It was late by the time the Bennet girls got home. Mr. Bennet had enjoyed his evening alone, spent reading in his office, savoring the peace and quiet that was rare with 5 daughters. That peace was shattered once Lydia raced into the room, followed closely by her sisters and finally, Mrs. Bennet. "The girls were the bells of the ball, especially Jane!" She told her husband excitedly, settling herself into the office as if she planned to stay awhile. Mr. Bennet sighed and set aside his book, mentally preparing himself to hear all the inane details of their evening.
Lydia and Catie giggled, flopping on the floor with all the grace of a baby giraffe. "Ugh, I ate so much! Look how fat I am!" Lydia puffed her flat stomach out dramatically, earning another giggle from her closest sister.
"Me and Lydia danced to every song," Catie said proudly.
Mrs. Bennet nodded, confirming that they did, indeed, dance to every song, or no it was meant for dancing. "Mr. Bingley seemed to enjoy Jane's company more than any other young lady there," she told her husband. "He danced twice with Jane, then once with Charlotte, which of course was out of pity, then with Jane again! Later he danced with Lizzie, but then guess what he did?"
He had heard enough. "Please, spare me the details of his every last dance! I wish he had sprained his ankle on the first dance if that meant I didn't have to hear about him anymore." Lizzie hid a smile at her father's exaggerated exasperation.
"And his sisters, such charming young ladies." Mrs. Bennet paid no attention to her husband's protests. "I wish you could have seen them, so lovely, and such snazzy dressers. Mrs. Hurst's purse must have cost a fortune."
Mr. Bennet was beginning to wish he had locked the office door. "No purses, dear, I'm begging you." He held up his hands in a silent prayer that God would strike him down and put him out of his misery.
That reminded Mrs. Bennet of something. "Oh, but that man Mr. Bingley brought with him, they call him Darcy. He's not worth the salt of our tears. He may be rich and handsome, but I declare there is not a more self-righteous, uptight man in the entire world. He even insulted poor sweet Lizzie!"
Her words finally struck on something that Mr. Bennet cared about. "Insulted my Lizzie, did he?" He laughed quietly, imagining the words Lizzie would have for any man that dared insult her.
"I'm not his biggest fan, either, so it doesn't matter," Lizzie added, brushing off the remaining sting of Darcy's comment.
Mrs. Bennet didn't let the man in question off the hook so easily. "I would, hands down, refuse him next time, if he asks you to dance," she said, crossing her arms.
That made Lizzie chuckle. "I'm sure I can safely promise to never dance with him, mom." She doubted he would ever have another chance to ask her, anyway.
Even though it was still stifling hot during the day, the nights had started to cool a bit. Charlie was taking full advantage of this, convincing everyone to sit on the screened-in porch as they wound down the evening. He enjoyed watching the lightning bugs flashing through the garden of his new home.
There was little peace and quiet, though, with his sisters around. "None of the country ladies caught your fancy, then, Darcy?" Caroline asked with a smirk. She had seen his dour expression all night, secretly pleased that the charms of the quiet country town hadn't swayed him.
"Not even the famous Jane Bennet?" Louisa added, cutting her eyes towards her brother.
Charlie glanced up at his sisters with a glare. "Well, I think they're the nicest people in the world. Some of the prettiest, too." The siblings smirked menacingly at each other.
Deciding to finally join the conversation, Darcy shook his head. "The oldest miss Bennet is, I admit, very pretty."
"Just 'very pretty'?" Charlie was incredulous. "Come on, Darce, she's an angel."
Darcy smirked at his friend. "I think she smiles too much."
The girls giggled delicately. "Come on now, Jane seems like a very sweet girl," Caroline said. "But her mother!"
Sighing and rolling his eyes, Charlie gave up.
"Though, I have heard that Lizzie Bennet is considered a great beauty around here," Caroline continued. "What do you think, Darcy?"
The question made Darcy distinctly uncomfortable, so he stood up and walked to the window. "I'd sooner call her mother witty," he said.
His comment was met with laughter from the girls. "Oh, Darcy, be nice," Caroline said playfully.
There was suddenly someone standing next to him at the window. "I'll never understand why you're bound and determined to see the bad in everyone," Charlie said, looking at his friend with concern.
