by C. P. Odom
Darcy’s self-isolation did not sit well with Meryton society, especially among those mothers with eligible daughters. Virtually all of them had longed to see a daughter asked to dance by this most impressive visitor, just as Elizabeth Bennet had. With Darcy’s anger keeping him silent and uninterested in further society, those deeply desired invitations were not forthcoming.
Thus, it was not long before McDunn heard the whispered remarks about Darcy turn from admiring to critical and disparaging. Those making the comments increasingly made little attempt to conceal what they said, and he heard Darcy affirmed to be arrogant and prideful.
Bingley, however, with his easy manners and open personality, was judged to be far superior to his friend, who evidently considered himself too good to consort with his social inferiors. Bingley, for example, danced every dance and engaged all he met in a most friendly manner while Darcy now stood apart and regarded all in the room with a baleful glare. Despite his wealth, Darcy was quickly—and with near-universal unanimity—judged to be completely disagreeable, and everyone hoped he would not come again.
I guess I was right about Darcy managing to offend everyone, McDunn thought sadly. Perhaps my opinion of Darcy is influenced by our friendship, so I can understand why he has no wish for further intercourse with Meryton society. On the other hand, disappointed mothers would vastly prefer to lay the blame on Darcy’s disdainful manner and his unpleasant nature rather than their own barely concealed gossiping.
Bingley seemed to detect the increasing disapproval of Darcy, though without understanding its reason. Thus, he left the dance for a few moments to press Darcy to rejoin it.
“Come, Darcy, I must have you dance. I know you and Major McDunn always have much to discuss, but this is not the time. You will enjoy yourself much better if you dance.”
“I certainly shall not dance,” Darcy replied, more than a little coldly. “You know how I detest it unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. In any case, I have already danced with your sisters and with Miss Bennet’s sister, which is more than sufficient participation at an assembly such as this.” He looked as though he would have said more, but instead he pressed his lips together and stood silently.
McDunn easily understood that Darcy was trying to conceal his displeasure at being urged to do something he did not want to do, even by such a close friend.
Bingley’s such a complete extrovert, he hasn’t a clue he’s irritating Darcy, he thought. And as I expected, Darcy’s proving to be just as reserved and even unpleasant when he’s in company. Despite being such a good friend to Bingley and having been so generous with me, he remains a very reserved and private person. He’d make a really lousy used car salesman. Or politician.
With a start, McDunn realized the exchange had an unanticipated eavesdropper since Elizabeth Bennet was nearby, obliged to sit—as in the book—due to the scarcity of gentlemen. He would have thought she was out of earshot, but the expression on her face indicated she was able to overhear and understand the gentlemen’s words.
“If everyone was as reluctant as you, Darcy,” Bingley continued, “no one would ever find a wife! Upon my honor, I never met with so many pretty girls in my life as I have this evening!”
“You are dancing with the most handsome girl in the room,” Darcy said without emotion.
“She is indeed the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But Miss Elizabeth is every iota as beautiful and is even sitting down at the moment. You seemed to enjoy dancing with her. Why not hazard another dance?”
Darcy glanced around quickly, catching sight of Elizabeth. But her eyes were not on him at the moment, so he was ignorant of her previous observation. Turning back to Bingley, he said, rather uncharitably, “She is agreeable enough, but I have already danced once with her. A second set would lead to unwarranted assumptions that I would prefer to avoid.”
“Nonsense, Darcy! I am dancing with her sister for a second time!”
“Exactly.” Darcy returned to his silent viewing.
Bingley looked at him for a moment before giving a shrug and returning to the dance.
McDunn glanced at Darcy just as Elizabeth Bennet arose and walked over to her mother. Darcy looked for a moment as though he might say something. But whatever it was went unsaid, and the two men returned to their perusal of the dance floor.
An interesting evening, all in all, thought McDunn. And except for my set-to with Mrs. Bennet, I was just an observer. Just how the night’s surprises will affect events is still to be seen, but I guess it won’t change much. Certainly, the Meryton attendees have formed a very negative opinion of Darcy, and there’s still Wickham!
He had one final disturbing thought, however. Will Wickham even make an appearance? And will Elizabeth unload on Darcy as she did in the novel? It should provide interesting viewing…but from a distance!
***
“How did you find the assembly, William?” Georgiana asked after everyone returned to Netherfield Park.
“I believe Bingley found it quite pleasant,” Darcy replied. “For myself, it was less so.”
“You are too critical, Darcy,” Bingley chided. “Everyone was exceedingly pleasant, you must agree. They welcomed us openly without the formality and reserve so often found. I was quite charmed by everyone I met.”
“Perhaps you found them so, but they were of little interest to me. They appeared quite mercenary based on the way they hardly bothered to lower their voices as the news of my fortune went about the room. I felt as though I was being stared at by a menagerie of reptiles with their greedy eyes fixed on me.”
“Oh, William!” Georgiana said. “How unfortunate!”
Darcy shrugged. “I should be used to it by now after being pursued so assiduously in town by avaricious mothers and daughters. But I confess I cannot stand it.”
