12. Chapter 12

XII.

The activity immediately following dinner was never Bingley's favourite; while he enjoyed a good Port as much as the next fellow, he enjoyed the company of a pretty lady much more. This is not to say that he disliked the company of men, but when given the choice – and particularly considering that Miss Bennet was amongst the ladies in the other room – he found himself rather eager to rejoin the party in the drawing room. Nonetheless, he recognized that it would be imprudent to appear over-anxious as he was in the company of the lady's father and it was crucial to secure that man's good opinion. Unfortunately for Mr. Bingley, Mr. Bennet really had no interest in him, at least not when such a fascinating spectacle as Mr. Collins was present.

Mr. Collins, for his part, seemed desperate to fit in, and in that eagerness could not decide on the best approach to secure the respect of the socially and financially superior gentlemen: his manner vacillated between a conceited air of superiority (based on what exactly no one could say) and a simpering obsequiousness that left even Bingley feeling mildly nauseated. The primary focus of Mr. Collins' attentions was, of course, Darcy – Bingley suppressed a laugh at his friend's expense. Naturally, Darcy was uncomfortable with such ridiculous fawning, but covered the ill ease through a mask of superior indifference and, where possible, monosyllabic responses. His small shifts in stance and facial expression signalled his closure of a particular subject or invasion of his space or privacy by a seemingly boundary-less Mr. Collins.

Mr. Bennet was entirely occupied by the cat and mouse display; so much so that when Bingley attempted to engage the man in a discussion of Longbourn or Netherfield or his enjoyment of his family or other suitable topics for discussion, he found himself being shushed by his host! Even Bingley's good temperament took slight offence at this. Nevertheless, he was quite sure that he felt more strongly for Miss Bennet than any other lady of his acquaintance and so he determined to ignore the inhospitable moment.

Darcy was not so forgiving. He was rather appalled to see Mr. Bennet's gross disregard for the comfort and enjoyment of a guest in his home! Is this man not a gentleman? To behave in such a manner! This was the second time this evening, he realized, that he had observed Mr. Bennet fail to live up to his duties as a host. The pieces were fitting together more easily now and he could see how Mrs. Bennet and the younger daughters had been allowed to become so wild. Unbidden though, he thought of Miss Elizabeth and noted that she did not seem to possess the same type of manner. He admitted that she did not follow every rule and, in her own way, was terribly headstrong, but... perhaps he did not find this to be a failing in her as he may have in another. He was drawn rather unpleasantly from his musings by Mr. Collins' new subject, likely influenced by a bit too much to drink.

"I dare say, and I am sure you gentlemen will agree, that I have been largely unimpressed by the ladies of Hertfordshire on the whole. While my cousins are all quite fair," he nodded to Mr. Bennet, as this was apparently a compliment, "there are few other ladies in this country who inspire much notice, I am afraid. Of course, I found several young ladies worthy of interest in Kent, but you know, I felt it was my duty to meet your daughters first." And then solemnly to Mr. Darcy, "And, of course Lady Catherine quite agreed."

Mr. Collins was too consumed by his own self-importance to notice the way Mr. Bingley's face drained of all colour and the way Mr. Darcy's became bright with it, but Mr. Bennet observed both of these changes and repressed a chuckle. He momentarily debated making some sort of oblique reference to not getting carried away or holding off on the banns as yet, just to enjoy the spectacle the gentlemen might make, but his love for his family overwhelmed his desire for the temporary amusement. Though his wife was a completely silly creature, she was not wrong about Mr. Bingley's interest in Jane being beneficial for their family, and so for their sake, he held his tongue this time.

Unlike Mr. Bennet, Mr. Bingley was appalled! How dare this man make such disparaging statements against the ladies of this countryside and, even more so, what exactly was he implying about his intentions for the Miss Bennets? Although not generally one to quarrel, had Bingley not been a guest in someone else's home or had he and Miss Bennet already had an understanding, he felt certain he would have challenged Collins' honour for such a remark. Mr. Bingley simply could not abide anyone wilfully degrading ladies, but least of all a man so inferior to the ladies in question in every way imaginable!

Darcy's thoughts were along similar lines, so consequently he too was struggling to maintain his temper. The arrogance and presumption of that man; why he is not fit to wear the cloth! He speaks quite above his station! He was surprised to see only amusement on Mr. Bennet's face and this further soured his mood. But, as he had been raised, Darcy did not become involved in affairs outside of his personal domain, so he did what he knew best: ignored Collins completely and looked for an exit. As a result of his desire to appear indifferent, he overcompensated and came across as rather disdainful and rude. "Thank you, Mr. Bennet, for the use of your Port. I am ready to return to the party now."

