Elizabeth laughed and added: “Oh, Jane has told me a little, but as I am staying with Mr. Bingley and his sister is in residence, I am certain you must apprehend that I have heard all about you.”
Though surprised, Miss Darcy let out a giggled, which sounded like a hiccup as she fought to control it. Then she turned a severe glare—feigned—on Elizabeth and said:
“You must warn me before you ma
ke such comments, Miss Bennet. Your sister has not shown a penchant for such sportive behavior, so you must excuse me if I expected the same of you.”
“Correct you are, Miss Darcy,” replied Elizabeth with good humor. “It seems I was blessed with all the impertinence in my family. I will promise you, however, that I shall not venerate you to the skies, speak of your playing as if you were the reincarnation of Herr Mozart, or hang off your every word as if you were Rousseau.”
“Lizzy!” exclaimed Jane while Miss Darcy laughed.
“Do not scold your sister, Mrs. Bingley,” said Miss Darcy, “for it is nothing less than the truth, though I know Miss Bingley is your sister.” Turning back to Elizabeth, Miss Darcy said: “I do not dislike Miss Bingley, but there are times when her manners are difficult to bear.”
“There is nothing I can do but agree with you, Miss Darcy,” replied Elizabeth. “Miss Bingley and I have ever been at odds since we met, but I hope that we have put our differences aside now that we live in the same house.”
Miss Darcy nodded. “That is for the best. Are you to stay in London long, Miss Bennet?”
“Until the end of the season, Miss Darcy. My sister has invited me, and as I have never experienced a season, I could not refuse.”
“You are out already?” asked Miss Darcy, seeming surprised.
“I am now eighteen,” said Elizabeth. “My mother insisted we come out early in our local society, so I have been attending events for some time.”
Nodding, Miss Darcy replied: “Yes, I suppose that makes sense. I have had some small part in the society in Derbyshire near my brother’s home. But I am yet seventeen, so I shall not come out in London until next year.”
