Chapter Eighteen
The assembly room in Meryton
Miss Bingley strolled into the Meryton assembly room on her brother’s arm, her head held high.
The two of them looked very elegant, and she held his arm, forcing him to pause with her for effect.
There could be no doubt that she had hoped to make a spectacular entrance and be the center of everyone’s attention, but in this she was to be disappointed, for the music did not stop, nor did the loud hum of conversation.
Several curious glances were sent her way, but that was all.
She surveyed the scene with evident dissatisfaction on her face.
Sir William Lucas materialised from the crowd and bowed to the Bingleys. “Mr. Bingley! I am so pleased that you were able to come tonight.”
“I am delighted to be here, Sir William,” Mr. Bingley said, smiling. “Caroline, allow me to present Sir William Lucas, who gave us the tickets for tonight’s entertainment. Sir William, this is my youngest sister, Miss Bingley.” He then proceeded to introduce the Hursts and, finally, Mr. Darcy.
“Come in, come in,” Sir William urged them. “Allow me to present some of your neighbours.” He walked around the room with them, introducing everyone he met.
When Sir William made his way to the Bennet family, Mr. Bingley turned to Sir William and said, “Mr. Bennet was kind enough to visit with me when I first arrived.” Turning to Mr. Bennet, he said, “I recall you saying that you have five daughters, Mr. Bennet. I am eager to dance with them.”
“And I suspect they are equally eager,” Mr. Bennet replied, drily. “Allow me to introduce my wife, Mrs. Bennet. And this is Miss Jane Bennet, my eldest; Miss Elizabeth, next in line, then Mary, Kitty, and Lydia.”
Mr. Darcy watched with some amusement as Mr. Bingley’s eyes fastened on the eldest Miss Bennet and then widened in evident appreciation. Mr. Darcy was not surprised; Miss Bennet was a lovely girl and exactly Mr. Bingley’s preferred type – blonde hair, blue eyes, porcelain complexion.
Mr. Bingley acknowledged the other introductions, as courtesy demanded, but asked Miss Bennet to dance straightaway. She agreed, blushing prettily, and they were off at once.
“I suspect I must apologise for my friend’s enthusiasm,” Mr. Darcy said to the next eldest – Elizabeth, was it?
She looked nothing like her sister, but she was pretty in her own way, with her mahogany hair, wide brown eyes, and long lashes.
Her complexion was just a bit tanned, and there was a smattering of freckles on her nose, testament to time spent outdoors.
“No matter,” she said, laughing. “We are all accustomed to it. Gentlemen take one look at Jane and the rest of us cease to exist.”
“You seem to take it well enough,” he said, brows raised in surprise.
“How could I not? My sister Jane is not only the prettiest girl in the county, but also the kindest. It is impossible to be anything but happy for her.” Her voice rang with sincerity and obvious affection.
This struck Mr. Darcy as remarkable. Not envious? Happy for another lady? How different she was from London ladies, and from the always miserable Miss Bingley!
“Might you care to dance, Miss Elizabeth?” he asked, suddenly recalling what was expected of him.
“I am happy to, Mr. Darcy,” she said, smiling up at him and laying her hand lightly upon his proffered arm. “Are you enjoying your stay in Meryton?” she asked.
He could not say that he was not enjoying much of anything at this point in his life, so instead he said, “It is a very pretty area.”
“Yes, it is! I have not traveled a good deal, but from the little I have seen, Hertfordshire is a lovely county. I feel fortunate to live here.”
“You do not wish for Town life?”
She wrinkled up her nose. “Well, I very much like going to the theater and the British Museum is one of my favourite places in the world. And I suppose it would be exciting to go to a ball – a society one, not a country assembly – but I certainly could not live in Town.”
“You surprise me; I thought all young ladies longed for high society.”
She laughed up at him. “You must not know many young ladies.”
“I suppose I do not.”
The dance separated them; when they rejoined, she continued. “A good many of us are even rational creatures.”
He smiled. “I do not doubt it. I have an aunt…” He trailed off, thinking that he should not mention his relationship with the Countess of Matlock, unless he wanted a good deal of attention from the local ladies.
