Page 19 of A Most Unfortunate Gentleman

Lucas Lodge

Elizabeth

"You have been a shadow of yourself, Lizzy," Charlotte said softly, eyeing Elizabeth with gentle concern.

Elizabeth looked down at the cup of punch in her hand, though the liquid within might have been air for all the attention she paid it.

Charlotte's words, though spoken without reproach, struck with quiet accuracy.

It had been a fortnight since Mr. Darcy's unexpected departure, and a week since Miss Bingley's oh-so-pleasant revelation that he was betrothed to his cousin.

The past seven days had been a storm of emotion—doubt, regret, and a heaviness she had not wanted to name, but could no longer deny.

She had told Jane, in a moment of rare vulnerability, that her heart had suffered more than she had expected.

To her father, however, she had said nothing at all when he commented on her absent spirit.

She had smiled and spoken lightly of the changing weather.

Now they were at Lucas Lodge, gathered for one of Sir William’s convivial little balls, and though music filled the room and the scent of roasted meats lingered in the air, Elizabeth had not stirred to dance, nor even hummed a tune.

She sat near the wall, distant from the merriment, her thoughts drifting.

Across the room, Jane spoke to Mr. Bingley, her face alight with pleasure.

Whatever he had said had made her laugh, and though Elizabeth was sincerely glad for her sister, she could not help but feel the weight of comparison.

That sparkle in Jane’s eyes, that warm attention—she had known the feeling.

It was how she had looked when Mr. Darcy had spoken with her, before all sense and hope were stolen by Miss Bingley’s cruelly timed pronouncement.

“Lizzy!”

Elizabeth blinked, the scene before her coming into sharper focus. “Yes, Charlotte?”

“I declare, you are quite elsewhere this evening. You have not hummed a single note, nor tapped your foot once, and you entirely missed the Bingley sisters’ mortification just now.

Miss Bingley looks ready to take up arms, and I suspect the next volley may be directed at her sister, who has proven quite unequal to the task of steadying Mr. Hurst. He is well into his cups.

I cannot imagine Mrs. Long will be grateful for the stain he left upon her damask. ”

Elizabeth managed a wan smile. “Indeed, I am sorry to have missed such a spectacle.”

Elizabeth had not told Charlotte anything, but her friend’s concern had been evident ever since she came calling the day after Miss Bingley’s revealing visit.

Elizabeth was grateful Charlotte had not pressed her for details; she scarcely knew what she would say if obliged to explain the confusion in her heart.

It was too mortifying to admit she had thought herself admired by a man who now appeared affianced to another.

She managed a faint smile, then, with the determined grace of one eager to escape the confines of her own mind, steered the conversation towards a more frivolous quarter.

“Kitty and Lydia appear to be in high spirits,” she observed, nodding in their direction. The two youngest Miss Bennets were, indeed, engaged in lively discourse with a cluster of officers, their fans fluttering and laughter spilling with the abandon of youth untroubled by consequence.

Charlotte followed her gaze. “In spirits they may be, but I cannot determine if it is on account of the gentlemen or the uniforms.”

Elizabeth arched a brow. “Lydia requires little incentive to be merry when red coats are near. Yet that particular officer she clings to—I do not believe I have seen him before. He carries himself with the ease of one much admired.”

The young man in question, whose golden curls and striking countenance had already distinguished him from his companions, leaned down to whisper something into Lydia’s ear, eliciting a delighted squeal and an ostentatious flutter of lashes.

Elizabeth, watching the scene with a tempered gaze, felt a stir of unease that had nothing to do with jealousy.

“There is something overly assured in his manner,” she said at length. “As though he expects admiration rather than earns it.”

“Then he shall do very well with Lydia,” Charlotte replied dryly. “She is not one to question charm when it is handsomely dressed.”

Elizabeth did not reply, but a flicker of apprehension remained in her eyes as she turned back to her punch. She could see her father watching the pair with his customary mixture of indulgence and silent scepticism. He had decided to attend the ball after all, likely out of respect for Sir William.

