John went, looking forward to a night of whist. He enjoyed all kinds of card games, but whist was his favorite. It was seldom played in pubs, because it took a long time and a great deal of concentration, so John took every opportunity that came his way to attend card parties.
For some reason, Mrs. Bennet paired him up with her daughter first. Perhaps she was putting her child forward hoping for the slim chance that Miss Bennet would catch his eye. Perhaps it was simply chance.
John did not care either way. The entire time he had been in Hertfordshire, he had not experienced a game quite like the one he had shared with her at Lucas Lodge. As he settled into his chair, he watched Miss Bennet’s expressionless face. He couldn’t keep a tiny smile from moving the corners of his mouth.
He was looking forward to this a great deal.
As they settled into the game, once again Miss Bennet turned out to be an excellent partner. They were not graced with quite as much good luck as they had during the previous game, but even so, their combined wits kept them from falling too far behind.
As the game progressed, he noticed that she studied his face carefully at times. He thought that perhaps she was looking for hints about what cards he held. He knew himself to be relatively unexpressive, however, so he wondered if she was gleaning any useful information.
Based on her gameplay, she must have gained some information, but it did not help them win. In the end, despite excellent gameplay from both of them, the cards simply weren’t in their favor, and they ended up losing.
“That was an excellent game, Miss Bennet,” he said as they stood up from the table.
“You are too kind, sir,” she said. “I apologize that we did not win.”
He waved her comment away. “There is no need for that,” he said. “As far as I can tell you made no mistakes. Nor did I.The cards simply were not in our favor, and our opponents were skilled enough to take advantage of that fact.”
“Yes,” said Miss Bennet. “My aunt and uncle are quite avid players, especially my aunt.”
“Ah, I did not realize we were playing against your relatives,” said John.
“Mrs. Phillips is my mother’s sister,” she said. “Her favorite pastime is whist, but she cannot always find opponents who offer her a challenge. To be honest, she sometimes has trouble finding enough players to play at all. It is due to her that I first learned the game.”
“I assume in her rapacity for whist players, she forced you to learn the game simply so she had someone to play with,” said John. He could feel a slight tilt to one side of his mouth.
Miss Bennet’s eyes twinkled with humor, but her expression remained flat. “It is as you say. I was not truly given a choice in the matter. However, I do not regret it. I have come to appreciate the game for myself.”
They spoke about the game for several minutes, reviewing good moves and lamenting poor luck. Before John realized it, enough time had passed that new tables were beginning to form.
“I wonder if you would be so kind as to partner me once again for the next round,” said John.
He expected her to agree readily, but she hesitated. Before she answered, she seemed to study his face carefully. John could not fathom what she was searching for, but he waited patiently.
“I think I would enjoy that a great deal,” said Miss Bennet.
John couldn’t keep a smile from appearing on his face. “Thank you, Miss Bennet. I am certain you shall not regret it.Now that we have rid ourselves of all our bad luck, we are certain to win the next game.”
Her lips tipped up slightly at the corners as if she was suppressing a smile. “I do not think that is how luck operates,” she said.
Though John knew her to be correct, it turned out that they did, indeed, win the next game.
~~~~~
Mary was struggling and did not know what to do. Always before, whenever she had fallen in love or felt attraction, she had been able to remove it relatively quickly. But with Mr. Porter, she couldn’t seem to do so. She could not even weaken his hold on her. Rather, it seemed to grow stronger with every meeting.
She began to suspect that the real reason she had been able to so easily remove her affection for other men was because the men in question had given her nothing, no attention, no looks, seldom even a friendly greeting. Her love had always been a distant sort of thing, unilateral and shallow.
Every time she had met with Mr. Porter, however, he interacted with her the same as he did with anyone else. If she hadn’t known that her wishful thinking must be playing tricks on her, she would assume that he genuinely enjoyed her company.
She did not assume that he had any affection for her. Even in her delusion, she could not imagine such a thing. Rather, she thought that he might think of her as he did the gentlemen he tended to play cards with, as a friend and possibly a good partner. After last night’s card party, she could not deny that they made a good team at whist.
Thinking of the two games they shared, Mary felt heat grow in her cheeks. She remembered how very appealing Mr. Porter was as he focused on his cards and on the cards everyone else played. She remembered the hint of a smile he would get when she played a particularly clever card or when he spotted an opportunity.
Though most people might consider his face to be nearly expressionless, Mary could discern his shifting emotions by slight shifts in his mouth or by subtle lightening or darkening of his eyes.
It was all intensely fascinating. He was fascinating, and how Mary felt about him was fascinating. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was absolutely certain to end in heartbreak when he left the neighborhood at the end of his lease, Mary would be entirely happy to be in this state simply because it was new.
