Overheard Read online

  A new set began and this time, Miss Elizabeth Bennet was taken to the dance floor. Her partner was a man whose name Darcy did not recollect, but strangely the pair still kept his interest. The thought of being heard offending a young lady who had done nothing wrong to him troubled Darcy. Yes, there were few circumstances he loathed more than balls, and a country assembly was one of those. And yes, he dreaded to be the centre of rumours, and knowing he was being discussed and measured by daughters and mothers irritated him for years. He had no interest in making new acquaintances in that neighbourhood where he intended to remain as little as possible. But neither of those reasons entitled him to offend a young lady. It was not her fault whatsoever. He would not have danced even with royalty in his present state of spirit if he could avoid it. The time he spent on the dance floor with Bingley’s sisters had been an ordeal and he counted every minute and every step until it had ended.

  He spotted Bingley dancing with the eldest Miss Bennet for the second time and the bewitched expression on his face betrayed that Bingley’s heart was already engaged. It was no surprise to Darcy. He had seen Bingley falling in love easily and often before, just as he had seen his younger friend’s infatuation fading every time.

  Darcy knew that Bingley did not consider the consequence of his dancing with Miss Bennet twice, but the others in the ballroom were already sharing meaningful glances and gossiping. Especially Mrs. Bennet, whose joy was loudly expressed around. Only a couple of hours since he had made their acquaintances, Darcy was already horrified by the lack of decorum and poor manners displayed by the mother and the youngest Bennet sisters. The eldest one was simply silent and smiling and the second one kept throwing him sharp looks.

  Time passed and another dance finished. People gathered in small groups talking, and Bingley was leading Miss Jane Bennet toward her sister Elizabeth. The eight large columns did not allow him full view, so Darcy stepped toward the door, deciding to take some fresh air outside. There was nothing to see inside.

  He went until the main door and even took a few steps outside. He felt astonished gazes following him both from inside–people attending the ball–and from outside–the beggars and curious peasants wasting time in front of the building.

  Minutes later, Darcy returned. The warm, heavy air intoxicated him and he remained near a wall, protected by one of the pillars.

  Steps away from him, oblivious to his presence, several ladies were chatting animatedly.

  “I say, he might be tall, handsome and rich, but he is rude, unpleasant and aloof. Nothing like his friend. He behaves like the entire world should kneel in front of him!”

  “Mrs. Bennet, are you not too severe on the gentleman?”

  “Not at all, I assure you, Lady Lucas.”

  The column was hiding Darcy; even more, they were all turned with their backs to the wall, so his presence remained unnoticed. Careful, he leaned closer to the wall, paying more attention to the conversation, as he noticed the profile of Miss Elizabeth Bennet– the very lady from whom all those unpleasant moments had begun.

  “Mr. Bingley is perfectly amiable and very good looking. He and Jane make such a lovely couple!”

  “Indeed, Mrs. Phillips! But then again, my Jane is so beautiful that she would make a lovely couple with anyone. However, I shall not deny that Mr. Bingley would be the perfect solution to our problems. I would not worry for Mr. Bennet dying soon if Jane would be so advantageously married. And that would surely put my other daughters in the path of other worthy men. Hopefully, not as disagreeable as this Mr. Darcy.”

  “Mr. Darcy is handsome too, but he must be accustomed to other sorts of society! It is no wonder that he disregards our company. However, I must admit I can find no excuse for his rudeness to you, Lizzy.”

  “There is no excuse, Charlotte. I do not blame him for his unwillingness to dance with me, but calling me not handsome enough to tempt him! Really? Who in the world wished to tempt him? Certainly not me! I find nothing pleasant in his appearance, as there is nothing less appalling in a gentleman than pride and haughtiness! Indeed, he is not handsome enough to tempt me!”

  “You are right, Lizzy, if I were you I would never accept any invitation to dance from him!”

  A crystal laugh tickled Darcy’s ears, then came the reply.

  “Mama, I believe I can safely promise you I will never dance with Mr. Darcy if he would ever ask me, which is very unlikely. There are few people in the world, less desirous to share such activity.”

