by Lauren King
“Thank you, Mr. Morgan.” Jane responds attractively.
Morgan extends his arm to her; she carefully hooks her arm lightly onto his arm.
“We all should go over to the drinks area, then,” states Hollingsworth.
They all leisurely make their way to the drinks area. Elizabeth notices many stares are on her and William as they walk around the room. Many of the gentlemen greet William cheerfully, and once introductions are made, they are all stunned at the announcement of his betrothal. Their accompanying ladies are silently shocked, but they all display a pleasant smile as they all congratulate William and Elizabeth, politely. Elizabeth will have to remember to tease William about all the shock he is evoking tonight.
They all drink and continue to chat with each other. Hollingsworth and Northrop ask for Elizabeth’s and Jane’s next sets. Everyone chats for a little longer when another gentleman Mr. Frederick James comes to greet Darcy. Introductions are made and everybody greets each other courteously. James is the eldest son of one of Darcy’s neighbors in Derbyshire. He is six and twenty years old and his family’s estate is about fifteen miles from Pemberley. His estate is not as grand as Pemberley, but it is decent in size and income.
“Miss Bennet, may I have the honor of your next set?” James asks charmingly.
“Yes, you may have my sixth set, sir.” Jane replies pleasantly with a sweet smile.
To Jane, both Mr. Morgan and Mr. James are quite handsome. She is flattered by all the attention from these gentlemen. Her mind goes back to Mr. Bingley, and she wonders if there is anything left between them. Mr. Bingley was rather clear with his intentions when he left the Gardiner’s residence that day. She sincerely thinks that Mr. Bingley has retreated his intentions and attentions completely and permanently because he has not tried to contact her for over a week now. There is no other way to interpret that. She really had hoped that Mr. Bingley would care for her enough to stand up to his family. However, she can guess that it could be very difficult with a sister like Miss Bingley. Jane understands Mr. Bingley’s predicament. She will be in the same difficult position with any gentleman she may meet from now on. She would have to know if they care enough for her to overcome her family’s shame – like William did for Elizabeth.
Elizabeth dances the supper dance with William and Jane dances the supper dance with Mr. James. Elizabeth is delighted to dance with her betrothed, again. She likes to dance in general but to dance with William is pure pleasure because he dances well and sophisticatedly. She cannot help but think that he seems to excel in everything he does. She knows she must be biased in some way, but she can tell the difference with how William carries himself during a dance, in comparison to other gentlemen. He dances with poise, ease, and confidence. Confidence in a man has always attracted Elizabeth, and William has that in spades.
Elizabeth smiles, talks, and has so much fun with William throughout their entire set. Her mind is pleasantly engaged fully on her betrothed; the thrill of having William as her husband is beyond anything she has ever imagined. He holds her hands tenderly throughout their set, smiles at her lovingly, and converses with her warmly. William is completely attentive and doting towards her. By now, it is well known that William and Elizabeth are betrothed and that they are a love match. Elizabeth does not know what is being said by others regarding her and Jane individually, but as long as William loves her and cares for her then she does not care too much about anyone else’s opinion. Obviously, she does not want to be spoken ill of, but if it is only jealously or envy from other ladies, then she will endure that kind of gossip with no problems. There are worse things to be gossiped about.
Elizabeth is thoroughly gratified with William’s full focus on her. She could not ask for a more loving and devoted betrothed; she loves everything about him. She had told him from the beginning that if he wanted to dance with other ladies, then she was not opposed to it. However, he had told her that he did not wish to dance with anyone else other than her. He danced one other set with Jane; that was it. She honestly hopes that he will not become bored with her over time; she would be utterly devastated if he withdrew his interest in her.
Elizabeth reminds William, “Mr. Darcy, I will not mind if you want to dance with other ladies that you know.”
“I know, Miss Elizabeth, but I have no interest in dancing with anyone else other than you.” Darcy states as a matter of fact and then smiles indulgently at her.
“Will you not be bored, though?” Elizabeth inquires honestly and frankly.
