Darcy stood aside as everyone streamed into the drawing room. “Mr Bennet. How good of you to come,” he said, and shook the man’s hand.
“Very kind of you to ask us here this evening. Thank you,” Mr Bennet said. He smoothed down his jacket, looking uncomfortable in the formal attire. As one who enjoyed the solitude of his library more than being out on the town visiting friends and acquaintances, Darcy could well understand his discomfort.
But there could be no good in acknowledging it, as it would only make his guest more uncomfortable. “The pleasure is ours, sir, I assure you,” Darcy said.
Mr Bennet smiled and followed his wife and three younger daughters to the parlour. Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth were the last to greet him. Both of them curtsied, smiling so prettily that he almost forgot the duplicity of those smiles. It was well that Mrs Younge had been so careful in warning him.
“Good evening, Mr Darcy. Thank you for inviting us here. It is a very pleasant home,” Miss Bennet said. Her shining blonde curls glowed in the candlelight, casting a soft aura about her. The eldest Bennet sister seemed a remarkably gentle soul. It was difficult to believe she could be complicit in her mother’s schemes. But as the eldest daughter of five, Miss Bennet would have had little choice in the matter.
“You are most welcome, Miss Bennet. And I thank you for accepting Georgiana’s invitation. It is her first time planning such a party. I do hope you enjoy yourself.” Darcy glanced at Elizabeth, even though he tried to refrain. He felt obscurely that it would be dangerous to spend too much time looking into those dark eyes. “And you, Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I hope you will enjoy yourself as well.”
“Thank you, Mr Darcy. I am sure we shall. Miss Darcy was good enough to honour me by asking for my advice inplanning the supper this evening, but I found I had very little to do. Your sister has no need of advice in achieving elegance or consideration for others. She is so eager to please and is a joy to everyone, no matter where she goes.” Elizabeth smiled, and he thought how magnificently the candlelight reflected around her, very differently from the angelic halo cast over her older sister. Elizabeth’s cheeks were slightly flushed after coming in from the chill of the evening. The colour was remarkably becoming to her. Her gown was simple in cut and almost unadorned, but its very simplicity set off her beauty. And those eyes. Darcy had not thought that he could be so struck by a simple pair of brown eyes, however remarkable their brilliancy.
“You look well, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, if I may say so,” Darcy said before he had a chance to think about his words. He chastised himself for the lapse. If she truly were setting her cap for him, there was no need to make it too easy for her.
Elizabeth smiled, blushing even more. She looked down at her dress, smoothing out the skirt. “Why, thank you, Mr Darcy.” She glanced at her sister. “You are very kind to notice.”
“Ahh, yes, well,” he said. He sounded foolish even to his own ears. “I thank you for taking Georgiana under your wing in this,” Darcy said curtly, trying to come out from under her spell. He had to remember that she was here for the most mercenary of reasons. “Please, join us.” He waved toward the open parlour doors, taking a moment to compose himself before entering the room.
A moment later, Mrs Younge appeared from above the stairs and took him aside. “Be strong, Mr Darcy. Many are the men who have been undone by a pretty girls’ wiles,” she whispered, passing by him with a knowing smile on her face. Darcy looked after her askance. It was rather forward of MrsYounge, not to mention unnecessary. Was she accusing him of falling prey to Miss Elizabeth Bennet? He had only greeted her into his home, as was proper.
Shaking his head slightly, he chased the fanciful thoughts away. He would be polite, but not encouraging. There could be no harm in that. Could there be?
Darcy went to stand beside his sister, keeping himself aloof from the conversation until he was called upon. He was proud to see that Georgiana needed little help. She was acting the perfect hostess. Never before had he seen his little sister act so elegantly, or with such confidence.
Soon, they were called into supper, and he was surprised again to see how well Georgiana had done with the place cards. He and Mr Bennet were seated at the foot and head of the table, with Mrs Bennet and Mrs Younge seated together with the younger girls on one side and Georgiana, Miss Elizabeth, and Miss Bennet seated on the other. If this had been a formal supper, rather than a family party, she would have had a time finding enough gentlemen to come and even out the numbers. But as it was a casual gathering, she had honoured Mr Bennet with a seat of honour.
