Page 140 of Pride and Prejudice Resolutions

"By making them work for the privilege." He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial murmur. "You are too available, Miss Bingley. You attend every ball. You accept every invitation. You dance with anyone who asks. And they can sense desperation."

"I am not desperate."

"Then stop behaving as if you are. Scarcity creates value. If you refuse dances tonight, by tomorrow morning you will be the topic of conversation in every drawing room in Mayfair."

"They will say I am rude."

"They will say you are selective."

She studied him, her eyes searching his face for cracks in the logic. "And what of you, Colonel? Will you dance tonight?"

"No. I am your escort. I stand beside you and radiate menace at anyone foolish enough to approach."

"That sounds unutterably dull."

"It is essential."

"For whom?"

"For your reputation."

Miss Bingley opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. She glanced past him at the ballroom floor where couples were forming sets for the next dance. Her brother was already partnered with the blue-eyed angel, grinning like he had discovered the secret to eternal happiness.

"Very well." Her eyes were narrowed and her tone laced with scepticism. "I shall defer to your superior judgement, Colonel. Though I reserve the right to inform you when your strategy proves catastrophically flawed."

"I would expect nothing less."

They stood in silence for a moment, watching the dancers. The orchestra struck up a lively country dance. Bingley promptly trod on his partner's foot and apologised with such profuse mortification that the poor girl looked ready to flee.

"Your brother is a disaster," Richard observed.

"He is enthusiastic."

"He is a threat to women's slippers."

Miss Bingley's mouth twitched. "He means well."

"So does a puppy. It does not prevent it from urinating on the carpet."

A laugh escaped her before she could stop it, a quick, surprised sound that she immediately tried to smother behind her glove.

Richard glanced down at her, one eyebrow rising. "Was that amusement, Miss Bingley? I was under the impression you found me insufferable."

"I do," she said firmly. "But even insufferable men occasionally say funny things."

"How generous of you to acknowledge it."

"Do not let it inflate your already considerable arrogance, Colonel."

He grinned. "Too late."

They returned their attention to the ballroom. Richard catalogued the available men with a clinical eye, as a tactician assessing enemy forces.

"There." He nodded towards a tall gentleman in puce satin. "Lord Grimsby. Fifteen thousand a year, estate in Stafford, and a nose that could open letters."

Caroline followed his gaze. "Good Lord. It is rather prominent."

"It precedes him into rooms by a full minute. He once sneezed during a Parliamentary session and knocked over a candelabra."