�Charles, you know I don�t dance.� Will said to his best friend.

�Except for that one time ��

�I don�t want to discuss it. That subject is off limits.� Charles nodded, giving in easily to Will�s dismissal. It all started last year after �The Incident,� as Charles privately thought of it. He knew something had happened to his friend and roommate at a mixer at his sister�s school, Longbourn College, but Will refused to discuss it. Charles suspected it had something to do with a girl that Will liked � a girl who wore a white ribbon. Charles had seen Will on numerous occasions secretly fondle a long, satin-finished white ribbon that looked just long enough for a girl to wear in her hair. Charles noticed the covert way Will would take it out of his pocket when he thought no one could see. He never let on that he knew about either the ribbon or Will�s fixation with it.

Despite Will�s dislike for the activity, they found themselves at another dance. This one was hosted by Princeton University. Ivy, their undergraduate eating club, was hosting, and Charles and Will were there stag; both were unattached and �liking it that way, thank you very much.� Charles had extended an invitation to his sister, Caroline who was ecstatic, and made no bones about it. She remained intent on linking her name with Will�s someday. Charles didn�t have the heart to tell her it would never happen. He was convinced that Will�s heart was already lost � to someone else. Just who that person was he didn�t know, but he suspected she went to the same school as Caroline. He knew better than to bring up the subject with her, she would never help him find out. When it came to Will Darcy, Caroline was a heat seeking missile, and Will was her target. He promised Will earlier in the evening that he�d somehow try to keep her occupied, so that she wouldn�t be all over him for the duration of the dance.

�Here she comes again.� Will said through his teeth.

�I�m sorry Will. I thought I got rid of her with that Sidney chap, you know the funny one, who�s always joking and has the brother that talks about their shore house all the time?�

�Right.� Will braced himself for the onslaught.

�William!� Caroline came sauntering up to them, saying Will�s name in a sing song voice. She ignored the pointed look her brother gave her and latched onto Will�s arm.

�Will, you simply must dance with me!� her bony fingers grasped his arm even tighter, as she looked up into his eyes and batted her long, false eyelashes. William, repressing a shudder, looked at her and found himself doing a double take. One of her eyelashes was coming loose, waving precariously at him with every blink.

Speechless and mesmerized by this novelty, Will wasn�t sure what to do. Ever the gentleman, perhaps Charles would know how to tactfully alert his sister, since she was quite oblivious to the problem. �Um, Charles�ahem�perhaps you could�?� He shot her brother a beseeching look for help, only to find that Charles was looking in the other direction. This was just the kind of situation Will hated to be in. He called again and loudly cleared his voice. Still nothing, while Caroline continued to hold him in her death grip. Finally he gave up trying to get Charles� attention politely and gave him a strong nudge in the ribs with his free elbow. Charles, lost in thought, had been tapping his foot to the music and watching a pretty blonde on the dance floor. Will�s nudge got his attention. He glanced over at them with a look of annoyance on his face. Will motioned with a slight nod towards Caroline, still smiling up at him unsuspectingly. Charles followed the direction of Will�s eyes, and let out a derisive snort.

�Caroline,� he began, while trying not to laugh, �I think, perhaps, you should go powder your nose.� She smirked and gave him a dismissive look.

�Silly Charles, since when do you care about that sort of thing?� She turned back to Will and fluttered her eyes up at him again. Sudden realization set in. It was obvious from the frozen look on her face that she was now aware of the �problem.� With a gasp and look of horror on her face, she quickly put her hand over her eye and excused herself with her head bowed. An orange blur rushed off to the ladies room. Charles couldn�t help chuckling, patting Will on the back.

�You�re in luck Will! That should keep her off of your back for at least a few more minutes.�

Will smiled, shaking his head. Yes, the look on Caroline�s face had been priceless.

A moment later, after making sure Will didn�t mind being on his own, Charles made a beeline for the dance floor in search of the attractive blonde he had been admiring. Absentmindedly he adjusted his silk tie and squared his shoulders while scanning the floor. Where did she go? He went over to the refreshment table remembering that she was wearing a pink sweater with a pearl necklace and a whitish looking short skirt. Appreciative of its length, he smiled at the recollection of a pair of shapely legs. Just as he was about to give up and return to Will, he heard a quiet �Oh no!� and a small clatter on the floor in front of him. He looked down and saw a small compact mirror that had fallen to the floor. He bent and picked it up. When he looked to see whom it belonged to, his eyes were directly level with a pair of well-formed legs in sheer stockings. Moving his eyes upwards, he saw a whitish skirt and a fuzzy pink wool sweater. Still kneeling, a slow grin appeared on his face as he looked up into the angelic eyes of the owner of the mirror.

�I believe this is yours?� he said charmingly as he smoothly stood up, now face to face with his beautiful blonde quarry. He flashed her a dazzling smile.

