For much of the evening, Elizabeth was fairly successful at ignoring the newcomers, though she did notice that Kitty danced with Mr. Darcy during the third set. Since Elizabeth was fairly popular as a dance partner, she was engaged to dance all but two of the sets, so she had little attention to give to the rest of the room.
She was, therefore, taken completely by surprise when Jane came over to her as the third to last set was forming. She brought with her Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy and proceeded to make introductions. Apparently, Mr. Darcy had asked to be introduced to her.
Once introductions were complete, Jane and Mr. Bingley headed toward the dance floor to take their places.
“Miss Elizabeth,” he said, “I was hoping you were free for the next dance. If you are, would you be willing to join me?”
His voice was just as perfect as his face and figure, and for a moment, Elizabeth was tongue-tied, but she quickly pulled herself together. “I would be happy to,” she said.
He then offered her his arm as they went to join the dance. Their conversation was perfectly normal. He asked about the area, and she offered suggestions as to where the best places to ride were. The entire dance was taken up simply discussing landscapes and nature.
When they were done, Mr. Darcy bowed and left to speak to his sister and Kitty. Elizabeth watched the gentleman. It seemed Kitty was fairly comfortable in his company, which made sense since she had spent six weeks at his estate a couple of years ago.
For the first time in her life, jealousy raged in Elizabeth’s breast. Kitty would make a suitable match for Mr. Darcy. She was friends with Miss Darcy, and she had a fortune suitable to such a wealthy, well-connected man. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was no one, just the second daughter of an unknown country gentleman.
She knew she was being unreasonable. Kitty had certainly never sought to be wealthy, nor had she sought Miss Darcy’s company simply to attract Mr. Darcy. There was no reason to be jealous of her sister. Elizabeth was actually quite fond of Kitty. Still, she was only partly successful in tamping down her feelings.
In an effort to forget all about it, Elizabeth turned her back on Mr. Darcy, Miss Darcy, and Kitty. She did not wish to watch them any longer.
