Elizabeth took a deep breath and blew it out. She turned and walked in the direction of Mr. Darcy. When she reached him, he looked surprised to see her standing there.
“Mr. Darcy, I neglected to inquire how Miss Darcy is getting on with her new sheet music. Has she made much progress with it?” Elizabeth asked, a friendly smile on her face.
For a moment, he looked as if he did not know what to make of her, then replied, “Yes, I believe she has.”
Elizabeth looked at Mr. Darcy, waiting for him to make some effort at polite conversation. He did not.
“Good,” she said, nodding and looking anywhere other than at Mr. Darcy.
Realizing this was all she was likely to get from him, Elizabeth turned to look at Charlotte. Making sure her friend could see her fingers behind her back, she started snapping them repeatedly in a silent fashion. Charlotte recognized her cue and quickly put down her punch. She stood and walked towards Elizabeth.
Turning back to face him, Elizabeth said, “Mr. Darcy, I wanted to apologize on behalf of my neighbors . . . Charlotte and I overheard your income as well as Mr. Bingley’s being bandied about. Unfortunately, I am sure much more is being said and speculated on. Such behavior is reprehensible, and I can only imagine the offense it has caused you. I hope you will give my apologies to Mr. Bingley as well.”
Mr. Darcy looked at her closely, then nodded. “Thank you for your concern, Miss Elizabeth. I will pass on your sentiments to Bingley.”
Charlotte walked up at just that moment, bless her!
“Excuse me, Mr. Darcy, but Elizabeth and I were to go spend a few minutes visiting with Mrs. Clark.” She turned raised brows to Elizabeth and said, “You know she will probably leave after supper.”
“Indeed. Thank you, Charlotte,” Elizabeth said.
Charlotte smiled graciously.
Elizabeth met Mr. Darcy’s gaze and said, “Please excuse us, Mr. Darcy.”
“Of course,” he said, bowing.
Elizabeth was grateful to her friend for coming to her aid. She was sorry for Mr. Darcy that he had obviously been insulted, but did he have to be so grumpy and antisocial? Were none of the mere mortals in attendance this evening worthy of pleasantness from him?
Supper passed pleasantly. Elizabeth and Charlotte sat together and spoke on a number of things, as good friends so often do. They observed Mary, who seemed to be enjoying hersupper companion, Mr. Whitney Hadley. Jane was dining with Mr. Lindsey Hadley, who was definitely keeping her well-entertained.
Elizabeth danced two more sets after supper. It had been one of the most enjoyable assemblies she had attended in some time. Elizabeth had just finished speaking to Mrs. Long when she realized she had not seen Lydia in a while. She scanned the room and eventually spotted her standing behind a column with a young man. Elizabeth immediately headed in their direction. As she drew nearer, she happened to see Mr. Darcy standing not very far away from them, his eyes trained on Lydia and the young man. Elizabeth quickened her step, dreading what she would find.
When Elizabeth approached them, she found Lydia standing inappropriately close to the young man, her fingers moving up and down the lapels of his coat as she spoke to him. When he noticed Elizabeth standing there, his eyes grew wide. He muttered an apology and quickly took his leave.
“Lydia, what do you think you are doing?!” Elizabeth demanded.
“Lizzy! You ran him off!” Lydia complained.
“I did not run him off. Guilt ran him off! Yet, you stand here without an ounce of it!”
“You are just jealous!”
Elizabeth felt her face and neck flush red and hot. “Lydia, I will only say this once. If you behave inappropriately again, I will go find Uncle Phillips and have him take you home. You know very well I do not make idle threats.”
“Oh, fine, Lizzy!” Lydia spat.
Elizabeth did a quick sweep of the immediate area to see if anyone other than Mr. Darcy had noticed her sister's behavior. When she was fairly certain they were in the clear, she gave Lydia a stern look, then walked away. Elizabeth was angry andashamed. Would their father never take this girl in hand before she ruined them all? And, why oh why did Mr. Darcy have to witness it?! She found Jane and apprised her of the situation.
“Goodness gracious!” Jane exclaimed. “At least Mr. Darcy is a gentleman and will probably not mention it to anyone other than his friend. But if the wrong person had seen her—”
“I know!” Elizabeth said, looking around to ensure they were not being overheard.
“I do not think we should let this go, Lizzy. For her to disregard propriety and behave so brazenly right here in public! It is as if she has no care at all for the respectability of our family! No, it shall not stand. We should tell Papa when we return home,” Jane insisted.
“I agree, but will he do anything about it?” Elizabeth replied skeptically.
Jane looked at her and sighed in frustration.
