Chapter XVI #2
“This is all curious, Mr. Darcy. You have made no overt promises to me yet; our connection is yet in its infancy.”
“Lady Catherine has wanted the match for so long; any account of me paying attention to another woman must be anathema.”
Miss Elizabeth nodded. “Very well. Should she come, I shall brave all her displeasure.”
The dance ended, and Darcy offered his arm to Miss Elizabeth, which she accepted at once.
Miss Lucas’s partner had escorted her to the opposite side of the dance floor from Miss Elizabeth, so Darcy guided her there, ignoring Miss Bingley’s squawk of displeasure.
When they reached Miss Lucas’s side, Miss Elizabeth stepped forward and offered an affectionate greeting.
Then she turned a raised eyebrow to Darcy—he was not slow to act.
“Miss Lucas, I am pleased to see you here tonight. Will you do me the honor of dancing the next with me?”
Though she appeared curious, Miss Lucas did not hesitate. “Of course, Mr. Darcy. I should be honored. You appear eager to enjoy the evening.”
“Mr. Darcy has proved himself equal to our small company, Charlotte,” said Miss Elizabeth, laughing as she said it. “There is another reason for his civility, but let us not speak of that.”
Miss Lucas understood at once, for she looked behind Darcy.
When Darcy turned, he noted that one of the neighborhood men had approached Miss Bingley and was asking for a dance.
To Darcy’s surprise, Miss Bingley glared at him, offered a sharp retort, and stalked toward Darcy without a glance back.
The man, whom Darcy recognized but did not know beyond basic civility, gaped after her as if shocked, then turned away muttering.
“Oh dear,” said Miss Elizabeth, having noticed the confrontation.
“That will be all over the ballroom within moments,” said Miss Lucas, watching Miss Bingley approach as if she were a wild animal.
“Mr. Darcy,” cooed Miss Bingley, her previous disgust replaced by a calculating sweetness that a child of five could see as false. “How generous of you to have partnered Miss Eliza for the first set.”
Miss Bingley sneered at Miss Elizabeth, who gazed back, holding in a smile by the barest margin. “I can only assume she had no partner—fortunately, you showed your gallantry in her moment of need.”
It was all Darcy could do not to laugh, and his companions were in similar straits.
Gallant? Darcy was about as far from gallant in a ballroom as a man could be, considering his infamous aversion to the dance floor.
Miss Bingley was well aware of this—that she convinced herself he was merely doing a young woman without a partner a favor was blindness even she rarely attained.
“Not at all, Miss Bingley,” replied Darcy. “In fact, I consider myself fortunate to have secured her company, for two other men solicited her hand after I did.”
“I dislike boasting,” added Miss Elizabeth, “but I am never required to sit out unless gentlemen are scarce.”
Miss Bingley looked down her nose at Miss Elizabeth. “I recall you sitting out during the assembly in October. Did Mr. Darcy not refuse to dance with you?”
“An oversight on my part,” said Darcy, already annoyed with the woman. “Miss Elizabeth is an excellent dancer—I should have considered better.”
“Not at all, Mr. Darcy,” said Elizabeth, deflecting Miss Bingley’s attack. “Given your stated disinclination for the dance floor unless you are particularly acquainted with your partner, I consider myself fortunate that I am now counted among that august group of ladies.”
“There are others with whom Mr. Darcy is better acquainted,” said Miss Bingley, her tone all honey dripping with venom.
At that moment, the music for the second set started, the timing perfect, allowing Darcy to disabuse her of any notion he would ask her for a set. Instead, he turned to Miss Lucas.
“I believe this dance is mine, Miss Lucas.”
The woman in question, who displayed no overt reaction, smiled and allowed him to take her hand.
The man who had secured Miss Elizabeth’s second set arrived to claim her company, and they all went to the dance floor, leaving Miss Bingley gaping at them by herself.
That shock soon turned to surprise and annoyance, and Darcy knew he had not rid himself of her cloying attention.
The question on his mind now was whether he could endure the evening without putting her in her place. That outcome was very much in doubt.
THE EVENING WAS A DISASTER for Miss Bingley, though the woman in question could not see it.
News of her caustic refusal to dance made its way through every part of the assembly rooms, and no one bothered her again.
Darcy was uncertain if it was because Miss Bingley had been declared haughty and disagreeable, or because of the custom for young ladies to relinquish the dance floor after refusing a request.
Miss Bingley was in her element, approaching Darcy between sets, following his every movement when he was dancing, and making herself offensive to all.
More than once, Darcy heard others talking about her, at times so loud that Darcy was certain Miss Bingley heard them herself. Mrs. Bennet was one of the more vocal.
“What a disobliging woman,” vented she to Lady Lucas before the evening was half gone. “And Mr. Bingley is everything gentlemanly and considerate. What a cross to bear it is for him to be weighed down with such a sister!”
Darcy could not hear Lady Lucas’s reply, for it appeared the woman had enough sense to lower her voice.
Miss Bingley heard it, but she did not care for anyone’s opinion and ignored it.
Miss Elizabeth also heard it and was not slow to jest, one of the few moments Darcy had without Miss Bingley in close attendance.
“Is it my perception, or is Miss Bingley doing her best to ignore the entire room and everyone in it?”
“Your mother’s comment is not the first I have heard,” replied Darcy. “If she does not wish to hear her name on everyone’s lips, her only recourse is to leave the room.”
Miss Elizabeth shook her head. “At least Mr. Bingley does not appear to be suffering from his sister’s behavior. He is just as well regarded now as he was in the autumn.”
Miss Bingley joined them at that moment, and Miss Elizabeth moved away to avoid her acid tongue.
