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Darcy was immediately piqued by what the woman said. The name he heard reminded him of Elizabeth.

Sometimes, he wondered if there was anything that could not remind him of her.

He was engulfed by thoughts of her every moment of the day, and honestly, he did not want them to end, and he had begun to live with her that way.

Darcy thought it was the only happiness left in his life.

He replayed every conversation with her, every passing look, and every moment he had held her hand.

He had gotten used to the pain, the pain of knowing that she would never be his.

Darcy collected the books and left for Netherfield, and Mr. Bingley waited for him.

“Where were you, Darcy?” he asked.

“I was at the village. Why? Is something the matter?”

“I need your assistance. The steward is here and needs me to look into some accounts from the past.”

Darcy and Mr. Bingley left for his study to attend to the business. They were interrupted by the arrival of Sir William and a few other acquaintances, and Mr. Bingley was excited to see them.

“I apologize for intruding without prior notice, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. We wanted to invite you to the Meryton assembly this Friday. I hope you can grace the evening with your presence.”

“Of course, we shall be delighted,” Mr. Bingley said.

Seeing Darcy’s skeptical look, Sir William was worried.

“Mr. Darcy, it may not be as grand as your gatherings in town, but I shall assure you, you will not forget this evening.”

“Of course, he will come. Will you not, Darcy?” Mr. Bingley asked.

“Yes, sir. I will,” Darcy said, unable to decline the invitation as he did not want to offend Sir William.

“Excellent, we will be honored by your presence.”

Once the men left, Darcy looked at Bingley with irritation.

“You know I have no interest in these gatherings.”

“I know, Darcy. But you must attend. How could we leave you behind? I sense you want to head back soon but look at me; I have no idea how to run this estate. I need you here.”

“At some point in time, you will have to run it by yourself. You must be able to make these decisions on your accord.”

“I will. Please spare a few more weeks here with me.”

Darcy did not want to, but he was skeptical about returning to town. He had to face Richard, who read his mind like no other. Also, he knew that he would have to decide to return to Pemberley the moment he reached town. Hence, he decided to stay as Mr. Bingley requested.

In Longbourn, the household was buzzing with excitement for the Meryton assembly. Mrs. Bennet was very anxious for Jane to look her best.

“Oh! Mr. Bennet, I am certain Jane can secure him.”

“I do not think so,” Mr. Bennet replied dryly.

“Why would you say that?” his wife asked him with irritation.

“I don’t know about that man. He seems to be too proud to even converse with me.”

“Well, you are not Jane. No man can resist her beauty; he has ten thousand a year. Could you believe it, Mr. Bennet? If she marries him, all our woes will be gone?”

Mr. Bennet somehow detested Darcy from the initial meeting and was not as confident as his wife.

He often wondered what happened to Elizabeth and had given up searching for her. But in his heart, he was worried that she would return someday and demand answers about her past.

Finally, the day arrived for the Meryton assembly.

Mary was not excited about it as it was the first assembly without Elizabeth.

She also felt anxious about meeting Darcy and Mr. Bingley and hoped Darcy would return to Derbyshire soon.

At the assembly, people anticipated the arrival of the Bingleys. Even though most knew Mr. Bingley, they were excited to see his wealthy friend.

When Darcy entered, he could feel all eyes on him and was used to the feeling.

Miss Bingley walked with an air of superiority beside him, and her only intention for the evening was to gain Darcy’s attention. She had known him for a year and was irritated that he was indifferent towards her.

What more can he want from a woman? I am the sister of his best friend. I am wealthy. What is still stopping him from forming an attachment with me? she thought with irritation.

The moment she saw Jane sitting with her sisters, something pricked her heart. She knew Jane was beautiful and did not want to accept that she looked less attractive.

She held onto Darcy’s arm and gave the Bennets a stern look. Once they mutually greeted each other, Mr. Bingley first instinctively addressed Mary.

“I hope you are doing well, Miss Mary,” he said. He could not forget how Jane had insulted her that day.

“I am well, sir. Thank you,” she replied with a blush.

He then looked at Jane; she stood close to Darcy, keenly listening to his conversation with Sir William.

Mr. Bingley found her behavior odd. She had always been by his side whenever they met. He felt she was openly ignoring him now and felt Mary’s gaze on him.

He looked at her, and the expression on her face was something unusual. It was a look of understanding and concern.

“Would you care to introduce me to anyone I may not know yet, Miss Mary?”

