“That is because we were speaking of dancing. Earlier, Mr. Darcy had been talking to your father about that same subject, in which he expressed the opinion that, ‘Every savage can dance.’ And I do not care what Mr. Darcy thinks of me. I shall be very glad when I hear he has returned to London or to his grand estate in Derbyshire.”
“Lizzy, I do believe you are making a mistake. When a man of consequence such as Mr. Darcy admires you, you would do well to take notice.”
Chapter 2
In light of all that followed, Darcy regretted that he had not left Hertfordshire shortly after the assembly. The dark-haired Elizabeth Bennet had succeeded in capturing his attention as no other woman ever had. With each subsequent meeting, his admiration grew, and he soon found her occupying most of his waking moments.
While attending a gathering at the home of Sir William Lucas, he had listened in on her conversations and had followed her movements like some lovesick puppy. When Elizabeth came to stay at Netherfield Park to care for her ailing sister, her proximity exposed an underlying sexual tension that he found disconcerting. But it was no longer just the physical that he found so alluring. A series of conversations had revealed a woman who possessed a natural intelligence and who was confident enough to challenge the opinions of those with whom she disagreed, including his own.
Humiliated by his behavior, he had returned to London. But Elizabeth had followed him there. In his dreams, her presence was so real that he had imagined that he could taste her lips, smell the scent of her hair, and feel the rhythm of her body as she moved beneath him. And although it had been his intention to send word to Bingley that his business affairs required that he remain in town, after less than two weeks, he was on the road to Hertfordshire to attend the ball Bingley was hosting at Netherfield Park.