AN: This chapter was super complicated to write since it required way more planning than I'm used to. I have about 1000+ words of notes in general for the story, but I had to actually outline this chapter individually and had nearly as many notes just for this single update. I needed to go through all the interactions to make sure they made sense (because, you know, the *entire* plot of the story hinges on this chapter being believable. So hopefully it is.

To give you an idea of how my notes look, I've got such gems as... (warning that they are spoiler-ish for this chapter)
- bingley points out that jane was with plenty of other girls, they were all pretty enough; darcy's not impressed, is a dick
- mrs bennet (who has snuck over cuz she's not gonna miss this)
- as subtly as possible, everyone's watching bingley's reaction, who is smiling brighter than the friggin sun
- listening to mrs bennet (loudly) go on and on (and on and on) about jane and how awesome she is (bingley hangs on every word, obviously in complete agreement)
- realizes he fucked up, spends rest of evening too tongue tied to actually fix anything
- caroline talk his ear off about how great friends she and elizabeth are (and he's like wtf, i don't even like you and you're saying you're bff's with my soulmate? oh god, maybe this isn't going to work out maybe this soulmate stuff is wrong maybe there's another elizabeth bennet oh god now he's panicking)

(You can see that there is an obvious change between pre-writing and the published versions haha)

Final disclaimer: I am not an expert on the social mores of this time period. What I know (or think I know) comes almost completely from books I've read. So if I talk about protocol or customs or things and they're wrong, please let me know (because it's interesting), but be aware that I might not be able to incorporate the *actual* societal rules since I kinda need things to go a certain way for plot purposes. Oh, and as I said earlier, I might move events in the story around or add extra balls/whatever as necessary.


They arrive at Netherfield on the eve of a ball to be held at a neighboring estate. An express letter announced they would be coming ahead of schedule, and now that they're here Charles barely listens to anyone when they say he has to wait until the next day to meet Miss Jane Bennet. They're right, of course, and he gives in to their unanimous agreement after some persuasion.

The evening is, of course, spent with Charles grilling his sisters for all the information he can. He insists on an account of every meeting they've had with her, what she looks like, her interests, her family. Everything he hears has him smiling and gushing praise like a school boy, and Darcy is quite convinced that his sisters could proclaim her to be ugly, pock-marked, and lame and he would dote upon her still.

For his part, all Darcy can really gather is that Jane has several younger sisters, of whom she is definitely the prettiest. Though Louisa mentions offhand that some of the others aren't entirely irredeemable. After a pause, Caroline agrees, saying she finds some of their company quite agreeable.

"Once you get over the shock of their situation, naturally, it's easy to find their home cozy and their manners quaint in a country sort of way."

Darcy nearly rolls his eyes at the condescension of Caroline's assessment, but all Bingley seems to hear is "cozy" and "quaint" before moving on. With all of the focus on Jane, it's hard to parse out anything of interest about her sisters. Halfway through the conversation, Darcy notes they have yet to be mentioned by name. It's too late to ask now, especially since he wants to show no particular regard for any of them before meeting.

(Charles may through propriety to the wind when it comes to his soulmate, but Darcy will not. He will do things right, which means making Elizabeth's acquaintance as though she were any other young lady and over time court her as is proper. Showing undue attention or interest before even laying eyes on her himself is completely untoward. He might admire Charles' enthusiasm and even share it in a more muted way, but he dare not show it so openly.)

Even without pressing too much, he feels Caroline's keen eyes on him. He doesn't know why and he doesn't care for it, but there's no way to say as much without being abominably rude.


The ball at Lucas Lodge is... not what he expected, to put it mildly. Perhaps he's spent too much time in London, but he definitely understands Caroline's assessment of things being "quaint." It is not at all to his taste, and try as he might to keep his expression neutral, he's rather afraid his disdain for the whole thing might be showing.

They arrive fashionably late at Louisa's insistence. Soulmate or not, Louisa will not arrive early for anyone. Most of the guests are already there, dancing or talking, when they enter the main hall. After introducing them to Sir Lucas, the ladies excuse themselves to find their friends.

Charles gives a distressed look after them, no doubt wanting to follow them right to Jane, but relents when Darcy gives him a hard look. Like it or not, they have obligations to talk to Sir Lucas before getting a chance to mingle with the other guests.

