“Bingley tells me your family are well. I am glad to hear it. I am sure your parents and sisters are missing you, yet Mrs Bingley would greatly regret not having you with her.”
“That is very true,” Jane said.
“We both would! I am fortunate in having her as my sister,” Bingley added.
The look Mr Darcy gave her seemed to say that he also valued her company. It was too much; Elizabeth did not know how to act, and so she mentioned a desire to speak to another guest, gave her sister’s arm a gentle squeeze to indicate she was well, and went to join a group of several ladies. They were discussing spring clothing fashions, which was not a subject to truly engage Elizabeth’s attention, but she did her best to participate. She wanted these women to like her, and especially to like Jane. They were part of her sister’s new society; Elizabeth was merely a visitor. Had Mr Darcy and she married, she would currently be taking her place as an equal amongst these ladies, but she remained simply Miss Bennet.
There was music after tea, and when their hostess asked who would like to perform, Bingley suggested Elizabeth.
“My sister-in-law is a delightful pianoforte player, and she has a lovely voice. Lizzy, you would not object to giving us a song, would you?”
“You are the kindest of brothers, but I am afraid you give a false impression of my skills,” she said. “I doubt anyone here would find my humble offering especially remarkable, but I shall gladly make the attempt.”
Elizabeth took her place at the pianoforte and, after a moment of consideration, decided on a Scotch air she was confident she could play without making any noticeable errors. She was some way through the song when, whether inadvertently or not, her eyes were caught by Mr Darcy’s appearance.He leant against the wall near the fireplace, perhaps a dozen feet away, and watched her. His countenance—the softness around his eyes and his smile, oh,thatsmile—threw her back in time to Derbyshire. She had seen him look at her with just such an expression before, dating at least to when they were in Kent. The first evening she and the Gardiners had dined at Pemberley, she had finally understood what it meant: it told her he loved her. Whenever she saw it, her heart answered in kind, filling her with warmth and a sense of contentment and completeness as deep as an ocean. But at present, what could it mean?
Notthatsurely, and dear Lord, please do not let me feel?—
But it was too late. A torrent of sentiment flowed through her, like water filling an empty riverbed when an obstruction is removed. All the affection and admiration she had for him when they were together the previous summer and early autumn came rushing back. There was no preventing the flood.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Elizabeth did not confide her feelings to Jane. Why disrupt her sister’s happiness when there was nothing she could do to alter what she was experiencing? Somehow, she would convince herself to stop loving Mr Darcy, to forget her good impression of him and remember all the reasons she hadnotto admire him. Time would be her cure, and to assist it, she would avoid the gentleman as much as possible.
Not long after the dinner party, the Bingleys and Elizabeth attended a ball hosted by a young couple Bingley had known for some years, the Frys. They lived in a beautiful house in Berkeley Square, which, Mrs Fry told Elizabeth, had been completely renovated following their marriage two years ago. That accounted for the interior, which was done in the latest fashion. There were many guests crowding the rooms, and Elizabeth revelled in the busyness, immersing herself in activity and meeting new people.
Mrs Fry was a generous hostess, and she and Jane wereclearly forming a friendship. Between the lady, her husband, and Bingley, they ensured Jane and Elizabeth were introduced to many of their friends. Elizabeth was asked to dance by several gentlemen, and before long, she was enjoying herself more than she had anticipated.
At the end of one set, her dance partner introduced her to a lady of about her own age named Miss Rebecca Reed. He explained that Elizabeth was new to town, soon leaving the ladies to themselves when he spotted one of his acquaintances.
“Have you been to town before? Why have you chosen to come this year?” Miss Reed asked. Her cheeks flushed. “Oh, I beg your pardon. That sounded terribly rude, did it not? I have a bad habit of blurting out whatever comes to mind.”
Elizabeth smiled. “My sister is lately married to Mr Charles Bingley, and they invited me to stay with them.”
Miss Reed’s eyes widened. “Mr Bingley?”
“Do you know him?”
“I met him several years ago. My cousin and he are friends. You might have heard Mr Bingley mention him. Mr Darcy, from Derbyshire.”
Elizabeth’s mouth went dry. “Mr Darcy? Yes, he, um, that is to say we have met. He stayed at the estate Mr Bingley let in Hertfordshire, which is only a few miles from my home. It is where he and my sister met.”
The news struck the two ladies very differently. Elizabeth regretted that Miss Reed, who had seemed like a possible friend, was connected to Mr Darcy, but Miss Reed grinned and launched into a speech about coincidences.
Why should I not be friends with her, just because she and Mr Darcy are cousins?There was something enchanting about Miss Reed. She seemed guileless, and Elizabeth was drawn toher—perhaps because she still felt the sting of being deceived by Mr Darcy.
They were sharing information about Meryton and the region of Norfolk where Miss Reed’s father’s estate was located, when a handsome, well-dressed gentleman walked up to them.
“Miss Reed, how absolutely wonderful to see you this evening. You look especially captivating in that gown, as I believe I told you last month at the theatre.”
Miss Reed sighed, though Elizabeth thought it was exaggerated.
“You know I never believe a single one of your compliments. I do not know why you waste your breath saying them,” Miss Reed said.
He grinned. “I intend to convince you of my sincerity. It is all part of my plot. Do not ask what my goal is unless you are prepared for the truth. Yououghtto know, but I am sure you tell yourself you do not. Will you introduce me to your friend?”
Turning to Elizabeth, Miss Reed said, “I am so sorry! I have been neglecting you. It is this man. His nonsense is always so distracting. Miss Bennet, may I present Viscount Bramwell. Lord Bramwell, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet. She has only lately come to town. Her sister is Mr Bingley’s new wife. You know whom I mean. Darcy’s friend.”
Elizabeth curtseyed and was surprised by the speculative expression on the viscount’s face. His head was tilted to one side, and the air around them seemed to grow more serious. Even Miss Reed apparently noticed; she furrowed her brow and shifted her gaze from one to the other.
