Page 151 of What Change Entails

Lydia considered. “Something difficult.”

“That excludes you from winning,” Elizabeth observed.

“Cruel.” But she smiled to soften her rejoinder.

Elizabeth raised an appraising brow. “Accurate.”

Georgiana’s shoulders shook with suppressed amusement.

“Questions and Commands,” Bingley suggested.

“No,” said Darcy.

“Then you have played it before.”

He grimaced. “I survived it before.”

Lydia brightened. “Excellent. We shall play that.”

Within minutes chairs had been drawn into a loose circle. Slips of paper appeared. Pens were produced. Mr. Hurst declined participation from the safety of his chair and resumed dozing beside the fire. No one attempted to persuade him.

The game began innocently enough. Bingley was commanded to recite the names of every horse he had owned since childhood and forgot three before reaching adolescence.

Mrs. Gardiner was asked which person in the room she would trust most to organize a journey.

“Mr. Darcy,” she answered promptly.

Lydia groaned. “Of course you would choose him.”

“Would you not?” Her aunt’s amusement was obvious.

“I would choose myself.”

Mr. Gardiner appeared alarmed. “That is why no one would choose you.”

The room dissolved into general amusement.

Even Darcy appeared less burdened than he had earlier. Though he spoke little, he remained engaged, his attention drifting frequently toward Elizabeth despite every effort to conceal it. Lydia watched with satisfaction.

Miss Bingley watched too. The longer the evening progressed, the less successful she became at disguising her irritation. She lost a question concerning Derbyshire villages to Elizabeth. She failed to impress Mr. Gardiner with a lengthy observation regarding London society.

Georgiana chose Lydia’s side repeatedly during the game.

Best of all, in Lydia’s opinion, Darcy was increasingly content. Lydia had discovered that a contented Darcy was very nearly immune to Caroline Bingley. The discovery delighted her.

A command eventually required Georgiana to name her favorite quality in each person present.

The request produced immediate embarrassment.

“Who wrote that?” Georgiana asked.

“No one is confessing,” Bingley announced.

“Cowards,” said Lydia.

Georgiana laughed softly. “Very well.”

She began with Mrs. Gardiner’s kindness and Mr. Gardiner’s intelligence. She praised Bingley’s generosity, Elizabeth’s wit, and Darcy’s constancy.