“A rational aunt? Yes, I have one as well, and I love her dearly.”
He changed the subject. “So you have four sisters; do you get along?”
“It is impossible for five girls to get along at all times, but we manage well enough. Have you a sister, Mr. Darcy?”
He took a deep breath. “Yes, just one; she is with me at Netherfield Park.”
Something changed in her face. “Ah,” she said.
“What does that mean? What have you heard?”
There was an urgency in his voice that puzzled her, and she certainly had no wish to upset him so she replied at once, keeping her voice calm and even. “Only that I have heard that there is a young girl at Netherfield Park, and we have all longed to meet her. We would love to have a new friend.”
He relaxed. “She is very shy.”
“May I ask her age?”
“She is just fifteen.”
“My sister Lydia is fifteen, but as far from shy as can be imagined. She is in the cream dress with the pink embroidery, dancing – just there, do you see her? But Mary, my middle sister, is eighteen, and she, too, is quite shy. Perhaps they could be good for one another. Does your sister play the pianoforte, by any chance? For that is Mary’s passion. ”
“She does, yes,” Mr. Darcy said, surprised.
“Might your sister like to play duets with Mary? Mary is always after me to play with her, but my skill does not equal hers, and she is soon frustrated.”
“She might,” Mr. Darcy said, hope rising in his breast.
“Please do ask her; we would be happy to welcome your sister to Longbourn.”
“I shall, and I thank you for your kindness, Miss Elizabeth,” he said.
As he escorted her back to her mother, he realised that he had enjoyed the dance far more than he had expected. Miss Elizabeth was a lively and interesting conversationalist, and she had given him a bit of hope. Perhaps Georgiana truly would be willing to visit this Miss Mary?
Mr. Darcy then steeled himself to dance with Miss Bingley, as he knew he must. He began, “Are you enjoying yourself tonight, Miss Bingley?”
She huffed. “Hardly, Mr. Darcy. There is no fashion here, and no manners. I wonder what my brother was thinking, agreeing to attend this assembly!”
“No doubt he was thinking that this was a good opportunity to meet his neighbours,” Mr. Darcy said, evenly. “We have such dances near Pemberley as well, and I go to as many of them as my responsibilities permit.”
“And now?”
“Now? What do you mean?”
“Well, with your sister’s situation, you can hardly want to be in company.”
Mr. Darcy held on to his temper with some difficulty. “Miss Bingley, my sister was led astray by two very bad people. This hardly makes either of us a pariah.”
“Does it not? I note that she is not here.” Her tone was sly, unpleasant.
“She is shy, as you know, Miss Bingley, and not yet out in society.”
“I suspect now that she never will be out in society.”
Mr. Darcy felt his face growing red. He forced himself to take a deep breath before replying, “That is certainly not true, Miss Bingley. My sister will take her rightful place in society when the time is right.”
Miss Bingley shrugged.
The dance was finished in silence. Mr. Darcy knew he must ask Mrs. Hurst to dance as well, but just now he did not trust himself to do so. He stepped outside the assembly hall to get himself under control. Mr. Bingley found him there.
“Darcy! Do you seek to escape the dancing?”
“No; only your sister,” Mr. Darcy said, before he could stop himself.
“Ah. Caroline, of course.”
“Yes; I am sorry, Bingley, I should not have spoken so. My worry for my sister must be my excuse.”
“Caroline is difficult, I am well aware, and you must tell me if she becomes too troublesome.”
Mr. Darcy said, “As long as she behaves herself with Georgiana, I have no complaints to make.”
“Very well. Say, did you see Miss Bennet?”
“The eldest? Yes.”
“She is the loveliest creature I have ever beheld!”
“I believe she is as kind as she is pretty.”
“She is!! But hold; who told you that? Did you dance with her?” Mr. Bingley’s voice was suddenly alarmed.
“No, I danced with her younger sister, Miss Elizabeth, who spoke most glowingly of Miss Bennet.”
“That is all right, then.” Mr. Bingley relaxed.
“Were you worried that I might have danced with her, Bingley?” Mr. Darcy was amused.
“Well, you are a good deal more eligible than I am, you know.”
“I am not certain that is still true. Even your sister is no longer interested in me.”