“No, I will not; I will be able to observe how well you dance.” William smiles handsomely. “Furthermore, I will have a chance to talk with some of my friends and not be inundated with the expectation to dance with any young lady because I already have my lovely betrothed now.”
“Ohhh…so I have become your shield and reason for not having to dance anymore.” Elizabeth giggles delightedly.
“Liz…Miss Elizabeth, are you teasing me? Did I not say that I want to dance with you? I am more than willing to dance more sets with you, but I do not want to cause shock and gossip at your first ball with me.” Darcy jokes and chuckles.
Elizabeth smiles adorably then says sweetly, “Thank you, Mr. Darcy; we would not want to be the center of gossip, now do we? We would love that, would we not?” Elizabeth giggles and William laughs at her sarcasm. “You dance very well and very elegantly. I like to dance with you too.”
At supper, Darcy escorts Elizabeth into the dining room. James escorts both Jane and Mrs. Annesley. Morgan walks with Darcy’s group so that he is able to join in their conversations. He has been eagerly waiting for some more time to converse with Miss Bennet, but she has been busy dancing every set. They spoke briefly again when there was a break between the sets, but he didn’t want her to think that he was too aggressive; therefore, he decided to wait until supper to ask if he could call upon her tomorrow or next week some time. He knew that her attention would be commandeered by many of the bachelors here this evening because of her obvious beauty and her association with Darcy.
Hopefully, he has made a good impression upon her because he was her first dance partner; he purposely remained around her group most of this evening. Morgan is certainly interested in Miss Bennet; hence, he will ask to call upon her – tomorrow if possible. However, James is monopolizing her attentions right now. Morgan knows that he should not ask her for a second set, but he very much wants to do that to show his inclination towards her and to distinguish himself. He will give it more thought during supper.
Morgan has figured out that Colonel Fitzwilliam is not Miss Bennet’s suitor, thus he is very glad. Now, Morgan needs to find out if she has any interest in him, or he could be bold and just show his inclination towards her with a second dance. He would like to know more about her, but he presumes that she must be from a good family if Darcy is engaged to her sister. Darcy is fastidious and is known for his stellar, gentlemanly reputation. Darcy’s family name, wealth, and connections are widely known to be excellent; accordingly, he would not be associated with anyone so inferior. Therefore, Morgan will take the next opportunity to show his inclination by requesting a visit to call upon Miss Bennet.
They all maneuver so that Darcy, Elizabeth, Jane, James, Morgan, Richard, and Miss Grace Thomas (Sir Andrew Thomas’ daughter who just turned eight and ten years old) are able to sit and converse with each other. Morgan is determined to remain with this group so that he could make his intentions towards Miss Bennet known.
Elizabeth takes off her gloves at the table and discreetly glances at her stunning ring; she is exultant and proud to wear it. It sparkles under the candle light. She notices that the women nearby glance at her ring several times, and she is glad for them to see it. She wants everyone to know that she and William are betrothed. She is just as possessive of William as he is of her.
Darcy and Elizabeth happily sit next to each other while conversing with everyone around them. Elizabeth, more than Darcy, is the one that affably conve
rses with everyone. She, charmingly, answers everyone’s questions and speaks with them on whatever subjects come up. If she does not know the subject, then she asks questions or listens intently so that she can learn something new. She shows genuine interest, thus it makes the person talking feel at ease. All the men seated within her vicinity, including Sir Thomas, are lured into her intelligent, amiable conversations. Elizabeth always includes William in all her conversations with the others because she never wants him to feel left out. She knows that he is quieter by nature, thus he is not going to be as outgoing as she is with others.
Elizabeth is pleased that William seems to be content with her. At the beginning, she was afraid that he may have been displeased or jealous of her freely responding to other gentlemen’s queries. However, he was not, thus she is content. She is not sure if she would be jealous if William spoke to another young lady so nicely. Most likely she would be jealous; some of these young ladies are still very interested in William. He will raise their expectations and give them false hope if he dances with them. Would he not be thought of as a rake if he dances with them now that he is betrothed? This is all reasonable; well, she trusts him to do what is right.
