3. A Country Assembly
“Do you think we will be safe here, Mr Darcy?” Miss Bingley asked as she took Darcy’s arm outside the assembly hall.
Darcy looked at the offending arm and, as had happened several times in the past couple of months, asked himself, ‘ What would Gardiner do?’ He gently removed her arm and replied more softly than his annoyance at her presumption tempted him to.
“This is a country assembly, twenty miles from London, Miss Bingley. It will be indistinguishable from such a gathering in Lambton, or any other county outside the big cities for that matter. This society is different from London, but not inferior.”
She tittered, which annoyed him, and then spoke, which annoyed him even more. “Oh, you are so droll, sir. I doubt you have ever attended any such thing.”
He had to ruefully admit she was correct, much to his chagrin. There was no way he would share that particular failing with his companion, but he was belatedly determined to be more sociable with his neighbours when he returned to Derbyshire. Perhaps, like Bingley, he could practise in Meryton.
His reflections of the past few months about his own conduct and mistakes had left him feeling less confident in his own character. Mr Gardiner’s gentle chastisement had its effect, though it would be presumptuous to assume it was the man’s intent. As he endured the vicissitudes of his sister’s recovery from the debacle in Ramsgate, he had also endured his own.
Darcy understood he had been personally responsible for Georgiana’s education, companion, itinerary, and every other aspect of her life for more than five years, and yet she required rescue from an unknown. To add insult to injury, he had been responsible for his own behaviour since he came off leading strings, and his evening in Cheapside showed he was as deficient as his sister. It was galling, but he at last decided he needed to become a better man himself. Railing at Mr Gardiner for his own failings was unjust and counterproductive.
A week after the dinner engagement debacle, he had returned hat in hand to Gracechurch Street to apologise to the nieces, only to be told his niece returned to their father’s estate, somewhere north of London.
The knowledge that he had insulted daughters of a gentleman did not make his words any more or less abhorrent, and it should not have given him any more guilt, but old habits die hard, and it did. Though the reproofs were delivered with the gentlest touch, they were gradually having an effect. He had conversed for most of an hour with Mr Gardiner, and the man’s advice seemed entirely sound.
His self-appointed tasks for his visit to Hertfordshire were to make himself practise being more sociable, and to work out a better way of dealing with Miss Caroline Bingley. She had entertained the idea that she could attract an offer from him and gone after it with all the subtlety of a badger. Darcy had ignored her for years, but he thought it might be time to disabuse her once and for all. He had no idea (and no particular desire to know) if she had avoided proposals from other men, but she was not getting any younger and her ambitions in his directions would obviously never bear fruit.
“Miss Bingley, forgive my presumption, but may I ask a somewhat forward question? Feel free to decline if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“You can ask any question you like, Mr Darcy,” she replied in a blatantly flirty manner which doubly annoyed him.
“I have no idea of your matrimonial ambitions,” he began, feeling the sting of the white lie but believing the subterfuge necessary if he wanted to keep some vague semblance of propriety. “Is it your intention to marry a landed gentleman?”
The way her face pinched, as if she just sucked a lemon, before smoothing her countenance would have been comical if he were in an insulting mood, but it just made him feel sad.
“Of course I intend to marry a gentleman. That was my father’s life’s goal.”
Not wanting to dig too far in, Darcy spoke emphatically, “ THIS is how gentlemen live. If you marry an estate owner, you will spend far more than half of your life in a town just like this one. There are, of course, gentlemen in the law, clergy, or army who live in town—but estate owners invariably need to see to their estates, or at least the good ones do. This is probably the best chance you will ever have to learn if that life is for you. I suggest you take advantage of it. You might be far happier with a gentleman who resides in town. He would likely be a second or third son, but entirely suitable for your father’s ambitions.”
They had been speaking softly while walking, which was hardly fair, but it at least let him say his piece without allowing her to say things she could not retract.
He leaned forward and whispered to Bingley that he should escort his sister into the hall, then followed behind.
Despite his advice to Miss Bingley, and his self-appointed desire to improve his manner, he expected the evening to be trying. His dress, income, marital status, lack of potential in-laws, relative handsomeness, and every other superficial aspect of his life would be picked over like a dog with a bone.
He hated it all, but that was the price of consequence, and he resolved to perform up to Mr Gardiner’s standards, if at all possible.
~~~~~
Darcy generally hated assemblies and balls and ordinarily would have simply tried his best to hide out until the miserable chore was over. That said, his performance in Cheapside left him thinking he needed to work out a way to do better . He could not happily dance with half the women in the room like Bingley, nor make a dive for the refreshments table and card room like Hurst—but he could do something better than his usual stalking around the hall with a frown on his face. To be honest, he could at the very least offer up better manners than Bingley’s sisters. He was slightly uneasy about his abrupt lecture to Miss Bingley and had no idea if what he said was too much or too little.
As a means to get started, he went along with Bingley to be introduced to the principal families, while his sisters scurried off into a corner like he might have done before Cheapside.
In this fashion he was properly introduced to the Lucases, Gouldings, Longs, Harringtons, and four of the five Bennet sisters. The matron seemed like a reincarnation of his aunt, Lady Catherine, while the eldest Miss Bennet immediately caught Bingley’s attention, as expected.
Mrs Bennet seemed vexed by one daughter who had apparently made herself scarce, though after enduring the introduction, Darcy thought that with a mother like that he could not blame her. With five daughters out at once, she was hardly deficient in potential dance partners, and complaining about having one missing was hardly the best way to recommend herself to a stranger.
