Chapter 5: Introductions

The party was already under way by the time Charles and his guest arrived. Darcy came through the door first, followed by Caroline and then Charles. He was unimpressed with the home. It was a large older house that was renovated to accommodate bigger parties but offered little else in the way of visual appeal. It was evident their host liked to entertain. After greeting Mr. Lucas, Charles wasted no time in finding Jane. He was very eager to introduce her to both Caroline and Darcy. It only took a few minutes for him to scan the room before he found her. She looked beautiful as she always did. "Darcy, there she is. I want to introduce you, come over, will you?" Charles said as he made his way over to Jane.

Darcy looked over to where his friend pointed and followed him. He stopped only momentarily to see Mr. Lucas was now speaking with Caroline, preventing her from joining them. He felt extremely uncomfortable from the moment they walked through the door. The large room was overly crowded with guest chatting, and the music was just too loud for his tastes. He stood by and waited as Charles greeted Jane, then turned to him. "And this is my very good friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy," Charles told Jane.

Jane smiled, "Mr. Darcy it's good to meet you. Charles has told me so many things about you."

Darcy returned her smile. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Bennet. Charles has spoken very highly of you as well."

"Please call me Jane," she said to him.

"Only if you call me Darcy, all of my friends do," he said.

"I hope you are enjoying yourself this evening. Charles said you haven't spent much time in this part of the country. Is this your first time to Meryton?" Jane asked.

"Yes, it is," he said. "I'm afraid my business dealings keep me busy in London. Although, I drove myself out here this evening though. I have to admit it is a lovely drive from the city, once you get out of London's hectic traffic."

Jane raised her brow and nodded, "Yes, the traffic closer to the city can be busy, but it's not so bad a commute. In autumn, it can be stunning with the colors in full bloom."

Before she could say anything more, the sound of her mother's voice interrupted them. "Oh Charles, we have been so eager to meet with you! Jane has told us so much about you. She said that you do very well for yourself and that you have a charming home in the city, as well as another home near the beach," Mrs. Bennet excitedly commented. "And now you have come to lease Netherfield as well!"

Charles turned to Mrs. Bennet. "Um...yes, I did recently rent out Netherfield," he told her feeling a bit flustered by her forwardness.

Jane blushed bright red. "Charles, this is my mother, Fanny Bennet," she introduced her to him.

Charles was just about to respond when Mrs. Bennet interrupted. "Tell me what area of town is your home? Jane didn't say, but I'm sure it must be one of the more affluent areas of London."

Charles smiled politely. "It's in the Westminster area."

"Oh that's a very wealthy area of town, isn't it? There are so many expensive homes up there," Mrs. Bennet said in a very loud and shrill voice before she turned to speak with Darcy. "And what about you sir, do you have a lovely expensive home in that area of town as well?" she inquired of Darcy.

Darcy was shocked by such an intrusive question from a woman he had not been introduced to. "No, my home is in Hill Crest," he said trying to be as polite as possible.

Mrs. Bennet let out another shrill cry and clapped her hands together. "Oh, that's even better. Please allow me to introduce you to my other daughters," she said as she turned and motioned for three young women standing not too far away from her to come closer. "These are my daughters Mary, Kitty, and Lydia."

Darcy nodded politely but made no other move to acknowledge them. Mary was the plainest of the three girls. She wore a simple gray knee-length dress that did little to compliment her figure. Her glasses were painfully outdated, and her hair looked as if she made little to no effort in fixing it. Her demeanor made it very clear she had no real interest in being there. The other two girls were the youngest of the five. They both wore very revealing dresses that were inappropriate for their age and the occasion. Their behavior was loud and embarrassing. Darcy found himself growing irritated with their endless giggling; it grated on his nerves.

Charles looked about the room. "Where is Elizabeth?" he asked. He could see by the expression on Darcy's face that he didn't approve of Jane's family.

Jane smiled, "She went to say hello to our host Mr. Lucas," she said pointing over toward the two of them.

