After dinner Eleazar was obliged to stay behind with the gentlemen while the ladies retired to the drawing room. He could only hope they would attend to Jane while he was indisposed. He did not hope too much and was proven right when he went to the drawing room and saw Jane wasn't present even though Miss Bingley and her sister had promised to bring her to the drawing room after dinner.

Eleazar quickly ran upstairs to Jane's room so she would be able to join the party downstairs, but was stopped three doors away from the safety of Jane's room by Mr Darcy.

The gentleman in question did nothing but stare at Eleazar for several moments before stepping to the side letting Eleazar continue on his path.

The whole encounter left a bad taste in Eleazar's mouth as he had ample time to think about it. With Jane present in the drawing room, did Mr Bingley arrive shortly after, and the first half an hour was spent in piling up the fire to ensure the venture downstairs would not create a relapse in Jane's health.

Once he was sure Jane was as comfortable as she was going to be, did Mr Bingley sat himself down next to her and did not even bother to speak with anyone else. Eleazar who was reading in a hidden corner looked at the scene with a soft smile on his lips, Jane truly had never looked happier.

Mr Darcy on the other hand looked like he had swallowed a lemon whole. The man had taken upon himself to try and read a book while Miss Bingley sat beside him reading the second volume. Neither of them really got any reading down, Miss Bingley not as she was more preoccupied by the page Mr Darcy was reading, and Mr Darcy not because Miss Bingley was preoccupied with checking how he was reading. It was quite clear that none of it was much to the liking of the gentleman in question.

Miss Bingley at long last gave up on trying to entertain herself with reading and yawned before addressing the room as a whole.

"How pleasant it is to spend an evening this way! I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library."

No one made any reply, as all vehemently tried to ignore her in the vague hope it would dissuade her from speaking more.

Miss Bingley yawned again before throwing her book to the side, an action that made both Eleazar's and Mr Darcy's eye twitch, and turning towards her brother and Jane when the mention of a ball was made.

"By the bye, Charles, are you really serious in mediating a dance at Netherfield? I would advise you, before you determine on it, to consult the wishes of the present party; I am much mistaken if there are not some among us to whom a ball would be rather a punishment than a pleasure."

Eleazar put his own book down with a lot more care than Miss Bingley had shown her own reading material. He knew it would do no good at all to think he would be able to read anymore this evening.

No tonight they would converse about the ball Mr Bingley had promised to Lydia, regardless of what anyone else in the room might think of it.

"If you mean Darcy, he may go to bed, if he chooses, before it begins—but as for the ball, it is quite a settled thing; and as soon as Nicholls had made enough white soup, I shall send around my cards."

Mr Bingley waved Miss Bingley's concerns away in a motion that Eleazar quite liked, the dismissing of the gentleman's opinion regarding of dancing was an opinion to his heart.

"I should like balls infinitely better, if they were carried on in a different manner; but there is something insufferably tedious in the usual process of such a meeting. It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing were made the order of the day."

Miss Bingley's attempt to cater to Mr Darcy's opinions did nothing but prove how desperate she was. Eleazar had seen it happen too many times the last few days to call it anything less.

It did nothing for her but show how little she knew about the world. Mr Darcy was not interested in her and would not suddenly become so, by her throwing her own opinions and personality out the metaphorical window.

"Much more rational, my dear Caroline, I dare say, but it would not be near so much like a ball."

Eleazar did not mind that the conversation seemed to die with Mr Bingley's remark, and was startled out of his content daydream by a Miss Bingley who suddenly stood right in front of him.

He did not like the sparkle in her eye, nor the way she was sneaking looks at Mr Darcy from the corner of her eyes.

"Mr Eli Bennet, let me persuade you to follow my example, and take a turn about the room. I assure you it is very refreshing after sitting so long in one attitude."

Eleazar could not think of any reason why Miss Bingley would possibly want to walk around the room with anyone, let alone with him. But he was unable to so no to such an innocent request, regardless of the fact that he knew it could not possibly be innocent.

Within a mere heartbeat he was proven right, as Mr Darcy's head snapped up when Eleazar stood up to join Miss Bingley in a stroll around the room. The lady in question had finally managed to attract the attention of her target, it appeared jealousy was a strong motivator.

Mr Darcy would of course never think Miss Bingley was truly interested in Eleazar, but the mere suggestion was enough to warrant his attention.

Now that Mr Darcy was no longer reading, was he free to be invited to join the two of them in walking. The gentleman kindly but firmly declined, only saying that there could only be two reasons for Eleazar and Miss Bingley to walk together; and with both he would interfere by joining.

