Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Meryton assembly was exactly as Mr. Darcy had imagined it, as it was exactly like the assemblies held at Lambton, the small town near Pemberley.
There was, as he had expected, rather a dearth of gentlemen, and so he spoke with Mr. Bingley as they entered the room, saying that they had to do their duty to their neighbours by dancing every dance.
Mr. Bingley was not at all opposed, as he was a sociable creature by nature.
But it was far more distressing for Mr. Darcy; he would do his duty, as he always did, but he was never completely comfortable on a dance floor.
Being the target of so many marriage-minded young ladies was never pleasant; one had to watch one’s words ever so carefully, and be vigilant in one’s actions so as not to be caught in any sort of compromising position.
He recalled a ball given in Town in which a young lady had lured a gentleman, the son of an Earl, out onto the balcony, and then had ripped her bodice and screamed for her mother. The scandal resulted in a hastily arranged marriage. He shuddered at the thought of such a thing happening to him.
Georgiana had spent a good deal of time considering her attire and coiffure, so he made it a point to tell her that she looked everything lovely, and would no doubt dazzle the locals!
He danced with her for the first, as he had promised. It was a simple country dance, and they were easily able to converse as they moved through the figures. “You are enjoying yourself here at Meryton, Georgiana?”
“Oh, very much! Being with Anne was quite rewarding, but the Bennets – why, I cannot recall when last I had such a good time!”
“I am glad; but at some point we must consider what we will do when we return to Pemberley. I shall make another attempt to find you a companion. In fact, I shall ask Aunt Eleanor to find one for us.”
Georgiana made a face. “Perhaps I can just stay with the Bennets; that would be most agreeable.”
Mr. Darcy laughed. “I hardly think so.”
“Let us not talk about it now; we have just begun our sojourn here, Brother.”
“Very well, Georgiana. But you know me; I like to have plans in place.”
“I do know you, and I also know that plans do not always work out as one expects.” As she spoke, the dance ended and she made a formal curtsey to him, almost down to the floor. He extended a hand to help her up, and they laughed together.
Mr. Darcy saw Miss Elizabeth standing with her mother by a pillar, and he escorted his sister there. “Miss Elizabeth, I believe this is our dance.” He offered an arm, and she put a light hand on it.
“I saw Georgiana curtseying to you,” she began, laughter in her voice, as he led her to the floor. “Do the Darcy gentlemen require formal curtsies at the end of a dance? I wish I had known; I would have practiced it.”
“We do not require it at all,” he said, at once. “Georgiana was teasing me.”
“I suppose that is a natural part of the sibling relationship. I have no brothers, as you know, but teasing is certainly a daily ritual among the Bennet sisters.”
“I do not doubt it,” he replied. “But I am certain that it is intended to be just good fun, is it not?”
“Not always,” she replied. “My younger sisters can tease one another quite cruelly. The relationship between sisters who are much of an age is bound to be very different from that between a brother and a much younger sister. Your relationship with your sister is almost that of a father and daughter, is it not? I apologise if this discussion is in any way uncomfortable, Mr. Darcy.”
“No, not at all,” he replied, easily. “It is true that I stand as a father to Georgiana, so in that regard, we are not typical siblings. I am glad that she is now able to tease me, as that tells me that we are moving toward a brother-sister relationship; that is what I would prefer. And I must say again that I am grateful to you and your sisters for so quickly befriending Georgiana.”
“It is entirely our pleasure, Mr. Darcy. Meeting new friends, particularly friends as delightful as your sister, is a rare pleasure.”
“I suppose you have known your neighbours here for your entire life.”
“Or a good part of it, anyway. My dearest friend, after my sister Jane, is Miss Charlotte Lucas; she moved here some ten years ago and we have been good friends ever since. She is older than I, but one of the most sensible ladies of my acquaintance.”
“I should like to meet her,” Mr. Darcy answered, courteously.
“Actually, Mr. Darcy…” she trailed off.
“Yes, Miss Elizabeth?”
“I would like to ask a favour of you, but know not if I have the right to do so.”
“You have made my beloved sister so comfortable that I would do anything you asked of me, if it lay in my power to do so,” he said, promptly.
