Chapter 19: Party at Netherfield
Darcy stood off to the side as more of Charles's guest made their way into the room. He found himself looking for Elizabeth hoping to catch sight of her as she came in the door. He didn't have long to wait when moments later Elizabeth and her family arrived.
Charles wasted no time in going to be with Jane; Mrs. Bennet was once again going on about how beautiful, and expensive everything in the home was. Darcy scowled and did his best to control his mounting frustrations at the woman's unending rudeness. She always yelled when she spoke, and he could see by the look on Charles's face that he was feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed. Darcy shook his head and wondered if anyone had ever taught the woman about using her inside voice. It wasn't that difficult a concept to understand; even a small child could master it.
He turned his attention to Elizabeth; he watched as she leaned over whispering to her mother. Mr. Bennet was nowhere in sight, and the two youngest daughters made their way over to a group of young men near the back of the room.
Darcy smiled when he saw Elizabeth. She made the tension and agitation he was just feeling disappear completely. She was the most breathtaking woman in the room. She wore her hair down in soft curls and had on a beautiful red dress that showed off her gorgeous figure. As he stared at her, he wondered how he didn't see how beautiful she truly was that first night at the Lucas party. But then he reminded himself that he made the unkind remarks before he ever saw her.
Charles wasted no time in asking Jane to join him, and it was not long before Elizabeth stood by herself. Darcy decided to go over to speak to her. He wasn't sure what he would say, but he didn't care he just wanted to spend time with her.
"My dear Elizabeth, I was hoping that you would do me the honor of the first dance," Collins extend his hand. "Your mother said that you might be interested and that I should waste no time in asking you."
Elizabeth looked around the room desperately trying to come up with some reason why she couldn't dance with him, but in the end, she relented. "Yes, thank you," she smiled politely. She hated the fact that her mother was trying to set her up with the man, even though she had no interest in him at all. Her only hope was that Collins would at least have some clue and know she wasn't interested, and that she was only trying to be polite.
Darcy stopped abruptly as he saw a young man leading Elizabeth out onto the dance floor. He wondered who he was. He watched as the man awkwardly danced around the floor with Elizabeth. He noticed that he stepped on her feet several times. He could see by the look on her face that she was doing her best to be polite. Poor Elizabeth, he thought to himself she deserves a better partner. He waited for the music to end then walked over to the pair, "Miss Bennet may I ask for the next dance with you?"
Elizabeth felt unsure how to answer, but faced with the prospect of having to dance again with Collins, she accepted. "Thank you, Mr. Darcy; I will be happy to dance with you."
Before Elizabeth could introduce her cousin to Darcy, he interrupted. William Collins wasted no time upon hearing the name Darcy to interject his compliments and greetings to the man standing in front of him. "Mr. Darcy, I'm very honored to meet you, sir. I work for your aunt..." he said excitedly. "I can tell you that when I left Lady Catherine's company, she was in excellent health, in fact, I spoke to her just a few hours ago, and she was telling me how."
Darcy nodded politely to acknowledge what the man said then turned to Elizabeth, "Elizabeth...shall we?" he offered her his hand and moved away before Collins could say more. Elizabeth placed her hand in his and allowed him to escort her out on the dance floor. It was a slower song, and he held her close in his arms as the music began, he could smell the sweet scent of lilac in her hair.
Elizabeth searched for something to say but found herself for the first time with nothing to talk about. She was not surprised since the two of them had little to nothing in common. She glanced up into his face for a moment and smiled; he too seemed to be struggling for something to talk about. "How is Georgiana doing?" she asked. "I've been so busy over this past week. I haven't had the chance to chat with her since we went over the photos together."
Darcy smiled, "She's doing very well. She has been busy planning for our upcoming vacation," he told her but made no mention of the photos themselves.
"Oh yes, I know she was very excited about that too. She confided in me that this would be her first attempt at planning the entire vacation herself. She was a bit nervous about it though I think," she told him.
"I think letting her do this will help restore some of her confidence," he told her without thinking. "At least I hope it will."
Elizabeth smiled, "I have noticed that she struggles at times," was all she said.
"She's usually very shy and reserved, so making decisions has been, at times difficult for her, but since meeting you, she seems more comfortable in asserting herself. I think knowing you has been good for her; she seems to be coming out of her shell."
Elizabeth took note of the compliment but wasn't sure how to respond; she wasn't used to him being so kind to her. "I was a bit surprised that she was so shy…" Elizabeth said.
"She and I both struggle with being shy, I am sorry to say," he said.
