He chuckled again, and the sound made her want to smile. She clamped down on her jaw to prevent it. She did not wish to give this man any encouragement.
“I would do a great deal to attract her attention,” he said, “but she is not the reason for my altered behavior. No. A few days ago, it was brought home to me in a rather forceful way that I had made a rather poor impression on the people here. I was accused of having no respect for anyone. This confused me, because at home I am regarded as being an excellent master and landlord. I respect the knowledge of those who work the land, and I respect the hard work of those who manage my home.
“What I eventually realized was that I did not lack respect for these people. Rather, I have become complaisant and selective in who I am comfortable associating with. I decided that it was time to be less comfortable and more sociable.”
Elizabeth had no earthly idea how to respond to such an explanation. She believed him. He was always so serious that she could not doubt him. Yet, she did not know what to say. “I see,” were the only words she could say.
“Now, Miss Elizabeth, I have answered your question,” he said. “Perhaps you can answer mine.”
“And what question is that?” she asked.
“Have you enjoyed your evening?” he asked, smiling very slightly.
It was such a mundane question, hardly deserving of being asked once, much less twice. The ridiculousness of him insisting that she answer it combined with the tension that had been building within her all evening. She suddenly burst out laughing.
She knew she was attracting attention with her display, but she hardly cared. When her laughter abated, she said, “It has been mixed, I’m afraid. I always enjoy being with my friends and neighbors, but there is one person here who has puzzled me greatly. Since I could not make him out, my enjoyment was slightly muted.”
“I apologize,” he said. “I would never wish to take enjoyment from you.”
Elizabeth sighed, letting go of any tension that remained after her bout of laughter. Then she waved one hand as if shooing away a fly. “There is no need to apologize for that,” she said. “You have pleased my neighbors a great deal with your manners tonight. I can hardly reprimand you for that.”
“I see,” he said. Apparently, it was his turn to not know what to say.
“I have been wondering how you managed to come by an invitation so soon after returning to the neighborhood,” said Elizabeth. “Not that you are unwelcome,” she hurried to add when she realized her words might be considered rude.
“After I left Longbourn this afternoon, I made my way to Lucas Lodge,” he said. “I wished to apologize to Sir William for any slight I may have given him in the past. Additionally, I requested his assistance in circulating among the local society so that I might have more opportunity to be in your company. He helped me acquire an invitation to this dinner party.”
“I find it odd that you would go out of your way to solicit an invitation so that you could be in my company simply for the purpose of ignoring me for hours on end,” said Elizabeth.
Secretly, she was flattered that he would make such an effort, but her overwhelming emotion was still confusion.
“I wished for you to see for yourself that my opinions and behaviors have changed,” he said. “If I simply declared that I was a changed man, you would doubt me, but if you saw it for yourself, you might find it easier to believe.”
Elizabeth thought this sounded as though he had made these changes only to gain her attention, but she did not say so. “Well, Mr. Darcy, I believe it is time to discuss something a little less emotionally fraught. Tell me about your sister. It was a delight to meet her today, though I did not get much opportunity to speak with her.”
Their conversation smoothed out after that. While Elizabeth still couldn’t say she was comfortable in Mr. Darcy’s presence, she did notice that he spoke well and conversed easily when he wished to. They chatted until the Bennets’ carriage was called.
For the entire drive home, Elizabeth’s mind held little else than the mysterious gentleman from Derbyshire.
Chapter 9
A few days after she first visited Longbourn, Georgiana finally met Miss Elizabeth’s youngest sisters. She had heard about them from both Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth, both of whom warned her that Miss Lydia and Miss Kitty were a bit too exuberant at times. Even Fitzwilliam had told her that they were not particularly desirable as friends.
All this made Georgiana want to meet them even more.
Ever since she had left school last May, she hadn’t had much in the way of friendly conversation. At first she had been separated even from her family when Mrs. Younge took her to Ramsgate. Lately, she had Lady Matlock nearby, but Georgiana’s aunt was often busy during the day. So, Georgiana was still mostly alone except for Mrs. Annesley.
At first, she had hoped to make a friend in Miss Elizabeth, but Fitzwilliam monopolized her attention completely. Miss Bennet was also mostly unavailable, because Mr. Masters seemed to want all of her attention. She had met Miss Mary briefly, but that young lady was seldom available when she visited Longbourn with her brother.
So, it was a relief to finally meet Miss Lydia and Miss Kitty.
The two of them were sitting at a table surrounded by piles of trimmings when she arrived at Longbourn with her brother.She couldn’t tell whether they were picking out ribbons for their gowns, trimming bonnets, or simply enjoying making a mess.
As soon as Georgiana entered the room, Miss Lydia jumped up and said, “Miss Darcy, do come and join us. We were just about to re-trim our bonnets, and I just know you could help us decide what is the best look.” Miss Lydia took her hand and practically pulled her across the room.
For a moment, Georgiana was a little frightened. They hadn’t even been introduced, and the only reason she knew which sister was which was because Fitzwilliam had told her that Miss Lydia had blond hair and Miss Kitty’s hair was light brown.
As she approached the table, however, her fears began to evaporate. Miss Kitty smiled at her, and she felt welcome. Wasn’t this what she had hoped for, to meet girls her age to talk to?
