“He said, ‘one plain one?’” Darcy sounded a bit appalled. “That seems unkind.”
“I know!” Bingley flashed him a smile. “And the ladies are his own nieces, too. But Mr Philips is not the most…genteel man.”
“Well, whatever the family name is, with so many pretty daughters—although I imagine only two or three are out insociety—I suppose that you are looking forward to meeting them.”
“Bennet!” Bingley said. “I remembered. And I got the impression that they would all be coming to the assembly. I do not know their ages, but in the country, girls attend functions earlier than in town. It makes sense, I suppose, since almost everyone in attendance will be well known to all.”
“But not tonight,” Darcy commented. “Not us. We will be completelyunknown to all.”
“Hopefully not for long.” Bingley had, as usual, a happy, positive feeling about this place, this evening, and the future.
Elizabeth Bennet was also looking forwardto the evening. She always liked the chance of seeing so many friends at once, and it would be delightful if she could see any of the acquaintances who did not live close enough to attend dinner parties but who made several appearances per year at the Meryton assemblies.
Still, a part of her felt restive. As she grew older, the neighbourhood seemed smaller and smaller to her; the acquaintance of four and twenty families now felt far too restricted. She had been to Ramsgate once, Brighton once, and London many times—all thanks to her uncle and aunt Gardiner—but Elizabeth’s beloved father did not enjoy travelling, and consequently her world felt…too confining.
Somehow, when she was much younger, reading about far-flung places was enough. But since then…. Having learnt French and some German from a lady who leased a nearby home for several years, and having heard her tales of the grandeur of the Alps and the splendour of Versailles, the ruins of Pompeii andthe colourful Venetian Carnival—well! If that lady could go so far and see so much, Elizabeth dearly hoped she, too, would someday be able to venture further….
Despite her yearnings, Elizabeth was practical and of a cheerful outlook, so she brushed away her thoughts of “maybe, someday,” and she focused on the present. She donned one of her favourite dresses, a pale yellow silk gown with a lovely deeper yellow ribbon sash. Jane buttoned her gown after Elizabeth did up Jane’s. They brushed their own hair but took turns being lady’s maid to one another for the styling. In this, Jane was definitely the loser. The elder sister’s smooth, straight blonde hair was very easy for Elizabeth to put up and pin. In contrast, Elizabeth’s dark hair was thick and curly, and it could look quite wild unless a fistful of pins was used to tame it.
Sarah, the maid that all five Bennet daughters shared, entered at some point, having already helped the three younger daughters to get ready. She took some of the hairpins and got to work on one side as Jane kept toiling away on the other.
Finally, Elizabeth was ready, all five sisters gathered their reticules and cloaks, and they followed their mother out to the carriage for the short ride to Meryton’s assembly hall.
The Bennets always arrived before the dancing started, but not much before—the chaos of six ladies getting ready with only two servants to help made it difficult to get anywhere early. Just as Elizabeth stepped down from their carriage, she saw two men alight from a nearby carriage—a truly elegant looking carriage—and Elizabeth perked up with the awareness that these must be strangers.
Elizabeth heard her mother whisper: “Do you suppose that could be the very wealthy and very single Mr Bingley?”
Cringing a bit, Elizabeth studied the men and was glad that they did not seem to have heard. Her mother had the loudest whisper in the county or, perhaps, the entire kingdom.
Mr Bingley! Everyone in the neighbourhood knew that Netherfield Park was let again, this time to a Mr Bingley, but nobody had seen or visited him yet. Elizabeth had not even realised that he had actually arrived in the area.
Excited to meet new people, she studied the men’s backs as they walked several strides ahead of them. One was average height, quite slim, with light coloured hair, and the other was quite a bit taller, of a more athletic build, with dark hair. It was impossible to see anything else in the moonlight, although she imagined from their silhouettes that their clothing was as elegant as their carriage.
Her mother and two youngest sisters were murmuring to one another, undoubtedly about the men, their squeaky giggles calling attention to their embarrassing behaviour. Elizabeth was often mortified by that half of her family, and she knew that such a feeling would be stronger when there were strangers to witness their lack of decorum, but she took Jane’s and Mary’s elbows and strode ahead so that they would be a sort of bulwark between the men and humiliation.
Elizabeth heard Mrs Long and her two nieces being greeted by the servants who took their cloaks. Then the servants addressed the men. Great coats and hats were given over. Now that they were inside, Elizabeth could confirm her guess; the fabric and fit of the men’s clothes were very fine indeed.
Soon she was giving over her cloak, smoothing her skirt, and adjusting the drawstring of her reticule. She took a step through the doorway, into the main room, when she was shocked to hear Sir William say, “And good evening, Mr Darcy; I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, sir.”
Mr Darcy?Probably notmyMr Darcy—although his height and hair colour match.She caught her breath. Was it possible?
More mortifying, even, than anything her mother and youngest sisters had ever done, Elizabeth was embarrassedthat she had briefly thought of the brother of a long-ago acquaintance asher Mr Darcy. It had been five years since Mr Darcy had frightened away a villain outside the milliner’s shop in Ramsgate, and then he and his sister Georgiana had been spotted a few times at the beach.
Ever since then, Elizabeth and Jane had written to Georgiana, exchanging letters every month for the first year and then settling down to exchanging four to six letters per year, for the next four years. Given the fact that the Bennets lived near London, and Georgiana lived most of the year in northern England, they knew that they may never see each other again. Since Georgiana’s clothes—and those of her brother—were made of the best fabrics money could buy, Jane and Elizabeth had known that the Darcys were far wealthier, as well, which meant that, even if they were in London at the same time as Georgiana, they would not likely see one another. Still, all three ladies kept writing; the connexion still held.
But in all that time, there had been no connexion between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy. She had only spoken to him once, to thank him for frightening the scoundrel away; he had only spoken a few words back. Despite the paucity of interactions, Elizabeth had thought about Mr Darcy many, many times over the years. He had seemed heroic towards them, caring towards his sister, polite and respectful to her uncle and aunt. The last bit seemed notable; she had overheard Uncle Edward telling Aunt Maddie that Mr Darcy was in the first circles, and the fact that he allowed his sister to correspond with the child of a man he knew to be in trade was quite impressive.
Perhaps most important to her impressionable 15-year-old self, she thought about Mr Darcy because she thought him incredibly handsome.
To be infatuated with a man she hardly knew had been embarrassing to Elizabeth, and she had tried to convince herselfthat her mind had exaggerated his looks and bearing, and that she had invented a sterling character based on little evidence.
Still, despite her determination to think no more of Mr Darcy, she continued to dream about him with some frequency while asleep, and to compare young men of her acquaintance against him while awake.
Now, Elizabeth took a step towards where Sir William was standing with the two men, although propriety dictated that she not approach and beg for an introduction. Just as she scolded herself for the single step, the taller man turned his face towards her.
And time seemed to stop. Itwashim! Georgiana’s brother. The man of her dreams—notwithstanding her efforts to forget him.
“Mr Darcy!” she exclaimed. Embarrassed, she froze as she remembered that they had never been introduced.