"Don't fret, young man! I'm sure you'll have a chance to dance this evening, to be sure!" Sir Lucas beams. "There are plenty of young ladies here who will no doubt catch your eye! I dare say, London itself could not boast of so many beauties in one place."

"You're quite right!" The prospect of dancing has Charles more at ease. Impatient he may be, but with a goal in mind he can manage. "I suspect I will have no trouble finding a dancing partner tonight!"

Darcy mutters something non-committal before their attention is turned to some of the other men. Introductions are made, politics are discussed, and already Darcy feels himself relaxing in the mundane nature of it all. Tedious though it might be, it's easy. Especially since a man of his standing need not say much, and when he does Sir Lucas declares it to be "Capital, indeed!" and directs the conversation to the next topic.

It only requires half of his attention, which allows him to watch Caroline and Louisa. They're with a group of young women, and as per their earlier discussion, he assumes them to the Bennets. Or at least some of them, most certainly Jane. Bingley is also eyeing them often, so noticeably in fact that Sir Lucas offers the desired knowledge.

"Ah, your sisters have taken to the Bennets! Such a lovely family! You'll see the two eldest sisters. The middle girl is not in attendance - terrible cold, so I'm told - and the youngest two are off dancing, no doubt! So lively, those girls! You'll hardly see a ball without young Kitty and Lydia dancing and making merry!"

Both men would no doubt want to hear more, but that's all they get before Sir Lucas is distracted by talking about a ball he attended while in London. It is nearly enough, though, because it eliminates two of the sisters right off. There is a very pretty blond in their group. He suspects from the way Louisa described her that this girl must be Jane. The distance makes it difficult to see, but he takes a moment to note that she is indeed quite pretty.

There are two other women there, neither of them particularly handsome. The older looking of the two appears to be amused with the conversation at hand, occasionally nudging the other. The younger of the two looks far less amused. Even from across the room, Darcy can see a dull sort of bored acceptance in her countenance. As though she has no interest in the proceedings around her. The only time her face shifts into a smile is when the blond looks to her or when the other girl nudges her. But it never quite reaches her eyes.

Darcy decides that neither of them are Elizabeth. Elizabeth must be the sick Bennet sister not in attendance tonight. Which is terribly disappointing, to be sure, but his nerves relax further. There's no one here he need impress at the moment (though based on how Sir Lucas' hangs rapt to every word he says, he's already managed to do so), so he allows his own boredom to start to show. He's eager on Bingley's behalf, but tonight's only prospect for amusement is in meeting Jane. And he's just there to witness it, not be involved.

At some point, Darcy allows his focus to shift back to the young ladies. Although Bingley is bouncing in nervous anticipation and has scarcely taken his eyes off of Jane, Darcy has been attempting to follow the conversation. Now, he notices that they have taken to the dance floor.

Sir Lucas, gracious host that he is, notices their attention shift and once again comments on it. "How capital it is to see a good dance! Don't you agree, gentlemen?"

The dancers come and go, circling about the room. Safely out of the way of their movement, the men are still near enough to see the smiling faces of the happy couples. They are in fact close enough that one could reach out and touch them, if one were so inclined.

"Right you are," Bingley agrees quickly. Perhaps he hopes this will give him an opportunity to leave and meet Jane. "I personally cannot think of anything more enjoyable than a good dance! Don't you agree, Darcy?"

"Only if the partner is agreeable," he finds himself saying. He means it to be teasing, but his tone must not match his intent.

Bingley scowls and scolds him halfheartedly. "My word! There are more than enough pretty faces to be found here, and if you can't find a single agreeable partner I dare say that reflects more upon you than the party present!"

This time, Darcy does actually roll his eyes. Sir Lucas seems uncomfortable at the disagreement and diplomatically turns away. Taking advantage of the moment, Darcy mutters, "You know damn well that there's only one pretty girl so far, and since she's your darling Jane, of course you're in high spirits." Bingley makes no attempt to hide it, his smugness almost radiating off of him. "It doesn't mean that I need to give consequence to young ladies of lesser stature."

Bingley shrugs. "I still think you're being a pompous ass, but you're free to be a pompous ass all you want." With a playful nudge, he turns back to the chatter of the men behind them.