Bingley looked to see where Jane was pointing and saw his sister standing with Mr. Lucas and Elizabeth. "Ok, I see her now," he said pointing over to his sister. "That's my sister Caroline standing there with them. Louisa and her husband were unable to come after all. I'm afraid business has kept them away from coming until this weekend."

"Well, I look forward to meeting them both when they do arrive," Jane assured him.

Before Jane could pull him away to meet Elizabeth, Mrs. Bennet began probing Charles with more questions about his homes. She wondered how many rooms were in each and did he have full-time staff at both of his properties. Darcy was so appalled by her behavior that he excused himself and made his way back over to where he last saw Caroline. He knew what Charles saw in Jane. She was a gorgeous young woman, but the mother was the worst. It was clear that Mrs. Bennet wanted her daughter to marry into wealth. She didn't even try to hide the fact that money was her primary interest where Charles was concerned. He sighed as he considered what his friend had gotten himself into this time.

Elizabeth made her way over to Jane and Charles, as she did she brushed past Mr. Darcy, but he didn't notice her. "Hello, Mr. Bingley. Jane has told me so many good things about you," she said as she extended her hand.

"Elizabeth, I have so wanted to meet you, but please you must call me Charles," he told her as he took her hand in his. "Jane said that you do photography work?"

Elizabeth smiled, "Yes, I do free-lance photography."

"Well, Jane insists that you are the best, and her first choice to do her photos every time," he told her.

"Jane is too kind and far too generous with her praise of my abilities." she said feeling a bit embarrassed by the attention.

"That's not true Lizzy, you really are the best," Jane told them. "If at all possible I always ask that my sister is the one to do my photo shoots. That way I know my pictures will come out beautifully every time."

"You must do some portraits of Jane and me together," Charles told her. "I've wanted to get some of the two of us done together."

Elizabeth smiled, "I would love to do them for you."

"Perhaps the two of you can come and stay with us at Netherfield," Charles offered. "Maybe even this weekend and then we can do the photos."

"Oh, Charles that's a marvelous idea," Jane said. "Can you come, Lizzy?"

"I just took on a new client this afternoon. I might be busy, but I will do my best to at least come by," she told them.

"Mr. Bingley, are you planning on purchasing Netherfield?" Mrs. Bennet asked as she came over and joined them.

"Well I'm renting it for now, but I'm thinking of making it my permanent home," Charles said.

"Oh, how wonderful! Netherfield is one of the nicest homes in the area," Mrs. Bennet told him. "It's the most expensive estate in the entire neighborhood, and has at least fifty acres of land with swimming pools, and gardens, tennis courts and a private stable."

"Yes, it is..." Charles began to say when she interrupted him.

"I do believe it has at least eight guest rooms besides the main quarters for the family," Mrs. Bennet went on. "Oh, and wouldn't it be a lovely place to have a wedding. Jane, don't you think that would be the ideal location for a wedding?"

Elizabeth caught the look of panic in her sister's eyes as her mother went on talking. She quickly interrupted and said. "Oh listen to this music, isn't it lovely. Charles, you should dance with Jane. I do believe this is one of her favorite songs."

Charles looked at Jane and smiled. "Elizabeth, you read my mind, I thought that same thing," he said before he turned to Jane and extended his arm. "Would you like to dance with me?"

"I would love to dance," Jane said as they walked away.

Mrs. Bennet looked pleased as the two made their way to the dance floor. She turned to Elizabeth. "I'm sure they will be married before the end of the year, and then you and your sisters will be able to meet all kinds of wealthy young eligible bachelors!" she yelled out so that everyone could hear her.

Elizabeth let out a small sigh and shook her head. "Please Mum...just once would you stop and think before you speak!" she scolded her before walking away. She walked over to the other side of the room and watched as the couples filled the dance floor. She knew almost everyone in attendance except for Charles's friend, Mr. Darcy. She looked around the room but didn't see him anywhere. She finally gave up looking and enjoyed watching her sister dance. Jane looked so happy. However, Elizabeth remained blissfully unaware of the tall, handsome stranger that stood just a few feet away from her.

