Page 31 of Gold and Good Sense

Elizabeth was certain he could not win her own heart. His personality seemed a bit too flighty for her taste. Besides, she had never been particularly partial to blonde curls on a full-grown man. However, it seemed entirely possible that he was capable of winning Jane’s heart.

“Tell me, Mr. Darcy, have you learned anything interesting to share in the ages since we last saw each other?” she asked, trying to move the conversation into more conventional waters.

It was not to be. “Ages?” asked Miss Bingley. “It hasn’t even been twelve hours since we were all at a ball together.”

Elizabeth was torn between wanting to ignore the young lady and feeling the need to shake some sense into her. She said flatly, “It was a deliberate exaggeration for comedic effect. I apologize if it was too esoteric for common understanding.”

By the way Mr. Darcy’s eyes twinkled, it was clear that either he enjoyed her little joke or he was enjoying seeing Elizabeth and Miss Bingley at odds with each other.

Though she hadn’t understood the previous joke, it was clear that Miss Bingley fully understood the implied insult to her intelligence. Her face grew sour. Before she could say anything, however, Mr. Darcy said, “In fact, I have learned something new since our dance. Did you happen to read the article in the paper this morning that told of Napoleon’s latest antics in Spain?”

With a sigh of relief, Elizabeth grasped onto this new topic with both hands. She had read the article, and it provided fodder for a full twenty minutes of conversation, though that conversation was not nearly as smooth as their previous ones had been. Miss Bingley did not always understand what they were saying, and she often interrupted at the most awkward times with questions which confused the topic.

Even so, when the small party took their leave, Elizabeth was once again sorry to see Mr. Darcy go.

Chapter 16

Elizabeth had hoped to speak with Jane about her experience with Mr. Bingley, but she did not have the chance. The very moment their guests were gone, a new group of guests was announced. This group consisted of three gentlemen, two of whom were here to see Jane, and one to see Elizabeth.

The gentleman Elizabeth was speaking with was one of the more pleasant gentlemen she had danced with at the ball, so she was not displeased. Jane, however, seemed far less animated than she had been while speaking with Mr. Bingley.

When this group of gentlemen left, Lady Esther said, “I must warn you, my dears, that all three of those young men are in rather dire financial straits.”

Elizabeth said, “I would never have guessed such from his open and friendly manners.” At the same time, however, she saw Jane sigh in relief. She must not have liked her callers very much.

“Mr. Littleton is indeed a charming young man,” said Lady Esther. “It is entirely likely that he genuinely enjoys your company as well. In fact, I don’t necessarily assume his primary interest is your fortune. I only warn you of the fact because it means that he doesn’t handle his money particularly well, which could bode ill for your long-term happiness.”

Lady Esther then turned to Jane. “As for your young men, they likely are fortune hunters. Unless you strongly object, I will recommend that your father prevent them from calling here in the future.”

“I do not object,” said Jane.

“Of course, that does not apply to Mr. Bingley or Mr. Darcy,” said Lady Esther. “The two of them have practically perfect reputations. Neither is in debt. Neither drinks to excess. Neither is known for any form of cruelty or temper. The only unpleasant thing I’ve ever heard about either of them is that Mr. Darcy is occasionally cold and rude, especially to overly forward young ladies, but in his private life, he is apparently kindness itself. If you wish to get married, it is likely you will not find better men than them.”

Given how much Jane had enjoyed Mr. Bingley’s company both last night and this morning, Elizabeth expected her sister to smile or at the very least to be relieved to hear such praise, but Jane’s expression did not change, nor did she say anything.

Elizabeth said, “I am glad to hear it. Not that I am considering matrimony. I fully agree with our father that we would be best served if we wait for some time before considering such a step. I am only glad to know that there are good men in the world.”

~~~~~

With such a successful debut into London society, it did not take long for the Bennet sisters’ schedules to gradually fill up, so much so that Mary began to complain about the lack of opportunity to study. Jane, too, began to lose some of her sparkle, and if she had been any less kind, Elizabeth was certain she would have complained.

Elizabeth, however, had never enjoyed herself more.

Every ball, every party, every soiree presented opportunities to make new friends and observe existing ones. Each time, she found much to muse over and much to enjoy. She had inherited her father’s sense of the absurd, and while she never openly mocked anyone, she took a keen internal delight at noticing the follies and inconsistencies of those around her.

She noticed when the eldest Miss Smith deliberately tripped herself in such a way that Lord Morton was forced to catch her. She noticed when Colonel Fitzroy claimed to be the best hunter in all of England when everyone knew he couldn’t keep his seat on a galloping horse for more than half a minute.

She very much noticed when the cat escaped from the scullery during Lady Ponder’s soiree. Though many ladies complained that such a mongrel was loose, those same ladies were seen giving the cat bits of their salmon tarts before the footman finally took the creature away.

Additionally, there were several among her acquaintance who were increasingly interesting to talk with. Among these was Mr. Darcy. Though he still had bouts of silence where he couldn’t seem to think of anything to speak of, when he did speak, he inevitably held her attention captive.

Elizabeth was vaguely aware that it wasn’t just his words which held her attention. His dark, intense gaze and his very handsome features weren’t exactly unpleasant, and the way his lips moved when he spoke occasionally sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.

Even so, she had no intention of singling him out. There were other gentlemen whose conversation was just as pleasant and who were nearly as handsome as Mr. Darcy. Besides, despite her growing popularity, Elizabeth was determined to follow her initial determination of waiting for at least a few years before considering matrimony.

Over the following month, Mr. Bingley continued to call on Jane multiple times each week, nearly every day that they stayed at home in the morning. Sometimes, Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley joined him, and sometimes he arrived alone, but every time he managed to hold Jane’s attention captive.

Miss Bingley was a mystery to Elizabeth. Any time Mr. Darcy accompanied Mr. Bingley to the Bennets’ home, she was there by his side, but she never came on her own or with only her brother. While there, she made it a point to interrupt and disrupt the flow of Elizabeth’s conversation with Mr. Darcy as much as possible.