Only once had Caroline Bingley been invited to a dinner party at the home of a member of the nobility, and then it was just the son of an earl who was heavily in debt. But this situation was different; Lord Sebastian had invited her to his house for dinner. She was excited and getting closer to achieving her dream of finally being accepted into London's high society.
She had paid no attention to the Bartons when they welcomed her to Netherfield Park; how could she imagine that this simple parson had connections with the Marquess of Hertford? She would have invited Mrs. Barton to tea if she had known earlier about her connections. It was time to correct that situation once and for all. That evening, she would speak to and befriend Mary Barton. What a coincidence that she was Elizabeth Bennet's sister!
Although she was not fond of Miss Bennet, she recognized she was a well-bred young woman with a large dowry. Perhaps she could convince her brother that Miss Bennet was a suitable wife! She remembered that Charles had commented on her being very pretty. Besides, Charles was disappointed in Jane Smith and no longer mentioned her.
Even though she was very ambitious, pretty, and had very high self-esteem, Caroline was not stupid, and she was aware that the chances of a future marquess marrying a merchant's daughter were remote. However, Mr. Darcy was different; she believed she was in love with him.
She dressed more carefully than usual for dinner, and her hairstyle was fashioned and sophisticated. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She was prettier than usual and came downstairs before the Darcys.
Georgiana and Darcy were ready at 5:30, and finally, Bingley joined them. Georgiana was beautiful in a light blue gown, highlighting her eyes, and her hair was up in a bun. The Hursts had to return to London that day, as Mr. Hurst's father had been in an accident, and it was unclear yet if he would survive.
To Caroline's disappointment, Darcy did not even look at her or comment on her appearance. She had to be content with going arm in arm with Charles as Darcy offered his arm to his sister.
They arrived at The Firs at the appointed time to find that the Bartons and Miss Bennet had already arrived.
Feigning delight at seeing the ladies, Caroline took Georgiana's arm and approached Mary and Elizabeth. Miss Bingley greeted them, smiling, "Mrs. Barton, Miss Bennet, what a surprise to see you here again. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to speak much at Meryton's assembly. This is my very good friend Georgiana Darcy."
"Georgiana, this is Mrs. Mary Barton and Miss Elizabeth Bennet."
After the usual greetings, Miss Bingley conversed mainly with Mary and Elizabeth with Georgiana.
"I have heard that you are an accomplished pianist, Miss Darcy. Do you have a favourite composer?"
Georgiana blushed and curiously asked, "Who told you that?"
Elizabeth chuckled slightly and shook her head. "Well, you know the saying 'hate the sin, not the sinner'."
"I enjoy playing the piano but do not consider myself an accomplished pianist." She smiled and said, "My favourite composers are Beethoven and Mozart. Who is your favourite composer?"
"I also like Beethoven and Mozart, and my favourite composition is 'Für Elise', but maybe it is because that is my name in German."
Darcy and Lord Sebastian watched Georgiana and Miss Bennet chat animatedly. Lord Sebastian's gaze was mainly on Georgiana, while Darcy's eyes focused on the changes in Miss Bennet's expressive face and eyes.
Meanwhile, Bingley talked to Mr. Barton about the Netherfield Park tenants and the church's charities.
A few minutes later, the housekeeper informed Lord Sebastian that dinner was ready. The dining room was small, only seating 8–10 people. There were no cards on the table.
Lord Sebastian sat at the head of the table and invited Georgiana to sit on his right and Elizabeth on his left. Darcy sat next to Georgiana, and Mr. Barton was next to Elizabeth.
Since Elizabeth and Lord Sebastian were excellent conversationalists and asked others for their opinion—especially Georgiana—within minutes, even Darcy smiled and joined the conversation.
Miss Bingley was frustrated that she could barely converse with Lord Sebastian and Darcy, and she was vexed that the two gentlemen she was interested in were paying too much attention to Miss Bennet.
During dinner, Elizabeth made a comment that caught Darcy's attention.
"Since you have been lucky enough to live in Hertfordshire, London, and Derbyshire, where do you prefer to live?" Curiously, Lord Sebastian asked Elizabeth.
"I prefer living in the country to London. I used to prefer to live in Hertfordshire; I suppose most people love the place where they were born, but now I consider Derbyshire to be the more beautiful place in the Kingdom." Elizabeth smiled.
"What do you like best about Derbyshire?" Darcy asked.
"I like the mountains and the countryside in general. And you, Mr. Darcy, do you also like living in Derbyshire?"
Darcy smiled and nodded. "I must agree with you; it is the most beautiful place in the Kingdom."
After that comment, they continued discussing Derbyshire, the attractions of London, and the most beautiful places near Meryton. Elizabeth noticed that Georgiana was shy and made an effort to ask her opinion on various topics to include her in the conversation. Lord Sebastian and Darcy noticed Elizabeth's efforts and were grateful to her.
After dinner - instead of separating the sexes as was the custom - Lord Sebastian asked the ladies to play the piano.
Mary was the only one who demurred since she had not practised for several months, but she offered to turn the pages.
Miss Bingley was the first to play, choosing a complex piece. Although her performance was technically excellent, it lacked feeling. Next was Georgiana, who, despite being very nervous about exhibiting in front of other people, performed very well and with such feelings. Finally, it was Elizabeth's turn. Her performance was one of the best Darcy had ever heard. Perhaps Miss Bingley's was technically better, but he had never listened to a lady play with such passion. Besides being very pretty, Miss Bennet was also very talented.