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“MISS LI IS EVERYTHING a young lady ought to be,” Joseph sang his paramour's praises as he studied her from across the room. Two days after the robbery, the Bennets attended Bin Li's ball at Netherfield. Elisander was still a bit shaken after his encounter with the pirates, but he tried not to show it.
“So, let me guess... you like her?” Elisander chuckled at his obvious remark.
“Indeed. And what's not to like? Miss Li is sensible, good-humored and lively... and I never saw such happy manners!” To Joseph's disappointment, he had yet to speak to the subject of their conversation. As the ball's pleasant host, Bin Li was the most popular woman in the room, and she was occupied by others for the majority of the night. Joseph felt a disappointed crush in his heart every time Bin Li danced with another young gentleman. He spent over an hour wondering why she had suddenly abandoned her pursuit of him.
“She is quite friendly,” Joseph's brother agreed.
“She is, in a word, perfect,” Joseph finished with a sigh. “How might I attract her attention before the evening's end?”
“I think you already have,” Elisander said. “The lady is heading in our direction.”
“Oh!” Joseph gasped at the revelation. As he attempted to pinch color into his cheeks, he quietly asked his brother, “How do I look? Do I look awful?”
“You couldn't look awful if you tried, Joseph,” Elisander answered with a roll of his eyes.
A moment later, Bin Li was standing in front of them. She was dressed to the nines, and her smile was as warm as ever. “Good evening, Joseph.” The lady dipped into a bow as she greeted him. “Finally, I have a chance to speak to you. I would ask if you're well, but I heard of your family's ordeal. You were robbed by pirates?”
“We were,” Joseph replied. “It was a terrible night. Unlike Elisander, I never encountered them, but it was horrifying to think they were roaming around our home!”
“Are you alright, Mr. Bennet?” Miss Li's question was directed at Elisander. “You must have been so frightened!”
“Not really.” Elisander's answer was accompanied by a shrug. “At the time, I was actually quite calm. I didn't realize how deeply disconcerting it was until the pirates were gone. Is that odd?”
“It is a bit odd,” Miss Li admitted. “However, I have not gone through such a thing myself, so I cannot imagine how I would react.” When Miss Li glanced across the room, Elisander followed her gaze to Darcy Fitzwilliam. Bin Li's most unpleasant companion was a wallflower by choice. She had separated herself from all others, and appeared to be content in her loneliness. “I believe Darcy has had quite a few encounters with pirates.”
“Is that so?” Elisander inquired.
“Indeed. As an airship captain, it's her job to patrol the skies,” Bin Li said. “I have my own airship, but I have yet to cross paths with any pirates.”
“Do you fly your own airship?” Elisander asked.
“No. The first and only time I attempted to fly, my airship nearly crashed in Londinium's Hyde Park!” Miss Li winced as she confessed her failure. “Unfortunately, it is no exaggeration. Young men and women were screaming and scattering as my airship soared a few feet above the ground.”
A wincing Joseph asked, “But you didn't crash?”
“No. Fortunately, I handed over the wheel to my skilled pilot, who managed to get us airborne with seconds to spare.” Bin Li frowned as she recounted the tale. “It's embarrassing, is it not?”
“I don't think so,” Joseph disagreed. “I wouldn't know the first thing about flying an airship.”
A deep female voice responded to his statement. “Of course you wouldn't. You're a man. Gentlemen don't fly airships.”
Unbeknownst to Elisander, Darcy Fitzwilliam had crossed the room and was silently standing beside him. His nose was creased by a sneer at the sight of her.
“But men could fly airships,” Elisander defended his sex.
“Could they? I think not,” Darcy disagreed. “Most gentlemen are reckless by nature. They're rash, impulsive, and too easily distracted by pretty things. If we let them run wild, they fall prey to their destructive tendencies. No... there is a very good reason why men aren't allowed to fly airships, Mr. Bennet.”
“I disagree.” Elisander turned up his nose at the lady's opinion. “Men have been suppressed for too long. Our many talents have been unappreciated for decades. We are strong, thoughtful, and driven.”
