Inside at the assembly everyone was anxious to meet the newcomers, however it wasn't until near the end of the fourth dance that Mr. Bingley and his party finally arrived. A hush of silence fell over the entire hall; everyone's eyes were on the new party.
Mr. Darcy was very uncomfortable with all the attention and stood there with a look of indifference as a means to hide his discomfort. Mr. Bingley, though a bit taken back by all the attention, still managed to keep a brilliant smile upon his face. Mr. Lucas stepped forward to make introductions and just as he did the music began to play once more and everyone returned to their activity.
After introducing everyone to his family, Mr. Lucas introduced the group to Mr. Bennet.
"Mr. Bingley, it's very nice to see you again. Allow me to introduce you to my family," Mr. Bennet said as he motioned towards his daughters.
"May I introduce my eldest daughter, Miss Jane Bennet," he said. As the group went through the pleasantries of curtsies and bows, Mr. Bingley couldn't help but think to himself that Miss Jane Bennet was indeed the most beautiful lady at the assembly. Possibly the most beautiful lady he'd ever seen.
"Lizzy!" Mr. Bennet called to a young lady who was deep in conversation with Miss Charlotte Lucas.
"This is my second daughter, Miss Elizabeth Bennet," he mentioned as Lizzy arrived next to her father. Both Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy bowed while Lizzy gave a small curtsey. When she looked up she found that she was starting straight into Mr. Darcy's eyes once more. Mr. Darcy's mask of indifference fell as recognition shown in his eyes. Similarly, Lizzy let out a tiny gasp of recognition. The morning's events came flooding back to both as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. They only looked away when they heard the sound of Miss Bingley loudly clearing her throat. Lizzy curtseyed to the rest of the party, and the introductions continued.
"My third daughter, Miss Mary Bennet, is at the piano forte, she dearly loves to play. And my fourth daughter…" Mr. Bennet looked around to try to find Kitty and Lydia. They had just been there a few minutes ago. Where had they run off to?
Mrs. Bennet immediately jumped in,
"My Lydia and Kitty are very popular and great dancers too!" she beamed.
"There they are on the dance floor!I t's no surprise that their card is already full," she said, pride radiating with every word.
Mr. Darcy noticed that Miss Jane and Miss Elizabeth slightly bent their heads down, as if uncomfortable with their mother's statement.
The awkwardness of the conversation didn't last long, as Mr. Bingley immediately asked Jane whether she was free for the next set, and she was. Lizzy couldn't help but smile. She had seen the way Jane looked at Mr. Bingley and she could tell that Jane was already fond of him.
The remainder of the dance was not very eventful, for the most part. Apart from Mr. Bingley, the newcomers did not dance with anyone outside of their party. Mr. Darcy, on top of his already existing struggle of having to dance with Miss Bingley, was also struggling to get this morning's events, and for that matter, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, out of his mind. Mr. Darcy danced with Miss Bingley twice and once with Mrs. Hurst, all the while being aware of Miss Elizabeth's movements in the hall.
It was her, it had to be. Right? She was the beautiful spirit he saw this morning. But the sparkle in her eyes…it wasn't there. Even without it, he still found her eyes to be quite mesmerizing. But then, had he imagined it all? That question had been plaguing him all day, and he had hoped he'd find the answer if he saw her again. But no, no answers. Just more questions.
Lizzy's curiosity was also peaked. During the introductions when she recognized Mr. Darcy to be her "mysterious stranger", so many emotions and questions just flooded her at once to the point where she couldn't help but let out a gasp.
"How could it be that that kind stranger could be the same person as this arrogant man who just a few minutes ago dismissed all the girls in Hertfordshire to be of inferior beauty?"
"How could it be that the man she saw this morning had a calm, caring countenance whereas the man before her now looked indifferent and uptight?"
It was him, it had to be. Right?
Throughout the remainder of the dance Lizzy kept glancing in Mr. Darcy's direction. Hoping that perhaps the next glance may help reveal the answer. With both individuals secretly stealing glances at the other, it's no surprise that there were several occasions when their glances met. And for those few seconds, each stared at the other, desperately trying to answer the same question.
Unfortunately for Mr. Darcy, Miss Bingley made it her mission to ensure she be the recipient of all his attention. If he made any steps towards Miss Elizabeth, either to start a conversation or perhaps to ask her to dance, Miss Bingley immediately stepped in and managed to halt his attempts. Mr. Darcy noticed his headache was starting to come back, and he stepped out into the garden for some much-needed fresh air. But Miss Bingley had no intention of letting him out of her sight so she soon gathered the rest of her party and followed Mr. Darcy out to the garden. Upon seeing Miss Bingley and realizing that his escape only lasted a mere few minutes, Mr. Darcy let out a small sigh. Fortunately, Mr. Bingley was also with her, so perhaps the conversation would be more bearable. Perhaps.
"Are you enjoying yourself, Charles?" Mr. Darcy asked.
"Yes, Darcy! Very much! Miss Bennett is not only beautiful, she is so kind and caring, very knowledgeable and a great dancer as well." Mr. Bingley beamed.
"If she's so terrific, then what are you doing out here with us?" Mr. Hurst grunted.
"She had already promised the last dance to someone else," Mr. Bingley said sadly.
Mr. Darcy's ears perked up at this last statement. The last dance? Relief washed over him as he looked towards Miss Bingley. Thank goodness this night is almost over! But this realization was soon followed by another less pleasing one: that once this night is over, he would not know when he would see Miss Elizabeth again. Torn between his situation and the fact that he had lost track of Miss Elizabeth's whereabouts at the assembly, Mr. Darcy once again fell back into his distressed mood.
"It's getting late, Charles. We should head home," Miss Bingley stated.
"But I have not had a chance to say farewell to Jane, I mean Miss Bennet" Mr. Bingley stammered.
"Come Charles! Be reasonable! She is no great beauty! There are much more beautiful women in town!" Miss Bingley scolded.
At that moment Mr. Darcy noticed Miss Elizabeth from across the garden. She was standing with her sister, staring in their direction. "How long has she been standing there?" he wondered. "I didn't notice her coming outside," he thought to himself. In fact, the only reason he had noticed her now was because he had seen a flash of green in that direction! Realization hit and he immediately peered in her direction, desperately trying to identify the source of the green light he had seen. But there was nothing there. All he saw was Miss Elizabeth with her hands tightly wrapped around herself in an embrace, as if she were trying to prevent something from escaping, and her sister Jane steering her back inside the hall. Mr. Darcy let out another sigh. "More questions, more confusion, great…" he thought to himself as he returned his attention back to the conversation.
"It's getting late, and my feet hurt!" Miss Bingley whined.
"Do no fret, Charles," Mrs. Hurst stepped in. "I spoke with Mrs. Bennet and have invited Miss Jane Bennett for tea two days hence. We shall see her again real soon."
Mr. Bingley gave her a broad smile, even in the dark one could not miss the brightness of his smile. Soon the party took their leave.