He clenched his fists, thinking he would love to challenge the young man to a duel, but it was best left behind in the past. He was not sure what he would do. He hadn’t come home to Hertfordshire because he was following Wickham. He only realized after arriving that there was a regiment of soldiers staying in Meryton. His curiosity got the better of him and so here he was, sitting in a café, watching the people around him.
His attention turned to the woman who had sat down at his table. She was looking up at a much taller man. He was gazing down at her with the eyes of a love-struck puppy dog. Darcy guessed their ages to be in their very early twenties, if not late teens. They were very cordial to each other, nodding and gesturing gently, but Darcy could tell their baser instincts wanted to take over.
He longed for such a feeling, as well. He had never brought himself to kiss a woman other than his mother, in all of his thirty-plus years. It had never been high on his priority list.
His thoughts moved back to the dancing woman. Kissing a woman had jumped up to the top of his priority list. Or near it. He grinned and took a sip of the tea the serving girl set down on his table when he was not looking. He picked up the spoon and stirred it, his eyes settling on the woman and man on the other side of the café. The fact that she was now with a man convinced him she had been looking for a table with two chairs instead of one. He moved his eyes from the woman to the man. They gazed at each other as if they hadn’t seen one another in years. He could sense how much they wanted to touch each other. How much they wanted to be together, alone somewhere, exchanging words of love.
But such a thing would have caused a great deal of scandal, should it ever get out. Best to avoid it and just enjoy the time you have with each other. That had always been his motto. Plus, he had never found a woman he enjoyed enough to long for alone time with them.
Until now.
This woman. She intrigued him. She was an enigma. He had to solve the dilemma as quickly as possible, finding out who the woman was. An idea came to mind and he smiled at himself.
“This is genius!” he murmured.
Chapter 9
Several days after the ball, Elizabeth and her sisters visited Meryton, where their aunt and uncle lived. Their mother was anxious to start on a new pattern for a quilt she was making and needed Auntie Phillips to help her with a few snags in her plan. Elizabeth thought it was so like her mother to desire perfection from the fabric she worked with.
Elizabeth was excited on the ride to Meryton. Charlotte would be meeting her there. She wanted to tell her about the man in the mask and his monkey pin. Her talk with Jane afterward had given her courage to trust her instincts. This man would play a significant part in her future, she was sure of it.
She greeted Charlotte with a tight hug and a kiss on each cheek. “Oh it is lovely to see you today, Charlotte!” she exclaimed. She leaned in closer and whispered, “I have so much to tell you. You just would not believe what has happened!”
Charlotte’s face lit up at the thought of something exciting happening to her dear friend. She was older than Elizabeth was by a few years and loved to relive the youthful excitement Elizabeth exuded. “I cannot wait to hear! Come, let us walk!”
They hooked their elbows together and smiled at each other. Elizabeth turned the smile to her mother, who was heading up the walk to go in the Phillips home. “I will see you back here soon, Mother!”
Mrs. Bennet nodded and raised one hand. “You girls be careful. Do not fall in any mud puddles!”
Elizabeth turned back to Charlotte, covering her lips with one hand. “Mother can be so amusing sometimes. As if we would walk in mud puddles.”
Charlotte leaned her head to the side so it was almost touching Elizabeth’s. “I suppose she is more concerned about getting our shoes and stockings muddy and dirty. How would that look, walking around with our pretty dresses with mud from the ankles down?”
Both ladies laughed. Charlotte reached up with one hand and squeezed Elizabeth’s. “Now you must tell me about this exciting news, dear Lizzie. Have you found a suitor? Is some strange man going to take my dear friend’s attention?”
Elizabeth chuckled. “Oh, Charlotte, you are humorous. No man will ever take my friendship and attention from you. I will just have to divide it equally.”
Charlotte grinned. “And then you will have children and there will definitely not be time for your old friend anymore.”
Elizabeth blanched as though she was shocked. “Charlotte! I have yet to find a man to court, much less marry and here you are presenting me with children?”
They both laughed.
“I have… I have a feeling I will be…courted by a gentleman sometime soon. I am not sure who he is…” Elizabeth hurried the last sentence, as Charlotte had opened her mouth and taken in a deep breath. Elizabeth was sure there was about to be a tirade of questions and wanted to get in her words before Charlotte could hammer in with them. “I danced with him at the masquerade ball.”
Charlotte nodded. “I had guessed as much. I was about to say it when you told me.”
“Yes, I am very…thoughtful about it. As in, I cannot get it off my mind. I think about dancing with him. I think about his hand in mine and his hand on my waist and moving in circles with him. During the promenade when we were switching partners, I would swear I got him more often than I got the others. I wonder, do you think he sabotaged the dance in order to be with me a few extra times?”
Charlotte looked completely delighted. Her eyes lit up and her smile covered most of her face. “Oh Lizzie, that sounds so lovely! And here you do not know who it was because of his mask. Shall we try to figure out who he is?”
“I think it will be quite difficult, if not impossible to discern who was who at that ball.”
