Later that Night: The Annual Employee's Ball at Longbourn

Darcy's Point of View…

The lights glared around the ballroom highlighting the spectacular effects that the multi-colored dresses made against the backdrop of hardwood floors and chandeliers. It really was a beautiful affair, but full of raucous laughter and giddy people who had consumed a little too much Champagne. Darcy hated these types of events. Always had. And the disintegration of the etiquette he normally required of his employees was evident. Maybe it was time he thought about downsizing. Caroline Bingley appeared from the side of the room and Darcy took in a deep breath. He didn't know if he was glad to see her or a little morose over the fact that her conversations tended to be as dull as sitting inside one of his own board meetings. Caroline grinned.

"Such a tawdry affair, don't you think, Darcy?" She asked almost arrogantly as Darcy shrugged. He couldn't disagree with her. He had already witnessed two young twin girls maybe around the age of fifteen sneaking a few cups of champagne while their mother laughed at their escapade and commented on the fact that the whole place was as beautiful as a museum. A museum? Where did these people come from? Something told him that Pemberley, his own home estate, would make the entire lot of them faint.

"It's certainly a little tiring." Darcy replied back to Caroline as she nodded delicately in agreement before laughing incredulously at the aforementioned woman when she spilled a cup of red wine across the lap of a highly elected town official. Oh, this was disastrous! Darcy looked up at the new design consultant, Jane Houston, and sighed. Her family was prominent enough that this whole affair could be over looked on her part. Some of the other employees however,….well. And then he caught a glimpse of the woman beside Jane and his breath almost got caught in the center of his muscled chest. The military had its benefits. She was a delicate creature of average height with her hair caught up in a cascade on top of her head. It was naturally curly. He could tell by the way the light brown strands kept fighting to get out of the clip they had been manipulated into. And while she was a sight in the red elegant gown fitted to her frame, she looked as uncomfortable as her hair did at being pinned up. Darcy's eyes narrowed. It couldn't be.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Jane. She's a sight now, isn't she? She always did have...what's the word...flare?" Bingley asked as he made his way over to Darcy's side from across the room. His cheeks were flushed from dancing. Darcy nodded slightly only because he felt it was expected of him.

"You really should speak with her now that she will be working for this branch of the company. Her father does have connections" Charles commented as he perused the blonde-headed woman with more than a little interest. It was not a good idea for Charles to find himself attracted to that type of woman. Not good at all. Darcy sighed.

"I suppose you are right." He murmured as he walked behind Bingley toward the pair now standing near the double doors at the other side of the room. The brunette rolled her eyes at the blonde and Darcy almost grinned at the effect it had on him. He had a feeling that Jane could be a handful. If courtesy didn't apply, he would probably have rolled his eyes as well. Jane caught sight of the pair and froze before poking Elizabeth firmly in the side. Lizzie shrugged off the offensive finger.

"What…" Liz began as two polished pair of black dress shoes came into view below her gaze now leveled on the floor. Oh no! Liz let her eyes travel upward, past the slacks to the white shirts and sports coats before landing on the two gentlemen's faces. Both were incredibly good looking but something told her that looks could be more than just a little deceiving.

"Mr. Bingley….Mr. Darcy…how nice to see you again." Jane murmured as her cheeks flushed slightly at the sight of Charles. Something told Lizzie they all had a history together—one she most definitely did not belong to. Therefore, she nodded her head respectfully as each perused her curiously. Jane raised one of her brows knowingly.

"Mr. Darcy, Mr Bingley, this is my fellow employee Ms. Elizabeth Bennet." Jane stated evenly as they all nodded at each other politely before Darcy perused them both coldly. Lizzie grinned cordially despite the glare he was sending her way.

"Please, I just prefer Lizzie." She stated quickly before holding out her hand, expecting a hand shake that was not forthcoming.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Bennet. Please, enjoy your stay. If you will excuse me." He stated evenly before moving away from the small group. Lizzie couldn't help but feel slightly offended, most definitely slighted—a little angry at the way he had shoved off the introduction. Well, she didn't need to get to know him either. Her job didn't depend on his acquaintance just on how well she could do it. Jane smiled up at Charles as he asked her to dance, and she agreed.

Across the room, Lizzie's slightly inebriated mother waved excitedly as she rushed across the floor, passing Darcy as she went while shouting at Lizzie about something that Lizzie automatically tuned out. Liz was too embarrassed by the fact that the whole room now knew her rowdy relations. This couldn't bode well for her. Well, so be it. It had to be revealed sooner or later. She held her head up high as she perused the room stoically. She would not be intimidated. She wouldn't.

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The Ball: Elizabeth's point of view….