  Elizabeth Bennet’s joyful, teasing voice drew Darcy’s attention even more. She had heard him, indeed. But she did not pretend to be offended–as any other young lady would have rightfully done. Instead, she laughed at the situation. She also offended him in reply, which was not quite very ladylike. But something in her voice amused him and made him ignore the offence.

  There was another fact that troubled Darcy. From the conversation he overheard, it was obvious that his offensive remark was already general knowledge. Not only the named lady, but everybody else knew that he had declared Miss Elizabeth Bennet not handsome enough and mocked the notion of dancing with her. In such a small village, with so little reason for gossip, his bad manners would be a subject of arguing long after he left the county.

  It was his duty to apologise at the first opportunity–his character and education demanded it.

  Darcy noticed Bingley approaching and he suddenly became aware of the danger of being caught in his indiscreet position. He took a few steps in, yet not enough to depart on a safe distance from the women's group.

  “Darcy, what are you doing here? I was wondering where you were.”

  “I am…nothing special. I am waiting for the proper time to leave, as I long for the solitude of my chamber.”

  “Dear Lord, sometimes I feel like you struggle to appear more obnoxious than you truly are. Why do you not at least try to enjoy your time?” Bingley replied.

  “I assure you there is no struggle; I speak the truth. I cannot pretend different than I feel. If you enjoy your time, this would be enough. You have already become a favourite of the village, as you always do,” Darcy replied with a trace of sarcasm.

  Bingley did not notice it, but Elizabeth did. The moment Darcy and Bingley began to speak, she turned to them, noticing how close Darcy was to them. How did she miss his presence? Did he just enter? Or was he hidden behind them? If so, how long had he been there? Was it possible that her chatting with her mother and friends had been heard? Surely a gentleman such as Mr. Darcy would not intentionally eavesdrop on their conversation.

  “Darcy, people would favour you more if you abandoned your aloofness.”

  “Probably; but I am quite attached to my haughty manners, as less appealing as they might be. Now return to your dance and do not worry about me.”

  The last exchange left no doubts to Elizabeth; Mr. Darcy did hear their chatting and retained her statement about him. Her cheeks burned, while she moved only a little, to have a better sight of the two young gentlemen. For a moment their eyes met and locked, then Elizabeth felt a cold chill of embarrassment run down her spine. She had never experienced such a feeling, but then again, she had never met such an arrogant and rude man before. She averted her eyes, while she put away any uneasiness. Undoubtedly, their comments were not ruder than his offensive refusal to dance with her.

  When the music resumed, Elizabeth joined a new partner on the dance floor, while Darcy remained in a corner. Strangely to both, they kept glancing at each other.

  Elizabeth found Darcy’s glare to be cold and disdainful. She tried to ignore him but could not defeat her curiosity and a strange interest.

  Darcy judged Elizabeth’s glances to be impertinent and challenging. He had never been looked at in such a way by any other woman. The usual insinuating looks, flirtatious conversation and wistful smiles were far from this Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

  She was asked to dance for a couple of more sets, then again she had to sit, as the men were scarce and more tha
n one lady was without a partner. In finding a chair, she passed near Darcy, purposely ignoring him. When she sat, she was well aware that he was relatively near, his presence again protected by a column.

  Her friend Charlotte Lucas came to sit near her and Elizabeth welcomed her company. Coming from the other side of the room, Miss Lucas remained oblivious to Mr. Darcy’s presence only steps away.

  “Lizzy dear, I was amused to hear about your little argument with Mr. Darcy. I hope you are not upset. I am sure he does not have a malicious character. Perhaps he is uncomfortable in such gatherings, with people below his circle. He might be a proud man, but from what I have heard he has every reason to be so.”

  Elizabeth laughed at her friend’s poor attempt at comforting her.

  “I could easily forgive his pride, if he did not wound mine,” she answered. “I am not upset that he did not wish to dance with me or that he did not find me handsome. I know how I am. But I am displeased that he chose to offend me in public; since I heard him, I am sure others did too. And what better proof that everyone at the assembly – you included – know about the offence?”