Mr. Bennet was not impressed by Mr. Darcy's arrogant and presumptuous manner in demanding to return to the drawing room, but Thomas Bennet was not such a fool as to quarrel with a gentleman such as Mr. Darcy. "Certainly, sir, if you will just follow me."

ooOoo

Meanwhile in the drawing room following dinner, Elizabeth had determined to redirect her own disappointment into a productive task. She understood that, of course, Mr. Darcy would not have any designs on her and chastised herself for her foolishness briefly before undertaking the Herculean challenge of reining her mother and sisters' ridiculous behaviour in – for Jane's sake, of course, not her own. Once the gentlemen were out of hearing distance, she immediately swooped down upon Lydia like a starving owl upon a country mouse.

"Lydia! What were you thinking by propositioning Mr. Bingley for a ball in such a manner? And while he was a guest at our table! Foolish girl! Did you not think first of how such demands may be perceived or how you might affect his attentions to Jane? Have you no compassion for your sisters?"

Mrs. Bennet, who always had a soft spot for her youngest and had been feeling rather pleased by the sequence of events thus far in the evening, defended Lydia: "Lizzy, honestly! What are you going on about? Mr. Bingley did not mind at all and he even used the opportunity to solicit Jane's hand for the first set! I see nothing to be going on about!"

Elizabeth was slightly taken aback since, in outcome at least, her mother was right. She experienced a momentary twinge of jealousy and irritation since, if one examined events from a neutral position, the only sister whose hopes had been disappointed thus far this evening was herself. She dismissed this thought outright and rebounded: "Yes, but Mama, surely you see that this only resulted in so positive an outcome because of Mr. Bingley's graciousness. Almost any other gentleman would have been entirely appalled by such a display! I realize that what is done is done, but should we not all endeavour to display a greater sense of propriety for the remainder of the evening?" Seeing Mrs. Bennet's opinion wavering, Elizabeth added, "In order to ensure Mr. Bingley does not lose interest and so as to not offend Mr. Darcy, who might convince Mr. Bingley to leave early?"

This seemed to be adequate motivation and Mrs. Bennet rounded on the younger girls: "Kitty! Lydia! You heard your sister. You two will have your chance for fun at the ball, but for tonight, hold your tongues so that Jane can secure Mr. Bingley."

Lizzy and Jane both blanched at this pronouncement. Jane attempted to object, "Mama, I am not sure –" but she was cut off by Mrs. Bennet.

"Now, now, Jane, I know you are rather modest, but honestly, would it kill you to show the man a little more interest? Smile, flirt, bat your eyelashes, brush his arm... I am not asking much! Just remember that unless you marry well or Mr. Collins takes pity on us, we will all be in the hedgerows once your father dies!" At this recollection, she turned to Elizabeth: "And Elizabeth, do be friendlier to Mr. Collins! He –"

Now it was Lizzy's turn to cut her mother off. She knew the direction of this speech and did not care for it. "If you wish, Mama, but I had thought you would wish for me to distract Mr. Darcy's attention from Mr. Bingley and Jane since he does not generally converse with those he does not know well, but if you prefer ..." She let her sentence drift ominously; unsurprisingly, her mother took the bait.

"Ah Lizzy, once again, you are quite right. While certainly Mr. Collins is important, perhaps Mary can entertain him this evening and you can make your inattention up to him tomorrow." Elizabeth smiled, pleased with herself, until her mother continued, "I must say, Elizabeth, I am quite impressed at your dedication to getting husbands. I had not expected such effort from you on this matter, but I am pleased to see that you have finally begun to learn what I have tried to teach you." And with that, Mrs. Bennet turned to Mary to instruct her as to how to best entertain Mr. Collins for the evening.

The compliment made Elizabeth feel ill; surely this could not be a good sign if her mother approved of her efforts? Lizzy immediately sat near Jane and rested her head against Jane's shoulder. The softness of Jane's dress was comforting on Lizzy's cheek and she intertwined her hand with her sister's.

"Jane, what has happened to me?"

"Oh Lizzy, please do not fret so. Mr. Bingley is a kind and generous man; I am sure that he understands our sisters are young and make mistakes. I cannot imagine he would let such trivial things deter him should he set his sights on a young lady."

Jane's modesty made Lizzy smile and look up into her sister's face. "Oh Jane, dear, surely you must know that Mr. Bingley is entirely in love with you!"

Jane blushed brightly but underneath, Lizzy could see that she was pleased at the compliment. "Lizzy, neither you nor I know that to be true. But if you think so, why should you so concern yourself with the behaviour of our sisters and mother? How worthy would his love be if he were so easily dissuaded from it?"

