Page 28

“ W hich part of town were you raised in, Miss Smith?” Mr. Anderson asked.

“Gracechurch Street, sir,” Elizabeth replied, tired of lying to anyone who asked her the same.

“I have never been there much. You see, I was raised in Scotland as well. Martha did not visit London until she was married. My father, you can say, was not very welcoming of our pursuits to explore the world.”

“Why would you say so?”

“He disapproved of us doing anything out of his purview, our education, pursuits, acquaintances, he decided everything.”

“I would not say that is uncommon.”

Mr. Anderson laughed.

“You are right. But I hope the future generations are not so.”

He paused.

“How are you liking life here?”

“Very much, sir. I enjoy teaching the children, and their progress gives me joy.”

“My sister is lucky to have found you. I can see that you enjoy reading, and I have never seen you without a book. I used to be like you when I was younger. I spent hours in the library, neglecting anything else asked to be done.”

“And now?”

“To be honest, I do not. Not that I have family that needs me at every hour and time. It is just that it no longer gives me the pleasure it used to. I read, but not like before.”

Elizabeth noticed some sadness in his voice. He seemed to get carried away for a moment, and this was their conversation during breakfast.

That evening, she was to attend the supper party at Mrs. Hampton’s house. When she dressed for the evening, Elizabeth felt unsettled.

She wore an evening gown in a light shade of blue. Her maid suggested she try something fancier for her hairstyle, but Elizabeth protested.

“But, Miss, this is a fancy evening, and you have such beautiful curls. Please let me work on them.”

Finally, Elizabeth agreed.

Her maid worked on her hair and let a few curls cover the sides of her face.

“You look lovely,” she said in admiration once done.

Elizabeth looked at herself in the mirror, and she never really thought herself a beauty. Her mother often reminded her of this.

But she felt her hairstyle made her look different and felt self-conscious.

Maybe I can ask Lucy to redo my hair .

She thought but then decided against it.

“Well! I can see that your maid has worked on your hair differently. You look beautiful, my dear,” Lady Martha exclaimed.

“Thank you, madam,” Elizabeth said, wondering if she would attract unwanted attention; as much as she wanted to be a part of the family, she did not want to raise eyebrows.

Just then, Lord Ashton joined them.

“Where is your wife?” Lady Martha asked.

“Mother, she is unwell. She won’t be joining us today.”

“Is that so? I thought she was quite well when I saw her some time ago,” Lady Martha exclaimed with a raised eyebrow.

“She has suddenly taken ill, and I do not want to press her.”

They decided to leave without Lady Isabella, and Elizabeth knew Darcy would be at the gathering. As much as she was excited to see Georgiana, she felt the opposite towards her brother.

The travel was short, and they were among the few guests who arrived early. Mrs. Hampton, one of Lady Ashton’s close friends, greeted them warmly.

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief when she did not see Darcy at the gathering. She sat down with her party and composed herself.

Mr. Anderson sat beside her. She somehow felt comfortable in his company as he conversed with her on various subjects and listened intently to her views. After ten minutes she noticed Georgiana and Darcy enter. Georgiana searched for Elizabeth in the crowd and found her seated with the Ashtons.

“Brother, there.”

She steered him in that direction, but Darcy did not need any assistance from his sister. He had come to the gathering with the only intention of seeing Elizabeth, and the moment he entered, his eyes were drawn to her.

She laughed at something Mr. Anderson had said and looked radiant in her evening gown, and Darcy was captivated by her.

“You look beautiful,” Georgiana exclaimed as she reached Elizabeth.

“Thank you. You as well, Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth replied.

She curtsied to Darcy when everyone greeted each other.

“Where is Lady Isabella?” Georgiana asked.

“She felt unwell and could not join us.”

“Oh! That is too bad. How are the children?”

“They are well. They seem to enjoy Mr. Anderson’s company.”

“It is always cheerful when Mr. Anderson visits Ashton Park. Sometimes, I cannot believe Lady Sophia is no more.”

“The children mention her so many times daily. I hardly know how to handle it,” Elizabeth said with sadness.

“I have seen you handle their questions. I am certain no one can be so patient and affectionate towards them.”

“They are wonderful children.”

They had some refreshments, and the music started.

“I do look forward to seeing you dancing, Miss Smith,” Georgiana said with excitement.

