Smoky Dreams

by Jaeza Rayleigh

  "Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst are both technically skilled performers," Darcy admitted, "and they can play some very complicated pieces, but they bring little feeling or life to the music. From what I just heard you play, I think that with some proper training and much practice you could probably surpass their skill."

  "I agree," Georgiana said staunchly. "What you need is time with an instructor who can help you build new habits."

  Miss Elizabeth added, "And I know our neighbors do not think you have made a fool of yourself, even if they sometimes joke about how eager you are to put yourself forward and play. You are especially appreciated where there is impromptu dancing because you can always be depended on to play without complaint."

  "That is because no one ever wishes to dance with me. Playing is the only way I can be part of the entertainment," Miss Mary looked like she might start to cry again. "I hate being out and expected to socialize and dance when no one will so much as look at me when all my sisters are around."

  "Is that why you rush to play, Mary?" Miss Elizabeth asked gently.

  "It is the only way I know to get away from Mama and all her complaints about how plain I am and how I will never marry."

  Darcy spoke up. "Miss Mary, I understand there is a shortage of eligible men in the area with whom to dance. That may be part of why you have so few partners and people may mistake your willingness to play for an unwillingness to dance, leaving you fewer still. I also do not consider you plain, no matter what your mother may say. You have my word, at every gathering I attend where you are present, if there is dancing, I will claim you for one set. I expect Mr. Bingley will do the same." He raised a hand to forestall her objection. "I am not promising this out of pity. We need to change the attitudes of other people, just as you need to change how you strike the keys when you play. If Bingley and I dance with you, others will see you as a dance partner, not just a musician. It also gives me a chance to show I am not so aloof and disdainful as people thought."

  "To prove you are now willing to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men?" Miss Elizabeth said with an arch look. Mary gave a slight giggle at her words, but Georgiana looked at them all in confusion.

  Darcy offered an exaggerated sigh. "Will I never live down my foolish words at our first meeting?" he asked.

  "What did you say, brother?" Georgiana asked.

  Darcy looked to Miss Elizabeth and grinned. "You tell her. You seem to have the whole conversation memorized, while I forgot it almost as soon as I said it. And tell it to her exactly as you remember it, there is no need to spare my feelings on this."

  Miss Elizabeth looked a little sheepish at the reminder of the grudge she had held for so long. All the same, she took a deep breath and then explained to Georgiana.

  "The first time your brother was in company here was at an assembly. He danced with no one aside from Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. In addition, he barely deigned to be introduced to anyone in the room. There were not enough men present, as usual, so toward the middle of the evening I was sitting out to give someone else an opportunity for a set. Your brother was standing nearby when Mr. Bingley came up and tried to convince him to dance. When your brother declined, Mr. Bingley offered to introduce him to me as a suitable candidate, saying I was pretty, and he was certain I would be a pleasant partner. Your brother looked me up and down with his most disdainful expression and loudly pronounced, 'She is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me. I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.' Mr. Bingley gave up, then, probably out of fear your brother might say something worse."

  "Oh, Fitzwilliam! How could you?" Georgiana admonished before turning back to Miss Elizabeth and Miss Mary. "My brother told me he had insulted you, but I had no idea he was so rude about it."

  "I never meant to be heard by anyone but Bingley. Had I realized I had been heard, I would have apologized long since," Darcy explained. "Miss Elizabeth says I looked at her, but I did not really see her. I was too trapped in my annoyance at having to attend that evening to see beauty in anything around me. Not even a woman as fair as Helen of Troy, not Aphrodite herself could have tempted me to dance that night. I only danced with Bingley's sisters because I had to."

  "I am glad to know I stand in such exalted company as a goddess and the face that launched a thousand ships," Miss Elizabeth said, chuckling. "And I have forgiven you for the comment, although I am certain I will never let you live it down."

