The Gentleman & The Rake

A Man of Few Words: Chapter 4

Miss Elizabeth and Darcy Go to the Netherfield Ball, and Neither Has a Good Time 

After the Bennet sisters returned home, Charles insisted on holding a ball at Netherfield. After all, he argued, he had promised the youngest Bennet girls when they came to see their elder sister.

Darcy shook his head at the excuse but couldn't censure the result. Charles was now an important personage in the district--even if he didn't stay long. 

Darcy saw Miss Elizabeth once before the ball. He was riding through Meryton with Charles, and there was George Wickham standing in the road, looking casual and debonair as he spoke to the Bennet girls. 

Darcy gripped the reins, nodded to Miss Elizabeth, and kept going, his brain fogged with shock and contempt. 

He'd grown up with Wickham since Wickham's father had been Pemberley's steward for many years. He had liked Wickham, had taken the man's bonhomie at face value. 

Until they got older and Darcy realized--disillusioning occurrence by disillusioning occurrence (Wickham failed to repay loans; spread mocking tales about acquaintances; frittered his time and money in low establishments)--how insubstantial the man was, how amoral and self-serving. 

The man was a summer-time mosquito, persistently appearing when Darcy finally thought him gone. Damn him. Darcy leaned his elbows on the saddle's trammel and breathed deeply. 

Bingley had stopped when he saw the Bennet sisters. Now, he caught up to Darcy, saying, "Isn't that fellow the man your father left a living to?" 

"He turned it down," Darcy said shortly. He wanted to ask if Miss Elizabeth had seemed impressed by Wickham but chided himself. She was far too level-headed. He would warn her discreetly at the ball about Wickham's character. That would be enough. 

"You gave him the cut direct," Bingley said. 

"He isn't worth knowing." 

Bingley accepted Darcy's declaration without question. "I could make sure he doesn't attend the ball." 

"Don't bother." Wickham wouldn't show. Darcy knew him that well. The man was sly, not brave--sneaky, not direct. 

Darcy steeled himself for the ball nonetheless. Charles was right to hold one. If only Darcy didn't have to attend. He put on balls at Pemberley, of course, but there he had things to do, such as consult with Mr. Talbot, his butler, on where to park any extra carriages or with the cook on whether to bring up more wine. Should things get too noisy, he could retire to his study. 

The Netherfield study wasn't available; Charles had gone and opened it up for the ball. Darcy stood in the front hall and tried not to look at his watch. He greeted Colonel Forster and several of the officers. 

Wickham was not among them. 

Darcy knew of the Bennets' arrival by Mrs. Bennet's penetrating exclamations. He craned to find Miss Elizabeth amongst the family group. He wasn't interested in her, of course. But he might as well see how she looked, what she was wearing. 

She wore a pale blue dress. Her dark hair formed ringlets about her face which was open and delighted although her eyes searched the company uncertainly. Perhaps she was looking for Darcy, but he wasn't interested in her, so he retreated to the wall. 

Not being interested didn't mean he shouldn't ask her to dance. This was Charles's first ball at Netherfield; Darcy should help make it a success. His duty in mind, he approached Miss Elizabeth during the fourth dance to solicit her hand for the next.