Jane could not wait for the dance with Mr. Bingley to conclude. She manipulated the man into introducing her to his friend after the dance. Mr. Bingley led his newest blonde angel to where his friend Darcy stood.
“Darce, may I introduce this lady to you?” Bingley requested.
“You may,” Darcy replied curtly, although it was the last thing he wanted; he could not refuse without making Bingley look bad.
“This is Miss Jane Bennet of Longbourn, the eldest of five Bennet daughters. Miss Bennet, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley,” Bingley made the introduction. She curtsied and he bowed. Darcy briefly considered asking her to dance, but he saw the same predatory look he had seen so many times before?the one he saw every time Miss Bingley looked at him.
This lady was good. The speed with which she schooled her features was impressive, but it was too late; Darcy had seen it. “Enjoy your dancing, Bingley,” Darcy stated as he turned and walked towards Bingley’s sisters. He might as well get the distasteful duty of dancing with Miss Bingley out of the way.
Jane, used to being praised to the skies for her beauty and unaccustomed to being denied anything, was at sixes and sevens. She could not fathom how the fabulously rich man had ignored her as if she did not exist. As much as she wished to, she was unable to blame Elizabeth, who was nowhere near and had not said a word to Mr. Darcy.
In spite of Mrs. Bennet praising her beauty, the tall and willowy blonde that was Jane Bennet knew her sister Elizabeth was just as pretty as she was, although in a different way. Part of the reason she disliked her sister was because so many men gravitated to Elizabeth; she would never reconcile herself to playing second fiddle to Lizzy or any other.
Before they left Longbourn, Jane had pulled her mother aside and suggested Lizzy should be relegated to the box, but rather than that disconcerting her sister, Elizabeth had seemed to relish the ride in the fresh air.
Unlike her mother, a woman of mean understanding, Jane Bennet was not imperceptive. She knew why so many preferred Lizzy. Her sister had wit, intelligence, and an infectiousjoie de vivre. Her looks and the feminine wiles her mother had taught her were all Jane had. Other than their Aunt Maddie, Jane believed no one but her co-conspirator mother was aware of her true nature.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Darcy was more annoyed than ever after having to endure a half hour dancing with the cloying shrew, Miss Bingley. He found a corner as far as possible from where Miss Bingley and her sister were whispering together, denigrating everyone not of their own party.
Jane Bennet had just been led back to the side by Julian Goulding when she saw Mr. Bingley approach his friend. Mr. Bingley attempted to cajole Mr. Darcy to dance and offered to introduce him to Lizzy. Jane began to fume, thinking Lizzy might succeed where she had failed so abysmally.
She perked up when she heard Mr. Darcy’s response, calling her younger sister tolerable and not handsome enough to tempt him. It warmed Jane’s heart; at least he had not slighted her when he walked away without asking her to dance.
She watched as Elizabeth walked past Mr. Darcy giving him one of her impertinent looks as she went to join Charlotte. Soon the two were giggling and laughing while they pointed at the man from Derbyshire. Jane smiled to herself as she saw themoue of distaste on Mr. Darcy’s mien. She assumed he was angry at being talked about so.
She was correct that Mr. Darcy was upset, but it was not at Elizabeth as she assumed, it was at himself. He had made his comment without really looking at the woman; all he wanted was for Bingley to leave him alone.
Now that he noticed her as she passed him, Darcy was sure the young lady had heard his ill-conceived and false statement. As he truly looked at her, he owned to himself she was the most beautiful lady he had ever beheld.
She was shorter than what was considered fashionable, but Darcy had never ascribed to the whims of theTon. She had mahogany tresses which shone in the candlelight—then he saw her eyes, the finest emerald-green eyes he had ever seen. It was if she could see into the depths of his soul with those eyes.
He had always been unable to articulate his meaning easily; rather than tell Bingley to leave him alone he had uttered those rude words, which had the desired effect—Bingley had left him.
When the young lady crossed the floor to talk to her friend, he knew they were discussing his unwarranted slight when he heard them laugh at him. It was the first time he heard the tinkling laugh from the lady he insulted; Darcy would love to hear that angelic sound often.
He considered apologising but decided an assembly was not the ideal venue to humble himself. He saw Miss Bingley stalking him, so he walked in the opposite direction.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“How is it you were unable to secure a set with that rich man?” Fanny asked her eldest daughter as they donned their outerwear at the end of the ball.
“It seems he was in no mood for dancing,” Jane stated dismissively. “Mama, you should hear what he said about Lizzy.” With glee Jane related the slight Mr. Darcy had delivered to her sister.
“It is no more than the wilful girl deserves. Mayhap now she will not think herself so high and mighty,” Fanny cackled.
“Mama, have Lizzy ride inside with the rest of us; she enjoys the fresh air too much,” Jane shared.
So it was that Elizabeth sat in the interior of the carriage on the way home. ‘It seems if I let Mama know I enjoy what she inflicts on me, she will not do so,’ Elizabeth surmised to herself.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“What a savage place you have brought us to, Charles,” Miss Bingley complained on the way back to Netherfield Park. “Such a group of lowborn nothings who are not close to our level of society.”
“As far as I know, almost everyone in attendance were of the landed gentry and, although I hate to be impolite, they are all above children of a tradesman,” Darcy retorted. He had enough of the woman’s pretentions.
Miss Bingley wanted to explode, but she knew if she wanted to become the mistress of Pemberley and Darcy House she needed to bite her tongue—for now. She could not understand what had got intoherMr. Darcy.
