Part 3: The Lady is a Trap...

Mr Darcy was troubled and Mr Darcy was seldom troubled, least of all, by women. To his mind, the fairer sex rarely warranted further consideration beyond what social niceties dictated. A certain Elizabeth Bennet, however, was rapidly becoming an exception to the rule.

The once merely tolerable Miss Bennet of Longbourne was lately a regular visitor in his private deliberations. For a man so steeped in convention, it was incomprehensible that he should be so tempted by someone beneath him socially. That he, a man of stature in genteel community could be susceptible to the limited charms of one outside his sphere was laughable. Nonetheless having spent time with her at close quarters, he had begun to view her in a rather different light despite his earlier remarks to Bingley.

Much to his own dismay, her very presence aroused a kind of curiosity that he felt sure was decidedly inappropriate to entertain. More than anything he was eager to hear her speak – more eager than he was ready to admit to. Her lively manner both astounded and fascinated him. To meet a young woman who was so transparent with her notions and so free with her wit was rare in the circles he traversed. Was it vulgar impropriety on her part? Mr Darcy was increasingly uncertain regarding that point. To complicate matters further, he could detect no vulgarity in her speech even if her sportive and combative way of talking had left him reeling on occasion.

No doubt, Elizabeth Bennet was turning into an irresistible force of nature that commanded his interest. Her wit was sharp and surprising – qualities that made her insidiously attractive to a man of the world. In Darcy's tumultuous mind, she could not be so easily dismissed and ignored. It would be easier to set aside these newfound feelings if the woman in question had fewer admirable traits. Still, her lively talents distinguished her from most of her sex. Hence, the continuing dilemma for Mr Darcy on this very point. Clearly, her intelligence would be an asset to any man running a large household as Darcy had to grudgingly concede but her lowly connections would make her an unsuitable candidate for a gentleman of his stature. Convention had it that social standing trumped any desirable personal attributes. It wasn't necessary to like one's spouse but it was advisable to do so.

Darcy was racked with indecision. The whole affair was impossible and yet the very thought of the woman herself was making him question the wisdom of social conventions that had been the bedrock of the gentry. Wrestling with the contradictions of his predicament was a novel situation for someone whose entire life was mapped out from birth. Clearly it had to be the foreign air around him which was diminishing his power to reason. How he allowed himself to be led around the noose by Bingley in the first place, was a matter for speculation.

Being attracted to a woman so irrationally was both a terrifying and exhilarating experience for Darcy. He tried desperately to put these thoughts to bed because a lifelong union was surely not a matter to be decided by sentiment.

At Netherfield Miss Bennet was quick to observe his discomfiture in her presence but credited that to his aversion of her or her class. Perhaps the great Mr Darcy was uneasy about slumming it with women of inferior antecedents.

She was secretly amused by his half-hearted attempts to make conversation with her. It obviously pained him to do so but perhaps Mr Darcy was not completely devoid of some of the social graces he was at pains not to demonstrate at Meryton.

Miss Bennet could not be blamed for not realising Mr Darcy's growing attraction to her as it was the furthest thing from her mind. During her time at Netherfield s she only had thoughts for her sister and it was inconceivable that a man who had held her in contempt only days before would suffer a complete change of mind so soon.

The pull to Miss Elizabeth Bennet was very strong indeed and Darcy knew it foolish on his part to give attention to a woman who was destined to be a ship passing in the night.

But then... he was a man who did not understand that he was falling in love.