by Alicia M.

Rating: PG (C)

Summary: How would the tale of our favorite characters from Pride and Prejudice have changed if Wickham and Darcy had retained their childhood friendship?

Chapter One

All of the Bennet sisters, except Mary, along with their cousin, Mr. Collins, had just made the acquaintance of Mr. Wickham on the street in Meryton and the whole party were still standing and talking together very agreeably when the sound of horses drew their notice, and Darcy and Bingley were seen riding down the street. On distinguishing the ladies of the group, the two gentlemen came directly towards them, and began the usual civilities. Bingley was the principal spokesman, and Miss Bennet his principal object. He was then, he said, on his way to Longbourn on purpose to inquire after her. Mr. Darcy corroborated it with a bow, and was beginning to determine not to fix his eyes on Elizabeth when they were suddenly arrested by the sight of the stranger, and Elizabeth happening to see the countenance of both was all astonishment at the effect of the meeting. A look of recognition crossed both their faces and Mr. Darcy immediately dismounted and approached Mr. Wickham with outstretched hand and a good natured smile. Mr. Wickham clasped Mr. Darcy's hand and shook it vigorously while Darcy was saying, "Wickham, my friend, I had no idea that you were to be in this part of the country."

"Yes, I have recently joined Colonel Forster's regiment. I just came down from town yesterday. I did not know Bingley's estate was near Meryton."

"Indeed, it is but two miles from here," replied Darcy.

With that Wickham turned to Bingley, who had followed his friend's lead and dismounted from his horse as well, and the two exchanged a friendly greeting. Darcy greeted the rest of the ladies and was introduced to Mr. Collins by Jane. Elizabeth was amazed at Mr. Darcy's behavior towards Mr. Wickham. She had never seen him so friendly and unrestrained. She had never seen him behave with such warmth and openness, not even to Mr. Bingley. She had never witnessed such an absence of arrogance in his countenance. Elizabeth guessed Mr. Wickham must be the second or third son of some very wealthy, well connected family of Mr. Darcy's acquaintance. But their greeting demonstrated more than a mere acquaintance, they were obviously on very intimate terms.

When Darcy finally turned to greet Elizabeth after listening for several minutes to Mr. Collins, she said, "you and Mr. Wickham obviously know each other well, Mr. Darcy, it is a small world is it not?"

"Indeed it is Miss Bennet," he replied.

"My friend Denny has only just now introduced me to the Miss Bennets, Darcy," said Wickham, "I dare say I shall be very pleased with the society around Meryton during my stay here. And how do you find Hertfordshire so far?"

"It is a fine country."

"You know I care not about the country Darcy," continued Wickham jovially, "how do you find the society?" Elizabeth was anxious to hear Mr. Darcy's response as he had thus far been very disagreeable towards everyone in the neighborhood.

"I have not had much opportunity to get to know Bingley's neighbors very well, but from what I have seen most of them seem to be very agreeable."

The entire party walked with the young ladies and their cousin to the door of Mr. Phillips' house, where they all took leave of each other. The gentlemen would not be persuaded to come inside even in spite of Mrs. Phillips' throwing open the parlour window and seconding the invitation that had been made by Lydia. Mrs. Phillips did promise however, in response to Lydia's request, to invite Mr. Wickham to dine there the following evening with some of his fellow officers who were already engaged to do so.

The following evening, the girls were pleased to learn, upon arriving at their uncle's house, that Mr. Wickham had accepted the invitation. It was during a game of lottery tickets after dinner that Elizabeth had an opportunity to have some conversation with Mr. Wickham and her curiosity regarding his relationship with Darcy was relieved.

"It must be very pleasing," began she, "to find that you have friends residing so close by in a neighborhood where you undoubtedly expected to be surrounded by strangers."

"Yes, indeed, I was very happy to find Darcy staying so near, although I confess I am not very well acquainted with his friend Mr. Bingley. I knew something of Darcy's plans to travel to Mr. Bingley's estate for a time, but I did not know the location. Mr. Bingley invited me to go shooting with them tomorrow at Netherfield. I will be happy for a chance to catch up with my old friend. I have not seen him in quite some time. How long has he been in the neighborhood?"

"About a month, but little is known about him other than that he has a very large property in Derbyshire."

"Yes," replied Wickham, "his estate there is a noble one. A clear ten thousand per annum. You could not have met with a person more capable of giving you certain information on that head than myself, for I have been connected with his family in a particular manner from my infancy. I am not surprised little is known of him, he tends to be very reserved by nature, it is one of my favorite subjects on which to tease him."

"I can not imagine that he would take very well to being teased."

"No, in general he does not, but someone like myself who has been raised with him almost as a brother, can venture to take some liberties whether or not he is inclined to allow them. He has always had a very severe countenance and I have taken it upon myself to lighten his mood whenever I can. I dare say that many are frightened by his high and imposing manners, but in spite of this I can assure you that he is the best of men."

"I confess that I am surprised to hear such a fine account of him. I am sorry to say that your friend is not well liked in Hertfordshire. He is found to be proud and disagreeable by almost everyone. He barely speaks to anyone when in company. For myself, I have spent four days in the same house with him and find him very disagreeable."

"I am sorry to hear it. I know that he tends to keep to himself and I cannot deny that he is proud, but he comes from a well respected and well connected family, and has good reason to be so. His father, in particular, was an excellent and benevolent man."

"You said that you were raised together, is your family's estate near his in Derbyshire? Were you neighbors?"

Wickham chuckled lightly. "No indeed madame, my family has no estate. My father was steward to the late Mr. Darcy." He noticed a look of surprise cross Elizabeth's features, and continued, "I was raised at Pemberley. Darcy and I played together as boys. We were born in the same parish, within the same park; the greatest part of our youth was passed together; inmates of the same house, sharing the same amusements, objects of the same parental care. His father was my godfather and was kind enough to provide me a gentleman's education. Darcy and I went to Cambridge together and maintained our close relationship throughout our time there. Soon after the completion of our educations, our fathers died within six months of each other. It was yet another one of life's trying times that we experienced together. Old Mr. Darcy's kindness to me extended beyond his own life and he made a generous provision for me in his will. I have been fortunate in my association with such a family, who have been not only benevolent in their financial support of me, due, I am sure, to my father's excellent service to them, but in their admittance of myself into their family circle and their treatment of me as one of their own. Darcy's kindness and attentions towards me have been more than I deserve, being merely the son of his father's steward; but we are both keenly aware of the strong friendship and trust that existed between our fathers, and our own friendship is, I dare say, equal to what they both had always hoped it would be. It is true that old Mr. Darcy often declared my father's services to be invaluable to him and that he esteemed my father as an intimate friend and confidante. Mr. Darcy had often acknowledged himself to be under the greatest of obligations to my father's active superintendence of the Pemberley estates. Prior to my father's death Mr. Darcy gave him a voluntary promise of providing for me; a promise, which I believe was made out of both a feeling that he owed a debt of gratitude to my father and his affection for myself."

Elizabeth grew more and more astonished as she listened to Mr. Wickham's tale. That the proud and haughty Mr. Darcy could treat with such warmth and generosity a man so much beneath him surprised her greatly. She recalled the interaction between the two that she had witnessed the previous day. Darcy had approached Wickham as a friend, as an equal, with no air of superiority in his countenance; yet Wickham was the son of his own father's steward and was indebted to the generosity of Darcy's family for his independence and comfort. She reflected with even greater astonishment that this man who was so imposing and severe would allow himself to be teased by someone so inferior to himself as Mr. Wickham.

"I can scarcely believe your account of Mr. Darcy, I have seen nothing of his character as you describe it," she finally said.

"I can assure you that your opinion of him would in general astonish, for he is widely respected as a man of good character. But I have not told you everything of his generosity towards myself. I am, in fact, indebted to him for my current situation. It was he who purchased my commission in Colonel Forster's regiment."

"Indeed?"

"It was his father's wish that I enter into the church as my profession, and in his will, in addition to a generous cash bequest, he requested that a valuable family living be given to me as soon as one was vacant, if I were to take orders. Darcy knew that I had always intended to make my living in the military, even before his father's death and generous legacy to me. He was well enough acquainted with my disposition to know that the retiring lifestyle of a clergyman was not what I desired and that I wished for the more active employment and the opportunity to travel offered by a military life. I told him, however, that I would take orders to honor his father's desires, but he would hear nothing of it. Instead, he insisted on amending the bequest and converted the living into an increase in the cash legacy his father had left me accompanied by a resolution to assist me as much as possible in my chosen profession. Although old Mr. Darcy clearly had the church in mind when he requested that his son should promote my advancement in the best manner that my profession might allow, Darcy has kindly undertaken to honor his father's wishes with respect to my career in the military instead. Although the monetary bequest I received from old Mr. Darcy, as augmented by his son, was extremely generous, and sufficient to maintain myself in a comfortable and independent lifestyle, I have elected to enter the militia nevertheless in the hope of increasing my fortune so that the advantage to myself occasioned by the generosity with which I have been bestowed can be extended to any children I may have in the future."

"I am all astonishment, Mr. Wickham. I never imagined Mr. Darcy to be as amiable and generous as you have described."

"His amiability and generosity are not limited to myself Miss Bennet. He is revered by all within the power of his influence, not only for his liberality, but for his kind and attentive nature. He is a most caring and considerate brother to his sister, Georgiana, who has been in his guardianship since the death of his father. He is also an excellent landlord and master to all his tenants and servants, as was his father. You will find no one spoken of more highly in all of Derbyshire I am certain."

"You certainly have many good things to say of him."

"I was an only child, and so was he for many years. I look upon him as a brother, and I am keenly aware of the extent of his kindness to myself. I can do little for him in return, other than speak highly of him, which I do whenever I can. In this particular case I am even more eager to speak well of my friend because you have expressed an adverse opinion of his character. I hope that my information has served to improve your estimation of him."

"Indeed Mr. Wickham, you have shed a whole new light on his character for me," replied Elizabeth.

Just then something Mr. Collins said gave Wickham to understand the identity of his patroness and Mr. Wickham said, "you know of course that Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Lady Anne Darcy were sisters; consequently that she is aunt to the present Mr. Darcy."

"No, indeed, I did not," replied Elizabeth, "I knew nothing at all of Lady Catherine's connections. I never heard of her existence till the day before yesterday."

"Her daughter, Miss de Bourgh, will have a very large fortune, and it is believed, at least by Lady Catherine, that she and her cousin will unite the two estates. I have also heard that Lady Anne Darcy hoped for a match between her son and Miss de Bourgh as well, but I have never spoken of the subject to him."

This information made Elizabeth smile, as she thought of poor Miss Bingley. Vain indeed must be all her attentions, vain and useless her affection for his sister and her praise of himself, if he were already self-destined to another.

"Mr. Collins," said she, "speaks very highly both of Lady Catherine and her daughter; but from some particulars that he has related of her ladyship, I suspect his gratitude misleads him, and that in spite of her being his patroness, she is an arrogant, conceited woman."

"I believe her to be both in a great degree," replied Wickham, "I have not seen her for many years, but I very well remember that I never liked her, and that her manners were dictatorial and insolent. She has the reputation of being remarkably sensible and clever; but I rather believe she derives part of her abilities from her rank and fortune, part from her authoritative manner, and the rest from pride in her family and connections."

Elizabeth allowed that he had given a very rational account of it, and they continued talking together, with mutual satisfaction till supper put an end to cards, and gave the rest of the ladies their share of Mr. Wickham's attentions. There could be no conversation in the noise of Mrs. Phillips' supper party, but his manners recommended him to everybody. Whatever he said, was said well; and whatever he did, done gracefully. Elizabeth went away with her head full of him. She could think of nothing but Mr. Wickham, and what he had told her, all the way home.

She reflected on what his words revealed not only of Mr. Darcy's character, but of his own. She now acknowledged that the former was indeed a man of excellent character and considered how unfortunate it was that his manners should be so contrary to his true nature. Of the latter, she was truly impressed by his humility and his awareness of his own good fortune. He accepted his own rank as occasioned by his birth and was grateful for the opportunity of advancement afforded by his connection to the Darcy family. He recognized the value of his father's having provided his services to that family in such a way as to forge an intimate friendship with the former Mr. Darcy.

It occurred to Elizabeth that having been raised in such a way, so closely with the child of a family of such means and importance that Mr. Wickham might have grown to be envious or resentful of his childhood companion. Instead, he was all humility and gratitude and she gave him credit for his ability to maintain his friendship with Mr. Darcy without losing respect for the disparity in their positions. She reflected with amusement that humility and gratitude were also the foremost sentiments expressed by Mr. Collins; but how different were Mr. Wickham's expressions of those same sentiments. He lacked all of the pompous self-importance underlying Mr. Collins' expression. Mr. Wickham was sincere and modest in his expression, conveying true appreciation without being obsequious.

Likewise, she thought that Mr. Darcy might easily have become jealous of so strong an attachment between his own father and another, and one who was only the son of a servant. The quality of their current good relationship she credited equally to both men.

Elizabeth then turned her thoughts to how different Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy were in both countenance and manners. She could comprehend that Darcy was a man of good character and would obey his father's wishes in providing for Mr. Wickham, but she was baffled by the steady and affectionate friendship that existed between two gentlemen so different in disposition; a friendship which extended well beyond Darcy's obligation to his father's wishes and must have been formed based on their own experiences together since infancy.


Chapter Two

The following day, Mr. Wickham arrived at Netherfield in time for an early breakfast with the gentlemen of the house, followed by a morning of shooting. When they returned home, Mr. Bingley went out with his sisters to call upon some of their neighbors and invite them, personally, to a ball he was planning for the following Tuesday. While waiting with the other gentlemen for his sisters to ready themselves, Bingley was speaking at length of all the qualities possessed by Miss Bennet, and his joy at the prospect of seeing her at Longbourn within the hour. Wickham was amused by Bingley's evident admiration of the young lady, but he noticed that Darcy's expression remained serious. Once Bingley and his sisters had gone, Mr. Hurst also quitted the room in search of some amusement. Wickham took this opportunity to comment on Bingley's choice of subject, "your friend seems to be quite taken with the charms of the lovely Miss Bennet."

"It is quite obvious that he admires her, but I have seen him in love many times, I am sure his attachment to Miss Bennet is no more serious than the others have been."

"I will allow that you must know your friend better than I do, but I will not scruple to disagree with you nevertheless based solely on what I have seen so far. Between his attentions to her at their meeting yesterday and the way I have heard him speak of her today, I would venture to say that he is very seriously attached. But I will reserve my judgment until I have seen them together."

"If you are correct, then I fear he will be disappointed, or worse yet, ill used, for I am certain that she does not return his affection."

"Yes, and when we were seven you were certain that I could not climb to the top of the oak tree at the edge of the west garden at Pemberley. And when we were twelve you were certain that you could defeat your father on the chess board. And when we were eighteen, you were certain that Miss Emily Palmer would not dance with you at the Pemberley Christmas ball if you were to ask her."

"Enough!" cried Darcy smiling at the memories conjured up by his friend's speech.

"But you were proven wrong in each of those instances, yet you have not learned to have doubt in your certainties?"

"I have also been right about many things."

"How often have you been right about the contents of a woman's heart?"

"I have seldom had occasion to be right or wrong about such a subject as I do not tend to speculate on such matters often."

"And how attentive have you been to this Miss Bennet's reaction to your friend's attentions?"

Mr. Darcy reflected on the fact that his mind was usually more agreeably engaged in contemplating her sister whenever he was in company with Miss Bennet. He smiled and replied, "very little, I confess. But I will have the opportunity to observe her closely at the upcoming ball."

"And so shall I. Undoubtedly between the two of us we can be of invaluable service to your friend. But surely you do not presume that your observations over the course of one evening, even coupled with mine, could be more reliable than your friend's impression over a month's close interaction with the lady in question. Do you not think he would be the best person to determine whether she returns his affections?"

"Perhaps, but Bingley has a stronger dependence on my judgment than his own. He will listen and give credit to my opinion."

"If that be the case, you ought to encourage him to rely on his own judgment, but if he is determined to rely upon yours, you should take care that yours is correct."

"I believe that my opinion in this case will prove to be correct, and although Bingley will be disappointed, I cannot say that I would be unhappy about it."

"What manner of friendship is this, that you would wish Mr. Bingley's love to be unrequited?"

"It is in the name of friendship that I worry about his choice. She is unsuitable for him."

"Unsuitable? In what way? She is lovely, well-mannered, intelligent, and perfectly amiable. From what I have seen, they seem to be very well suited to each other in disposition."

"It is not her person that is unsuitable, but her situation. She has no fortune and very low connections."

"But if those considerations are of less importance to Mr. Bingley than the felicity he would receive from a union with a woman well suited to him in temper and disposition, then why would you object to the match?"

"Indeed, her want of connection and fortune can not be so great an evil as the total want of propriety so frequently, so almost uniformly betrayed by her mother, her three youngest sisters and occasionally even her father. You have spent little time with the daughters of the family and have yet to meet their parents. When you do, I dare say you will agree with me."

