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Mary greeted her with a question about a German essay, Kitty wanted to know what gowns were fashionable in London, and Lydia inquired whether Mr. Darcy had any officers among his acquaintances. Elizabeth answered them in turn, relieved to find the familiar quarrels as energetic as ever. The younger girls were no longer children, but they had retained much of their childhood habit of speaking at once.

Before the assembly, Elizabeth spent a quiet morning with Jane while Lady Matlock attended a call upon an acquaintance. The younger girls had gone shopping with Mrs. Bennet, and the small parlour was peaceful for the first time since the visitors arrived. Jane brought tea herself, apologizing for the modest service until Elizabeth protested that she had not come from London to inspect the silver.

"I know," Jane said. "I only wish we could offer you the welcome you deserve."

"You have already given it," Elizabeth answered. "Do not mistake a large drawing room for affection. I learned the difference rather thoroughly when I left Longbourn."

Jane looked down. "I have sometimes wondered whether I ought to have done more to protect you."

"You wrote to Lord Matlock."

"But I waited until matters had become very distressing."

"You did something when I believed there was nothing to be done. I have never forgotten it."

Jane set the teapot aside, her eyes bright. "I was frightened that Mama would discover the letter. Then I was frightened he would not come."

"He came," Elizabeth said gently. "And because of you I found a home in which I am very happy."

For a while they spoke of the years since, of Mary's earnestness and Kitty's growing confidence, of Lydia's difficulty in accepting restraint, and of Mrs. Bennet's habit of comparing their present circumstances with Longbourn. Jane confessed that Charlotte had been kinder than anyone expected, sending vegetables from the garden and making certain the Bennet girls were welcome to visit at suitable times.

"It must be strange to see her as mistress there," Elizabeth said.

"It was at first. Now I think of her as Charlotte and not as the person who replaced us."

"That is generous of you."

"I should hope it is just. She did not create the entail."

Elizabeth smiled at her cousin's fairness. "You are wiser than half the gentlemen who lecture us upon duty."

Jane blushed. "I do not think so. I simply know that no one can make me happier by resenting another woman's good fortune."

Their conversation turned toward Bingley, whose arrival had filled the neighbourhood with expectation. Jane had not yet met him and had little patience with Mrs. Bennet's extravagant predictions.

"I should be glad of an agreeable acquaintance," Jane said. "But Mama has almost persuaded herself that a gentleman must decide upon marriage before asking a lady to dance."

"Then the assembly will be very efficient," Elizabeth replied. "All the necessary engagements may be arranged before the first set ends."

Jane laughed. "Promise me you will not tease him if he proves shy."

"I make no promises. But I shall try to remember that it is unkind to ask a gentleman whether he wishes to marry you before he knows your name."

When Mrs. Bennet returned, carrying a parcel of ribbons Lydia had insisted she could not live without, the brief calm came to an end. Mary complained that she wished to stay at home and read, while Kitty wanted to know whether a dress borrowed from Jane might be altered for her without damaging it. Elizabeth offered to help with the alteration, and the afternoon passed in a comfortable disorder of pins, laughter, and complaints. She was reminded of her own childhood, when the five girls had spent rainy days making unreasonable claims upon the same workbasket.

At one point Lydia asked whether Mr. Darcy was truly as wealthy as their mother declared.

"His character is of far greater interest to me," Elizabeth said.

"Then he must be wealthy indeed," Lydia answered. "For I have never known you so interested in anyone's character before."

Mary looked up from her book. "That is untrue. Elizabeth is interested in everyone. It is one of her most admirable and troublesome habits."

Elizabeth laughed and leaned over to kiss the top of Mary's head. Whatever the changes brought by time and fortune, her cousins could still make her feel as though the Longbourn schoolroom had never quite released them.

The assembly at Meryton occurred a few evenings later. Bingley attended with his sisters, his brother-in-law Mr. Hurst, and Darcy, who had consented to join them though he would rather have spent the entire evening beside Elizabeth. The Matlocks were present as guests of acquaintances, and Jane came with Mrs. Bennet and her sisters.

Bingley met Jane during the first set and asked her to dance the next. By the time they had completed it he had discovered that she was gentle, intelligent, and beautiful, and Jane had discovered that he listened with such evident pleasure that conversation required no effort.