  She knew that Darcy could hear her. That moment, her temper betrayed her and she turned to Charlotte again, with a broad smile and said loudly enough,

  “But I am not in the slightest offended, Charlotte. I discovered what Mr. Darcy used to do at a ball since he appears to loath dancing. He does have other ways of amusing himself by eavesdropping on other people’s private conversations.”

  She knew he had heard her and almost felt his frown.

  “Dear Lizzy, stop saying that! He might hear you, or somebody could and inform him!”

  “Well, I am sure he already did, considering his habit,” she replied with amusement. “And what harm could happen? He is in no disposition of giving me any attention anyway!”

  For a moment, Elizabeth’s eyes fell over her sister Jane talking to Bingley and she realised her error. Mr. Darcy’s dislike of her meant nothing to her, but he could influence Bingley into disapproving of Jane because of her family. Of her, in particular.

  “Lizzy, grudge does not suit you,” Charlotte said. “You are such a solar spirit, so joyful, so witty, that you could not possibly hold a mere remark against a man forever. It might do no more harm, but it would surely do no good either!”

  “You are right, Charlotte. I apologise for being so annoying.” Elizabeth surrendered to her friend’s common sense. “I am fortunate to have a wise friend to keep me under good regulation.”

  “My dear Lizzy, I know you too well to recognise that you are teasing me. You are stubborn and even if your manners towards Mr. Darcy will be proper, your opinion will need much longer to improve.”

  “You do know me too well, Charlotte,” Elizabeth laughed.

  They continued to chat joyfully for a while until Elizabeth noticed Mr. Darcy gazing at her from across the room. She had not even noticed when he departed and she wondered how much of her conversation with Charlotte he had heard, if any.

  Eventually, Charlotte returned to her mother and Elizabeth intended to do the same, when she was surprised to be stopped by Mr. Darcy. It was between two dances and the music had ceased.

  He bowed to her politely and coldly, then said, “Miss Bennet. Please allow me to apologise for my rude comment earlier. It was not meant to hurt you in any way, but it was thoughtless and insolent. I beg your forgiveness for causing you distress, although it was done most unwillingly.”

  His voice spoke clearer than his words and she was taken aback.

  “It is fine, Mr. Darcy. Neither of us have been either too polite or too kind tonight. I believe it would be better to forget our behaviour and put everything behind us.”

  “Thank you. You are very generous.”

  “No, I am not,” she laughed. “But it is nice of you to say so.”

  “I wish to underline that my refusal to dance was entirely due to my dislike of such activity, not to my disapproval of you. I would not have danced with any young lady.”

  She laughed. “Well, it is comforting to know that even if I were handsome enough to tempt you, it would not have been enough for a set.”

  “No, I did not intend to … What I meant was …”

  He was disconcerted, taken aback by her mockery. He had never carried such a conversation before with any other young lady.

  “I had no intention to offend you, Miss Bennet. And please believe me, I did not attend this ball to overhear things others might not wish for me to hear. I am to blame for many things, but I trust the indiscretion is not one of them.”

  Elizabeth perked a brow and tilted her head slightly, with a quizzical look. “Mr. Darcy, perhaps it is as you say, but while I was talking to my mother and my friends, you chose to continue listening in on the conversation.”

  “I am sorry to mention it, but you did the same while I was talking to Bingley.”

  She felt slightly uneasy. “Not quite. I heard your discussion with Mr. Bingley, but not on purpose. You, however, chose to remain hidden from our attention and listen to us while we spoke of you. I cannot fathom how that was either proper or considerate. But enough of this; we already decided to put everything behind us, have we not?”

  “We had, and I shall remain silent on this subject forever.”

  “Good, it is settled then,” Elizabeth concluded. When she was certain everything was finally calm, he continued.

  “Miss Bennet, do you regularly make it a habit of pointing out the errors of mere acquaintances, or is it just myself that you feel the need to reprimand?”