"And I'll never understand why you try so hard to make everyone seem as good as you," Darcy responded, turning away. He wasn't in the mood for his friend's attempts to rectify the flaws in his character.
Charlie sighed, realizing that now wasn't the time. "Well, you won't make me think badly of Jane, at least."
His sisters had been listening intently to the private part of their conversation. "Definitely not," Caroline said, deciding to butt in. "I'll brave Darcy's disapproving stare and say she is very sweet, despite her somewhat unfortunate family situation. I would enjoy getting to know her better."
"Oh, yes," Louisa added, "I would like that. See, Darcy, we are not afraid of you."
Shaking his head, Darcy scowled. "I'd never have thought you were," he grumbled.
From the corner, Mr. Hurst woke himself up with a particularly large snore. "What's all this? Right, a damn stupid evening, after all." With that he got up and went off to bed, his wife following behind with a dramatic roll of her eyes.
The warm days made the girls lazy, and though they could have found something productive to do, instead the two oldest Bennet sisters had propped themselves up out by the creek, toes in the water. "He's everything I could ever want in a man, Lizzie," Jane fell back onto the mossy bank with a sigh. "Smart, kind, energetic… I've never met anyone like him."
"Very handsome, too, that's always a good thing." Lizzie laughed when Jane splashed her. "He does seem to like you. I guess that shows he has good judgment. You have my permission to like him. Lord knows you've made worse choices."
A bigger splash from Jane left Lizzie sputtering in amusement. "If only he had better taste in friends and family, though I suppose he can't help who he is related to," Lizzie added.
Jane sat up suddenly at that proclamation. "You didn't like them?" She asked her sister, worried.
Sensing that her sister was really concerned about her opinion, Lizzie tried to be nicer. "Well, they are definitely different than their brother," she said vaguely.
"Maybe at first," Jane responded, "But after a while, I thought they warmed up. Caroline is going to help her brother around the house. I'm sure they'll be very nice neighbors."
Lizzie grinned at her sister. "At least one of them," she said coyly.
Rolling her eyes, Jane stood up and brushed off her shorts. "I think you're wrong about them," she said boldly. "Even Darcy might get better with time."
"Oh, do you think he'll be in the mood to pay attention to young ladies who have been rejected by other men?" Lizzie asked, jumping up and clapping her hands excitedly.
Jane shook her head at her sister's dramatics. "It was very rude of him to say that," she said softly, worrying that Lizzie's feelings were hurt more than she let on.
Together they walked through the pasture back towards the house. "Sure, it was, a capital offense," Lizzie said, brushing it off. "It looks like Charlotte is here!" They could see their friend coming up the driveway as the came around the back of the house.
"Lizzie, Jane!" Charlotte called, breaking into a jog to meet up with the other two girls. "My dad has decided to have a party at the Lodge, I wanted to come to invite you both!" The three of them went inside to tell the rest of the family, knowing that such an invitation would not be rejected by any of the ladies in the family.
Lucas Lodge was set back into a grove of trees, a stately old house with ample room for entertaining. Mr. Lucas was known for his house parties, which often went on into the late hours of the night and were filled with food, drinks, and dancing. There was nothing in the world that Charlotte's father enjoyed more than to have their home filled to the brim with happy people.
The Bingley sisters found themselves cornered by Mr. Lucas early in the night. "I hope this is just the first of many evening y'all will spend here," he gushed, not realizing that they were desperate to escape. "As you can see, we are very relaxed around here, no need to worry about pretense and awkwardness."
A haughty nose was raised in response. "So I've noticed," Caroline said, failing to wiggle her way past the host. She was almost knocked down by a careless child in her haste to get away.
"Oh yes, he's quite well off." The unmistakable voice of Mrs. Bennet wafted over the ambient noise of the crowd. Caroline wondered if she were talking about Charles or Darcy. Neither option thrilled her. She spied one of the younger Bennet girls chatting with a group of unrefined young men across the room. "I dare say he danced almost every song with Jane. It really seemed like he couldn't get enough of her." It seemed like Caroline couldn't escape that woman's shrill gloating. She inched toward the bathroom in hopes that she could get a break from the unruly crowd.