“Ha! Well, they say every cloud has a silver lining, Darcy, so you must count that as yours. You need no longer fear a compromise in the dead of night.”
“Believe me, Bingley, I do appreciate knowing that.”
The two gentlemen returned to the hall, where Mr. Darcy danced with Mrs. Hurst and Mr. Bingley danced a second time with Miss Bennet.
Following his dance with Mrs. Hurst, Mr. Darcy saw that Miss Elizabeth was in conversation with Miss Bingley at the refreshment table.
Thinking that Miss Elizabeth might be in need of rescuing, he quickly made his way to her, and he was in time to hear Miss Bingley say, haughtily, “I admit I am unaccustomed to gatherings such as these.”
“Oh,” Miss Elizabeth replied. “There are no assemblies held near your estate?”
Miss Bingley looked affronted. “I live in Town, Miss Elizabeth; I go to balls, not country assemblies.”
“I apologise, Miss Bingley; I did not understand. But surely at your parents’ estate in the country…?” She trailed off.
Miss Bingley could not admit that her family did not have an estate; instead, she said, “I have no taste for country living. It is all so very crude.”
After Miss Bingley’s rudeness during their dance, Mr. Darcy felt no compunction in divulging Miss Bingley’s social status.
“The Bingleys do not yet have a family estate, Miss Elizabeth. They hope to improve their social situation by entering the landed gentry; thus, Mr. Bingley is leasing Netherfield to see if he might wish to make a purchase.”
“Oh, I see,” Elizabeth said, understanding at once. “I suppose if one is not brought up to country life, it might be a difficult adaptation. Mr. Darcy, I know nothing of you; do you live in Town as well?”
“Mr. Darcy has an extensive estate in Derbyshire,” Miss Bingley said, archly.
“Ah, so you are quite accustomed to rural gatherings such as these, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said.
“I certainly am, and I enjoy them every bit as much as the elegant gatherings in Town,” he said firmly.
Miss Bingley turned up her nose at this and stalked away.
It was definite; Miss Bingley had lost interest in him. Mr. Darcy breathed a sigh of relief. A young man came to claim Miss Elizabeth for the next dance, and he stood and watched, enjoying the sight of her slim, supple figure on the dance floor.
There was a bit of a commotion involving two young ladies who had evidently imbibed too much punch, one of whom looked to be Elizabeth’s sister.
Mr. Darcy’s first instinct was to feel offended by such lack of manners; but then he recalled that he had no business forming opinions about young ladies.
How he wished that his own sister’s worst error in judgement involved nothing worse than too much punch!
***
“And to think that Mr. Bingley danced with you twice, Jane! Doubtless he is already planning his proposal.” Elizabeth was lying on her side on their bed, watching her sister put her hair into its nighttime braid.
“You do love to tease me, Lizzy! But he really was – well, the most gentlemanly gentleman I have ever met.”
“I daresay he will call tomorrow, and that will be the start of it.”
“And if he does, Mr. Darcy will come with him! There, Lizzy, I can tease you as well!”
“There is nothing to tease me about; we only danced once, and we spoke more about his sister than anything else.” But the faint blush on Elizabeth’s cheeks revealed more interest than she let on.
She could deny all she liked to her sister, but she could not lie to herself; Mr. Darcy was a very handsome man, and she could still hear his low, velvety voice in her mind!
But he had a large estate, and so was very likely out of her reach. She would put him from her mind.
“Perhaps he will bring his sister to visit us?”
“I hope he does; poor girl, cooped up in Netherfield with that haughty Miss Bingley for company.”
“I did not meet Miss Bingley.”
“You must count yourself fortunate. I spoke with her briefly, and she seemed intent on making certain I understood that she was superior to me because she lives in Town and is wealthy, despite the fact that she does not come from a landed family.”
“Her costume was …overdone.”
“Overdone? You are too kind, Jane; it was completely absurd.” Elizabeth flopped onto her back in disgust.
Benevolent Jane could not agree. “I suppose that is high fashion in London.”
“Perhaps; certainly, she was trying to impress us all. But say what she will, she cannot claim social superiority, no matter how absurdly she dresses.”