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“We had such a splendid evening, Mr. Bennet,” his wife joyfully declared upon returning home. “Kitty and Lydia danced with all the officers, Mr. Bingley was excessively attentive to Jane, and his sisters are charming ladies. So very elegant and friendly.”

Elizabeth could agree that they had elegance in abundance, but she was uncertain about friendliness. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst had been civil, but she had thought they lacked warmth. Their brother’s happy temperament, which she had anticipated finding in them, was disappointingly absent.

“I was delighted with his friend as well,” Mrs. Bennet said.

“Mr. Darcy is exceedingly handsome and distinguished. You should have seen his evening clothes, Mr. Bennet! There can be no doubt that he patronizes the best tailors. The cut of his coat was exquisite. And his cravat can only have been made from the finest—”

“Spare me any description of the gentleman’s finery,” Mr. Bennet protested. “I thought Mr. Darcy was supposed to be a very serious person.”

“He is. I heard him talking to Mr. Charlton, and I could scarcely understand a word of their conversation. But even serious men can also be very well-dressed, and he is extremely friendly as well. I accidentally hit him with my fan, but he was so gracious about it.”

This was a startlingly biased recollection, but Elizabeth was happy to know that her mother had formed such a high opinion of Mr. Darcy.

“He has a vast fortune as well,” Mrs. Bennet said.

“Ten thousand a year, according to Mrs. Long, who had her information directly from Mrs. Hurst. That is much more than I had imagined, which made me wonder if Mary is the right wife for him. She wouldn’t know how to spend the pin money which Mr. Darcy’s wife will have. ”

Elizabeth saw Mary looked happy at hearing this comment.

“Lydia would be much more capable of putting it to good use,” Mrs. Bennet said, “and then Kitty could have Colonel Forster, which would put an end to their recent quarrels.”

Kitty and Lydia had been discussing the ball between themselves, but now Kitty called out, “What was that you just said about us?”

“That I thought Lydia should marry Mr. Darcy,” Mrs. Bennet replied. “But then—”

“No, thank you. I wouldn’t like that at all,” Lydia said, turning back to her own conversation.

“I was about to say that was before I heard him talking to Mr. Charlton,” Mrs. Bennet said to her back. “It was almost like trying to understand the vicar, which made me think it will be best for Mr. Darcy to marry Mary. She likes that sort of conversation.”

Mary rolled her eyes, but she also grinned at Elizabeth, who was pleased to see that she was taking some of this in good humour.

“But Lydia would be utterly bored by it,” Mrs. Bennet continued.

“Better for her to be happy among the officers and the other regimental wives, with whom she has already struck up many friendships. And since Mary cannot possibly spend all her pin money on books and music, she will very likely be generous in giving her sisters gifts and lending the jewels and finery which will be of little use to her.”

“They will be of no use because they aren’t going to be mine,” Mary said.

But Mrs. Bennet carried on talking. “I also remembered about Mr. Darcy not really caring for parties and balls. That wouldn’t suit Lydia at all.

Indeed, when the dancing began, he made no effort to get himself a partner, which was vexing.

I do not mind him being a serious man, but when at a ball, a young man ought to dance instead of looking as though he would rather be in a library instead of the assembly rooms. So I went over to suggest Mary as a partner for him. ”

Now Mary looked horrified.

“But before I could speak, I was overcome by the heat, and he ended up asking Lizzy instead. Still, he did choose to dance first with one of my daughters, even if it was the wrong one.”

“Perhaps Mr. Darcy thought Lizzy was the right one for him,” Mr. Bennet said.

“Don’t be absurd! Lizzy isn’t serious enough to tempt Mr. Darcy.”

“Perhaps there is more to him than seriousness.”

“I should hope so. It almost looked as though he wouldn’t dance at all, and that will not do.”

“But then, as I understand it, he saw Lizzy and changed his mind.”

“As to that, I think it was Mr. Bingley who persuaded him to dance. He said something, although I don’t know what exactly. There was a strange buzzing in my ears, and very unpleasant it was, I can tell you.”

