Now Lizzy laughed openly. “Sir, you mistake the purpose of such an exchange. It is certainly not about the dimensions of the room or the number of couples. The parties are merely trying to sketch each other’s character so that they might discover if this is a person they would like to get to know better. If that is the case, one can hope that another conversation about some weightier matter might follow in a quieter venue.”

“But you are an intelligent woman. Do you not find the whole exercise to be tedious?”

“No, I do not, and may I add that you puzzle me. You tell me you are uncomfortable conversing with those with whom you are not acquainted, but then you complain about a lack of conversation. This puts me in mind of a gentleman I met at a card party. He said that he did not like the food and then grumbled that there was not enough of it.”

“I realize that is a contradiction,” he said, crossing and uncrossing his legs, indicating his discomfort.

“It is indeed. I take it that what you really want to do is to begin in the middle. Somehow, without benefit of introductions or the casual conversation that follows, you may come to know your party well enough to discuss what? The war with France? No matter how well acquainted you are with your party, you will have little success with such a topic in a ballroom or assembly hall. Those are subjects best reserved for dinner parties where you are not trying to speak above the dancers and musicians.”

“I see,” Darcy said, nodding his head in understanding. “You are recommending that if I wish to have a substantive conversation at some future date, then I must become better acquainted with my neighbors so that I might be invited to these more intimate venues. I must lay the foundation for weightier discussions by talking to Mr. Long about his purchase of a breeding pair of Border Leicester sheep, or I must give ear to Mrs. Long, who is unhappy with the quality of fabric being sold in the village. I am quite capable of conversing about sheep, as it is a frequent topic of discussion with my steward and tenants, but I am less sure about my ability to wax eloquent on the quality of calico and muslin.”