“Thoughtful?” Miss Fitzwilliam chuckled at the word. “Are we speaking of the same gender, Mr. Bennet? I have never met a thoughtful man in my life!”
Before he got too vexed, Elisander bit his tongue and clenched a fist. He refused to let her get beneath his skin—even though she already had.
It was Bin Li who spoke next. Her voice shuddered with tension as she began, “W-well, on that note...” She turned to Joseph. “Would you join me for a dance, Joseph? To be perfectly frank, you are the only partner I have genuine interest in.”
“You flatter me,” replied a blushing Joseph.
“Not at all. I'm being entirely honest.” When Miss Li offered her arm, Joseph accepted it with a smile. As she led him away, she said, “You are the only person in the room with whom I care to dance. All others are a waste of time.”
Darcy Fitzwilliam's scowl predictably intensified as she watched her friend line up for the quadrille. She made no attempt to hide her displeasure—nor did she suppress her distaste for Bin Li's preferred beau. Miss Fitzwilliam's upper lip curled with disgust as she observed the exchange of smiles between them.
“Your brother...” Darcy began, “he admires my friend?”
Elisander's answer was bored and terse. “Yes. Of course.”
“I'm afraid Li likes him as well,” the lady croaked.
“Afraid?” Elisander repeated the word with a raising eyebrow. “Why would you be afraid, Miss Fitzwilliam? Do you not think my brother would be a good match for her?”
Darcy pursed her lips and withheld her opinion. She didn't want to be subjected to a fiery response from the outspoken younger brother.
If she disapproved of Joseph, Elisander could only imagine how much the lady captain would disapprove of Lachlan. His youngest brother was a stout, well-grown lad of fifteen, with a fine complexion and a good-humored countenance. He was a favorite of young ladies, and he often flirted with uniformed officers who were nearly twice his age. The ladies seemed to enjoy the attention. Even though Lachlan was young, his smiles were irresistible. Matthew was two years older, but he tried to emulate his younger brother's every move.
“I hate balls,” Darcy suddenly grumbled. “I despise them. I cannot understand why everyone else looks full of mirth when I'm so very, very miserable.”
“If you're miserable... why do you attend?” Elisander asked.
“Because Li would be disappointed if I didn't.” Her answer was followed by a bored yawn. “So... for her sake, I force myself to come.”
“Could you not try to enjoy yourself?” Elisander suggested.
“No. Why would I?” Darcy flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “I lack the talent that some people seem to possess.”
“What talent?” the young man asked.
“The talent of conversing easily with those I have never seen before,” Miss Fitzwilliam quietly explained. “I cannot catch their tone of conversation, nor can I appear to be interested in the topics they choose to discuss.”
Elisander's hands dipped into his pockets. “W-well...” he began, “that talent, like any other, requires a great deal of practice. You will never learn how to converse with strangers if you spend the entire night standing against the wall, pouting and sulking.”
“Pouting?” the lady gasped. “I never pout!”
“You are pouting right now, my lady,” the young man pointed out.
Reverting to a stoic expression, Darcy asked, “I am making an attempt to converse with you, am I not? Even though I don't care to, and even though I find you marginally pleasant, I'm forcing myself to speak to you.”
“Then... by all means, leave!” Elisander made a sweeping gesture with his arm. “If you find me so intolerable, you needn't subject yourself to my company a moment longer!”
Darcy's next question surprised him. “Will you dance with me?”
It was such a preposterous change of subject, Elisander had to chuckle. “Are you serious? You refer to me as marginally tolerable, and now you expect me to accept a dance with you? I've never heard anything so ridiculous in all my life!”
“I never dance. You should consider yourself lucky to receive an offer,” replied an apathetic Darcy.
“No offense, my lady, but I would sooner dance with a pig,” Elisander coolly replied. “A filthy pig, even. A pig that repeatedly attempts to—”
Before Elisander could finish his rejection, he was silenced by a roar of gunfire.