Charlotte shook her head, then bit her bottom lip and said, “I can see you would very much like to, though.”
Elizabeth looked contemplative. “I really do want to know who he was.”
“However will you recognize him? All right, let’s try to eliminate who we knew.”
“That number is limited. Everyone kept it a secret. They are still keeping their secret about who they were.”
“We must break through that, Lizzie. We must eliminate everyone we knew and start looking at those who are left. What ties they have.”
“I do not understand what you are saying, Charlotte. I apologize.”
Charlotte shook her head. “No, do not apologize. Let me think and I am sure I can find some ties between people at the ball. For instance, we know that Henry and Esther always come in matching outfits. We can eliminate them and their nephew.”
“Why the nephew?”
“Because he was around the older couple more often than most people there. He kept making sure they had refreshments, and that they were comfortable and whether they wanted to participate in the dancing.”
Elizabeth stared at Charlotte. “You are the most remarkably observant woman I have ever met. Bravo, Charlotte. All right, let me think, as well.” Elizabeth was having a hard time wrapping her brain around the fact that Charlotte had come up with such a good plan. She remembered seeing two girls dressed in gowns that resembled feathers of a penguin, even the coloring. They wore masks that sported long beaks to make them resemble penguins even more. Elizabeth knew the pair to be a set of twin sisters who always came in the same, if not updated, dresses. They had two bachelor brothers, who typically escorted their sisters to the balls and events. It was not anyone in that family, Elizabeth concluded.
“That is a wonderful way to get rid of some of the people, Charlotte,” she said after a moment of thinking. “But it leaves so many unanswered questions.”
“I have an unanswered question for you,” Charlotte said softly.
Elizabeth leaned toward her. “Yes?”
“Who was Mr. Darcy? Who was Mr. Bingley? Do you know what their sisters were wearing?”
Elizabeth dug through her memory to see if she could remember if the Bin
gley sisters wore anything that complimented the other. While some siblings and families were easily found, the Bingley sisters never wore the same thing twice. She had never seen Mr. Bingley nor Mr. Darcy.
She had a sinking feeling she might never find the man in the mask.
Charlotte noticed her sudden change in mood. She squeezed Elizabeth’s hand. “Now do not get all worried, my dear. You were excited. Tell me more about the man in the mask. He was the one you danced with the most, am I right? He had a black and white mask on, with a sharp nose.”
“That’s the one. There was something peculiar about him, Charlotte. Something I could not quite put my finger on.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
Elizabeth pulled in a deep breath. “Oh, I do not know. What I really wanted to tell you, Charlotte, was that Lydia had a dream.”
Charlotte stopped walking and stared at Elizabeth. “Lydia had a dream.”
“And there was a man, a highwayman, I suppose he was chasing Lydia. Or she was afraid of him. She did not really clarify. All I remember was that he was a highwayman and he had a dancing monkey in a top hat with him.”
“You remember that from what Lydia told you?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“And so you think this man that you danced with at the ball is the highwayman? That somehow Lydia dreamed a vision of your future?”
Elizabeth blushed. “Please do not think badly of me. It just seemed too much of a coincidence.”
“Just because the man wore a black and white mask does not mean he was the one in Lydia’s dream.” Charlotte shook her head. “You are looking too hard. I know you are anxious to find a husband.”
“Do not tease me, Charlotte. You know that I will not marry until I find a gentleman I will love with all my heart. That is my desire.”
Charlotte nodded. “Yes, I know, Lizzie. I suppose I cannot say I feel the same. I wish for my husband to have a good stable position in a company or the owner of land. Someone I will be able to care for while he tends to business.”
“You’ve mentioned that before. It is surprising that you do not wish for love.”
“It is not that I do not want love. I truly do. But it is just not as important to me as it is to you.”
“Do you not desire passion and romance?”
Charlotte giggled. “Yes, I do. But still, I do not see why you have come to the conclusion that it was in the least related to Lydia’s dream. And would not that have been a dream for a man for her and not you?” She shook her head. “I am sure there were plenty of men there who wore black and white. What made this one so special to you?”
“There was something I noticed as we parted after the last dance.”
Charlotte grinned. “I saw that you danced the last dance with him. That’s very special.”
“I saw you had a partner, as well.”
“Yes, I did. But it was not anything special to me. Tell me what you want to tell me before I absolutely explode.”
“As he was leaving, he bowed to me. His collar moved to the side and he had a pin attached to it, just underneath. It was a monkey, Charlotte. With a top hat.”
Charlotte tilted her head to the side and blinked at Elizabeth. “Now that is interesting.”
Chapter 10
Lydia burst into the room and rushed over to Jane, who was sitting in a large cushioned chair, her legs pulled up and her sewing on her lap. She pulled the thread through the fabric, looking up at Lydia in astonishment.
“Jane! You have been deceitful! You have been seeing a man without telling any of us about it!”
Jane’s eyes opened wide and she set her sewing aside, glancing quickly at her other sisters and her mother. They had all turned their wide eyes to her.
