But he smiled and said, “Miss Elizabeth! What a pleasure to see you again. Is your elder sister here?”
The man who must have been Mr Bingley asked, “How do you know?—”
Sir William said, “You know one another! Capital, capital.”
Elizabeth was so glad that Mr Darcy had covered for her—now everybody would assume that theyhadbeen introduced!—that she smiled widely and curtseyed.
He bowed to her and swiftly answered Bingley, “We met at Ramsgate, many years ago.” He said to Elizabeth, “If your first set remains unclaimed, I would be very happy if you would do me the honour of dancing with me.”
Blushing in awareness that a request to dance the first set was generally considered significant, Elizabeth said, “There is no prior claim, and I should love to dance with you. Thank you.” She told herself that Mr Darcy did not mean anything by askingfor the first set. It was probable that she and Jane were the only two ladies he knew at the assembly.
Mr Bingley cleared his throat, and Mr Darcy introduced him to Elizabeth. She turned towards the shorter man, smiled and curtseyed and murmured the correct words. He asked for her second set, and she agreed.
Remembering Mr Darcy’s first words to her, Elizabeth swiftly turned back to Mr Darcy. “Sir, my sister, is indeed here at the assembly.” She turned her head and saw that Jane was with her mother and other sisters. Feeling trepidation, she waved them all to her side.
She noticed that Jane’s perpetual smile was marred by the slight downward slant of her eyebrows. For Jane to indicate even the tiniest amount of disapprobation was tantamount to a severe scolding; Jane knew very well that they had never been introduced to Mr Darcy.
Jane reached them first; Elizabeth felt a bit of relief that her mother was struggling to herd all three of their sisters towards the men.
Mr Darcy said, “Miss Bennet, I am glad to see you again. I imagine it has been five or six years since we met.”
“Five years and two months, sir,” Jane responded as she dipped a perfect curtsey.
Sir William bounced happily and said, “Ah, so you also know Miss Bennet, the brightest jewel of the county.” It was so common that Elizabeth heard elaborate praise for her elder sister, even comparative praise like this, which made clear to all that Jane was prettier, sweeter, better in every way than other ladies, including Elizabeth. It generally did not hurt her feelings because it was so very true. Jane was at least ten times more beautiful and a hundred times better mannered.
This time, however, Elizabeth felt a pang. She knew that Mr Darcy would not call on her—but she felt a sudden panic about the possibility of having to watch Mr Darcy court Jane.
Mr Darcy shot a glare at Sir William. “I believe that Miss Elizabeth is also a treasure beyond compare,” he said in a low voice. Elizabeth was astonished at such a statement.
“Oh, yes, indeed! Of course, of course.” Sir William was very affable, and Elizabeth bit her lip as she saw how concerned he was that he had misspoken. “Two brightest jewels of the county,” he said just as Elizabeth’s mother and sisters finally reached the group.
Mr Darcy raised his eyes up, as if he was invoking divine intervention, but it was Mr Bingley who said, easily, “I believe it is fair to say that Hertfordshire is full of bright jewels, many of whom we see before us tonight!”
“Yes! Yes, many bright jewels!” Sir William said before he rushed off to greet someone else.
Elizabeth introduced Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley to the rest of her sisters and her mother.
“Miss Bennet, would you do me the honour of dancing the first with me?” Mr Bingley asked.
“I will.”
Mr Darcy asked Jane for her second set, and he swept slightly widened eyes past Kitty and Lydia before he asked Mary for the third set. He may have asked her youngest sisters, but just then the first two notes of music sounded, calling on the dancers to gather. Mr Darcy offered Elizabeth his arm, and he led her to the couples lining up and took his place opposite her. His gaze remained locked onto her face as they waited for the dance to begin.
It was hard to breathe with Mr Darcy’s intense gaze directed at her. She forced herself to remain calm and said, “I have heard that Mr Bingley is leasing Netherfield Park. Are you his guest?”
Mr Darcy nodded and, the next time they were close enough to communicate in whispers, he informed her that he had come to teach his younger friend about being master of an estate. “I will endeavour to teach him in two months what I learnt in two decades,” he murmured.
“Oh my.” Elizabeth could not help but smile over the heavy task.
He smiled back at her. She could barely breathe again, the beauty of his rare smile so greatly affected her.
She gathered her wits and asked, “How is Georgiana? Is she with you at Netherfield? We have not heard from her since your trip to the Lake District.”
“She is well, I thank you, but she did not come with me. She is with her governess at Pemberley.”
Elizabeth nodded. “We will each have to write to her of the very great coincidence that you find yourself in the closest estate to Longbourn. She will be astonished!”
“And, I fear, vexed.” Mr Darcy shrugged his eyebrows a bit and asked, “Have you and your family been able to travel since we met you at Ramsgate?”
