Page 12 of He Taught Me to Hope (Darcy and the Young Knight’s Quest #1)

A ll the Bennet women, including Jane, returned to Longbourn shortly thereafter.

Mr. Bennet greeted his wife at the door.

“I hope, my dear, that you have ordered a good dinner today, because I have reason to expect an addition to our family party.” He went on to impart the news of the pending arrival of a yet another cousin, Mr. William Collins, the younger brother of Elizabeth’s betrothed, Mr. Geoffrey Collins.

The family’s disappointment it was not the latter who was expected was offset by the prospect of the former’s being just as tall and handsome as his older brother.

Regardless of what he might look like, it was received as excellent news to Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, for it presented the opportunity for another one of their daughters to make an advantageous match with a respectable man.

In his letter to Mr. Bennet, William Collins had boasted of his status as the parson in Hunsford and the beneficiary of the largess of his esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

As had his older brother, he also hinted he would arrive at Longbourn with the purpose of admiring his fair cousins.

Alas, to everyone’s disappointment, save Miss Mary and the elder Bennets, upon his arrival, their guest had quickly put aside any notion of his suitability as a potential husband, for he had made himself quite ridiculous .

Darcy had spent the days leading up to the Netherfield Ball in rather a miserable state.

The certain knowledge of Elizabeth’s engagement had troubled him far greater than his mistaken impression she was married.

He wondered what she was about. He refused to accompany Caroline and Bingley when they called on the Bennets at Longbourn to give their personal invitation for the eagerly anticipated ball.

It did not help matters at all that they spoke of Mr. Collins as being a guest upon their return to Netherfield.

Darcy could only surmise he was there to court his future bride.

To augment his worries, days had passed since Darcy had last seen his young friend.

Two factors had contributed to that misfortune.

The weather had rarely allowed for outdoor time.

It had rained most days, and on those days when it had not, the lanes were too muddy to allow for an enjoyable ride.

The other factor, which Darcy had no way of knowing, was the unfortunate circumstance of young Ben’s having taken a cold.

He was consequently restricted to bed rest and granted an abundance of tender loving care from his mother who blamed her absence for his illness.

Elizabeth had not decided to go to the ball until the very last minute.

It was only the ardent pleas of her eldest sister that brought about her change of heart.

The prospect of seeing Mr. Darcy was not one she looked forward to with much aplomb.

She had a feeling he might be disappointed with her in light of her tacit agreement to start anew and her subsequent decision to take her leave of Netherfield just hours later, without even saying goodbye.

Darcy, on the other hand, had begun to anticipate her presence at the ball. He wanted answers.

Despite the fact that they were amongst the silliest girls he had ever seen, the Bennet daughters made a respectable appearance.

Darcy had to admit they all looked quite lovely.

Elizabeth was not amongst their party, leaving him to wonder if she would be in attendance that evening.

Some moments later, the spectacle of Elizabeth entering the room, accompanied by a short, self-important, and otherwise nondescript gentleman raised his ire.

As Darcy expected, Elizabeth shared the first two dances with that unremarkable man who had arrived with her.

He decided to keep a close watch over her that evening, as if he had a say in the matter.

Even though her “betrothed” accompanied her that evening, Darcy was not dissuaded. He was determined to speak with her.

When at last Darcy spotted Elizabeth just across the room in conversation with another young woman, who had been introduced to him earlier as Miss Charlotte Lucas, he immediately approached the two of them. Elizabeth was caught unawares for he approached her from behind.

“Pardon me, Mrs. Carlton.” The resonance of his voice astounded her. She cast her friend Charlotte a look of utter uncertainty as she wondered if she might have detected the effect the gentleman had on her composure. Elizabeth turned to face him. She returned his bow with a curtsey.

“Mrs. Carlton, may I have the next dance?”

“Yes, you may,” said she, without thinking. Darcy bestowed the slightest hint of a smile and then took his leave.

Charlotte regarded Elizabeth with a bit of suspicion. “My dear Lizzy, what was that about?”