“Jane?” Mrs. Bennet said. “What is this? What does Lydia mean?”
Lydia turned to her mother, her blonde curls bouncing on her cheeks. She pointed at Jane. “She has been going around town with a man without telling any of us.”
Mrs. Bennet shook her head. “It is impolite to point, Lydia. And that cannot be possible. Jane is rarely out of our sight.”
“When we were in Meryton the other day, I was told she was seen walking with a man through the park, though she did have Catherine following along behind.” Lydia’s brows drew together. “Anyway, we did not spend the entire day together, Mother, remember? We girls went into town while you and Auntie Phillips stayed in. Jane said she was going to the Lending Library.”
Jane’s face was by now, deeply colored in red. She lowered her eyes and stared at her feet. “I…I was not really… I am not exactly…”
Mrs. Bennet frowned at her oldest daughter. “What is this? Jane, you must tell me what’s going on?”
“I met up with someone at outside of the Library and we went for a walk in the park before I joined the girls at the shops. I…I meant nothing by it.”
“Who is this man? Surely he has a name.” Mrs. Bennet sounded disappointed in her daughter.
She looked it, too. Elizabeth felt sorry for Jane, thinking about the man she was interested in. How would her parents react to her bringing home a suitor? They would want him to be wealthy and suitable. Elizabeth knew that was how her mother was thinking at that moment.
“And tell me why you did not mention this before?”
“I really do not think it will happen again,” Jane said in a low voice.
Mrs. Bennet frowned. “Why?”
“Oh, it is not because I would not want to, Mother. It’s just that…well, it was…Charles Bingley.”
The room fell quiet and Elizabeth felt even sorrier for her sister. Jane had chosen to consciously associate herself with someone her family did not want to associate with. She looked at her mother, waiting for Mrs. Bennet to forbid her daughter from seeing Mr. Bingley again. After a moment, Elizabeth looked around at all her sisters. They were all watching in anticipation. Mrs. Bennet took quite a few minutes before she said, “Jane, you know that your father wishes us not to associate with the Bingleys and Darcys. They are untrustworthy.”
“Mother, just because someone’s great-grandfather caused a problem for our family, does not mean the current living members of that family are untrustworthy.”
“There have been recent developments that lead us to believe the Darcy family is still involved in disreputable things. More money-swindling, more dishonesty. They simply cannot be trusted.”
“But, Mother,” Elizabeth spoke up. “Mr. Bingley is not part of Mr. Darcy’s family. Must their family also be ostracized? They have done nothing wrong to our family. Not now and not in the past.”
Mrs. Bennet’s face was surprisingly smooth and her voice was soft when she replied, “It is not me who will be upset. It is your father. And your uncle. And several other people in our family. They do not wish to see anyone so closely associated with the Darcys to be entering contracts with our family.”
“My marriage…or prospects for such…are considered business?” Jane sounded hurt.
Elizabeth was sorrowful but also knew that Jane was aware of the way things were. Her marriage, Elizabeth’s marriage, the marriages of all of the sisters, they were considered business dealings. The suitor had to be the right one and there had to be a good reason for the union, one that would benefit both families.
“The Bingleys are a wonderful set of people. I cannot believe I cannot see Charles when I wish to. His family is wealthy, he is smart and handsome. It would be a good match…if he were to choose to court me.”
To the surprise of her daughters, Mrs. Bennet nodded, sighing. “I agree with you, my dear.”
Jane was taken aback. She stared for a moment at her mother before saying, breathlessly. “I am not being forbidden to see him?”
“I will have to speak to Mr. Bennet about it. We will have a talk with you later this evening. I will tell you, my girl, that I do not want you to be restricted in the suitors you choose from. It is true that the Bingley family has money and many say Netherfield is o
ne of the most beautiful houses in all of England. But your father will make the ultimate decision. He will be the one to say whether or not it will be allowed. Tell me, have you made any further plans with this gentleman?”
Jane shook her head. “I have received no notes from him since that day in the park, Mother.”
“When you do, you will let me know and I will approach your father about it. Until then, we will say nothing. If he finds out from someone in town, there may be trouble. But we will restrict ourselves on that topic until you receive another invitation to visit with him. And I must caution you not to go to Netherfield. There is an excellent chance you will meet Mr. Darcy there and that would be unfortunate.”
“Yes, Mother.” Jane looked excited. She turned a wide smile to Elizabeth, who could not help smiling back. She sprang to her feet and held her hand out to Jane.
“We must go for a walk, Jane!”
“Yes, let us do!” Jane took her hand and they went toward the door.
“I want to go!” Lydia said, jumping to her feet, her sewing dropping to the floor directly in front of her.
“I want to go too!” Kitty said, following the actions of her sister.
Jane shook her head. “Not this time, girls. I want to talk to Lizzie alone.”
“You older girls shouldn’t push us away!” Lydia crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her lower lip. “We’re supposed to be learning from you.”
Elizabeth and Darcy: A Romeo and Juliet Twist: A Pride & Prejudice Regency Variation Page 5