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A few days prior, a large group of the younger set that included her brother Tom, cousins Wes and Retta, her younger sisters, and Anne de Bourgh had joined Darcy and his sister at Covent Gardens to see The Taming of the Shrew .

Elizabeth had not missed that Cousin William had enjoyed the play as much as she had.

It seemed their tastes for the works of William Shakespeare were in alignment, like many other things.

She was not willing to admit to herself, never mind any other, that the feelings that she had for Fitzwilliam Darcy were transitioning from friendship to being of a tender nature.

Not long before midday the family were in their coaches, and, with a cadre of footmen guards and outriders, they left Town for their estate.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Expected at the ball outside the Bingley and the Bennet parties were the leading families from Meryton were the newlywed Fitzwilliam couples and the Matlocks who were excited to see their sons and daughters in laws, the Bedford Bennets and the De Mellviles had accepted invitations as well.

There were many happy tears shed when mothers and daughters reunited.

Elaine Fitzwilliam had always dreamed of a daughter; now she had two and by extension three more as she counted Jane’s and Marie’s sisters as surrogate daughters as well.

When said sisters joined the group surrounding the older, former Bennets, there were more hugs and tears.

Lady Elizabeth could not but miss the glow of happiness and something else that as a maiden she could not fathom in the expressions of her older sisters.

At the same time that the ladies were welcoming one another, Darcy was being bear-hugged by his cousins.

First Andrew, followed by a much longer embrace with Richard.

Both thanked him profusely for the use of his properties for their wedding trips, which he demurred as nothing more than they deserved.

As Richard slapped him on the back, he looked at his cousin and saw a relaxed mien and contentment that he had never thought he would see in Darcy.

“William, I missed you at my wedding,” he held up his hand to stay the explanation that he knew was about to be uttered.

“I accept that you did what you felt was the honourable thing, and I understand why. You were, however, missed. I had to request that the reprobate Forster stand up with me! I had to settle for a scoundrel as my support on the most important of all days,” he teased with a huge smile.

Rather than be maudlin about his cousin not being with him, he used his humour to express his feelings.

“Love you too, Rich,” Darcy said as he slapped his cousin’s back.

“Am I blind, or are you and Lizzy friendly to one another now, William?” Andrew asked, not believing his own eyes.

“We are Andrew. Your sister forgave her wayward cousin, and even apologised for her quick temper and the misjudgements that she made of me,” William informed his cousins, amused at their shocked expressions.

“Our Lizzy, the one sitting with our wives, forgave you and asked for your forgiveness?” Richard verbalised the disbelief of both Fitzwilliams. They were happy at the apparent maturation and growth of their wife’s younger sister.

“She did, as did I. I begged forgiveness from all of the Bennets and am now much closer to Tom, James, and Wes.” Darcy added with a wide smile. “The three young men came to Angelo’s and fenced against me.”

“Did you allow them to last above a minute?” Richard asked, vastly amused.

“Tom lasted almost two minutes, while Wes and I barely a minute!” reported a chagrined Marquess of Netherfield, a chorus of guffaws heard from the six men.

Like had been granted them for the prewedding ball, the young ladies who were not out yet were allowed to attend the Bingley’s ball until after the meal and were only to dance with men from the family or preapproved family friends.

Georgiana Darcy blushed deeply as she granted her cousin James’s request for the opening set.

Darcy was not sure that Lady Elizabeth would accept him for the opening set, but he decided that nothing ventured, nothing gained. Lady Anne Darcy silently wished her son luck as he approached the object of his affection, correctly surmising what he was about to request.

Darcy sat down next to Elizabeth and looked at her.

The intensity of his gaze caused a flutter in her stomach that she was not willing to acknowledge as yet.

“Lady Eliz…Cousin Elizabeth,” he opened their conversation in his deep baritone voice, “the last time I had an opportunity to request a set from you, in my stupidity I did not take the pleasure in your company for the dance. I do not want to make the same mistake again. May I have the pleasure of your company for the first set, Cousin?”

In response she gave him the very impertinent look with an arched eyebrow he most loved.

“It so happens that set is open, William. And as I intend to dance as much as I am able at Caroline’s ball, I suppose that I will have to accept you, so I do not have to sit out the night,” she teased, her expression giving away that she was very pleased he had made his request.

“If I may be so forward as to request the supper set as well, your ladyship,” he said with an amusing bow. “After all, we need to continue our debate on Descartes, and what better time for such a discussion than at a crowded and noisy meal at a ball,” he teased her in return.

“I will grant you that set, sir.” Then she leaned in and said so that only he could hear. “I would not try and ask for more than two sets were I you. It would be sad to have to refuse you before all of our family,” she said with a smile, but the message was received.

Later that day, Ladies Elizabeth and Anne were taking one of their walks with Biggs and some footmen trailing until they found a bench they preferred, Lady Anne Darcy related something to Elizabeth that few knew.

“Elizabeth, I want to share something with you. It is a secret that none but I and your cousins, the royals know. Before I tell you, I need your promise that you will not reveal what I am about to relate to anyone who does not already know about what I am about to tell you. Can you give me your word of honour?”

“I swear it, Aunt Anne, you have my word of honour,” Lady Elizabeth gave her solemn promise.

Lady Anne looked off into the distance and then began the extraordinary story. “Lizzy, do you know that if my George had been interested in a title, he would have been the Duke of Derbyshire?”

