The Bennet sisters soon visited the ladies at Netherfield, and the visit was returned. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst liked Jane because of her sweet manners. However, they thought Mrs. Bennet was an unpleasant woman and the younger sisters were not worth talking to. They decided to be friendly only to Jane and Elizabeth.
Jane was very happy about this, but Elizabeth did not trust them. She saw that they acted as if they were better than everyone else. She knew they were only being nice to Jane because their brother, Mr. Bingley, admired her.
It was clear to everyone that Mr. Bingley liked Jane. Elizabeth also noticed that Jane was falling in love with him. However, Jane was very good at hiding her feelings. She was always calm and cheerful, so most people could not tell she was in love. Elizabeth mentioned this to her friend, Charlotte Lucas.
“It is good to be careful,” Charlotte said, “but sometimes it is a mistake to hide your feelings too well. If a woman hides her love from the man she likes, she might lose him. A man needs encouragement. In fact, it is often better for a woman to show more love than she actually feels to make sure she keeps him.”
“But Jane is not acting a part,” Elizabeth replied. “She has only known him for two weeks. She doesn't even know if she truly loves him yet.”
“Happiness in marriage is just a matter of luck,” Charlotte said. “Even if a couple knows each other well before they marry, they will still change and have problems later. It is actually better to know as little as possible about the faults of the person you are going to marry.”
Elizabeth laughed. “You know that’s not true, Charlotte. You would never do that yourself.”
While Elizabeth was watching Mr. Bingley and Jane, she did not realize that Mr. Darcy was starting to become interested in her. At first, he hadn't even thought she was pretty. At the ball, he looked at her only to find things he didn't like. But soon, he began to notice her beautiful dark eyes and her lively, fun personality. Elizabeth had no idea. To her, he was still the proud man who thought she wasn't "handsome enough" to dance with.
He began to listen to her conversations with other people to learn more about her. This happened at a large party at Sir William Lucas’s house.
“Why is Mr. Darcy listening to us?” Elizabeth whispered to Charlotte.
“Only Mr. Darcy can answer that,” Charlotte replied.
Later, Elizabeth played the piano and sang. She was followed by her sister Mary, who worked very hard at music because she was the only sister who was not pretty. Mary wanted to show off, but she didn't have much talent and she acted very seriously.
While the younger girls and some officers were dancing, Mr. Darcy stood alone, watching them. Sir William Lucas went to stand next to him.
“What a wonderful thing dancing is!” Sir William said. “It is very elegant.”
“Yes,” Darcy replied coldly. “Every simple person in the world can dance.”
Sir William only smiled. When Elizabeth walked toward them, Sir William had an idea. He called out to her, “My dear Miss Eliza, why aren’t you dancing? Mr. Darcy, you must let me introduce this young lady to you as a partner. You cannot refuse to dance with such a beautiful woman!”
He took Elizabeth’s hand to give it to Mr. Darcy. Darcy was surprised but willing to take it. However, Elizabeth quickly pulled her hand away.
“I have no intention of dancing, sir,” she told Sir William. “I didn't come this way to look for a partner.”
Mr. Darcy politely asked her to dance with him, but Elizabeth refused again and walked away. Darcy was not angry; in fact, he was thinking about her with a smile when Miss Bingley walked up to him.
“I can guess what you are thinking,” she said. “You are thinking how boring these people are.”
“Not at all,” Darcy replied. “I was thinking about the great pleasure that a pair of beautiful eyes in the face of a pretty woman can give.”
Miss Bingley looked at him immediately. “And who is the lady with these eyes?”
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet,” Darcy answered.
“Elizabeth Bennet!” Miss Bingley cried. “I am so surprised! When did she become a favorite? When is the wedding?”
“That is what I expected you to say,” Darcy said calmly. “A lady’s imagination moves very fast. It jumps from liking someone to love and marriage in a moment.”
Miss Bingley continued to tease him, but Darcy did not care. He remained calm, and she realized she could not make him feel uncomfortable.