Darcy stood away from the crowd towards the back of the room. The expression on his face showed just how annoyed he was. After Charles had finished dancing with Jane, he made his way over to speak with him. "Come on Darcy, why don't you dance?"

Darcy looked over at Caroline. "Your sister is already dancing, and I have no intention of dancing with any of the other young women here."

Charles laughed at his friend. "But Darcy there are several cute girls here to dance with. There must be one of them that you could dance with."

"You are dancing with the only really beautiful woman here tonight," he snapped at him. "The rest are passable, but there is no one here that has caught my attention or whom I would want to spend my time with. Besides I don't like dancing, especially with strangers."

"Well I won't argue with you, Jane is the most beautiful woman ever, but what about her sister Elizabeth. She's very pretty. Besides Jane, Elizabeth is the most beautiful girl here tonight," Charles told him as he attempted to point over toward her.

Darcy was beginning to get annoyed with Charles's prodding and unintentionally raised his voice. "Charles, just go back and have fun with your girlfriend and leave me alone! I have no intention of dancing with Elizabeth Bennet tonight! You may think she's attractive, but she doesn't interest me in the least!" he said as he gulped down and finished his drink.

Charles let out a small sigh and mumbled, "Fine Darcy."

Darcy was extremely uncomfortable. He was annoyed with Charles's matchmaking attempts, and he felt like the room was closing in on him. He glanced down at his watch and wondered if it was too early to leave. The room felt stifling hot and he decided what he really wanted was another drink. As he turned to make his way over to the bar, he ran into someone. "Pardon me, I'm sorry," he offered his regrets as he looked down and found the most beautiful pair of soft brown eyes staring back up at him. She smiled politely and went past him to the other side of the room without saying a single word. She stopped and stood with another young woman, and the two began talking. Darcy wondered who she was. It was obvious that whoever she was talking to, they were discussing him as they looked in his direction several times. His curiosity got the better of him, and he had to know who she was. He waited until her friend left and then he made his way over to her. " Excuse me again. My name is William Darcy. I was wondering if you would care to dance with me?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No," she replied without really looking at him.

Darcy was surprised by her refusal. Usually, young women were very excited by the prospect of spending time with him. "May I ask, is it that you don't want to dance or just that you don't want to dance with me?"

Elizabeth looked up into his eyes and replied very politely. "No, I don't want to dance with you, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy was astonished by her rude behavior. "May I ask why? Have I offended you in some way?"

Elizabeth continued to smile. "No, you have not offended me at all. I just wanted to help protect your reputation."

Darcy was puzzled by her remark. "I don't think I understand? How is it that my reputation would be compromised by dancing with you?"

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with delight. She was actually enjoying the fact that he had no idea who she was, or that he had just insulted her for half the room to hear. "Because if I were to accept this offer to dance with you tonight, you would look like a liar in front of your friend. So you see Mr. Darcy, you and I can't possibly dance together."

"And why is that Miss...?" Darcy asked her.

"Bennett," she told him. "Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I would never want to do anything to damage the reputation of the great Mr. Darcy. Since you just emphatically told your friend that you had no such desire to dance with me tonight my answer must be no. I hope you have a pleasant evening," she said as she moved away from him and went to join her friend.

Elizabeth was happy for Jane. Charles was a perfect match for her. But she was less than impressed with his friend. Although he was handsome, his cold and aloof manners did little to endear him to anyone. She thought about the expression on his face when she refused his offer to dance and laughed. It was obvious that he had a high opinion of himself and that no one here was worthy of his presence. Her laugh immediately caught Darcy's attention, and for a moment their eyes met, but she didn't look away. She wouldn't back down or cower in fear from such a man. Instead, she lifted her chin higher and dared him to try to intimidate her.