"I know there is some merit in what you say from what I have seen of the younger Miss Bennets last evening and the day before. Indeed, the two youngest were quite shameless in their flirtation with the officers and their behavior bordered continually on the line of propriety. Thus, I can understand your concern given your conviction that Miss Bennet does not love Mr. Bingley. Certainly it cannot be desirable for him to connect himself with such a family, if they are indeed as bad as you describe, and if her motivations are solely mercenary. But you must concede that if he loves her, as I suggest, and if she loves him in return that the happiness to be obtained from such a union would make it worthwhile to suffer any ill consequences occasioned by the circumstances giving rise to your objections."

"I will concede to that, but I maintain both my doubts as to the strength of his affection and my certainty as to her indifference."

"And if you can be satisfied that you are wrong on both counts?"

"Then I will wish him well in making his addresses to her."

"Very good. Now I must confess that although I found Miss Bennet to be quite lovely, I spent a good part of the evening yesterday enjoying the charms of her sister, Miss Elizabeth, who I believe you excluded from your censure of the rest of her family." Wickham was surprised to notice Darcy start ever so slightly at the mention of that name and was interested to learn the meaning of his reaction.

"And how did you enjoy her company?" asked Darcy.

"Very well. We spoke mostly of you."

"Of me?" said Darcy, in a surprised tone, his interest obviously piqued.

"I am sorry to say that she did not have a very high opinion of you, but I did my best to correct it."

Darcy seemed surprised that he was held low in her esteem and asked with some concern, "what had she to say of me?"

"I believe her chief complaint was that you are unsociable, which she attributes to pride."

"Yes, she said something to me once of pride and vanity as being weaknesses of character. And pray, what said you to correct her ill opinion of me?"

"I simply told her of our history and of your generosity towards me."

"I would not call it generosity. I have only seen that you receive your due as my friend and the object of my father's affection and esteem. You were raised as part of our household, part of our family, and your father was an invaluable friend to mine, thus you are entitled to benefit from our prosperity."

"As pleased as I am that you take that view, I cannot take your family's generosity towards mine for granted."

"There is no need to, it is well deserved. Aside from your father's service to mine, you know that I am indebted to you for your assistance with Georgiana last summer. I care not to think how you came to know Mrs. Younge's true character, but without your warning as to her designs I know not what evil would have befallen my sister under the care of such a woman."

"I did no more than any friend would have done in the same situation, but it is in the past, let us speak no more of such unhappy events."

"Very well, were you successful in improving Miss Elizabeth's opinion of me?"

"Indeed I was," said Wickham, noticing his friend's faint smile.

"Then I thank you for defending my character."

"There is no need for you to thank me. I derived no small amount of pleasure from my conversation with Miss Elizabeth, even though you were our principal subject. I look forward to seeing her at the ball next Tuesday, and to the pleasure of dancing with her there."

"I am sure you will not find yourself in want for a partner at the ball on Tuesday."

"Are there so many delightful young ladies in this part of the kingdom?"

"I am sure that you, like Bingley, will find them all to be delightful."

"And you Darcy? Do you find any of them to be delightful?"

Darcy appeared uncomfortable for a brief moment as he thought of a way to respond to the question without actually having to answer it. Then he said, "I will not prejudice your perceptions by giving you my opinions in advance. You will meet all of the young ladies of the neighborhood soon enough, and then you can judge the delightfulness of each for yourself."

Wickham laughed heartily at his friend's response, and was convinced by his hedging that Darcy admired one of the young ladies of the neighborhood, and he had a fairly good idea of who it was. But, he did not want to push his friend further, so he did not pursue the subject. Instead, he allowed the conversation to change to other subjects, including Pemberley, Georgiana, and Mr. Wickham's new commission; and they continued to speak companionably until Bingley and his sisters returned to the house.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth related to Jane what had passed between Mr. Wickham and herself the previous evening at their aunt's home. Jane was pleased to hear confirmation of the good character of Bingley's friend, and was not so surprised by it as Elizabeth. The two young ladies were summoned from the shrubbery, where this conversation passed, by the arrival of some of the very persons of whom they had been speaking: Mr. Bingley and his sisters came to give their personal invitation for the long-expected ball at Netherfield.

Once the visitors had left, the ball was discussed at length by the inhabitants of Longbourn. To Elizabeth's dismay, Mr. Collins secured her hand for the first two dances. She had fully proposed being engaged by Mr. Wickham for those very dances. This gesture on the part of Mr. Collins, together with his continued attentions towards herself soon gave her to realize that she had been selected from among her sisters as being worthy of being the mistress of Hunsford parsonage! She was distressed by this prospect as well as her mother's obvious approval of his attentions, and could only hope to delay any argument over the matter until he actually made her an offer.

When Mr. Bingley and his sisters returned to Netherfield after extending a personal invitation for their upcoming ball to several of the neighboring families, Mr. Wickham was still visiting with Darcy. Upon entering the drawing room, Miss Bingley, who had only met Mr. Wickham very briefly that morning, and knew little of him other than his being a great friend of Darcy's, expressed her delight that he was still there and issued an invitation for him to remain for dinner along with an offer of their carriage to return him to his quarters afterwards, which was quickly seconded by her brother and accepted by their guest.

Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst then began to relate to Mr. Darcy, Mr. Hurst and Mr. Wickham, the particulars of their visits earlier in the day. When they spoke of Longbourn, Mr. Bingley was quick to add that he had enjoyed that visit very much, and that the Miss Bennets, particularly the eldest, were all looking very well today. Wickham gave his friend a knowing glance to remind him of their earlier conversation regarding the depth of Bingley's feelings, but Darcy only smiled. Miss Bingley felt that now would be as good a time as any to engage in her typical abuse of Miss Elizabeth for the benefit of Mr. Darcy.

"Yes Charles, Jane was looking very well today, considering her recent illness," began she, "but Miss Eliza was in very poor looks."

"Oh, I agree sister," chimed in Mrs. Hurst, "her features are so inelegant, and her wild ways certainly cannot help the matter." The two sisters giggled a bit at their mutual recollection of Elizabeth arriving at Netherfield, after walking three miles, with her petticoat covered in mud.

Miss Bingley then turned to her guest and asked, "so, Mr. Wickham, have you and Mr. Darcy known each other very long?"

"All our lives, Miss Bingley," replied Wickham.

"How delightful it must be for you to encounter such an old, dear friend, here in the country."

"It is indeed. In fact, I am sure you will be happy to learn of the similarity between your own mind and Miss Elizabeth Bennet's, for she made the very same comment to me just last evening, when, I might add, she was looking remarkably well." Bingley and Darcy could barely contain their amusement at this observation.

"Oh, have you had the pleasure of meeting the Miss Bennets then?" asked Miss Bingley.

"Yes, I dined at their uncle's home in Meryton yesterday."

"Ah yes, the Philipses. I am sure you enjoyed a very elegant meal there, along with the finest society in the shire."

"I did, thank you. Miss Elizabeth was very charming company."

"Of course she was, for she has many charms indeed. Surely you must have noticed her exquisitely fine eyes," replied Miss Bingley with a smirk and a glance towards Mr. Darcy, which did not go unnoticed by Wickham.

"Indeed, I did," he replied, "they were quite expressive."

Then it occurred to Miss Bingley that Mr. Wickham and Miss Eliza were very well suited to each other. Indeed, she would do everything in her power to forward a match between them. Thus, resolving to undo any damage her earlier comments on Miss Eliza's looks may have done to Mr. Wickham's opinion of her rival, she set out to contradict herself as much as possible. "I dare say, she can be very pretty, and is a rather lively sort of girl. Certainly that is an attribute a man such as yourself can appreciate, Mr. Wickham."

Miss Bingley's attentions towards Mr. Darcy had been evident to Wickham immediately, and although he was more amused than surprised, he had also seen immediately that Darcy had no interest in encouraging the woman's hopes. Thus he replied, quite mischievously, "Although I liked Miss Elizabeth very much, I do not think I would do well with such a lively woman, Miss Bingley, I tend to be a bit too excitable myself sometimes, and would prefer the company of a woman of a more gentle nature, who can soften my natural exuberance with the refined delicacy, graceful dignity, and sweet serenity of true elegance." Here Wickham paused to gaze charmingly at Miss Bingley. Then, he turned his gaze to his friend and watched carefully for Darcy's reaction as he continued, "my friend Darcy is much more lacking in liveliness than myself. I have no doubt that he could benefit greatly from the company of a more vivacious woman." Darcy's look was one of both alarm and amusement, which conveyed that he fully knew what his friend was about.

"Mr. Wickham, you must comprehend that such impertinence as must inevitably result from a young lady's unrestrained vivacity that has remained untempered by any education or discipline, must only agitate the calm and temperate mind of a respectable and well-bred man who has been accustomed to only the most superior society," responded Miss Bingley.

"To the contrary, Miss Bingley, I believe Darcy's life would be dull indeed if he sought out the company of others equally reserved and withdrawn as himself. He might never enjoy a pleasant conversation if his only companions were as reticent as he is. Surely you must acknowledge that there must be a reason he has chosen friends such as myself and your brother, who are so different from himself. Both Mr. Bingley and I have much more open and engaging manners than Darcy."

"I will thank you both to allow me to choose my own companions," interjected Darcy, before Miss Bingley could respond, "an undertaking of which I am certain I am capable.

"Certain, are you?" quipped Wickham.

"I believe there is some merit in what you say Mr. Wickham," added Bingley, "but I can not agree that similar dispositions are always unsuitable to one another."

"I agree Mr. Bingley, there must always be some commonality between the two. To be compatible, a man and a woman must share similar values and interests. For example, if they are both good natured and obliging, there will only be happiness in such a match; however, if you take a man who values conviction in his principles and honesty above all things and who despises disguise of every sort, and pair him with a woman who is artful and manipulative with no real convictions of her own, but rather whose opinions change with respect to their convenience to her immediate object. Such a match could result only in misery for both parties. Whereas, two people who share common values and perhaps even similar dispositions, but only differ in their manners, are each able to benefit from the other by finding what they lack in themselves. Without diversity in some aspect of their personalities, neither would need or value the other. What do you think Darcy?"

"I think you are a keen observer, but you talk far too much!" replied his friend with a smile.

"And you far too little," laughed Wickham.

Upon noticing the time, Mrs. Hurst suggested that the party retire to ready themselves for dinner. When the others had left the room Darcy remained behind to have a private word with his friend. "I was a bit surprised by your representations to Miss Bingley."

"What do you mean?"

"You gave her to believe that you did not care to further your acquaintance with Miss Elizabeth Bennet after having told me that you look forward to seeing her again and dancing with her next week."

"You take an eager interest in that young lady's concerns," snickered Wickham.

"I take an interest in your duplicity," replied Darcy quickly.

"Darcy, you undervalue my talent for dissembling, but I would hardly call my actions in this case duplicitous, all I did was intimate that Miss Elizabeth would be better suited as a companion to you than to myself." Wickham watched his friend carefully for a reaction to this statement, and he thought Darcy looked a bit uneasy, but his demeanor was well guarded. Darcy did not respond, so Wickham continued, "even if my actions were duplicitous, they were perfectly harmless. What does Miss Bingley care whether or not I wish to further my acquaintance with Miss Elizabeth?"

"I doubt she would care at all," said Darcy.

"Then there is no harm done," replied Wickham, and with that the two gentlemen separated to prepare for dinner.

The entire party enjoyed themselves at dinner and the primary topic of conversation was the upcoming ball. When the ladies had withdrawn, Mr. Wickham continued the conversation by inquiring of Mr. Bingley as to some of the details of his plans for the event. Feeling more at leisure to speak on the subject in the absence of his sisters, it was not long before Mr. Bingley stated how much he was looking forward to dancing with Miss Bennet, and his intent to secure her hand for the first two dances of the evening.

"Then, you will not object to my soliciting the hand of the hostess for those same two dances?" asked Wickham as he noticed Darcy's curious glance in his direction.

"Not at all," said Bingley, smiling, "I am sure Caroline will be very pleased to oblige you."

They continued speaking of various topics until it was time to rejoin the ladies.

After the gentlemen had rejoined the ladies in the drawing room, and all had enjoyed their tea, the tables were set up for cards. The evening was spent pleasantly enough, and after a few games of cards, Wickham inquired of the ladies whether they played and if so, whether either of them would oblige him with a song. Mrs. Hurst made no move towards the pianoforte, but only looked expectantly towards her sister. Soon after Miss Bingley positioned herself at the instrument, Mr. Wickham sat beside her and offered to turn the pages. She played skillfully, and he enjoyed the entertainment immensely. After she finished a long concerto, Mr. Wickham addressed her thus, "that was lovely Miss Bingley. Your playing is excellent. I have rarely had the privilege of hearing such proficiency."

"Thank you Mr. Wickham."

"I hope you will favor us with another song."

"I suppose I could play one more, then I really must insist that Mrs. Hurst play for you as well, for her talent is quite equal to my own."

"That is an excellent plan, I would like to have the pleasure of hearing Mrs. Hurst play as well."

Miss Bingley gave a slight bow in response and asked whether Mr. Wickham had a preference for what she should play next.

"Please play something lively Miss Bingley, all of this talk of the upcoming ball has caused me to look forward to an evening of dancing."

"You enjoy dancing then Mr. Wickham?"

"Very much Miss Bingley, I find it to be quite entertaining. And what about yourself? Do you care for the amusement."

"I do indeed sir," she replied, glancing at Darcy, "when one is at a dance, certainly one should dance a little, but I prefer conversation."

"Then I hope, madame, that I may be so bold as to request the honor of your hand for the first two dances at the ball on Tuesday, that we may engage in both."

"I thank you for the compliment sir, but I am sure my brother expects me to stand up with him to open the ball."

"Indeed he does not, for he told me himself of his intention to ask Miss Jane Bennet for the first two dances of the evening."

Miss Bingley could scarcely conceal her disappointment. She glared in the general direction of her brother, then stole a glance at Mr. Darcy, to whom she had fully proposed being engaged for those very dances, and noticed no reaction to his friend's request, though there could be little doubt that he had heard it. There was naught she could do however but accept Mr. Wickham's proposal with as good a grace as she could. "In that case, sir," she replied, "I would happily stand up with you for the first two dances."

"Thank you Miss Bingley," replied Wickham.

After playing another song, Miss Bingley was replaced by her sister at the instrument and she played a couple of songs before supper was served. After having eaten, Mr. Wickham announced his intention to go home and the carriage was ordered. Mr. Darcy offered to wait with his friend in front of the house for the carriage to appear. Accordingly, Mr. Wickham took leave of the others and the two walked outside the house.

"I had a very enjoyable evening Darcy," said Wickham, once they were alone.

"I am glad to hear it."

"I must say I was gratified to engage Miss Bingley for the first two dances at the ball on Tuesday."

"I must confess myself surprised by your desire to do so."

"Why should you be? She is a very handsome and fashionable woman."

"I am merely surprised that you would commit yourself to dancing the first with her. I would have expected you to wait until your arrival at the ball to survey your options."

"That may be more my style, but it is also true that my dancing the first two with her saves you from the obligation of doing so."

Darcy smiled, "am I to understand that saving me from dancing with Miss Bingley was your motivation for engaging her?"

"I do not require very much extraneous motivation to enjoy the exclusive company of a beautiful woman for half an hour. The fact that I have given you at least one half hour of freedom from her attentions is an added benefit."

"I hope that you will take care not to mislead the young lady about your intentions."

"You give me too much credit by supposing that she would take my attentions seriously enough to be mislead, or that they would engender any hope in her for something further. Nevertheless, I will take care not to set myself up as your rival."

"I believe I can safely say that there is very little likelihood of that."

By now, the carriage had pulled up beside the gentlemen, and as Wickham climbed in he replied, "perhaps you are correct, so long as Miss Bingley is the object." Darcy was a bit taken aback by this, and the carriage began moving before he could form any reply. Thus he was left to contemplate his friend's words with some uneasiness.

If there had not been a Netherfield ball to prepare for and talk of, the younger Miss Bennets would have been in a pitiable state at this time, for from the day of the invitation, to the day of the ball, there was such a succession of rain as prevented their walking to Meryton once. No aunt, no officers, no news could be sought after - the very shoe-roses for Netherfield were got by proxy. Even Elizabeth might have found some trial of her patience in weather which totally suspended the improvement of her acquaintance with Mr. Wickham; and nothing less than a dance on Tuesday, could have made such a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday endurable to Kitty and Lydia.

Likewise, the Netherfield party were quite desolate during these days, but were occupied in preparing for the ball and hoping that the rain would cease before Tuesday. Wickham was also prevented by the weather from visiting with his old friend or his new friends anymore before the day of the ball.


