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Elizabeth stood near the entrance of the Lucases’ home.

She knew the Netherfield party would come at some point and wanted to be there to ease the way for Mr. Darcy.

They had discussed the upcoming gathering at the Lucas home on the walk back to Longbourn a few days ago.

Elizabeth knew though he was trying to alter how he handled crowds and strangers, he was still not anticipating the event with pleasure.

Charlotte Lucas had never seen Elizabeth so discomposed. “You are not paying attention, Eliza. What has you so distracted?”

With a sigh, Elizabeth replied, “I am sorry for my inattention, Charlotte. I know the Netherfield party should arrive, and I am worried about Mr. Darcy. He is not at all good with crowds of strangers.” Elizabeth spoke to Charlotte, but her eyes kept drifting off to the entrance.

Watching Elizabeth’s eye line shift, Charlotte wanted to probe the subject further. Why would she be interested in the insulting gentleman from before? “Is the redoubtable Eliza developing a tendre for someone?”

Elizabeth knew that admitting such a thing was out of the question.

She valiantly fought against the sensations of her skin flushing.

“Absolutely not. I may develop a friendship, but nothing more.” Elizabeth had too many things to do and too many people to look after to get distracted by a gentleman.

Charlotte’s jaw clenched as she tried to keep her frustration out of her voice.

“You would do well to set your cap for him. There are rarely any eligible gentlemen in the area, and you will not be getting a season in London.” Charlotte found it irritating when her friend didn’t appreciate the gravity of her situation.

Charlotte had no desire to be a drain on her family’s resources and was even now desperate to find a situation, any situation.

“They hound the poor man enough. Do not you start as well.” On the surface, Elizabeth understood why people talked of visitors’ eligibility, but it overlooked the people that they were where it counted.

A commotion by the doorway alerted her to the arrival of the Netherfield party.

Mr. Bingley was in the lead, gregarious as always, his smile bright and kind.

His sister Caroline followed him through the crowd.

She wore an ostentatious peacock headdress and a sneer of disdain.

The Hursts were next, and both looked bored.

Elizabeth noticed Mr. Hurst seemed to perk up when he saw the punch bowl across the room.

Then Mr. Darcy entered, his clothing fine but his face a stoic mask.

With a polite smile, Elizabeth left Charlotte and headed in Darcy’s direction.

Elizabeth waited to get closer to Mr. Darcy before speaking up. “This simply will not do, Mr. Darcy. You will meet no one standing over here.” She noticed his eyes were scanning the crowd and, though he was standing by a wall, he did not appear to be shaking.

“Miss Elizabeth, I did not see you.” Darcy felt himself relax the smallest bit when he recognized her. Her presence reminded him that he had friends in this sea of faces and that he was not, in fact, surrounded by hostile strangers.

“Yes, I gathered that. How are you faring, Mr. Darcy?” Elizabeth eyed him, trying to analyze how he fared.

Darcy looked up at a laugh across the room.

He did not recognize the group and had to fight the feeling that they were laughing at him.

“I am well enough. Better than last time, certainly. I drank some of the tea you suggested before we left, and I cannot tell if I am feeling better because of that or because I know there are people who I know and trust here.”

“Well,” Elizabeth started with a warm smile, “let me point out the people you know so you feel more at ease. Over towards the piano is my sister Mary, who is talking with Maria Lucas. I think we will have some music before long. My mother and Jane are talking to Bingley. Mrs. Hurst and Caroline Bingley have taken up a position on the wall. Mr. Hurst has found the punch bowl, and I think he is now looking for the card room.” Elizabeth began looking around to see if there was someone that might not be intimidating to introduce him to.

He let out a soft chuckle, unsurprised by what he saw.

Darcy knew that to escape the pain of his marriage and his sister-in-law’s caustic remarks, Mr. Hurst often sought refuge in various vices.

His marriage to Louisa had not been a love match, but they had been doing well before Louisa’s parents died and they inherited Caroline.

“Yes, it would not surprise me to hear that Mr. Hurst found the punch bowl or the card room.” Darcy spoke with a hint of concern for the man.