  "Ah, well. As long as I truly am forgiven, I suppose I can take the teasing as a well-deserved penance. And for you, Miss Mary, the point is that having a partner or two does give other men the idea they might wish to dance with you. I am happy to serve in that capacity."

  "I have had so little practice that I do not dance very well," Miss Mary said, looking very embarrassed.

  Darcy smiled at her, wishing he could ease her embarrassment. At that moment, she reminded him of Georgiana at her shyest. "Well, then, I think we have an activity for this very snowy day. If Georgiana will play, we can practice a few of the most common dances while your sister provides hints to help you improve. As long as I have a chance to rest between sets, I should be fine."

  "Oh, yes!" Georgiana said, clapping her hands in excitement. "We must call in Mr. Bingley and Jane to help as well. Some dances need at least two pairs to make proper sense."

  "Let us try a few of the simpler dances before we bring in anyone else," Miss Elizabeth said. "If Lydia catches a hint that we are dancing she will insist on having all the fun herself."

  "I will play softly, then," Georgiana said. The others agreed, and they picked a simple dance to start.

  They went through the dance slowly at first, allowing both Darcy and Miss Elizabeth to make suggestions and remind Miss Mary of the proper moves. They did a second run more quickly and a third at normal speed. At that point Darcy requested the chance to sit for a short while as his energy was fading.

  "You are getting the idea, Miss Mary," he said. "Just as with the pianoforte, all you need is some practice."

  "Let us try another," Miss Elizabeth said. "I will be your partner and Mr. Darcy can make suggestions to help you along from where he sits."

  They all agreed to that and Georgiana set to playing the tune of a different dance. They were almost through the second run when Miss Lydia flounced into the room, followed a moment later by Miss Kitty.

  "I thought I heard a familiar tune. Why did no one call me to dance?" Miss Lydia demanded in a whine.

  "We are helping Mary practice her dance steps," Miss Elizabeth said. "The tempo will be slower than you like while we take her through the form."

  "Why bother? No one will ever want to dance with Mary while I am around. Is that not right, Kitty? Even you must sit out sometimes, but I always dance every set. All Mary is good for is to play when we need music."

  Miss Kitty looked around at the other occupants of the room and hesitated. Darcy took advantage of her silence to speak up.

  "Miss Mary will be dancing regularly in the future, Miss Lydia. She was merely lacking the opportunity before." He clamped his jaw shut before he responded to her other rude comments with a few of his own.

  "La! I doubt anyone would ever want to dance with her. She is so plain and clumsy, after all."

  Georgiana looked at Miss Lydia with shock at her continued rudeness, but Darcy responded again.

  "I have promised to dance at least one set with her any time there is dancing. Your sister has been kind enough to play whenever requested. She deserves an equal chance to enjoy the dance." He stood and offered a hand to Mary as he finished his speech to Lydia. "Now, if you will excuse us, we have more practice to complete."

  Taking the cue from her brother, Georgiana began to play again at the much slower tempo they were using for the practice on the first run through.

  "You are not playing it right," Miss Lydia complained. "It should be faster."

  "I told you it woul
d be too slow for you, Lydia," Miss Elizabeth said. "You can do your dancing another time." She took Lydia by the shoulders, turned her around and gave her a gentle shove towards the door.

  "Fine!" Miss Lydia said, stomping her foot. "You can practice all you wish. No one will look at Mary when I am around anyway. Come, Kitty." She stormed off without looking back.

  Miss Kitty did not follow her. "May I help?" she asked.

  Miss Elizabeth looked around at the others. They all nodded.

  "That would be lovely, Kitty," she replied. "Perhaps after Mary feels more comfortable with this dance I can play for a bit while you and Georgiana act as the second couple for a more complicated dance."

  Miss Kitty nodded and took a seat. Georgiana returned to the beginning of the dance. As Darcy and Miss Mary moved through the dance, Miss Kitty joined Miss Elizabeth in providing gentle suggestions. The next run through was done at speed and Miss Mary did very well.