“Oh, that is excellent reasoning!” she laughed. “You have made it very easy indeed for me to make this request of you, and so I thank you! The favour is simply this: ask Miss Lucas to dance. There are far too few men, and she is not often on the dance floor.”
“I would be happy to do so,” he said. “Might you introduce me to your friend before the next dance begins so that I might secure her hand?”
“I would be absolutely delighted to do so, Mr. Darcy. I think you will enjoy your time with Miss Lucas very much.”
Immediately after their dance ended, Elizabeth guided Mr. Darcy to Charlotte and performed the introductions. Mr. Darcy bowed very politely and asked her for the next dance, which Charlotte gratefully and graciously granted.
Mr. Bingley appeared and bowed to Elizabeth. “I apologise for not having secured a dance with you earlier, Miss Elizabeth; might I hope that you have this one free?”
“I do, and I would be happy to dance with you, Mr. Bingley!”
Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley offered their arms to Charlotte and Elizabeth, respectively, and escorted them to the floor.
The dance taught Elizabeth a good deal about Mr. Bingley’s feelings for her sister, for he was intent on learning everything he could about Jane.
By the end of the dance, he had learned the following: Jane had no serious suitors at this time; Jane favoured fair-haired gentlemen; Jane preferred country living to Town living, though she did enjoy the occasional trip to London; Jane enjoyed riding, though most of Longbourn’s horses were used for the farm; and Jane was as beautiful in character as she was in her person.
By the time Mr. Bingley escorted Elizabeth to Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth thought she would not be at all surprised were he to throw himself at Jane’s feet and make an offer for her right then and there.
“He likes our Jane, does he not, Lizzy?” Mrs. Bennet whispered to her daughter after Mr. Bingley had bowed and departed.
“Oh, he certainly does!” Elizabeth replied, unable to stop herself from laughing aloud. She went to find Charlotte, who had just accepted a glass of lemonade from Mr. Darcy. Charlotte thanked Mr. Darcy for the refreshment; he bowed and left.
“Well!” Charlotte said. “I had heard a good deal about Mr. Darcy, but nothing quite prepared me for the reality! He does have quite an air about him, does he not?”
“He does, but I do not think him proud,” Elizabeth said. “I understand that he is quite wealthy and bears a good deal of responsibility, despite his youth. His parents died young, and so the twin burdens of estate and sister have rested upon his shoulders for some years.”
Charlotte nodded. “Having heard that, I would say that he is grave and serious, rather than proud.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I think you are correct.”
“I have you to thank for his invitation to dance, I take it.”
Elizabeth only shrugged.
“Yes. Well, in any case, I thank you.”
The two friends watched the dancers in silence for a moment; then Charlotte nudged Elizabeth. “Look; is that not Mr. Bingley dancing again with Jane?”
“Oh! It is! How wonderful!” Elizabeth clasped Charlotte’s hand in joy. “A second dance!”
“Does she like him?”
“She does, yes; she says he is very pleasant company; more importantly, she blushes when she hears his name.”
“And he is rich and handsome,” Charlotte added.
“Well, yes. But he spends a good deal of time speaking with Jane; actually speaking with her, not just gazing at her in worshipful silence.”
“As did that man in London,” Charlotte recalled.
“Just so. But the Gardiners chased him off soon enough, so no harm was done other than a few hours of discomfort for our Jane.”
“How are things with your father, Eliza? Any change?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No, and I do not think there ever will be any change. I will not forgive him until he apologises for the way he has treated his family, and that will never happen.”
***
That night, Jane spoke rapturously of her two dances with Mr. Bingley, concluding that he was the most amiable gentleman of her acquaintance, and everything a gentleman should be. “He seems to really like me, Lizzy!”
“He certainly does; he danced with you twice, and when he danced with me, he may as well have been dancing with you, as he spoke about you to the exclusion of all else!”
“But he likes me, Lizzy; me. You understand, I think?”
“I do, yes; he likes more than just your angelic face.”
Jane rolled her eyes. “Angelic? Hardly! But in any case, did you enjoy your time with Mr. Darcy? He danced every dance, which was very good of him. Mr. Bingley told me that Mr. Darcy does not enjoy dancing with people he does not know, but he was determined to do his duty.”
Elizabeth was silent. Had Mr. Darcy danced with her only because he thought it his duty to do so? And if so, why did that disturb her?