Over the next few days, we found ourselves eagerly awaiting a glimpse of the ‘mysterious man’ that was Mr. Bingley. In truth, the man could have been as plain a character to dissemble as any but was merely rendered mysterious because of how little father was willing to elaborate about him. After all, he had met him, but for some reason, refused to give us any details about our new neighbor. We attacked him with a barrage of questions:
“Mr. Dixon said that he could be described as comfortably handsome, though not strikingly so,” I asked, “is this true?”
“I don’t know what that means,” Father would respond.
“Is he amiable?” Jane asked.
“That word is used so liberally that I cannot tell what makes a man amiable anymore.”
“Is he a man of information?” Elizabeth asked.
“His statements were correct. Then again, he could have had a script in his pocket.”
“Is he musical and morally conscious?” Mary asked.
“Good god, why would I ask him about that?”
“Does he love to dance?” Lydia asked.
“As long as he was not willing to dance with me, was all that I cared to learn about.”
These were his answers, and I never met someone who spoke such words, but said so little at the same time. We had other visitors to cement Mr. Bingley’s good name. Lady Lucas was one of the principal people to visit us and offer the best information.
However, whenever she spoke, there was a strain between her and Mama. After all, both women had an unmarried daughter that they wanted to marry off, and so both women were in silent competition of each other. Thank goodness I was not an older woman with daughters! I don’t think I would have the energy to be so obsessive about all this. Truly, their lives seemed to be of no fun at all.
* * *
“Mr. Bingley is coming tomorrow?!” Mama gasped as father announced this at the dinner table.
“Yes, my dear,” Father responded, dryly, “did I forget to mention it?”
“Mr. Bennet, I do believe that you deliberately didn’t tell me again, just to give a joke.”
“Ah, so I have been found out. Yes, tomorrow in the afternoon, he is calling to return his visit. Hopefully, his stay will be very brief.”
“But why, Mr. Bennet?”
“Because that is the longest that I shall let society impose on myself and my library. And that will be the last I say on the matter. Feel free to discuss this all you choose, as long as none of you direct your discussion toward me.”
And we were all too happy to oblige. We talked about it all during dinner, when we were sitting down by the fireside afterwards, and on our way to bed.
I thought I never should have slept with how excited I was, especially since my mind was full. Yet, sleep and I finally found each other.
The next day, we all took extra care to arrange our hair. Our dresses were not too ostentatious but were some of our better ones. All this we did despite that we knew he was not going to see us. Since he had come to call on our father, there was no chance of us being introduced to him.
“I don’t understand why Father won’t introduce us to him,” Lydia groaned, “it doesn’t make any sense.”
“Precisely,” I responded. “Are the rules of society that strict that he cannot oblige us?”
“It is what Father wants,” Jane explained. “We just have to accept that it is his way.”
“It probably amuses him,” Elizabeth explained, “that is the only explanation that I can put to his adhering to decorum so very much.”
“He mocks us, but I know what it is,” Lydia voiced. “He is stingy with us. I bet he doesn’t like the idea of us ever fully leaving him.”
“A wise philosophy,” Mary responded, “I never would have thought it would come from you.”
“Mary, that was harsh,” I interjected.
“Well, someone had to say something smart,” Lydia countered to Mary. “The last time Father asked you anything, you showed that your brain is actually vacant.”
“Oh, shut it.”
“You shut it.”
“Quiet you both,” Jane advised. “Sisters shouldn’t speak so.”
“I know just the thing to silence you geese,” Elizabeth called from a window. “Guess who just rode up on his horse?”
We all perked up and rushed to the window. Even Mary was eager and curious. All five of us crowded together and looked through the glass.
There he was! Mr. Charles Bingley, from the North, and the new Netherfield Park resident. He wore a blue coat and rode a black horse.
“The horse is handsome,” Elizabeth remarked. “Why do we manage to always eventually discuss horses more than anything?”
“If only we saw him as good as we see the horse,” Lydia whined.
“From this angle, he seems well-built, neither stout nor thin, but in a comfortable in-between,” Mary noted. “That could possibly show signs that he exercises moderation. But of course, one must never judge a book by its cover.”
“No, one must not,” Jane echoed, looking down at Mr. Bingley. “But he doesn’t look vicious or like a rattle. If we are fortunate, the outward may match the inward, and we shall have a charming neighbor.”
