Vampire and Prejudice

Chapter 15 - Darcy

I was utterly at a loss as to what I had done to so displease my Elizabeth. By the end of the dance we were both dissatisfied. My feelings had a single target—Wickham. The villain had done his best to warm himself to the surrounding people, including her. Enough so that the discord between us looked more and more to be the fault on my end. Knowing Wickham, Hertfordshire would soon catch up—his good standing never lasted long—to what a despicable man he was, though their knowledge would only hold a fraction of mine.

Debating my pool of influential people in the army and whether I could get Wickham sent elsewhere or even dismissed entirely, I was accosted by Mr. Collins, who was even more awkward and ridiculous close up. He endeavored to do most of the speaking, earning my contempt and displeasure with him—none of which seemed to deter him in the slightest.

"And let me thank you for honoring my cousin, Miss Elizabeth, with the pleasure of dancing with you. Lady Catherine, I am sure, will see it as your recommendation of her beauty and character," the man blabbered on.

I stole a glance toward my Elizabeth, who watched the exchange with guarded dread. If this was her best hope for the future—to keep house for her cousin when he took ownership of Longbourn or stay as his guest and relation in the house with the benefit of his mercy—her situation was dire indeed. I spent but a few moments in this troll's company to never wish it upon myself again. Pity bloomed in my heart. My dear, poor Elizabeth. I glanced in her direction again, but she had abandoned her position and moved elsewhere. Where exactly, I could not determine, though I looked around with great intention.

"Thank you, Mr. Collins," I dismissed the man with hardly a bow and quitted him and the room. She was not engaged in a dance, so she must be enjoying the entertainment in another room. Or perhaps covering in shame in some darkened corner. Even better, I thought. I longed to comfort her; I longed for her to let me. Though I could scarcely hope to hold her hand again, if I was honest with myself.

With that in mind, I was determined to ask her to dance once more, to soothe whatever had transpired between us, to find the source of her displeasure and untangle it until everything was satisfactorily resolved. Was it presumptuous of me for wanting to part with her as friends?

I found her in a room talking with Miss Bingley. My eyes narrowed at that exchange and it was all it took for Miss Bingley to quickly find another occupation. Good, she had learned well. My Elizabeth, however, was determined not to see me and walked past me as though I was nothing. What were a few more cuts when my heart was already bleeding.

I followed her progress at a respectable distance, which led me to be in the earshot of a peculiar conversation Mrs. Bennet was having with other matrons of the neighborhood. The words she was uttering compelled me to stop in my tracks.

"It really will be such a wonderful thing to have my eldest daughters married. And my youngest are sure to benefit from those marriages not only by means of connections, but I am sure my two eldest would play better chaperones than I could at my age when I would really rather spend my time in comfort and not in all of these ballrooms evening after evening. My Jane, of course, has the bulk of the benefit, marrying such an amiable and rich gentleman, but Lizzy, too, will have her place in good society."

What?

"Being a clergyman's wife, I believe she will find a lot of useful employment. And then she will be the mistress of Longbourn, which surely will bring her a lot of satisfaction and will benefit the family beautifully."

WHAT?!

I stumbled away blindly, almost running into nearby furniture twice. My ears were veritably bleeding from such unhappy news. Had Bingley gotten engaged and failed to mention it to me? Had Elizabeth?