Page 37 of Cousin Elizabeth
“Here uncle!” Beth hurried over to them. “Mr. Darcy has a megrim, so John is keeping him company on the balcony. Hopefully it clears soon. He was looking forward to finally meeting you all.”
“If we did not already know Miss Darcy, we would think Mr. Darcy was a phantom of your imagination!”
Everyone chuckled as Caroline slid over next to Beth, and both Theo and Bingley started for Jane. Theo made it to her first, “Might I have your next available dance, Miss Bennet?”
“I am available for this next one, my lord.” She smiled at him shyly. Jane would never admit it, but she found viscount Rosemont very attractive.
Theo smirked at Bingley as he placed Miss Bennet’s hand on his arm and led her away. Bingley asked Miss Mary to dance, and Lizzy, Beth, and Miss Bingley strolled over to the refreshment table while Hurst led his wife out to dance.
“Miss Elizabeth, I have heard a great deal of you from Beth. It sounds to me as if you are much alike.”
“Would that be a good thing, or a bad thing, Miss Bingley?” Lizzy gave her a sardonic look that very closely resembled her cousin.
“Ah, I see I am right! It is a good thing, Miss Elizabeth. Your cousin has been very kind to me. She does not behave as the other ladies I am acquainted with.”
“Might I ask how they behave?”
“Rather too much like I am used to behaving; spiteful, jealous, conniving, competitive…name a negative trait of the young women of the ton, and that is how we behave. There are very few honest and kind ladies of my acquaintance. I am starting to realize my education was lacking in the finer points of being a true lady.”
“There are country misses who behave as you describe, but overall, I believe the people you will meet in Hertfordshire are welcoming and kind. We likely would be called country mushrooms in the upper circles, but I would prefer to be a mushroom than to be looking down from my high horse.”
“I am finding the same. Please feel free to knock me off my pedestal if I happen to find it again.”
The three young women spoke happily together until the young men of the area started coming up for introductions to MissBingley. Most had already met Miss Darcy. They spent the next two dances side by side spinning around the dance floor. Louisa Hurst looked on her sister with amazement. She had not seen such a genuine smile on her Caroline’s face in years.
Chapter Thirty-one
Darcy’s headache had calmed to a dull roar. “Thank you for standing with me, John.”
“I would not leave you alone on a dark balcony. All the young ladies I have met here are of good breeding, but a few of the mother’s would attempt to trap you. I promised Beth a dance. I will not hear the end of it if I don’t dance at least a few times.”
Darcy clapped him on the back and found a pillar to hide behind. He could see his cousin and Miss Bingley on the dance floor. He had never seen Miss Bingley with such an open smile before. Beth had a way of setting people at ease. It worked on him.
Between the pillar and a potted plant, William felt he was safe enough to not be seen by the crowd of people in the room. Hopefully Beth would not tease him about not dancing since she knew he had a headache. It was nearly the supper dance before Bingley found him. “Come Darcy! I must have you dance! Why do you hide yourself behind plant and pillar when there are so many beautiful young ladies waiting to dance. Let me introduce you tosome of them. Look, there is a lovely lady sitting beside my sister. Let me take you there.”
Darcy barely glanced over his shoulder. “Bingley, I wish you would not pester me. I am sure your sister’s friend is tolerable, but no one here could tempt me to dance. Go on and find yourself a lovely lady.” Just then he was slapped on the back of the head. “Ow! Beth, why did you do that?! My head already hurts!” Bingley wisely walked away.
“Because this half of the room just heard you say they are not tolerable enough for you to be tempted to dance with them! Idiot! Your voice carries normally, and you weren’t even trying to be quiet. You just insulted my cousins, and me by the by. Am I not tolerable enough to dance with?!” Beth hissed at him.
“I…oh lord…it is the headache. I am a bear.”
“And now I am supposed to introduce you to my cousins after them hearing your insult. It is a good thing they already know your sister so they would not assume she is rude and haughty too.”
“I should have returned to Netherfield. I am not fit company.”
“Well, buck up and try to put a smile on your face. I will introduce you and then we can go into supper. Maybe some food will set you to rights.”
Darcy pulled himself up straight and tried to put on a welcoming face, but ended up just looking like a grimacing statue, and earned a slap in the gut. “Why did you hit me again?!”
“Because now you look like an arrogant prig. Think of the pleasant afternoons on the terrace at Ramsgate. Waves rolling in over the rocks. Gentle breeze. Cooled lemonade.” They stood and visualized that for a minute as William’s shoulders relaxed.
Lizzy Bennet knew she had a hot temper. She would spark up with very little provocation. Caroline grimaced when that man insulted the entire room. ‘How dare he! He has not even met anyone! He had been hiding on the balcony for the longest time and then standing behind a pillar for the rest.’ She thought to herself but did not say it aloud.
“Miss Elizabeth, please do not take what Mr. Darcy said as a personal affront. He does not mean it. Normally he is all that is gentlemanly. He puts up with my antics and has never insulted me…as far as I know. I would deserve it if he did.”
“I asked you to call me Lizzy, and no gentleman would behave such in public! He insulted every lady here!”
Caroline could barely contain herself when Beth hit Darcy on the back of the head, but then she just slapped him in his middle! Haha! “Oh my, it appears Beth is scolding him. I am not sure I have ever seen Mr. Darcy being scolded. He looks like he is taking it rather well.”