He entered the house and that was all that we saw of him, and it wasn’t enough. Resigned, we went to our rooms. As we did, I walked alongside Jane.
“You wish to like him, don’t you?” I asked.
“I think nothing,” Jane responded. “I do not even know him.”
“You are lying, Jane. And one must not tell lies.”
“Kitty, you must not be so ridiculous,” Elizabeth said, laughing as she took Jane’s hand, and led her down the back steps.
“Ridiculous? I am many things, but not that!”
* * *
“Am I ridiculous?” I asked as Mr. Atkins took my hand as we walked to the dance floor.
“For anticipating my asking you to dance?” Mr. Atkins responded, amused. “I don’t find that to be ridiculous, but rather, the epitome of intelligent foresight.”
The night of the assembly had come and our family, except father, had gone. It was a merry gathering, for all the best families in the county were there, since it was a public sort of ball. It was the sort of event where you wear your second-best gown, with your best one being saved for more elaborate balls that may occur later. Yet this was an evening of first impressions, and I was desirous to look as best as I may.
While Jane and Elizabeth deserved to have the best gowns, our mother was not so inconsiderate or unsympathetic. Lydia and I had gowns of equal beauty, and only Mary’s dress was not as attractive—but that was because Mary never wished to be alluring.
Once arriving there, Lydia and I immediately got a dance partner, and Mr. Atkins was willing to dance with me first. Of course, I was only too happy to oblige.
“Everyone is on their tiptoes,” Mr. Atkins said as we began to dance among the other partners. Behind us, Elizabeth was dancing with Mrs. Long’s son, and Lydia was dancing with Sir William Lucas’s son, Liam.
“I wonder what put them there, then,” I responded.
“I can answer that very well. Everyone is all in excitement because the Netherfield Party are coming tonight, and they are all in suspense.”
“I’ve had all the time in the world to be standing at attention,” I informed him. “You should have seen what it was like in Longbourn all this past week. Mother had invited Mr. Bingley to dinner and was all in a huff when she discovered that Mr. Bingley was unable to attend, because he would be back in town. Mama was apprehensive, because she worried that he would be the sort to be always dashing from here to there, instead of having the steadiness to settle in one place and be glad over it. But Lady Lucas calmed her, informing her that he had only gone to retrieve a large party of friends to come with him.”
“Even if not so, some of us have roaming feet,” Mr. Atkins acknowledged, “and society should not despise us for it.”
“That is precisely how I feel,” I responded. “I could walk the earth and still have energy.”
“Yes, I suppose that you could. I must thank you, Miss Kitty.”
“Why so, sir?”
“Because even with a better prospect on the rise, you still don’t find it boring to dance with me.”
“Never! Give me a good dance partner, and a place to dance, and I will move the world.”
We danced onward, until the doors opened, and the music suddenly stopped. We looked around, wondering why the interruption occurred, with our cheeks still red from spirit, and we noticed that everyone was looking in the direction of the doorway.
There, standing in the archway, was a party of strangers. All us dancers parted to the sides of the room, clearing a way for them to walk down. Yet, one of them had a countenance that was familiar to us.
“That is Mr. Bingley, isn’t it?” I asked Lady Lucas. She and her daughter, Charlotte Lucas, were standing beside Mr. Atkins and me.
“Yes, it is,” Lady Lucas responded, “he has such easy and gentle manners, but his sisters are a different matter as you see. They distinctly have an air of aristocratic fashion, showing their levels among the London ton, I daresay.”
Judging by first impressions, she might very well be correct.
“Sisters?” I noted.
“Yes, those two women are his sisters.”
“All of the discussion of the hordes of friends that he was rumored to bring from town,” Charlotte Lucas commented, “and it was only a group of five after all.”
* * *
To the relief of everyone in the room, the Netherfield Party were not left to be gaped at awkwardly, but rather Sir William Lucas stood before them. He showed his delight in them coming and led them along the hall, where he introduced them to our Aunt and Uncle Philips.
Being far away from him, I felt as if I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Now that I got a closer view of him, I was able to see his face with perfect clarity. Mr. Bingley’s face was kind, he smiled warmly at us all, and he seemed unafraid of being introduced to anyone. I daresay that I liked him immediately. In fact, I felt as if I had been hit by a thunderbolt.