Darcy stood there watching her as she walked away, so that was Elizabeth Bennet. Somehow, he had her confused with one of the other sisters. It was clear that she overheard him and Charles speaking. He wondered if he should go offer his apologies but then decided against it. What was he going to say? I thought you were one of your other less attractive, loud, and wild sisters. That would hardly go over well. It was apparent she was angered by what he said so it would not do any good to try and explain himself to her. He looked up and saw that she was still staring intently at him, he wondered if his remarks genuinely hurt her feelings. He didn't mean to speak so loudly, but Charles's persistent nagging did get on his nerves at times, and he lost his temper as he sometimes did.

Elizabeth arched her brow ever so slightly and smiled at him just before turning back to her friend. He couldn't help but smile himself; it was almost as if she were challenging him to say something more. Too bad things happened the way they did, she was very pretty and had the most remarkable brown eyes he had ever seen. Their battle of wills was interrupted however as he was forced to look away when Caroline, came up next to him. "So Darcy are you as bored with this party as I am?"

"It has been a very long evening," he said to her.

"You are much too kind to our host," she said as she glanced over at her brother who was dancing again with Jane. "But I'm so grateful that you came to see for yourself just how impossible a relationship with this young woman would be. Charles isn't thinking clearly or else he would never involve himself with her."

Darcy glanced over at Jane and Charles. "I don't think you have to worry too much. Charles has dated many young women, and not one of them has amounted to anything of a serious nature."

Caroline leaned over and whispered to Darcy. "Has he told you that he's planning on buying Netherfield?"

"No, he only mentioned that he was thinking about it, but nothing beyond that," he said beginning to feel more concerned for his friend.

"I'm very worried about him. Netherfield is a lovely house. It has some beautiful landscaping, and it will be nice to have a place that's not right in the city to visit occasionally. However, I wonder at his true motives for wanting to live in this part of the country," she said.

Darcy sighed. "It's true; this area has very little to offer. It's too rural, and I'm not particularly fond of the country setting either."

Caroline detected the tone in his voice and smiled. "That's exactly what I was thinking. Of course, it pales in comparison to Pemberley. I for one hoped he would consider buying some place in Derbyshire. I so like that part of the country better."

Darcy smiled politely but gave no response to her comment. He had little patience this evening and didn't want to hear Caroline go on about how magnificent Pemberley was. She was always dropping not so subtle hints that he chose to ignore.

When Darcy remained silent, she went back to talking about the Bennet family. "Have you met the mother?" Caroline asked as she pointed over to a table were several older women were sitting and laughing quite loudly.

"Sadly I have had that pleasure," he said sarcastically.

"Charles introduced me to Mrs. Bennet not long after we arrived," Caroline shuddered. "I have never met a more unpleasant woman in my life, and the younger sisters are awful. They are all completely lacking in any manners, especially the younger three."

"I have not met all the sisters formally. Although, I have heard and seen the two younger ones behaving completely out of control while their father does nothing to monitor them," he looked over at Elizabeth. She was talking with her friend again, and the two seemed locked in deep conversation. He found himself rather enjoying watching her. He liked the way she tossed her head back ever so slightly when she laughed.

Elizabeth looked up and saw Darcy had settled his gaze upon her once again. She didn't think much of his manners, but she did admit he was very good looking. She liked his dark curly hair and deep brown eyes.

Charlotte looked over at him. "That's Mr. Darcy with Charles's sister, isn't it?"

Elizabeth smiled, "Yes that's him."

Charlotte looked back at her friend. "Maybe he wants to dance with you? I saw him talking to you before, what did he say?"

"Oh, he did ask me to dance, but I told him no," she told her.

Charlotte was shocked it was unlike her friend to be rude. "Why on earth did you do that?"

"Because he just told Charles that he had no intention of dancing with me so I thought I would help him keep his word," she told her.