  As Miss Elizabeth moved to change places with Georgiana, Miss Kitty said, "I never realized you wanted to dance, Mary. You always seemed perfectly happy just to play. Is there any other way I can help you?"

  With a surprised look, Miss Mary said, "Thank you, Kitty. I would not have expected you to stay and help me learn when Lydia chose to leave. You usually follow her in everything. I think this is the best way you can help."

  "You know I only get to dance as often as I do because Lydia demands that the officers dance with me while they are waiting to dance with her. Sometimes she insists men dance with her even when they do not really want to or she tricks them into asking her. I have heard them talk about how pushy she can be."

  Darcy wanted to say something, but again he clamped his mouth shut for fear of offending Miss Elizabeth. He could not help a bit of a smile, though, when his shy sister said nearly what he was thinking.

  "We were taught in school that a proper young lady always behaves demurely in company and never flirts or does anything that might be construed as being too forward. Insisting that a man dance with you, even if he is a family member, would be highly improper and could ruin you in the society of the Ton."

  Miss Kitty's eyes grew wide in surprise. "Truly? Mama has always approved Lydia's lively ways, although I think she does not know half of what my sister does when we are in company. Mary, Lizzy and Jane have tried to insist we behave more calmly, but Lydia says that is just because they are boring old maids who do not know how to have any fun."

  "Nothing is fun about causing ruin for your family or driving off respectable suitors with behavior that is too wild or forward. I expect Lydia's antics were part of the reason Miss Bingley was so set against her brother making a match with Jane. Is that not true, Mr. Darcy?" Miss Elizabeth asked.

  "That was among the reasons she was against the match, it is true," he said, not adding that it was one of the primary reasons he had also argued against the match.

  "Truly?" Miss Kitty asked with a concerned expression. "Jane might have lost her chance with Mr. Bingley because of us, Mr. Darcy?"

  He looked to Miss Elizabeth and saw her nod. Taking that as consent to speak freely he replied with more than just the direct answer to the question.

  "That is the case, Miss Kitty. Most people of good standing in society would be reluctant to connect themselves with a family whose daughters behave in a forward or potentially scandalous manner even if the lady herself is well-mannered and proper. To do so is to risk ruin as surely as the family of the lady involved. For instance, if, after Bingley marries Miss Bennet, Miss Lydia were to do something that resulted in her social ruin, it would affect not just the chances for you and your other sisters to marry a respectable man, it would also reduce Miss Bingley's chances as well. Everything you do in public can have far-reaching effects."

  He hoped he had not said too much. Miss Elizabeth's nod of approval reassured him. Georgiana spoke up again.

  "My brother is correct, Kitty. It happened to one of the girls at my school. Her family was wealthy and well-connected, but the sister of her brother's wife got into trouble and she ended up being considered ruined as well. She had to leave the school because of the scandal. I did not think it was fair because she had done nothing wrong, but that is how society works."

  "Why does Mama not stop us?" Miss Kitty asked her older sisters, aghast at the idea.

  Miss Elizabeth replied, "Mama is used to the society of Meryton, which is more forgiving than that of London, although even here people look askance at your behavior. As you say, Mama is also not aware of everything Lydia does away from her company. You and Lydia would not even be considered out in London society yet. In fact, Mary probably would not either. She would have to wait until Jane or I married first."

  "I will not come out in society until I am eighteen," Georgiana added. "And I will have to be very careful of my behavior when I do."

  "Lydia's antics may all seem like harmless fun," Miss Elizabeth continued, "but they constantly expose our family to the ridicule of our neighbors. Worse yet, many of the officers have family with connections to the Ton and word could spread to London if either of you do anything too terribly foolish, especially now that Jane is betrothed to Mr. Bingley.

  Miss Kitty turned to Mr. Darcy. "I am very glad you and Georgiana were snowed in with us, Mr. Darcy. Lydia may not listen to anyone, but I would not wish to be the one who kept Jane from being happy or who ruined our family name. I will try to do better in the future."

