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Later that evening, Darcy’s valet seemed ready to fuss over the Master’s costume more than his gentleman thought necessary, but eventually he was satisfied.

Once Hawkins had finally departed, Fitzwilliam retrieved a velvet pouch from the strongbox in his dressing room and, after checking the contents, went in search of his wife.

Whatever he had planned to say was driven from his mind by the sight of her.

Elizabeth had chosen a gown of deep yellow, its silk glowing with the warmth of old gold.

Her hair had been arranged in an elegant manner that left thick curls to dance beguilingly down her neck.

“Well, Husband? Shall I embarrass you, do you think? I’ve foresworn any jewelry, as you requested.

” Although a year of marriage enabled her to interpret the intense look in his dark eyes, his silent scrutiny still had the ability to unsettle her.

Three long strides and Fitzwilliam was before her, his strong hands tracing up her arms and shoulders to hold her face between his fingers.

With one thumb brushing over her lips, he tilted her head back so that she looked directly into his eyes.

“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever beheld.”

“Oh!” breathed Elizabeth, all wit dissolving in the face of her husband’s obvious desire for her and the passionate kiss that followed. Their guests were forgotten for some minutes until the gasp of a maid followed by the sound of a quickly closing door again recalled them to the present.

Feeling oddly unsettled that such wanton desire could overtake her so suddenly, Elizabeth turned back to the mirror of her dressing table and was relieved to see that, for once, her hair had not come undone through the covert activities of her husband’s fingers.

Before she could think of some witty remark, however, he reached to place a necklace set with citrine and diamonds around her neck.

“Oh Will… how exquisite!” breathed Elizabeth, brushing it with her fingertips.

Once Darcy managed to hook the clasp, he looked up to see her wondering look in the mirror.

“They sparkle almost as much as your eyes,” he said softly.

When she rose to face him, brushing out imagined wrinkles from her skirts, Fitzwilliam could only smile.

“ You are exquisite, my dear—the jewels are just a bit of tinsel.”

Lizzy quirked an eyebrow at him. “Rather expensive tinsel, Mr. Darcy.”

Eyes twinkling, he shrugged. “Just something I found lying around in a bin and had the jeweler remodel a bit.”

“Oh, well then… I shall not worry about misplacing them, in that case!” Placing her hands on his chest, taking care not to rumple the exquisite knot his valet had created, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him softly.

“Thank you, dearest. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such finery would be mine to wear.”

Knowledge of their growing babe made Fitzwilliam more nostalgic than usual.

Tracing the jewels around her neck, he enjoyed the shiver his actions prompted.

Without looking up, he spoke softly, “It seems as if I’ve always known I would be Master of Pemberley—the land and wealth…

and the responsibilities. I remember the last ball that my parents hosted here; I could not have been much more than eight or nine…

but I remember watching them from the schoolroom window.

They opened the ballroom doors so that the dancers might step out into the courtyard to take the air.

It was a magnificent sight—all the ladies in a rainbow of silks and glittering jewels and the gentlemen in their finery.

I remember wondering what sort of lady would be my consort when it was my turn to host such an event. ”

He was quiet for a moment and Elizabeth chuckled softly. “Dare I ask if I match up to your childhood fantasy?”

Fitzwilliam suddenly grinned. “I seem to recall that my primary stipulation was that she not scream at the sight of a frog—I had something of an obsession with them at the time—and you certainly pass that test with flying colors!”

Elizabeth laughed heartily. “Such compliments—be careful or I shall become quite vain!” She studied him for some moments with a considering look before giving him a quick kiss and moving away.

After asking him to wait, she disappeared into her dressing room for a minute, returning with a small box barely the size of her hand.

“I had planned to give this to you at Christmas, but after such a story, I cannot wait another day.” When he hesitated, she pressed the box into his hand. “Please, open it.”

Darcy took the box hesitantly. “There’s no need… truly, I had not expected anything.”

