Swipe Left on Mr. Darcy — One Dance, Page 13
By Suha · Published
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Transcript
The night curdles as the Bennets perform at full volume. Mrs. Bennet, boasting loudly to a cluster of guests and gesturing at Jane and Bingley: 'That's my Jane. Practically engaged!' Nearby, Lizzie shuts her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose, mortified. Lydia, tipsy and loud, raises her drink high: 'Another rounddd!' Jane and Bingley exchange an awkward, blushing glance. Caroline sips her champagne, smug and delighted at the spectacle. Across the room, Darcy watches the whole loud scene with an unreadable, faintly disapproving stillness.
Image description
A six-panel montage: Mrs. Bennet boasts about Jane, Lizzie cringes, a tipsy Lydia hollers for another round, Jane and Bingley look mortified, Caroline smirks, and Darcy watches it all coldly.
About this chapter
The party Lydia bullied Bingley into throwing lights Netherfield up for the night. Lizzie comes dressed to see one person — George — and he never shows, ducking the one room Darcy is in and leaving only a breezy 'long story' text behind. Jane and Bingley fall into each other on sight; Caroline circles; and then Darcy, stiff and unexpected, crosses the whole floor to ask Lizzie for a single dance. She says yes before her pride can stop her. The dance is close, charged, and honest in a way neither of them planned — until she pushes on George's name and Darcy goes cold and guarded, warning her, without explaining, to be careful whose story she believes. She reads the chill as guilt. The night curdles as her family performs at full volume and Darcy watches it all; Lizzie steps out to the terrace with her verdict louder than ever and the ghost of his hand still at her waist. She leaves more tangled than she arrived — certain she was right about him, and unable to forget the dance.