Bingley, naturally engaged the eldest Miss Bennet for the second set, having engaged Miss Lucas for the first
“I love a country dance, and if Miss Bennet is not engaged for the next set, might I request it.”
“I am not engaged, sir,” the young lady replied with a demure smile.
Darcy thought her answer slightly ambiguous, but Bingley was happy, Mrs Bennet was ecstatic, and Darcy was resigned that Bingley would act as he always did.
“And you, Mr Darcy, do you like to dance as well?” she asked with what he considered excessive enthusiasm—though the nephew of Lady Catherine had little right to be too fastidious.
Darcy suspected he saw avarice in her eyes, the same as any other ambitious mother. Like his friend who gravitated to the prettiest woman in the room like a bee to the brightest flower, Darcy was also a creature of habit who usually ran for cover when matchmakers sharpened their knives. He was tempted to give a curt answer and run for the walls, as was his usual habit, but the spectre of Gardiner intruded to moderate his response.
“I beg your pardon madam, but I do not dance as much as my friend,” then he even softened it a bit by added, “…nobody does,” and even tried to follow that up with something better than a frown but not quite a grin, let alone the chuckle that might be called for. “I must dance with the ladies of my own party, of course, and then I like to become acquainted with the room before I consider others, but I shall oblige in time, once introductions are complete.”
The lady seemed like the sort who might well have been affronted by his standard response of mumbling and walking away (not that he would have cared), but this answer seemed to leave her at least mollified.
He bowed and continued following Sir William around the room until he had become acquainted with most of the principal families (still without any dances secured), and he ran out of excuses.
Since he missed the first and second sets, he solicited Mrs Hurst for the next, and finally Miss Bingley. Her reactions to the assembly were as predictable as her brother’s, and not that much different than his would have been a month earlier. Darcy somewhat despaired that his little lecture upon entering the hall had not the slightest impact on her. Worse yet, it may have cemented in her mind that most gentlemen spent their time at their estates, but Darcy was different.
He had a couple interesting discussions with a few of the men but had not worked his way up to an actual unknown female, though his conscience was telling him to get on with it.
It appeared his conscience lacked sufficient alacrity for his host, because Mr Bingley came from the dance for a few minutes to press his friend to join it.
“Come, Darcy,” said he, “I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance.”
“Yes, Bingley, I see the necessity,” he sighed. “I admit I have avoided dancing with people I am not well-acquainted with, but I suppose I cannot claim that nobody can be introduced in a ballroom.”
“Certainly not!” Bingley announced with a laugh.
“I have been working my way up to it,” Darcy admitted. “I notice you have been dancing with the handsomest woman in the room, as usual.”
“Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.”
Still procrastinating, and not at all certain he wanted to expose himself more to Mrs Bennet, Darcy asked, “Which do you mean?” and turning round he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye.
He returned his focus to Bingley. “Is she the absent Bennet sister? I recall there were five in total. She is certainly handsome enough to tempt any man.”
“Yes, she was missing, but I am certain Miss Bennet can make an introd…” he said, then looked slightly confused as his eyes wandered over in Elizabeth’s direction.
Darcy saw his confusion and turned to join him.
Bingley said, “Well, I suppose the tides wait for no man. She seems to have scarpered. Mayhap she had urgent business elsewhere. I wonder if she heard us discussing her.”
Darcy thought a bit before replying. “I do not think we said anything objectionable.”
“When has that ever concerned you?” Bingley asked insouciantly.
Darcy laughed a bit. “I am trying to turn over a new leaf. There is no point wasting the evening. I suppose I must fend for myself. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me. Despite all evidence to the contrary, I am capable of soliciting a dance, so I shall proceed directly. ”
~~~~~
Miss Janet Goulding turned out to be a good dancer and an engaging conversationist, which once again proved Mr Gardiner’s wisdom. She told him several useful things about the neighbourhood, offered to perform any necessary introductions, did not show unseemly interest in his income or status, and he found himself glad to know her.
She pointed out the missing Bennet daughter on the side of the room and offered to introduce her, to which Darcy replied he would be happy for it when it was convenient.
They tried a few forays into some less tedious topics such as literature and music, which again gave his partner a chance to recommend Miss Elizabeth, who was by far the best educated woman in the county. Miss Goulding was not particularly interested in such things, and made no bones about it, nor did she seem put out by his tepid interest in their acquaintance.
Darcy found occasional references to Miss Elizabeth from other ladies slightly disconcerting. He was accustomed to ladies who went to great lengths to recommend themselves over anyone else, and many, like Miss Bingley, were willing to go to great lengths to tear down a rival, but a few of his partners seemed genuinely interested in fostering any and all relationships in the community. She recommended Miss Long as the most enthusiastic about equestrian affairs, and Miss Mary Bennet as the most accomplished on the pianoforte.
At the end of the dance, he had to admit Miss Elizabeth Bennet sounded the most intriguing, and wished to meet her, though not with any great urgency. He saw her several times over the course of the evening and noticed she had a bright and joyful countenance, a light and pleasing figure, an enchanting laugh, and a ready way in conversation. Chance, however, never placed her any closer than a couple dozen yards, so he never even heard her speak.
Having broken out of his usual reserve by dancing with Miss Goulding, he found it easy enough to fill the remaining dances with good partners. It was not the best night of his life, but it was far from the worst, and a far pleasanter way to spend an evening than expected.