[ UNDERGOING EDITING 08-18-24 ]
- Ever since she could walk, Elodie Bennet had expectations set upon her, as many other women did. As the second eldest, she was meant to care for her younger sisters and fulfill her duties without complaint.
Bei...
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VAGUE CONCLUSIONS.
The music swelled around them, matching the sudden rapid beat of Elodie's heart. His gaze had turned icy, almost freezing Elodie in place.
"I assure you, madam, that my so-called 'falling outs,' if that is indeed what you are alluding to, are of no consequence to you." He replied, his body stiff and uncompromising. "Do you always make it a point to converse when dancing?"
Elodie let out a frustrated huff, uncharacteristically unladylike, and nearly faltered in her steps. His evasiveness was maddening, leaving her at a loss for words. She didn't quite know how to respond.
"Only occasionally. Makes it all so much more enjoyable, doesn't it?" She replied, still slightly vexed. Although she didn't want to stray from her original intent, she would indulge him for now.
Mr. Darcy's expression remained impassive as he nodded to himself. "You consult your own feelings in this case to seek to gratify mine."
Elodie rolled her eyes in exasperation, moving a few lines down alongside Mr. Darcy before spinning gracefully around a young girl with auburn hair.
"Oh, very well." She commented, her tone airy, though the dance had quickly grown tiresome to her.
Mr. Darcy's eyes flitted between the floor and Elodie's face, a dry sensation in his mouth that he struggled to swallow. "Tell me," He asked lowly, watching as the woman next to him turned her head in his direction. "Do you and your sisters often walk to Meryton?"
Elodielooked at him through the corner of her eye. What did that have to do with anything? "Yes, quite often." She said with a quirk to her brow. "In fact when you came upon us the other day, we were just forming a new acquaintance."
She saw this as an opportunity to extract more information from him, certain he couldn't evade her probing this time.
"Mr. Wickham..." Darcy's voice dripped with disdain, "He has the happy manners that enable him to make friends." Elodie nodded in agreement, recalling Mr. Wickham's pleasant demeanor during their brief acquaintance. "Whether he is equally capable of keeping them is... less certain."
The two fell in line with Jane and Mr. Bingley, stepping forward and backwards before returning back to their starting position.
"It seems he has been rather unlucky to lose your friendship in a way he is likely to suffer from." Elodie pressed, her gaze sharp as she studied every twitch in Mr. Darcy's eyes, every tightening of his lips.
