Blood and Prejudice: Part I
By Anna Liu
Part I: Vampires in Meryton
Elizabeth Bennet had had no intention of eavesdropping when she first came down the stairs. When she heard the shrill tones her mother usually reserved for scandal, however, it was difficult to resist. The problem with being a proper young lady, Elizabeth decided, was that it was far too demanding a task for any one soul. Elizabeth conceded that she and her sister Jane, made admirable efforts in the face of such impossibility, but their other three sisters were hopeless failures. Mary was too shy, preferring the pianoforte over conversation. Lydia was irksome and entirely oblivious of what constituted politeness, and Kitty copied everything Lydia did. Mrs. Bennet wasn’t a shining example herself, but of course she was not young.
“Mr. Bennet, imagine a vampire residing in Netherfield Park. The thought of vampires in our refined society of Meryton makes me quite ill, and I am not inclined to complain about my constitution,” Mrs. Bennet cried.
“What is his name?” Mr. Bennet asked.
“Bingley. He is young and single and in possession of a very large fortune. One of our daughters will be very blessed indeed.”
Elizabeth clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Only money would override her mother’s fear of vampires. Mrs. Bennet was right to be skeptical, Elizabeth had to admit. Fifty years ago, the vampires had been the sort of thing only whispered about after dark. They were blamed when farmers and shepherds disappeared. Distrust tore communities apart. Everyone had accused their cousins and neighbors of being a bloodsucker. Just the mention of a vampire had inspired terror in every English heart, even the werewolf packs employed by the king. However, circumstances had changed. The kinder vampires had come forward and made amends for their more violent brethren, who were then turned over to the king for justice. Those vampires revealed themselves to society — and many of them were gentry-born. Reluctantly, England allowed them to integrate.
“He will be at the ball on Saturday, Mr. Bennet,” Mrs. Bennet added. “All the girls must be acquainted with him.”
“I’m sure you will see to it, my dear.”
Elizabeth made her way down the rest of the staircase and smiled at her parents innocently. Mr. Bennet smiled back. Mrs. Bennet just sighed.
“There are always far more ladies than gentlemen at these balls,” Elizabeth complained. She and Jane were limited to the wall, watching the dancers whirl by.
“Mr. Bingley has yet to make an appearance,” Jane said.
Elizabeth gave her a pointed look. “Don’t tell me you’re nursing Mother’s fantasy about one of us marrying him. He’s still a vampire, Jane.”
“Oh hush, Lizzie! That line of thinking is so old-fashioned. I’m sure he’s a perfectly respectful young man.”
The dance number ended and Mrs. Bennett bustled over to her eldest daughters. “Have you not danced with a single gentleman?”
“Mother, do you see any gentlemen that are not already plagued by swarms of young ladies?” Elizabeth asked.
As if in direct protest of her question, the ballroom door swung open. Three figures swept in with such grandeur that the entire ballroom fell silent, even the lively music coming to a halt. The vampires were dressed in all shades of the night. Two of them, a young man and a young woman, were so similar-looking they must have been related. Mrs. Bennet confirmed Elizabeth’s thought, whispering, “The one in the center, that’s Mr. Bingley and to his left is his sister, Miss Caroline Bingley.” Though they both had light hair and pale blue eyes, Mr. Bingley’s face seemed accustomed to smiles, while Miss Bingley’s looked permanently set in a haughty scowl.
The man on Mr. Bingley’s right, however, seemed to have the polar opposite of Mr. Bingley’s easy manner. His dark, inky hair was the exact same shade of his empty, soulless eyes. Elizabeth doubted very much that those eyes had ever laughed. She resisted shivering. He was the kind of vampire that mothers warned their children about. He was the kind of vampire that Elizabeth was determined to stay far, far away from.
“Mr. Darcy,” Mrs. Bennet said solemnly. “His fortune puts Mr. Bingley’s to shame. I didn’t know that he would be here.”
The people of Meryton recollected their manners and began the next dance.
Elizabeth turned to say something else to Jane, but her sister had already disappeared, dragged along by Mrs. Bennet to the three vampires silently surveying the room. Elizabeth followed out of curiosity more than anything else. She’d never seen a vampire up close.
“This is my eldest, Miss Jane Bennet. She is quite accomplished and easily the prettiest young lady in all of Meryton,” Mrs. Bennet cooed.
Mr. Bingley inclined his head. “An honor, Miss Bennet. Might I have the honor of dancing with you?” His gentle tone contradicted the fangs that glinted in the candlelight as he spoke.
