Chapter Dancing #2
“You shall not break a confidence, Miss Anne de Bourgh. Let it be forgotten.”
Anne breathed a huge sigh of relief. “I assume you have no intention of dancing with Mr Worm.”
It was hardly a question, yet Jane nodded.
“Refusing him would be great fun, but propriety would demand you sit out the rest of the evening. I have a better idea.”
“Which is?”
Anne turned to Lady Clarissa, who conversed with a friend nearby, asked a quick question, then seized Jane’s hand and dragged her unceremoniously through the crowd.
“Uncle Andrew, I need your help.”
Major-General Andrew McConnell regarded his grandniece with satisfaction.
Their relationship was distant, and he had always worried about the girl; but here she was, making demands with all the implacable stubbornness of her mother, yet with a sweetness no uncle could deny.
He was pleased to see it and wondered if the young lady with her was cause or effect.
“How can I help you, Little Anne?”
The young lady giggled in surprise, not having been called that in quite some years, but she did not oppose the scheme.
“This is my particular friend, Miss Jane Bennet. Jane, my great-uncle, Major-General McConnell. Oh, and he is a Member of Parliament, and I forget what else.”
“You forgot father of four daughters.”
The young lady before them laughed uneasily, but her smile was certain to command the attention of every heart and mind among the young men in attendance.
“What a coincidence, General. I am the eldest of five daughters myself.”
The general, much enchanted with the young lady, laughed. “My grandniece did not come here merely to introduce you, my dear. How may I be of service?”
The general had learned to come to the point in most situations. While he would have been content to sit and converse with young ladies for hours, and intended to do so later, it did not escape his notice that their arrival was precipitous.
Anne, sounding like a much sweeter version of her mother, asked, “Uncle, would you do me a great favour?”
“What do you need?”
“I desire Miss Bennet’s dance card to lack vacancies.”
“What do you need me for? Simply wait half an hour, and both your cards will be full.”
“I desire hers to be full now.”
No novice in strategy and tactics, the general could not help laughing before he set to work.
“Are we looking for marriageable men, old men, or handsome youths who can fill her card?”
Jane quite liked the grandfatherly general, with his thick moustache and grey whiskers.
He regarded Jane carefully, and she was gratified to see that here was a man, a leader among men, who not only asked for her opinion but sounded like he might even listen.
It was a question about her own life, but she was accustomed to men assuming things and making decisions based on their own judgement (or whims).
She felt both happy to be asked—and saddened that her standards for manly behaviour were so abysmally low.
“I would like about half of each, General, but I am not particular.”
The general was accustomed to battle scenes and fully aware that the ballroom was little different. “Am I to assume I have your trust, Miss Bennet?”
“Miss de Bourgh has my trust.”
The general seemed satisfied. “May I have your card? Would you object terribly to a mix of married and single gentlemen?”
“I believe that would be ideal, and I thank you, sir.”
“Is this your first foray into London society?”
“Is it so obvious?”
“Not at all, I am simply laying down the order of battle.”
Jane was enjoying herself immensely with the older gentleman and gave him a radiant smile.
The general chuckled. “It would be best for you to open with a married man. I believe my eldest son-in-law should suffice?”
“I place myself in your hands, sir.”
The general’s wife, a lady of sixty who had all the grace and manners of Aunt Gardiner, arrived at that moment to kindly look after the ladies for a few minutes. The general left at a brisk walk and returned a mere ten minutes later with two full dance cards.
“I have not had this much fun in ages. I must point out that none of the men I volunteered were the least bit reluctant. Now I believe I must bring you around for introductions.”
With that, he introduced them to his eldest daughter’s husband, a bookish and interesting-looking man of forty, then led them about to be introduced to everyone they met, with emphasis on the men who had indirectly asked both ladies to dance.
In all the bustle of meeting new acquaintances, trying to remember some small few of the names, being sure to attend to one another, and everything else involved in the operation; Jane completely forgot about Mr Bingley—until she walked around a column enroute to the punch table and almost ran headlong into him.
“Miss Bennet, what an unexpected pleasure!” he said with his typical jovial smile.
Miss Bingley stood beside him, scowling sweetly as usual. “What a surprise. I did not expect to see you here in town, at this sort of ball.”
Jane could see from the corner of her eye that Anne was preparing to emulate Lady Catherine and decided that creating a scene at her first ball was not the ideal outcome.
A little amusement was more to her liking…
or at least it would be more to Lizzy’s, and emulating her sister had proven efficacious in the past.
“You surprise me, Miss Bingley. You well know I have been in town these four months. You must remember when I called on you in January. As your brother is so engaged with Miss Darcy, I understand you have not had the opportunity to call again. Your desire to sever the acquaintance was not particularly subtle. I might as well see this ‘superior society’ you are so enamoured with for myself, along of course with my good friend.”
She tried her best to keep the ordinary serene countenance she was famous for, but it was difficult, considering Miss Caroline Bingley was turning red and puffing her mouth like a trout caught on the line, and Mr Bingley was regarding his sister with a look that could easily be interpreted as the closest thing to murderous intent he could muster—which frankly looked less fierce than Mr Darcy in his best mood.
It was finally the brother who got himself under regulation at least enough to speak. “Would you grant me the honour of an introduction to your friend?”
Jane really wished Lizzy were there. She really-really wished Lizzy was present, because her sister would enjoy what was coming as much as Jane was about to.
“Oh! I assumed you were acquainted. Miss Anne de Bourgh, may I introduce to your acquaintance Mr and Miss Bingley? Miss de Bourgh is heir to Rosings in Kent. I assumed you knew her, being so well acquainted with her cousin Mr. Darcy or her mother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”
Miss Bingley replied with as much sweetness as five spoons of sugar along with a dollop of poison, “Oh, Miss de Bourgh, it is so lovely to make your acquaintance. I have long desired to meet you.”
Anne, feeling like a bit of sport, thoroughly ignored Miss Bingley until Jane pointedly nudged her. She finally looked down her nose in a pitch-perfect imitation of Lady Catherine at her worst. “Miss Bingham.”
Anne neglected to make any curtsy at all and was quite enjoying the absurdity of the encounter.
Mr Bingley saw opportunity to possibly redeem himself. “Miss Bennet, might I have the honour of a set?”
“My dance card is entirely full. Good evening. Anne and I must find our partners before the first set begins.”
With that, both ladies made condescending pseudo-curtsies, and walked away from the gaping pair, smiling broadly.
“That, my dear Jane, was the greatest diversion I think I have ever had in my entire life… well, aside from knocking out a few of Darcy’s teeth… and watching your sister put my mother in her place. That was a sight; I shall have to tell you about it. Mother had no idea what hit her.”
They both laughed at the success of their first battle and went to the refreshments table for punch.
They of course could have had some gentlemen get the refreshments for them, or they could very well have had the general or another gentleman with them when they met the Bingleys, but they were both well satisfied and ready to dance.