And now it was Elizabeth's turn to colour as she still had not related to Jane what she had overheard her first day at Netherfield. Rather than reveal her secret, Lizzy simply smiled and conceded, "You are quite right, Jane, I am overreacting."

Jane studied her sister for a moment and could see that there was more to Lizzy's concern than she had expressed, but misinterpreted her sister's thoughts. "Might there be some other reason, perhaps a more personal interest you are not sharing with me?"

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open – quite confirming Jane's suspicions – as she remembered that she was not the only perceptive and intelligent lady in this household. Elizabeth was not aware that Jane had heard bits of her and Mr. Darcy's dinner conversation, as she had been seated on Mr. Darcy's other side. In a rather uncharacteristic move, Elizabeth delayed answering – because eventually Jane would have the truth out of her, she knew – by pretending to suddenly note a problem in Mary's fingering technique on the pianoforte that required her guidance.

"Mary, do let me assist you with that part." And with that clumsy deflection, Elizabeth avoided Jane's eyes and moved to the pianoforte with Mary.

ooOoo

For the remaining time until the gentlemen returned to rejoin the ladies, Elizabeth's eyes stayed steadfastly toward the door and away from Jane's. At some point, Mary became interested in one of her books and after that, Lizzy was able to simply play her favourite songs without any interruption.

Two and a half songs later, the door opened to allow entrance to Mr. Bennet, then Mr. Darcy, then Mr. Bingley, and finally, Mr. Collins. Elizabeth nearly forgot herself and stopped playing, but instead managed to only falter on one key and she hoped none of the gentlemen were familiar enough with the song to notice. Much to her heart's delight – for it thumped exceedingly fast – Mr. Darcy immediately spotted her and moved toward the chair nearest to her. Her mouth, without her conscious permission, immediately formed itself into a smile and she could not help but to notice that where he had previously worn a very formidable expression – she shuddered to think of what may have put such an expression on his face – he now seemed to be softly smiling along with her song.

"Miss Elizabeth," he greeted with a nod as he sat.

"Mr. Darcy," she responded, determined to match whatever tone he set.

After a few moments, "That is a lovely piece you are playing."

Elizabeth glanced briefly and seeing only curiosity but no distaste in her selection, continued playing. "Thank you, sir. It is one of my favourites, by Handel." She paused in her speech, concentrating on a difficult part, and then continued, "It was given to me by my aunt and uncle. They live in London so they have easier access to sheet music and are always thoughtful about finding new pieces for us."

Darcy found his sour mood nearly entirely gone as he allowed the lilting melody to capture him; it reminded him of strolling through the grounds of Pemberley on a crisp autumn day. "I can understand why this would be one of your favourites. I must admit that I do not think I have heard my sister play this melody before, but now I may need to acquire it so I may hear it again. Do you know the name?"

Elizabeth's smile was joined by a slight blush as she replied, "It is called Minuet in G Minor, but I must warn you that once a superior player like your sister plays it, you will then realize how truly poor my performance has been!"

Much to her surprise, Mr. Darcy laughed softly and replied, "Miss Elizabeth, I find that enjoyment of music is not solely based on technical proficiency but the emotions conveyed by the performer." He withheld the sentiments so close to spilling out that he felt hearing and seeing her play was among the most enchanting experiences of his life and that he would gladly sit for hours just watching and listening. He bit back these words knowing that they were far too intimate for a casual acquaintance; the repressed words stung his throat and tongue in their desire to be released.

Elizabeth felt herself sliding back into dangerous territory; Mr. Darcy's words, manner, and expression were simply too intense. She attempted to lighten the moment: "Ah well, please do not say that I did not warn you! I can only imagine the look of shock on your face when you will hear this song played as it was meant to be."

He smiled at her self-deprecation, which was just what he needed to regain his composure. "I think it is highly likely my sister will say the same thing. Georgiana never seems to fully recognize her own talent, but she does try so hard."

"Your love for her is very evident when you speak of her. I am sure you are an excellent elder brother."

Darcy practically exclaimed with joy at Miss Elizabeth's praise; he was quite sure he had never known himself before that moment. How she can affect me so! Suddenly, without intending to do so, he was contemplating bringing Georgiana to Hertfordshire. "I believe you would like Georgiana."

His non sequitur remark left Lizzy confused. "I am sure I would. Is she scheduled to join you at Netherfield?"

Darcy shook his head, as much in answer as to clear it. "Ah... no..." but then he was struck with an idea, "Although, perhaps I should send for her? She is not yet out in the Ton, so she cannot attend many social events, but perhaps Bingley's ball would be an appropriate gathering for her."