Mary looked at him as he extended his arm. She hesitated but took it. They walked into the gathering.

Darcy saw them and wondered if his friend had finally found wisdom in a world filled with pretty faces and mercenary intentions.

Mary’s heart was beating fast as she walked along with Mr. Bingley.

Why did he come and talk to me even before seeking out Jane?

Mary introduced Mr. Bingley to some young girls he had not met before.

“This is indeed a happy evening; no wonder Sir William was so intent on us attending.”

“Oh yes! We do look forward to the Meryton assembly every year. Although we have several balls during Christmas, this one is always a favorite amongst the villagers.”

“What about you?” he asked.

“Well, I do not enjoy social gatherings much, sir, to be honest.”

“Why not?”

“I do not know. I am happy at home with my music and books.”

“You sound like Darcy. My friend seems the same way,” Mr. Bingley said, looking in Darcy’s direction. He was still in Sir William’s company, entrapped between Jane and Miss Bingley on either side.

“But he did accompany you here.”

“He did, with a lot of coaxing. Else, he may have spent the evening sitting in the library.”

I know.

From the very first introduction of Darcy, in Elizabeth’s letters, she had described his love for reading.

“Miss Mary, if you are not otherwise engaged, would you do the honor of dancing with me?” Mr. Bingley asked her.

Mary looked at him with surprise.

“Which dance, sir?”

“The first one, of course.”

“You want me to dance the first one with you?”

“Yes, are you engaged for that one?”

“No, but I did not think you would prefer to dance with me; I thought you may want to dance with my sis… I mean…” She hesitated to complete the sentence.

It suddenly struck Mr. Bingley how Mary felt.

“Please do not misconstrue my intentions. I genuinely want to dance the first dance with you. I may have preferred to dance with your sister on all the previous occasions, but I would be honored if you would dance with me now.”

Mary stared at him, surprised by his open declaration.

“Will you?” he asked again.

“Of course,” she said. His words were honest, and she knew he was incapable of paying her attention just to irritate Jane, and there were many other young women in the room he could have chosen to do so.

Mr. Bingley was happy when Mary agreed, and he did not want her to misunderstand him. He realized ever since they were introduced, he had liked her.

Meanwhile, Darcy was tired of Sir William’s conversations. He chose to stay engaged in the same to dodge Miss Bingley and Jane.

Finally, they had no choice but to leave to get refreshments as they did not get Darcy’s attention. Mary was happy to see Mariah as usual.

“It is so odd not to have Charlotte and Lizzy here.”

“It is, Mariah. I still cannot believe everything that happened. It pains me to think I may never see Lizzy again.”

“Why would you say that? She can visit Charlotte. You can go and see her.”

“It’s not that easy. I do not want to risk Lizzy’s situation in any way.”

“I hope Mr. Darcy does not overhear anything about Lizzy’s disappearance here.”

“I am worried about that as well,” Mary replied.

Jane and Miss Bingley were getting anxious by the minute. Darcy had not asked either of them to dance.

Lydia and Kitty had already secured their partners. With no intention of dancing, Darcy stood wondering what his friend was up to.

Just then, Mr. Bingley approached him.

“Don’t tell me you are planning to stand and watch us dance, Darcy.”

“That is what I intend to do.”

“Well, you will not. I am certain you can dance one or two dances at least.”

“I do not know anyone here.”

“Of course you do. You do know my sister and the Bennet girls as well. Come on, don’t make me find you a partner,” he said and walked away.

Mr. Bingley passed by Jane and stopped.

“I hope you are doing well, Miss Bennet,” he said to Jane.

“I am well, sir,” she said in reply.

Mr. Bingley found her to be cold and aloof and looked worried.

“Miss Bennet, the dance is about to start. If you are not otherwise engaged, would you dance with me? The first dance I have asked your sis…” He was not allowed to complete.

“I am sorry, sir. I am engaged for all the dances today,” she said, smiling.

Mr. Bingley did not know what to say.

“Ah! It is unfortunate indeed. Maybe next time,” he said and walked away.

He knew for sure that she was lying and could not understand why.

Within a few minutes, he overheard a conversation between Mrs. Bennet and a few other women that clarified the situation.

“Oh! Mr. Darcy is so handsome and rich. I am glad he is here this evening,” Mrs. Bennet said to her friends.

“He does not seem to be happy to be here. He has hardly spoken to anyone here except Sir William.”

“Well, rich men can be shy. But I am certain he will not be with Jane.”