Disdain, Agony, Hope, and Love #Wattys2020

Chapter 4

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Darcy entered Lucas Lodge with some feeling of trepidation.

Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst kept to themselves talking quietly. Sometimes someone would talk to them, but their responses were not encouraging to extend the conversation further. Bingley, with no surprise, attached himself to Miss Jane Bennet and there he stayed for most of the evening. Mr. Hurst attached himself to the punch bowl.

There were a number of officers from the regiment stationed in Meryton. Darcy found little of interest in them, but rolled his eyes at the way the officers flirted with the young ladies.

Some young ladies seemed to enjoy and encourage their attentions. Darcy watched as Miss Lydia Bennet caroused about with her sister Kitty, as she liked to be called, and some of the Lucas children.

Darcy spent the evening walking about the room, speaking little, only if someone addressed him. The only source of pleasure he found that evening was while studying Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticise. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness.

He walked closer to her as she was conversing with the colonel of the regiment, who seemed like quite an agreeable man, though his wife was much like Lydia and not worth listening to. Miss Lucas was also present, but her attention did not seem to be on the conversation. She was looking at him - not as if she admired him, but as if she had noticed something about him, or his actions.

Darcy listened to their conversation. Though the topic was not interesting, about the officers giving a ball, it was made interesting by Elizabeth's playful teasing. Suddenly, the lady addressed him.

"Did not you think, Mr. Darcy, that I expressed myself uncommonly well just now, when I was teasing Colonel Forster to give us a ball at Meryton?"

"With great energy; but it is a subject which always makes a lady energetic," said he, trying to find a way to answer her and coming up with a rather dull reply.

"You are severe on us," replied the lady, smiling at him with sparkling eyes.

"It will be her turn soon to be teased," said Miss Lucas. "I am going to open the instrument, Eliza, and you know what follows."

"You are a very strange creature by way of a friend! always wanting me to play and sing before any body and every body! If my vanity had taken a musical turn, you would have been invaluable, but as it is, I would really rather not sit down before those who must be in the habit of hearing the very best performers," she said with another of those indecipherable glances at him. On Miss Lucas's persevering, however, she added, "Very well; if it must be so, it must." And gravely glancing at Darcy, she said, "There is a fine old saying, which every body here is of course familiar with, 'Keep your breath to cool your porridge, and I shall keep mine to swell my song.'"

Darcy listened to Elizabeth's performance. Technically, she needed practice, but her easy playing was enjoyable to listen to. When she had finished, he sighed and watched as Mary sat on the piano seat.

Darcy leaned on the mantle, dimly aware that Sir William Lucas was addressing the Bingley sisters. He looked towards Miss Bennet. Her eyes were rather captivating, he acknowledged.