My mother could infuriate me at times, enough so that I soon found myself pushing my way through the crowd to the back of the room in order to avoid her until I felt sufficiently hidden by the press of warm bodies. Hiding from her, hiding from them. And then that's when I heard him. The 'boss'…the man who had undoubtedly snubbed me before. I didn't know much about the way society proceeded in Europe—in that old-fashioned manner that seemed to prevail, but I recognized a snub when I received one. My ears tried tuning him out, but I was wholly unsuccessful. His voice almost haunted me. Ugggggghhhh!

"Are you enjoying the ball?" A soft female voice asked me suddenly, breaking into the irritating drone of Mr. Darcy's voice, and I turned around to find myself staring into the small, almost elfish face of a slight, too thin young woman. She wasn't very attractive in appearance, but her voice was full of kindness and even pleasant to listen to.

"It's been a new experience." I answered hesitantly as she laughed quietly. I smiled, knowing that my expression had given away my disdain.

"If you want me to be honest, then it's dreadful and that ogre Mr. Darcy hasn't made it much better." I stated again as the woman shrugged.

"He seems downright impossible." I murmured almost to myself, clenching my fists as I did.

"He does come across that way. I'm Charlotte Lucas. I'm Darcy's administrative assistant." She remarked as I felt my body go numb. Talk about sticking your own foot in your mouth. I know better than to vent in public, but damn, I was just having one hell of a difficult day. First a flight with my impossible mother, a ball, and a snub followed by mouthing off to my boss' assistant. Yeah, right up there in the record books with a good tornado followed by torrential rain. Charlotte Lucas just held up her hand and shook her head.

"Don't mind the faux pas slip of tongue. Most would agree with you, but he does run the company proficiently and is well respected amongst the modern ton." Charlotte replied as I shrugged at the statement. Maybe, but that didn't always excuse his behavior. I grimaced as his voice rose above the din in reply to something someone had asked him and what he had to say struck me cold. Surprised me? No. But it did strike me cold, or better yet, lit a fire in me that--up to this point--had only been smoldering.

"I'm not sure Ms. Bennet will work out." He remarked as another voice, one I recognized immediately as Mr. Charles Bingley, joined in with his.

"Another one of your gut feelings, Will, or is this based on some substantial fact." Bingley asked as Darcy remained quiet.

"I thought so." Bingley stated simply before sighing. "But you have to admit she was easy on the eyes." Bingley commented as Darcy laughed softly.

"She was average, Charles. Nothing to excite the veins. And business isn't run on appearance." Darcy said almost arrogantly as I felt my cheeks flush against the warm rush of air that emanated throughout the room. It was one thing to insult my work once I had done enough work to be insulted, but to insult my pride and my appearance before my job had even begun….grrrr! A space cleared suddenly between myself and the pair of gentlemen as the patrons of the party shifted just in time for Darcy to look up at my obviously distressed expression. I hid it immediately as Charlotte looked between us almost sympathetically. Fate and Mr. Darcy were playing with me, and damned if this was a game I was going to let them win. I had had enough. Two could compete in this contest. So I simpered because, like it or not, simpering is what he seemed to do best. I smiled slightly at Charlotte before remarking steadfastly.

". . . dica al vento ed al fuoco dove arrestarsi, "madame restituito; "ma mi non dica." I bit out soundly in Italian before nodding my head respectfully at Charlotte and making my way back across the room. Let him figure that one out. I even smiled as I approached Jane. Tonight was a good night after all.

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Darcy's POV…

Darcy never even flinched as he realized that Miss Bennet had overheard the conversation between himself and Mr. Bingley. He had been honest, and he never shied away from honesty. She didn't flinch either, smiling pleasantly at his secretary before saying something that confused him greatly. He could speak five different languages, but Italian was not one of them. Bingley shrugged as a woman near them chuckled.

"That girl has spirit." The woman muttered quickly as Darcy looked at her curiously. She worked for him. He knew that, although he couldn't remember her name for the life of him. He had too many employees to place them all, but because he recognized her, he didn't feel impervious to the idea of asking her about the comment.

"What was it she said?" Darcy asked quietly as Bingley and Charlotte leaned in curiously as well. The woman laughed although one could tell she tried hard not too. And then she shrugged.

"The young woman said, and I quote, 'Tell Wind and Fire where to stop," returned madame; "but don't tell me.'" The lady answered as Charles chuckled. Darcy just stared across the room with renewed interest. So Ms. Bennet could quote Charles Dickens. Most notably a line from his work A Tale of Two Cities, a story about the French Revolution. So, she was proclaiming war on her boss was she? He narrowed his eyes as Caroline Bingley approached him once again.

"How appalling!" She remarked upon overhearing their conversation. "You should fire the woman now." She retorted as Darcy just continued to stare. A fire had begun to burn its way throughout his system—a fire that hadn't burned in a while. He had once joined the military because he had loved the feel of going against the enemy and winning. Now he couldn't help but wonder if Ms. Bennet might be a worthy opponent. Time could only tell.