�Y-yes, thank you.� Obviously embarrassed, she lowered her eyes as he handed it back to her.

�I hope it�s not broken,� he said. She opened the compact and looked at the mirror. It was unbroken. She quickly looked back up at him, a big smile lighting up her face.

�No, it�s fine.� She was visibly relieved.

�Good, I�m glad. Someone as beautiful as you should never own a cracked mirror.� She blushed and again cast her eyes down demurely at his blatant compliment.

�How about a dance?� he said. Not taking no for an answer, he took her elbow and started moving her towards the dance floor. She looked a little flustered at his boldness but nodded and let him take the lead. A new song was starting, something slow and romantic.

Click here to hear the song

Charles took the beauty in his arms and the words of the song floated over them as they began to dance.

If I fell in love with you
Would you promise to be true?
And help me understand
�Cause I�ve been in love before
And I�ve found that love was more
Than just holding hands.

They looked into each other�s eyes, locked into the moment. She is an angel.

Jane Bennet never expected to fall in love that night, but she did. She smiled dreamily up at him, thinking his were the bluest eyes she had ever seen. His wavy golden hair was a little long, but she liked the way it looked on him, imagining him with a surfboard under his arm. She admired the cut and softness of the navy wool sports coat that hinted of the athletic physique beneath. Very elegant. He was one of the handsomest men she had ever danced with. She smiled inwardly, as he held her a little closer. Her stomach did a flip, and she felt like giggling. Yes, definitely. He was the handsomest man she had ever danced with.

If I give my heart to you
I must be sure
From the very start
That you
Will love me more than her

Charles Bingley was smitten again. He�d had his share of girlfriends in the past. A few had broken his heart � he�d probably broken a few himself. He was forever falling in and out of love. His last break up had been just the previous month � a summer romance that ended Labor Day weekend. He wondered. Would this time be different?

As they danced slowly together, the words of the song escaped him, but the melody was lovely. He couldn�t take his eyes off her. She had model good looks with flawless skin, a straight nose, and smooth, even lips washed with a hint of pink. Her light eyes complimented the paleness of her skin, and her blonde hair framed her face becomingly, soft bangs brushed across her forehead, barely skimming her brows. This was special. He could feel it. He pulled her closer to him, her head dropping to rest upon his shoulder. He breathed in the clean scent of her hair, and spoke into her ear.

�What�s your name?� he asked.

Jane�s spine tingled as his words tickled her ear.

�Jane Bennet.� She pulled back to see his face, �What�s your name?�

�Charles. Charles Bingley.�

She giggled, �Is that like Bond, James Bond?� she asked, provocatively raising one eyebrow.

Charles laughed back, �Anything you want, baby.� Grinning, he twirled her around in one big sweep, never taking his eyes off the luminous blue eyes shining up at him. She threw her head back in delight, laughing aloud. Other couples looked over curiously in their direction but he didn�t care. The sound of her laughter was music to his ears.

So I hope you�ll see that I
Would love to love you
And that she will cry
When she learns we are two
If I fell in love with you*

After that dance, they continued dancing together for the next several songs. Charles was captivated, unwilling to let her go, and Jane felt that she was being swept off her feet. They immediately clicked and found they had a lot of the same likes and dislikes. Both of them were Beatles fans, and neither cared for the Rolling Stones.

�My youngest sister, Lydia, is a Beatlemaniac,� said Jane. �She�s the real Beatles lover in the family. She�s madly in love with Paul McCartney.�

Charles smiled in understanding. �How many are there in your family?� he asked.

�Five girls, can you believe it?� she said, smirking. �Our poor father is hoping we all elope!� She immediately blushed, not believing what she actually said.

�I have two sisters myself. One is married, and the other one is not. In fact, she�s here tonight, she goes to Longbourn College.�

�Really? My sister, Lizzy and I go there too!� Jane was delighted and all questions, �Who is your sister? What year is she?�

Charles hated to admit who his sister was; he suspected she and Jane did not frequent the same circles. He could just tell by looking at Jane that she and Caroline were not the same type. Whereas Jane was classic, beautiful in her simplicity and grace, he couldn�t say the same about his sister, Caroline. To sum her up, Caroline was gauche, gaudy and greedy.

�Umm�� he hesitated. �Caroline Bingley, do you know her?� he asked, nearly wincing.

Jane didn�t hesitate, �Of course! Caroline, yes I know who she is. I don�t really know her very well, but she seems very nice.� Jane appeared to think for a moment, �She�s a senior, isn�t she?�

�Yes.� Charles smiled, genuinely pleased that Jane didn�t seem to mind that Caroline was his sister, after all. �Yes, she is supposed to graduate this spring.� She nodded encouragingly, �What about you and your sister?� he ventured.