Out of the corner of his eye, McDunn caught Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Hurst share a triumphant glance. He knew of Caroline’s desires, but he also knew Darcy was quite aware of her ambitions. It was rather amusing to watch him easily and deftly thwart her efforts without seeming to do so overtly.
“You appeared quite taken with Miss Bennet,” McDunn said to Bingley, carefully considering his words. He did not deem this interference since Bingley’s interest in the eldest of the Bennet sisters had been quite obvious.
“Oh, she is a veritable angel, Major! Her beauty is unmatched, and her temperament is so sweet and constant. She is both an excellent dance partner and a superb conversationalist.”
“That is because she said little and allowed you to do all the talking, Charles,” Mrs. Hurst said. “Yet, I will agree she is a sweet girl.”
“She smiles too much,” Darcy said.
“In that I agree, Mr. Darcy,” Caroline said. “Though I also agree I should not mind meeting her again.”
“I am sure you shall, Miss Bingley,” Darcy said casually. “Now that you have been introduced to Mrs. Bennet and her daughters, I believe the ladies of Longbourn will soon be calling.”
“You did not seem to find one of the Bennet sisters too objectionable, Darcy,” Bingley said slyly. “You danced with Miss Elizabeth.”
McDunn saw a quick look of irritation flash over Caroline’s face, and he suddenly realized Bingley was as well aware of his sister’s fixation as Darcy was.
And he’s baiting her! That’s something never mentioned by Austen! Certainly not explicitly. I’d have thought he was too dense to notice Caroline’s pursuit. That’s either another change or careless reading on my part. Certainly, Bingley isn’t Darcy’s equal in intelligence, but he’s apparently capable of recognizing the obvious.
“She was agreeable enough. An excellent dancer even if she does attempt to converse while dancing. As I said when you tried to convince me to repeat the invitation, she was not exceptional enough to warrant such attention.�
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McDunn saw a quick and hastily concealed look of satisfaction flash over Caroline’s face. He felt sure Bingley’s attractive sister considered Darcy’s remark to her advantage and was marking it up as such in her internal tally book.
“In any case, Bingley,” Darcy said, continuing his thought, “the entire assembly struck me as a collection of undistinguished personages of little beauty and no fashion.”
Aha! thought McDunn with amusement. There it is!
“Speaking only for myself, for you clearly have a differing opinion, the evening was a waste of time, and I would have preferred to stay at home and read.”
***
McDunn sat in his room, going over the status of his project to install running water and toilets at Pemberley, when his reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door. He was pleased with the progress so far in his private endeavor, especially the trenching and installation of clay pipe for the septic system. He was eager to bring Darcy’s estate up to a more modern standing in partial recompense for his host’s generosity. Reluctantly, he pushed back from his desk and called, “Come!”
He was unsurprised to see Darcy enter, holding a dusty bottle.
“I found this among the items in Bingley’s sideboard,” Darcy said, raising the bottle.
“Dare I hope it might be something Bingley acquired…ah, a bit illicitly?” McDunn asked hopefully, accepting the bottle.
“Perhaps. There is no bottle ticket on it as you can see, so I hazarded a quick smell. A single cautious sniff was enough to make me suspect it might be something you would like.”
“Now, now, Darcy,” McDunn said, removing the cork. “You know I can’t help my unsophisticated colonial roots. I take it you didn’t taste it?”
“That would be highly dangerous, I believe,” Darcy said with a straight face. “I thought it best to leave such hazardous experimentations to you.”
McDunn took a sniff and nodded appreciatively at the faint woody smell accompanying the more prominent smell of malt. “This does smell interesting—much like the bottles your butler has been procuring for me. Thank you.”
“You are most welcome, though I sometimes feel guilty at not convincing you to confine yourself to more civilized libations.”
“I got tired of brandy and port after only a single day, but I knew I had to drink something other than water. I’m too experienced a campaigner to fall into the trap of drinking the water unless it’s been boiled. But now, as for this interesting bottle you discovered, there’s only one way to really judge the quality: the taste test.”
He poured an inch of the dark amber liquid into a glass and took a cautious sip. “Not bad,” he said thoughtfully. “Not bad at all.” He filled his glass and then pulled out a chair at his table for Darcy.
“I thought I would solicit your opinion on the evening’s entertainment,” Darcy said as he took his seat. “I am sure it was quite unlike similar entertainment in your time.”
“Actually, I don’t have much to compare with it. The most exciting part was probably my set-to with Mrs. Bennet when I told her I didn’t dance.”
Darcy raised his eyebrows in question, and McDunn quickly described the incident.
“She appears even more vulgar than I thought her to be,” Darcy said with a shake of his head.
“I don’t blame her for husband-hunting for her daughters, but I really shouldn’t have gotten so angry when she said I wasn’t a legitimate major.”
“Nonsense, McDunn. Adequate provocation and all that. Think nothing of it.”
“I never learned to dance at all, even the dances of my own time, such as they were. My parents and my grandparents told me they danced when they were young, but by the time I was growing up, dancing had all but been driven out of society during the bad years. The fanatics had done much the same with all popular music, and you can’t dance without music.”