Elizabeth was both puzzled and surprised by his remark. "I have to admit Mr. Darcy that shyness is not a trait that I would have thought you would have attributed to yourself. You always seem so confident in every situation, and you are, after all, one of the wealthiest businessmen in the entire country."
Darcy didn't say anything for a moment. Then without thinking, he let his guard down and told her, "There is a great deal of difference in a business relationship than that of a personal nature. I will admit that I do find it much harder to converse with others that I don't know on a personal level. I don't have the ease that some have with strangers."
"I would never have guessed that about you," she told him truthfully.
"I think there are probably many things you would be surprised to find out about me," he told her.
Again, Elizabeth wasn't sure what to say. She grew quiet for a moment then commented. "I was surprised to hear that my father's cousin, William Collins is working for your aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. It can be a small world we live in, don't you think?"
Darcy smiled again, and Elizabeth found she rather liked his smile. She looked up into his eyes and found them to be very striking; she thought how easy it would be to get lost in them. After a moment, she realized she was staring. She laughed a little, "You haven't answered me, did you find it surprising the coincidence of my cousin working for your aunt?"
Darcy was more than a little surprised to find himself feeling so completely relaxed and content just to be with Elizabeth. He never felt that way with another woman in his life. He cleared his throat a little and realized he had gotten lost in his own thoughts. "Yes, I guess I was surprised, but as you said, it's a small world. My Aunt Catherine can be a demanding employer. I hope your cousin doesn't find working for her too taxing."
Elizabeth smiled, "Collins seems to be very happy with the job he is in. Since his coming to visit, I have learned more about Rosings Parks than I ever thought possible."
Darcy was just about to respond when the sound of Elizabeth's younger sister shrieking from across the room interrupted their conversation. Both Darcy and Elizabeth turned to see what it was that caused such a commotion. She turned bright red with embarrassment at the sight of her youngest sister Lydia jumping up and down at the sight of Denny Wakefield, and his friend George Wickham. Darcy stiffened immediately at the sight of Wickham. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice his change in mood as soon as Wickham showed up. "I guess Lydia must have invited Denny and his friend to the party this evening," she mentioned.
Darcy jaw was set as he struggled to control his anger. "Perhaps Lydia should have consulted with Charles before doing so, it might have saved all of us from some unwanted company," he said.
Elizabeth was shocked by the remark, "I do admit, it was wrong of her to invite Denny without Charles knowing about it, but he's a nice enough young man. I'm sure Charles will not mind."
"Probably not, but then he's more forgiving than I am," Darcy told her.
She glanced back over in the direction of George Wickham, then up at Darcy. "Do you know Denny Wakefield or his friend George Wickham?"
Darcy let out a frustrated sigh, "Yes, I do know George Wickham very well."
Elizabeth looked up at Darcy. "I only met him briefly a few days ago, he mentioned that he knew you...were you friends at one time?" she asked wanting to know his side of the story.
"No, he's not a friend of mine," he told her.
Elizabeth waited to see if he would say anything more, but he didn't." She glanced over at her sister and her friends. They were loud and making a scene, everyone's eyes were on them. Elizabeth looked around the room, and she saw Jane dancing not far from them, she looked upset. "Maybe whatever has happened is now in the past and could be forgotten?" she said hoping he would tell her more about what transpired between the two of them.
Darcy looked deeply into her eyes, "Forgive me Miss Bennet, but I have nothing further to say on the subject. Thank you for the dance, I enjoyed it very much," he told her as the music ended.
Elizabeth watched as he moved to the side of the room. He resumed his usual posture of superiority and coldness with her. She noticed that he and George Wickham exchanged several looks towards one another and that with each one Darcy's agitation and anger seemed to grow. She made her way over toward her sister Lydia and her friends hoping to quiet them down. "Lydia maybe you and Denny would like to dance."
"Oh, yes Denny let's dance," she called out to him as she pulled him along behind her. "I do wish they would play something more upbeat, but this will have to do."
Elizabeth let out a small sigh and was about to go over and join Jane when George stopped her. "It seems that I'm without a partner Elizabeth, would you dance with me?"
She glanced over at Darcy who was now staring intently at the two of them. She didn't want to cause any trouble for Jane, but she did like George Wickham and didn't want to be rude. He was a nice guy and very handsome, not as attractive as Darcy but so much more pleasant to be around. She turned back to George, "I would love to dance with you." she told him. After all, she did give Darcy his chance to tell his side of the story, but as usual, he didn't offer any kind of explanation for his rude and distant behavior.