"It is possible that he regrets what he said and wants to make amends," she suggested.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No Charlotte. I don't think so," she laughed as she continued looking into his eyes.

Charlotte glanced back over in his direction. "Well he's staring right at you Lizzy, maybe he does want to make amends, but is afraid he will be interrupting our conversation if he does come over. Maybe he wants to apologize. I should go get some punch; then I bet he will come over to you."

"No Charlotte. I'm sure he doesn't wish to spend any time with me," Elizabeth told her then leaned over and whispered quietly all the details of the conversation she overheard and how she already refused his invitation to dance. Elizabeth laughed, "Yes I did Charlotte, I told him that I wouldn't dance with him because I wanted to protect his reputation and keep him from looking like a liar in front of his friend."

Charlotte laughed, "Lizzy you are terrible. I can't imagine ever talking that way to someone like William Darcy."

"Why not, he's just the same as you, and I are," she told her.

"That may be, but he has a good deal more money than either you or I have. Before you say that doesn't matter let me just add, he's a very handsome guy, I mean just look at him."

"He might be handsome and wealthy, but that doesn't excuse rude behavior. He's been standing over there for the better part of the night scowling at everyone and barely talking. I can't believe he's supposed to be such a great friend to Charles and has no conscience about ruining his evening with his rude behavior. He hasn't even asked Jane to dance or spent any time getting to know her. You would think as Charles's friend he would at least want to do that much."

"I think I could overlook his behavior with the amount of money he makes and his good looks," Charlotte said.

"Charlotte, you know that money will have no part in whoever I choose to marry," Elizabeth reminded her.

"I know that you are a romantic at heart," Charlotte told her. "And I do hope you find your one true love, Lizzy. But I will be happy to marry someone who can take care of me. Someone I know who will be able to provide for me a home and some security."

Elizabeth let out a small sigh. "Charlotte, you sound like my mum. Don't you want to marry for love? Do you really think it's such a silly notion?" she asked her. "I guess I just don't get how marrying someone just for comfort and security would truly make you happy. I mean why get married at all? It's not like were in the middle ages when women didn't have much choice but to marry."

"Because I'm sick of my job and I really don't want to end up spending the rest of my life stuck there in that office getting coffee and answering phones," Charlotte told her. "I have never been a romantic like you. I know I'm not as beautiful as you and Jane are. But I would like to find someone who can provide for me. Someone who can give me a nice house and maybe have a baby with. I want to marry someone who will be faithful. I don't want to have to worry about them getting a wandering eye for every pretty face. I don't want to end up alone, eating ice cream and keeping company with my fifty cats when I'm old. So yes Lizzy, if I were truly lucky enough to find a man and that man ended up being someone who looked like Mr. Darcy I would be very happy no matter how rude he was."

Elizabeth smiled but said nothing more. She looked over at Mr. Darcy and noticed once again his striking good looks. He was very handsome, probably the most handsome man in the entire room and yet his behavior was so ugly that Elizabeth couldn't ever imagine herself with someone like him. It's a shame she thought because she did like the way those tiny curls of hair fell across his forehead.

Darcy knew she overheard him tell Charles that she was nothing special, and was of no interest to him, she made that very clear. He guessed she was probably telling her friend all about it at that very moment. He watched as Elizabeth's smile widened and she laughed before turning her attention back to him. He did feel bad that he allowed Charles to annoy him and that he raised his voice to such a level that she or anyone else overheard him. He may have been uncomfortable, but it was not his intention to purposely hurt the feelings of a stranger. Still, he was unsure if he should go and apologize or not. What would he even say to her?

Elizabeth stared into his eyes and refused once again to look away. If it was to be a war of wills, she was up for it. It wasn't so much his comments that caused her any hurt feelings, but rather she took them as a challenge.