As Darcy's about to do the same, his eye is drawn to one of the dancers. It's one of the Bennet's party, the bored looking one. As her partner releases her hand and she faces the crowd, there's a moment where she unmistakeningly makes eye contact with him. It's brief, barely anything at all. But it's long enough for him to think that he might have been mistaken about the dullness in her eyes which are quite lively now. And long enough for her amusement with the dancing to change to a flash of anger.

The spell is broken, she goes back to her partner, all easy smiles again. But he feels the traces of her glare as a physical blow. In a slow dawning sense of horror, he realizes just how close he is standing to the dancing and wonders if she might have heard any of what he said to Bingley.

He's drawn back into the conversation at hand, something about the Americas, but he can't quite shake the feeling that he insulted the poor girl. Though he meant what he said, it was perhaps a little unjust of him to say his opinion so loudly and without care for who might overhear. He never meant to go against anyone's sensibilities. And it would hardly be a good way to start off his courtship of Elizabeth if he were to accidentally get on the bad side of one of her sisters or acquaintances.

At some point Bingley senses his disquiet and tilts his head in question. Darcy forces a smile and promises he'll just have to be more polite to the girl should they meet. The attention of a young gentleman should make up for his possible misstep.

He's so lost in his thoughts that he barely notices how Caroline slips her hands around his and Bingley's arms. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but would you mind excusing my brother and Mr. Darcy for a moment? There are some friends of mine who have not yet had the priveledge of making their acquaintance yet."

Sir Lucas, never one to deny such as Bingley or himself anything, waves them off immediately. Although it annoys him, he allows Caroline to keep her arm intertwined with his - it wouldn't do to make a scene after all - and tries not to sulk at the fact that she has, more or less, saved them from an endlessly boring discussion.

"Which one is she," Bingley hisses.

"Miss Jane Bennet is the lovely blond next to Louisa. The other two are her sister and the eldest Miss Lucas."

Darcy's only half paying attention. One of the girls he will of course have to flatter slightly to make up for earlier, but other than that he merely has a passing interest in meeting her. He's here for moral support since his own soulmate is not present.

Though, of course, he does find it a little strange that Caroline would so carefully identify Jane Bennet, specifying not only her name and appearance but also her location in the small group. The other two she is so vague in description that he has yet to know which is the sister and which is the host's daughter. And there's the simple fact that she passed over their names.

Fitzwilliam Darcy is not a stupid man. But there are times when he is rather foolish.

Upon arrival and the necessary bows and curtsies, Caroline takes over the introductions. "This is our brother, Mr. Bingley, whose estate you visited earlier. This is his good friend, Mr. Darcy, who will be staying with us." They incline their heads as their names are said. Although all eyes are on Bingley, he does notice the way one of the girls seems startled, eyes wide as she appraises him.

"This is Miss Charotte Lucas, Sir Lucas' eldest daughter." Miss Charlotte, the homelier of the two, gives what might almost pass for a coy smile if she didn't show so much teeth. He suspected her to be a Lucas now that he's close enough to see her father's nose and jaw. His answering smile is hopefully polite and doesn't give away that he's just imagined that her father would look quite similar wearing the same dress.

"And this is, oh-" A stout woman has just made an appearance, elbowed her way between Jane and the other girls. She's out of breath and he wonders if she ran over when she saw the assembled group. "This is Mrs. Bennet." Caroline says it meaningfully, sharing a look with Louisa that speaks of shared suffering. "Her eldest daughter, Jane Bennet." Jane curtsies quite handsomely, a rosy blush spreading across her cheeks - she must perceive all the attention now focused on her - that makes her all the more attractive.

Darcy has just enough time to muse that Bingley really will be done for, smitten by the end of the first sentence she utters, before the final name is said and all semblance of inner tranquility is ruined for him.

"And of course, Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

In other circumstances, he might find it rude of Caroline to so unceremoniously speak of the last member of their party as if she were more an afterthought than anything else. As it is, he's having difficulty breathing and isn't really thinking much of anything at all. He's so startled that his face is frozen in a stricken sort of grimace, mouth hanging open and panic in his eyes. With great effort he schools it into what he hopes passes for... well, anything other than the chaos of emotion he's currently experiencing.

