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On Sunday evening, long after William Darcy had left, Elizabeth’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen and saw Jane’s face, but before she could say so much as a hello, her sister nearly shouted into the phone.
“Guess what? Madness starts tomorrow night! I told Charles all about it, and he wants to go!”
Elizabeth groaned. Monday Night Madness was held every Monday night during the summer at a restaurant in Woods Hole. At ten o’clock, the tables were pushed aside to create a dance floor, strobe lights were turned on, and a DJ played music. Elizabeth hadn't been in years, but when they were younger, she, Jane, their younger sister Lydia, and Charlotte Luis—Elizabeth’s best friend since elementary school—lived for Monday nights.
“Come on, Lizzy, don't be a dud. Maybe Charlotte and Lydia will go, too.”
“I have to work Tuesday morning. Not all of us are on vacation, you know.”
“But you have to go! We can reminisce about the good old days.”
“Not all of those old days were good, remember?”
“I know, but it’s been years, and you've put all that stuff behind you,” Jane said quietly. “We can dance for a couple of hours, then you can go home and still get a decent night’s sleep. Please?”
Elizabeth knew her sister wouldn’t let up. “All right. I'll meet you there at ten.”
Jane whooped. “I'll call Lydia, you call Charlotte. See you then!”
* * *
Elizabeth was running late.After fixing herself dinner on Monday night, she’d stretched out on her couch to read before she had to get ready, and had promptly dozed off. When she woke, she was surprised to see it was after nine. Her first thought was to call Jane and cancel, but she felt a spike of guilt and decided to suck it up and go.
It was almost ten thirty by the time she finally found a parking spot, and after a brief wait in line, she walked in and tried to locate Jane and Charles in the crowd. Having no luck, she wandered toward the bar. The music was loud and the dance floor was mobbed, and she glanced around, trying to see through the throng of people.
She spied a few of her coworkers and made her way over to them to say hello, but kept searching for her sister. Her eyes finally lit on the top of Charles's head, and she headed in his direction. He was leaning against the wall with Jane standing in front of him, his arms wrapped around her waist. They were laughing, obviously people-watching and having a good time doing it.
“It's about time!” Jane called out when she spotted her sister.
“Sorry. I fell asleep on my couch! I think I’m getting old.” Elizabeth glanced around at the crowd. “Is Lydia here somewhere?”
Jane shook her head. “She already had plans. Where’s Charlotte?”
“She picked up an extra shift at the hospital.”
Moments later, an undergrad student who was interning at the reserve came over to say hello, and asked Elizabeth to dance. He led her to the floor, where they worked their way into the crowd and danced to a couple of songs. Her gaze occasionally traveled beyond him to the throngs of people surrounding the dance floor, and she was surprised when her eyes suddenly met William Darcy’s.
She looked away, but each time she happened to glance in his direction, he was always staring at her—and seemed to be scowling.He needs to lighten up.
* * *
Will stoodon the fringes of the dance floor, watching people gyrate, bump, and grind, feeling mildly appalled until he saw Elizabeth Bennet walking his way. His eyes quickly traveled over her bare shoulders before coming to rest on her bright green eyes.
“Hello, William,” she said over the music. “Having fun?”
He shook his head. “No. It's not exactly my type of place.”
She laughed. “Why am I not surprised? But youcouldask someone to dance. It looks like you would have plenty of willing partners to choose from.”
He glanced around and noticed that several women were watching them, and then it dawned on him.
Does she expect me to askherto dance?
“I wasn't hinting for you to ask me to dance, if that's what you're thinking,” she said, reading his mind. “I'm perfectly capable of finding a partner on my own—as you noticed. Is my dancing really that bad? Or is there something caught in my hair?”
He frowned, his eyes quickly perusing her dark hair. “Excuse me?”