“He is beautiful,” I whispered.
“What was that, Miss Kitty?” Mr. Atkins asked. With him being closest to me, he heard my comment. I felt as if my cheeks reddened as my heart began to pound. There was a strange sensation within me, and it was one that I was not usually acquainted with. I think it was… shame.
“Nothing, I declare,” I asserted, laughing nervously. “Just a passing bit of folly, nonsense, and me saying the opposite of what I meant.”
He raised an eyebrow at me, and it was evident; I could not unsay what had been already set down. His blatant refusal to pretend as if my confession was unimportant was clear for me to confront, and therefore, I was left with only one thing to do.
“Please,” I pleaded, “don’t repeat what I have said. Please, Mr. Atkins, I—”
“Hush now,” he assured me, “your words have died within me already.”
I smiled, cheerfully, and turned back to watch Mr. Bingley and his company be led around the room by Sir William Lucas.
“Well, Kitty,” Elizabeth said, coming up to us, “we get a better look at the strangers in our midst.”
“Yes, we do. Where is Lydia? She must be laughing at something.”
“Of course, she is laughing. Can’t you hear it? I’m certain even people in South America can.” She turned to Charlotte and Lady Lucas. “And so, the man in the middle is Mr. Bingley, and the other four will be a mystery to me, unless you all are more knowledgeable than us at Longbourn.”
“Mama can assist in that way,” Charlotte informed us.
“Lady Lucas, can you place the names to the faces?”
“Yes, I can, Miss Elizabeth,” Lady Lucas said. We all turned and stared at the Netherfield company just as Sir William was introducing them all to Mr. and Mrs. Cox, and their two daughters and two sons.
“The lady that is now being introduced is Mrs. Hurst, Mr. Bingley’s eldest sister. That man is her husband, Mr. Hurst. That lady is his other sister, Miss Caroline Bingley. And the tallest gentleman is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley, his seat in Derbyshire.”
“And he is single?” Maria Lucas asked, who had just recently joined our group. She was one of the Lucases’ younger daughters, and I was closest to her, whereas Elizabeth was closest to Charlotte. I suppose it all had to do with age. Maria and I were similar in age, and therefore similar in disposition. The bloom of jolly youth had not fallen off her in the same style that it still clung to me.
“Yes,” Lady Lucas answered as Mr. Darcy remained at the end of the company, and not being as voluble as the others. When Mr. Bingley smiled and spoke to the Cox sisters, I immediately thought of the attack this put on Mama’s nerves. The last thing she would have wanted was to see our new neighbor enjoying the company of another set of daughters that weren’t hers.
“Two daughters being introduced,” I whispered to Elizabeth. “Mama won’t like that.”
“No, she won’t. Poor Mama. Thwarted even before we all dance the cotillion.”
“Oh, I think you both are about to be summoned,” Charlotte observed, “look! Lydia is rushing to pull you away.”
And she was right. Lydia was rushing along the dancers, and she stood in front of us, her cheeks red from energy.
“Kitty and Lizzy, Mama has ordered me to get you. This is exciting! Come on!”
She pulled me by the arm, leaving Elizabeth to nod our departure to the Lucases and speaking to Mr. Atkins.
“And where Mama calls,” she said to Mr. Atkins, “we must obey.”
“Do not forget me,” Mr. Atkins called after us.
“We shall not,” Elizabeth assured him, following us.
Moving through the throng, we eventually made our way to Mama, who was standing next to Jane, Mary, our aunt, and Uncle Philips.
“Oh, where have you both been?” Mama asked Eliza and me. Not giving us time to reply, she elaborated on her findings. “Girls, it is the most wonderful thing in the world. Your Uncle Philips has just told me the most delightful thing, haven’t you, Mr. Philips?”
“If economy is your quest, then yes I have,” our Uncle Philips replied.
“Indeed?” Elizabeth grinned. “Uncle, what are these pearls of knowledge that you lay down?”
“Enough to think you are about to meet two men that are worthy of my nieces’ beauty,” Uncle Philips responded, lighthearted. “As you know, Mr. Bingley is a man of substantial fortune, and my reports tell me that it is certain. He has inherited five thousand a year, but the gentleman in his company has an inheritance that renders Mr. Bingley’s as being dwarfish.”