The reminder of the ball where she had no dance partner brought a fresh wave of rosiness into her cheeks, but Elizabeth reminded herself that Mr. Darcy was asking her opinion now as a friend, not a woman on whom he had any designs. She forced herself to stay on subject: "I suppose that depends."

"On what?"

"Do you think she would feel comfortable in an unfamiliar place with few people she already knew?"

Darcy smiled; "Thank you, Miss Elizabeth; you are quite right that she would be less than comfortable in such a new place. Did you deduce that she may be like me in this respect or was that a lucky guess?"

"Neither! One should always be mindful of the comforts of others when possible, but in addition, she is but sixteen, is she not?" He nodded, so she continued, "Well, I was once a sixteen year old girl and we are not all outgoing, like Lydia. Society can be a confusing place and I imagine it has been even harder for your sister as she has not the benefit of a mother or elder sister for feminine guidance." Here, Elizabeth glanced almost unwillingly toward her own mother; she was forced to admit to herself that for all of her mother's failings (and she felt there were many), she had always done her best to provide for her daughters' needs. For a brief moment, Elizabeth's feelings about her mother softened, but then...

"Lydia!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed with far too much enthusiasm to be seemly, "You did not tell us before about meeting a new acquaintance today! Do tell us at once!"

Elizabeth cringed at the boisterous tone, particularly when her mother's voice carried so well in the small room. Lizzy turned back to Mr. Darcy, embarrassed.

Darcy, although not impressed by Mrs. Bennet's impropriety, felt sympathy for Miss Elizabeth's embarrassment; he wanted to bring the smile back to her face. "You know, Miss Bennet, we have an unresolved debt between us." He smiled as he spoke, so she would not be alarmed.

Lizzy looked up sharply when she heard his tone and words. She asked, "Of what debt do you speak, sir?"

"Actually, there are two; we each owe one to the other." There was a glint in his eyes – he must be teasing!

"Mr. Darcy, I am quite at a loss as to what debt you say I owe you and what you owe me."

"Why, Miss Elizabeth, I am rather surprised at your forgetting so soon! It was not two hours ago at dinner that I single-handedly deprived you of a dance partner for the first two sets for the Netherfield Ball. I consider that to be quite a grievous debt! But, fear not, I do believe I have a solution."

Elizabeth was internally battling between excitement and doubt. She could not speak for fear of what may leave her mouth, so she merely raised one eyebrow in silent question.

"Well, as I said, there are two debts. I owe you a dance partner, but you owe me a dance."

Holding her tongue was not one of Lizzy's strong suits and so, while it would have been in her interest to stay quiet and listen, as was her tendency at times, Elizabeth spoke before she thought: "I do not owe you a dance! When did I promise such a thing?"

Darcy chuckled, "Well, you did not exactly promise one to me so much as refuse the one I offered to you." At her look of doubt and confusion, he clarified, "At Lucas Lodge."

Comprehension dawned on Lizzy and her intellect finally regained control of her mouth, which she managed to keep shut this time and allow the gentleman to finish. She even had the grace to seem slightly abashed.

"But I am choosing to overlook your refusal and consider it simply an unfortunate delay in accepting. Perhaps your feet were tired that day or your friend needed to speak with you urgently? Regardless, you owe me a dance."

Elizabeth was sure that she was not even breathing, so focused was she on Mr. Darcy's flirtatious speech and hopeful for its intended destination. Darcy, too, was singularly focused on Elizabeth until the one name that caused his blood to boil floated into his ears from across the room – the only thing between heaven and hell that would cause this current line of thought to halt: Wickham.

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A/N: So yes, this is where Darcy and Elizabeth once again get SO close to securing that first dance only to be blocked! I promise that there's a method to my madness, so please stick around and, in case it needs saying, I'm all about the HEA eventually! Not into angst, but there does need to be at least a little drama... ;)

Also, *hangs head in shame* I know this was the longest wait yet for an update and I am very, very sorry. I did not mean to leave you all hanging and I swear I've moved as quickly as I could, but RL does need to come first (and sadly I've been swamped!). I am trying to get the next chapter out faster than this one, but I can't promise anything. Just know that I will not abandon the story, so don't fear even if it takes me a bit to update!

A big thank you to ArtemisDesari for pre-reading and giving me her thoughts :)

And finally... thank you all so much for the reviews! Ch. 11 was one of my favorites so far and it seems many of you really liked it too, which makes me SUPER happy! I read every single one (and I also try to respond to all that are enabled for PMs) so please keep 'em coming! Also, thank you to all those who added this story or me to alerts and favorites! It really motivates me to keep writing to hear from you all!