Though Miss Bingley made her usual comments about wishing to dance with him, Darcy moved to his next partner—Miss Kitty—and escorted her to the dance floor at once, much to Miss Bingley’s growing frustration.
The situation came to a head later that evening, perhaps two or three dances before the end. By that time, Miss Bingley had become little more than a hunter stalking his prey, always nearby between sets, her comments becoming more blatant as each dance passed.
“I see your purpose, Mr. Darcy,” said she, cornering Darcy by the floor. As he had been far more involved than his wont, he had decided to brave Miss Bingley’s machinations and not dance these sets.
“That is curious, Miss Bingley. I did not know you could see into others’ thoughts.”
“It is no less than obvious,” intoned she, as if she were stating something profound. “You must be saving the best for the last set, given the succession of inadequate partners you have endured all night.”
“Not at all, Miss Bingley,” replied Darcy, not wanting to feed into her delusions. “The ladies have been pleasant, indeed, and I have danced twice with my sister.”
“Dear Georgiana! Of course, she is welcome. Still, as the only one particularly acquainted with you, I must assume you mean to dance the last with me.”
Darcy turned to her, masking his displeasure with difficulty. Miss Bingley, it seemed, made lying to herself into an art form.
“Excuse me, Miss Bingley, but as I recall, you refused a request to dance. According to the custom, you must sit out the rest of the evening.”
An ugly sneer contorted Miss Bingley’s features. “If I cared for the opinions of these people, you would be correct. As it is, I do not consider myself bound by that convention in the company of such people.”
“Society and the rules of polite behavior apply wherever one goes, Miss Bingley.”
“When these people show they understand such things, perhaps I shall agree with you.”
Darcy shook his head and turned away from her, wishing she would leave him be. To wish for her absence was a fond desire, yet out of the question given her dogged determination.
“Come, Mr. Darcy, I shall partner with you and show these people how those of quality behave.”
That was Darcy’s breaking point. Annoyed, he turned to Miss Bingley with an expression that was just short of a glare.
“I have had about as much incivility from you as I can tolerate, Miss Bingley. For your information, I have enjoyed this evening, and I am engaged to dance the last with Miss Elizabeth.”
Contrary to Darcy’s expectations, Miss Bingley did not gasp, cry, or give any other sign that his declaration had surprised her. The expression that adorned her face showed cold fury, though it was impotent.
“Since you have seen fit to impose yourself upon me, allow me to be perfectly clear. I shall not dance with you, tonight or ever. In truth, I do not enjoy your company and have little interest in you, and none as a potential wife. Cease this objectionable behavior and leave me be. I shall not offer for you.”
With that, Darcy stalked away. Whatever he expected, it appeared Miss Bingley was determined to watch him, which she did without approaching for the rest of the evening.
When the final sets arrived, Darcy took Miss Elizabeth’s hand and led her to the line, and only then did Miss Bingley sneer at Darcy, shoot a poisoned dart at Miss Elizabeth, and stalk away straight to the entrance. Within moments, she was gone.
“Oh my,” said Miss Elizabeth, as she watched Miss Bingley retreat from the room. “It appears Miss Bingley is quite put out with you, Mr. Darcy.”
“Perhaps she understands at last.”
Miss Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. “Do you suppose she will desist now? Or has she retreated to marshal her forces for another foray onto the battlefield?”
“I cannot say, Miss Elizabeth,” replied Darcy. “As the last three years have demonstrated, Miss Bingley does not give up her wishes without a fight.”
Though she nodded, Miss Elizabeth showed more concern than amusement. “What do you suppose she will do next?”
“I am afraid that I cannot predict Miss Bingley’s actions.”
Miss Elizabeth watched him, and when he did not speak, she filled the silence between them. “You will take care, will you not?”
A sense of warmth filled Darcy, heartening him with this evidence of her concern. “I have been careful all my adult life, Miss Elizabeth. Are Miss Bingley’s intentions now a matter of concern for you?”
“Are they not?” asked she. “Did you not all but promise to call on me?”
“Then you are not opposed?”
“Did I not agree to receive you?”
Darcy grinned, amused by her quick succession of questions. “Yes, Miss Elizabeth, I believe you did; for that I will remain grateful for the opportunity you have given me to prove myself. In answer to your question, I always take care, and from far more cunning opponents than Miss Bingley.
“I have informed Bingley that even if his sister tries something devious and succeeds in her design, I shall not bend and will not, under any circumstances, consider myself bound to restore her reputation. If she tries something, she will reap what she sows.”
Miss Elizabeth’s expression softened. “Will that not affect Mr. Bingley?”
“In this neighborhood, I doubt it would do him any harm,” replied Darcy.
“If the tale makes its way to London, it will do some damage, but I doubt it will leave this neighborhood. Even if it does, Bingley understands and will retreat from London until gossip dies down, provided he obtains your sister’s consent. ”
A sense of relief washed over Miss Elizabeth, and this increased Darcy’s confidence more than anything else had to that point.
In displaying her concern, Miss Elizabeth had shown she was far more invested in this business than Darcy had a right to expect.
She was not so distant and unreachable as he might have thought.
When the last dance ended, the assembly rooms emptied of those who had attended, though many stayed behind in conversation.
Among them were both Darcy and Bingley, each in close conversation with their chosen Bennet sister.
Miss Elizabeth, Darcy noted, was far more animated than she had been at any time in his acquaintance with her, further displaying the disparity between her behavior now and how she had treated him in the autumn.
It was all the evidence of her willingness that he needed, especially after her concern for Miss Bingley’s intentions.
She had given him a rare gift, that of her willingness to meet him, to allow him to make his case to her.
Darcy felt he had more than enough to proceed with boldness.
With any luck, he would have her consent to an engagement before the season began.