Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 2: A Friendly Discussion

The next day, Pumyra, Kit and their friend, Charlotte Lucas, met to discuss the party. The longtime friends talked about Lion O's coldness.
"Miss Wiley told me," said Pumyra, "that he only speaks to his own friends. With them he is remarkably agreeable."
"Maybe he has an excuse to be proud," suggested Charlotte. "He has family, fortune, everything in his favor."
"That is very true," laughed Kit. "Perhaps I could forgive his pride, if he hadn't wounded mine!" Lion O, however, was soon forgotten as the girls soon turned to a more interesting topic — the likelihood of a marriage between Pumyra and WileyKat!
"Don't hide your feelings," Charlotte warned Pumyra. "Few people can be in love without encouragement. In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better show her affection. WileyKat likes you, but you must let him know it."
"Your plan is a good one," noted Kit, "if the object is to get just any husband. But Pumyra wants someone extra special. She wants to be happy with her choice."
"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance," Charlotte insisted.
Even as Kit discussed the ways of love, she never guessed that she had become of interest to Lion O! At first, he told his friends that she held no attraction for him. But no sooner had he said this than he began to notice her good features. Her beautiful eyes. Her intelligent expression. And he was charmed by her playful manners.
Kit, however, hadn't the slightest idea of how Lion O felt. He decided to make his feelings, in some way, known to her. The next time he saw her, at Sir William Lucas' party, he quickly asked her to dance. But Kit declined his invitation. Remembering his rudeness at their last meeting, she turned away. Yet instead of being offended, Lion O was intrigued. But he couldn't understand or explain this sudden new feeling, not even to himself!