flourish.
I was slightly out of breath at the end, my cheeks flushed from the adrenaline of performing, and my mind blessedly clear.
"Bravo!" Jane cheered.
"That was brilliant!" Charles's eyes were wide. He kept looking from me to the piano.
"That was loud," Caroline replied from the couch. She looked bored.
Charles came over and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Lizzie, I don't think our piano could stand to be played by anyone else after that."
Caroline got up from the couch. "Is it time for dinner, or are we going to have to listen to more pounding? I already have a headache from the drive."
Darcy laughed. "I guess Bartok's not for everybody."
"You knew that was Bartok?" I was surprised.
He shrugged. "I pay attention in music class."
"Please," Charles began to say, "it's more like --"
Darcy shot Charles a look, which made it clear that he didn't want him to continue.
Caroline sat down at the table. "Well, I guess we know that all it takes for somebody to get a scholarship at Longbourn is the ability to make a lot of noise."
Jane came up to me and whispered, "Don't listen to Caroline. She 's just jealous. I don't think she likes the way Darcy is looking at you."
"What? She wants to be looked at with absolute contempt?" I whispered back.
"Lizzie!"
"I'm just saying ..."
We sat down at the dining room table and began to dive into Henry's wonderful meal.
"Are you sure we can't convince you to go skiing with us tomorrow?" Charles asked me. "I'm sure Darcy wouldn't mind giving you some pointers."
"Of course," Darcy said, unenthused.
"Oh, thanks. But I have this thing against bodily harm."
Charles laughed. "I'm sure you'd be fine."
"I appreciate your confidence in me. Unfortunately, I'm more comfortable at a piano than in the snow."
"Well, if you are even one percent as good a skier as you are a pianist, you'd no doubt ski circles around us. But I understand.Henry will take good care of you tomorrow. I really want you to make yourself at home here. Consider yourself family."
I ignored Caroline's snort. Charles was so genuine and had such a positive attitude, I wished more people were like him. The world, I imagined, would be a better place with more Charles Bingleys than Caroline Bingleys ... or even Will Darcys.
7.
I WENT DOWNSTAIRS THE FOLLOWING MORNING TO FIND everybody at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and eating an amazing spread that Henry had prepared.
"Good morning," Charles greeted me. "How did you sleep?"
"Great, thanks!" I helped myself to a bagel. "Charles, is there a bookstore in town? I forgot to pick up a copy of
The Canterbury Tales
before I left and I need to work on my assignment for English. I thought I could walk into town while you guys went skiing." I walked over to the closet to grab my coat.
Darcy got up. "Don't be silly -- I'll drive you."
"No, it's okay."
He ignored me and grabbed his coat.
"Don't you have skiing to do?" I asked.
"The slopes aren't going anywhere," he replied as he opened up the front door.
It was bright out from the sun glistening off the snow. We walked over to the car in silence, the only noise coming from the fresh snow crunching under our feet. Darcy went over to the passenger side and opened the door. I stopped in my tracks.
"I thought you said you were driving."
He looked perplexed. "I'm just opening the door for you." "Oh."
I felt stupid that such a simple, chivalrous gesture could set off my defenses. I got into the car without saying another word.
We began to listen to the ski report on the radio on the short drive into town.
Darcy turned down the volume. "Today is a great day for skiing, are you sure we can't persuade you to join us? It really is fun."
"No, thanks," I said as I looked out at the snow-covered mountains. "I don't think anybody would consider a visit to the emergency room fun."
Darcy let out a small laugh. "Okay, that seems fair enough. But I can't help but wonder why you would come all this way to a ski weekend if you
I was slightly out of breath at the end, my cheeks flushed from the adrenaline of performing, and my mind blessedly clear.
"Bravo!" Jane cheered.
"That was brilliant!" Charles's eyes were wide. He kept looking from me to the piano.
"That was loud," Caroline replied from the couch. She looked bored.
Charles came over and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Lizzie, I don't think our piano could stand to be played by anyone else after that."
Caroline got up from the couch. "Is it time for dinner, or are we going to have to listen to more pounding? I already have a headache from the drive."
Darcy laughed. "I guess Bartok's not for everybody."
"You knew that was Bartok?" I was surprised.
He shrugged. "I pay attention in music class."
"Please," Charles began to say, "it's more like --"
Darcy shot Charles a look, which made it clear that he didn't want him to continue.
Caroline sat down at the table. "Well, I guess we know that all it takes for somebody to get a scholarship at Longbourn is the ability to make a lot of noise."
Jane came up to me and whispered, "Don't listen to Caroline. She 's just jealous. I don't think she likes the way Darcy is looking at you."
"What? She wants to be looked at with absolute contempt?" I whispered back.
"Lizzie!"
"I'm just saying ..."
We sat down at the dining room table and began to dive into Henry's wonderful meal.
"Are you sure we can't convince you to go skiing with us tomorrow?" Charles asked me. "I'm sure Darcy wouldn't mind giving you some pointers."
"Of course," Darcy said, unenthused.
"Oh, thanks. But I have this thing against bodily harm."
Charles laughed. "I'm sure you'd be fine."
"I appreciate your confidence in me. Unfortunately, I'm more comfortable at a piano than in the snow."
"Well, if you are even one percent as good a skier as you are a pianist, you'd no doubt ski circles around us. But I understand.Henry will take good care of you tomorrow. I really want you to make yourself at home here. Consider yourself family."
I ignored Caroline's snort. Charles was so genuine and had such a positive attitude, I wished more people were like him. The world, I imagined, would be a better place with more Charles Bingleys than Caroline Bingleys ... or even Will Darcys.
7.
I WENT DOWNSTAIRS THE FOLLOWING MORNING TO FIND everybody at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and eating an amazing spread that Henry had prepared.
"Good morning," Charles greeted me. "How did you sleep?"
"Great, thanks!" I helped myself to a bagel. "Charles, is there a bookstore in town? I forgot to pick up a copy of
The Canterbury Tales
before I left and I need to work on my assignment for English. I thought I could walk into town while you guys went skiing." I walked over to the closet to grab my coat.
Darcy got up. "Don't be silly -- I'll drive you."
"No, it's okay."
He ignored me and grabbed his coat.
"Don't you have skiing to do?" I asked.
"The slopes aren't going anywhere," he replied as he opened up the front door.
It was bright out from the sun glistening off the snow. We walked over to the car in silence, the only noise coming from the fresh snow crunching under our feet. Darcy went over to the passenger side and opened the door. I stopped in my tracks.
"I thought you said you were driving."
He looked perplexed. "I'm just opening the door for you." "Oh."
I felt stupid that such a simple, chivalrous gesture could set off my defenses. I got into the car without saying another word.
We began to listen to the ski report on the radio on the short drive into town.
Darcy turned down the volume. "Today is a great day for skiing, are you sure we can't persuade you to join us? It really is fun."
"No, thanks," I said as I looked out at the snow-covered mountains. "I don't think anybody would consider a visit to the emergency room fun."
Darcy let out a small laugh. "Okay, that seems fair enough. But I can't help but wonder why you would come all this way to a ski weekend if you
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