Chapter Three

Elizabeth dressed for the Netherfield ball with more than usual care, and prepared in the highest spirits for the conquest of all that remained unsubdued in Mr. Wickham's heart, trusting that it was not more than might be won in the course of the evening. When she entered the ballroom, she soon noticed him speaking to Mr. Darcy on one side of the room. Wickham had reminded Darcy of his resolution to observe Bingley with Miss Bennet. Mr. Darcy had then told Wickham, "Bingley will be going to town tomorrow on business. He was disappointed when he received the news that requires him to go there and he has resolved to make his visit as short as possible. But, I am glad of it, I think some time away from Miss Bennet may help to clear his mind."

"It does not appear that you are beginning your observations this evening with an open mind. It is a good thing that I am here to make observations of my own, that they might temper the prejudices inherent in yours."

Before Darcy could reply, he noticed Elizabeth enter the room. She looked lovelier than he had ever seen. He smiled involuntarily and nodded towards her saying, "speaking of the Bennets, it appears that they have arrived." Elizabeth noticed Mr. Darcy's gesture, and although she could not hear what was said between the two gentlemen, when Wickham turned around and smiled at her it was obvious that Darcy had brought her presence to the attention of his friend, and she indulged her fancy to the point of concluding that such a gesture must mean that Mr. Wickham had told Mr. Darcy of his interest in her. Why else would Mr. Darcy point her out to his friend? The two gentlemen then approached her and made polite inquiries as to her well-being and that of her family.

Once these civilities were exchanged, Mr. Wickham said, "Miss Bennet, I am already engaged for the first two dances, but I would be honored if you would dance the two second with me."

"Thank you, Mr. Wickham, I will be happy to dance with you," she replied, slightly disappointed that he had not reserved the first two for her. Even though she was already engaged to Mr. Collins for those dances, there was no way Mr. Wickham could have known that and she was curious to know whose hand he had secured to open the ball.

Wickham thanked her and then excused himself to find his partner for the first dances, fully expecting that Darcy would secure Miss Elizabeth's hand for the first two dances. It was not to be, however, for just as Mr. Darcy was about to ask Elizabeth to dance the first two with him, Mr. Collins approached to claim her hand. After Mr. Collins thoroughly flattered Mr. Darcy for several minutes, he excused himself and his cousin as they made their way to the dance floor. So effusive was Mr. Collins in his praises of the esteemed nephew of his noble patroness, that he and Elizabeth scarcely made it to the line in time for the first steps of the dance. Mr. Darcy was disheartened to see Elizabeth dancing with Mr. Collins. But, he was relieved that he had been prevented from requesting her hand, for he would have been turned down in favor of her prior engagement with Mr. Collins. He contented himself with watching Elizabeth's figure as she elegantly executed the steps of the dance. He clearly observed in her countenance that she was displeased with her partner.

Indeed, Elizabeth was distressed and mortified by her first two dances. Mr. Collins, awkward and solemn, apologising instead of attending, and often moving wrong without being aware of it, gave her all the shame and misery which a disagreeable partner for a couple of dances can give. She consoled herself by noticing that Mr. Bingley was opening the ball with Jane as his dance partner. As the host, this was a compliment of the highest order, and everyone had expected that he should dance with his sister, instead. This thought led her to seek out Miss Bingley in the line, fully expecting her to be dancing with Mr. Darcy. Instead, she noticed with surprise, that it was Mr. Wickham who had engaged the lady of the house for the first two dances, and Elizabeth wondered to herself how such a circumstance could have come about, for she was certain that the young lady was not pleased by it in the least.

Naturally, her thoughts turned to Mr. Darcy and she was not surprised to find that he was not dancing. She was, however, surprised that when she noticed him, he was looking at her. When she caught his eye, he did not look abashed, nor did he make any effort to avert his gaze. Believing as she did that he looked at her because he did not approve of her, she was all the more infuriated by his utter lack of shame in having been caught doing so. She decided that she cared not about his opinion and tried to return her attention to the dance, where it was sorely needed. She could not help but consider however, the weight Mr. Darcy's opinion would have with his friend, who obviously thought very highly of Mr. Darcy. Would Mr. Darcy attempt to dissuade Mr. Wickham from forming an attachment to her? Surely she, the daughter of a gentleman, would be good enough for the son of his father's steward! She could not, however, discredit the possibility that Mr. Darcy might influence his friend against her, and her indignation at that gentleman was rekindled, in spite of her having learned of his good character, as a result of an offense born solely in her imagination.

She considered further, all that Mr. Wickham had told her about the assistance he had received from Darcy. Although Mr. Wickham was independent now, due to the fortune left him by his godfather, and his current employment in the militia, she could not help but foresee, if her hopes came to fruition, that her own domestic felicity with one man would, in all probability, be influenced significantly by the other. She knew that Wickham did not behave in a subservient manner towards Darcy, but the thought of the latter gentleman having any power over her own happiness was unsettling. She could allow that he had a good character and a generous nature, but nothing could undermine her firm conviction in his arrogance, his vanity and his conceit, not even his recent behavior that she had witnessed to be complete devoid of these characteristics or what she had learned of his acceptance and treatment of Mr. Wickham.

Darcy, for his part, observed Elizabeth and Mr. Collins for several minutes after she had caught his eye and looked away. Then, remembering his resolve to observe Bingley and Miss Bennet, he shifted his gaze to that couple. He tried to maintain his attention on Bingley and Miss Bennet, but he felt constantly drawn by Elizabeth and could not stop himself from looking at her every few minutes. It required a concerted effort on his part to remain attentive to the interaction between his friend and his partner. Even when he was able to fix his gaze on Bingley and Miss Bennet, he was distracted by thoughts of Elizabeth. He never considered forming any serious design on her, she was unsuitable with respect to family, connections, status, and fortune. Nevertheless, he was drawn to her, and he saw no harm in looking at her and even indulging in the pleasure of dancing with her, which he fully intended to do before the close of the evening. He knew he was in complete control of himself, and would not allow his feelings to overcome his reason.

Mr. Wickham, was also attempting to be diligent in his resolve to observe Bingley and Miss Bennet. In his effort to do so, he noticed that while his friend was also observing the couple, his attention was often cast in another direction. Any doubt in his suspicion that Darcy admired Miss Elizabeth vanished at that moment. The look on Darcy's face as he regarded Miss Elizabeth seemed to indicate to Wickham that his feelings for that young lady were even stronger than Wickham had supposed.

As for himself, Mr. Wickham, was enjoying his dances with Miss Bingley immensely. She was a beautiful and challenging woman. As their dance began, her behavior towards him was cold and indifferent, however, this only provoked his interest further. They had stood for some time without speaking a word and he began to imagine that she intended for their silence to last through the two dances. He, however, was resolved to make her speak. Thus, he attempted to begin a conversation by complimenting her arrangements for the ball. She thanked him very succinctly. He made a second attempt by complimenting her attire and her looks this evening and received a similar and even less enthusiastic response. He then made a third attempt by complimenting her dancing ability, to which she merely bowed. Finally, after a few more minutes of silence, he said, "it is your turn to say something, Miss Bingley, I have made three attempts to converse with you thus far, and you ought to make some kind of remark in return."

"Do you talk by rule then while you are dancing, Mr. Wickham?" she asked him.

Wickham could not help but laugh at this characterization of his last speech. "Only as a last resort, when I find my partner reluctant to converse. One must speak a little you know. It would look odd to be entirely silent for half an hour together. However, if you like, we may arrange the conversation so that you may have the trouble of saying as little as possible."

"I am most obliged to you, I am sure."

To her surprise, Mr. Wickham did not become indignant in response to her impertinent remark, but instead smiled. Miss Bingley noticed his smile but did not comment. She was nearly as well acquainted with unwanted suitors as the object of her own designs. Many young men had courted her and flattered her with the prospect of how well her twenty thousand pounds could improve their fortunes foremost in their thoughts. She certainly was not going to succumb to the wiles of a fortune hunter barely half a step removed from servitude, no matter how dashingly handsome said young man might be. For, being a red blooded woman, she could not overlook his handsome features and well formed physique. Nonetheless, forgetting her own roots in trade, and apparently believing the same did not hold true for ladies, she reflected with disdain that a gentleman's education did not make a gentleman. No, her fortune would not be wasted on the likes of such a one as George Wickham. She intended to improve her own fortune and social status by marriage, not that of her husband. As for Mr. Wickham, she had to be careful not to offend him since he was such a good friend of Darcy's, but she would be certain to nip his designs in the bud.

Mr. Wickham however, was intrigued by this young lady. He was not deterred by her air of superiority in the least, after all, he had grown up dealing with Fitzwilliam Darcy. He knew how to handle snobbishness. She was certainly a beautiful woman, well-bred, elegant, intelligent, and educated; but evidently a bit too well pleased with herself, a trifle shallow, and, he suspected, somewhat manipulative. But, he was not intimidated. Instead, his courage rose to meet the challenge of her disdain. Having already learned her ill opinion of the Bennets, he decided to embark on that subject. "Your brother and Miss Bennet look well together, do you not agree Miss Bingley?"

"No, I do not. She is tolerably pretty, but she and Charles are not well matched at all. In my opinion they look very awkward together."

"Well, I believe you must be alone in your opinion, for I have heard said from more than one quarter that they make a very handsome couple, and I cannot help but agree."

"Perhaps you only heard it several times from the same source, Mr. Wickham," she replied with a smirk, nodding towards Mrs. Bennet.

"Indeed, you are mistaken for I heard Sir William Lucas himself comment on his expectation of their engagement soon." Knowing something of Bingley's family background he added, "his obvious affection aside, your brother must feel fortunate to have made such a favorable match."

Wickham was surprised that she did not express indignation at the remark, but he could see he had affected her. "A favorable match?" she said in a menacingly calm tone, and then with a light laugh she summoned all the hauteur she possessed and replied in a low voice, "you know she has no dowry to speak of, and her connections are not likely to recommend her."

"Nevertheless, she is the daughter of a landed gentleman, an eligible circumstance for your brother, considering his situation."

Wickham smiled as he observed his companion flinch ever so slightly, telling him he had hit on a sensitive subject; but, showing no other outward signs of her discomposure, Miss Bingley said in a chilling tone, "not as such, Mr. Wickham, for her family's establishment will not endure. Her father's estate is entailed on Mr. Collins," she nodded towards the clumsy clergyman dancing with Elizabeth, "which is why, I suppose, the family is forwarding a match between him and Miss Elizabeth. Now there is a handsome couple if ever I saw one, and quite an eligible match for her. Although I do not know how the poor man will suffer her impertinence," finished Miss Bingley triumphantly. Then (without having realized that she had revealed that Miss Eliza had no fortune to the man she hoped would pursue her), after a moment's pause, while her companion looked at the couple in question, she added, "It does not appear she will be unattached for very much longer. That is unfortunate for her many admirers, and I would venture to say that if one of them wished to secure her hand, he should not lose any time in doing so."

When Wickham looked towards Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Collins, he did not think they were a handsome couple at all. Then he looked again at his friend, and noticed him still watching the same couple intently, apparently having given up entirely on observing Mr. Bingley and Miss Bennet. "It appears that you are not the only one who takes an interest in that couple's affairs, I wonder why Darcy looks upon them so intently. Do you suppose he is also meditating on what a fine pair they make?"

Miss Bingley immediately looked at Darcy and followed his gaze to Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Collins. Wickham was amused as he watched her become visibly disturbed by what she saw. At length she replied, "I cannot guess what Mr. Darcy is thinking," recalling the last time she had tried to do just that, and unsure of whether Mr. Wickham's reference to a 'fine pair' had meant Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Collins or Miss Elizabeth's eyes.

"Shall we speculate on the eligibility of any other matches to be made this evening then, Miss Bingley, or have you wearied of that employment?"

"There are no other matches in which I have any interest."

Now Mr. Wickham knew he had her. She had slipped, and he did not miss it. "None other than the two we have discussed? I can see why you would take an interest in your brother's affairs, but I am surprised you would care who Mr. Collins marries." Then, with raised eyebrows, he added, "unless . . . ."

Before he could finish however, Miss Bingley, incredulous that he would make such an implication regarding her preferences, quickly replied, "I have no interest whatsoever in who Mr. Collins marries, Mr. Wickham, I assure you."

"Then it must be Miss Elizabeth that you are concerned with. I did not know that you and she were such good friends."

There was nothing Miss Bingley could say in response to this that would be both polite and true, so she said nothing. She knew very well that her interest in Miss Elizabeth was to have her safely married, or at least engaged, to someone, anyone, except Mr. Darcy. In spite of his strong temptation to do so, Mr. Wickham wisely refrained from observing that perhaps it was not who Miss Elizabeth married that concerned Miss Bingley so much as who she did not marry. They continued down the rest of the dance with Mr. Wickham persistently making conversation and Miss Bingley, with equal effort, attempting to deter him by replying as little as possible to his constant remarks.

When the dance ended, he thanked her sincerely, and complimented her again on her dancing and her looks. She received his compliments gracefully, and when he excused himself to search out Elizabeth, she was free to seek out Mr. Darcy's company. When Miss Bingley approached him, Mr. Darcy felt obligated to engage her for the next dance. He was disgusted by her feigned surprise at being asked by him, because he knew she had been expecting it, and had probably moved towards him in the hope of receiving just such an offer. Nevertheless, he knew he would have to dance with her this evening, so he decided he might as well have done with it. He watched with no small amount of envy as his friend approached Miss Elizabeth with his usual easy manner.

The moment of her release from Mr. Collins' company was ecstasy for Elizabeth. She could scarcely contain her pleasure when Mr. Wickham approached her to claim her hand for the next two dances. His object in dancing with her, aside from his own pleasure, had been, of course, to awaken something in his friend akin to jealousy, that might cause him to acknowledge his own feelings. A secondary motive had been to see what he could learn about her sister's heart. Wickham and Darcy had been challenging each other their entire lives, and these challenges were taken very seriously. Wickham felt certain that he was right about Bingley and Miss Bennet, and he was determined to apply himself diligently to the task of proving it to his friend.

He fell into conversation easily with Miss Elizabeth. They each spoke of their previous dances, and the mention of his dance with Miss Bingley naturally led him to explain how that had come about, which in turn, he hoped, would provide an opening to embark on the topic Wickham wished to discuss. "Upon hearing of Bingley's intentions the other night at dinner to open the ball with your sister, I took the opportunity to engage Miss Bingley for the first two dances."

"Your application must have surprised her, your being such a new acquaintance."

"Yes, I believe it did, she was counting on opening the ball with her brother."

"I was also surprised to see Mr. Bingley engage my sister for the first two. I can scarcely believe he formed the resolution to do so nearly a week ago."

"I dare say he had formed it before that, I am only able to tell when I heard him say it. It is evident that he admires her. He called at Longbourn on the day I was at Netherfield, and when he returned, he seemed quite happy with the visit and in particular, with your sister's company."

"I am happy to hear it. I am very pleased for her. I could perceive that she was gratified by his compliment in dancing the first two with her. I have never seen Jane this happy before, and I do not believe that anyone deserves it more. She is the sweetest, most generous person. I think they are very well suited to each other."

"I agree, but unfortunately, not everyone seems to be pleased with the match."

"I cannot but agree with you there, I believe that his sisters do not approve." Then perceiving Darcy watching Jane and Mr. Bingley together, she continued, "nor his friend. Although Jane does not perceive it, I am sure they deem her unworthy of Mr. Bingley."

"Perhaps they are only concerned about Mr. Bingley's happiness. It is possible that they fear his feelings are unrequited . . . ."

"Unrequited?!" interjected Elizabeth with feeling, "how can you speak so Mr. Wickham? Have you not seen them together? No, his sisters can have no concern on that head. They object to her, or I should say her situation, because there can be nothing objectionable about Jane, herself."

Wickham was satisfied by her impassioned response. "I will venture to say, Miss Elizabeth, that your sister's feelings towards Mr. Bingley are not nearly as evident as his are for her."

"That is to her credit, I think, Mr. Wickham," Elizabeth said defensively.

"Yes, I agree, but, despite the propriety of her reserved behavior, it must leave Mr. Bingley a bit uncertain as to how his attentions are being received."

Elizabeth glanced at Jane and Bingley. They were talking to one another in a corner of the room animatedly, each smiling contentedly at the other. "Mr. Bingley appears to me to be quite satisfied with her reception of his attentions."

Mr. Wickham followed Elizabeth's gaze and upon fixing his own on the same couple, could not but agree with her observation. Then he said, "I understand that he was a bit put out to learn that he would have to go to town tomorrow on business. I think his reluctance has to do with your sister."

"I had no idea he was to go, do you know how long he will be gone?"

"A few days I think."

"I fear Jane will be disappointed, but she will be happy when he returns."

"I do not believe he would be able to stay away, even if he wished to."

Elizabeth and Wickham enjoyed the remainder of their dance together in lighthearted conversation.

