Page 1 of Lord Lonbourn's Daughter
Chapter 1 Tittle-Tattle
“Have you heard, Darcy? According to the scandal sheets, the Earl of Longbourn is attending tonight’s ball.”
“I did not think you were that interested in reading the society pages, Bingley.”
“I am not, but you know my sisters. They have spoken about little else these last few days. You know, sharpening their claws since the earl is said to have several beautiful daughters. They abhor competition. If they can find a flaw it will be expounded and exaggerated to exhaustion.”
Darcy refrained from commenting on Bingley’s sisters. They were vicious when they found a victim to slay with their acerbic tongues. He even enjoyed joining them on occasion with a sardonic remark or two of his own—a harmless sport one needed to survive the tedious balls and soirees during an endless Season.
“The earl is rather eccentric and somewhat of a recluse. I wonder whether anyone has actually laid eyes on his allegedly handsome daughters. I did meet him once while I was studying at Cambridge. He was visiting one of my professors, but neither his daughters nor his wife accompanied him. He seemed like a bookish sort of gentleman to me. As I understand it, he hadnot expected to inherit the earldom, but his uncle and cousin perished in a tragic fire at Longbourn Castle. I wonder whether it is all conjecture. It could be fabricated by a jaded journalist with nothing better to do than to invent a story because there is no real gossip to be had.”
“You seem to have given this conundrum a lot of thought, Darcy, but you must admit, there is no such thing as a Season devoid of scandals and intrigue. There are actual events to choose from if the scandal itself is the purpose.”
“I am as weary as the journalist. Would it be rude if we wandered down the hall to find the billiard table?” Darcy drawled.
“Yes!” Bingley cried.
“The din is so loud in here I cannot hear my own thoughts,” Darcy continued to complain.
“That is because someone has just arrived. Is it the Earl of Longbourn?” Bingley rose onto his toes to get a better view.
Darcy lifted his eyes from the floor he had been studying while trying not to meet any of the simpering maidens’ gazes—or worse, their mothers’. He had a few inches on his friend and could easily see over the ladies’ heads. He was, as usual, surrounded by females who tended to flock around him wherever he went. For once he would like to choose his own dance partner, instead of being forced by thinly veiled hints and innuendo, not to forget coerced by his always meddling aunts. He spotted the newcomers effortlessly; it was not an entourage easily missed.
“No, it is the Prince of Wales.”
“Oh, I did not know the prince would be here.” It was the first time Bingley had attended a ball at which royalty was present.
“Neither did I. He must have been apprised that Lord Longbourn’s beautiful daughters were expected and have come to pick one of the non-existent damsels for his new mistress.”
“Good lord, you are pesky tonight, Darcy. Perhaps you should have stayed at home.”
“I wish!” Darcy exclaimed wistfully.
“Look! Is she not the most beautiful creature you have ever beheld?”
Bingley had the audacity to nudge him with an elbow in his ribcage. Darcy’s dark mood dropped further, and he briefly contemplated refusing to look in the direction his friend indicated. Only the fear of Bingley actually resorting to pointing a finger made him comply; he would not put it past him in a moment of exuberant exhilaration.
Darcy followed the line of Bingley’s sight, but he could not discern which, in the sea of ladies, Bingley had meant.
“Which one?” Darcy enquired. “Did you mean the short and dowdy looking brunette with her back turned towards us?”
“Dowdy?” Bingley gave him an incredulous look.
“Her gown is not much adorned, and her hair holds no diamond pins, which is a necessity according to my aunts.”
“Lift your eyes, Darcy, to the angel she is speaking to. Is she known to you? If she is, I would very much appreciate an introduction.”
“Ah, I see whom you mean now, but I am afraid she is not among my acquaintances.”
Bingley was a creature of habit. Theangelwas tall and willowy with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was beautiful andsmiled serenely. There was nothing wrong with her per se, but there was nothing special to draw you in either.
He could feel Bingley bouncing on his toes beside him. The man was as eager as a puppy yet with a sharp business acumen. They had formed a partnership of sorts where Bingley aided him in business matters and he introduced Bingley into society. In addition, Bingley fended off the ladies that Darcy had no interest in, which was more or less every unattached female in London. The ladies soon learnt to prefer Bingley’s company to his own, once they had come to know him a little. Not that he avoided every woman in attendance, but he liked to maintain certain standards when engaging with the fairer sex. She must be beautiful, accomplished, of excellent ancestry, and have a significant fortune. Not an extensive list of requirements, but they had yet to be fulfilled by any of the ladies he had met. Of course, some only lacked the impalpable quality he could not describe with mere words as he could find none that would explain it properly. This was unusual, as his vocabulary was by no means deficient; it contained an ample number of four-syllable words.
The impalpable was no frivolous matter; it was non-negotiable. In fact, all his requirements were. Until he met a lady who matched his description, he could not be tempted into so much as a morning call. But when he finally encountered her, he knew how to act—quickly and with determination, leaving no chance for any other gentleman to secure the future Mrs Darcy.
However, he was only seven-and-twenty. He had his whole life ahead of him; there was no rush.
Bingley never was introduced to any daughters of Lord Longbourn. As far as Darcy knew, they were not present.Bingley’s angel soon disappeared into the throng, and that was that.
