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Mr. Collins was thinking the evening had gone well.

It was unfortunate that he had not managed to present his prepared compliments to Mr. Darcy, but he thought he had expressed himself eloquently on the subject of Lady Catherine.

And he was confident of having conducted himself with elegance upon the dance floor and within superior company.

He would have liked to say more to Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst about the elegance of their arrangements, but Mrs. Bennet had been in a great hurry to leave.

As a skilled practitioner of flattery he had been extremely irritated by her haste.

However, as a clergyman he felt an obligation to forgive the abruptness of an elderly lady who had obviously been in need of her bed after an exhausting evening.

Dancing with Mr. Darcy. Very odd, indeed.

Mr. Collins thought he would refrain from mentioning that to Lady Catherine.

***

As Mrs. Bennet was preparing for bed, she was thinking of that wonderful dance.

Mr. Darcy’s gesture had been so thoughtful.

It had shown her that he couldn’t think so badly of her after all.

And the look on Miss Bingley’s face! He hadn’t danced with her.

But he had again danced twice with Elizabeth, which had to mean that all was well.

Much was well with Mrs. Bennet too. After her dance with Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bennet had danced with her, which had felt quite romantic. And just as she was about to get into bed, he came in for one of those little chats they had been enjoying so much lately.

Smiling, he said, “Did you hear about—”

“Twenty thousand pounds, fifty thousand pounds, and sixty thousand pounds,” Mrs. Bennet said. “I did. But I can’t imagine anyone didn’t.”

“It was impossible not to hear,” Mr. Bennet agreed. “But I was referring to the upcoming vacancies.”

“Vacancies?”

“The curacy, the Crane’s house, and the henhouse.”

Mrs. Bennet burst into laughter

After her husband left, a while later, she lay back on her pillows, contemplating the evening with satisfaction.

Her daughters had enjoyed themselves. She had not disgraced herself.

And Mr. Collins had not been as ridiculous as he might have been if she had not hurried him out to the carriage at the end of the evening.

She had no doubt that the future could only bring much happiness. But right now it was time to be asleep, and let tomorrow bring what it may. Which wouldn’t be Mr. Bingley because he was going to London on matters of business. But he had promised to take a family dinner with them after his return.

***

“It was a wonderful evening, wasn’t it?” Jane said sleepily.

“The very best.” Elizabeth smiled in the darkness.

She hadn’t been embarrassed by her mother, nor Lydia. Admittedly Mr. Collins’s speech to Mr. Darcy had been dreadful, but afterwards Mr. Darcy had been so agreeable to Elizabeth that she had decided that it wasn’t worth worrying about. And he had asked her to dance a second time.

Mr. Bingley had also danced twice with Jane. He had been so very attentive to her, and Miss Bingley so very much in the background, and Mrs. Hurst making such an effort at being conciliatory that Elizabeth no longer feared the sisters’ influence.

Mr. Fordyce had been so obviously delighted to see Mary again, and Mary very willing to forgive. They only needed something to marry on, but Elizabeth was confident that the gentleman would leave no stone unturned in his effort to overcome that obstacle.

Even though Charlotte had been compelled to stand up for the first dance with Mr. Collins, he hadn’t spent the whole evening pestering her. And Susan and Mr. Charlton had looked very happy together. And she had made some interesting observations concerning Kitty and…

Elizabeth was fast asleep, with dreams of Mr. Darcy in her head.

***

Mr. Darcy was still awake, happily recalling the details of every moment he had spent with Elizabeth that evening.

The ball had been the culmination of the best time of his life.

All he wanted now was to get on with his proposal.

And that was exactly what he intended to do.

That notion of waiting to avoid being foolish was irrelevant. He didn’t care what anyone thought.