Darcy found far less enjoyment in the company of his partner. Miss Bingley began thus, immediately upon the commencement of the dancing, "I dare say, your friend and the lady of the fine eyes look very well together. They do make such a fine couple, and they are so well suited to one another in both situation and disposition."

Darcy began to think he could not bear this talk for half an hour, but only replied, "they do look well dancing together."

"I have noticed that Mr. Collins seemed to have his eye on her as well, poor Miss Eliza, with so many fine suitors, I do hope she will not have too much trouble making a choice. On the one hand, she has the heir to her family's estate, who is well situated, while on the other hand, an officer with a comfortable situation who has qualities of his own, not the least of which is a generous benefactor. What an accomplishment for one in her situation, with no fortune and no connections, to have attracted two very eligible young men. I dare say with such prospects for your favorite, you had better get on with making your addresses or she will be lost to you forever."

Ignoring the end of her speech, he replied, "Once again, your mind jumps quickly to the idea of matrimony. Yet you have had no guidance excepting your observations of one evening. The intentions of the gentlemen in question may not be as you imagine."

"Well, I would not be surprised if she was engaged to one or the other of them before the week's end. I am very happy for her, it is my dear wish that she find herself contentedly settled in a suitable establishment." He had no doubt as to her sincerity in wishing for Elizabeth to be married and settled, and in a suitable establishment - suitable for Elizabeth meaning someone other than himself - but whether she cared that Elizabeth was content he seriously doubted.

Unknown to Miss Bingley, the effect on Mr. Darcy of her speculations regarding Miss Elizabeth's marital prospects was exactly contrariwise to her intent. He began to think more and more of how little he liked the idea of her marrying anyone but himself. Darcy changed the subject, and Miss Bingley chattered almost incessantly during the remainder of their time together. In addition to abusing Miss Elizabeth and her relations, she spoke, in a contrasting manner, of Miss Darcy and all her accomplishments, asking whether Darcy had received a response from her to his last letter and inquiring as to all the particulars of his sister's affairs. Darcy answered as civilly as he could, but he was often distracted by his desire to observe Bingley and Miss Bennet, and his less voluntary awareness of Miss Elizabeth and Wickham.

When the dance was over, Elizabeth led Mr. Wickham over to where Charlotte was standing and introduced her to him. He immediately engaged her for the next dance and the two soon moved away to line up with the other couples. Elizabeth turned towards the refreshment table when she heard a voice behind her, "Cousin Elizabeth, did you enjoy your dances with Mr. Wickham? I must say you are an extremely accomplished dancer. Your movements are so graceful."

Elizabeth had not time to reply to Mr. Collins' speech due to its continuation, upon his noticing her destination and asking her if he could get her a glass of punch. Before he completed the question she had arrived at the punch bowl and just as her cousin was reaching for an empty glass to fill for her she noticed Mr. Darcy - who had just relinquished Miss Bingley's company to her brother with all the haste induced by listening to her talk nearly continuously for half an hour - standing next to her offering her an already full glass. "Perhaps you would care for some punch, Miss Bennet," he said.

"Yes, thank you," she replied, taking the glass and reflecting with some surprise at his civility.

"Yes, of course, thank you," Mr. Collins repeated, "you are so kind to take notice of my dear cousin's thirst Mr. Darcy. Such benevolence is rarely seen."

Elizabeth could barely contain her laughter as her cousin continued his effusions on Mr. Darcy's kindness. Mr. Darcy perceived the mirth in her eyes and smiled ever so slightly. "Miss Bennet," he began, when Mr. Collins paused for breath, "if you would do me the honor of dancing the next with me, I believe we can still line up in time."

"I would be happy to dance with you Mr. Darcy, but I dare say, we should be quick," she replied with a smirk. They hastily excused themselves from Mr. Collins and repaired to the dance floor together.

Once the dancing had begun, Elizabeth said, "thank you Mr. Darcy."

"You are welcome I am sure, but may I ask for what I am being thanked?"

"For saving me from the continued attentions of Mr. Collins by asking me to dance," replied Elizabeth laughing lightly.

"I am happy to assist you in any way I can, Miss Bennet, but you give me more credit than I deserve, for my reasons for asking you to dance with me were more selfish than you imply."

"Oh? Did you wish to escape someone yourself?"

"No indeed, I wished only for your company. I had already formed the intent to request your hand before your cousin appeared at your side."

Elizabeth was more than a little surprised at this declaration, and replied with exaggerated feeling, "that is a compliment of the highest order indeed!"

"I would be highly gratified if you really felt that way, but I know that you sometimes take great pleasure in expressing opinions that are not your own, and I fear this may be one such occasion."

"Mr. Darcy, are you challenging my veracity?" she asked incredulously.

"Not at all, I simply believe that your statement, which you did not attribute to anyone, including yourself, was a reflection of what you believe my opinion to be rather than your own."

"I cannot deny it Mr. Darcy, but you have already heard my opinion on the subject of vanity."

"You attribute to me an opinion that I have not expressed, as well as a motivation for it that I have not acknowledged."

"But sir," she replied with an air of playful innocence, "since you have been in the neighborhood, until now, you had never danced with anyone other than Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. Do you not agree that I should feel the compliment of being the only resident of Hertfordshire that you have condescended to engage for an amusement that you despise so vehemently?" Mr. Darcy was startled at the realization that he had been entertaining thoughts similar to those she had just attributed to him. "But that is the way of it," she continued, "the compliment in dancing must always be felt by the woman, which I suppose makes up for the inequity inherent in the manner in which balls are conducted."

Darcy asked with some amusement, "and what is it about a ball that you deem so inequitable?"

"Well, the man has the advantage of choice, and the woman only the power of refusal."

He smiled and said, "but should not the man feel the compliment of not having been refused?"

"How can he? If he is refused, the lady can dance no more that evening, lest she offend him. I have known more than one young lady to accept an offer to dance with someone she would prefer not to stand up with, to avoid foreclosing her opportunities for further pleasure in the same evening, should someone she prefers more be inclined to apply for her hand. I do not see how a man can feel complimented, because he never knows a lady's motive for accepting him. A woman, on the other hand, can always take pleasure in knowing that she is the object of her partner's choice."

"But that is not always the case. A woman may, at times, feel disappointed that she is the object of a man's choice," he glanced at Mr. Collins, "such as in circumstances as you have described, where the lady accepts the offer against her wishes."

"That is true, but whether or not a woman feels pleasure in being chosen depends upon her own preference, while a man can never be certain that her acceptance can be taken as a compliment to himself, regardless of his preferences."

"Nor can a woman always take pleasure in being chosen, there are many reasons a man might choose to dance with a particular lady. Admiration is not always the motive."

"Of that, Mr. Darcy, I am certain," she replied laughing, "but your observation presupposes that a suspicion that the man admires her is the source of the lady's pleasure in being chosen."

"I cannot believe any woman would take pleasure in knowing that she was chosen for any other motive."

"Well I suppose it would depend on what the other motive might be, since I am not a man I cannot say what motivates their choices, but perhaps you might enlighten me."

"Perhaps the man might feel an obligation to dance with a particular lady due to his association with her family."

Elizabeth understood immediately that he was speaking of Miss Bingley. "In such a case, however, the lady would be aware of the existence of such an obligation, and would be guarded against attributing the gentlemen's attention to a different motive. Also, she herself may not wish for the gentleman's admiration."

"Nevertheless, she cannot be certain whether he admires her or not in such a circumstance. I cannot imagine that any lady would feel more pleasure in being chosen out of obligation than admiration even if she does not wish for the gentleman's attentions. Therefore, she cannot always feel complimented by a gentleman's application for her hand."

"I will allow you an exception to my rule for the limited circumstances of your example, wherein the relationship between the two is such that the gentleman feels a duty to stand up with the lady."

"Thank you," he said with a gallant smile.

"Now, what other motivation could a man have for choosing to dance with a particular woman than admiration or a sense of obligation due to his relationship with her family?"

"I suppose if the gentleman had mercenary intentions, he might wish to dance with a lady that he does not admire."

"Yes, but since his intentions will probably be the same as one who does admire, it would probably be best for both if the lady believes he feels some affection for her. Have you any other examples?"

"I can think of no other." Elizabeth did not realize at that moment the implication of his response when considered in light of the fact that in the present case there could be no perceived obligation to motivate Darcy to ask her to dance and nor could his intentions be mercenary. If she had bothered to employ the process of elimination, she would have realized that by his own words that there could be no other reason, that he had admitted to admiring her. Nor did Darcy realize what he had unintentionally revealed as his mind was quickly occupied by her next inquiry.

"I will help you by giving you another example for your argument." He smiled and bowed his thanks as she continued, "Perhaps, if the gentleman perceives that the ladies at a ball outnumber the gentlemen, he may feel inclined to stand up with one of them to prevent her from having to sit down for a set of dances due to the scarcity of gentlemen."

Darcy blushed slightly, then smiled and said, "but your example is not a good one because it addresses a motivation to dance with any lady present who does not happen to have a partner, rather than a motivation to dance with a particular lady, which is, I believe, what we were discussing."

"That is true, but it applies nonetheless, for if the gentleman is motivated merely by a sense of social duty, the lady, whomever she might be, cannot feel complimented that she was chosen. If she happens to be the only one sitting down at that particular time, she has even less occasion to feel the compliment since his choice was only in whether to dance, and he did not, in fact, choose her from among a group of young ladies."

"Likewise, there is no compliment to the lady when the gentleman is urged by another to seek her hand, rather than making the choice himself. Indeed, your whole basis for the compliment, that the lady was the gentleman's choice, is undermined. And a lady, undoubtedly, would prefer not to partake in the dance at all under such circumstances."

It was now Elizabeth's turn to blush. She was surprised that he had picked up on her challenge and rose to the occasion, and without attempting to defend his previous ungentlemanlike behavior. Indeed, he had addressed at once both his slight of her at the assembly rooms as well as her refusal to dance with him at Lucas Lodge, all the while remaining within the confines of their topic of conversation.

Darcy smiled as he reflected how becoming the blush that overspread her face rendered her countenance. However, she did not seem inclined to make any response and he felt that she was equally desirous of changing the subject as he was. Thus, he waited a few moments and then asked, "do you and your sisters often walk into Meryton?"

"Yes, quite often. My younger sisters are particularly fond of visiting my aunt, Mrs. Phillips. Your friend, Mr. Wickham, dined with us at her house last week."

"Yes, he told me that he enjoyed his evening very much."

This statement made Elizabeth wonder whether Mr. Wickham had told Mr. Darcy of their conversation about him that night. Elizabeth was a little embarrassed as she considered the impropriety of expressing her dislike of Mr. Darcy to someone so intimately acquainted with him. She felt certain that Mr. Wickham must have told Mr. Darcy of her ill opinion. This thought finally gave her an understanding of why Mr. Darcy had singled her out as a dance partner. His vanity could not tolerate that anyone should not think well of him. Knowing of her opinion, he must have thought she would be so flattered by being asked to dance, that she would cease to think ill of him. Finally, she said, "I am glad to hear it. I enjoyed his company very much. He certainly spoke very highly of you. I confess I was surprised to hear of your intimacy with him, the two of you seem very different."

Mr. Darcy was a bit disheartened by her avowal of how much she enjoyed Wickham's company, immediately followed by an observation of how different Wickham was from himself. "I suppose that is what happens," he replied, "when two people are thrown together constantly from a very young age. By the time our different personalities fully emerged, we had already become close."

Elizabeth then asked, "and how do you explain your association with Mr. Bingley? Surely he was not a childhood friend as well. Yet, he is also very different from you."

Darcy thought for a moment, and then smiled at his own cleverness when he said, "I suppose I enjoy lively company."

Elizabeth laughed again. Such an assertion was so contrary to everything she felt about this man. "That is very well for you Mr. Darcy, but what of Mr. Bingley? Will you next have me believe that he enjoys the company of those who are quiet, reserved and withdrawn?"

He looked at her curiously and smiled again at her description of himself. "For the answer to that question, Miss Bennet, you must apply to Mr. Bingley. As for your description of myself, I cannot pretend to say how near it may be to my own character. You think it a faithful portrait, undoubtedly."

"I must not decide on my own performance."

Recalling what Wickham had said of her ill opinion of himself, Darcy replied, "I could wish Miss Bennet, that you were not to sketch my character at the present moment, as there is reason to fear that the performance would reflect no credit on either."

This gave Elizabeth to know that Wickham had indeed shared her opinion of Darcy with him. She was not ready to relent however, and so she said, "what have you to fear from my assessment of your character, Mr. Darcy? I assure you, I could do little harm to your reputation with your gallant friend heralding your many virtues to any that will listen. Anyway, if I do not take your likeness now, I may never have another opportunity."

"I would by no means suspend any pleasure of yours."

Elizabeth was surprised by the gallantry of his response, and thinking of his influence over Mr. Wickham, she replied, "I may hold you to that sir." He looked a bit startled, but said nothing.

At that moment, Sir William Lucas appeared close to them, meaning to pass through the set to the other side of the room; but on perceiving Mr. Darcy, he stopped with a bow of superior courtesy to compliment him on his dancing and his partner.

"I have been most highly gratified indeed, my dear sir. Such very superior dancing is not often seen. It is evident that you belong to the first circles. Allow me to say, however, that your fair partner does not disgrace you, and that I must hope to have this pleasure often repeated, especially when a certain desirable event, my dear Miss Eliza (glancing at her sister and Bingley) shall take place. What congratulations will then flow in! I appeal to Mr. Darcy: - but let me not interrupt you, sir. You will not thank me for detaining you from the bewitching converse of that young lady, whose bright eyes are also upbraiding me."

The latter part of this address was scarcely heard by Darcy; but Sir William's allusion to his friend seemed to strike him forcibly, and his eyes were directed with a very serious expression towards Bingley and Jane, who were talking together.

Elizabeth perceived his reaction and said, "what is it that has caused you to become so grave all of a sudden?"

"Something Sir William said," he replied without thinking.

"But surely his speculations cannot be a surprise to you. You cannot have failed to notice your friend's continuing attentions to my sister."

"No, indeed. It is only that I had not realized such a general expectation to have been created as alluded to by Sir William."

"If such an expectation exists, Mr. Darcy, it is your friend's own doing, and he does not seem to mind it."

"And what of your sister? Does she mind?"

"I believe that she would prefer not to have her private affairs canvassed publicly. She is always mindful of maintaining a guarded demeanor to avoid becoming an object of speculation." Then remembering what Mr. Wickham had said of Mr. Darcy's and Mr. Bingley's sisters' possible concerns that Jane did not return Mr. Bingley's regard, she continued, "But, such things are not always within her control, and she has told me herself that she takes great pleasure in your friend's attentions." Darcy looked again at the couple, but remained skeptical.

After a few moments of silence, Elizabeth spoke again, hoping to gain further intelligence regarding Mr. Bingley's intended trip into town. "I understand that Mr. Bingley leaves for London in the morning."

"Yes, he has some business there to attend to."

"Have you any idea how long he will be gone?"

"A few days, I believe. He has not told me for certain."

"And the rest of you will remain here?"

Thinking she was trying to learn whether or not he was also going to town, Darcy replied with a complacent smile, "yes."

"It is lucky for you that you have your friend Mr. Wickham in the neighborhood to keep you company during his absence, but I do not suppose you are ever dissatisfied with solitude."

Darcy reflected that he could find little time for solitude in the same house with Miss Bingley. He replied, "I confess, I do enjoy some time alone for reading and other solitary pursuits, but I enjoy company as well . . . "

"Yes, of the lively variety, if I recall correctly," interjected his companion, laughing.

"In any case," replied Darcy, not in any way agitated that she had interrupted him, "I do not suppose Wickham will leave me to myself very much, although he does have duties to attend to."

Then, his previous words having reminded her of a recent folly that had diverted her, Elizabeth stated, "you know Mr. Darcy, reading does not always have to be a solitary pursuit. With the right company and the right book, reading aloud can be very pleasurable." The look Darcy returned to her was a mixture of surprise and amusement, as he imagined himself sitting close to her in front of a fire in his personal sitting room at Pemberley, reading poetry - no not poetry, something else - aloud to her. He quickly shook the thought out of his head wondering how he could allow himself to think of such a thing. Elizabeth, having no idea of the direction in which his thoughts were bent, and indeed had she an inclination to speculate, his true thoughts would never have even entered the realm of her mind, continued, "why just the other night Mr. Collins was kind enough to read aloud to all of us from Fordyce's Sermons. Although, I confess, such a way of passing the time was not well received by Lydia." The picture she painted was sufficient to awaken Mr. Darcy from his reverie, and he was delighted by her amused expression. Her warm smile and bright eyes stirred feelings in him that he cared not to acknowledge at present. He simply enjoyed her company. She, on the other hand, was wholly oblivious to the effect her lively expression was having on her partner and, with an arch smile and raised brow, delivered her coup de gras, "perhaps you could perform the same service for the ladies at Netherfield. I understand that Mrs. Hurst is married and must now look to her husband for instruction, but perhaps Miss Bingley could benefit from the teachings of Reverend Fordyce." Mr. Darcy looked at her incredulously, as he considered that Miss Bingley could indeed stand to benefit from, at least, that section of Fordyce's Sermons dedicated to instructing young ladies on the impropriety of openly pursuing a gentleman. Her smile grew broader in response to his expression, and when she broke out in full laughter, he could do nothing else but laugh with her. She immediately became serious with surprise, and said, "why, Mr. Darcy, I had no idea you ever laughed."