Mrs. Lucas was busy playing her role as dutiful hostess, making sure that everyone was having a pleasant time. "So, Mr. Forster, are you enjoying your time here in the Tennessee Valley?" She asked the older gentleman that she'd stopped to speak with. He was standing with his wife and Mrs. Bennet, who had been talking with the couple.
The man smiled at Mrs. Lucas. "Very much so, ma'am, and even more this evening. I'm afraid the locals don't always take so kindly to us when we come to town." Mr. Forster had been sent to the area by the government as part of a team of workers who specialized in building and maintaining infrastructure. Many local people thought the engineers and builders were taking valuable jobs from town citizens. Never mind that none of the townspeople had the skills needed for the job.
A burst of laughter nearby caught the group's attention. The adults smiled at the scene, remembering when they were young and energetic. "Denny and Sanderson seem like they're enjoying themselves," Mrs. Forster commented, nodding at the two young men who were being thoroughly entertained by Lydia and Catie Bennet. Mrs. Bennet beamed at the implication.
"You must know the governor, then, living so close in Atlanta," Mr. Lucas asked Caroline, having heard that the Bingley's had a house in Buckhead.
Caroline discretely rolled her eyes at her sister. As if everyone in Atlanta knew each other. "No, I don't believe I've met him," she said, her tone dripping with thinly veiled sarcasm.
Her answer apparently surprised Mr. Lucas, as his eyebrows shot up dramatically. "Well, we'll have to remedy that! I'll be sure to introduce you sometime." Mr. Lucas had made it small time in local government, which earned him invitations to events that he otherwise had no business attending. It was not something he let anyone forget, either.
That was the last straw for Caroline. "Oh, you're too kind," she said with an awkward half-bow and sidestep into the crowd. Before Mr. Lucas realized what was happening, the sisters had staged their escape. "The nerve, to think we need his help in society," Caroline mumbled to her sister as they found a place to sit.
"Come on, he seems like a nice person," Louisa chastised her sister.
A cruel smile crept across Caroline's face. "And I'm sure he kept a very nice farm before he was elected commissioner or whatever he is." Louisa couldn't help but laugh along at Caroline's jab.
There was some commotion across the room that drew their attention. The music stopped suddenly; Mary had been playing the piano in the corner, but she was embroiled in an argument with her youngest sister. Caroline watched in amusement at the drama, though she couldn't quite hear what was said. Eventually, Lydia pranced away in triumph as Mary began to play something more upbeat.
"Jane, Charlie, come dance with us!" Lydia called to her sister who was sitting at the edge of the crowd talking with Bingley.
Jane blushed at the sudden attention, shaking her head. "Not right now, Lydia," she said, though Charlie looked a bit disappointed in the rejected invitation. He wouldn't have minded dancing again with his lovely new paramour.
None of this escaped Darcy's eagle eyes. He was once again leaning against the wall, watching the crowd carefully. There was one person that he watched more than the others, though he would never admit to it.
Not for the first time that night, Lizzie felt as if someone were staring at her. She turned, catching Darcy's eye for a brief moment before he looked away. "I see that Mr. Bingley is still enjoying Jane's company," Charlotte commented, watching the couple talking, sitting more closely together than was necessary.
"I'm happy for her," Lizzie said with a small smile.
Charlotte nodded, considering her friend carefully. "She does seem smitten," she said.
Smitten was putting it lightly, Lizzie thought. "I'm afraid if he keeps this up, she might be halfway in love with him before she knows what's happening."
"And do you think Bingley is on his way to being in love, too?" Charlotte asked the question that was on Lizzie's mind.
Sighing, Lizzie shrugged. "He does seem to like her, don't you think?" It was something that she had been worrying about all night. It wasn't like Jane to spend so much time with one guy; she'd rarely shown particular interest for anyone.
"Then she should tell him how she feels. She needs to leave no doubt in his mind what she's thinking if she wants to catch him," Charlotte said with authority.
Lizzie let out a disbelieving laugh. "Catch him? Good lord, Charlotte, he's not a fish."
That made Charlotte grin. "Well, he's definitely not going to get any encouragement from his sisters," she said, looking disdainfully at the two women.
"Or his friend," Lizzie added, causing both of them to look over at Darcy. His gaze was already focused on the two of them, and this time he didn't look away quite as quickly.