“I do not have the slightest intention to dance.”

Elizabeth replied, horrified at the thought of dancing at the gathering. Though she had been to several social gatherings with the Ashton family, none had put her in a situation to dance.

“Why do you say that? Do you not enjoy dancing?”

“I don’t detest it. But at the moment, I do not think I favor the prospect,” she replied nervously.

“What about you? Are you excited to dance?”

“Of course not. You see, I have danced at some family gatherings with my brother and cousin, even with Lord Ashton, but never outside Pemberley.”

“I see.”

The party was informal, and the men came up to find partners for a dance when the music started. Elizabeth and Georgiana headed to the drinks table as they were thirsty, and the crowd had cleared to give the dancers some visibility. Suddenly, she turned around and came face to face with Darcy.

He looked at her keenly before he spoke.

“Miss Smith, if you are not otherwise engaged, would you do the honor of dancing with me?” he asked.

Elizabeth was stunned beyond measure as she was in no mood to dance, especially with Darcy.

“I am …I was not… I thank you, yes!” she replied unable to think of a plausible excuse, and Georgiana smiled at them both. For an instant, Darcy thought she would refuse him and was delighted with her acceptance and led Elizabeth to the center of the room.

Elizabeth noticed a few raised eyebrows amongst the crowd as she walked along with him. She caught Lady Martha’s eye and saw no surprise in her countenance.

Why did he ask me to dance with him? What could this mean? He must have done it for his sister’s sake.

When the music started, they joined the rest of the dancers. If at all she was uncomfortable, Elizabeth did not show it. She also caught the surprise look of many young women and noticed that Darcy did not care to look anywhere else and kept his eyes on her face.

On the other hand, Darcy, relished every moment of gazing into her beautiful eyes. He loved her deeply, and he did not hesitate to seek her out. The dance started, and Elizabeth moved along with Darcy, replaying all that had happened between them in the past in her mind.

Something in his eyes unsettled her, and his gaze did something to her. She did not want to accept that he had the power to intimidate her.

“We must have some conversation, Mr. Darcy.”

“What do you suggest we converse about?”

“Well, you could say something about the size of the room, and I could talk about the weather. Then we may stay silent for the rest of the dance.”

“Do you talk by rule while dancing?”

“I do not. But now, circumstances demand it, and we must, for your sister’s sake.”

“I do not have the pleasure of understanding you.”

“Mr. Darcy, if I may speak plainly. I do know the reason you asked me to dance.”

Darcy’s heart skipped a beat.

Does she know?

“And what might that be?” he asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“You thought you were doing me a favor by asking me to dance with you, and that intention comes from your concern for your sister’s happiness.”

Darcy did not understand the meaning of her words, but he could see anger in her beautiful eyes, though her face looked composed.

“You mistake me. I asked you for a dance because I wished to. Why would it even concern Georgiana?”

“Because you thought no one might ask me to dance, and maybe that would upset me. I can understand you did it to please Miss Darcy. I did not intend to dance with you or anyone else. I would not have cared if I was the only woman standing alone this evening without a partner. But you made it impossible for me to refuse you because you asked in the presence of your sister.”

Darcy was not angry with her. His heart was full of love and admiration for her, and he could not understand why she misunderstood him all the time.

However, Elizabeth was fuming inside.

Why would he want to dance with me? Out of all the women in the room?

She had thought this from the moment he had asked her.

“Miss Smith, I do not understand why you think the worst of anything I do.”

“Because I have no reason to believe otherwise. We argued the day we met, later at the bookstore, and I think we both are aware of the fact that only because of your sister do we tolerate each other.”

“Speak only for yourself, madam. You seem to willfully misunderstand my intentions. I do not deny the unfortunate encounter at the cliff and bookstore. I have nothing but regret for my behavior at the bookstore. I should have apologized for it long ago, but you may term it insincere if I do so now. To be honest, I did not know you still held it against me. It never occurred to me in the past two months of being acquainted with you,” he cried, fighting hard not to pull her into his arms and pour his feelings.

“I do not expect you to apologize, sir. I do not expect anything from you, but please do not say you were unaware of my disregard for you.”

“I was, and I am still. If at all you hate me, you do an excellent job of hiding it. I will tell you openly to make myself clear on the subject. As you accuse me, I do not detest you. All I have is...”