“I had no idea, Aunt Anne. How can that be?” Elizabeth asked incredulously.

“In ’76, before my darling George courted me, he was not yet twenty and was out riding when he came across some anarchists trying to kill King George III.

You have heard how his Majesty used to like to travel to see different parts of the country, have you not?

” Elizabeth nodded that she had. “The brigands had felled some trees that had separated the bulk of the royal guard from the King, the guard that remained with his Royal Majesty had been killed, but not before killing all but one of the attackers.

As George came up on the scene, he saw the anarchist raise his pistol to get ready to kill the King.

“He had no idea it was the Monarch. He had his horse charge and ran over the murderer before he was able to pull the trigger.

The blow from his mount was so mighty that the already wounded man was killed instantly.

It was only then that my George realised who he had saved.

It was not many minutes later when the delayed royal guard arrived and secured the King.

“King George III wanted to confer the dukedom of Derbyshire, which was vacant due to the last Duke passing with no heir, on my soon to be husband, and told him that as he was in his debt. He made a cryptic remark about George saving more than just him that day and that he would grant him anything that he desired. George was never interested in a title and had but one request, for the King not to order him to accept the title. As much as the King wanted to confer the Dukedom on my George, he did as he promised and never ordered George to accept the elevation.” Lady Anne had a look of sadness as she thought about, and missed, her beloved, late husband.

“When we met some years later; there was an instant connection, and after a short courtship, he proposed to me. He only told me the story after we married, swearing me to silence. No one in the family knows that my late husband saved King George’s life, not even my children.

The King told my George that he would record everything about the encounter in his royal journals and that only his queen and heir and successor had access to read his private writings. ”

“You should be a duchess, and William should be a marquess!” an astounded Lady Elizabeth stated.

“Only if George had accepted the King’s offer. As he did not, we are as we have always been,” Lady Anne said as she hugged the woman who she suspected had tender feelings for her son.

“It seems that the son had inherited the father’s sense of honour.” Another piece of the puzzle that was Fitzwilliam Darcy just fell into place. The ladies stood and arm in arm returned to the warmth of the manor house.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

George Wickham was very relieved. The Spaniard had thought that when he told him that the Bennets were away from town for an event in the country that it was a delaying tactic, which it was, so he had dispatched Scarface to verify independently.

The gods had been with Wickham as Withers had returned and informed álvarez that the family was away from town for an event and that they would be attending a house party, returning to Town in early March to attend the wedding of a cousin.

The intelligence that Withers had been able to glean stated that from that point on all indicators were that the victim and her family would remain in London for the season.

“You are lucky, Jorge . If you lied to me, you no leave here alive,” álvarez said menacingly.

Wickham thanked God for the reprieve. He had not thought that the Spaniard would verify his information as he had, so the Bennets’ exit from Town had just saved his neck.

“B’cause they away, I give you until end April, but I swear if you no ‘ave ‘er by then, you die!”

Things were finally going Wickham’s way.

Even the constant reminders of his flogging in the scars on his back did not put a damper on his spirits.

Mrs. Younge did not understand why the man that she loved was so happy.

As she had on previous occasions, she assumed that it was his deepening love for her.

She did not know that Wickham had promised to give Scarface a thousand pounds extra if he would ‘get rid’ of his paramour once they collected the ransom.

The man who was going to be double-crossed was planning a double cross of his own.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The morning of the Netherfield Ball dawned clear and cloudless.

It was still cold in the early morning in Hertfordshire in mid-February, but not unbearably so.

The younger, unmarried residents of Longbourn took an early morning ride, the newlyweds not willing to leave the warmth of their respective spouse’s arms so early.

Those riding set out to see two smaller neighbouring estates that the Duke of Hertfordshire had recently purchased.

One, Bennington Fields, bordered Netherfield Park, while the other, Purvis Lodge, was next to Longbourn.

Both families had relatives in the Americas who were doing very well for themselves and had decided to join them there.

The estates were both medium to smaller estates but had good bones.

Bennington Fields would be annexed to Netherfield, the manor house available for when additional guests needed to be housed if the main house was filled.

The small house at Purvis Lodge would be torn down and the park added to Longbourn.

It had a good piece of arable farmland that would expand the acreage for farming at Longbourn.

After the riders viewed both properties, they returned toward Longbourn, and in an open field they gave their mounts their head.

Lady Elizabeth and Darcy led the pack, neck and neck as their horse’s hooves thundered across the field and followed closely by Lords Tom, James, and Wes.

The other young ladies trailed behind by a little and they were followed by the escorts.

Biggs had recommended to his master, who whole heartedly agreed, that just because they were on home ground did not mean that they should relax their vigilance.

A little before the end of the field, the riders slowed to trot as both Darcy and Lady Elizabeth claimed that they were the first to arrive at the marker point for the end of the gallop.

The truth was that it was practically a tie.

The riders allowed the horses to cool down as they trotted back toward Longbourn’s extensive stables.

Neither would admit it aloud, save perhaps themselves, but both Lady Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy were looking forward to the ball with more anticipation than either had ever felt before for a like event.

Darcy at least was willing to acknowledge, to himself and his mother only, that he was irrevocably in love with the raven haired, beautiful, middle Bennet daughter.

Elizabeth knew that she had growing feelings for him, but just how deep, she was not willing to acknowledge yet, even silently to herself.