“Wealth even more than five thousand?” I asked. “How rich can one man be?”
“Some find their fortune to be limitless, and that gentleman does. Mr. Bingley’s tall friend there, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley.”
“We’ve heard that it’s a seat in Derbyshire.”
“Kitty, stop interrupting your uncle,” Mama replied, merry.
“I am excited,” I responded, groaning, “that is all.”
“Of course, you are, my dear,” Aunt Philips said.
“And you have reason to be,” Uncle Philips added, “because it is enough to be awe-inspiring. My sources tell me that Mr. Darcy has ten thousand a year.”
Elizabeth and I gave each other a look of surprise.
“Ten thousand?” I repeated, looking at Mr. Darcy again. He was tall, more handsome than Mr. Bingley, and now he had wealth to add to his charms.
“Wealth is important to add to one’s allurements,” Elizabeth said, “when one can’t afford to buy a smile.”
Her comment was correct. In the time since he had entered, I never saw Mr. Darcy smile once.
“Girls, is this not the most wonderful thing in the world?” Mama asked. “Two eligible gentlemen enter the neighborhood, with no hint of a fiancée in another county. I shall have two daughters married to wealthy men before the year is out.”
“Patience, Mama,” Elizabeth said, “there is the impediment that we neither know him, nor know if we like him first. Or if he can tolerate us.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Possibly everything.”
“You five are superior to every other woman in the county, though I say it myself. If any man does not find you to his tastes, then his mind is vacant.”
“If Mr. Bingley does not leave the evening thinking you five are the handsomest women of his acquaintance,” Uncle Philips said, “then I am a poor judge of beauty.”
“No, you are not, my dear,” Aunt Philips concurred, “rather, the new gentlemen would be poor judges of character.”
“Oh, don’t you have the best aunt and uncle in the world, girls?” Mama observed.
“Of that, we can always be certain,” Jane confirmed, then she turned her eye toward Mr. Bingley, admiring him.
She was not so very different than I was. Every instinct within me was to do the precise same. Despite that Mr. Darcy was the handsomer of the two, his stoic and almost contemptible expression rendered him unattractive to me. But rather, his friend, who was by all accounts his inferior, was superior in air and grace. And Jane clearly felt the same. Inside of me was an inner pang of resentment towards her. In that moment, I wish that I had her superior beauty, to cast her down, to render her inferior to me in every way. But since that could never be, I wished her to be on the other side of the world. Despite my efforts to feel the reverse, I was jealous. Very much so.
“And to think,” Mary observed, “after all the false rumors. First, we heard a report that Mr. Bingley was to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the assembly. We all were grieved over such a number of ladies, and only felt better when we heard that, instead of twelve, he brought only six with him from London—his five sisters and a cousin. Now that the party is here, it only consists of five altogether—Mr. Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the eldest, and this Mr. Darcy. How this teaches us that rumor can be false, and one should never believe all that one hears. There! Even at an assembly, wisdom can be found.”
“If there is one to discover it at a dance,” Elizabeth noted, looking at the Netherfield company, “then you would be the one to do it.”
“I gather that you have all not been introduced to the company yet?” Uncle Philips asked.
“No, we have not,” Mama protested. “I was hoping that Sir William would do the service, but I feel that he has quite betrayed me. I should not be surprised, because he of course is thinking of poor Charlotte first. Yes, I daresay that he would give anything to get her married off.”
“My dear,” Aunt Philips said to our uncle, “we rely upon you to oblige us.”
“I will do the job most admirably. Come ladies and stay behind me.”
We all followed our Uncle Philips along the assembly room, moving straight toward the Netherfield party. As we did, we encountered Mr. Atkins, who was walking to the set of dancers with Miss Gwendoline Long.
“Are you behaving yourself, my amiable clerk?” Uncle Philips asked.
“Enough to get myself a handsome partner, sir,” Mr. Atkins said, leaving Miss Long to giggle.
As we progressed, Jane leaned over Elizabeth’s shoulder and whispered to her.
“Oh, Elizabeth...”
“What?”
“I know that look that you possess. It is that of an analyst, who is studying the character of each in the party before we even meet them.”
“There is nothing wrong with dissembling a character.”
“And what are your findings?”