“Quite unfortunate.”
“It was. During the bad years, everything—absolutely everything—was politicized, including music, until the people had enough and threw the fanatics out. But music was only one of many things that hadn’t fully recovered before everything started coming apart—”
He shook himself and drained his glass. “Enough of that. To get back to your question, I enjoyed much of the ball. I enjoy just watching people. Observing the crowd of people and their varying foibles tonight compensated quite well for not being able to join in the festivities. But now I have a question. Did you really find the assembly so objectionable?”
Darcy was silent for a time before he finally looked up at McDunn.
“Perhaps I was too blunt, though I do not feel comfortable in gatherings where I do not know the people. I find it difficult to enjoy myself among strangers.”
“Especially when you keep hearing everyone speculating on your fortune?”
Darcy looked sharply at McDunn and nodded sourly. “So you heard that also.”
“And saw how you reacted. Not that I don’t understand, but I would have thought you’d be used to it by this time.”
“I do not know how the information spread. I am completely new to this county, and I specifically asked Bingley not to speak of my wealth.”
“We used to say rumors move faster than the speed of light.” McDunn took a sip from his refilled glass. “I’ll bet people connected your name with the telegraph. It’s no secret we’re making money hand over fist with our telegraph service. The message count keeps going up and up, and I’d bet the sending of letters by the post is dropping dramatically.”
“It makes me wish I had never allowed you to put my name on it,” Darcy said fervently. “I feel an imposter when I hear myself named as the one responsible for bringing this marvel to the country.”
“You know the reasons for it. I need to stay in the background, though I thought having my name included in the title of the corporation was innocuous enough. I was really disappointed to have your solicitor tell us that such things as corporations were made illegal in the last century. Only individuals can own property and have liabilities. I still feel uncomfortable about you personally being so much at hazard. And we have to wait until the mid-1820s before the law gets changed if history proves accurate.”
“It is not a subject to worry about,” Darcy said. His tone was filled with acid as he continued. “I did hear one reference to ‘ten thousand a year’ tonight, which is hard to explain.”
“I heard it too, and it made me wonder.”
“Bingley has an idea of my income, I am sure. But it is a mystery how those at the assembly learned of it.”
McDunn nodded in commiseration, knowing how painful it was for such a private person as Darcy to have such information bandied about a room of strangers. He was trying to think of a way to change the subject when Darcy chose to change it himself.
“Perhaps I should not have been so dismissive of Miss Bennet’s sister. She was an amiable partner when I danced with her even if she was not nearly as handsome as her older sister.”
McDunn had to clamp his lips shut since his opinion was that both of the two eldest Bennet sisters were as beautiful as movie stars from his own time—slender and womanly with flawless complexions and expressive faces. The elder was more serene than her sister, who was the livelier of the two. And Elizabeth showed a grace in movement that was quite marked when compared to the other Meryton daughters. McDunn was still rather unsettled to hear Darcy dismiss her so blithely.
“Still, I should have been more gracious when Bingley tried to convince me to dance with her a second time.”
McDunn knew he had not guarded his features sufficiently when Darcy leaned forward intently. “It appears I prompted some kind of reaction there.”
McDunn considered trying to plead innocence, but he wasn’t sure he could pull it off, and he didn’t want to
lie to Darcy even if it was for his own good. He sighed unhappily. “I think Elizabeth Bennet overheard what you said.”
“Surely not!” exclaimed Darcy. “She was well out of hearing, I am sure.”
“I thought so, but I saw the expression on her face. She must have unnaturally keen hearing, or perhaps she reads lips. Either way, I’m afraid she heard you. Though what you actually said wasn’t too objectionable, just that you preferred not to raise expectations by asking for a second dance. Is that too awful in this time? I’m not sure.”
Darcy looked pained and remorseful. “It was not truly ill-mannered, perhaps, but it was…impolitic at the very least. I regret being so thoughtless. Are you certain?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“It probably should not matter, but my father advised me against offending others needlessly. One should not make enemies accidentally, he told me, and after seeing how those at the assembly responded tonight, I fear I did not follow his advice.”
McDunn could think of nothing to add to this, and he might have already said too much. Certainly, he had said more than he intended.
At the sound of a soft knock on the door, both of them looked at each other.
“Perhaps it is Miss Bingley.”
“Oh, goodie,” McDunn said, which drew a quick smile from Darcy.
“Courage, my friend.”
McDunn nodded then called, “Come!”
By the time Georgiana opened the door, spied her brother, and quickly slipped inside, both men were already standing.
“Pray, there is no need,” she said. “Sit, sit!”
“Only after you, Miss Darcy,” McDunn replied, pulling out a chair for her. “I’m finding the manners of everyone I’ve met so far to be surprisingly pleasing. In my world, there was very little formality, and I’ve decided the complete absence of manners is not healthy. In fact, I remember my grandmother saying good manners are the grease that makes society function smoothly. I was too young and foolish to give proper credence to her advice at the time, but I’ve come to appreciate it more and more. So, Miss Darcy, I shall continue to rise to my feet when you enter the room no matter how nicely you ask me to stop.”