Chapter Four #2
Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Bingley are both of a playful nature, and I, unfortunately, became the target of a recent rebuke.
Bingley, when speaking to Miss Elizabeth earlier in the day, confided his tendency towards indecision.
Then he insinuated his slapdash handwriting to be a result of his thoughts coming too quickly for his hand to translate them properly.
Miss Elizabeth found his humility endearing.
I should have resisted the impulse to respond to Bingley’s posturing, but I do so detest deceitful appearances.
Obviously, poor Bingley is too fine of a friend.
He often absorbs my criticisms and still considers me his partisan.
Unfortunately, I listed in some detail a litany of Bingley’s flaws, including his lack of attention to detail in his muddled script.
I claimed Bingley’s inconstancy to be troublesome, where Miss Elizabeth believed in general and ordinary cases between friends, where one of them desired the other to change, the person would comply with the desire, without waiting to be argued into it.
Her wit turned my argument in Bingley’s favor.
This is not the first time Miss Elizabeth and I verbally opposed each other.
Although you probably think I find this offensive, I do not.
It is such a contrast to Miss Bingley’s fawning over my every move that I admit I sometimes purposely engage Miss Elizabeth’s attention.
The only thing I regret in the exchange is an offhand remark by Bingley about my “dark” nature.
He insinuated I could be an imposing figure, especially of a Sunday evening when I have nothing to do.
The gravity of his statement was an indignity I did not expect from my friend, but one I must consider further.
As to my objecting to your giving needlework or other such items to the poor in Derbyshire, you will hear no such complaint.
Giving to the poor has always been a program our family has embraced.
Our parents are warmly remembered for such generosity.
How could I object to your following their example?
Our mother would be as proud of her daughter as I am of my sister.
Your loving brother, F.
As the evening progressed, Darcy, having finished his letter, applied to both Miss Bingley and Miss Elizabeth for selections of musical entertainment.
Jumping, literally, at the opportunity to do something to achieve his favor, Miss Bingley was beside the pianoforte before she realized her duties as the hostess.
“Miss Elizabeth,” she said through gritted teeth, “would you favor us by going first?”
“Please proceed, Miss Bingley,” Miss Elizabeth responded sweetly, “your skill should take primacy to my pleasure.”
Mrs. Hurst joined her sister as they offered up several Italian love songs to demonstrate their expertise.
Afterwards, Darcy watched as Miss Elizabeth moved to the instrument to peruse the music found there.
Enthralled with her earlier performance, Darcy had initially been disappointed by Elizabeth’s deferment to Miss Bingley.
Still, the comparable pleasure of watching her figure from afar was nearly as intoxicating.
He mentally created a list of her mannerisms—the biting of her lower lip when concentrating on her needlework, the creased forehead when she challenged him, and the curl, which often fell along her chin line in a caress of her neck.
Darcy observed little in Miss Elizabeth which did not fascinate him.
Before he realized what he was doing, he moved to stand beside her at the instrument.
Like it or not, the air intensified around him.
Miss Bingley frowned dramatically. The lady abandoned her Italian love songs and instead played a lively Scottish air.
Caroline did little to disguise her disdain at viewing him standing so close to Miss Elizabeth.
Yet, Darcy did not care. In a lavender-induced trance, he said to the lady, “Do you not feel a great inclination, Miss Elizabeth, to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel?”
As soon as he said the words, annoyance filled him.
He had wanted desperately to say something, which would engage Miss Elizabeth and perhaps have her finally dance with him, but she could easily assume he found her social origins lacking.
Those of refined and exacting taste did, after all, not prefer reels.
At first, Miss Elizabeth smiled at him, but she made no answer. Her silence had surprised him. He could not change his question, so he repeated it.
“Never fear, Mr. Darcy, I heard you; but I could not immediately determine my reply. You wanted me, I know, to say, ‘Yes,’ so you might have the pleasure of despising my taste; but I always delight in overthrowing those kinds of schemes and cheating a person of their premeditated contempt. I therefore must tell you that I do not want to dance a reel at all; and now despise me if you dare.”