As the music swelled and couples moved to the floor, Elizabeth was not surprised to see Mr. Bingley approach Jane for the first set.

His smile was as bright as Jane’s blush.

Charlotte, too, was claimed for a dance by the librarian of Clarke’s library, Mr. Elliot.

Lydia and Kitty were already engaged, their ribbons fluttering with every excited step.

“May I have this stand with you?” said a deep voice just behind her.

Elizabeth turned, and her eyes were met by a gentleman of striking presence. He was tall, with chestnut hair worn neatly and a fine-featured countenance that bore the mild confidence of one well-used to admiration.

“I do not believe we have met, sir,” she said with a polite tilt of her head.

“Mr. Lumley, at your service,” he replied with a bow. “I arrived only recently to visit my aunt, Mrs. King.”

Elizabeth’s brows lifted in surprise as she introduced herself too.

She had not known that Mrs. King possessed a nephew, much less one so striking in appearance.

What astonished her more was that her mother had not known either—for had she done so, the news would surely have echoed through every room at Longbourn.

Yet a swift glance in Mrs. Bennet’s direction revealed a broad, triumphant smile settling upon her face.

Elizabeth recognised it at once. Her mother had evidently observed the exchange and was, in all likelihood, already at work upon one of her well-worn matrimonial schemes.

“Then you are newly come to Hertfordshire, sir?”

“Indeed. I had the pleasure of speaking to your father a short while ago. Your mother, too, seems most gracious.”

Elizabeth blinked, her thoughts catching up with his words.

She had been so lost in her own mind earlier that she had scarcely noticed anything around her.

Had he truly spoken to both her father and mother?

She could not recall it at all. How very distracted she must have been not to observe something so obvious.

She inclined her head slightly. “Mama is well-practised in hospitality.”

Elizabeth followed his lead to the floor, and as they began dancing, she inquired how he found Hertfordshire.

“Charming and quiet,” he said with a smile. “London has its diversions, but there is a peace here that I find refreshing.”

“You reside in town, then?”

“My business requires it. I manage a sizeable estate on the outskirts of Kensington.”

“I imagine that must be quite demanding.”

“It keeps me well employed,” he said, though his eyes lingered upon her with more interest than weariness. “Yet I must admit, this evening’s company is a most pleasant reprieve.”

Elizabeth could not help but laugh. “You flatter shamelessly, Mr. Lumley.”

“If I am, it is entirely in service of truth, Miss Bennet. If my aunt had not impressed upon me the importance of civility, I should beg to spend every set with you.”

“Then I am grateful for your aunt’s good breeding. It would not do to forget propriety so early in your acquaintance with the neighbourhood.”

He grinned. “Perhaps I may call at Longbourn soon and continue the acquaintance properly?”

“I am sure my family would be happy to receive you.”

As the music drew to a close and the dancers returned to their seats, Elizabeth curtsied and offered him a smile. Mr. Lumley bowed low, then departed with a final look of unmistakable admiration.

Elizabeth sat once more, her cheeks tinged with a colour not wholly from exertion. Around her, the room swelled once more with laughter and movement as partners were claimed for the next set. She watched it all with a calmer eye.

Her mind drifted back to the past week. Perhaps she had been mistaken in Mr. Darcy’s regard, and if so, the error was hers to own.

But she would not let it define her. Affection, she reminded herself, was not a treasure to be given only once and never reclaimed.

The world was wider than one disappointed hope.

As the violins struck a cheerful reel and Jane passed by, her eyes alight with unfeigned happiness, a soft smile found its way to Elizabeth’s lips.

However, she concluded that she would not allow herself to mistake politeness for preference again, nor invest idle conversation with undue weight.

Whatever Mr. Lumley’s attentions might suggest, she would leave them unexamined for now.

Still, the dance had been pleasant. She had moved with ease, laughed without effort, and for a little while, had forgotten the heaviness that had clung to her since Miss Bingley’s cruel revelation.

For the first time in days, the ache in her chest eased.