by Lilian, Lory
“Yes, he is mostly the same when he is in a large company. I think his aloofness is what appeals to all these young ladies, besides his wealth—that and his figure, of course. And the way he wears his clothes.” Lady Selina laughed, and Lady Brightmore joined her.
“You are so right, my dear! One can easily estimate a man’s qualities and assets by looking at how his clothes fit his body.”
“I can testify to that, based on my own experience with my dear husband. Our marriage proved that my early judgement of his qualities were all correct.”
Elizabeth blushed violently at Lady Brightmore’s statement and Lady Selina’s reply, shocked by the highly improper exchange and not knowing how to reply. Lady Selina patted her arm. “My dearest Miss Elizabeth, I am afraid we have offended you with our language. Please forgive us; my mother and I have a particular way of speaking that is far from what decorum would require. Will you forgive us?”
“Lady Selina, please call me by my given name. After such a conversation, it feels strange to be addressed in such a formal manner.”
Lady Selina and her mother-in-law began to laugh openly while Elizabeth could not decide whether she should be shocked or laugh with them. She struggled not to notice how their clothes fit on some of the gentlemen in attendance—but with little success.
Immediately after dinner, the music began, and though tentatively, a few couples took their places on the dance floor. Lady Selina and her husband were the first, followed closely by three other pairs. The colonel asked Elizabeth while the viscount invited Jane.
For the next two dances, both Bennet sisters were asked by other gentlemen; Mr. Darcy showed no interest in dancing until Lady Selina almost forced him to dance the third with her. After an hour and a half, Elizabeth finally took a seat near Miss Darcy. Only after she was seated did she notice Mr. Darcy a few steps behind them. Her cheeks were red from the exercise, and she arranged a lock of hair she could feel on her nape.
“Miss Elizabeth, would you like something to drink?” Mr. Darcy’s amiable tone took her by surprise. She accepted, he offered her the drink, and had nothing more to say.
“So, here you are, Miss Elizabeth,” said the colonel, approaching. “I would be honoured if you would dance another with me.”
“I thank you, colonel, but I am afraid I have to refuse you this time. I would like to rest a little; I hope you do not mind?”
“Not at all! But, in order to compensate for this refusal, you must save me the first two sets at the ball the day after tomorrow! I hope I am not too late with my request.”
“Gladly, sir, and no, you are not too late. Nobody has asked me to save a dance and only two days until the ball.” Elizabeth laughed.
“Well, a man cannot be too careful about these things,” he said and departed after asking Darcy whether he was injured after being forced to dance with Selina.
Though she could see he was offended by the colonel’s remark, Elizabeth could not help laughing, as did Miss Darcy. Mr. Darcy remained serious for a few moments; then he smiled.
“You may laugh at me, Miss Elizabeth, but this is how I am. I do not feel comfortable dancing unless I know my partner really well. I do not appreciate that my cousins are amused at my expense, but there is little I can do about it.”
“You could exercise a little more, perhaps? I am certain there is more than one young lady in this room whom you know well enough and who would be happy to dance.”
“Perhaps… I shall try to follow your advice…in the future.”
“A very polite answer—as polite as your intervention earlier when you kindly saved me from the torture of playing before all these people. I have to thank you for that.”
“You are most welcome, Miss Elizabeth. I know how it feels when someone insists on something you do not wish to do.”
She blushed at the hidden reproach then smiled at him.
“I understand your meaning, sir, but it is not the same. I did not feel comfortable to perform because I do not play the piano as well as I would wish to, and that is precisely because I do not take the trouble to practice. But you are a skilful dancer—as I have the pleasure of knowing myself—so you have no excuse.”
“Perhaps you do not take the trouble to practice the piano, but certainly you have employed your time much better. No one admitted to the privilege of hearing you could think anything wanting. It seems neither of us performs to strangers,” he said, holding her gaze.
No word came from Elizabeth for some time. Finally, she replied. “Yes, so it seems…”
“Brother, do you think we could go for a sleigh ride tomorrow? It has snowed all day long.” Georgiana turned the conversation in a most welcome way. “It is quite a shame that I promised Miss Elizabeth and I could not keep my word.”
“It is very likely you will have a beautiful day for a cold journey around London tomorrow. I will ask Oliver to have the horses prepared in the morning.”
“Will we have your company, Mr. Darcy?” asked Elizabeth, and a moment later she blushed in embarrassment. What came over me to ask such a preposterous question? What will he think of me? What will Georgiana think of me?