"Oh Mr Darcy, please do tell us why; we're dying to know what you meant."

Eleazar was in fact not dying to know what Mr Darcy could have possibly meant, but was prompted to participate by Miss Bingley asking him if he might know what Mr Darcy had meant.

"Not at all, but depend upon it, he means to be severe on us, and our surest way of disappointing him will be to ask nothing of it."

Miss Bingley, however, was incapable of disappointing Mr Darcy in any way or form and persevered therefore in requiring an explanation of his two motives.

Unfortunately for everyone involved was Mr Darcy more than willing to oblige.

"I have not the smallest objection to explaining them. You either choose this method of passing the evening because you are in each other's confidence, and have secret affairs to discuss, or because you are conscious that your figures appear to the greatest advantage in walking; if the first, I would be completely in the way, and if the second, I can admire you much better as I sit by the fire."

Eleazar's face wasn't the only one that turned bright red at that, Mr Darcy also seemed to only realise what he had said after the words had left his mouth. The joyful laughter made Eleazar quickly break away from the eye contact and he tried to compose himself again as Miss Bingley spoke to Mr Darcy.

"Oh! Shocking! I never heard anything so abominable. How shall we punish him for such a speech?"

He had to answer, yet he did not know what to say.

How could Mr Darcy ever say anything like that regarding him, hadn't the man said it himself; 'not someone that could tempt him'. That was when Eleazar realised that of course Mr Darcy had spoken in jest, he had tried to fluster him and compliment Miss Bingley at the same time.

"Nothing so easy, if you have but the inclination. We can all plague and punish one another. Tease him—laugh at him. Intimate as you are, you must know how it is to be done."

His anger burned bright white at that, to become a laughing stock, he was not unaccustomed to it, but here, in company of his sister and as a honoured guest. That was not something he would accept without a fight.

"But upon my honour, I do not. I do assure you that my intimacy has not yet taught me that. Tease calmness of manner and presence of mind! No, no; I feel he may defy us there. And as to laughter, we will not expose ourselves, if you please, by attempting to laugh without a subject. Mr Darcy may hug himself."

Miss Bingley was unaware of the mental battle that had happened within Eleazar's soul and was more than happy to continue in her way. The flattering words, depending on your point of view, that Mr Darcy had spoken regarding her were more than enough incentive.

"Mr Darcy is not to be laughed at! That is an uncommon advantage, and uncommon I hope it will continue, for it would be a great loss to me to have many such acquaintances. I dearly love a laugh."

He would make them laugh, let Mr Darcy feel the shame for his words as Eleazar had felt ashamed at them being spoken to him.

"Miss Bingley, has given me more credit than can be. The wisest and the best of men—nay, the wisest and best of their actions—may be rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke."

Mr Darcy was more right than he could possibly know, his words would become true within a moment's notice.

"Certainly, there are such people, but I hope I am not one of them. I hope I never ridicule what is wise and good. Follied and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can. But these, I suppose, are precisely what you are without."

Now that they were both openly lying it was nothing for Eleazar to truly show his most inner thoughts, those too vile and wellkept to ever appear before an outsider.

"Perhaps that is not possible for anyone. But it has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule."

Eleazar could see the truth of Mr Darcy's words, it was clear the man kept his mind closed for any outsider who might want to pry it apart and peer inside. Making himself aloof and standing in morality above anyone else would surely protect him from the most basic ridicule.

"Such as vanity and pride."

Little did he understand that by doing so he had made himself vulnerable for other faults.

"Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride—where there is real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation."

Eleazar smiled and turned away from the steadily reddening Mr Darcy.

"Your examination of Mr Darcy is over, I presume, and pray what is the result?"

He might not be able to actually laugh at the gentleman, but he had made him feel.

"I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr Darcy has no defect. He owns it himself without disguise."

It was best to control the damage he had done, it wouldn't do anyone any good if he made Mr Darcy actually angry.

"No, I have made no such pretension. I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too little yielding—certainly too little for the convenience of the world. I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so soon as I ought, nor their offences against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."

His temper certainly was bad enough to precede him wherever he might go, and his good opinions were already lost before one could even form one about him.

"That is failing indeed! Implacable resentment is a shade in a character. But you have chosen your fault well. I really cannot laugh at it. You are safe from me."

For now Eleazar would let it go, but the next time that gentleman would laugh at him or his family he would make him pay.