  His words were serious, but there was a glimpse of mirth in his dark gaze that she did not expect. Was he teasing her back? It was shocking enough that he addressed her directly in the ballroom, then apologised and offered an explanation. Why would he continue the conversation?

  Elizabeth shook her head and smirked slightly. “Mr. Darcy, I would not have pointed out anything, if you did not address me. I would not dare do so to someone I have just met. I usually postpone the scolding for future encounters,” she stated, as her lips spread out into a curt grin.

  Darcy could hardly believe his ears; stunned by her frankness, he only had time to bow, before she departed to her family. He remained still, gazing after her and as the music resumed he wondered if he could ask her to dance after all. He immediately dismissed that silly impulse. Such a gesture after everybody was aware of his initial refusal, would certainly become the talk of the assembly and would jeopardise his image even more. How could he even think of it?

  Distressed by his strange reaction in the presence of that young countrywoman, he took a few steps back and returned to the place by the window, hoping the ball would end soon. From there, he noticed Mrs. Bennet and her younger daughters behaving with complete disregard of decorum, Jane Bennet smiling continuously and Elizabeth Bennet chatting with her friends and still glancing at him occasionally.

  “Darcy, I have seen you talking with Miss Elizabeth again. What on earth happened?” he heard Bingley asking.

  “Nothing of consequence. I apologised for my rude remark earlier. She heard me, you know… And I did not wish to let it pass without clarification. It was not fair for her to believe I purposely disrespected her.”

  “How did you know she heard you?”

  “Bingley, I shall not begin the entire story again. Let us put it aside–Miss Elizabeth suggested so. I have had enough distress for one evening. I hope we leave soon!”

  “Soon, yes… as soon as the ball ends. I say, this was one of the best evenings in a while.”

  Darcy rolled his eyes. He had heard that statement so many times before he decided not to reply.

  “I will dance one more set and then we may go,” Bingley stated, hurrying to choose a young lady. He abandoned any prudence and invited Miss Jane Bennet to dance again.

  The rumours and meaningful glances began immediately and Darcy threw his friend a reproachful look. Bingley never paid enough attention to the conse
quences of his actions. Dancing so much with a young lady on the first evening of their acquaintance would surely not go unnoticed.

  “My dear Mr. Darcy, I hope our small party did not meet your disapproval?” He heard a voice near his ear and turned to face Sir Williams, so close to him that he could feel his breath. Darcy took a step back.

  “I assure you that I enjoyed this assembly as much as any other ball,” he replied in all seriousness. Sir Williams appeared to have mixed feelings to that answer.

  “I could see you did not dance much, but as little as you did it showed some admirable skills.”

  Darcy found nothing to reply.

  “Mr. Bingley seems very fond of dancing,” Sir Williams continued.

  “He is,” Darcy admitted, wondering about the point of the conversation.

  "We are very happy that he rented Netherfield. And we hope to have him and you around for a long while.”

  “I am sure Bingley plans to stay here longer, otherwise he would not have lent it,” Darcy answered. “As for me, my stay will be rather short.”

  “I am sorry to hear that. You have a house in town, I conclude?"

  Yes.”

  "I had once some thoughts of fixing in town myself–for I am fond of superior society; but I am afraid the air in London would not agree with Lady Lucas," Sir Williams continued.

  Darcy could not care less about the subject. Instead, his attention was caught by Miss Elizabeth Bennet, moving towards them. He pondered to address her, but Sir Williams was quicker.

  "My dear Miss Eliza, how are you? Mr. Darcy and I were just talking about how happy we are that Mr. Bingley has rented Netherfield. I was telling him that we hope to see them both in Hertfordshire for a long while.”

  Elizabeth was surprised by the intervention. She stopped, glanced at Darcy then smiled at Sir Williams.

  “Mr. Bingley seems an amiable gentleman and I am sure he will be a very pleasant neighbour,” she said.

  Darcy did not miss to notice her singling Bingley out.

  “Mr. Darcy said he enjoyed our ball as much as any other,” Sir Williams continued.