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Elizabeth would not have stayed to watch the travesty of that conversation even if she were not already engaged to dance with Mr. Darcy, who was just there when she looked up, his stormy gray eyes and solemn countenance making him stand out in the crowd of others. He was coming for her.

She swallowed, waiting. What sort of man was he?

He held out his hand to her, all solicitude. “I believe it is the appointed time for our dances, madam.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, placing her gloved hand in his.

“I wished to speak to you when we saw each other on the street nearly a week ago,” he said.

“I was distracted and by the time I looked up to find you, you were gone from my sight. I don’t mean to be that sort of ridiculous man who says something so trite that it loses any real meaning, but in this case it is accurate.

I have thought of you nearly constantly since. ”

She met his gaze with something like horror. “Why?” she burst out with.

He was startled and then he laughed, a burst of a surprised chortle. “Well, no woman has ever responded to such a statement that way in all of the history of humanity, I think. You are the opposite of trite, I see, madam.” He led her to the dance floor.

She was embarrassed, and she could feel her face getting quite heated.

She tried to gather herself, to remember that she must be taking this man’s measure, engaging him, finding out what he wanted, what he despised, how to craft Caroline into the sort of bride he could not resist, but she was badly shaken by the idea that Mr. Darcy was so taken with her.

So, what she came out with instead was, “I only mean, you had but a short look at me, sir, and that is little to recommend a person, I should think.”

“Perhaps,” he said, taking his spot in the line of male dancers.

She looked to each side at the women beside her, wishing she would have shut her stupid mouth. You have chastised him, you dolt!

“But I have spoken at length with your sister Mrs. Bingley and with her husband about you, and I feel as if I know you. Of course, I don’t. You are not as they presented you, not entirely, but I like the truth of you better, I may say.”

She met his gaze.

He was smiling. He was rather devastatingly handsome when he smiled.

She smiled back, like an idiot.

And then the dance began. They danced for several moments, silent moments where she could not find anything to say at all. Her head was entirely empty. Her gaze kept clashing with his, and it affected her badly, so she looked away.

“Well, we are not doing a very good job at conversation, are we?” he said, amused. “It is likely my fault. I tend to follow the lead of others too often, I think. ”

“Erm, there is nothing to conversation, sir,” she said, trying to recover herself. “We may simply make remarks about the dance or the size of the room or the number of couples. Just take turns in that way.”

“Well, whatever it is that I ought to have said, you must assume I have said it and said it in the proper way,” he said.

The dance moves meant that they switched sides now. She had a moment wherein she wasn’t facing him, a moment of respite. But no, now, they were looking at each other again.

He spoke again. “I had not realized that was the way of conversation, that one must talk by rule.”

“Well, no, it is not all conversation,” she said. “Only ones in which—” She grimaced, pressing her lips together. What was wrong with her?

“Only awkward ones?” He raised his eyebrows.

She shook her head. “I am ever so sorry, sir. I am out of sorts, and it is truly unlike me.”

“You aren’t used to being admired,” he said in a low and dark voice.

Her lips parted.

“Your sister says,” he said. “She says you are often admired, but that you never notice, that you are too busy watching others to see others watching you.”

Elizabeth was stunned by that, for it was not something that Jane had ever said to her. “Is that what she says?”

He only smiled.

And then it was quiet again, as if she had been struck dumb, and they danced in silence for some time, though she urged herself to think of something to say.

They would be dancing for an hour with two dances, after all.

She must recover, must find some way to get the information she needed from him.

Finally, she said, “Well, you may have been speaking of me, sir, but I have not the advantage of knowing all about you. All I know is that you are a friend of Mr. Bingley’s and that you have an estate in Derbyshire. Also, that you are related to Lady Catherine de Bourgh. ”

“You know my aunt?”

“Not personally, no. I have heard of the connection. No one, you see, has told me if you are used to being admired.”

He laughed again. “Ah, well. There is that sharp tongue I was warned of, I see.” He executed a dance move, thoughtful. “How to answer.”

“Oh, I did not mean that as something you must respond to, sir,” she said, but she supposed she was lying. She wanted to see how he would respond. Was he as arrogant as everyone was making him out to be?

“I think I am admired,” he said. “Always for the wrong things, however. Superficial things, mainly, things that I have no control over.”

“A man like you must control many things,” she said.

“Less than you’d think,” said Mr. Darcy. “I have a role to play, that’s the truth. Expectations to fulfill.”

She eyed him. “And do you? Fulfill expectations?”

“I do my very best,” he said. “I take care of things that are my responsibility, Miss Bennet.” He looked at her in a strange way, and she got the sensation he wanted her to be his responsibility.

She was startled by that, truly. He did not know her.

But she supposed it was the way of things with men, maybe with women, too.

A person saw another person, saw someone they liked, and then they went to get to know that other person, but they already liked them, so they didn’t need to be convinced to like them.

Indeed, they were really looking for things they couldn’t like.

If she wanted to get rid of him, that must be what she did. Make it so he couldn’t like her.

But did she want rid of him?

He was her fantasy come to life, wasn’t he? She had daydreamed about some wealthy man to appear and want her and take her away from all this. It was happening .

Yes, but Caroline will never forgive me.

Only Caroline had seemed ready to cede him to her.

Yes, but he is not the sort of man I want to marry, not at all.

Of course, faced with the prospect of Mr. Collins, it made her weigh things differently.

She cleared her throat. “You came here at the bidding of Mr. Bingley, I understand?”

“It was odd,” said Mr. Darcy. “I had not heard from him in years, but the truth is, I get so few invitations from people that I was a bit excited at the thought of it. He said that he had been reminded of me by his sister, Miss Bingley.”

“Oh, yes,” said Elizabeth. “Miss Bingley. You must have seen her in London recently.”

“I hear from your sister that you and Miss Bingley are thick as thieves,” said Mr. Darcy.

“Yes, she is one of my closest friends,” said Elizabeth.

“Well, if she had a friend like you in London, it would be good for her,” said Mr. Darcy. “It would soften her a bit, I think. She seems shrewish already, and she is not quite old enough for it, I don’t think.”

“Shrewish?”

“Oh, dear, I meant no offense,” said Mr. Darcy. He winced. “Perhaps it’s not a thing one can say without being offensive. In all honesty, this may be why I get so few invitations socially. Saying things like that.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, is that so? Well, perhaps that’s something you and Miss Bingley have in common, then. She is solitary, you say, and so are you? And you censure her for it?”

“Put that way, it makes me sound rather horrid, doesn’t it?” he said.

“You could ask her to dance after our dances,” said Elizabeth.

“You think I should,” he said. “You wish me to ingratiate myself to your friend? Very well, Miss Bennet, I shall see what I can do.”