Falling for Mr. Darcy

by KaraLynne Mackrory

  “Mr. Bingley, sir, your house is simply stunning. You have outdone yourself,” Jane said sweetly, looking up at his smiling face.

  “Truly, sir, I must add to my sister’s sentiments and say that the evening looks to be quite delightful,” Elizabeth remarked.

  “Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, I am indeed glad to hear it. It is always gratifying to receive such praise from accomplished ladies such as yourselves,” Bingley responded charmingly as he took Jane’s hand and bowed to place a chaste kiss on her gloved fingers. Elizabeth stepped around them towards the glamour of the ballroom just as a familiar dark figure took his place next to Mr. Bingley.

  * * *

  Mr. Darcy paced the Venetian rug in his private sitting room on the third floor. He was dressed in his finest evening clothes. His valet would receive an extra bonus in his monthly remuneration for his patience and hard work these past few days. Mr. Darcy knew he had been edgy and ill tempered. He had been uncharacteristically critical of his valet’s plans for that evening’s clothing and had requested he make a special trip to London for his grey silk waistcoat with the silver pinstriping and white, dress knee breeches. Upon coming to Netherfield, he had brought many suitable dress clothes but none he felt were fine enough for that evening. He had not planned on attending a formal ball when he instructed his valet in packing for Hertfordshire. The evening clothes he brought would have been more than acceptable, but Mr. Darcy wanted to dress his best. He told himself it was out of respect and honor to his best friend and his acceptance in the neighborhood — and not because of a certain lady.

  He slowed his pacing, reminding himself he did not want carpet dust to settle on the mirror shine of his dancing pumps. He stopped before a small mirror to inspect his cravat. It was impeccably folded in cascades of bright white silk and held in place with a diamond stickpin. He pulled at the sleeves of his personally tailored, black tailcoat and harrumphed as he began pacing again.

  Mr. Darcy took in a deep breath as he considered what he expected from the evening. He was anxious to see Miss Elizabeth and nervous about dancing with her. The thought of having her hand in his, and her body in the near-embrace of the dance was like lightening in his blood. He tried to imagine what she would wear and hoped that she would give him one of those smiles that set his heart beating out of his chest. The last few days bereft of her presence had settled it for him that, although he did not yet know whether he was completely in love with Elizabeth, he at least knew he did not like to consider any length of time spent without her.

  He smiled as he thought of the way her face calmed and the angry fire in her eyes stilled when he told her he was not engaged to his cousin Anne. He had not meant to make quite that type of declaration but he could not allow her to think their lovely moments together had meant nothing to him. In the last few days, he had gone from feeling the declaration was premature to feeling that he had not been clear enough in stating his feelings and intentions towards her.

  He stopped his pacing to look once again out the window at the incoming carriages. The sounds from below reached his ears as more and more guests arrived. He was apprehensive when he thought about the many people downstairs. He did not like crowds and was not particularly easy with many of the country manners he had encountered in Hertfordshire. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a large carriage that looked to have the Bennet crest.

  He took a deep breath and thought, she is here! He held his breath as he watched the carriage unload. There was some jiggling of the springs before Misses Lydia, Kitty and Mary exited and walked forward, looking at the house and giggling to themselves. Darcy let out his breath and frowned as he saw Elizabeth’s tabby of a mother emerge in an abundance of heavy feathers and bobbles. He watched her plump body skirt after her daughters, none of whom waited for the rest of their party to exit the carriage.

  Mr. Darcy had almost forgotten that Elizabeth’s cousin, Mr. Collins, was visiting until he saw the man emerge from the carriage. He had a proud and over-bloated air of self-importance about him as he straightened his parson’s neck cloth and looked towards the house. Mr. Darcy’s hands clenched at his side as he thought of the attentions that man gave to his Elizabeth. He did not like knowing that the first person to have the pleasure of her dance that evening would not be him but her odious and officious cousin. A low growl escaped Mr. Darcy’s mouth as he watched Mr. Collins forget to aid Miss Bennet from the carriage. Thankfully, he saw that an efficient Netherfield servant noticed the neglect in time to assist the lady.