Darcy glanced back over at Caroline. He wasn't listening to her as she went on about the horrible way everyone was dressed and how no one at the party seemed to have any real manners or conversational skills except for her brother, Darcy, and herself. Darcy wasn't interested in what Caroline was saying. His thoughts were preoccupied with Elizabeth Bennet. He was certain she was still looking in his direction. He felt frustrated at not knowing, so he looked up again to find that she was still looking straight at him. He was somewhat surprised at her behavior, were her feelings hurt that much by his remark? Was she waiting for him to come and apologize? He could see by the smile on her face and the way she arched her brow that wasn't it. She didn't have hurt feelings at all. She wasn't seeking an apology from him. No, she was challenging him, daring him to say something more. He found himself having a new appreciation for this young woman he still had not been introduced to. "Perhaps there was a young woman in attendance that was worth his time after all," he thought to himself. "One that he found most intriguing with soft, beautiful, brown eyes."

Elizabeth brushed her hair away from her face and took one last opportunity to stare down the rich and wealthy Mr. Darcy. She would have gone on all evening with this silent battle of wills if it wasn't for her mother's boisterous pronouncement. "Of course, Mr. Bingley has decided to buy Netherfield to be closer to Jane. I'm sure it means he plans to propose to her very soon. It will be so wonderful for her to have such a wealthy husband." Mrs. Bennet said at the top of her voice for all to hear.

Elizabeth excused herself from her friend and headed over to her mother's table, she caught sight of Jane on the way and judged by her red face that she and Charles had overheard the comments as well. She approached the table and was just about to say something when her mother turned to her. "There you are, Lizzy. I was just telling Mrs. Lucas how wonderful it will be once Jane and Charles are married for you other girls. I'm sure he must have some wealthy bachelor friends for you and your sisters to meet. Maybe even that friend of his here this evening, Mr. Darcy."

Elizabeth closed her eyes, if she could have, she would have disappeared into nothingness at that very moment. She was sure that Mr. Darcy overheard all that her mother had just said. "Mum," she gritted out between clenched teeth. "Mrs. Burrows mentioned how very neglected she was feeling by you because you had not come over to talk with her yet. She arrived several minutes ago, and you still have not gone over to say hello," Elizabeth whispered softly to her trying not to sound overly irritated.

Mrs. Bennet looked about the room and saw her dear friend sitting near the back of the room, "Oh no, I must go over and say hello at once," she said as she excused herself and made her way over to her friend. Elizabeth looked up and saw Jane smile, as relief washed over her.

Darcy watched Elizabeth deal with her mother. It was clear she was the one in charge of keeping Mrs. Bennet under control. Too bad Mr. Bennet was nowhere to be found. Considering how his wife behaved he wasn't entirely surprised. Darcy didn't have a very high opinion of this family so far, and he was sure that it wasn't about to improve anytime soon. He honestly hoped Charles was taking notice of how awful it would be to have Mrs. Bennet be a part of his family before he made to much of a commitment to Jane.

Elizabeth could feel Mr. Darcy's eyes on her still, but she refused to play his games any longer. She took in a deep breath and promised herself for the rest of the evening she wouldn't look in his direction. It was one thing to have him make comments about her. She was always able to laugh at herself, but the thought that her mother and younger sisters might cause Jane embarrassment was something she couldn't shrug off so easily. It was a sore spot for her knowing that others thought them so ridiculous because of her mother's behavior. She turned her attention to watching Jane and Charles dancing together. She smiled, she prayed that her mother's interference would not destroy any chance that Jane might have at happiness, not this time.

Charles held Jane close and whispered into her ear, "I'm having the best time."

Jane smiled, "I'm so glad Charles," she said to him, thankful that he didn't seem put off by her family. "I know my mother can be a bit overzealous with her enthusiasm."

"She is a very..." he thought for a moment trying to think of what to say next. "A very outgoing person," he offered in response.

Jane laughed, "Yes, she is that."

They finished their dance unaware of the two sets of eyes staring at them, one contemplating the happiness of her favorite sister, and the other contemplating how to save a friend from a terrible mistake.