Darcy could never despise her. She was resplendent!
“Despise you? Indeed, I do not dare. No, madam, I could never have such an opinion of you,” he said before bowing to her.
Feeling her eyes piercing his back, he left the room and took refuge in the study.
Pouring a full brandy, Darcy collapsed into a nearby chair.
As he ran his fingers through his hair, he realized no woman had ever affected him in such a manner.
She had bewitched him. If not for the inferiority of her connections, Darcy would be in danger of falling in love with Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
The evening meal found changes in the Netherfield party’s makeup; Miss Bennet made an appearance in the drawing room upon the meal’s completion.
Darcy offered his congratulations regarding her recovery and watched his close friend stoking the fire to warm the room and to attend to Miss Bennet’s every need.
Meanwhile, he found a chair where he could observe Elizabeth, who obviously delighted in the attention being presented to her sister by the master of the house.
Having no wish to play cards, he chose to read, with Miss Bingley following suit.
Assuredly, Miss Bingley held no real interest in books; her pretense was for Darcy’s sake, and he knew it.
In reality, Miss Bingley watched his every move; she would interfere if he showed attention to Miss Elizabeth, which was another fact he recognized.
Miss Bingley tormented him with questions on what he read and what it meant; however, her design for his consideration proved fruitless.
Darcy steadfastly continued to read. Quite exhausted by her efforts, Caroline tossed her chosen book aside.
Although it was difficult, Darcy did not flinch when she so carelessly abused the tome.
He held books in great reverence, and the lady’s lack of respect for the value of the written word rubbed raw against his nature.
He was pleased to note that Elizabeth sported a like frown of disapproval.
Finally, Miss Bingley resorted to the one area in which she felt she excelled over Elizabeth Bennet—physical beauty—and she seized the opportunity of being noticed by walking about the room.
Darcy, upon whom Miss Bingley evidently directed her attention, steadfastly continued to read, never even raising an eyebrow or looking her way.
The lady’s desperation must have returned because Caroline turned to Miss Elizabeth to say, “Miss Eliza Bennet, let me persuade you to follow my example and take a turn about the room. I assure you it is very refreshing after sitting so long in one attitude.”
Miss Bingley finally succeeded in one area: She received Darcy’s attention.
He looked up, surprised to view Miss Elizabeth consenting to such a devious plan.
Why Caroline chose to invite Elizabeth to join her piqued his curiosity.
Elizabeth, too, appeared wary of the invitation.
Without knowledge of his actions, Darcy unconsciously closed his book.
“Will you not join us, Mr. Darcy?” Miss Bingley purred.
“I will decline your kind offer. I assume you have but two motives for choosing to walk up and down the room together, and I would interfere with either of them.”
Never able to decipher his double-meaning barbs, Caroline asked, “What could he mean, Miss Eliza?”
Miss Elizabeth, on the other hand, was well acquainted with his tone.
Her chin rose in defiance. Gloriously, she would match him wit for wit.
Darcy recognized the resolve of her shoulders, the half-stifled grin playing about her lips, and the arching of an eyebrow.
All these things sent sensations through his body; every nerve pulsed in anticipation.
Miss Elizabeth turned slightly towards him.
It was all he could do not to walk over and take her in his arms. She taunted, “Depend upon it; he means to be severe on us and our surest way of disappointing him will be to ask nothing about it.”
Very good. It was exactly the kind of repartee he had come to expect from the lady, unlike her walking partner. Caroline would do nothing to draw his disfavor.
Miss Bingley asked, “Mr. Darcy, whatever can you mean by such a remark? You must explain as we are very anxious to know its meaning.”
Darcy delayed his response. “I have not the smallest objection to explaining them. You either choose this method of passing the evening because you are in each other’s confidences and have secret affairs to discuss or because you are conscious that your figures appear to the greatest advantage in walking.
” At this point he paused to increase the drama.
“If the first, I should be completely in your way; and if the second, I can admire you much better as I sit by the fire.”