Darcy added, speaking honestly, “I am not so unhappy now that Iamdancing as I expected to be.”
“Notsounhappy?” She giggled as though she’d been shocked by how he said that. “Sucha compliment I’ve never been given before. I am notso veryunhappy to dance with you either.”
Darcy frowned.
“Oh do not become offended,” she added. “I hate a gentleman who is too easily perturbed.”
The dance separated them, and Darcy was happy for the opportunity to regain his composure.
When they reunited, she immediately leapt upon a different subject. “You will have a delightful time at Netherfield. Charlie will be the best of hosts, sending you both out on entertaining adventures day after day, and forgetting everything of importance to comfort, while Caroline will ensure the whole house runs smoothly — she is quite skilled at ensuring things run smoothly.”
It was impossible for Darcy to not smile at that impression of his friend. “He promised hunting, billiards, and the occasional chance to read.”
“A chance to read! — not the CharlieIknow. But if you must you can always appeal to Caroline to bother him enough to give you a chance for solitude.”
Darcy frowned.
He would not, intentionally, appeal to Caroline for a thousand guineas gold.
Miss Elizabeth added, “Caroline was delighted when Bingley took the estate — she has longed to have a chance to actuallyusethose skills of management and decoration that were drilled into us at school.”
“Were they? I had never noticed schoolgirls to be particularly talented in any such direction.”
“Then they attended the wrong schools,” Miss Elizabeth said decidedly.
Darcy fell quiet, thinking of Georgiana, and the evident defects in her character and education. He had sent her to the most expensive education, to the best recommended school, with the best recommended fellow pupils, and… she had hated it, and promptly allowed herself to be seduced by a practiced rake upon leaving the school.
Miss Elizabeth did not interrupt his reverie.
It was odd to dance with a woman who did not force her nattering on him when he was in no sound mood to receive it, and to Darcy’s surprise, he found himself beginning to like this Miss Elizabeth.
Darcy at last said, “I do not approve of schools. Should I have a daughter, she shall wholly be raised at home where I can observe her closely at all times.”
“I like that notion.” The woman smiled at him. “But I hope you will be a sweet father. The way you look right now, you’d terrify the girl into eternal silence.”
Darcy grunted.
Pursed lips, shaken head, and Darcy gained the impression that, in contrast to his own opinion ofher, Miss Elizabeth rather disapproved of him. She then leapt into a story from her school days that took up the next several minutes, the chief point of which seemed to be to provide a chance to put Miss Bingley in a good light as the hero of the story who saved the weeping peasant child from the otherwise preordained consequences of his own stupidity, while not being bothered to an excess by the damage to her own dress.
Novel experience.
Darcy was fairly sure that rather than advancing her own cause with him, this woman seemed to be assiduously promoting the interest of her friend.
He rather approved of that, despite the fact that he approved of Miss Bingley in no way beyond the ordinary.
The story completed, conversation lapsed into silence, except for the music of the inferior local band. Alas, Darcyknewhe ought find a further topic of conversation, but nothing rose to thought.
Near the middle of the second dance of the set, she suddenly exclaimed, “And why are Jane and Charlie dancing togetheragain?” She wrinkled her nose. “I have no notion what they could be thinking.”
“She is the most beautiful woman in the room,” Darcy said offhandedly. “It is Mr. Bingley’s usual habit to dance twice with such a girl.”
“Charlie and Jane?No.” Then she laughed, her eyes lighting up delightfully. “Mr. Darcy, you do notsaythat to another woman. No, no, no — while I am dancing with you, I am to be the most beautiful in the room. Not anyone else.”
“Ah, my apologies.”
“No, no, no — you must make more effort thanthatif you wish my forgiveness.”
Even though her delighted eyes did not suggest any actual anger towards him, he felt quite uncomfortable. It was as though he was being laughed at. He had always hated such a sensation — but she was so… interesting. He found it hard to say anything in reply, while looking at the sparkling eyes.
