There are moments in life when a person is faced with a dilemma and it is difficult to predict the future consequences of the decision made. Such was Bingley's situation when he came face to face with Jane Smith again.
Months ago, when he decided to stop seeing Jane, at first, he felt sad and constantly thought about her... but as time went by, those thoughts became less and less frequent. No doubt he was physically attracted to her; she was a beautiful woman who paid attention to him and was always smiling. But was being attracted to a woman reason enough to abandon the promise he'd made to his father on his deathbed?
If someone had asked him that same question a few minutes ago, his answer would have been that it wasn't enough, and besides he was already forgetting about Jane Smith. But seeing her in front of him, he doubted the resolution he had taken.
That night, Jane had taken pains to look beautiful, and at her mother's suggestion, she dressed in a very tight, low-cut gown that accentuated the curves of her body. Besides, her mother had suggested that she be much more daring in her displays of affection so that Mr. Bingley would decide once and for all in her favor. According to her mother, men used to act on impulse when they were face to face with a beautiful woman...
Therefore, after greeting effusively Mr. Bingley, and politely but distantly to Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy, she engaged in conversation exclusively with Mr. Bingley, trying to show her interest. Mr. Barton came to fetch Elizabeth to dance the next set, leaving only Caroline and Darcy with Bingley and Jane. Caroline looked at Jane with annoyance and disdain while Darcy watched them and listened to the conversation with indifference.
Despite the fact that Jane made an effort to flirt with Bingley and also commented that she really liked to dance, Bingley did not ask her to dance. Ironically, what disappointed Bingley was not Caroline's annoyed face or Darcy's utter indifference, but seeing her in such a low-cut gown, flirting with him and completely ignoring the others. Such behavior was contrary to what he thought was Jane's character, and he frankly didn't like what he saw! One of the things he liked most about her was her sweetness and naivety, but the woman in front of him did not have those qualities that he used to admire. At that moment he came to the conclusion that in the past she had tried to deceive him.
After several unsuccessful minutes, Jane realized that she was wasting her time as Bingley wasn't interested enough in her; She excused herself and went to talk to her Aunt Phillips. Unfortunately, she was never going to find out that Mr. Bingley's loss of interest was due to her acting so contrary to her character on her mother's advice.
Minutes later, while Bingley went to get refreshments and sandwiches, Caroline walked around the ballroom on Darcy's arm and spoke in a relatively loud voice in not-too-friendly terms about Jane Smith, "…she's one of the worst gold diggers I've ever had the misfortune to meet. A virtuous woman should never wear a such gown! But what else can you expect from her, just look at the mother? Furthermore, she is a soldier's daughter, with no dowry, no connections, and no education; In short, she is an insipid and insignificant woman, who is also apparently shameless. I hope she stops chasing my brother once and for all and realizes that he wants nothing to do with her. Don't you think, Mr. Darcy, that such women are to be avoided at all costs?"
Darcy nodded, not wanting to talk about a young woman he didn't know and simply replied, "Indeed, you are right…"
Unfortunately, Jane overheard that part of the conversation. She felt like crying at Miss Bingley's cruel description of her. It was a very bad experience that helped her open her eyes to the cruelty of some women and English society in general.
She went out onto the balcony to calm down and stayed there until the set was over. Upon entering the room, she saw that the Bingleys were together with Mr. Darcy talking animatedly with Elizabeth and Miss Pratt. She also saw Mr. Bingley ask Miss Pratt to dance, Mr. Darcy ask Elizabeth, and Mr. Lucas ask Caroline.
In another part of the ballroom Lydia and Kitty were laughing uproariously and shamelessly flirting with three officers. Her mother and Mr. Stevens were at the other end of the room, chatting animatedly with the Phillipses.
She felt out of place; She clearly didn't belong there anymore and it was not her style to be flirtatious and bold either. She had made a grave mistake in returning to Hertfordshire... She was going to write to the Gardiners to return to London as soon as possible.