�I�m in my third year, and Lizzy is a freshman.� She smiled, thinking how glad she was that Lizzy decided to join her at Longbourn. �She�s here with me tonight,� Jane said looking around. �Somewhere.� A look of worry came over her features at the realization, �Oh my goodness! I hope she�s okay.� Jane bit her bottom lip, �I completely forgot about her!�

Charles noticed her worry, �Do you want to look for her? I�ll help you!� she looked up at him gratefully.

�Thanks,� she said with a big smile. �That would be great!� She described her to him and they began to look around for Lizzy. They found her right away, observing the dancers with an amused look on her face, arms folded, tapping her foot to the music.

�Lizzy! I�m so sorry, I�ve completely ignored you!� Jane exclaimed as they rushed up to her. Jane looked over at Charles and then to her sister, �Can you forgive me?�

Lizzy looked at Jane warmly, �Of course, silly! I�ve been watching the two of you for quite a long time.� Lizzy turned to look at Charles. �So, are you going to introduce me to your new friend?�

�Oh of course, where are my manners!� Jane exclaimed embarrassed, �Lizzy, this is Charles Bingley. Charles, this is my sister, Elizabeth Bennet.� And then she added fondly, �But we all call her Lizzy.�

�Very pleased to meet you, Elizabeth Bennet.� Taking her hand, �May I call you Lizzy?� asked Charles gallantly.

�Yes, of course, I�d like that,� Lizzy replied. She was happy for Jane. This new fellow she had been dancing with seemed very nice and pleasant � and not too bad to look at either. The threesome talked a little while longer and after Charles asked Lizzy how she liked college life so far he was hit by a sudden thought.

�You know, I have a friend here that you should meet.�

�Oh, who�s that?� Jane asked, smiling curiously. She�d love for Lizzy to meet someone nice. It was high time her sister got over the boy she met last year when she visited Jane at Longbourn. Lizzy had been so troubled that Jane was afraid that it would dissuade Lizzy from choosing Longbourn.

�I�ll go get him and bring him back.� Charles eyes lit up at the thought of finally getting Will to meet someone new. Maybe Lizzy would be just what he needed to get him over the �ribbon girl.� Jane and Lizzy nodded in assent, and Charles left them to find Will.

Charles made his way to where he had last seen Will in the sunroom off the back of the house, and found him talking to Collins, a newer member of the Ivy Club. Collins was a stooped, geeky sophomore proudly attired in his Princeton orange and black rep tie. Proud of the fact he was now a member of one of the oldest eating clubs at Princeton, Collins was wasting no time in getting to know one of Ivy�s former club presidents, Will Darcy. Will�s demeanor said that he wished he were anywhere but talking to Bill Collins.

Will nodded at Collins, only half listening, as he droned on. As Charles approached Will breathed a sigh of relief.

�Er, Will, can you come with me? I want you to meet someone.� Charles gave Will an imperceptible wink and nod of the head indicating he should ditch Collins.

�Sorry Collins, I�ve got to go.� Collins pushed his glasses further up on his nose, and barely got out a word of regret before Will was gone with Charles.

�I�ve been dying to get away from him for the past half hour.� Will said in a low voice as they made their getaway. �I swear he must use an entire tube of Brylcreme on that head of his.� Will grimaced, wiping his hands with his handkerchief, unconsciously trying to wipe away the image of Bill Collins� greasy hair. As Will put the handkerchief away in his breast pocket, Charles laughed.

�You�ll thank me even more, when you see just whom I�m introducing you to.� The cheerful Charles spoke with an air of mystery that activated William�s antennae.

�Hold on. You�re not trying to set me up with someone are you?� his eyes narrowed as he stopped and surveyed Charles.

�Will, I have met an angel!� Charles gushed. �I�ve been dancing with her for the past hour. I�m in heaven and she has a younger sister.� His brows raised significantly, �She�s very pretty as well. You have to meet her!�

�Oh, no, Charles. Not this again.� Will shook his head, �I have no desire to be your wing man!� Will wouldn�t budge, flatly refusing to go any further into the room. He adjusted the shirtsleeves under his jacket as he spoke to Charles in his haughtiest of tones. �I refuse to spend the rest of the evening tied down to the undoubtedly acne ridden and overweight giggly little sister of your angel.� Will�s sarcasm was in full throttle. �Sorry, Charles, you�re on your own this time. I wouldn�t be caught dead standing next to her, much less talking to her.�

Charles�s eyes widened and he gulped, turning red with embarrassment. Jane and her sister, Lizzy were standing right behind Will. They had obviously heard the entire, shameful tirade. Jane�s expression was one of hurt and confusion, but Lizzy was absolutely furious, eyes blazing!

Noticing Charles�s discomfort, Will turned, looking over his shoulder to see what Charles was looking at. There she stood. He was hit with the shock of his life. Elizabeth! Intense joy swept through his body. She�s here! He saw the look in her eyes, and for an instant his heart stopped beating. And she hates me.

*If I Fell � performed by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney � 1964 Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.