“Miss Bennet is one of the most beautiful and nicest ladies I have ever danced with. But there is one of her sisters, Miss Elizabeth, sitting down just behind you. She too is very pretty, and from what I can tell, very agreeable. Do allow me to introduce you.”
“Which lady do you mean?” Darcy turned and looked in the direction Bingley indicated. It seemed like he caught Elizabeth’s eye. He turned back to his friend and coldly said, “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to temptme; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better go seek your next partner and enjoy your dances, for you are wasting your time with me.”
Bingley was horrified, but there was no time to remonstrate with his friend. Darcy had not lowered his voice and knew not about why the ladies all sat out two sets each.
Elizabeth stood and debated giving the hateful, insulting man the setdown he richly deserved. Instead, she made her way to where Charlotte was standing and related the event to her friend, and then with her looking at him, to make sure the haughty man was aware he was the subject of her derision, she laughed.
Darcy realised the lady must have heard him and he did regret his intemperate words. He was about to go apologise when he heard the derisive chortle. He watched as she went about the hall relating hisfaux pasto several persons she seemed to know. Why had he spoken without guarding his words beforehand? This would not help Bingley establish himself in the area.
Chapter 5
Elizabeth would not admit it to anyone, but the tall man from Derbyshire’s words had cut her to the quick. After years of her mother’s telling her that her looks were nothing to Jane’s, what Mr Darcy said was a confirmation of Mama’s words and played right into Elizabeth’s insecurities.
Her way to deal with the pain, was to turn it into a joke, which she had as she told several of her acquaintances what the man had said. Each time she told the story, she laughed about it to disguise her true feelings. She did exactly what her father had taught her to do with his oft repeated maxim: ‘for what do we live, but to make sport of our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?’
She could disguise the truth from many, but not from Jane. After she completed her dance and returned to her family, Lizzy told her what Mr Darcy had said. Jane did not miss the hurt in her sister’s eyes, while at the same time, Lizzy forced herself to seem cheery and laugh.
“Lizzy, what he said was uncalled for, but you do not know what caused him to do so,” Jane soothed, “mayhap it is time to stop recounting the event?”
“Jane you always try and see good in everyone,” Elizabeth huffed. It annoyed her that Janey was not fooled by the mask she had put in place. “But I will follow your advice and speak of much more pleasant subjects than that rude, arrogant, insufferable, and hateful Mr Darcy.”
Before Jane could react, Mr Bingley arrived to collecther younger sister. “Miss Bennet, would you have another set open for me to dance with you?” Bingley requested before he escorted Elizabeth to the dance floor.
“I do Mr Bingley, I have the penultimate set open,” Jane blushed with pleasure. She had enjoyed dancing with the affable man.
“Then I would like to reserve that one,” Bingley gave a half bow.
“It is yours, Sir,” Jane agreed, her cheeks pinking up even more. Jane took a seat next to Charlotte as this was a set both were sitting out.
Thankfully their mother was engrossed in a conversation with her sister and Lady Lucas, so she did not hear Mr Bingley ask for a second set. The two older Bennet sisters were very grateful for that fact. Otherwise, their mother would have made loud, vulgar effusions had she been aware.
Bingley bowed to Miss Elizabeth and led her to the forming line. For the first minute or two, they remained silent. The next time they came back together, Bingley spoke. “Miss Elizabeth you must allow me to apologise…”
“It is not for you to make amends for that which you did not do,” Elizabeth interjected.
“It is not for my friend’s words, which he should have never uttered, I am begging your pardon,” Bingley clarified. “Rather, I knew he did not want to be at the assembly, and certainly did not desire to dance, but nevertheless I provoked him to anger. For that I am truly sorry.”
The dance separated them which gave Elizabeth time to digest what her dance partner had stated. When they came back together, Elizabeth felt no more charitable towards the man who had slighted her. “Mr Darcy is not a child, if he did not want to be here, then he should have remained at Netherfield Park,” Elizabeth insisted.
“That is what he had chosen to do…” Bingley began when the dance separated them. “…however, my younger sister threatened to remain with him. Surely you can see that would have been improper for a single gentleman to be in the house alone with my unmarried sister,” Bingley completed once they were opposite one another again.
As much as she did not want to, Elizabeth had to concede Mr Bingley made a valid point. However, she was not willing to excuse Mr Darcy. “That may be so, but it does not give a gentleman the right to speak as Mr Darcy did,” Elizabeth stated firmly.
“In that we are in agreement. As I said…” the dance led them around other people. “…my aim was not to acquit my friend of his words. Those were his own. Just my part in causing his uncalled for reaction.”
Elizabeth inclined her head. “I forgive you for yoursmallpart in it,” she allowed.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Thanks to both Elizabeth and Mary sitting out the second to last set, they were able to distract their mother sufficiently from the fact Jane was dancing a second time with Mr Bingley, an honour he had not bestowed on any other. Like she knew it would, telling her mother what Mr Darcy did ignited her ire, and was enough to keep Mama staring daggers at the man for the half hour, rather than looking at Jane and her dancing partner.
Yes, Lizzy was her least favourite daughter, but Fanny still loved her. In addition, such a public insult could redound on all of her sisters as well. More than that, she as the mother was allowed to say what she would, but that courtesy did not extend to anyone outside of the family. Mr Darcy had already vexed her when he had refused to dance with her Lydia, insulted her favourite, and had rudely walked away. Hence when Lizzy had related all to her, Fanny had needed to berestrained from giving the rude man a setdown in the middle of the assembly hall.
For Darcy’s part, the hellish ball could not end quickly enough. He had done his duty and danced with Mrs Hurst—not a chore—and Miss Bingley—who tested his patience. After he watched the intense conversation between Bingley and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Darcy was sure he and Bingley would be having words about his performance at the assembly.
The truth was her dance with his friend was the first time Darcy had truly looked at the woman he had insulted. By then he had heard the talk of how all of the young ladiesvoluntarilysat out two sets due to the dearth of men thanks to the war. That combined with the fact he could see she was far more than tolerable and definitely handsome enough to tempt him, made him feel like a cad of the first order. He would have to find a way to apologise to the lady, if she would hear his amends that is. There was no missing the anger she directed at him when she saw him.
Miss Bingley had been most amused when talk of the insult he had delivered had made its way to her by the time Darcy danced his obligatory set with the shrew. She had stated her approbation for his putting one of thecountrybumpkins in her place. Thankfully she had had enough sense to move on from the topic when he had expressed his displeasure with it and indicated his thoughts were very much contrary to her own.