  There was a pause, and Mr. Darcy drew in an unsteady breath. His heart sank, as it appeared for a moment that nobody else was going to exit the carriage. The idea that she would not come had not occurred to him, and suddenly the evening lost all appeal. He was bombarded with feelings of disappointment and worry over why she had not come until his spell was broken when he saw her dainty little head peek out of the carriage.

  The vision of Elizabeth took his breath away. He allowed his eyes to wash over her and drink in her beauty for a moment. Her chocolate curls were piled fashionably in a swirl on her head, and they caught the glimmer of the candles in the lanterns. The light flickered, and the shine of her hair danced in the night. He could see there was a silvery ribbon twirled in and out of the mass of curls. He imagined for a moment that he could run his fingers along the course of that ribbon — in and out of her soft tresses. The thought nearly caused his eyes to close with imagined pleasure, but he could not allow himself to miss a detail, so he forced them to remain open and rest upon the beauty of her face.

  His hand came up to steady himself on the windowsill. Her eyes were lit with excitement and danced around the splendor before her. Her cheeks were pink in the coolness of the night, and her lips turned upward in pleasure. His gaze roamed over the beauty of her expressive face until he noticed with satisfaction the color of her dress. Apparently, it had been warm inside the coach, as her cloak was flung behind her shoulders, and he was able to see Elizabeth’s gown before the cool outside air caused her to pull it back around her. Her dress was made with a shimmery silver, crushed silk bodice and a broad square neckline leading up to thick straps resting just at the edge of her shoulders. An overlay of grey silk tulle draped over her figure and opened in the front under a pleasing empire waistline to reveal that the main skirts of the dress were made of the same silver silk as the bodice. Her arms were draped in white silk gloves reaching to just above her elbows exposing the creamy white of her upper arms.

  His heart beat wildly as he completed his perusal of her gown and returned his gaze to her face. Elizabeth, you are magnificent! At that moment, she smiled brightly at the house ahead, and he knew he had to go to her. Spinning away from the window, he walked quickly out the door of his apartment and headed determinedly towards the stairs.

  He reached her just as she turned from greeting Mr. Bingley, and he stood next to his friend awaiting her addresses. He pressed his lips together to keep them from turning into a love-struck fool’s grin and excitedly waited for her to see him. He watched as she stopped the moment she saw him and slowly lifted her face to him.

  “Miss Elizabeth, I hope you will enjoy your evening tonight,” he said. Oh, and I love you! “Your ankle is restored, I trust.”

  It took only a moment for Elizabeth to regain her equilibrium after the surprising and sudden appearance of Mr. Darcy. His dimples were peeking temptingly and very nearly wiped her mind free of intelligent thought. Smiling demurely, she replied, “Thank you, Mr. Darcy, it is well. I have every expectation of enjoying my evening.”

  “I am glad to hear it.” He kept his eyes locked with hers as he bowed, captured her hand and placed a soft kiss on her gloved fingers. “Miss Elizabeth.”

  “Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth replied shakily and curtsied. A shock shot all the way up her arm when he placed the kiss on her hand, and although he had released her, she still felt its tingle.

  It was then that she noticed his evening wear. He was handsomely dre
ssed, and the cut of his black tailcoat molded over his broad shoulders perfectly. Her secret inspection of his person stopped when she noticed that the color of his waistcoat complimented her gown. Without thought, she uttered incoherently, “Your waistcoat . . . my dress . . . ”

  “ . . . seem to match perfectly,” he finished for her.

  “Indeed,” she spoke quietly in her surprise. He smiled broadly at her before making his excuses and disappearing into the crowd in the ballroom, leaving her mind spinning with a bit of happiness at the coincidence.

  Elizabeth hazily moved towards the ballroom and sought out her dear friend Charlotte Lucas. She shook off the effect Mr. Darcy had on her and smiled at her friend. It had been a long time since they had conversed, and she was happy to have a few moments before the dance started to catch up with her. Soon, she could hear the musicians warming up their instruments and preparing for the first set. It was not long before her cousin came to stand beside her, ready to claim her for the dance.