The only way he can survive it is to allow himself to go numb. Following each tendril of thought and feeling that rise up and vie for control is exhausting. It will not do. On his own, as he prepares to fall asleep in the comfort of his bed at Netherfield, he can allow himself to rationally analyze each aspect of this encounter.

For now, though, he must focus on surviving it.

Most of the scrutiny is on Charles - whose face shines brighter than the sun - and on Jane - who blushes and looks shyly at the ground. Most of the conversation is supplied by Mrs. Bennet, who rather loudly goes on and on (and on and on) about Jane. Bingley hangs on every word, obviously in complete agreement with each compliment and praise.

Darcy vaguely notes that it's almost vulgar to be listing her daughter's qualifications like she's some sort of cow up for action, but dismisses it in favor of looking at Elizabeth. He can't help the quiet sigh of relief that she's not looking his way. She is much too interested in her sister and Bingley, a fond smile on her face as she looks between them. It gives him the chance to drink in his fill of her without having to speak - he's quite sure the capability is a bit beyond him for the moment.

The whole world narrows down to this one young woman, this woman that fate says is his soulmate. He's not sure how he feels about that, but he supposes it's natural since they haven't even spoken yet. (Sadly, it does not occur to him to wonder how she feels about it.) He also can't decide if she's pretty or not. He had found her rather plain before, someone he would have passed over before. And yet... there is something alluring about her.

And then she laughs at something Bingley has said and her eyes light up as she quips in herself. He watches as her eyes shine with mirth as she gently teases her sister. The sound of her voice is a soothing melody to the tempest in his heart, and he wonders how he could have ever thought her not pretty. No, she will never be a beauty, but she does have a certain undeniable charm that renders her features quite pleasant.

Time goes on, the conversation continues without any need for him to say a thing, and at some point Bingley asks Jane to dance the next set with him. She agrees demurely, slipping her hand into his as they go to line up. Darcy snaps back to the present and, seeing an opportunity to do the same, is halfway through asking Elizabeth to do the same.

"Miss Elizabeth-"

"Lizzie, dear." He winces at the sharpness of Mrs. Bennet's tone as she interrupts him. "Would you mind coming with me to find my dear sister Mrs. Phillips? I could use your opinion when we discuss the upcoming luncheon in town this week."

Elizabeth's ears turn red but she laughs like it's all in good fun. "Yes, of course mama. Let us go and find my aunt." She raises an eyebrow archly at him before walking away with Mrs. Bennet and Miss Lucas.

Caroline and Louisa crowd in the empty space left in their wake. Louisa says little, merely looks at Darcy in a way that makes him feel like she can see his very soul. Caroline, as usual, has much to say. She goes on and on about how great of friends she and Miss Elizabeth have become.

"Miss Elizabeth and I have become quite the confidants. We've taken many a turn about the grounds at both Netherfield and Longbourn. I'm quite surprised how alike our tastes are in so many regards-"

She continues on like that and it's all Darcy can do to shut her out. Though he wishes to know more about the young woman whose name rests on his wrist (a phantom burn settles into that space, an itch he's merely imagining but can't ignore either), hearing it from Caroline is its own kind of hell. How can his soulmate - his soulmate - hold Caroline Bingley of all people in such high favor? They're supposed to be of one mind, isn't that what they say?

The rest of the evening affords him little opportunity to speak to Elizabeth. Her time is monopolized by her mother, who glares at him distastefully whenever she gets the chance, and Darcy starts to realize how badly things have gone. Elizabeth acts cooly towards him and he knows now, without a doubt, that she heard everything he said to Bingley earlier. That he offended her - and he admits, the perceived offense is justified on her part - and is too damn tongue tied to make any steps towards fixing things.

He gives up after a while, resigning himself to his misery.


AN: Just to make it clear, Elizabeth definitely heard what Darcy said and had enough time to gossip about it while Caroline was fetching the men. So when Mrs. Bennet interrupts Darcy's attempts to ask Elizabeth to dance, she sees it as saving her daughter. Say what you will about Mrs. Bennet, she might want her girls married but she would definitely defend Lizzie against a man she felt wasn't worth the trouble.