Jane curtsied. “Of course, Mr. Bingley.” The two moved off to the dance floor.
Elizabeth watched with interest as Miss Bingley quickly excused herself from Mrs. Bennet’s prying questions and disappeared into the crowd. It was an intelligent move on her part, particularly if she wanted to avoid a headache for the remainder of the night. Mr. Darcy wasn’t as clever. Or perhaps, Jane realized, he simply did not care enough.
“Mr. Darcy, tell me, how do you find Meryton? Is it to your liking?”
Mr. Darcy gazed down his nose at Mrs. Bennet as if he was surprised she still remained. He did not reply.
From her vantage point, Elizabeth could not see her mother’s face, but she imagined it was a very indignant shade of red.
Eavesdropping was a more tantalizing habit than Elizabeth had first considered, and she chided herself for falling prey to its temptation once again. She turned to look for her sister and Mr. Bingley dancing among the other couples. Jane was saying something, and Mr. Bingley looked absolutely entranced.
Mrs. Bennet soon joined Elizabeth. “Mr. Bingley is a delight indeed. I’m so glad Netherfield Park is his! I wish I could say the same of Mr. Darcy. What an unpleasant character.”
“It is hard for me to believe that anyone would dare to be rude to you, Mother,” Elizabeth said.
Mrs. Bennet sighed in agreement. “Well, my dear Jane and Mr. Bingley make a handsome couple.”
Elizabeth nodded, then broke into a smile when she caught sight of her dearest friend, Charlotte Lucas, making her way towards her. The two embraced.
“My dear Lizzie, it has been far too long! You must come visit soon. I tire of only having my brothers and sister for company,” Charlotte said.
Elizabeth took her friend’s arm and steered her away from Mrs. Bennet, who was too caught up in watching her eldest dance to take notice anyway. “I would, but Mother never lets us take the carriage and the weather has been so grim of late.”
“I cannot believe Jane is dancing with a vampire. She doesn’t look frightened at all!”
“There is no reason she should be,” a frigid voice said from behind them.
Elizabeth and Charlotte turned to see Miss Bingley. Charlotte dropped into a curtsy. “Miss Bingley, forgive me. I spoke without thinking.”
“My brother,” Miss Bingley said, each word slow and deliberate, “is not the vampire you should fear.” She bared her fangs in a fearsome smile, directed to someone behind Elizabeth. “Hello, Mr. Darcy.”
“Miss Bingley,” Mr. Darcy replied. He stepped around them to Miss Bingley’s side. His deep, hollow voice reminded Elizabeth of a cloudy night. Utterly devoid of light. It reminded her of an old wive’s tale about vampires, the one that claimed vampires couldn’t walk in the sunlight. It was untrue, of course. How would a vampire accomplish anything if they were confined to the shadows? All the same, Mr. Darcy looked the sort to prefer the darkness.
“It appears these girls are frightened of vampires,” Miss Bingley said.
Mr. Darcy’s mask of disinterest did not falter. “Are you now?” His flat gaze fell on Elizabeth.
The dance ended, and Mr. Bingley and Jane’s arrival saved Elizabeth from finding a response.
“You must dance, Mr. Darcy,” Mr. Bingley urged his friend. “The ladies here are quite beautiful.”
Mr. Darcy arched a brow, the most emotion Elizabeth had seen on his face yet. It would have been more intriguing if the action wasn’t so clearly full of judgment. “I do not care to trouble myself with the exertion.”
“Ah, but I see you conversing with her sister, Miss Elizabeth. Don’t you wish to dance with her?” Mr. Bingley leaned forward, his face alight with amusement. Jane couldn’t seem to look away from him.
Elizabeth dared to meet eyes with Mr. Darcy again. Would she be able to bear dancing with a vampire? She could not deny that he was very handsome, even more so than Mr. Bingley.
“No, I do not. I do not find her beautiful in the least,” Mr. Darcy said. “I have had quite enough of this night. I’m leaving.”
“I shall accompany you,” Miss Bingley declared. She took Mr. Darcy’s arm, giving Elizabeth a parting smirk.
Mr. Bingley and Jane joined the next dance, but Elizabeth couldn’t bring herself to move. She had never before been humiliated in such a way, much less by a vampire. Charlotte hugged her in a consoling manner. “Lizzie, don’t listen to anything that horrid man says. You’re beautiful and all of Meryton knows it.”
Elizabeth forced a smile to her lips. “It’s already forgotten, Charlotte. Besides, I shall never see him again.”
Read Part II: Tea with a Vampire here.