Darcy watched as the two of them made their way to the dance floor. He wanted nothing more than to walk up to Wickham and demand he let go of her and leave the party at once but knew better than to make a scene. He watched as George took her in his arms and pulled her close to him, it took all his strength not to interfere. He forced himself to look away, why should he care who she danced with, he told himself. Try as hard as he could not to stare his eyes were drawn back to the two of them, and he found his anger growing.
George smiled down at her then glanced over toward Darcy. "I saw you dancing with Darcy when I came in. Was I mistaken in thinking that you didn't care for him or has his charm won you over?" he teased her.
Elizabeth laughed, "His charm...hardly," she said sarcastically. "I was merely trying to be polite; he is after all very close friends with my sister's boyfriend."
George laughed, "Oh so you sacrificed yourself to keep peace in the family, is that it?"
"Something like that," she told him. "I must admit I'm a bit surprised at seeing you here. When you said how terribly Mr. Darcy treated you I thought you might want to stay as far away from him as possible."
"Please don't misunderstand me, Elizabeth. I don't hold a hard heart toward Darcy. I know that he has done some terrible things to me, but in the end, I still see us as those young boys who promised friendship to one another," he told her sadly. "I guess part of me just keeps hoping he will someday come around and we can be friends once again. Besides your sister, Lydia wouldn't stop pleading with us to come until Denny and I both promised that we would. Unlike some people, once I give my word I'm good for it, no matter the consequence to myself."
Elizabeth was surprised that he could be so forgiving. "You are a better person than I am George, all Mr. Darcy has done to me is make a rather unkind remark about my looks, and I have found his company unwelcome ever since."
George laughed, "That's so like him. Trust me Elizabeth and don't take to heart anything he has said about your appearance. You are by far one of the most beautiful young ladies in the room this evening, and if he's too blind to see that then too bad for him. It is sad though really..." George said as he looked back over towards Darcy. "He was not always so snobbish and self-absorbed. There was a time before money and power came into play that he was a decent fellow, but that was years ago."
Darcy watched as they danced, he knew George was probably filling her head with lies but was determined not to let it bother him. If Elizabeth Bennet didn't have better sense than to spend her time with the likes of George Wickham, what concern of it was his?
Elizabeth glanced over toward Darcy and saw that Charles was now standing there with his friend and the two seemed to be in deep conversation.
George glanced over in their direction and asked, "Is that Charles Bingley, there with Darcy?"
"Yes, it is. He and my sister Jane have been dating for a while now," she told him.
"By the look on Darcy's face I fear that my being here has caused some trouble for your friend, and might for your sister as well," he told her.
"No I'm sure everything will be all right," she said hoping it really would be.
"I don't think so. I've seen that look on Darcy's face before. He's not happy and when he's not happy he can make those around him miserable," he warned her then added as the song ended, "I will say good night Elizabeth. I think I had better leave."
"You don't have to leave George. Mr. Darcy will just have to get over his tantrum," she told him.
"You are very kind to want me to stay, but for the sake of your sister and her relationship I think it will be best," he told her as he leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek. Elizabeth smiled and turned to go and find Jane. She was furious with Darcy for chasing off George as he did. As Elizabeth walked away, she didn't see the smirk that George shot in Darcy direction just before he headed toward the door. Just before he left, George stopped near the door and looked back over at Darcy. He raised his brow and shook his head as if to mock Darcy. He could see how angry his old friend was and he relished in it. "Good, let not knowing what I am up to gnaw away at you," George thought to himself.
Darcy seethed with anger and glared back at him, that he had the nerve to show up here and worse to dance with Elizabeth was too much. It took everything in him not to walk over and punch George Wickham. "Charles, I think I'm going to call it a night and head upstairs," Darcy told his friend. "I'm not the best company right now."
"Darcy don't leave. I will have security escort him out of here at once," Charles told his friend.
"It will only cause gossip," Darcy warned him.
"What do I care about gossip." Charles laughed. "You're my friend, and I want you to stay. Please, you haven't even asked Jane to dance yet."
"All right Charles," he said. "You should go back and dance with Jane; she will be wondering where you are. I will be okay." Darcy wondered what George Wickham was up to. Why come there tonight and why single Elizabeth out as he did? He hated the uneasy feeling he now had that something more was going on. George Wickham was up to something, but he had no idea what it was.