  “Charlotte, allow me to introduce my cousin, Mr. Collins,” Elizabeth began. “Mr. Collins, this is my dear friend, Miss Lucas.”

  Mr. Collins gave a squeaky bow and said, “Miss Lucas, a pleasure.”

  “Mr. Collins,” Charlotte said, as she curtsied.

  They spoke together for a few minutes until the band played the opening signal that the set was to begin.

  “Cousin Elizabeth, I believe it is time for our dance.” He reached for her, and she reluctantly raised her hand to him as he led her to join the set.

  She noticed that Mr. Bingley led Jane out to the floor to open the ball. It was quite a compliment, and she smiled in happiness for her sister. Mr. Collins, believing her smile was for him, stepped forward and spoke in a low voice at her side.

  “Cousin Elizabeth, I am also pleased with the prospect of our dance.” He boldly flicked his eyebrows up and down before stepping back into position.

  Elizabeth was shocked and mortified at his statement and barely managed her first steps in time as the music began. Unfortunately, at that moment Mr. Collins, being unfamiliar with the movements of the dance, stepped forward with the ladies and bumped ungracefully into her.

  “Mr. Collins!” she shot at him. Her cheeks colored in humiliation and rising anger. To her utter astonishment, instead of rectifying his movements to suit the dance, he began to apologize and missed the gentlemen’s next movement. Elizabeth tried her best to complete the turns and movements of the dance with as much dignity as she could with her cousin as partner. He was as disagreeable a partner as could be imagined.

  Mr. Darcy, having positioned himself in the location he had determined would afford him the best view of the dancers, and more particularly Elizabeth, stood transfixed at the sight of complete ineptitude on the part of Mr. Collins. He was horrified and angered at the way the parson’s stupidity was embarrassing Elizabeth. He fiercely gripped the pillar next to him as he tried to talk himself out of going to her rescue; that would only embarrass her further. But he wanted to — oh, how he wanted to — because it was nearly unbearable to see her suffering so at the hands of her ridiculous cousin.

  Just then, he saw Mr. Collins again turn the wrong way and step roughly on her foot, causing the silk flower of her dancing slipper to tear off and glide across the dance floor to rest near the wall to Darcy’s right. His jaw was set in a grim line, and he started forward, determined to take her cousin’s place in the set. He had seen enough of her suffering and could not handle any more. However, his movements stilled when he saw her limping off the dance floor towards her friend Miss Lucas, who helped her to a chair.

  Mr. Darcy turned towards the wall behind him and walked to where he had seen the silk flower slide. He bent over and retrieved it, placing it in the pocket of his waistcoat. He would return it to her later. Looking for her across the room, he could see that she was very angry, but it looked as though her foot was not seriously hurt. Mr. Collins was speaking incessantly to her in what he supposed were repeated apologies. Thankfully, he saw Miss Lucas address Mr. Collins, and he nodded his head and turned towards the refreshment table. Darcy determined then that he would do something to protect Elizabeth from any future attentions by Mr. Collins.

  Elizabeth looked up gratefully at her friend for having sent Mr. Collins to retrieve lemonade. She did not know how much longer she could remain civil to the man after his abundant apologies and humiliating dancing. She was thankful, actually, that he had stepped on her foot, because even though it did not hurt, it did give her an excuse to end the dance. She looked down and sadly noticed that her shoe flower had been torn off. She looked around the floor to see if she could spot it and sighed when she was unsuccessful. What an auspicious start to the evening! she thought with sarcasm.

  * * *

  Having performed the obligatory dance with Miss Bingley in the second set, Mr. Darcy spent a short while on the terrace breathing in the fresh air. He could not give her the satisfaction of the first set of the night and, knowing that he would have to dance with her at some point during the evening, decided on sooner rather than later so that he could enjoy the rest of the evening. Seeing that Elizabeth would be sitting the set out and that he could not have the pleasure of watching her, he braced himself to dance with Miss Bingley. The warmth of the ballroom had stirred her perfume to unbelievably high levels of torture, and he was glad to escape to the cool, clean air of the night. Perhaps he should suggest to Bingley that he purchase her a new perfume for Christmas in a few weeks.

