Page 29 of Gold and Good Sense

“Very well, Mr. Darcy,” said Elizabeth. She held out her dance card. “My next to last dance is still available.”

As he signed the card, he said, “Thank you, Miss Elizabeth. I do look forward to it.”

When Mr. Darcy walked away, Elizabeth noticed that Jane was looking decidedly uncomfortable while speaking with a gentleman. Concerned for her sister, Elizabeth moved closer to them.

“I am sorry Mr. Bingley,” was the first thing Elizabeth was able to hear. “I simply cannot grant a second dance to anyone this evening. My sisters and I are still quite new to town, and it would send entirely the wrong message to our new neighbors and friends.”

Mr. Bingley’s expression bore a distinct resemblance to that of a puppy who has been told his owner does not have time to play with him.

“In that case, Miss Bennet,” said Mr. Bingley, “will you at least let me call on you sometime soon?”

“Of course you may,” said Jane. Though Jane’s voice was still pained as she spoke, Mr. Bingley’s expression cleared immediately.

“Then I look forward to such a time,” he said with a smile. Then he sauntered off.

Elizabeth moved to stand next to Jane and said, “It looks as though you may have already made a conquest.”

“A conquest is the last thing I wish for at the moment,” said Jane feelingly. “Do you know that Mr. Bingley is the fourth gentleman this evening that I have had the exact same conversation with? It is exhausting. Oh, how I wish Papa had not given in to Lady Esther’s request that we be allowed to come here.”

“You do not wish to meet gentlemen and dance?” asked Elizabeth.

“I do not wish to be pursued relentlessly by gentlemen who know nothing about me,” said Jane.

“I suppose I can understand that to a degree,” said Elizabeth. “Even so, it wouldn’t hurt to take this opportunity to get to know them and allow them to get to know you. You never know. Perhaps, upon closer acquaintance, you might actually fall in love.”

“I suppose that is true,” said Jane, though her resigned sigh belied her words. “At least Mr. Bingley was not so forceful and arrogant as the other three gentlemen. He does seem to be genuinely kind.”

“Have you met his sister, Miss Bingley, yet?” asked Elizabeth.

“Yes,” replied Jane. “In fact, I quite liked her. She has a lively way of speaking, and quite the sense of humor when she relates a little anecdote.”

“I quite liked her as well,” said Elizabeth. “At least with other young ladies, we need not worry about whether their primary motivation in getting to know us is our wealth.”

Chapter 15

Elizabeth’s dance with Mr. Darcy was not something she was looking forward to, but when he came forward to escort her to the dance floor, she accepted his arm with grace.

Once the dance began, she waited for him to begin the conversation. Surprisingly, she didn’t have to wait long.

“I understand that you and your sisters do not often come to London,” he said. “Are you enjoying your time here?”

“We are, indeed,” said Elizabeth. “At least I am. I’m afraid Jane feels a bit overwhelmed, and Mary would prefer to be at home studying. Even with the drawbacks, however, London is far more interesting than Meryton.”

“I thought the name of your village was Longbourn,” said Mr. Darcy.

“It is,” said Elizabeth, “however, there is a small market town not one mile from our home. That is Meryton. My sisters and I usually find an excuse to make our way there multiple times most weeks.”

“I see,” said Mr. Darcy. “I imagine that here in London you find a wider range of people to get to know. Small towns such as you describe often end up feeling rather confined and unvarying, do they not?”

“I suppose that is accurate to a degree,” said Elizabeth. “People are always so prone to change, however, that I cannot say I find them boring.”

“It was not my intention to imply that it must be boring,” said Mr. Darcy. “Rather, I had noticed that you take pleasure in getting to know people. I had only assumed that London must provide more fodder for such a hobby.”

Elizabeth laughed out loud at such a summary of her character. “While that may be accurate, it hardly paints me in a favorable light. You make me out to be a cold-hearted observer of human nature rather than a warm, feeling young lady.”

Secretly, she thought the former description applied to Mr. Darcy far more than it applied to herself, but she refrained from going so far as to say so aloud.

“On the contrary,” said Mr. Darcy. “It is obvious to anyone who knows you that you are as friendly and caring a young lady as one is likely to find anywhere.”