Page 48

Darcy entered the ballroom in his search for Elizabeth. In the sea of redcoats, he knew one in particular had been summoned to London. He knew this small favour would cost him later, but he did not care.

His entrance garnered the attention of all those present as it rippled through the crowded room. The babble of conversation died down, and the disjointed sound of the musicians tuning their instruments became more apparent. His official elevation to the Earldom had been the talk of the neighborhood, along with the titillating rumors of him and one of their own.

His search was impeded by those wishing to congratulate him, he could not move more than a few steps without being stopped. How he hated that he could no longer stalk the perimeter of the room, assured that most would not bother him. Felling a tug at his elbow, he turned to see one of the younger Bennet sisters looking at him.

“Miss Catherine,” he said with a slight bow.

“It’s Kitty, my Lord,” she replied with a curtsy. “If you are looking for your.” Her lips continued to mouth words, but no sound was uttered. She then clearly said. “Sister.”

He looked at her and was astonished when she rolled her eyes at his lack of understanding.

“My, my, my,” she said oddly. “That is a nice vest you have. Interesting color. Is it new?”

“Oh, yes,” he said as he finally comprehended what she was trying to tell him.

“She has been waiting for you?”

“Georgiana, or …”

“Both, I imagine. Follow me.”

“Thank you, Miss Kitty,” he replied awkwardly. Calling her by her family’s pet name sounded and felt odd. She giggled and headed off, weaving through the room into a less populated hallway.

Kitty knocked on the door three times, paused, then tapped again and waited. A few moments later, they heard the key turning. The door opened slightly, and a face peeked out. Even in the flickering light of the hallway, Darcy recognized the face that had recently invaded his dreams.

“Hello,” she said, then disappeared. The door swung open, and they entered. Kitty went to where Georgiana and Anne were standing near the fireplace. He did not fully see Elizabeth until she shut the door. His mouth gaped open.

“My Lord,” she said with a curtsy.

“Please, I have had enough of that already this night. You look…” He tried to find the words.

“Tolerable?”

“Yes, but that was not the word I was thinking,” he said, smiling.

“William!” Georgiana cried. “How could you say that? She looks beautiful.” She moved towards him, her eyes widening upon seeing what he wore. “Your vest.”

Elizabeth blushed when her eyes took in the garment.

“If they were not talking before, they certainly will be now.”

“Same color, different pattern, most will not make the connection.”

The four women in the room began shaking their heads in disagreement.

“You are wrong, very wrong. All the ladies in the room will know my dress did not come from the local milliner because of the material. Pattern or not, the colors match perfectly. They will know, trust me. Hours of observation are spent noticing what people are wearing, especially if it has not been seen at a previous function.

Tomorrow or the next day, visits will be made, and hours will spent talking about who danced with whom, what they were wearing down to the last bit of lace. Different sets of visitors will discuss the same exact subject as if it were the first time.”

“Then they are definitely going to be talking about this dance,” Darcy said.

Elizabeth eyed him suspiciously. “And why is that?”

Darcy held up his hands. “Not because of us. Not directly.”

She put her hands on her hips. She looked at the three girls who were pretending to be in their own conversation while they listened.

“What do you mean?”

Darcy leaned closer. The chatter from the other three stopped in hushed anticipation.

“The Prince Regent will be arriving at some point this evening,” he whispered.

“The Prince Regent here! Why?”

“The Prince Regent” was excitedly echoed three more times.

Darcy glanced at the young women, then took Elizabeth by the elbow. “Do you mind?” He asked, indicating with his head that he wanted to move further away. At her nod, they moved to the other side of the room.

“When I had my first audience with him, he suggested I marry,” he said in a hushed voice.

“I see. Did he have anyone in mind?”

“Several.” Elizabeth felt an unexpected pang of jealousy at his answer. “He is coming here to see the woman that rejected my offer.”

“Why?”

“He is a man that likes conundrums.”

Elizabeth pulled her head back. “Am I so puzzling that the Regent will visit me as if I was in a menagerie?”

“I would not put it that way, but he was intrigued that I was rejected.”

She started to cross her arms but stopped, as she did not want to crease her dress. “I don’t know if I should be flattered or insulted.”

“The dress becomes you.”

“Don’t change the subject. I find it hard to believe he would take the time just to come all this way to gawk at me.”

“He said he would like to meet the woman that had the gall to reject me. Without a thought, I mentioned that Bingley was having a ball and he could have the opportunity. I honestly did not think he would take up the offer. If you can stand up to my aunt, you will have no problem with him.”

“You know about that?”

“She stopped in to relay her displeasure with you and the girls before she went to Bow Street to swear out a warrant for you and Bingley.”

“For what?” She exclaimed.

“Kidnapping.”

Elizabeth was dumbfounded at the woman’s audacity.

“Not to worry. It came to naught when they visited me for confirmation.”

“What is wrong with her?”

“She is accustomed to having her way and did not take kindly to it being disobeyed and all but thrown out. I would have liked to have been there to see you and Bingley. From her description, you looked like a street urchin.”

“I beg your pardon.”

“Her words, not mine.”

“It was a little mud and a few stray hairs.”

“From your mad dash to get here before she arrived?”

“It is not as far as you think if you know what fields to go through.”

“Regardless of your state when you arrived. I want to thank you for being there for Georgiana and Anne.”

“They stood up to her as well. Anne is not as timid as she appears.”

“They are not sure if they would have if you were not with them.”

“Perhaps. I assume Mr Bingley knows about the unexpected guest ?”

“Yes, and his sister. I informed them when I arrived, thankfully keeping her busy with preparations.”

“And out of your hair?” She asked happily.

“Forget about her? The dance is about to start, and I would like the honor of the first dance.” He said, holding out his hand. Elizabeth paled at his words.

“I… my first dance is with my cousin. There was nothing I could do when he asked.”

“Then the second if it is open.”

“You shall have to examine my card,” she said as she produced the card and held it out for him. It was empty except for the first spot. He looked at her as she. “As you can see, my current standing has kept partners away.”

Reaching into his pocket for a pencil, he neatly marked the card. “This does mean I will have to offer the first dance to Miss Bingley,” he said, handing her the card and pocketing his pencil.

“If you think to make me jealous, it will not work.”

Elizabeth looked at her card. She raised her brows as she scrutinized him. “And the supper set. If the vest does not have tongues wagging, this certainly will. They shall have us married off by Christmas.”

“Let them. Shall we?” He said holding out his arm.

“There is one other thing,” her voice trailed off. She looked back to Georgiana. “Georgiana told me about Mr Wickham,” she whispered. “I’m worried about her seeing him tonight. Even though she told me that she feels indifferent about him now and only embarrassed about what happened.”

“No worry on that account. He was dispatched to London yesterday on special assignment.”

“Oh, I see. We should let her know so she does not worry.”

With an admonition to the young ladies to keep the Regent a secret, they left the room for the noise and bustle of the ballroom. To Darcy’s relief, Miss Bingley was nowhere to be found.