Pride and Prejudice short stories

Beginnings

"Come, Darcy! I must have you dance!" Charles Bingley enthusiastically said as he appeared at my side. "I must! I hate seeing you standing around in this stupid manner; come, you had much better dance!"

"I certainly shall not." I huffed, "At an assembly such as this? It would be insupportable."

Bingley didn't say anything, so I glanced at him, but he wasn't looking my way; He was looking at Miss Jane Bennet, as she was laughing and blushing with a group of friends.

"Your sisters are engaged at present," I said loudly, and Bingley's attention snapped back to me, his face a little flushed. I continued coldly, "you know perfectly well that it would be a punishment to me to stand up with any other women in the room."

"Good god, Darcy! I wouldn't be as meticulous as you are for a kingdom!" Cried Bingley, "Upon my honor, I never met so many pleasant girls in my life! Several of them uncommonly pretty," and he turned his gaze back to Jane Bennet, who caught him looking and gave him a lovely smile.

"You have been dancing with the only handsome girl in the room," I said, sounding bored.

"Darcy, she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld," He grinned at me, then something caught his attention over my shoulder, "Look, look!" He half-whispered, "There's one of her sisters; she's very pretty too! I daresay very agreeable."

I turned to study her, Elizabeth, I think her name was. She had a lot of chocolate brown hair pilled up on the top of her head, with intricate curls framing her pretty heart-shaped face and almond eyes. But besides that, she looked very plain.

"She's tolerable, I suppose, but she's not handsome enough to tempt me." I sated, perhaps a bit too loudly, for I saw her head turn a little my way, but I went on unfazed. "Bingley, I am no humor in giving consequence to young ladies slighted by other men; go back to your partner and enjoy her smiles. You are wasting your time with me."

Bingley sighed, gave me a small smile, and walked back to Jane Bennet, who blushed at him.

I looked ahead, and I was beginning to let myself sink to my usual manner of calm indifference when I saw Elizabeth Bennet stand up suddenly out of the corner of my eye. She probably had heard me insult her and was on her way to cry on someone's shoulder about it when-

I stared.

Because as she walked past me, she had the most amused smile on her face.

I stiffened as Elizabeth stopped next to another young lady, and whispered something in her ear, glancing at me, then Elizabeth burst out laughing as if she had been keeping it locked inside her for the longest time.

I was shocked.

Any other young lady in the room would have dissolved into tears the moment I'd insulted them, but this woman.

Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

She laughed. She laughed at someone she knew was of higher rank than her.

And she still did it.

I found it strangely hard to concentrate on anything the rest of the evening.

I kept looking Elizabeth's way, and I scolded myself every time.

But she seemed content with ignoring me. I couldn't help but gawk at her, and it didn't change the rest of the night.