Free Gay Pride and Prejudice by Kate Christie Page A

her brother’s conversation with Jane.
    Mr. Darcy’s attention appeared nearly as much engaged in watching Miss Bingley’s progress through her book, as in writing his letter. Several times he made a low-voiced inquiry, to which she replied in a matching tone, and read on. At length, frowning furiously, he gave up attempting to write and took up a book himself. But he did not become invested in the content, and at last threw aside his book, casting his eyes round the room in quest for some distraction.
    “I say, Mr. Darcy,” said Caroline, setting her own volume aside, “you make it nearly impossible to concentrate. What about your letter? Surely dear Georgiana will be disappointed if you do not finish it?”
    The look he leveled at her was noticeably cross, and she recognized immediately that he was in no mood for their usual veiled banter, probably because he had not received nearly as many missives in response lately as he had once been known to do. Hearing her brother mentioning a ball to Miss Bennet, she turned towards him and said: “By the bye, Charles, are you serious in meditating a dance at Netherfield? I would advise you, before you determine on it, to consult the wishes of the present party. I am much mistaken if there are not some among us to whom a ball would be rather a punishment than a pleasure.” She found balls, frankly, exhausting, with all of the compulsory dancing with men who bored her combined with the necessity of pretending not to gaze overlong at pretty women dressed in their finest gowns.
    “If you mean Darcy,” said her brother, “he may go to bed, if he chooses, before it begins—but as for the ball, it is quite a settled thing; and as soon as Nicholls has made white soup enough, I shall send round my cards.”
    “I should like balls infinitely better,” replied she, “if they were carried on in a different manner; but there is something tedious in the usual process of such a meeting. It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing were made the order of the day.”
    “Much more rational, my dear Caroline, I dare say; but it would not be near so much like a ball.”
    Caroline made no answer, and soon afterwards she got up to walk about the room. After a moment, pausing beside Elizabeth, she said: “Miss Bennet, let me persuade you to follow my example, and take a turn about the room. I assure you it is very refreshing after sitting so long in one attitude.” Louisa glanced their way suspiciously, but Caroline kept a polite smile fixed to her lips.
    Elizabeth was surprised, but agreed to it immediately, as Caroline had remained pleasant to her throughout the day. Darcy looked up, as much awake to attention in that quarter as Elizabeth herself could be. He was directly invited to join their party, but he declined it, observing that he could imagine but two motives for their choosing to walk up and down the room together, with either of which his joining them would interfere.
    “Do you understand his meaning?” Elizabeth asked Caroline as they reached the far end of the room.
    “Usually only too well,” was her answer. “But not this time. Depend upon it, however, he means to be severe on us, and our surest way of disappointing him will be to ask nothing about it.”
    Despite the rancor in Darcy’s tone, she was not concerned that he would expose her. She knew that he was as glad as she was to have discovered a trusted confidante. From the day one of his “sister’s” letters had found its way into her stack of correspondence, their friendship had developed a far deeper aspect. Each finally had an intimate friend with whom they could be absolutely honest without fear of recrimination, and even if sometimes one or the other of them took their longstanding game of teasing a bit too far, they would never purposely endanger one another’s reputation. Given what they were, a sense of safety was something each prized dearly, and mistrusted