Page 6 of To Go Against Her Heart
“I am assured you will not find such beautiful partners to dance with anywhere else,” Sir William added, and Mr. Darcy merely nodded.
He watched Mr. Bingley immediately take his side by Miss Bennet andfound her quite equal to the account his friend had given of her beauty. He was curious about the other sisters, having been introduced only to Miss Bennet and Miss Mary. The youngest sisters were already dancing, and Miss Elizabeth had stationed herself at the other end of the room, away from the crowd.
Mr. Bingley immediately requested Jane to dance with him, and Darcy eyed many young women seated waiting for a partner. The last thing he wanted was to dance with someone he was not acquainted with. Without choice, he stayed with Miss Bingley and the Hursts. Sir William refused to leave them alone andwalked along, introducing them to his friends. Miss Bingley had expected Darcy to request her for a dance and grew impatient in waiting and at last felt compelled to relinquish her hope and left to dance with Mr. Hurst.
Upon her leaving, Darcy breathed a quiet sigh of relief and stood near Sir William, wondering how he might escape the gentleman, who seemed to have directed all his attention toward Darcy.
“As I was saying, Mr. Darcy, though our gathering here might be humble according to your standards, I assure you that you will be well entertained as the evening progresses. The arrival of Mr. Bingley has greatly livened our society, and we have found much enjoyment in shooting with him. I hope you may be persuaded to join us tomorrow. I have heard much about your grand estate in Derbyshire from your friend, though I have not traveled so far north. Still, I delight in annual excursions to Bath with my family, and next year, I plan on spending a few months in Ramsgate. Have you ever been there?” he asked to Darcy’s horror.
“No, I have not had the pleasure; kindly excuse me,” Darcy said, walking away from him, his mind forced to relive the ghastly ordeal he had fought so hard to erase. As much as he knew that it was not Sir William’s fault for ruining his evening, he questioned whether he should have stayed at Netherfield, taking a few hours of peace for himself. He tried desperately to block visions of Georgiana pleading with him to accept her union with Wickham. It had taken him a great deal of patience that day to make his innocent sister understand Wickham’s true character. He now stood, lost in thought, watching the couples enjoy the dance, when he was soon approached by Mr. Bingley, who had observed him standing alone.
“Darcy, I will not have you stand here in this stupid manner. Come and dance; there are plenty of pretty girls waiting for a partner,” Mr. Bingley pressed.
“I suggest you leave me alone at the moment. I am not in the mood to dance.”
“Why not? Do you expect to stand here all evening looking so lost? I will not allow it. Look, there is one of Miss Bennet’s sisters, and she is very agreeable, too. Why don’t you ask her?” Mr. Bingley said, looking in Elizabeth’s direction.
Vexed with his friend, Darcy glanced at Elizabeth, who sat alone.
“She is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me. I suggest you return to your partner and enjoy her smiles,” he said, not taking more than a second to look at Elizabeth.
Mr. Bingley was shocked to hear his words, as he had never witnessed his friend being uncivil, especially toward a woman. To his utter dismay, Elizabeth lifted her gaze and, without a moment’s warning, made her way toward them. As she approached, she nodded at Mr. Bingley, acknowledging him, and locked eyes with Darcy as a small, sarcastic smile played on her lips. To Darcy’s horror, she purposefully stared into his eyes challengingly and walked past them.
Confirming his worst fears, Mr. Bingley said,“I think she heard you, Darcy.”
Chapter 4
Afew hours later, both Darcy and Elizabeth sat in deepthought in their respective carriages as they returned home from the assembly.At first, Elizabeth knew not the gentleman who had slighted her; but before the evening ended, Sir William introduced his daughter and Elizabeth to Darcy.
She could sense his struggle and embarrassment during the introduction; Mr. Bingley looked troubled as he stood beside him. Elizabeth was not angry with Darcy as he meant nothing to her, but the fact that he insulted her so openly only made her dislike him.
She could not help but be amused by Darcy’s struggle during their brief encounter. Charlotte was aware of his insult and could not fathom why he had spoken so, for she now plainly saw the admiration in his gaze as he beheld Elizabeth.
As for Darcy, every second in her company was mere torture. He was appalled by his behavior and could not understand what made him say such a thing. Darcy was disgusted with himself as his comment was not merely uncivil but completely against the principles and values he upheld in life. Even with Miss Bingley, he had behaved with utmost civility, though she did not deserve such treatment. To insult a lady as he had insulted Elizabeth was beneath his standards, and he immediately pondered what his father might have said were he still alive. Now, the woman he had insulted so openly stood right before him; her expression was composed, but her eyes challenged and mocked him. Darcy found her to be uncommonly beautiful, not just in appearancebut in how she behaved in such an uncomfortable situation. He understood very well that his friend was ashamed of his actions, and he wanted to apologize to Elizabeth, but found no chance to do so as the Bennet family left soon after the introduction.
When he reached Netherfield, Darcy avoided Mr. Bingley and retired to his room.
I cannot believe I behaved this way; I must apologize to her.
In Longbourn, Jane was upset when Elizabeth related what had transpired during the evening.
“I cannot believe this, Lizzy. A man of such status to behave in such an unpardonable way. Did he speak with you after that?” she asked in shock.
“No, we were introduced just as our carriage was ordered. His behavior amuses me, but Mr. Bingley felt uncomfortable after the incident, and I felt sorry for him.”
“Mr. Darcy seemed very serious during our introduction, however, I did not find him ill-mannered. But I suppose I was wrong in my assumption; how could he say such a thing about you?”
“Why Jane, anyone can find me tolerable and not handsome enough to tempt them for a dance. You cannot hold someone in contempt for that,” she said with a laugh.
“Don’t act as though you are not hurt, Lizzy.”
“I didn’t even know that he existed until a few hours ago, and I assure you, his words do not affect me. However, I do dislike him, not because he insulted me, but because I would feel the same way if he had said it to another woman in the room. The man thinks we are all below his status as I could see his indifference to Sir William. He hardly conversed with anyone in the assembly throughout the evening, and I wonder what prompted his attendance. He is a complete contrast to his friend and how Mr. Bingley befriended such an ill-mannered man is indeed a mystery.”
“Well, he informed me that they met at Oxford, and Mr. Darcy was his senior, and they have been very good friends for more than five years now.Mr. Bingley spoke warmly of their friendship and informed me that Mr. Darcy had arrived to afford him assistance with the estate, intending shortly to return to town.”
“I hope he does, as he makes people around him uncomfortable.”
For the first time in many months, Elizabeth’s thoughts were occupied with something other than her own heartbreak as she retired for the night, and she wondered if she would meet Darcy again.
