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Lord Tom Bennet had vastly enjoyed her company on and off the dance floor the night they met.

They had been to the theatre and taken a walk in Hyde Park on two occasions.

Not a few debutants who had seen them together were unhappy that the handsome Marquess seemed to be ‘off the market’ and would have loved to discredit Lady Amelia Ashby somehow, but they could find nought to achieve their catty aims. Like his cousin William Darcy, Lord Tom Bennet had escaped an attempted entrapment or two.

The Marquess of Birchington’s feelings had not waned during their separation, and had only grown since his return to Town.

It did not take long for him to secure the same three sets that Darcy had been granted by his sister earlier that day, and had not missed the pleasure with which the lady received his request. Lady Gillian Ashby, Amy Ashby’s proud mother, was very happy that her daughter had finally found a man who interested her, knowing her daughter’s feelings were not connected to Tom’s wealth or titles, but that there seemed to be tender feelings on both sides.

Lady Elizabeth was sitting and talking with Ladies Anne and Catherine.

“It seems that my brother has gone and lost something and that Amy has found and decided to keep,” Elizabeth observed.

She was happy for her older brother and had never seen him express any marked interest in a young lady before.

“She is not the only one who has found…” Before her sister Catherine could complete the sentence, Lady Anne gripped her arm and inclined her head toward Elizabeth, reminding her sister that none of them were to push William and Elizabeth together, allowing it to happen by their own design, if that happened to be their choice.

“Did you say something, Aunt Catherine?” Lady Elizabeth asked. Thankfully she had been distracted so she did not pay attention to what the older lady was saying.

“Nothing, Lizzy dear,” Lady Catherine prevaricated. “I was remembering something, but it had no relevance to our discussion.”

“I cannot but agree with you, Lizzy. How old is Tom now?” Lady Anne asked to distract their young friend from what her sister had almost blurted out.

“He will be four and twenty this May, Aunt Anne,” Elizabeth answered as she watched her brother.

The truth was that she felt envious of her brother as he was not afraid to display his preference, but then that was the man’s prerogative, was it not?

She had a reasonably good idea that William was not indifferent to her, but her head and heart were still at war, so she was not willing to admit that he was more than her good friend at this point.

Whenever her head told her that, her heart whispered, ‘you lie’.

“Lady Amelia has had two seasons has she not, sister?” Lady Catherine verified.

“Yes, Catherine, I believe you are correct. She had a marquess, two earls, and a few viscounts calling on her, but I hear that she was never interested in any of them. She is much like you, Lizzy. She wants more than to be a bauble on a man’s arm. She is too intelligent for that.”

“That is why Amy, and I found a kinship when I met her at Longbourn,” Lady Elizabeth agreed. “She is a very able chess player if not quite at my level. She will be able to beat Tom from time to time without too much trouble.”

“Time will tell,” Catherine de Bourgh opined. “It could be that your brother is not ready to settle down and take a wife yet.”

“As we have not discussed the subject, I have no knowledge one way or the other, Aunt Catherine.” Elizabeth looked to where Anne de Bourgh and Ian Ashby were sitting, talking with their heads close together and ignorant of all others in the room.

“Anne looks deliriously happy with her betrothed. How well they look together.”

“Lizzy has the right of it, Catherine,” Lady Anne agreed. “I have never seen my namesake radiate pure joy and love like I see in her when she is with Ian.”

“I agree, Anne. My daughter has never been happier,” Lady Catherine said wistfully. She knew that she would still be part of Anne’s life, but she would nevertheless miss seeing her on an almost daily basis.

After all the guests had been shepherded through the receiving line, Lord Matlock asked all present to drink a toast to his niece and soon to be nephew.

Darcy then came to retrieve Lady Elizabeth for the opening set.

They joined the line, and while awaiting the opening bars of the music Darcy looked at his partner.

“Have I told you, Lizzy, that I have seen no one more handsome that you are tonight? You are definitely handsome enough to tempt me to dance,” he teased, his smile spreading as he twisted the offensive words that he had uttered in Meryton.

“Why thank you, William. I dare say that the same can be said of you,” she said with an impertinently arched eyebrow. The music began and neither felt the need to talk. They both enjoyed the company of the other and did not need inane conversation to pass the time.

A little farther down the line Miss Bingley was partnering her betrothed. “I am in such anticipation, Graham. It is less than ten days until we say our vows to each other,” Caroline said with a very dreamy look.

“Soon we will never have to be parted again, my love.” Graham reached up an touched her cheek lovingly while his eyes displayed all of the love her felt for his betrothed, “I love you so very much, my Caroline,” he spoke quietly as he gave her a look that reflected the depth of the love he felt for her.

While they went down the line separately, Caroline thought about the tour of his home, which soon they would share the previous day.

When they came back together, she remarked, “I found the town home that your uncle gifted you to be delightful.” As a wedding gift, Lord Thomas and Lady Sarah Bennet had gifted the house, which was not part of the entail of the properties belonging to his dukedom, to their nephew and his bride.

“It is hard to fathom that the Bennets were so generous. They allowed me to stay at the home for more than three years, never accepting a penny in rent and now this,” Graham’s voice was filled with gratitude.

“Are you sure that there is nothing that you want to change other than your chambers, Caroline?”

“There is no need, Graham. Anything else would have been change for change’s sake.

Our home is perfect, so other than updating some furniture and the colours in my chambers, there is no need for any other changes.

” Graham had no doubt that most others would have demanded wholesale changes just because she could.

Not his Caroline, she was too sensible for that.

Two couples over, Bingley was dancing with Miss Phillips, who were also counting the days until their siblings wedding because a day or two after the time restriction imposed by Franny’s father would expire.

As much as Charles Bingley was impatient to declare himself, his dance partner was even more impatient to receive the addresses of the man that she loved beyond the capacity that she had believed possible.

The Marquess of Netherfield was dancing with a young woman who intrigued him.

He understood neither of them was ready for anything but friendship as cousins, but he hoped that she was feeling similar stirrings as he as he had not missed that every time, he looked at her or spoke to her she would blush most becomingly.

At the head of the line, Ashby could not have been happier.

In less than a month he would be able to take his Anne home to Sherwood Park.

There was a time when he believed that Lady Catherine would do all in her power to separate them, but then all had changed.

There was now open approbation for the match which Anne’s mother had blessed.

They planned to live most of the time in Surrey, but would be at Rosings Park at least a fortnight every three months as well as a full month at Easter when the whole family had a standing invitation to spend Eastertide in Kent.

Anne felt as deeply about her betrothed as he felt for her.

With only less than a month left, she could not wait for the time to pass so that she would be her Ian’s wife.

Anne was relieved that her mother would stay with her brother and then her sister after the wedding rather than in the large manor house at Rosings Park alone.

Lady Catherine would join them for their first fortnightly sojourn at the estate in Kent in three months after the newlyweds had returned from their wedding trip and Anne had established herself at their estate in Surrey.

Although she had invited her mother to live with them once they returned from their wedding trip, she could not repine the fact that they would have three months on their own at the start of their union.

The ball passed, as balls do. When William Darcy came to claim Lady Elizabeth Bennet for the final set, the third that they would dance that night, there were some very knowing looks exchanged by their family members.

The gossips had a double dose of delight, because in line up for the waltz, the Marquess of Birchington and Lady Amelia Ashby were right next to them.