"I do, on occasion, Miss Bennet."

"You should do it more often."

He was inclined to reply that he would endeavor to do so, to please her, but he checked himself and became serious again. His dances with Elizabeth were soon over and he felt no small amount of regret at having to part company with her. Dancing with her had not satisfied his desire for her company, as he had intended. Instead, it caused him to long for her even more, for in his breast there was a tolerable powerful feeling towards her which he could not ignore, and what was worse, he began to lose faith in not only his ability to control it, but in his willingness to do so. He considered that perhaps dancing with her had been a mistake, but his heart would not allow it to be the case.

After their dance, he was able to meditate on the revelation that she knew of his refusal to dance with her at the Assembly ball. He could only assume that she had overheard him. He could not help but be impressed by her boldness in challenging his behavior, and by the fact that she apparently found it amusing, and did not seem to be offended. Nevertheless, he could not deny that his behavior had been ungentlemanlike. He should have danced, or not attended the ball. He was unsure however, whether he should attempt an apology.

Mr. Wickham had enjoyed his dances with Miss Lucas very well. Although she was quite plain and the eldest unmarried young lady present, he found her to be amiable, intelligent and sensible, which was refreshing. During the dance he was able to examine her features more closely, and by the end of the dance, he concluded that she was more handsome than he would earlier allow. She seemed neither flattered nor affronted by his attentions and compliments, and simply accepted them gracefully. In spite of evincing a very practical outlook on most things, she had a pleasing sense of humor that was neither dry nor indelicate. She seemed to possess a certain strength combined with an endearing natural gentleness that rendered her countenance highly favorable. He enjoyed her conversation, and when the dance was ended they continued talking for a few moments, before he was summoned by an inviting gesture by Mr. Denny from across the room. He excused himself and walked towards his friend contemplating how much he had enjoyed Miss Lucas' company.

Elizabeth had not been long separated from Mr. Darcy when Miss Bingley came towards her, and with an expression of affected amity thus accosted her: - "So, Miss Eliza, I hear you are quite delighted with George Wickham! Your sister has been talking to me about him. I must say, I am quite impressed with your choice. He is exceedingly handsome, and quite charming. The two of you looked so well when you were dancing together. And he is of such strong character. According to Mr. Darcy, he is both amiable and honorable. I do not think you could do better."

Elizabeth was at a loss to understand the possible motivation for such a speech from such a quarter. The meaning of the last sentence in particular was dubious, and she thought it was probably intended more as an insult to herself than a compliment to the gentleman. She simply replied in kind saying, "I could see that you think highly of him. You paid him the greatest compliment by opening the ball with him."

Miss Bingley laughed, and said quietly, "do not concern yourself on account of me, dear Miss Eliza. I have no intention of being your rival." Elizabeth did not catch the dubious meaning of this sentence, as she had no way of even speculating that Miss Bingley could be motivated by jealousy of Mr. Darcy. "You are safe to enjoy the attentions of your favorite, unhindered by me," continued Miss Bingley, "but I cannot say the same for some of the other young ladies present." She nodded towards Mr. Wickham standing with Mr. Denny amidst a group of young women, including Kitty and Lydia. "Let me recommend you, as a friend, to take every opportunity to resolve things between the two of you as hastily as possible," finished Miss Bingley, as she turned away triumphantly.

Elizabeth was surprised as much by Miss Bingley's interest in the matter as she was by the fact that the lady would speak so openly on such a subject. She wondered what Miss Bingley had to gain by urging her to attach Mr. Wickham. The most likely explanation, considering Mr. Wickham's having engaged her for the first dances a week in advance of the ball, was that Miss Bingley wished to foreclose any continued attentions by that gentleman towards herself, by having him distracted by Elizabeth. Since Elizabeth liked Mr. Wickham anyhow, she was not deterred by the prospect that her own hopes might be in accord with Miss Bingley's wishes. She could not deny her growing admiration of Mr. Wickham, but she was a bit disconcerted that her feelings had been perceived so easily. She had hoped her behavior had been more guarded against such a display. But, when she considered that Miss Bingley obviously had a motive for perceiving Elizabeth's regard, she decided it had been that much easier to see, and she remained content with the propriety of her own behavior.

Elizabeth then sought out her eldest sister, and upon finding her, listened with delight to the happy, though modest hopes which Jane entertained of Bingley's regard, and said all in her power to heighten her confidence in it. On their being joined by Mr. Bingley himself, Elizabeth withdrew to Miss Lucas; to whose inquiry after the pleasantness of her last partner she had scarcely replied, before Mr. Collins came up to them to bask in the presence of his intended, proclaim the perfections of his benefactress, and foreclose any hope of private conversation between the two ladies.

Meanwhile, Miss Bingley had been walking back towards the other side of the room in search of her sister, when she passed behind where Mr. Wickham and Mr. Denny were standing in conversation. They had removed themselves from the presence of the young ladies to engage in private discourse. Mr. Denny was expressing his wish to learn how Mr. Wickham had managed to open the dancing with the lady of the house, and Wickham revealed the circumstances of his having asked her for the honor. Upon hearing herself spoken of, Miss Bingley stopped, and heard Mr. Denny next ask, "And how did you enjoy your dance with her?"

"Very much. I confess I like her very well, and I hope to continue the acquaintance."

"Undoubtedly," laughed Denny, "and her fortune, I am sure, has little to do with such a wish."

Miss Bingley smiled triumphantly, fully expecting Mr. Wickham to confirm her suspicion of his motives until she heard his response. "I know nothing of her fortune. She is obviously a very elegant and fashionable woman, but I understand the bulk of her father's wealth was left to her brother for the purpose of purchasing a family estate."

"I have heard tell that she has twenty thousand pounds." Mr. Wickham was visibly surprised at this disclosure, but was foreclosed from commenting further by the approach of Miss Lydia. Miss Bingley resumed her course undetected. She could not help but be pleased that a man whose looks and countenance could easily afford him the attention of any woman, had sought to obtain hers, and wished to further their acquaintance, without knowing anything of her fortune! She now viewed in a different light his liberally bestowed compliments to herself and could not help but acknowledge the possibility that his admiration of her might have been sincere.

Mr. Wickham had been anxious to speak to Darcy after the latter's dance with Elizabeth, but he had not yet had an opportunity to do so. When the party was called into supper, he immediately searched out his friend and found him seated at a table where Mrs. Bennet was dominating the conversation and just beginning to talk freely and openly of her expectation that Jane would be soon married to Mr. Bingley.

Wickham's interruption was a refreshing excuse for Darcy to leave his present company; and he happily walked to a part of the room that afforded some privacy, luckily missing Mrs. Bennet's enumeration of the advantages of the expected match. When they were alone, Wickham said, "how did you enjoy your dance with Miss Bennet?"

Darcy's countenance betrayed one of those smiles that only someone as intimately acquainted with him as Wickham might perceive, "I enjoyed it very much, thank you."

"She is delightful company is she not?"

"She is indeed."

"I believe I saw you actually laughing with her."

"She did say something rather diverting."

"Can you share it with me?"

"She was relating to me that her cousin, Mr. Collins, had been reading aloud to her and her sisters the other night from Fordyce's Sermons, and she suggested that I do the same for Miss Bingley's benefit."

Wickham chuckled at this, and asked, "what else did you talk of?"

"Dancing, you, Mr. Bingley's disposition, my character, Mr. Bingley and her sister, Mr. Bingley's trip to London, what I will do while he is away, and reading aloud."

Wickham was impressed by Darcy's excellent recollection of his conversation with Miss Elizabeth, "and what did she say of me?"

"That she enjoyed your company at the Phillipses the other night, and that she was surprised that you and I are such intimate friends."

"Did she say why that surprised her?"

"Because we are so different in disposition."

"And what had she to say of her sister and Mr. Bingley?"

"That her sister is guarded in displaying her feelings, but that she enjoys Bingley's attentions."

Both men were distracted by the sound of music and looked to the pianoforte to see that Miss Mary Bennet had begun to play. They took another few steps away from the crowd for greater privacy, and to avoid distracting the audience from the performer before continuing their discourse. Mr. Wickham was about to continue the conversation in the same vein by relating to Darcy the substance of his own conversation on the same subject with Miss Bennet, but Darcy wished to change the subject, as he did not like the danger of revealing his feelings, that he was placed in by discussing Elizabeth and how much he enjoyed her company with one who knew him so well. Thus, when they had returned their attention to each other, but before Wickham could speak, he said, "and what about you? You seem to be enjoying your evening." Then, not wanting to continue discussing Elizabeth, Darcy directed the conversation towards one of his other dance partners, "How was your dance with Miss Bingley?"

"It was enjoyable, but the conversation was more than a little one-sided. I found it difficult to obtain even a word from her beyond a monosyllable."

"That is odd," replied Darcy, "she was extremely talkative during my dance with her."

"I am not surprised," replied Wickham, "for, I dare say, she likes you far better than she does me."

Darcy found that discussing Miss Bingley was no more desirable and far less pleasant than discussing Miss Elizabeth, so he changed the subject again. This time, he and Wickham talked about Georgiana, and Darcy told Wickham how his sister was faring with her new companion and of all her accomplishments, with all the pride of an elder brother who also plays the role of a father. When that topic was exhausted Wickham, told Darcy that he would take it upon himself to entertain his friend while Mr. Bingley was out of the country. Thus, they made plans to go riding the next morning, and it was settled that Wickham would come to Netherfield after breakfast.

When they finally turned their attention back to the room, it was just in time to see Mr. Collins make a bow in their direction as he appeared to be delivering a speech to half the room. Darcy simply sighed and took his seat. After supper, the dancing was resumed, Wickham danced with several other young ladies, as did Bingley. Elizabeth stood about the rest of the evening with Mr. Collins hovering near her, and she danced no more. Darcy sympathized with her as he recalled what she had told him about a young lady turning down a partner she did not desire to dance with even if it meant she could dance no more for the rest of the evening, as well as her comments about wishing to avoid Mr. Collins. He did not dance again either, but merely stood about, often within a very short distance of her. And though he was quite disengaged, he never went near enough to speak to her. In spite of his strong temptation to relieve - or at least share - her suffering due to Mr. Collins' attentions, he was guarded against paying her too much attention. Indeed, he had said more than enough for one evening. He still had, at least, some measure of control, and he was determined to exercise it. Darcy's proximity to Miss Elizabeth during the rest of the evening did not escape Mr. Wickham's notice. He stopped to approach Darcy from time to time between dances. Likewise, he would speak briefly to Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Collins, whenever he had the chance. These conversations were often attended by Miss Lucas as well. But he could find no opportunity to bring Darcy near enough to Miss Elizabeth for the two of them to engage in conversation together.

The Longbourn party were the last of all the company to depart, except Mr. Wickham, and by a maneuver of Mrs. Bennet, had to wait for their carriage a quarter of an hour after everybody else was gone. Once they had finally departed however, Mr. Wickham bid goodnight to Bingley and his sisters and thanked them for an enjoyable evening. He was to borrow one of Darcy's horses to ride back to his quarters, stable it in Meryton overnight, and return on it in the morning. As he and Darcy walked outside, Wickham looked wistfully at the departing carriages heading towards Longbourn. It was time to leave his friend with something to think about again. "There go two of the finest young ladies in the country, Darcy," he observed. His friend could not but agree. "I find that I like Miss Elizabeth very well, indeed."

Darcy made every effort to appear unaffected as he replied, "Miss Bingley suspected as much, and told me so during our dance."

Wickham was pleased by this evidence of Miss Bingley's possible jealousy on his account, but would not be deterred, if Darcy perceived his interest in any other woman, he would not be convinced enough of his regard for Miss Elizabeth to be properly jealous. Darcy's reference, however, suited his purpose, as he was able to reply, "I had not realized I was being so unguarded in my admiration."

Darcy looked a bit startled, and then collected himself quickly and said, "you had better make haste, I believe you have a rival in Mr. Collins."

This was not the reaction Wickham desired. He laughed and replied, "I have no fear of competition from that quarter. I believe her feelings and intentions towards him were made as evident this evening as his towards her, at least to anyone with an interest in observing them."

"Except her mother, perhaps?"

Wickham laughed again, "yes, well, I believe Mrs. Bennet sees only what she wishes to see, which might explain why Miss Elizabeth's apparent desire to discourage Mr. Collins' addresses might have escaped her notice."

"She may wish to discourage his addresses, but once they are made, it does not follow that she would not accept them. She may hope that he does not propose, and that he may perhaps choose one of her other sisters, but once he does, her duty to her family and her unfortunate situation may dispose her towards accepting him."

Wickham was annoyed with his friend's apparent disinterested manner of arguing in favor of the probability that the woman he loved - Wickham was in little doubt of his friend's feelings - would soon be engaged to another, and one such as Mr. Collins!

"I do not believe she would accept him in any event," replied Wickham, as a stable hand approached leading the horse.

"Perhaps not, if she has perceived your regard, and she likes you better, she may reject him in the hopes of receiving an offer from you."

Wickham simply looked incredulously at his friend, and said, "you, Darcy, are insufferable," as he mounted the horse.

Mr. Darcy, unaware that Wickham was feigning regard for Elizabeth and of his motives for doing so, was confused by this remark and only replied in kind to his friend's ensuing, "good night, I shall see you in the morning."

Wickham was disappointed in his apparent failure to induce Darcy to acknowledge his feelings for Miss Bennet, and act on them. Then it occurred to him that he had gone about the business all wrong. He had hoped to provoke a response out of Darcy prompted by jealousy, but perhaps Darcy was so honorable a gentleman, that he would suppress his own feelings for the young lady if he perceived his most intimate friend to have serious designs on her. If he was indeed still wavering about his feelings, he might even be relieved by Wickham's interest in Miss Elizabeth. Thus, Wickham rode home wondering whether he had only made things worse for his friend. He wanted his friend to be happy. He perceived easily, what most others could not, that Darcy admired Miss Elizabeth, and he believed heartily that she would make him happy. But he could also perceive that Darcy was fighting his attraction. He recalled what Darcy had said about Miss Bennet's unsuitability for Bingley, and realized that he must feel the same objections, with even greater conviction, in his own case. With such doubt and uncertainty as to the state of his friend's heart, introducing the possibility of pursuing her himself into Darcy's understanding, might only have served to further dissuade Darcy from his suit. Wickham decided that on the morrow, he would make Darcy aware that he had no real designs on Miss Elizabeth, and that he never had.

Wickham would have been gratified to know how closely he had read Darcy's reaction. Though while his friend could not rejoice in the possibility of Miss Elizabeth being married to another, he could feel all the relief to himself of being foreclosed from furthering his own desires by her engagement to his best friend. He knew they would both be happy, and that pleased him. He could not marry Elizabeth himself, so seeing her married to a man he knew to be of good character was the best alternative; and there could be no doubt as to Wickham's happiness with such a woman, although he would have liked to have seen his friend marry a woman with some modest fortune, he had always feared that would be Wickham's sole consideration in choosing a wife, and was pleased to see that he would marry for affection. He had always planned on giving Wickham a gift upon his marriage, so their situation would not be so bad with that and Wickham's income as well as whatever small dowry her father would undoubtedly settle on her. They would make a suitable match, they were compatible in disposition and situation, and he had no doubt of their happiness together.

Once Darcy had the marriage of Wickham and Elizabeth neatly arranged in his mind, it was a certainty for him. He had no doubt that it would occur. She was lost to him forever and he was ready to feel all the relief he expected to flow as a result of his freedom from her power. But things rarely happen as one expects them to, and as he thought about the matter further he felt all the pain and disappointment a man violently in love can be supposed to feel at the prospect of the object of his affections being married to another. It did not help that the thoughts he usually indulged when going to sleep at night, of being with Elizabeth, were severely thwarted by his realization on exactly what would occur between his best friend and the woman he loved upon their marriage. He groaned out loud as he began to feel the regret of not having made his addresses to her. He began to reproach himself for giving more weight to his objections than his own happiness. He tortured himself by replaying the events of the evening in his mind. His every interaction with her had been pleasurable. He could not sleep, but as he lay awake acknowledging to himself the true depth of his feelings, he was resolved that to the world he would rejoice in his friend's connubial felicity. He was confident that in time he would overcome his own present attachment, and marry another. In the meantime, he was resolved that no one would ever know of his feelings for Elizabeth. Wickham would again have been gratified to know that his original plan to induce Darcy to acknowledge his true feelings for Elizabeth had worked after all.