“Mr. Darcy, how do you like your duck?” Elizabeth asks caringly.
“It is quite tasty, Miss Elizabeth.” Darcy lowers his voice and says, “But our cook at Pemberley makes it even better than this. How is your shrimp?”
“It is good; I like it with this spicy citrus sauce. Do you like it?”
“I also enjoy it. You seem to like seafood?”
“I do. Did you try any of the baked salmon with this herb and lemon mustard sauce? It tastes good; I like it, too.” Elizabeth smiles warmly at William.
“I’m glad you like it. When we go back to Pemberley, you can give our cook the recipes of all the foods that you like so she can prepare them for us. You can also give it to our cook at Darcy House, too.”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy.” Elizabeth says sweetly. She feels such joy because William makes his statement as a simple given; it sounds so very sweet and loving. Her heart is completely overflowed with love for William.
After supper, everyone gaily continues their conversations in the ballroom and waits for the music and dancing to restart. Morgan, Jane, and James talk to each other about living in London versus in Derbyshire.
Darcy turns his body towards Elizabeth to signify that he is conversing with her privately, and then he says, “Miss Elizabeth, we need to talk about our wedding date. When would you like to have the wedding, and where would you like to have it?”
“When and where are you thinking of having it, sir?” Elizabeth wants it to be comfortable and convenient for William. With everything that is going on with Lydia, Elizabeth does not want there to be any gossip; therefore, she does not mind if she has her wedding here in town in William’s church. Her neighbors in Hertfordshire will, most likely, think that it is fashionable of her to have it in town where it is grander. Having the wedding in town will cause less gossip as to why her mother and Lydia will not be present for it.
“I would like to have the wedding sooner than later if that is agreeable to you.” Darcy states considerately.
“That is fine, Mr. Darcy. What date do you have in mind?”
“Would Saturday, January 31st be agreeable with you? I do not want to wait too long.” Darcy looks lovingly directly at Elizabeth’s beautiful eyes which are filled with adoration for him.
“That sounds fine with me. I was thinking that if you want to have it at your church here in town because we are already here, then that would be agreeable too.” Elizabeth smiles sweetly at William.
“Where ever you want is fine. I applied for a special license already; as a result, we are able to have it anywhere.” Darcy discloses gladly. He is glad that they will not have to include Mrs. Bennet and Miss Lydia in their wedding, given what is going on.
Elizabeth lowers her voice, and then William leans in closer to hear her. “Additionally, it would limit gossip around Hertfordshire if my Mother and Lydia do not come back for our nuptials.”
“Yes, those are good reasons. Well then, I will contact my Godfather Nicolas and ask him if he can preside over our wedding. I am sure he will be presiding over Christmas Eve mass at my church tomorrow night, so I will introduce you to him. I think we should start to attend my church here.”
“Yes, you are right. I will start to attend with you and Miss Darcy. Is your Godfather the minister at your church?”
“He is the Archbishop Nicolas Peters.”
“Oh, my…what an honor it is for you.” Elizabeth is impressed, indeed; she has never met such a high ranking religious official. It is very apparent that since knowing William, she has met or will know people far above her family’s modest gentry circle.
“He is a very good man; he knew my father very well, and I look upon him like a caring uncle. He is older than my Father by ten years.”
At this time, another couple of Darcy’s friends come to greet him, and they are introduced to everyone – Mr. Maxwell Anderson and Mr. Lucian Wesley. Darcy notices that Morgan has stayed with his group for most of the ball, and James keeps coming back to their group. They must be interested in Jane. Jane is busily occupied with all the offers to dance.
