Page 49

Elizabeth reluctantly went to the dance floor with Mr Collins. Darcy had a final word with Miss Kitty before her first partner of the night, Mr Chamberlayne, collected her.

As the music began, Darcy could not help but notice his sister’s excitement. She chatted continuously with her cousin and Mrs Hurst, their chaperone for the night. While excited, Anne did not show the same enthusiasm as her cousin. She had attended balls held in their home with the stipulation that she could only dance with her father or brothers.

Darcy could not help but wince as he watched Mr Collins’s crude attempt at dancing. He bumped into and stepped on the feet of those unlucky enough to come near him. When the dance brought them near, he could see Elizabeth was mortified by his performance. He took a little pleasure in that the man became even more disconcerted in his movements whenever he noticed he was being watched.

He was rescued from having to hear his small party discuss the material and cut of dresses by the arrival of Sir William at his side. In all his time in the county, he had never been happier seeing the man, even with his overly formal greeting.

“What an enjoyable evening this is shaping up to be, my Lord,” Sir William said gleefully.

“Yes, it is.”

“I understand you were in town for your elevation to the peerage. Did it happen at Saint James?”

“No. The Regent prefers conducting business at Carlton House.”

“I see. That is good to know. And how did you find him?”

“He is blunt and to the point. And curious about issues one would think beneath him.” Darcy replied, looking at the doorway the Regent would enter at some point that night, to the surprise of all.

“Perhaps his regency shall be short, and the King will be himself once again.”

With the passage of the Regency Act, Darcy doubted it, but humored the man. “That would be good news.”

“Yes, that would be capital, capital indeed,” he happily replied, nodding sagely.

“Shall we see you on the dance floor this night with a certain local jewel?”

“Yes.”

“It is shaping up to be a grand night. Ah, I see new guests have arrived. If you will excuse me, my Lord.” He bowed and was off.

“Mr Darcy, there you are,” Miss Bingley said breathlessly. In her hectic state after finding out about their unexpected visitor, she had completely forgotten to even think of addressing him by his new title.

“Miss Bingley,” he said with an inclination of his head. “I had thought of asking you for the first dance, but you were nowhere to be found.”

“There is so much to attend to at the moment, perhaps later,” she said uncharacteristically.

“How are your preparations proceeding?”

“Well enough,” she replied with a sigh. “If I had only known sooner, I would have sent for help from town and consulted with some friends.”

“I am sure everything will be fine. This is a night that will be discussed for many years to come.”

“If only it had taken place in town instead of here,” she replied sadly. She knew the Regent’s attendance would make the papers, but it was still not the same to her.

Darcy wanted to tell her that if it had, the impact of his attendance would not have been as significant as he attended many balls throughout the year in town, where small fortunes were spent on the opulence. For the Regent to attend a ball out in the country would have tongues wagging. He was thankful when she hurried off to see to more preparations.

Darcy waited until the last minute to go to Elizabeth for their dance as her mother hovered beside her. He warmly greeted Mrs Bennet and the other matrons, which made them all flutter like hens as he led Elizabeth away.

“I was beginning to think you had changed your mind.”

“Never. I was, um, well…”

“Avoiding time with my mother?”

He did not reply, as his expression said it all. The first few minutes of their dance were silent, as both knew they were being scrutinized. The nearby dancers strained their ears, trying to hear what might be revealed. Far down the line, Lydia’s exuberant laugh was heard.

“At least your sister is enjoying herself,” Darcy said, breaking the silence.

“You are not? A lady does not want to hear that, especially as the dance has just begun.”

“I must learn to choose my words carefully with you in the future.”

“Getting a little ahead of yourself, are you, Mr Darcy?”

“I would say the odds are in my favor.”

“Are they now? How do you figure that?”

“Naturally, you accepted my first request as you did not want to sit out the rest of the night. You could have declined the supper set as it will set out my clear intention to everyone, which you remarked upon. To some extent, yours as well by accepting”

The tips of her ears turned pink as she looked down. He wondered if, or how she would twist his deduction.

“The night is still young. I may grow tired or sprain an ankle.”

“Or fall off a balcony?”

She could not help but laugh, which garnered looks from those who heard.

“I guess it is fortunate that none are on this floor.”

“Then I am denied coming to your rescue.”

Her mirth died instantly. “I do not need rescue,” she replied petulantly.

“It was a jest meant for a single instance of our acquaintance, not the entirety of it.”

“You have not had to put up with my mother since she found out. She has been insufferable.”

“Then we shall change the subject? Something neutral?”

“So we are left with books or the weather,” she said before moving surprisingly closer to him. “Not an inspiring conversation for those listening,” she whispered. His scent and the warmth of his body washed over her. She swallowed nervously as she moved back. She did not understand why her stomach was fluttering all of a sudden. “What do the ladies in town discuss when you are dancing with them?” She asked, trying to control her reaction.

“They usually begin by naming important people they or their family know. Trying to impress me.”

“Does it?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“They dutifully recite the list of all their accomplishments.”

“I don’t have any.”

“You play the piano and sing.”

“Badly, so they can hardly be considered accomplishments.”

“I disagree,” he said honestly. “Your playing could use some work, but your singing… I have rarely heard better.”

“A criticism mollified by a compliment. Mr Darcy, you woo poorly. Everything about me should be a compliment, and I should be the best you have heard.”

He cleared his throat. “Yes, well. Most of their accomplishments are not practical unless you live a life of leisure.”

“I have none that I can think of.”

“Of course you do. Georgiana told me you and your sisters make quilts for the children of your tenets and sew clothes for newborns.”

“Those are not accomplishments.

“They are better. They are practical skills needed estates. In the whole scheme of things, what good is painting a screen or designing a table that may never be made?”

“You are very harsh. Miss Bingley raves about Georgiana’s table design.”

“It is not being harsh. You also care for those that have had too much to drink.”

“I will not make a habit of that as look at where it has put me.”

“It showed you care, and you have not taken advantage of it as others would. That shows integrity.”

Elizabeth did not know how to reply and was grateful that the dance had separated them for a time.

“Then what?”

“What do you mean?”

“What would be the next topic of conversation?”

“The tedious subject of ball gowns. Criticizing what so and so is wearing,” he said with a sigh.

“Heaven forbid. You learned something from those conversations to pick out the dresses you sent.”

“Ha, you think,” he said with a laugh. “It was a simple matter of going to Georgiana’s modiste and placing the order. She knows far better than I do what she likes and her preferred colors.”

“And mine? I barely had to make any alterations to it. You have a keen eye for such things.”

“Ah, yes, well, you see. I did know you and Georgiana are the same height. You are somewhat, um, more…” He said, looking down and making her blush.

“I understand.”

“Mrs Bean, Georgiana’s modiste, sent a letter of inquiry to the shop here in Meryton to fill out the details.”

She did not know whether to be angry or not. And with whom should she direct her ire, him or the milliner in Meryton, for fulfilling the request? Before she could decide, he apologized for taking the liberty so the dress could be made. Considering the compliments she had already received on the dress, she decided to forgive him.

Elizabeth found that she had the most pleasant conversation she had ever had when dancing. It was a far cry from her first dance, where the conversation had either been about Lady Catherine or her cousin’s constantly apologizing to her or those he happened to bump into when he moved the wrong way.

She was disappointed when the set ended, and they left the floor. She did her best to ignore her mother’s pleased smile as Darcy took her to the refreshment table.