“Mr. Bingley is handsome enough and appears gentlemanlike. His sisters clearly feel their elevation in rank too keenly, with the way they secretly look down on everyone, Mr. Hurst looks the gentleman, but I am of the suspicion that he is anything but. And as for the man of ten thousand pounds, well, I do not think that all his wealth in the world can buy him a happy expression.”
“You are ridiculous, Lizzy,” Jane voiced, amused.
“Let us see what side of right or wrong that I fall on. I am curious enough to see what occurs next.”
We reached the Netherfield Company.
* * *
Mr. Bingley turned away from Sir William and Charlotte, to face us. In that moment, I felt every nerve in my body become alive and my throat appeared to close.
Instinctively, all of us Bennet sisters lined up in natural order. Jane was to the immediate right, next was Elizabeth, Mary was in the middle, I was to her left, and Lydia was the furthest on the other side, while Mama stood before us.
“Mr. Bingley,” Uncle Philips said, “it is very kind of you to join our little assembly.”
“The honor is all mine, I can assure you.” Mr. Bingley smiled, bowing. “There is nothing that I love better than dancing every dance at a ball, therefore, this scene suits me best.”
All of us sisters gave each other a look. Such a charming statement is the precise thing that every young lady would want to hear.
“May I be given the pleasure of introducing you to my wife and family?”
“I would be delighted, sir.”
“This is my wife, Mrs. Philips, who is the happiest treasure of mine.”
“Oh, my love,” Aunt Philips said, her voice filled with warmth.
“It’s nice to see two people disposed to be happy together, after years of domestic felicity,” Mr. Bingley added, “this makes you both a great advocacy of the matrimonial sacrament.”
“And my sister-in-law has five other pieces of evidence to such, right before your very eyes.” He moved aside to show us to advantage. “You called on Mr. Bennet of Longbourn. This is my wife’s sister, Mrs. Bennet, of that household. And her five daughters, Miss Jane Bennet, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Miss Mary Bennet, Miss Catherine Bennet, and Miss Lydia Bennet.”
Mr. Bingley bowed to us, and we curtsied.
“Ladies, it is quite a delight to meet you all,” Mr. Bingley responded. Thankfully, due to protocol, I didn’t have to say anything, but only smile. According to decorum, it was Mama’s turn to speak and us just to stand there and be either admired or ignored.
“I hate how we have to stand like this,” Mary whispered to me, “it feels like we are being put on display.”
“We are being put on display,” I whispered back. “I like it.”
“You would.”
“You smell.”
“Hush.”
“These are my sisters, Mrs. Louisa Hurst, and Miss Caroline Bingley,” Mr. Bingley introduced, “my sister’s husband, Mr. Hurst, and my good friend, Mr. Darcy.”
“You are very welcome to Hertfordshire, I am sure,” Mama replied, “and since you like to dance, I hope that your family are of the same feeling. Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley, I declare that you have two of the most beautiful gowns that I have ever seen.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Bennet,” Mrs. Hurst replied, “you have a lovely set of daughters.”
“Thank you. Yes, I daresay that they are. My eldest, Jane, is a marvelous dancer.”
“Mama, you flatter me, but you exaggerate,” Jane said, flushed from embarrassment. “In truth, my sisters are better than I.”
“You are modest, and we shall put it to the test,” Mr. Bingley responded, “might I secure your hand for the next dance, if you are not engaged?”
Jane smiled.
“I am not engaged, sir.”
“Very good.”
Since Mr. Bingley had already arranged to dance with Charlotte Lucas, he went off to stand up with her in the set.
“It is not fair, Mama,” I said to her when we were alone, “why did you only compliment Jane’s dancing? I am quite sure that I am as good a dancer as Jane. Why couldn’t you recommend me as well?”
“Oh hush, Kitty, you are speaking nonsense.”
“No, I am not speaking it. I wish that you cared for my feelings every now and again.”
But it was as if she had not heard me, of course. She merely turned away and began to talk with our aunt and uncle about Miss Bingley’s and Mrs. Hurst’s gowns.
Am I here?!I cried inwardly, Does she ever fully see me?!
My opportunity had been quickly eliminated. If I had any chance of Mr. Bingley paying any particular attention to me, it had been taken away. Inwardly, I was frustrated at how little control I had over anything to do with myself. Why was that the case? It was neither right nor fair.