“You should have invited some of the militia, Miss Darcy. They are ever so entertaining. And they would have evened out your numbers,” Miss Lydia Bennet said with a smile.
Darcy suppressed a frown at the criticism, but Georgiana only laughed and raised her glass to the girl who could not have been but a year her junior. “You are right, Miss Lydia Bennet. I should have thought. But as it was a more intimate setting this evening, I did not wish to bring in strangers. Besides, the officers only arrived recently. I believe they are spending the winter here in Meryton, if I have heard correctly?”
Darcy relaxed at his sister’s diplomatic answer. She sent Miss Lydia Bennet off talking of the militia and their plans.
That young girl certainly had no want of confidence. She chattered away without a thought, ending with the confident pronouncement that “We shall all have husbands by spring, I venture!”
Even knowing the rudeness of the gesture, Darcy was tempted to roll his eyes. With a little effort, he refrained. Instead, he caught Mrs Younge’s eye and exchanged a grimace with her. Georgiana had seated the poor woman next to Mrs Bennet. The choice was a rational one, as the two matrons might have been expected to enjoy conversing with one another. Judging by Mrs Younge’s expression, however, Mrs Bennet’s conversation was a pleasure she would have gladly foregone.
“How are you enjoying Meryton, Mr Darcy, now that you have had a chance to settle in a bit more?” Elizabeth asked. Georgiana had placed her beside him, with Georgiana in the middle and the eldest Miss Bennet at the other end, near her father.
Darcy cleared his throat. “It is a charming village,” he said.
“Is it very different from Lambton? Miss Darcy tells me the village of Lambton is not far from Pemberley.” Elizabeth took a sip of her watered wine, and he could not help noticing the pink of her lips as she replaced the glass. He looked away, embarrassed.
“Yes, Lambton is about two miles from my estate,” he replied. “The people there are much the same as anywhere, I suppose. They are hard-working, kind, and have a strong senseof community. It is a charming place, and one I have always much enjoyed visiting.”
“As I am sure they appreciate your sound judgement as a leader in the community,” Elizabeth said.
Darcy was taken aback by her compliment. He was unsure whether to thank her or be even more on his guard. He would not have her thinking he was so easily lulled. “I try to do what is best. Not everyone agrees with my methods. But I cannot be overly worried about what they think of me.”
Elizabeth raised a single brow. “A man in your position must have many difficult decisions to make. But I cannot believe you would be so unfeeling to make them even when the townspeople have raised concerns to you. It is not possible to please everyone, of course. But you must be fair in your judgments as well.”
“I strive for fairness, yes. But sometimes, it is not possible to please everyone, as you have said.” He turned away from her to converse with Miss Mary Bennet. Darcy must not fail to model polite conversation at Georgiana’s supper party, hard going though it was. Miss Mary Bennet did not have her older sister’s ready wit and charm. She seemed only able to discuss sermons written by Mr Fordyce or the fact that young women today did not do half as much reading as was good for them. She looked prodigiously pleased and not a little surprised when he agreed with her on the latter point.
∞∞∞
Elizabeth swirled the watered wine around her glass,lost in thought. Mr Darcy’s strange behaviour was past all understanding. When they had first come into the house, he had seemed warm and welcoming. But then his behaviour taken a sharp turn. It seemed clear she had offended him, but how? For the life of her, she could not explain it. Some men would have taken offense when she had disagreed with him over the need to find consensus with his tenants before making an important decision, but that could not be the explanation. Not only did Mr Darcy not seem the type to have so fragile an ego, but the change in his behaviour had come earlier. No, he was not the type who wanted a woman to agree with everything he said, never having an independent thought of her own.
Mr Darcy seemed intelligent and kind-hearted when he spoke to her father or her mother, but whenever she tried to start a conversation with him for the rest of the evening, he appeared cold and even inconvenienced by her presence. After a few attempts to get to know him better, she gave up, taking solace in Jane’s company.
