“It could do harm enough to your reputation. If you will not care for that, then your aunt ought to. To see a scoundrel flirting with you in front of those hundred other people is surely enough to cause gossip, Miss Elizabeth. If she will not warn you against a dangerous man, then I must. We are, after all…”
“We are, after all, barely acquainted, Mr. Darcy,” interrupted the young lady, now evidently much annoyed. “Besides which, Mr. Sutton was not flirting with me nor I with him. I want him to play cards with my sister and nothing more. If...
“It could do harm enough to your reputation. If you will not care for that, then your aunt ought to. To see a scoundrel flirting with you in front of those hundred other people is surely enough to cause gossip, Miss Elizabeth. If she will not warn you against a dangerous man, then I must. We are, after all…”
“We are, after all, barely acquainted, Mr. Darcy,” interrupted the young lady, now evidently much annoyed. “Besides which, Mr. Sutton was not flirting with me nor I with him. I want him to play cards with my sister and nothing more. If he has friends that wish to do the same, so much the better. So you see how unnecessary your officious interference is.”
It is universally acknowledged at Longbourn that Jane Bennet nearly always wins at card games. Elizabeth persuades her heavy-hearted older sister that London is the place to use her skill and potentially aid their dear family when the estate passes to the next heir. If the Bennet sisters cannot marry well, they must find their own means to secure their futures.
The two Miss Bennets quickly become a sensation in London society, where, in Lizzy’s opinion, there is a greater possibility of gaining a fortune at the card tables. Moving in elevated circles, however, has the unfortunate effect of renewed acquaintance with the distracting Mr. Bingley and thus encountering the severely disapproving Mr. Darcy once more.