Charlotte caught the look between the two. "Darcy keeps looking at you, Lizzie," she said, nudging her friend suggestively.
"I can't imagine why," Lizzie said. "Unless he wants to scare me off with his contempt. He makes me uncomfortable." She turned pointedly away so he was out of her line of sight.
Frowning, Darcy turned his attention away from the two chatting young women. He thought he knew what they were talking about. He scowled, hoping that his irate expression would fend off any attempts at conversation.
It was not to be. "Isn't it just so nice, for the young people to be able to dance carefree," Mr. Lucas said, coming to stand beside Darcy. "It is one of the most wholesome forms of entertainment."
Darcy mumbled something that Mr. Lucas didn't quite catch. "What was that?" he asked.
"Even criminals can dance," Darcy said more clearly.
The host wasn't sure what to make of that. "Oh, well, yes. Sure," he stuttered, grasping for something else to say. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, watching the younger Bennet girls spinning in circles with their partners.
Lizzie was also watching her sister, noting the unmistakable quality of her dancing that meant she had been drinking something stronger than the punch. "I better go stop Lydia before she barfs all over the floor," she said, sighing as she stood up.
She had almost made it to her sister when Mr. Lucas reached out to stop her. "Ah, Lizzie! Why are you not dancing?" Lizzie's heart dropped when she saw who was standing with him. "Darcy, why don't you take Lizzie for a turn on the dance floor? I'm sure you can't refuse such a lovely partner, no matter how much you dislike dancing." Mr. Lucas looked proud of his matchmaking skills.
"Thank you," she cut in before Darcy could say anything. "But I hadn't planned on dancing. I hope you don't think I came this way to search for a partner," she said jokingly, trying to lighten the awkwardness of the situation.
Darcy didn't even crack a smile. "I would like it very much if you would agree to dance with me, Elizabeth," he said stiffly.
The way he used her proper name sent chills up Lizzie's spine. "Um, thanks," she sputtered, "but I'm not in the mood to dance." She didn't think she could handle it, especially if he kept looking at her as intensely as he was at that moment.
Mr. Lucas was not pleased with her rejection. "Come on, now, why not? Darcy has even agreed to it, and we all know how he feels about dancing in general."
"Mr. Darcy is very kind," Lizzie mumbled, dying to escape.
Smiling, Mr. Lucas nodded. "Isn't he? And why shouldn't he be? No one could reject such a wonderful dance partner."
Recent history had proven his statement untrue, as both Lizzie and Darcy well knew. "Excuse me," Lizzie said suddenly, "I have to go." In her rush to leave the conversation, she couldn't even come up with a good excuse.
Something caught Mr. Lucas's attention across the room, giving him a reason to also leave the uncomfortable silence after Lizzie left. Darcy was once again on his own, free to stare at Lizzie as she made her way towards her sister.
"I bet I can guess what you're thinking," Caroline's voice startled him, though he didn't show it. She was almost like a snake, slithering up next to her prey before they knew what was happening.
Darcy suppressed a shiver at the thought. "I doubt that," he said dryly.
She was standing uncomfortably close. "You were thinking how terrible it's going to be to spend too many more evenings with these people," she said, so sure that he would agree with her assessment.
"No, quite the opposite, my thoughts were much more pleasant." He said, enjoying the way she stiffened in irritation. "I was thinking about how much a pair of fine eyes can add to the beauty of a woman." The eyes in question were fixed on the youngest Bennet girl, who was being scolded in the corner by Lizzie.
Caroline's breath caught in her throat as her eyebrows shot up. "And who could it be that inspired such a grand epiphany?" She asked, struggling and failing to sound nonchalant.
A small smirk twitched at the corner of Darcy's mouth as he considered whether he would answer her question. "Elizabeth Bennet," he said, deciding it was worth it to see Caroline's reaction. She was too easy.
"Lizzie Bennet?" She asked, hoping she had heard wrong. Seeing Darcy nod, she followed his gaze, where Lizzie was standing and talking to a group of young men. Caroline let out an ugly snort. "Color me surprised," she said, stepping away and shaking her head. She wondered if Darcy had been drinking whatever spiked drinks that the youngest Bennet girl had obviously gotten in to. He didn't even notice when Caroline walked away in a huff.
