Mr. Darcy approached after having led Mary to Maria’s side. They soon joined Kitty and Lydia, and the girls made up their own table to play lottery tickets.
“Do you mean to play cards this evening?” Mr. Darcy asked, handing her a cup of punch.
“Indeed, Mr. Darcy,” she said lightly as she took the drink. “Will you play Vingt-Un or Whist?”
He studied her carefully. “Whist is a game of skill rather than of chance.”
Elizabeth sipped the punch and smiled. “Jane enjoys Vingt-Un because there is no chance of hurt feelings. Alas, Mr. Darcy, I too prefer Whist.”
“I did not say I prefer it,” he teased her, “only that it is a game of skill.”
“Very well, Mr. Darcy,” she replied boldly. “If you wish to play lottery tickets with my younger sisters, I am sure they shall make room for you.”
He shook his head and gazed at her, his eyes softening with what Elizabeth hoped was fondness. “I should like to make up a whist table with you as my partner, Miss Elizabeth.”
“Before I accept your offer, I must ask—how well do you play, sir?” she asked with a humorous sort of suspicion.
“You must either partner me or oppose me to discover that, Miss Elizabeth. Which do you choose?”
He was witty and clever under all his gravity, and Elizabeth rather enjoyed prompting him to reveal it. Playing cards with him would be a pleasure. “Oh,” she said, pretending to fan herself, “I would prefer to partner with you, Mr. Darcy. I suspect you are rather a ruthless card player, and I would not like to be allied against you.”
His smile was slight and wry. “Wise,” he told her. “Very wise.”
They played most of the evening, and Elizabeth discovered she had been correct. He had an excellent memory and was a quick thinker, even more so than Mr. Fitzwilliam, who had partnered Charlotte.
“You think he is vicious now,” Mr. Fitzwilliam said to Charlotte, “you should play against him at Piquet or Quadrille.”
“I only play for a bit of fun,” Charlotte said pleasantly. “Although I should like to watch, if he is as good as you say.”
The tips of Mr. Darcy’s ears turned red, and he shot his cousin a heated glare. “There was a great deal of waiting involved in the army, and a deck of cards is simple enough to carry.”
“He might have been rich off his winnings had he not been so forgiving about debts of honour,” Mr. Fitzwilliam replied.
“I did not play for the stakes,” Mr. Darcy said. “If a man required a lesson, I taught it to him, but I played to keep my mind engaged and to pass the time.”
“That is commendable, Mr. Darcy,” Charlotte assured him, and Mr. Fitzwilliam frowned.
That was interesting. Mr. Fitzwilliam did not mind singing his cousin’s praises, but he did not like it when Charlotte did the same.
Elizabeth happened to agree with her friend. Mr. Darcy was a very good man.
She tried not to recall how it had felt, being pressed against Mr. Darcy’s chest as he prevented her fall. How easily he had lifted her and set her to rights, which reminded her of being swept into his arms after Jane’s accident. Her cheeks warmed, and she tipped her head down a bit to focus on her cards.
“That is foolish,” Mr. Fitzwilliam was arguing, “for there were times the loser only spent his coin on drink. Darcy would have used it for better things.”
“What a man does with his money is not my concern so long as he harms no one else with it,” Mr. Darcy grumbled. “Leave off, cousin.” He laid a card down.
“Ah,” Mr. Fitzwilliam said, laying down his own, “I believe this trick goes to me.”
No one could distract Elizabeth like her sisters. Apparently, that also held true for Mr. Darcy and his cousin. Charlotte directed a small smile in Mr. Fitzwilliam’s direction.
Mr. Fitzwilliam stood and wandered to the next table whilst Charlotte went to speak with some of their neighbours.
“Bingley, are your sisters not with you this evening?” Darcy inquired.
“No,” Mr. Bingley replied, his pleasant expression pinching into something nearly sour. “They are much occupied, I am afraid. They shall be sorry to have missed such a wonderful party.”
Aunt Phillips was near enough to hear the exchange, and she smiled. “We are very pleased to have you here with us tonight, Mr. Bingley.”