Page 5 of Look on the Heart (Darcy and Elizabeth Variations #10)
Elizabeth scoffed. “I will not cast aside a new friendship simply because a man’s features are not what you admire.
” Her papa had warned her often enough about the dangers of a pretty face.
If sense and kindness do not accompany a handsome appearance, then it is worthless, he had told her.
Dear Jane had the best of both—angelic beauty and a personality to match.
Still, her father’s words resounded in her mind.
Mama, she knew, had used her beauty to entice Mr. Bennet into proposing, only for him to discover that she possessed little beauty within.
Mrs. Bennet cared more for her reputation and her daughters’ prospects than for charity or character.
Her mother waved a dismissive hand. “You will go your own way as you always do, child,” she said scornfully. “Do as you will.”
Elizabeth left her to seek other company, finding Jane amidst the crowd. Her elder sister was speaking animatedly with Charlotte, her face alight with happiness.
“Mr. Bingley has asked for another set,” she told Elizabeth, her excitement palpable. “Can you believe it?”
“I could believe nothing less, dear sister. He was smitten from the first moment he beheld your angelic face.” Elizabeth grinned and took Jane’s hand. “Take care not to lose your heart before you know him.”
“A lady’s imagination is very rapid, is it not? Here we are, having just met two amiable gentlemen and already planning our weddings,” Charlotte added.
“Two?” Jane’s brow furrowed. “Mr. Hurst is already attached, Charlotte.”
Elizabeth frowned. “Do not you recall meeting Mr. Darcy, Jane?” He had been standing right in her company. How could her sister have missed the gentleman?
Jane blushed. “I fear I stopped listening after meeting Mr. Bingley,” she murmured, ashamed. “I am sorry, Lizzy.”
Charlotte laughed again. “We can hardly blame you, Jane. ’Tis clear you were both completely absorbed in each other from the moment you met. Take care to secure him as soon as may be. Leave him in no doubt of your feelings.”
“That is very mercenary, Charlotte.” Elizabeth did not approve. “Jane has only just been introduced.”
“Men’s attention can be fleeting,” Charlotte replied sagely. “They are such fragile creatures. If they believe their affections are not returned, they will abandon the chase.
“That contradicts Mama, does it not, Jane?” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “What is it she said? We must ‘increase a man’s love by suspense,’ or some such nonsense.”
They laughed merrily, and when Mr. Bingley came to claim Jane’s hand for a second set, Charlotte and Elizabeth exchanged delighted glances.
“I am very happy for her,” Charlotte replied. “I hope I can come to know Mr. Darcy better as well. You are fortunate that he asked you to dance.”
Elizabeth turned to her friend. Charlotte sounded… “Are you jealous?” she asked incredulously. “Charlotte—”
“No, Eliza, do not mind me. Is it foolish of me to hope that a gentleman who is as plain as I will have no qualms about my appearance?” Charlotte’s shoulders drooped.
“’Tis plain to see that he admires you. I could see it when you danced together.
Just promise me, Eliza, that you will not break his heart.
I know your wish to marry for love. Do not give him hope where there is none. ”
“I do not know whether to be affronted or not,” Elizabeth replied testily.
“Do you imagine that I am so shallow as to believe I cannot love a man who is not as well-favored as most? We have only just formed an acquaintance, Charlotte. How can I know anything about my feelings or where they might fall after one dance?” She huffed and folded her arms. Already, her pique cooled.
Charlotte did not mean any harm. She had experienced falling in love more than once only to be passed over for a prettier face.
The men who could not see Miss Lucas’s worth were foolish and blind.
“Forgive me.” Charlotte sounded so dejected. “’Tis not as if there was any hope. Both handsome men and those less favored wish for pretty wives.” Shoulders still drooping, her friend moved away. Elizabeth watched her, concern on her face.
What in the world… Had the arrival of their new neighbors robbed everyone of sense?
Later, the Bennet ladies regaled their father with tales of the evening. Mama crowed over Jane’s victory. “Two sets, Mr. Bennet! Can you believe it? He will propose before Christmas—mark my words.”
“I have marked them, madam. What of the other new guests? How do they compare?” Papa’s sarcasm was lost on his wife, and Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
“The ladies were elegant and refined. Oh, the lace on Miss Bingley’s gown—”
“Stop, I beg you! No lace. I am heartily sorry I inquired.”
“Did you see the ugly, scarred gentleman?” Lydia burst out. “I cannot recall his name, for I was forced to look away when he was introduced. Ghastly!”
“Mr. Darcy,” came Mama’s crisp, disapproving voice cutting across her youngest’s laments. “Yes, Elizabeth danced with him. Such a disagreeable man—not at all handsome.”
Elizabeth frowned. “I found Mr. Darcy’s company perfectly acceptable. He is a good conversationalist.”
“You are welcome to him,” Lydia said, making a face.
“Such an unfortunate appearance would be a trial to look upon every day, though I suppose one could put up with it to be mistress of his estate. Miss Bingley said it was worth ten thousand a year. Can you imagine all the finery? The gold, the jewels!”
Mama considered it. “You are young, my dear,” she said. “There is no need to rush into marriage. I suspect you will secure both wealth and a handsome countenance in your future husband. Take care not to waste your beauty on someone so undeserving. Now, off to bed. The Lucases will come tomorrow.”
Elizabeth’s sisters and her mother left, but she did not move. Papa turned an inquiring eye on his favorite daughter, raising a brow. “Well, Lizzy?” he asked. “Tell me more about Mr. Darcy.”
She complied, telling him everything she had learned of the gentleman. “He is not ugly, Papa,” she said gently. “I will admit only that he is not so blessed in his looks as some. I suspect his other attributes more than make up for his lack of physical beauty.”
“Not an Adonis, then?” Her father chuckled. “It seems I taught my lessons well. Have a care, though, Elizabeth. Sometimes a person’s character matches their outward appearance. Such is the case with Jane. She is as beautiful inside as she is out.”
“Do you suspect Mr. Darcy of the same, that his outward appearance matches his heart?” Elizabeth was incredulous. “’Tis not like you to make hasty judgments.”
“I am not judging—merely urging caution. Look on the heart, my dear, as the scriptures tell us, and you will not go wrong. I have tried to emphasize this as I taught you to sketch characters. I fear now that I focused more on detecting the bad masked in beauty.”
“Mr. Darcy, I believe, is much like Charlotte—stalwart, reserved, and very aware of what those around him think.” She recalled the overheard conversation between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. How sad it must be to believe others sought his company purely out of a desire to gain or take advantage.
“I trust your judgment and look forward to meeting the gentleman. For what it is worth, I believe Mr. Bingley is much like Jane. He is open and amiable, and I expect I shall learn upon further acquaintance that he is exactly as he appears.” Mr. Bennet stood, groaning a little as he did so.
“I am happy for Jane, if that is the case. She deserves nothing less.”
Elizabeth followed her father from the room and upstairs to their respective bedchambers. She fell asleep dreaming of the warmth of Mr. Darcy’s smile.