For her part, Elizabeth contemplated the evening with pleasure. She chose not to think about the attentions of Mr. Collins, and subscribed instead to her philosophy to think only of the past as its remembrance would give her pleasure. Thus, she reflected with delight on her time spent with Mr. Wickham. She recalled every look and every exchange they shared with pleasure, particularly, their dance; and she spent some time trying to determine whether or not he had shown her any particular attention. He had, indeed, spent a lot of time making himself agreeable to many of the other young ladies present, but she felt certain that he had displayed a particular regard for her, especially while she was standing with Mr. Collins after supper when he had approached her a few times for brief bits of conversation.

She also found her thoughts bent towards Mr. Darcy. She could not understand his behavior. Had it been anyone else, she would have guessed that he admired her, but she knew that such could not be the case with Mr. Darcy. Perhaps, knowing that Mr. Wickham liked her, he only wished to make himself agreeable for his friend's sake. She recalled his laughter with pleasure. She had never known him to laugh in the past. She recalled how kindly he had offered her a drink. He must have perceived her walking in that direction, and anticipated her object in doing so, for he was ready with the glass when she arrived; and the fact that he did not serve himself one after handing her the one he was holding, told her that he had not, upon her approach, merely offered her a glass he had happened to be preparing for himself. He must have filled it on purpose for her! She recalled his concern that she not sketch his character, when he must have known of her ill opinion of him from his friend. She recalled that she was the only woman with whom he had danced, other than those of his own party. She recalled that he had said he asked her to dance solely out of a desire to be in her company. If her meditations had continued in this vein, she might have begun to see some of his prior behavior towards her in a different light as well, particularly behavior that occurred before Mr. Wickham entered the neighborhood and gave her a reason to which she could attribute Darcy's increased civility towards her; but as it was, her thoughts took a less productive turn, and she, instead, recalled his initial slight of her and his subsequent arrogant behavior, and would not allow that she had any reason to believe his opinion of her had changed. Although they had acknowledged what had happened between them, he had made no attempt to apologise for slighting her, nor did he appear remorseful. She readily gave in to her established habit of disliking him and returned her thoughts to his friend.


Chapter Four

The morning after the Netherfield ball opened a new scene at Longbourn. Mr. Collins made his intentions known and requested Elizabeth's hand in marriage. She turned him down, gently, at first, but when he persisted in not believing her refusal, she had to be firm with him. Elizabeth's mother was characteristically distressed when Mr. Collins gave her to know that he had been refused, and enlisted her assistance in persuading her daughter. Mrs. Bennet appealed to her husband to force the marriage, but Mr. Bennet would not. Thus, Elizabeth escaped a fate she did not desire, and only had to bear the effects of her mother's disappointment for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, at Netherfield, Bingley left for London shortly after breakfast. He had already expressed to his friend and relations both the night before, after the ball, and that morning, what a delightful time he had had the previous evening; and he spoke of Miss Bennet in such terms as gave rise to serious distress in his sisters over what his intentions might be towards that young lady. After he was gone, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst began openly discussing their objections to a match between their brother and Miss Bennet. When asked for his opinion, Darcy agreed with them that Miss Bennet was unsuitable as a prospective bride for their brother. Miss Bingley was pleased that his opinion was in accordance with her own. Further discussion, however, was foreclosed by the entrance of Mr. Wickham.

Miss Bingley felt the color rise to her cheeks when Mr. Wickham greeted her, as she recalled their dances the previous evening. She thought to well of herself to be surprised that Mr. Wickham might really like her, but the fact that her fortune had not been the reason for his attentions had pleased her. Her experiences with gentlemen of little fortune had taught her that they could not truly appreciate all of her qualities and accomplishments, but had a great appreciation for her fortune. Thus, she had been surprised that a man in his situation, whose greatest hope of improving his own fortune was in marrying a woman of means, had been so attentive and appreciative of her without knowing of her fortune, and that he had secured her hand for the first two dances in advance of the ball rather than waiting to see what other prospects would be before him. She had conceded last night, in her private meditations after the ball, that she liked him very well and she could not help feeling delighted at the evidence of his returned regard. He was handsome, charming, and engaging, and she considered the conquest of his heart in so short a time quite an accomplishment even if he was not wealthy. But she would never allow anything beyond mutual admiration. She would certainly not demean herself by even considering an alliance with such a man. She reminded herself that she must maintain her focus on her object, Mr. Darcy. When she saw the two of them side by side, she acknowledged that Mr. Wickham was more handsome, but Mr. Darcy was more elegant and refined. Nevertheless, she found Mr. Wickham's easy manners very appealing. Mr. Wickham noticed Miss Bingley blush when he addressed her and his smile grew broader. He could not but be pleased that he had such an effect on her.

After conversing with the ladies for a few moments, Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy secured some privacy in the library and Mr. Wickham began discussing the topic of their most recent disagreement. Wickham was eager to let his friend know that he had no intention of pursuing Miss Elizabeth, but he had decided that since Darcy most likely felt the same objections in his own situation as he felt with respect to Bingley's then those objections should be addressed first. Thus, he began, "What have you to say now about your friend Bingley's attachment to Miss Bennet? Were you able to observe them together last night?"

"I did, and they seemed to enjoy each other's company, but that does not mean that either of them is in love."

"Do you still doubt the strength of your friend's regard?" asked Wickham incredulously.

Darcy thought for a moment and then replied honestly, "no, I suppose I have seen enough to convince me that Bingley does love Miss Bennet. He could not stop talking about her neither last night nor this morning, all the while smiling ridiculously. He made us all well aware that she is the most delightful angel he has ever had the good fortune to meet."

Wickham laughed lightly at Mr. Darcy's repetition of Mr. Bingley's words. "Then all we have left to determine is how the lady feels."

"I could discern no sign of peculiar regard in her behavior towards Bingley," said Darcy dismissively.

"Have you already forgotten the assurances you received last night from her sister?"

"She only told me that her sister enjoys Bingley's attentions, hardly a declaration of love."

"I had forgotten, I did not have the opportunity to tell you during our conversation last night what Miss Elizabeth told me about her sister's feelings."

"And what was that?"

"Well, I suggested the possibility that Mr. Bingley's feelings were unrequited and she was absolutely indignant. She replied with great enthusiasm that her sister's regard could not be doubted and she went on to explain her sister's reserved nature, and her concern in letting her feelings show. Have you considered that Miss Bennet's lack of observable affection is only the result of her adherence to the dictates of propriety? I dare say that if she had shown her feelings, you would censure her for behaving in an unladylike manner. Miss Elizabeth was quite adamant."

"From your description of her reaction, Miss Elizabeth seems certain that Miss Bennet returns Bingley's regard. As a close sister, she must have intimate knowledge of Miss Bennet's heart. Therefore, her words on the subject cannot be doubted. Miss Bennet certainly does not appear to me to be a fortune hunter, and Bingley has always been the one to initiate any intimacy with her."

Wickham smiled at how easily Darcy accepted Miss Elizabeth's assurances, "then you concede that she returns his love."

"I suppose I must, after hearing the information you obtained from her sister."

"You promised you would give your blessing to the union in that case."

"I also said that I would bring all the objections to the match to Bingley's attention, but I will not influence his choice."

"You can have little doubt what his choice will be. It appears that his fate is sealed."

"Yes, I believe it does," replied Darcy, obviously disappointed.

"You need not appear so morose Darcy, he will be happy."

"I know he will, and I am happy for him. It is just that, . . . ."

It appeared that Darcy did not intend to finish his thought so his friend prodded him, expecting to hear something about Elizabeth, "what is it Darcy."

"I had hoped he would marry Georgiana."

Wickham laughed at his friend.

"What is so funny?"

"You wanting to have your sister safely settled with a man who depends so heavily upon your judgment. It is a manner of assuring your continued control over her life."

"I believe that they could be happy together. Think if you had a sister, is there any man you would rather see her with than one who is always friendly and agreeable, gentle and compassionate, and who you can have no doubt will treat her well."

"I do look upon Georgiana as a sister, and as appealing as Mr. Bingley's disposition may be to an elder brother as a match for his young sister, I would still prefer to see her happily married to someone she loves, and who loves her - someone of her own choice."

"Do you not think they could have fallen in love, had it not been for this Miss Bennet."

"I do not know Darcy, but you cannot allow those thoughts to intrude. Miss Bennet does exist, and Mr. Bingley loves her. There can be no guarantee that had he never met her he would have married your sister. Besides, Georgiana is far too young and you cannot expect him to wait for her. And surely there could be no affection of that kind on either side. Have you discerned anything in either that would give you reason to suspect an attachment."

"No, I have not, but I am sure they could have developed at least some level of mutual regard, even love. And as for her age, he is still very young as well, and could stand to wait a few years before marrying. He is only six years older than her."

"Darcy, do you not see that by harboring such hopes you are doing the same thing to Georgiana that Lady Catherine has done to you and Miss de Bourgh?" Darcy looked up at his friend in surprise but did not say anything. Wickham let his friend think about that for a few moments and then asked, "do you know when Bingley is to return?"

"I believe he returns on Monday, if he is not delayed."

The ladies of the house, in the meantime, had been discussing the best way in which to prevent their brother's engagement to Miss Bennet. They determined that their best course of action would be to follow their brother to London and keep him there, by pointing out all of the disadvantages of the match, and if need be, by assuring him that Miss Bennet does not return his affection. Miss Bingley was certain Darcy would agree to the plan. She and Mrs. Hurst wished to speak to him in private, and they contrived a way to divide him from his friend. They interrupted the gentlemen's conversation and invited them to walk outside.

When they reached the lane, Miss Bingley claimed her place at Mr. Darcy' side, while Mrs. Hurst took Mr. Wickham's offered arm. The two ladies set their paces such that the two couples were soon far enough apart to afford private conversation. Mrs. Hurst kept Mr. Wickham entertained while Miss Bingley addressed Mr. Darcy thus, "Louisa and I have been discussing this business of my brother's attachment to Miss Bennet. We are in agreement that she is an unsuitable match for him. I know you agree, and I had hoped that, as his friend, you would assist us in preventing a marriage between them. We are decided to follow him to London tomorrow with the intent of influencing him to stay there. But we know how he relies on your judgment. Your assistance in convincing him of the unsuitability of the match would be invaluable."

"I agree with you that there are many disadvantages to the match, and I intend to make my objections known to him. As his friend, that is all I can do, he must make his own choice once he has been apprised of all the considerations. I will not go to London and manipulate him into staying there. He has expressed his intention of returning and we have agreed to still be here when he does. I will speak to him on Monday, and if he heeds my objections, he will understand that an immediate removal from the area is for the best. But if those objections are insufficient to overcome his regard, and he wishes to stay, then I can do nothing but offer him my congratulations. You and the Hursts may, of course, do as you please."

Miss Bingley was surprised and after trying to convince him to change his mind, for a few more minutes, she could see that he was becoming agitated, and she wisely desisted. The ladies soon grew tired and expressed their wish to return indoors. The gentlemen escorted the ladies inside, and after a few moments of silence Wickham addressed Darcy, "if you have no other plans today, I had hoped you would call at Lucas Lodge with me."

Darcy appeared surprised and quickly expressed his agreement. The two ladies were petitioned to join them, but both declined, pleading something else to do of an important nature. The gentlemen arose and Darcy ordered for two horses to be readied. They went outdoors to wait and began walking the length of the house as they spoke.

Darcy spoke first, addressing his friend in a tone that bespoke his curiosity, "Lucas Lodge? I had supposed from our conversation last night that you would be visiting Longbourn today."

"Perhaps we will have time to visit both, but I enjoyed my dance with Miss Lucas last night and I regret not having had more of an opportunity to get to know her better. I would like to see her again."

"What are you playing at Wickham? I'll not have you running about Hertfordshire toying with the heart of every maiden in the country." Darcy then stopped, and turning to face his friend, said seriously, "if you conduct yourself in such a manner as to be bound by honor to any woman, I will see to it that you marry her."

"Darcy, I will not take offense to that remark for the sake of our friendship, but I had hoped you knew better that to suppose I would do anything dishonorable."

Darcy looked into Wickham's eyes, the eyes of his friend, his brother. "Please forgive me Wickham. I know you would not."

"I only wish to become better acquainted with my new neighbors. I met several amiable young ladies yesterday evening. I scarcely know any of them and there are some that I would very much like to get to know better, Miss Lucas being one of them. There can be no harm in that. I promise I will take care not to raise expectations of anything further, unless and until they would be justified."

"I suppose I will have to be content with that for now. I am surprised though, I had thought, from something you said last night, that there was one lady in particular that you admired."

"You must mean Miss Elizabeth. I am afraid I may have been misleading in my expression last night. I assure you, I do not wish for anything beyond friendship with Miss Elizabeth."

Darcy was surprised by the amount of relief and joy he felt at his friend's revelation. "And to what can I attribute this sudden change in sentiment?"

"There has been no change in my sentiments towards that young lady. I like her very well, and would be happy to further my acquaintance with her. I simply have no intent or desire to form any designs of a serious nature on her."

As pleased as Darcy was by his friend's resignation of any designs on Elizabeth, he could not help but feel that there had been more in Wickham's expression last night than he would now own. He then asked incredulously, "so, you prefer Miss Lucas? I am surprised, she does not seem like the type of woman who would attract you."

"I confess that I did not notice her last evening until we were introduced by Miss Elizabeth and then I only asked her to dance out of politeness, but as it turned out, I enjoyed her company very much, and found myself wishing to see her again."

"She seems a very amiable woman," replied Darcy, still puzzled. He decided that seeing his friend with Miss Lucas and then with Miss Elizabeth would be more enlightening than the present conversation, so he did not pursue it further. Upon arriving at Lucas Lodge however, they were informed that Miss Lucas was spending the day at Longbourn and after sitting with Sir William and Lady Lucas for a quarter hour, they took their leave with the intent of calling there. Wickham could not be happier with this turn of events. He would be able to see Miss Lucas again, and at the same time, Darcy would be thrown into company with Miss Elizabeth. Darcy was equally pleased, first with the prospect of seeing Elizabeth again, but also for the hope of having his confusion over his friend's feelings cleared up by seeing him with both ladies together.

Upon being shown into the drawing room at Longbourn, they found Mrs. Bennet with only Miss Lucas, and Mr. Collins. Miss Lucas was standing by the window on the far side of the room, and Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins were sitting together apparently engaged in earnest conversation. They stopped talking suddenly upon the entrance of the gentlemen.

Mr. Wickham was received warmly by Mrs. Bennet, while Mr. Darcy's reception was only civil. Mr. Wickham immediately took a seat near Miss Lucas and Darcy took the chair suggested by his hostess, while the servant summoned her five daughters. When the girls entered the room, they first greeted the gentlemen. Darcy was disconcerted when Miss Elizabeth went to sit with Miss Lucas and Wickham. The other ladies sat down around a table and Miss Bennet and Miss Mary began working diligently while Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia were whispering and giggling together. Darcy immediately noticed some uneasiness in Elizabeth's countenance. She was not her usual lively self and scarcely looked away from her immediate vicinity. She participated little in the conversation with Miss Lucas and Mr. Wickham. He also noticed that Mr. Collins had not given any attention to Elizabeth since she entered the room. In fact, he had decidedly avoided even looking at her. This was a marked change from his hovering around her the previous evening. Darcy then noticed that Miss Bennet seemed likewise quiet and pensive, and even Mrs. Bennet was a bit subdued. He returned his glance to the two younger girls upon hearing a loud peel of laughter from Miss Lydia and as he watched them interact he noticed that they often looked at Mr. Collins and Elizabeth. Darcy was able, from these observations, to surmise something close to the truth of what had happened at Longbourn that morning.

While Darcy was preoccupied with these ruminations, Mrs. Bennet had begun speaking to Mr. Wickham, "so, Mr. Wickham, how did you enjoy the ball last evening?"

"Very well, madame, I thank you. I had the pleasure of dancing with several delightful young ladies."

"I am glad to hear it. I am sure they were all equally delighted with your company."

"Thank you ma'am, but I am sure some were more delighted than others." Elizabeth smirked at his intentional mischaracterization of her mother's speech and Darcy smiled in response to her reaction. At that moment, she ventured a look in his direction and noticed his smile. She quickly returned her attention to Charlotte.

Mrs. Bennet seemed sufficiently confused by Wickham's reply to be unequal to forming any response. She then turned to Mr. Darcy, saying, "and how did you enjoy the ball Mr. Darcy? I dare say you were not as pleased with it as your friend, for you danced much fewer dances."

"It is not the quantity of dance partners that I value, Mrs. Bennet, but the quality. I can assure you, I enjoyed the evening very well."

Elizabeth looked up, amazed at his response, but he dared not glance her way lest she should read his feelings in his expression.

"Yes, well, both Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley are women of quality to be sure, and I also noticed you dancing with Lizzy, but I did not notice any of your other partners."

"I did not engage any other partners, Madame."