But very convenient, Elizabeth thought. Her mother would not be thinking Mr. Darcy so delightful if she had heard his rather rude comment.

She might even desire her daughters not to acknowledge him, which would be a welcome reprieve for Mary, but Elizabeth was looking forward to becoming better acquainted with him.

“After that he danced with Charlotte Lucas, which surprised me, but I believe Lizzy introduced them. And the next two dances with Jane, and the two fourth with Mrs. Hurst, and the two fifth with Miss Bingley, and the two sixth with Lizzy again, and the Boulanger with Mary. Elizabeth brought her to his attention, which I did think, Lizzy, that you should have done earlier, but then it occurred to me that the last dance was the best. It was very perceptive of you to think of that.”

“I wasn’t thinking any such thing,” Elizabeth said.

“I wasn’t dancing with him,” Mary said.

But Mrs. Bennet was already speaking over her in response to Elizabeth’s comment.

“Then it was Mr. Darcy’s own idea to save Mary for his last partner.

All the better. I am sure he will offer for her because he looked extremely interested when I told him about her being studious.

And I do not believe she could be so foolish as to turn him down. ”

“I do not care about his fortune or his estate,” Mary said.

“No, I didn’t think you would, but Miss Bingley said that Mr. Darcy’s library is spectacular, which is what I knew you would care about.

One of the finest in the land, apparently, and he is always adding to it without any regard for the cost of increasing his collection.

Stacks of new books every year, the finest bound volumes, first editions, and everything that is best.”

Mary’s expression betrayed that she found this very interesting indeed. Even Mr. Bennet suddenly looked as though he might like to take a hand in promoting a match between her and Pemberley’s library.

“I should have been more guarded,” Mary afterwards said to Jane and Elizabeth. “I’m sure Mama noticed that I was impressed to hear of such a library. Now she will be thinking that I want to marry him. Bu t fortunately he doesn’t want me.”

On that cheerful note, she bade them good night.

“Thank goodness Mama did not manage to tell Mr. Darcy that he should dance with Mary,” Jane said. “It was such a relief to see her being so quiet this evening. I am sympathetic to her troubles, but they are having the happy effect of saving us from embarrassment.”

Evidently she hadn’t seen the incident with the fan.

Or noticed any of the triumphant glances which their mother had given to several other mothers, Mrs. Peacock in particular, when the first dance had begun.

But at least Elizabeth had not heard Mrs. Bennet make a single comment about Jane and Mr. Bingley being a very handsome couple, or him having been so attentive to her the previous week.

And since she had also thought Mrs. Bennet unusually quiet, Elizabeth was able to agree that they had been fortunate.

Even Kitty and Lydia had not managed to draw much attention to themselves among all the young ladies who had spent most of the evening gathered around the officers.

“I have never enjoyed an assembly so much,” Jane declared. “Mr. Bingley is an excellent dancer, and I was happy to meet his sisters. They are very pleasant ladies.”

Elizabeth agreed to this as well, keeping uncertainty to herself. Her doubts had not enough substance to be worth mentioning at the moment.

“And Mr. Darcy was very agreeable too.” Now there was a glint in Jane’s eye.

But Elizabeth could not keep from admitting that she had liked him a great deal. “He is just what a young man ought to be. Serious, but good-humoured as well; dignified, but not above making a joke; and reserved, but not so much that he cannot be encouraged out of his shell.”

“Serious, dignified, and reserved? These are not qualities which I would have thought you to admire.”

“They are not what I would have expected either. It is remarkable what one can learn about oneself when a horde of gentlemen comes to town.”

What Elizabeth had learned that evening was that her heart was not incapable of being stirred. She couldn’t quite understand how Mr. Darcy was the man to prove her susceptible, but there was something intriguing about him, which made her impatient to see him again.

And it seemed as though he was equally desirous of furthering their acquaintance. He had been excessively eager to see the countryside without delay. But perhaps she was assuming too much in thinking herself the main attraction. He might just be a great admirer of nature.