Charles smiled and made his way across the room to Jane and Charlotte. Darcy searched the room for Elizabeth and found that her bumbling cousin had once again dragged her out on the dance floor. Twice the man almost tripped and caused her to stumble as well. Darcy decided to rescue Elizabeth once again from her cousin and headed over to them as the music ended. "Mr. Collins if you don't mind I would like to have the next dance with Miss Bennet."
Elizabeth was annoyed that Darcy's spoiled and rude behavior caused George to leave. She was just about to refuse to dance with him when her cousin accepted for her. "I'm sure she will love to dance with you sir," he said as he took a step back.
Darcy turned toward Elizabeth who now felt obligated to accept, "Thank you, Mr. Darcy." she said politely. Darcy could sense as he pulled her into his arms that she was tense. He also noticed that she was much quieter than before. He searched for something to say but found himself unable to think of anything. This time Elizabeth made no effort to speak with him, so they danced in silence until the song ended. "Thank you, Miss Bennet."
Elizabeth spent the rest of the evening with Charlotte, Jane, and Charles; she danced a few times with Charles while Darcy danced with Jane. She did her best to avoid her cousin William, who seemed happy to dance with Charlotte for most of the evening.
Later that night as Darcy climbed into bed, he found himself unable to sleep. His thoughts kept drifting back to Elizabeth. He thought she looked beautiful tonight. He found himself very taken with her beautiful eyes and lovely smile. He wished more than anything that Wickham hadn't come when he did, things up to that point seemed to be going so well. He thought again about warning Elizabeth about George Wickham's true character but then decided against it. It was clear that George already told her about his plight with the evil Fitzwilliam Darcy, so anything that he said now would only cause her to dislike him even more. He sighed as he rolled over in bed and punched his pillow in frustration.
Elizabeth yawned as she finished changing into her pajamas. She couldn't wait to get into bed and curl up to sleep. However, the sound of someone knocking at her door delayed her plans. "Come in."
Jane opened the door and walked over to her bed. "Lizzy thank you so much for tonight."
Elizabeth smiled, "What did I do?" she asked not sure what she was being thanked for.
"You kept Mum busy, and Lydia too," she told her. "And most of all, you danced with Collins which kept him too busy to talk endlessly with Charles about Rosings and Lady Catherine."
Elizabeth laughed, "Yes, you do owe me for that one," she teased her. Then she thought about the unwanted guests that showed up later in the evening and how upset Darcy seemed by it. "Was Charles upset that Denny and George showed up?"
Jane expression changed a bit, "He wasn't angry with me, but I do think that he didn't like having George Wickham show up as he did. I don't believe he was upset about Denny, but he did mention that Wickham and Darcy weren't friends and that there was some bad blood between the two of them. He was worried that Darcy was upset that Wickham came to the party, even though he wasn't invited."
"Did Charles tell you why they are no longer friends?" Elizabeth asked her. "Did he say what caused the bad blood between them?"
"No not really, he only said that Darcy had his reasons for not liking or trusting him," she told her. "Did Darcy say anything more to you about George? Did he give any kind of reason for his dislike of him?"
"No, he wouldn't talk about it. He only said that George Wickham wasn't a friend of his," she told her. "For his part, George was very kind in what he said about Darcy. He spoke of forgiving him and hoping that one day they could be friends again."
"Was Darcy really angry about George being there, do you think?" Jane asked her.
Elizabeth arched her brow. "Well, he wasn't happy about it."
Jane shrugged her shoulders, "Well it seems to me that of the two, George Wickham is the better man. I mean at least he's willing to forgive the wrongs that Darcy has inflicted on him."
"He's more forgiving than I could ever be," Elizabeth told her.
"Do you think I should speak to Charles again about Wickham?" Jane asked. "He considers Darcy, his very best friend. I find it confusing that Charles would be friends with someone so unfeeling."
Elizabeth yawned, "I don't know Jane. I did try to give Mr. Darcy a chance to tell his side of it, but he didn't want to talk about it. You would think if George Wickham was really so bad he would want to say something to us about it."
"Maybe he didn't want it to appear as if he was gossiping," Jane told her.
Elizabeth yawned again. "I suppose that's possible."
"What did Georgiana say to you about her brother?" Jane asked.
"She praises him all the time," Elizabeth told her. "She says he's the ideal older brother. She talks about how kind, and generous he is with her."
Jane didn't know what to think. "Clearly one of them is not who we think they are?"
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders as she stifled another yawn. "I don't know what to think, or who to believe."
Jane got up to leave the room. "Perhaps time will reveal to us which one of them is truly good."
"And which one only has the appearance of being good," she said just before Jane said good night.