“Would you mind being introduced to Sir William Lucas? He is quite harmless and will most likely spend all of your introduction talking about being knighted.” Elizabeth hoped that if she introduced him to a few benign individuals, he would eventually enjoy his time in Meryton.

“I think that is something I could do. It is heartening to have a basic understanding of the person before engaging in conversation.” Somehow, he felt himself relaxing and even smiled at the notion that this evening could very well be not entirely horrible.

As the evening progressed, he noticed himself enjoying it.

He found that Sir Lucas was a jovial man who, though not a deep thinker, was kind.

Mr. Goulding was an older gentleman who proudly talked of his son, who had just returned to Oxford.

He also met Charlotte Lucas, a close friend of the Bennet women.

She seemed sensible and attentive to the needs of those at the party.

He might not have developed a talkative demeanor in one evening, but he found himself able to interact without losing his breath or having his hands shake.

On the carriage ride back to Netherfield, he contemplated how grateful he was to all the Bennet ladies for their support and kindness.

After several days of showers had confined the Bennet ladies indoors, the sun finally came out and dried up the puddles.

Jane and Elizabeth had decided to treat their sisters to tea and confections at the tea shop in Meryton.

They had been very diligent in their various projects while confined by the rain, and a satisfying stroll would do them all good.

Kitty and Lydia walked arm in arm, leading the way while stepping carefully to avoid the puddles.

Jane, Mary, and Elizabeth chatted softly about the gathering which had happened the night before the rain had descended.

Jane glanced over at Mary, proud that she was wearing brighter colors than usual lately.

“You did a lovely job playing that new piece of music. I think everyone quite appreciated it, Mary.” Jane was also proud of how far her sister’s musical abilities had progressed.

Since she had spent those months in London with their Gardiner relatives and had the music master, she had advanced as a pianist.

Mary’s face lit up at the compliment, pleased to be acknowledged for her improved ability.

“Thank you. I have been working on the things that Master Giovanni told me to focus on—the pauses as much as the notes—and I can tell the difference. I am looking forward to working with him again in the new year.”

Once the girls had reached a certain age, Mrs. Bennet determined they would need to take lessons from masters and had devised a plan to make it happen.

She had expressed her irritation with her sister-in-law’s repeated appeals for her daughters to lend her a hand.

Knowing how much it would hurt his wife, Mr. Bennet felt content to have them leave.

So every year, two of the girls spent two months with their Gardiner relations.

It gave them the opportunity to take lessons and see some of the wider world.

It excited Mary that Kitty would join her this year, as they had arranged for a painting master to teach her.

After a brief interlude of silence, Elizabeth posed a question to her sisters. “How did you think Mr. Darcy handled the gathering?” She was proud of his progress, though she knew she might be too close to the situation to be completely objective.

Mary felt for the man who struggled with his interactions with people. “He seemed to hide behind a mask of indifference at first, but it slipped the longer he interacted with someone. I see improvement.”

Jane was always one to look for the positive. “He did not offend anyone by misspeaking, and he spoke more than he did before.”

Elizabeth scanned the area as she spoke, looking for her younger sisters. “I think that though he still has more ground to cover, he has already come a long way.” She realized they had fallen quite behind, and she could not see the girls at all, so she quickly picked up her pace.

Lieutenant George Wickham looked down at his current marks and smiled in his most trustworthy manner.

The girls’ simple dresses spoke of their not being out in society, but that had never stopped him before.

It was a pity that the cut of their gowns was so high, otherwise he would get a pleasing eyeful.

Turning back to his fellow officer, he smirked.

He loved how easy this always was. “I would have joined the militia sooner if I had known that you two lovely ladies would be here to welcome me.” Wickham chose a pose that seemed casual and yet showed off his new red coat to its best advantage.

“I am sure that knowing you will be the only payment I will need to endure any suffering I experience as a soldier.”

Across from him, Kitty and Lydia looked at one another, startled at his forward behavior. Though he was flattering, it was also somehow unsettling.