"Of course, I believe I remember something about your dislike for the amusement."

"I confess that I do not enjoy dancing very much in general, but I did take great pleasure in some of my dances last night."

Mrs. Bennet then continued to converse primarily with Mr. Collins and Miss Bennet. She tried to draw Wickham into the conversation a few times, but he politely rebuffed her attempts. Darcy noticed his attentiveness to Miss Lucas, and Elizabeth's uncharacteristic silence. She appeared content to allow Wickham and Miss Lucas to carry the conversation while she sat pensively nearby. After sitting for about twenty minutes, the three of them appeared to have agreed upon a scheme to walk outdoors. When Miss Bennet and Mr. Darcy both agreed to go with them, Mrs. Bennet urged Mr. Collins to accompany them as well. Mr. Wickham offered his arm to Miss Lucas, and on seeing Mr. Collins approaching Elizabeth, Jane quickly walked towards him and took his arm. Darcy then turned to Elizabeth and the two fell in step together behind the other two couples.

Elizabeth began teasing him directly, "I suppose the privilege of walking with me has fallen upon you by default, Mr. Darcy. I shall, however, make every attempt to keep you adequately entertained."

Darcy was glad to see her playful manner returned, after witnessing her solemnity indoors. He replied, "I am quite content to simply walk with you."

"You do not wish to converse with me?"

"To the contrary, I would be happy to do so, I only meant that you should not feel obliged to talk for my benefit."

"I think talking might be a welcome distraction from one's own thoughts which sometimes tend towards the unpleasant."

"If you have any unpleasant meditations, I am sorry for it, and I would be happy to provide any distraction that might improve your mood. What would you wish to speak of? Shall we talk of books?"

"I would like that, what have you read lately?"

Thus, they spoke of books at length while they walked along the lane through Longbourn park. Darcy noticed that Mr. Collins turned back to look at them several times and then turned haughtily away. He felt confident that his supposition had been correct, Mr. Collins had proposed, and Elizabeth had refused. He smiled as he contemplated her refusal of such a man. Elizabeth noticed his expression and asked what had caused it, as she could discern nothing amusing in what she had been saying.

"I apologize Miss Bennet I was not attending to your speech. I was thinking of something else entirely. Please forgive my rudeness."

Elizabeth was surprised by the extent of his civility but replied, "your expression leads me to suppose that your thoughts are much more amusing, or at least more interesting, than our present conversation. Perhaps you could tell me what they are so that I might enjoy them as well."

He smiled again and said, "I regret that I cannot disclose them to you, but I do promise to try to maintain my attention on our conversation from now on."

Elizabeth was a bit put off by his disinclination to share his thoughts, and said, "I would not wish to continue to burden you with my company any longer sir, if you do not wish for it."

He looked at her in surprise, "not at all Miss Bennet. I enjoy your company very much." After this reassurance he began another conversation and they walked on talking amiably about many subjects. Elizabeth was pleased by his sense, intelligence and vast knowledge. They discovered that their opinions coincided on many things. She also learned that he observed the landscape around them and had a great appreciation for the beauties of nature. By the time they returned to the house and the two gentlemen took their leave, Elizabeth found that she had been very satisfied with the way the call had turned out. She had scarcely given Mr. Wickham a thought during her walk with Mr. Darcy. She even felt happy for Charlotte as she realized the attention Wickham had shown her today. Charlotte confided to Elizabeth that she had been very well pleased with Mr. Wickham's attention to herself, but she would not allow herself to hope for anything more. She did not scruple, however, to offer her opinions on Mr. Darcy's attentions to Elizabeth. Elizabeth likewise discounted the significance of her time spent with Mr. Darcy, but she did reflect with some satisfaction on how much she had enjoyed his company, and remembered a bit ruefully how much she had previously been disposed to dislike him. She still felt the sting of his initial insult to her, but he had, at least, acknowledged it to her during their dance yesterday. Perhaps if their friendship grew more intimate she would feel comfortable enough to mention it to him.

Charlotte remained for dinner, and Elizabeth was pleased that she was attentive to Mr. Collins for most of the remainder of the day. Mr. Collins was clearly in ill humor all day and had, by the end of the day, resigned himself to the failure of his suit. He retired with thoughts of Charlotte Lucas' attentions during the afternoon at the forefront of his mind, and he weighed the possibility of success with her. True, she had been the object of Mr. Wickham's attentions during his visit, but then she had been very attentive to himself. Surely, if he would ask her first, she would be too sensible to put him off in the hopes of receiving an offer from Mr. Wickham. This, he thought to himself, had been exactly what Elizabeth had done. Clearly, she was hoping for a better match with Mr. Darcy. That she could presume to attach someone so far outside her sphere was laughable to Mr. Collins, and he looked forward to witnessing her disappointment, which would, undoubtedly, be followed by regret at having refused himself. Thus, he considered forwarding his acquaintance with Miss Lucas, weighing that possibility against moving on to one of the younger Bennet daughters. Mary was next eldest, but also the plainest. Miss Lucas was also plain and certainly both Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia were prettier than either Miss Lucas or Miss Mary, and both were livelier as well. He nearly decided in favor of Miss Lucas but he hesitated on account of what he had witnessed between herself and Mr. Wickham. He decided that he would decide tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Jane were finally able to secure time alone together to discuss the past two days. Elizabeth told Jane of her confusion regarding Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy. Although she had supposed the former to have some regard for her, she could not help but be pleased by his attentions to her friend. As for the latter, she explained how puzzled she was by his manner. She described all that had passed between them at the ball and on their walk earlier that day. After she had finished, Jane said, "I cannot but conclude that he must admire you Lizzy."

"But how can it be Jane? He has disliked me from the beginning."

"Oh Lizzy, do not put so much emphasis on his first impression. Certainly, his refusal to dance with you and his insult were rude, but that is all, you cannot hold him to that opinion. He has had a chance to get to know you much better since then. Perhaps his opinion has changed."

"That seems the most reasonable explanation, and yet the most difficult for me to accept. I can explain away his walking with me today well enough, and even his comments to Mama about the quality of his dance partners at the ball. But I cannot account for his wanting to dance with me in the first place."

"There is no other way to account for it Lizzy, he must admire you. It seems to me that he all but admitted it during your dance. Did the two of you not you speak about the reasons a man might ask a lady to dance."

"Yes, and we came up with three, admiration, obligation based on a relationship, and obligation based on a scarcity of gentlemen."

"Well, neither of the latter two applied to your situation last night Lizzy, so it must be the former."

"Jane, I am sure there are many other reasons than those three, it was merely a silly conversation. Although I did ask him if there were any other reasons, and he said he could think of none."

"There you have it Lizzy, how can you doubt what he meant by that?"

"I certainly do not believe he intended to confess any regard for me."

"Whether he meant to or not, that is exactly what he did."

When Wickham and Darcy had left Longbourn, Wickham only went as far as Meryton, as he had some duties to attend to in the afternoon, and Darcy led the other horse back to Netherfield. Thus, there was little opportunity for them to discuss their visit at Longbourn, except for both men to express their satisfaction in it. Each however, was left with much to think about in the privacy of his own thoughts.


Chapter Five

On Thursday, Mr. Collins awoke with the expectation of determining the identity of his bride before the end of the day. As he dressed for breakfast he narrowed his choices to Miss Lucas and Miss Mary. Neither Miss Kitty nor Miss Lydia could be considered as they were both of them too silly and their behavior far too questionable for Lady Catherine's approval. Moreover, Lydia was not yet of marrying age, although he felt confident that such a consideration would not prevent Mrs. Bennet from giving her approval to the match. Of the Longbourn ladies, Miss Mary was the best choice. Although she was plain, she most closely matched Lady' Catherine's description of what he should look for in a wife. He would have to check her eagerness to perform, but in every other respect she seemed capable. Miss Lucas in disposition seemed even more ideal, but there was the matter of Mr. Wickham. He had not witnessed any attentions to Mary from another gentleman, a circumstance highly in her favor.

When Mr. Collins entered the breakfast room, he found Miss Mary alone. He immediately engaged her in conversation and when they had finished eating, he solicited her company for a turn about the gardens. Mary was exceedingly surprised by his application, but consented readily. When they arrived outdoors, Jane and Elizabeth could be seen walking at the far end of the lawn.

Mr. Collins had danced with Miss Mary once at the Netherfield ball, but he could not recall what they had spoken of. Now, he opened the conversation with a discussion of the book she was currently reading. He listened to her discuss the lessons she had gained from her reading and was gratified to hear her expostulations on the proper manner in which young ladies should conduct themselves. She further described the importance of a woman entering the state of matrimony to defer to her husband on every matter and to accept his rule without question. She spoke of the importance of maintaining a carefully tended household and of living within one's means. By the end of the conversation, Mr. Collins was close to fancying himself as in love with Miss Mary as he had thought himself to be with Miss Elizabeth less than twenty-four hours prior. His vanity had been so gratified by her opinions regarding the relative roles of husband and wife and their confirmation of everything he had come to believe of women, that he could not think of a better companion for himself. He resolved however, to maintain an open mind, at least until the next time he was in company with Miss Lucas.

As for Jane and Elizabeth, their conversation on the other end of the garden was interrupted by the curious sight of Mr. Collins walking out with Mary. They speculated on the meaning of it and finally agreed that Mr. Collins must have transferred his affections and his hopes to their next sister. They agreed that such a match would be a desirable circumstance, as it would please their mother and ensure that Longbourn would remain in the family, and because Mr. Collins and Mary seemed well suited for one another. They were confident that Mary could be prevailed upon to accept Mr. Collins and that she could be happy with him.

Soon, they all entered the house and went about their daily work. Mr. Collins' attentions to Mary continued, though they were more temperate than those he had shown to Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennet was clearly pleased with this development and was happy to perceive that Elizabeth's ill-judged refusal had not completely deterred the man from choosing a wife from among her daughters. She had thought yesterday that Mr. Collins might be interested in Miss Lucas, and was gratified to see confirmation of his resolve to marry one of the Miss Bennets. This reminded her of Miss Lucas' behavior with Mr. Wickham the day before. She could not help but be embittered by the possibility that this might mean the dear Mr. Wickham would not be captured by one of her own daughters as well. To have three daughters well married this year would have been a triumph indeed, but it would appear that she must settle for only Jane and Mary being soon disposed of in marriage. The notion that Mr. Wickham might marry one of her own daughters was not, however, given up entirely. She blamed Miss Lucas for her blatant attempts to secure Mr. Wickham's attentions to herself all of yesterday. Obviously he had chosen to call at Longbourn with the intent of spending time with her daughters, but Miss Lucas had kept him quite to herself. If she had not been at Longbourn he might have spent his time there with one of her younger daughters or perhaps even Elizabeth, though she did not deserve it.

For Elizabeth's part, she had been thinking carefully of Jane's words to her the night before, although they had not renewed the subject this morning. Jane had been certain that Mr. Darcy admired Elizabeth. A large part of that had been due to his singling her out as a dance partner at the ball. Elizabeth recalled that she had neglected to relate to Jane her suspicion that Darcy had been prompted to dance with her merely to satisfy his vanity after learning of her ill opinion of him. To prove this theory, she resolved to review his behavior prior to her conversation with Wickham in an effort to confirm her prior notions of his disapprobation of herself. However, when she viewed some of her past dealings with Mr. Darcy in light of the possibility that he might admire her, even with the purpose of disproving that possibility, she could not help but see things a bit differently.

Ever since the second or third time they had dined in company together, she had noticed that he appeared to be listening to her conversations with others. Then, at Lucas Lodge he had gallantly offered to dance with her, but only after being prompted by Sir William, he had had little choice at the time. Then she recalled her time at Netherfield. He had engaged her in conversation on more than one occasion. She recalled his comment that an accomplished woman should be well read, this had been said following a discussion of Elizabeth's choice of reading as entertainment for the evening. Then she recalled his manner of looking at her, his asking whether she had felt inclined to dance a reel and his gallant response to her impertinent answer. Finally, she recalled Miss Bingley's attempts to get his attention and her asking Elizabeth to walk about the room. It now occurred to Elizabeth for the first time that Mr. Darcy had been inattentive to Miss Bingley the entire evening, but as soon as Elizabeth had joined her in walking, his attention had been captured, indeed, he had closed his book. Then he had commented on being able to observe their figures. At the time Elizabeth had only thought his comment as a way of indicating that he knew Miss Bingley's motivations, but now she reconsidered everything. Finally, she recalled his civility when she had been out walking with Mrs. Hurst and encountered him with Miss Bingley. She was nearly ready to conclude that Jane had been correct about his feelings when she recalled their last day at Netherfield, when he had been alone with her for half an hour and had not spoken at all. This left her in a state of confusion.

Then, she began to reconsider Darcy's behavior towards her since Mr. Wickham's appearance in the neighborhood. Everything Darcy had said and done with respect to her since then could be interpreted as a sign of regard; from asking her to dance at the ball, to admitting how much he enjoyed her company both at the ball and the day after it. On a rational level she acknowledged that it certainly appeared that he liked her, but she could not accept that to be the case, and she remained certain there must be some other explanation for his behavior.

She then considered her own feelings. Her ill opinion had been removed some time ago by Mr. Wickham's account of his good character. His manners had certainly improved since his friend had come into the neighborhood. His proud air had dissipated considerably and she had seen a side of him since then that had not been exposed to her in the month prior. She could say with certainty that she no longer disliked him, and she felt equally confident that she had some favorable feelings for him. He was first and foremost a good man of impeccable character, he was, in addition, honest and sincere as well as handsome. She could easily perceive that he was a man of sense and education who had both knowledge and understanding. He was, by all reports, an excellent brother and she could see for herself that he was a good friend. She recalled fondly the time they had spent together the day before and at the ball, and she acknowledged that she liked him very well. She could not yet call it more, however, and she was in no way certain as to his own feelings. Therefore, she resolved to be cautious in her dealings with him to avoid the risk of disappointment.

Miss Lucas likewise, had been preoccupied by thoughts of a romantic nature. She had been utterly surprised at the attention Mr. Wickham had shown to her the day before. He had acknowledged having gone to Lucas Lodge to call on her and then having followed her to Longbourn. He had spoken almost exclusively to her at Longbourn and then had walked with her in the garden. She was gratified and she could not help being more hopeful than she had owned the day before to Elizabeth, but she was also wary. At twenty seven and being always plain, Miss Lucas had learned to view the prospect of marriage with some cynicism. She had never been the object of notice from men, and she had long abandoned her girlhood ideas of love and romance. She had grown to hope only for an eligible situation with a respectable and tolerable man. She knew she was plain and, having outgrown the bloom of youth, she had learned to focus on the more practical benefits she had to offer a potential husband. She did all she could to quell the glimmer of contentment that glowed within her as she thought of Wickham's attentions to her. She was aware that he had not noticed her prior to their dance, and that he had only danced with her out of politeness, but she felt that he had enjoyed their time together. These suspicions had been confirmed yesterday, when he had deliberately sought out her company. She had been particularly surprised that he would seek herself out before Elizabeth. He and Elizabeth obviously got on well and Elizabeth was quite amenable to receiving his attentions, and was unattached, but his attentions had been far more liberally bestowed on herself than on Elizabeth. Charlotte could not allow herself to speculate further on his feelings, however, and it was really rather too early to say what might come from them.

Her satisfaction in the possibility that Wickham might like her, was only heightened by Charlotte's own admiration of him in return. He was extremely handsome. This circumstance alone made his attentions to someone as plain as she all the more valuable. Clearly, his estimation of a woman's worth would not be based solely on her looks. And she could not be insensible of the compliment to herself underlying the attentions of a man accustomed to being the object of notice to most women. Aside from being handsome, Charlotte could not but admire his easy and engaging manners. Every word and gesture was said or done with an endearing charm that was accompanied by a disarming sincerity. She had also been able to discern that he was intelligent and sensible as well as honorable. As for his situation, Charlotte could scarcely ask for more, he had sufficient means to be independent and their lifestyle could be comfortable, though moderate. And there was every reason to expect that Mr. Darcy might make him some further gift on the occasion of his wedding.

Charlotte then thought of Mr. Collins. Knowing that he was in search of a wife, and that Elizabeth had rejected him, she had been forming the intent to secure a situation with him. She had little doubt that such a scheme might be successful with some little gratification of his vanity along with encouragement of his addresses. But that was before Mr. Wickham had made his visit. She now found herself in a quandary. She knew her opportunity to secure Mr. Collins was limited, and she certainly preferred Mr. Wickham, but if she gave up Mr. Collins and then Mr. Wickham did not make her an offer she knew she had little chance of ever having another opportunity to secure an establishment for herself. She had already remained with her parents longer than she had wished to, and her brothers were all younger than herself and would be struggling to establish themselves already, without the additional burden of a spinster sister to provide for. She resolved to encourage both gentlemen to the extent that she could within the bounds of propriety, and accept the first one to make her an offer. She shuddered as she considered that Mr. Collins would be more likely to propose first as he clearly wished to become engaged before departing the neighborhood on Saturday, while Mr. Wickham could have no reason to be in a hurry to select a wife.