  "We will all help you as much as we can," Miss Elizabeth told her. Georgiana and Mr. Darcy agreed to help as well.

  "Mary," Miss Kitty said "Any time you wish to practice dancing I will be glad to help you if Lizzy will play for us. Lydia always makes me do the man's part when we practice, so I am sure I can walk you through any of the dances."

  Miss Mary offered her thanks and Miss Elizabeth expressed her approval. They decided to try another dance with two couples, although Darcy requested a slow one. As they formed up the set, he thought about how many little things were changing, even outside of his own behavior, just because he was willing to listen to a dream. The effects were like ripples in a pond spreading outward from where a stone dropped in. He bowed to Miss Mary as the dance began and turned his mind to the steps. He could consider the matter more later; at the moment, his partner deserved his full attention.

  Chapter 17: A Death in the Family

  At Mrs. Bennet's insistence, her guests remained at Longbourn until after Christmas. In a discussion with Bingley and Darcy she enthusiastically presented all her arguments to persuade them to stay, not realizing all she had to do was ask.

  "There is little point in the four of you struggling back to Netherfield on horseback, chancing becoming ill again, just to spend Christmas in that big house all by yourselves. With the deep snow, my brother will not be joining us this year. Even with a sleigh he would not chance coming from London with his wife and four children. We have plenty of room for you and welcome you all. And, of course, I would hate for Mr. Bingley to be separated from Jane if we had yet another snowstorm."

  "You make several excellent points, Mrs. Bennet," Darcy said, ignoring Bingley's wide grin of pleasure at the idea of staying in the home of his betrothed for several days. "I would especially prefer not to risk my sister's health even on so short a trek as three miles. As long as you do not feel we are an imposition, we would be very happy to stay on."

  "An imposition?" Her tone was incredulous. "Of course, you are not an imposition!" That settled the situation. They would stay.

  Neither Longbourn nor Netherfield boasted a sleigh in the stables, but Darcy's two footmen and his driver were from Derbyshire, where the snow was frequently deep due to their mountainous terrain. They worked with the men at Longbourn to build a rough sledge like those they used at home, which Mr. Bennet's horses, animals used to farm work, could pull with ease. At Darcy's direction, they made a trip into Meryton for more food supplies, stopping at Lucas Lodge on the way to see if they had any immediate needs and to d
eliver letters from Longbourn to the Lucas ladies with news of Miss Bennet's engagement. After the run for provisions proved successful, they made a trip to Netherfield to assure Mrs. Nichols of their continued safety while bringing more clothes and other items back for the visitors to Longbourn. They also made another trip for provisions for the Netherfield staff, picking up additional items for the tenants of both estates as they did.

  Everyone was glad the sledge had worked so well, because the day after all the trips for supplies were completed, another snowstorm blew into the neighborhood, making travel impossible again. This one was not as fierce as the first one and only lasted a few hours, but the pile of additional snow it dropped certainly served to keep people inside their houses.

  No one at Longbourn considered that such a terrible thing except for Miss Elizabeth, who missed her walks, and Mrs. Bennet, who wanted to tell all the world, or at least all the matrons of Meryton, the exciting news about her eldest daughter’s betrothal. While he could not solve Mrs. Bennet's problem, Darcy suggested dancing as a good alternative to walking for Miss Elizabeth. He was recovering his stamina a little more each day and found the exercise beneficial even if he was not normally fond of dancing.

  Bingley and Miss Bennet were pulled into the activity as well. When Mrs. Annesley offered to play for them, even Lydia deigned to join the group, giving them a total of four couples to make up the set. They all switched partners regularly, so each of the young women had a chance to take the women's part for every dance they practiced. Lydia always complained about dancing on the men's side, but they told her if she did not wish to take her proper turn at it, she could find some other activity to do. A combination of her love of dancing and her boredom with everything else overcame Lydia's objections although it did not stop her making them.