  As Darcy returned to the house, he saw that Mr. Collins was headed towards him. His instinct was to turn and escape before the man could reach his location, but seeing this as a chance to make good on his personal vow to protect Elizabeth from her cousin, he waited for the man’s approach. He hoped to discover some way to accomplish the task during the conversation.

  Breathless from the short walk across the room, Mr. Collins pulled out a soiled handkerchief and patted at the sweat on his brow as he gave a pretentious bow before beginning his address to Mr. Darcy.

  “Mr. Darcy, sir, I have been looking for you as I wish to pay my respects. You honor the people of Hertfordshire tonight with your presence. I had the great pleasure just now to witness your dance with Miss Bingley, and I came directly to tell you personally what a fine figure you cut and how gracefully you moved about the set. It is indeed a great compliment that you would condescend to dance among such humble, country persons as you find here.”

  “Mr. Collins, it is an elegant ball, held by my friend, Mr. Bingley. I never would do him the dishonor of not dancing.”

  “Indeed, of course, it is as I would expect from one as generous as you. As I have had the great privilege to be many times in the company of your noble aunt Lady Catherine, for I am often in her company, having been invited to tea four times and to supper twice since the beginning of my patronage, I have found that generosity in your family is part of your nature. Her ladyship is most solicitous in her guidance and often condescends to suggest topics for my sermons that would be most beneficial to my congregation.”

  “I can easily see my aunt interfere . . . that is, offer her support in that way.” Mr. Darcy was tired of the officiousness of the clergyman and, as his temper was becoming short, hoped to change the topic. “Tell me, Mr. Collins, what brings you to Hertfordshire?”

  “I am glad you asked, Mr. Darcy. The reason for my visit to Hertfordshire, and more particularly Longbourn, is yet another example of the great condescension her ladyship has offered me.”

  “Indeed? Do enlighten me.”

  “It would be my pleasure, sir. Your aunt the honorable Lady Catherine de Bourgh was just saying to me last Tuesday sen’night, ‘Mr. Collins you must find a wife! It is the duty of a clergyman to set the example of matrimony for his congregation, and so you must find a wife.’ You see, sir, it is my intention to find a wife at Longbourn. Her ladyship said, ‘take heed to make sure she is a humble girl, mindful of the obligations of a clergyman’s wife.
If you choose wisely, after you marry I will visit her.’ Such condescension, such generosity, I have never seen before!”

  “Sir, am I to assume rightly that you wish to find a wife from amongst your cousins?” Mr. Darcy was beginning to see exactly how he could save Elizabeth from the attentions of this silly man and was anticipating his moment. He schooled his features into one of disinterest as he listened for the man’s response.

  “Mr. Darcy, sir, you are astute as ever. You are correct. As you may know, Longbourn is entailed to me, and in the unfortunate event of Mr. Bennet’s death, I had thought to amend that poor situation by choosing one of my cousins to be my wife. In fact, I believe I have decided on a most suitable spouse, and if you can keep my secret, I will tell you I plan to pay my addresses to that lovely lady tomorrow!”

  After this speech, Mr. Darcy watched his companion’s eyes eagerly rake over the dancing form of Miss Elizabeth, and a wave of possessiveness overtook him. He drew a calming breath to ready himself to carry out his plan.

  “Mr. Collins, sir, your secret is safe with me, and if I may be so bold, I would like to compliment you on your fine choice as I have seen where your preference lies. I congratulate you on your excellent discernment. The lady is indeed a very superior choice for the wife of a clergyman. She is accomplished but not so much that she is not humble.”

  Mr. Collins, feeling the great compliment Mr. Darcy was paying him, opened his mouth to agree but was cut off as Mr. Darcy continued.

  “She is clever but not too bright as it would not be good to have a wife who questions you or your decisions. It gives evidence to your astute intellect that you would see immediately the value of such a lady in her abilities to make a good parson’s wife.”