Fortunately, I was not left to dwell in being ignored, and neither was Lydia or Elizabeth. Mr. Liam Lucas accosted me, to remind me that he had requested my hand for the next set.
“My apologies for being late in taking your hand,” Mr. Lucas said, “my mother had required me to remain by her for longer than I expected.”
I was not the sort to dwell on sour spirits. It was just not my way. Therefore, my soul was still afflicted by mama’s lack of consideration for me, but outwardly, I was just as prepared to appear as merry as ever.
Away with vexation!
Begone grief!
Be blithe and bonny!
Taking Mr. Lucas’s hand, I was joined by Lydia, who was asked to dance by Mr. Fitzalan, and Mr. Atkins took Elizabeth’s hand. The three of us lined up and joined the present dance couples.
“I just realized,” Mr. Lucas said as we danced, “that we have only danced together twice before.”
“If I had my way, there would be dances and balls every week,” I replied, “and that would mean that we got to dance much more.”
“I prefer a party as well,” he replied, “too much of the world scoffs at things that give delight.”
“Those are tedious people!”
“Yes, very tedious. Whoever told the world that order and society meant that we must spend our time dull and lifeless ought to be court martialed.”
I laughed at this. When we were children, people thought that Jane or Mary might be a good choice for him, but once Mama realized that the Lucas family did not have enough wealth, and Sir William and Lady Lucas also wanted their son to marry an heiress, an alliance between both families became impossible. And, thus, ended any chance of both families being able to save each other. Instead, we had to settle for a friendly and civil rivalry that did neither family any good.
* * *
When the dance ended, we joined Mother, our aunt and uncle, as was customary. Whenever you dance, regrouping with friends and family afterwards always seems to be proper.
“Miss Mary,” Mr. Atkins said, offering her his arm, “I know that you sit in quiet reflection, and your wisdom must save us all, but I am determined. I believe that you are a fine dancer, and I must ask that you show me that you can.”
Being singled out, asked to dance, surprised Mary. This left her cheeks becoming flush and Lydia laughing.
“Mary will dance?” I declared.
“What a good joke!” Lydia added.
“There is no joke in the matter,” Mary replied, “despite that I believe in the sanctity of quiet reflection, I believe that society has demands of us all. I am not afraid to oblige every now and again. Mr. Atkins, this dance is ours, sir.”
“I hope that you shall not view me as an obligation,” he replied, his eyes twinkling when looking at her. Unable to remain serious under his gaze, Mary couldn’t resist chuckling.
This scene was eclipsed however by our new neighbor. Like a wave of charm and ease, Mr. Bingley waltzed up to us, to take Jane’s arm. Looking gracious and blushing sweetly, Jane was happy to see him as they walked away together.
“I can dance as good as Jane,” I whispered to Lydia.
“So can I. The world is foolish.”
We both had a good laugh over it, and I turned away just to get some punch—and it was at the worst time. By some strange twist of fate, I had come face to face with Mr. Darcy.
* * *
Did Fortune find this funny?
I am certain that I did not.
For Mr. Darcy’s countenance, tall, imposing, and regal, was nothing when compared to the glare in his eyes. He had seen me, he had heard me, I realized. He thought I sounded foolish. Of all the things for him to overhear, why did it have to be that?
I was humbled. Very much so, because of the littleness of my comment.
And I saw it in his face. It was as clear as day… he hated me. He very clearly hated me!
Fortunately, I was not left to remain long chastised under his intense glare. Mr. Dixon had come to ask for my hand to dance, and I willingly obliged, for I was rescued from Mr. Darcy’s eyes and contempt.
By the end of the dance, I felt more like myself.
Until I saw that Mr. Bingley had asked Jane to dance again. Seeing them both dancing together, and with him introducing Jane to speak with his sisters and get better acquainted, I spent the rest of the assembly with my mind’s eye divided.
The first division was directed to my dance partners and how much delight I had in knowing that I would have a partner for each dance. Naturally, that said something of my importance!
The second half of my attention was always subtle and acute. Mr. Bingley and Jane were never far from my thoughts, and I noted their progress. He liked her. And Jane was flattered by his attentions. All of this was obvious.
I spent the rest of the dance internally crying out:
That could have been me. If given the chance, that could have been me.
The assembly ended, and I danced every dance. I would win my victories where I may!