“Oh, Lizzy, you are just jealous,” Lydia crowed. “’Tis my very first assembly, and my dance card is full.”
Kitty said, “That is no reason to boast since two of the dances are with me, and one is with Maria.”
The red embarrassment creeping up Lydia’s neck turned into spite. “Tell me, Lizzy, you have been in society for half a decade, and your prospects are worse than mine. Has anyone asked you to dance tonight?”
Refusing to rise to her sister’s bait, Elizabeth pinched the soft skin at the back of her youngest sister’s arm, leading her to a silent corner of the room. Like sheep, Kitty and Maria followed.
“Ouch!” Lydia rubbed the tender area.
“Behave,” Elizabeth cautioned.
“La! No one has asked you to dance, have they?” Lydia tossed her head back gaily. “I thought not. Instead, I suppose you will sit along the wall along with Charlotte, Mary, and Jane. I cannot imagine not having at least one offer of marriage by the end of my first year being out. If I were Jane at three and twenty or you at twenty, I would die of mortification at not being wed. Look where your restrained conduct has got you, Lizzy Bennet. Absolutely nowhere.”
Elizabeth said, “You are a fool with no sense of the damage you do from your unrestrained tongue and poor manners. Already, our neighbors shake their heads at you and Kitty. Do you not want a man to be proud of your character, to show you off to his peers?”
“What do you know, Lizzy? Nothing at all! Mama says I am the liveliest of her five daughters. I am also the tallest. I will be the first one to get married while Jane, Mary, Kitty, and you collect dust on the shelves with Charlotte.”
Maria Lucas huffed. “Take that back, Lydia. You should not speak such about Charlotte. She may be old, but she is kind.”
“You are cruel, Lydia.” Kitty stepped back from her sister. “Why should I not marry at the same time as you? We do everything together.”
Lydia’s chin shot up. “You are nothing compared to me, Kitty. Mama says so.”
Elizabeth stepped closer. Through gritted teeth, she hissed, “What you are is vain, ignorant, idle, and absolutely uncontrolled, far too immature to be out of the nursery.”
“Ha! You are jealous.” Lydia flounced off. Kitty followed.
Maria, a reticent adolescent who, like Kitty, was easily led, asked, “Lizzy, is it true that people laugh at us like you said?”
She sighed, wishing her father was there to see the damage his youngest daughters were causing. Attempting to send Lydia and Kitty home early would create a catastrophic scene. Rather than guaranteeing the spectacle that would surely arise, Elizabeth chose to continue monitoring them to minimize whatever damage they intended.
“Maria, since this is the first assembly that you and Lydia are attending, the two of you, along with Kitty, will set precedents with our neighbors, including the two gentlemen who just stepped into the room. Your name will be based on your attitude and actions tonight. Tell me, Maria, tomorrow when the ladies gather to discuss the event, do you think anyone will praise Lydia and Kitty for their fine conduct or you if they continue unrestrained and you associate with them?”
Shaking her head, Maria said, “I do not suppose they will. In fact, Mrs. Goulding will use her sharp tongue to berate all of us. Mrs. Long will titter behind her fan that we are ‘loose’ girls, and my mother will box my ears for running after your sisters. Only your mother will laud the amount of dances Kitty and Lydia had.”
“Everything you say is true. A lady’s reputation is a fragile thing, Maria. Once damaged, you can never fully repair a good name. Friends and families have long memories. Do you want to be labeled a silly girl?”
“I do not.” Marie dipped in a curtsey. “I shall go to Charlotte.”
Running her hand down Maria’s arm, Elizabeth clasped her hand. “Come, I shall join you before I need to temper my sisters’enthusiasm…again.”
After a few steps toward Jane and Charlotte, Maria tugged Elizabeth to a stop.
“It is unfair that you cannot enjoy the evening’s entertainment, Lizzy.”
She felt the truth of Maria’s innocent comment to her soul. The night had barely begun, and weariness settled over her like a dark cloak. Every lady, including her, looked forward to the public assemblies. The autumn gathering was always special since the joy of the incoming harvests lightened the hearts of each landowner and tenant. Her father’s attendance would have benefitted her sisters. If only her mother were a sensible woman. If only Kitty, Lydia, and even Mary, who was reading a book in the corner, stayed behind at Longbourn. Then Jane might make a good first impression on Mr. Bingley or his guest. No matter how much she wished, though, it was not to be.
She forced herself to give the appearance of calm, inhaling slowly.“You are a dear for saying so. But someone must be responsible. Tonight, it falls to me.”
6
Darcy wandered the edge of the gathering, stopping close to the drinks table. He did not intend to eavesdrop on the ladies’ conversation. Yet, he heard every word.
What is this? A female who understood the value of duty? Of honor? Of reputation? How singular. He studied her form. No one would ever consider her a diamond. Her beauty was not uncommon. Despite this, a force beyond his control drew his eyes back to her.What was it about her that caught his attention?Surely, it was not her gown, for even he knew it was a few seasons old, although the color brightened her cheeks and added sparkle to her eyes.
That was it! Her large, dark eyes twinkled in the candlelight.Lovely!
About Georgiana’s height, she possessed dark hair, high cheekbones, and a heart kind enough to correct the girls. His curiosity about her circumstances moved him to return to Bingley in conversation with a small group ofmen. Perhaps they knew the lady. For a certainty, as the master of Pemberley, he would never ask about an unmarried female, or gossips would have them at the altar before the evening’s assembly concluded. As Bingley repeatedly reminded him throughout the day, though, he was no longer the prey.