“What on earth do you mean?” Elizabeth feigned ignorance. Charlotte would have to be totally devoid of all her senses not to have seen the intensity in their looks, heard the tension in her friend’s voice, or felt the subtle undercurrent of their brief exchange.

“Is there anything that you wish to tell me of the nature of your association with Mr. Darcy?”

“There is nothing to tell. Why would you ask such a question? I am engaged to Mr. Collins, am I not?” Elizabeth would not end there. “There is nothing at all between Mr. Darcy and me!”

“Doth the lady protest too much?” Charlotte asked her friend. Elizabeth chose to ignore her friend’s gentle cajoling and walked away to recover her composure in privacy.

Darcy kept his eyes trained upon Elizabeth, though he did not follow her when he saw her take her leave of her friend.

She was gone but a few minutes, and soon enough had returned to her friend’s side.

When the dancing recommenced, Darcy approached her to claim her hand.

Charlotte could not help cautioning her, in a whisper, that try as she might in concealing it, it was obvious there was more there than not.

Elizabeth made no answer and took her place in the set.

If she had but admitted it, she would have confessed to being thrilled with the idea of standing opposite to Mr. Darcy and reading in her neighbours’ looks their equal amazement in beholding it.

Still, she did not intend to allow him to know just how much he affected her.

He had a way of arousing her sensibilities.

It was not so much she did not trust him to know how profoundly he stirred her. It was more she did not trust herself.

They went through the dance for some time without speaking a word.

His looks spoke volumes. It seemed both were resolved not to break their silence.

Though very characteristic of the taciturn Mr. Darcy, the possibility their silence might last through the entirety of the two dances was insupportable to Elizabeth, especially if he intended to do nothing more than to stare at her.

She made some slight observation on the dance.

He replied, and was again silent. After a pause of some minutes, she addressed him a second time.

“It is your turn to say something, Mr. Darcy. I talked about the dance. You ought to make some kind of remark on the size of the room, or the number of couples.”

He assured her whatever she wished him to say would be said.

“Very well; that reply will do for the present. Perhaps by and by I may remark that private balls are much pleasanter than public ones. Now we may be silent.’’

“Do you talk by rule then, whilst you are dancing?”

“Sometimes, one must speak a little. It would look odd to be entirely silent for half an hour together.”

“What I wish to say most, is best if not said in a ballroom. Would you consider allowing me a private audience before supper?”

She almost missed the next step. “No!” replied Elizabeth archly. “What is it you wish to say to me, you cannot say here?”

“Very well, then,” Darcy stood close enough to speak intimately. “When were you going to tell me that you are engaged to be married? ”

Elizabeth might have been more sensitive to the disappointment he must surely have felt upon learning of her engagement, if not for the presumptuous manner of his speech.

Totally taken aback, she declared, “I did not realise that I owed you an account of my personal life, Mr. Darcy.”

“You are making a grave mistake in committing to a union with that gentleman. You cannot love him. I find it hard to believe you have any esteem for him at all. I suspect you have agreed to this farce simply for the sake of securing your family’s future.”

“I resent you feel as you do and that you feel free to discuss these matters with me. You know nothing of my situation.”

“I know all I need to know! You deserve better than to bind yourself to him for the rest of your life.”

“ Him? Mr. Collins is a very respectable man! What right have you to judge him?”

Darcy looked about to study Mr. Collins. Something in his manner of standing about the room and his preening and fawning did not sit well with Darcy. He witnessed enough to justify his belief in Mr. Collins’s being one of the most preposterous men he had ever seen.

“Respectable? The man is ridiculous. It was painful to watch the two of you dancing earlier this evening. What might the two of you have in common? You are like fire; he is like tepid water!”

It suddenly dawned on Elizabeth—Darcy and she were not speaking of the same person!

It did not matter. By then, she was livid at his officiousness.

She did not intend to correct Darcy’s misapprehensions.

What business is it of his to whom I am engaged?

Let him think what he will! The material point is that I am engaged, whether he likes it or not.

All the explanations in the world will fail to change that fact!