Darcy is worried for Bingley; if Bingley is not going to stand up to Miss Bingley in regards to his own life, then he will surely lose Jane. All the men here tonight are socially ranked above Bingley, but some may not have his wealth; several others are wealthier than Bingley. They are all eligible, amiable gentlemen; none of them have an impediment as vocal as Miss Bingley. Unfortunately, Jane will still have to face the fact of Miss Lydia’s shame. Darcy does not know if any of these gentlemen will tolerate such a hindrance. It is quite a shame and a pity for Jane to be embroiled in it. Both Morgan and James do not have sisters; therefore, Darcy presumes it might be easier for them to accept the Bennet’s condition.
Darcy and Elizabeth continue to speak with each other enjoyably while they dance the last set of tonight’s ball. Jane is dancing the last set with Mr. Wesley. Elizabeth tells William that Jane told her that both Mr. James and Mr. Morgan requested to call upon Jane the next few days.
Darcy teases Elizabeth, “I know the same thing would have occurred with you had you gone to the Allston’s Ball without me.”
“I was not planning on going without you. Once we became betrothed, I already assumed that I would stay home if you were not escorting me there. All I thought about was to be with you at a ball.” Elizabeth states demurely while displaying her sweet smile.
“You delight me to no end, Miss Elizabeth.” Darcy’s facial expression shows clear love and admiration for his betrothed. “I am very pleased that you are with me tonight. I do not mind where we are at – as long as I am with you then I will be happy.” Darcy’s sincerity is apparent.
“I am exceedingly happy to be with you.” Elizabeth smiles sweetly.
Darcy and Elizabeth are left to say goodnight in the Gardiner’s foyer.
“Dearest, I would like to call upon you tomorrow at noon. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that your Father has signed the marriage settlement and accepted everything on your behalf.”
“All right, darling. I, eagerly, await for your visit tomorrow.” Elizabeth says lovingly. She does not care about any settlement; she just wants to be with William.
“I am impatient for tomorrow noon, so I can see your lovely face again. Now, you go and rest; it is late. I hope you enjoyed tonight. I certainly had the most pleasurable time at any ball that I have ever been to, and the reason is you. I love you.” Darcy says most charmingly and smoothly as he caresses her hands.
“I love you. Goodnight, darling.” Elizabeth gently pulls her right hand from William’s and cups his left cheek and then caresses it a couple of times before stopping.
Darcy is in heaven when Elizabeth expresses such affections for him. “Goodnight, dearest; sweet dreams.” Darcy decides to be bold; he leans in to
kiss her left cheek, lingeringly as he smells her scent. Her soft skin on his lips makes him want more; he wants her lips (amongst other things), but he will wait a little longer. He knows she is innocent to all this love-making. If Elizabeth is not upset by this kiss, then he will kiss her lips tomorrow. He quickly caresses her cheek and rubs her lips with his thumb before releasing her. He looks at her directly, and she seems shy about their kiss, therefore, she looks down, but he tilts her chin gently upwards until their eyes meet.
“Dearest, I love you so very much. Are you upset that I kissed you?” Darcy really hopes that she is not offended.
Elizabeth gently shakes her head in the negative and softly replies, “No, not at all.”
Darcy speaks quietly, “I am very pleased because I love you, and I would never deliberately do anything to upset you. I just want you to know how much I love you. That kiss is only the beginning of how a husband and wife could love each other. I definitely love you so much more than that small kiss. I, impatiently, look forward to showing you all my love.” While holding her arms and pressing her body closer to his, Darcy kisses her other cheek, her forehead, and then her chin before he walks out the front door. He is excited with the progression of their relationship.
Elizabeth’s head must be in the clouds. She feels such elation; she is plainly enchanted. She never thought that being held and being kissed on her cheeks, forehead, and chin by her beloved would bring forth such a stir within her. No man, outside of family, has ever kissed her on the cheeks. Being in love with such an amazing gentleman is beyond her imagination – has she mentioned that before? She feels as if she is floating up to her bedroom chambers in a blissful trance.
CHAPTER 11
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24th
“Good morning, dearest. Did you get a good night’s rest?” Darcy asks warmly, but he notices that Elizabeth is troubled about something.