The following days, Mrs Bennet and the youngest two Miss Bennets asked incessantly about Mr Bingley. What did he look like? Was he handsome? Was he amiable? Was he young? All of their attention was fixated on Eleazar, as Mr Bennet had barricaded himself inside his study. Unwilling to entertain any of his relatives with tales about the illustrious Mr Bingley.

Eleazar wasn't any more fond of all the attention, yet he had no excuses to evade his mother and sisters. Their questions would be answered no matter the price, nor his excuses.

"My dear Eleazar, no need to be timid. You can tell us if he was good looking."

In the end he cracked under the pressure of their incessant bickering and told them everything he knew, which wasn't much, but for them every drop of information was a treasured drop of gold.

Luckily he got saved from repeating his assessments with the arrival of Mr Bingley. They locked themselves in Mr Bennet's library for a short conversation. He didn't show any displeasure at not seeing any of the ladies whose beauty was widely proclaimed. Eleazar's sisters on the other hand were far more lucky as they could spot from an upper window that he wore a blue cloak and rode a black horse.

Now that some form of tranquillity had returned to Longbourn, was it naturally disturbed with new plans and intentions.

Mr Bingley would dine in Longbourn and officially be introduced to the Bennet sisters. The natural consequence of this, was a Mrs Bennet flying through the house to get everything in uppermost condition. She had planned every course that would show the best parts of Longbourn, when a letter arrived.

Mr Bingley was unfortunately indisposed and would be unable to dine with them on that date. The nerves of Mrs Bennet were naturally fried from that message and the mood in Longbourn had incurably been shoured.

That was until Lady Lucas suggested Mr Bingley had returned to London to collect his party for the ball. This was quickly confirmed by others, and the rumour was that Mr Bingley would return with twelve ladies and seven gentlemen.

The horror. So many faces that would obscure them from seeing Mr

Bingley and him seeing them. Not even the promise of eligible gentlemen and women could solve that.

Mrs Bennet's worries were subsided the day before the ball, with the notion that only six ladies would be there. And all of them family from Mr Bingley.

But when the party entered the assembly room, there were only five people in total.

Mr Bingley of course, his sister Caroline Bingley. Another sister with her husband, and another young man.

Eleazar was sitting in the company of Jane and Charlotte, they were watching the dancers. Although this was merely a disguise to look at Mr Bingley and his company. Charlotte had already established he was good-looking and gentlemanlike, as a good possible suitor ought to be. His countenance was pleasant and his manners were easy and unaffected.

His sisters were fine women, the one you expect to meet when in London. Their manners and fashion rivalled everyone in the ballroom, though Eleazar was sure Jane looked far more beautiful than they ever could.

The brother-in-law merely looked the part his wife was. The reason why such a fine lady would marry him, was entirely unclear to Eleazar, though Jane did disagree. For her every human was special, Mr Hurst specialness was just unclear.

The last friend though, Mr Darcy, found the attention of everyone in the room transfixed on him.

He was tall, with fine handsome features, everything one could wish for in a suitor's looks. And the rumour quickly spread in the room that he had ten thousand a year. He was looked at with great admiration and pronounced much more handsome than Mr Bingley.

That was until his manners came into the judging view of the crowd.

He was proud, to be above his company, above being pleased. And even his large estate in Derbyshire couldn't save him from their ire, the least of all Mrs Bennet's. He had the most forbidding, disagreeable countenance and was unworthy to even stand in the shade of Mr Hurst.

Mr Bingley had been the utmost perfection of a gentleman. Dancing every dance, making himself acquainted with everyone in the room. And most importantly talking about organising a ball himself.

Mr Darcy on the other hand only danced twice, both with the ladies of his own party. Declined being introduced to anyone else, and spent his evening walking the room and occasionally conversing with the members of his own party.

His fate was sealed, though he might have been saved for Mrs Bennet had he watched his words with more care.

Eleazar hadn't danced two dances, because of the scarcity of partners. During that time Mr Darcy had been standing close enough by, that his conversations could be heard without trying. And oh, did Eleazar try not to hear him.

"Come Darcy,"said Mr Bingley, "I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance."

"I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such assembly as this it would be insupportable."

Till this point in the conversation could Eleazar agree with Mr Darcy. He too did not enjoy dancing with someone he was not acquainted with. Dancing could be amazing, but standing in close quarters with the wrong person, could give one nightmares for years.

"Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in this room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with."

Elezara bristled in barely contained rage at the insult at his sisters and Charlotte. That his own fate was sealed by that statement didn't bother him too much. Other people would come, Mr Darcy not being interested in him was certainly not a compliment.

"I would not be so fastidious as you are," cried Mr Bingley, "for a kingdom! Upon my honour, I never met with so many pleasant people in my life as I have this evening; and there are several of them you see uncommonly pretty."

"You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room," said Mr Dracy while looking at Jane.

It was a backhanded compliment, but a compliment nonetheless, one Eleazar would certainly tell Jane about.

"Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of her siblings sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you."

Eleazar tried to disappear in the background, while making a mental note about Mr Bingley's obliviousness.

"Which do you mean? And turning round he looked for a moment at Eleazar, till he caught his unwilling eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said: "He is tolerable I suppose, but not someone that can tempt me; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young people who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me."

They walked away, leaving Eleazar behind in a shocked state. To say those words aloud, knowingly the one spoken about could hear them. But not one to be disturbed by others' opinions about him, did he tell the story with great spirit to his friends.

The whole evening was pleasant enough to the Bennet family. Mary had been complimented about her knowledge, Kitty and Lydia had danced the entire night. Mrs Bennet had seen her daughter dance with Mr Bingley and Eleazar hadn't been forgotten by the party.

Mr Darcy's words had hurt her pride, but in comparison to the other happenings of the evening was it only a mild inconvenience.

When they returned home to Longbourn, they found Mr Bennet up and reading. He was in eager anticipation of his wife's crushed dreams. When it became clear that was far from the case, did he try to unsuccessfully hide in his study.

"Oh! My dear Mr Bennet," as she entered the room, "we have had such a wonderful evening, a most excellent ball. I wish you had been there. Jane was so admired, nothing could be like it. Everybody said how well she looked; and Mr Bingley thought her quite beautiful, and danced with her twice. Only think of that my dear; he actually danced with her twice; and she was the only creature in the room he asked a second time."

This was the point where Mr Bennet tried to actually hide behind Eleazar, who had grown beyond the height of his father at age sixteen.

"First Miss Lucas was asked, I don't know why as she is so plain. However he didn't admire her at all, and when he saw Jane enter the floor he was so fascinated by her beauty that he asked to be introduced. So the second was Jane, third was Miss King, fourth Maria Lucas. And the fifth, again with Jane."

Eleazar remembered the warm fuzzy feeling in his chest as he saw his older sister being led to the dance floor for a second time.

"The sixth with Eli, and the Boulanger–"

"If he had any pity for me," cried Mr Bennet, "he would not have danced half as much! Say no more of his partners, I wish he had sprained his ankle during the first."

Mrs Bennet wasn't slighted in the least by her husband's interruption, nor lack of care. She made another attempt to interest her husband by mentioning the details of Mrs Hurst's dress. But that turn of conversation was just as unwanted as the first.

Therefore there was one more topic she could use; Mr Darcy's shocking rudeness against Eleazar. With much bitterness did she recount the occasion and retold it with some exaggeration.

"But I can assure you," she added, "that Eli does not lose much by not suiting his fancy; for he is a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing. Not handsome enough to dance with! I quite detest that man."