Elizabeth Bennet...

Let the lessons begin...

"You're late, Ms. Bennet." Darcy stated commandingly as I entered the door leading into the dining room, wobbling slightly on the heels as the floor changed beneath my feet into the sleek material that covered the dining room floor. I rolled my eyes heavenward, saying a quick prayer for patience as I entered.

"Only by two minutes, sir. And here I thought it was fashionable for a woman to enter into a room late. I hear it's called making an entrance." I replied quietly with a shrug as he sighed, his shoulders drooping in that universal gesture that stated without words the proclamation, 'this is going to take some work.' I cringed at his movements.

"Punctuality should be your first lesson then, Ms. Bennet. Success is built on punctuality, on the fact that being tardy to any event is viewed as indifference." He lectured quickly as I bit my lower lip sheepishly, noting that he followed the gesture with his eyes. I was really having a hard time controlling my ire.

"Fine then, you wear the heels." I murmured as Darcy stalked over to me in irritation. He was piqued and deserved to be. After all, I had been the one to ask him to teach me the importance of propriety. Therefore, I threw my hands into the air in surrender before he even made it over to me.

"Alright, my apologies! No need to lose our tempers. What's first Mr. Myagi?" I asked with a grin, giving my best impression of that 'wax on, wax off' movement used in the Karate Kid movie. Darcy didn't look impressed. And here I thought I would manage to lighten the mood. I'm guessing I have no future in stand-up comedy. Darcy threw something at me suddenly, and I scrambled to catch it quickly—staring down at the hardcover object with an expression that I'm sure those who could see me now would describe as 'horror.' A book? And not just any book, mind you.

"What's this?" I asked in dread as Darcy grinned. He was enjoying this entirely way too much for his own good. Who would have thought that I would have a reading list? And not just any reading list I tell you, but a book entitled '101 Ways to Become a Refined Lady.' This was just wonderful.

"That was a book my sister was required to read in school. I suggest you familiarize yourself with it as it contains information you seem determined to comprehend." He stated simply as I shrugged while shaking my head slowly. I couldn't help but wonder what bored aristocrat had taken the time to pen this detailed guide. It's not as if the author needed the money, right?

"Ranks right up there with Moby Dick or Crime and Punishment, I'm sure." I mumbled sarcastically as Darcy walked stealthily in my direction before stopping just inches away from my toes.

"Then call me Ishmael, Ms. Bennet, because the first thing this book is going to be used for is to teach you how to walk like a lady." Darcy informed me matter-of-factly while my mouth fell open in surprise. Walk?

"I think I'm okay in that area, Mr. Darcy. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure I learned how to walk before I was two." I remarked slyly while he lifted the book out of my hands before tapping me gently against the nose as if he were trying to garner the attention of a misbehaving toddler. I just glared.

"No, Ms. Bennet. You learned how to stand on two feet and stumble across the room as a child. You didn't learn how to walk. For that, you need balance and poise. You have to learn to dominate a space, to make every head in a room turn toward you as you make your way from point A to point B." Darcy replied as he placed the book gently on top of my head. I crossed my eyes as I looked up at it uncertainly.

"Are you saying that I am not able to draw attention to myself?" I asked him wryly as he laughed softly, the phrase amusing him suddenly.

"With your tongue maybe, Ms. Bennet, but not with your poise." He remarked as I lifted my eyebrows up at him.

"I'm having a hard time deciding if I should be offended by that statement or not, Mr. Darcy." I countered reasonably before taking the first step across the room as he moved off to the side quietly. I made it two steps before the book came sliding off unceremoniously. Oops. Darcy didn't snicker. He just sighed.

"You're not in a hurry, Ms. Bennet. Move slower, make your steps smaller." He instructed as I picked the book up and balanced it once again on top of my head.

"So do boys have to do this nonsense in school, Mr. Darcy?" I asked him curiously as he snorted from behind me. I counted softly in my head as I walked….one, two, three, four, five….the book fell off again. Damn!

"Are you trying to get personal, Ms. Bennet?" Darcy asked me lightly as I shrugged before turning on my heels and placing the book on my head again.

"Would you answer me if I said yes, Mr. Darcy? And call me Lizzie for God's sake." I demanded as I started to glide across the room again, making it almost to the opposite wall without dropping the book. Yay! Darcy was quiet for a moment.

"No, we don't learn to walk in school as boys. We had to learn about leadership, the way to use our presence to dominate a room, Ms. Bennet." He answered me coolly as I rolled my eyes over at him quickly.

"That explains a lot." I muttered with finesse as I placed the book yet again on the crown of my head. I was really growing weary of walking with a book about refinement balanced idiotically on my person. Darcy watched me in silence before shrugging.

"And your schooling, Ms. Bennet? What was it like?" He asked me softly as I finally made it across the room without having the book fall to hit me on my toes. Spinning carefully around, I even managed the turn without it sliding off. Goody. I pulled the book off before handing it to him with a satisfied grin. Well, that hadn't taken me long. Obviously, I was already gliding across a room without difficulty.

"School was a matter of survival for me, Mr. Darcy. In my world, there are very few people who go to school to learn or to succeed. Most are just there because it's required and because their families are hoping it will instill something in their children other than idleness and indifference." I answered him honestly as he drew nearer to me suddenly. The room was instantly too small despite the vaulted ceilings and scores of space.

"No matter your standings in society, Ms. Bennet, school is always nothing more than a matter of survival. The rules of the game are just a little different." Darcy remarked as I watched him a moment in silence, letting his words sink into my brain as I peered up at him.

"And you, Mr. Darcy? Were you one of those idle students or one of those who strove for something better?" I asked almost in a whisper as he leaned closer. My breathing stopped.

"I strove for something more, always feeling the need to fight for more. That's my family curse. Being a Darcy requires you to be the best." He answered me just as quietly before pointing at the doorway. I assumed he wanted me to follow him and so I did—out into the hallway and down a corridor before we began to approach what appeared to be a ballroom. What?

"That's a sad way to live, Mr. Darcy. It takes the fulfillment out of success when you feel required to succeed rather than just doing it because you want to succeed." I stated simply as Darcy turned toward me then with a look that spoke volumes. He agreed with me although I knew he would never admit it. His pride wouldn't allow it. But there is this thing about pride. It can't always hide what your expression manages to reveal. Brushing aside the topic temporarily, I glanced around the room we were now in warily. Darcy waved his hand in a gesture that encompassed our entire surroundings.

"Could I have this dance, Ms. Bennet?" He asked me in a tone that you only hear in old period piece movies or read about in regency novels. He was kidding right?

"Is that a trick question, Mr. Darcy?"