Laughing openly, Lizzy urged him again. “Are you the only one allowed to give gifts, Mr. Darcy? Am I not allowed to spend my pin money as I please?”

Though still rather disconcerted, Fitzwilliam found he could not argue with her logic.

When he carefully cracked open the little box, he discovered an elegant gold stickpin set with emeralds in a design that, when one looked closely, formed a small frog.

Chuckling, he exclaimed, “How on Earth did you know?”

While Elizabeth helped him settle the pin among the snowy folds of his cravat, she reminded him of the story she had heard of him gifting his own father with a frog upon George Darcy’s birthday (and that amphibian’s subsequent exploration of the cake, much to Lady Anne’s horror).

As a result, Mr. Darcy began the evening in an exceptionally lighthearted mood, despite having a houseful of guests and a ball to attend.

Whenever his spirits seemed to decline, Elizabeth would quirk an eyebrow and look pointedly at his cravat, as if daring him to be entirely serious while wearing such an ornament.

Without fail, her looks lightened his mood, although to be perfectly honest, while the pin amused him, it was watching Elizabeth shine in her role as hostess that made him so happy.

When not dancing, the Darcys could be found together more often than not.

Where Mr. Darcy might have previously adhered to the walls, now he moved among the revelers with his wife on his arm, generally following her lead as she glided among their guests, making an introduction here, starting a conversation there, occasionally recommending dance partners or pointing out the nearest punch bowl.

She made it all appear so effortless that occasionally he could only watch her with a sort of proud awe.

That is not to say that the occasion was entirely without its bumps.

An elderly neighbor accidentally spilt a glass of punch upon one young lady’s bodice halfway through the night, but fortunately, the gentleman was quite deaf and thus not aware of the invectives she spewed at him before her mother convinced her to retreat upstairs .

Far less humorous to the Darcys was the behavior of one much closer to them.

Jane had felt incapable of leaving her infant son behind at Holloway Manor, but had insisted that her husband travel to Pemberley alone in order that one of could be there to support their brother and sister.

Without his wife’s steadying presence, Bingley imbibed too much wine and reverted to that lively behavior which had always endeared him to pretty young ladies everywhere when he was a bachelor.

At first, Elizabeth merely smiled indulgently at the gentleman’s easy amiability and appreciated his insistence that no young lady be left sitting when he was available to dance.

However, after finding herself dancing an uncomfortable set with an overly flirtatious Bingley, she was forced to communicate the situation to her husband.

Darcy acted quickly to remove his friend from the public rooms, sending him off to bed with well-bred subtleness but very little compassion.

Although Fitzwilliam had tried to treat Bingley more as an equal over the last year, he had no compunction over summoning his younger brother-in-law to his study the next day and lecturing him sternly on the proper behavior of a married gentleman whether or not his wife was at his side.

As a result, Mr. Bingley could barely meet Elizabeth’s eyes and departed for home and his (much beloved) angel the very day after the ball.

Although some of the other guests remained an additional day or two, it was not long before the party at Pemberley was reduced to family and those likely to soon become so.

In fact, it was not three days later that the Master of Pemberley found himself in his study, entertaining Lord Jonah Somerset’s petition for Georgiana’s hand in marriage.

Both seemed impossibly young to Darcy, but he could not argue with their genuine affection, nor the gentleman’s ability to support his sister financially.

Upon reaching his majority, Lord Jonah had received a sizable inheritance as well as a small estate in Oxfordshire from his father.

After receiving the blessings of both Miss Darcy’s guardians, the young couple spent the remainder of the day in a euphoric bubble of their own, already planning the life that they hoped to live together.

Darcy tried to look happy and prayed that he at least managed to appear content, but it was a long evening for the brother of the newly affianced.

When the company finally retired that night, he confided to his wife that he was only thankful that the couple had not yet pressed him to set a wedding date.

“My poor, darling Will,” soothed Elizabeth, as they cuddled together under the covers, their bedroom lit only by yellow flickers from the fire. “I truly believe that they shall be very, very happy together.”