Chapter 9
It took two carriages to take them all to Meryton, but Stephen didn’t mind. In fact, he was grateful since he shared a ride with Darcy, Georgiana, and Mrs. Annesley. He liked Bingley well enough, and Hurst was inoffensive, but Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst were ladies of the type that Stephen despised, always pandering to him simply because of his title.
When they arrived at the simple assembly building, Stephen thought it pleasant enough for what it was, but he could see both Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst wrinkling their noses.
The group made their way into the main room where music was already playing, and neighbors were chatting. The music was the kind that was typically played in the background, not necessarily for dancing. Dancing music would come later.
Almost immediately upon their entry, Bingley was greeted enthusiastically by a gentleman in his fifties. He was bluff and energetic, clearly one of the friendliest men in the room. Bingley turned to his group and introduced them all to the gentleman whose name turned out to be Sir William Lucas.
Sir William proceeded to lead them around the room, attempting to introduce them to the main families, though Hurst quickly peeled away from the group, heading for the punch bowl.
After Sir William introduced the group to his own family, and Bingley dutifully asked Sir William’s eldest daughter for thefirst dance, Georgiana was accosted by a young lady who looked vaguely familiar.
The lady paid no attention to the gentlemen. Instead, she greeted Georgiana with a delighted smile and a hug. Within moments the two of them had separated from the group, heading for the chairs so they could sit and chat. Mrs. Annesley followed them to keep an eye on her charge.
Stephen leaned over to Darcy and asked quietly, “Who was that?”
“Miss Catherine Bennet,” he replied. “You met her a couple of years ago, though she was not out at the time.”
“Ah. Yes, I remember now,” said Stephen. “She is the young lady who does not wish to ever marry.”
“How on Earth would you know that?” asked Darcy.
“She told me herself one evening at dinner after I was exceptionally rude to her.” Stephen chuckled at the memory.
“Was that before or after you had promised to stop taking out your temper on my guests?”
With an unrepentant smile, Stephen said, “After.” Then he added, “You need not concern yourself. She did not seem to take offense at my churlishness.”
“If you say so,” said Darcy. “I am just glad to see Georgiana so happy. She has missed having friends nearby as she did at school, and she has missed Miss Bennet the most. She spent three days convincing me to let her come with me to Hertfordshire simply so she could spend time with her friend.”
“I can see that,” said Stephen. The two girls were chatting animatedly, seemingly indifferent to their surroundings.
By the time Sir William had completed his introductions, Stephen had asked three ladies to dance, and Darcy had askedtwo. Stephen was surprised since Darcy usually adamantly refused to dance with anyone he did not already know, but seeing Georgiana’s happiness seemed to have mellowed him out a bit.
As for Stephen’s choice, he had chosen his dance partners nearly at random. He had no interest in any lady here, simply because he had no interest in any lady at all, but he did think it would be incredibly boring to spend the entire evening skulking in the shadows. So, he selected a few ladies who seemed to be in want of a partner. While he didn’t particularly care about any of them, he did make an effort to remember their names, since he would be in the neighborhood at least a month.
The evening proceeded as such evenings always do: dancing, light conversation that means nothing, much laughter, and a little drinking. The ladies he danced with, including some he asked later in the evening, varied between being awestruck and simpering, but Stephen put up with it simply for the enjoyment of the evening.
At one point, while Stephen was sitting out for a set, Darcy came up to him and said, “I believe I must thank you. It isn’t too often that I enter a ballroom where I am overlooked in favor of a greater prize. Your presence has taken some of the pressure off of me this evening, and I have been able to enjoy myself much more than I usually do at such events.”
“I know how you feel,” said Stephen feelingly. “Though I haven’t had to deal with it as much as you have, since I married young and haven’t socialized much since Matilda’s death. It has been more of an issue these past couple months though. Nevertheless, I am more than happy to take some of heat off of you. Besides, they will all realize soon enough that I have no intention of falling in love or marrying. Once that happens, I am certain you will be the next fish to feel the teeth of the sharks.”
“Perhaps,” said Darcy. “Possibly not. I have heard just as many whispers of admiration for Bingley as I have for either you or me. His friendly openness appeals much more to most ladies than my taciturn ways or your slightly angry mien.”
Stephen was surprised to hear the last bit. He was always angry just below the surface, but he didn’t know that it showed in his face. Not wishing to think about it, though, he said, “Speaking of Bingley, it seems as though he has chosen his preferred lady.”
“It would seem so,” said Darcy. “It is imprudent to ask a lady for a second dance at the first event you meet, but I cannot fault his choice. She is quite lovely.”
Stephen wrinkled his nose briefly, but since Darcy was watching the dancers, it was not noticed. “She’s a bit too demure for me,” he said.
Darcy chuckled. “Without a doubt,” he said. “No lady as gentle as that would have a chance at bearing with your coarse and rude manners.”
“I am not the only one she doesn’t appeal to,” said Stehpen defensively. He had noticed Darcy’s gaze was no longer on Bingley and his partner but rather on a dark-haired young lady whose grace appeared to be holding in excess energy and whose eyes seemed to be holding in laughter.
“I suppose not,” said Darcy. “I believe I prefer ladies who are a bit livelier.”
Stephen watched the two ladies. Though they were very different in both looks and manner, there were some fundamental similarities between them that made him think they might be sisters or perhaps cousins. He racked his brain to remember all the introductions he endured at the beginning of the evening. He managed to pull out the information that, notonly were the two ladies sisters to each other, but they were also sisters to Georgiana’s friend Miss Catherine.