Wickham had likewise been thinking extensively of his meeting with Charlotte on the previous day. He could not recall ever feeling so content after time spent with a lady. Every quality that he had admired about her at the Netherfield ball had been confirmed by her behavior yesterday. He was surprised by the amount he was smiling to himself as he thought of her. He had never considered that a woman of her nature could attract him. He had always admired women of a very different variety. He thought to himself that this may be the reason he had never considered matrimony with any of the previous women of his acquaintance. He had liked many of them well enough, but they were not what he wanted in a wife. This thought awakened within him the idea of whether he was actually considering matrimony with Miss Lucas. He felt confident that she would accept him, a woman in her position had few choices, but he did not wish for her to accept merely out of her need for an establishment. If he offered for her, he would want her to want him as much as he wanted her, but he knew not how to be sure of that before declaring himself. He laughed to himself as he considered that he was getting far ahead of himself. He had never imagined, considering his hesitance to form any serious design on a woman in the past, that once he had found the right woman his feelings and wishes would progress so quickly.

Darcy awoke with the same meditations at the forefront of his mind that had delayed his sleep the night before until the early morning hours. He went riding after breakfast to clear his mind and think about Elizabeth. He had acknowledged and accepted his feelings for her the night before last, in his meditations following the ball. He was in love with her. The question that presented itself now was whether to do anything about it. He weighed the advantages and disadvantages of the match. The considerations against the match included her lack of fortune, her low connections, the impropriety often displayed by her family, the inevitable disapproval by his own family, and her initial ill opinion of him. The considerations in favor of the match were . . . that he loved her. He sighed deeply. While her situation was unsuitable, there could not be a woman more well suited to him in disposition. She was intelligent and sensible; she conducted herself with the utmost propriety and had a strong sense of justice; she was playful and lovely; she was sensitive and generous; and he could not but consider how well she would do with Georgiana. But, above everything, he loved her and he wanted her. He had ridden into an open field and stopped his horse to take in the view. He made a full circle and admired the scenery. There was not a single person or structure within his view. He was utterly alone. "I love her," he said out loud, quietly, tentatively. Hearing his voice repeat the words that his mind had so long endeavored to suppress made his feelings seem more real. He smiled to himself and said "I love Elizabeth," more loudly, more firmly. His smile grew as he imagined saying those words to her and her delighted response to them. The thought of her looking upon him with her fine eyes full of emotion, and her enchanting smile only for him caused him to catch his breath. His imagination needed little time to move from her look to her touch to her kiss. He stopped himself from pursuing that train of thought, however; and, laughing out loud at himself, urged his horse back into a trot, as he resumed his consideration of whether he could possibly marry her. Was loving her enough? He recalled how he had felt when he was sure she would marry Wickham, he had repented that he had never acted on his feelings and he had wanted to make her his. Now that Wickham had made his preference for Miss Lucas evident, Darcy was relieved and felt the urge to secure Elizabeth for himself before she could be lost to him again. Still, he could not reconcile his desires and affections with the very real claims of duty to his family, to his name, and to his children, yet unborn. To align himself with her would be to cast off everything he held valuable, including his very identity. He could not succumb. He became despondent at the thought but he was determined. He must overcome his feelings, and above all, he must take care not to let any further sign of his regard escape him.

The Bennets were engaged to dine with the Lucases and in consequence of the visit from Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy to Lucas Lodge on the previous day, the invitation had been extended to them as well, and of necessity to the other Netherfield inhabitants. The Hursts and Miss Bingley had, however, determined to follow their purpose of removing to London, early that morning, leaving Darcy alone at Netherfield and entrusting him with the commission of conveying their regrets to the Lucases. Miss Bingley had been loathe to leave Darcy, but had decided that preventing her brother from an unfortunate marriage was a greater priority, and that once her brother indicated his intent to remain in London, Darcy would follow within a few days. Thus, Miss Bingley had written a short note to Jane explaining their departure and making it clear that she expected the last inhabitant of Netherfield to be vacating it within a few days, after which time the house would be closed, with no present prospect of being reopened.

When the Bennets arrived at Lucas Lodge, Mr. Collins was intent on discerning whether a pursuit of Miss Lucas would be successful. To that end, he was very attentive to Miss Lucas from the moment of his arrival. Elizabeth observed this and was disheartened by Mary's low spirits in response to observing it as well. Mrs. Bennet, too, was displeased with Mr. Collins' behavior and attempted to distract his attention away from Charlotte as much as possible. Elizabeth took the opportunity for a moment of private conversation with Charlotte, "I am so sorry that Mr. Collins seems to have transferred his attentions from me to you, Charlotte."

"You seem to assume, Eliza, that because you did not welcome his attentions I would not be inclined to do so either."

"Charlotte, you cannot be saying that you mean to encourage him?"

"A woman in my situation can hardly afford to be selective."

"But what of Mr. Wickham?"

"What of him?"

"He seemed very attentive to you yesterday."

"He was merely being agreeable."

"I beg your pardon, Charlotte, but he has shown you a level of agreeability beyond what is commonly seen."

"Perhaps, but I can hardly stake all of my hopes on one afternoon's attentions and it would not do to allow another opportunity to pass me by when I can scarcely even hope that he would form any serious intentions towards me."

"But you do prefer Mr. Wickham?"

"I confess that I do, but I have not had enough attention from either of them to form any particular expectations, I certainly do not anticipate that I shall have a choice between the two."

They were, at that moment, rejoined by Mr. Collins who had been drawn by Mrs. Bennet into a conversation with Mary, but who had escaped when the latter had been entreated to perform by Sir William.

In accordance with a note he had sent to Wickham earlier in the day, making the arrangements, Darcy stopped in Meryton to collect his friend on the way to Lucas Lodge, and they arrived together. When they entered, Mary Bennet was playing at the pianoforte, and the others were standing about the room engaged in conversation. The eyes of both gentlemen were immediately drawn to Elizabeth and Charlotte who were talking to Mr. Collins. After greeting their hosts and the other guests the gentlemen joined the group. Mr. Collins immediately began his obsequious attentions to Mr. Darcy, giving Mr. Wickham the opportunity to address the ladies, "I hope you have both been well since yesterday."

They both thanked him and assured him that they were quite well. Elizabeth discerned something in his look towards Charlotte and wishing to give them the opportunity for some private conversation she turned her attention towards the other two gentlemen and made a comment on their discourse. Wickham quickly took the opportunity to draw Charlotte further away from the others.

Darcy appeared relieved by Elizabeth's interjection, but he noticed the wistful gaze emanating from Mr. Collins towards Charlotte as Wickham drew her away, and immediately comprehended Elizabeth's purpose. To Elizabeth's utter amazement, Darcy then condescended to make further inquiry of Mr. Collins and kept him in conversation until dinner. Elizabeth remained with them, to assist Darcy in keeping Mr. Collins occupied.

Elizabeth found herself seated by Mr. Darcy at dinner, and said quietly to him, "thank you for your assistance earlier in conversing with Mr. Collins. I am sure your friend appreciates your efforts on his behalf."

Darcy smiled, and replied, "I am not accustomed to employing such arts, but I know that my friend had hoped for some conversation with yours and I could perceive that your cousin might prevent their opportunity for such a circumstance, by remaining in conversation with them."

Elizabeth glanced at Charlotte and Wickham who were seated next to each other, and remembering Charlotte's earlier concerns, said, "I only pray we have not done her a disservice, for it appears that Mr. Collins has already transferred his attentions," as she finished she shifted her glance to Mr. Collins who was conversing with Mary across the table from him, "again," she remembered to add. Darcy gave her a small smile, and she continued, "but he will be departing on Saturday, so time is of the essence." Darcy's smile widened, but they were called upon to join in the general conversation at the table before he could reply.

After dinner, when the gentlemen rejoined the ladies, Wickham and Darcy immediately joined Elizabeth and Charlotte. Mary again seated herself at the pianoforte, and Elizabeth requested that she play a particular song that she knew Mary did not know by heart.

"I will be happy to oblige you Lizzy, but I will need someone to turn pages for me."

True to Elizabeth's hopes, Mrs. Bennet seized on the opportunity, "I am sure Mr. Collins will be happy to offer his assistance Mary."

Mr. Collins looked startled, he had been attempting to join in Charlotte's conversation with Mr. Wickham when he had heard his name. He could do nothing but oblige his cousin, "of course, I should be happy to render any assistance to my dear cousin Mary."

With that, he was soon seated next to Mary at the instrument where he remained employed in turning pages for the remainder of the evening. Elizabeth was satisfied with the result of her efforts and she looked at Darcy who smiled back at her.

They took a few steps away from Mr. Wickham and Charlotte and she said, "After having noticed your interest in conversing with Mr. Collins earlier, I feel that I must apologize for having deprived you of his conversation for the remainder of the evening."

"Then I hope you will offer me your own instead," he found himself saying. He recalled his prior resolution to discourage any expectations she might have formed as he felt his self control unraveling. It was hopeless, he could not resist. They found two chairs near each other and began to talk amiably.

"Have you heard anything from Mr. Bingley?" asked Elizabeth.

"Yes, I received a letter from him today, expressing his hopes that he may be able to return as early as Saturday, but when he wrote it his sisters had not yet arrived in town. Their presence may delay his return to the country."

"Jane was surprised to receive a note from Miss Bingley advising her of their removal. We had understood that your entire party had planned to remain at Netherfield until January."

"Yes, we had planned it so. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst only decided to follow their brother to London after his departure yesterday."

"I am surprised you did not quit the neighborhood with them, Miss Bingley's note gave us to understand that you would be following them shortly and that none of you would be returning this winter. But, I imagine that you wished to stay a little longer to have more time with your friend."

"I certainly have made no plans to quit Netherfield in the near future, and I fully expect Bingley to return as planned. I have received no word from him of a change in his plans."

"But you believe that his sisters may keep him in London."

"I do not know, I imagine they may delay his return, but I am fairly certain that he will return soon."

"I am happy to hear it," replied Elizabeth.

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes during which Elizabeth noticed Darcy watching her in his usual manner. She became self-conscious as she wondered what could be the source of his disapprobation this time. She considered just asking him and after deciding that it would not be any more impertinent than his staring at her to begin with, she said, "Mr. Darcy, please forgive my impertinence but I wish you would tell me why you look at me in that way." He was visibly startled, "is there something about me that you find offensive?"

"Not at all. Please allow me apologize, I suppose I was allowing my thoughts to wander."

But she wasn't ready to give in so easily, "but this is not the first time I have noticed it. If these looks are merely blank stares, then why do they seem to always be directed at me?"

"And what makes you think I look at you because I find something offensive?"

"I could not imagine another reason."

"Could you not?"

Elizabeth blushed. "Not one that would be believable, Mr. Darcy."

He smiled, but did not respond. After a few minutes of silence he leaned forward and asked her, "shall we hear you play this evening?"

"Oh, I would not dare attempt to usurp Mary at the instrument." Darcy was a little disappointed, but he consoled himself with the fact that she would remain next to him and not be near Mr. Collins if she did not play.

After another long silence he said, "Miss Bennet, you said earlier at dinner that you hoped we did not do Miss Lucas a disservice by preventing her conversation with Mr. Collins, what did you mean by that?"

"Mr. Darcy, I cannot expect someone like you to understand my friend's situation. But if you consider it, you must realize that her choices are limited. She would not wish to foreclose any opportunities." Darcy furrowed his brow and looked at Wickham and Charlotte. To Elizabeth, this meant that Darcy was concerned Charlotte may be viewing Wickham simply as another opportunity. "Please do not misunderstand me, sir, she likes your friend very much, but she hardly knows what will happen. She may feel that it would be unwise to give up one opportunity on a mere hope that another one would present itself, even if the one hoped for is infinitely more desirable to her. You may consider it a very cold way of looking at things, but it is the reality. Not everyone finds love and sometimes one has to settle for what level of comfort and security can be found."

Darcy had never considered the plight of single young women without fortune. He had always simply looked upon them as an annoyance to himself and attributed to them mercenary intentions. But, when he thought about it, he realized that there were no choices for gentlewomen, other than to marry or continue as a burden on their families. Miss Lucas, he believed, was about seven and twenty, very plain, and without fortune or connections. She could not afford to be selective. Then he thought about Elizabeth. She had, he was certain, turned down Mr. Collins even though he was heir to her family's estate. "You do not ascribe to that philosophy," he said.

"No, I confess that I do not. But Miss Lucas has had more time to nurture her practical point of view. I have not yet given up hope on making a marriage of affection. Indeed, I do not think I could marry without it. But one never knows, my way of thinking might change if I am still single in five years."

Darcy was fairly certain she would not be single for five more years. If he had his wish, she would not be single for five more months. "And what of fortune?"

"It would be imprudent indeed for someone in my situation to fall in love with a man of little fortune, would it not?" she said laughing, "And yet, I cannot expect to attract a man of significant means either. But, I would not require much in that regard, I would only wish for a comfortable home."

Darcy did not trust himself to continue talking about Elizabeth's marital prospects, lest he declare himself then and there, so he returned the topic of conversation back to her friend, "I confess that I do not know anything of my friend's intentions towards yours. He has only been acquainted with her for a few days. He cannot be expected to know his own wishes in so short a time."

"No, of course not. It is only bad timing for her, I suppose."

There being nothing more to say on that subject, they talked about other things until the card tables were set up.

During their ride to Meryton, after the evening ended, Darcy addressed his friend, "you seemed to enjoy the evening very much."

Wickham grinned, "I did indeed Darcy."

"I hope you know what you are about, for you were quite particular in your attentions to Miss Lucas."

"I am surprised to find that I admire her so very much so soon after meeting her, Darcy. I was extremely vexed at that Collins fellow when he tried to turn her attention to himself."

"I do hope you understand that she may have given up an opportunity for an eligible establishment with him to devote her attention to you this evening. For, by the end of the evening, I dare say Mr. Collins had decided in favor of Miss Mary."

"I am glad to hear it. Miss Mary is much better suited to him than Miss Lucas."

"That is hardly the point Wickham. She might have been able to secure a situation with Mr. Collins and another similar opportunity is unlikely to cross her path."

"Since when are you so sympathetic to the plight of unmarried women? I thought you disdained the idea of marrying to secure an establishment."

"What I disdain is women who use flattery and false affection to gain an establishment. I do not oppose a situation where both parties understand that their union is one of mutual benefit, although there may be little or no affection."

"And how do you suppose she would have 'secured' Collins? Do you think she might have been successful without flattery?"

"There is a difference between being attentive and even encouraging to someone, and projecting false admiration or, still worse, leading them to believe in feelings that do not exist."

"I have known her two days, Darcy, and though my heart feels ready to profess that she is the one, my head is aware that it is too soon for such a reaction to be rational."

Darcy allowed it to be the case and did not pursue the conversation further. Instead, he wondered to himself at his friend's admiration of Miss Lucas. He had to own that he had never given that young lady very much thought. She was rather plain, and rather old to be still unmarried, but she was Elizabeth's nearest friend, so she must have some value. Her manner had always been significantly more subdued than Elizabeth's but she seemed very sensible. Wickham's interest in the lady had been awakened only after dancing and conversing with her. Darcy had to admit that he had never taken the time to talk to her himself. Darcy had always hoped that Wickham would marry a woman of fortune, but the more he considered what he knew of Miss Lucas' disposition the more he approved of the match. A woman of fortune was unlikely to be as economical and able to live within her means as one such as Miss Lucas. Although she would not bring a fortune into the marriage, she would bring an ability to manage comfortably on what was available. With the five thousand pounds Darcy intended to give Wickham upon his marriage, his fortune would be raised to about ten thousand pounds, and provide him with an income of about 500 pounds per year, which was quite a bit for a steward's son. And with his career in the military Wickham would always have opportunities for adding to his fortune.

The gentlemen separated at the officers' quarters in Meryton and Darcy returned to Netherfield quite alone, to think about Elizabeth. He had all but given away his feelings when talking to her this evening. He could not stay here and maintain his resolve. He had to either leave Hertfordshire or surrender to his feelings for her.

Later that evening, Elizabeth considered all that had passed between herself and Mr. Darcy. He had, once again, been exceedingly agreeable to her. She wondered at length on the meaning of his comments regarding why he looked at her. The manner in which he had asked, 'can you not?' had been very suggestive. Then he had asked her some very personal questions regarding her preferences and views with respect to marriage. They had seemed to flow naturally from the course of the conversation, but in retrospect Elizabeth was uncomfortable with what had been said. She hoped she had not said too much about Charlotte's situation. She felt confident that Darcy would convey the substance of their conversation to Wickham. She did not feel that Wickham would sport with Charlotte's feelings, but it was important for him to be conscientious of her situation.

Mr. Collins determined that he would propose to Miss Mary in the morning.