“Unfortunately, I have fixed plans for tomorrow morning, but I thank you for your question, Miss Elizabeth. I can only hope that another opportunity will arise soon.”
He was smiling at her with perfect amiability, and she could do nothing but smile back. The last quarter of an hour spent in his company, their conversation, his change in manners, and his words with hidden meanings were completely new and difficult to accept. She still anticipated any minute to see him behave as he did in Hertfordshire. And her silly reaction, including her improper question about his joining them on the sleigh ride, made her even less comfortable. She smiled with unconcealed pleasure and relief when the earl moved near her.
“So, dear Miss Elizabeth, are you pleased with your evening so far? What do you think of Lady Brightmore? I noticed you spending a lot of time in her company.”
“I am grateful to her ladyship and to you, sir, for this lovely evening. I am having a wonderful time, and so is Jane. As for Lady Brightmore, I cannot imagine a more pleasing or agreeable lady. I loved spending time with her.”
“Yes, I imagined you would. She was equally pleased with you, as I expected. Well, you will have more opportunities to spend your time in Town in an entertaining way. And speaking of entertainment, I noticed that Bingley’s sisters spoke with Miss Bennet. You know, they are amusing only if one does not give much credit to what they say.”
“I know that; thank you, sir.” She laughed.
A moment later, the earl moved a step closer to her and leaned slightly to whisper playfully. “And also speaking of entertainment…would you like a short walk in the park with an old man? The day after tomorrow, maybe?”
At her puzzled look, he confessed with a trace of guilt, “A mutual friend of ours is passing through town for a few days, and I plan to see him, but I would like to keep it secret from my sons—and from Darcy, of course. I thought you might like to meet him briefly.”
“Mr. Wickham is in town?”
The earl barely had time to nod in agreement before he exclaimed cheerfully, “Darcy, you are here. May we help you with something, Nephew?”
Elizabeth hesitated a moment before she felt composed enough to turn and face Mr. Darcy. He seemed somehow disconcerted, as it was obvious he had interrupted their conversation, but he stepped forward and bowed politely to Elizabeth.
“You cannot help me with anything, Uncle, but I was wondering whether Miss Elizabeth would be kind enough to help me correct one of my major faults.” Both Elizabeth and the earl stared at him, eyes wide, so he continued, clearly amused.
“Miss Elizabeth, would you do me the pleasure of dancing the next set with me? In order to improve my skills by practicing more, as you wisely advised me earlier.”
Elizabeth was certain the earl’s laughter was heard by the entire room, so, without further thought, she put h
er hand into Darcy’s and followed him to the dance floor.
The music finally began.
Chapter 6
Mrs. Gardiner and her nieces were among the last guests to leave Lady Brightmore’s party. The late hour, the freezing wind that struck them the moment they left the house, the excitement of the evening, and the stressful anticipation of the days to come were reason enough to fall asleep as soon as they entered their rooms in Gracechurch Street. In Elizabeth’s case, however, soon meant rather late.
The extraordinary event of Mr. Darcy asking her to dance—only a few minutes after he took the trouble to explain his opposition to the pastime—needed an extraordinary explanation, but Elizabeth had none.
He had asked her to dance in Hertfordshire, and even there his gesture puzzled Elizabeth exceedingly. During the entirety of that ball, she could see how appalled Mr. Darcy was by the behaviour of the attendees—and principally her own family. Yet, he asked her—Elizabeth Bennet—to dance with him! And, if any doubt remained, their harsh conversation during the dance only proved to him once more that his invitation was unwise, which made it unlikely that he would repeat such a mistake again. Had he forgotten those things? He must have; there was no other explanation for his renewed request.
Mr. Darcy of London seemed a wholly different person from Mr. Darcy of Hertfordshire. If Elizabeth had any remaining doubts about this, they vanished with their conversation during the set. Though Elizabeth could not recall every subject of their discussion, his amiability was vivid in her mind.
On further reflection, however, she admitted that, as Lady Selina pointed out, with the others around him, he was his usual self. Even in the matter of dancing—except for a compulsory dance with his cousin Selina and the one with herself—he did not dance at all. The satisfying feeling that she was the only lady in the room on whom he had bestowed such attention was difficult to deny—as it was also difficult to deny the fact that she had enjoyed the company of this Mr. Darcy quite a lot.
Just before sleep defeated her, three things still spun in her mind. First—Mr. Bingley’s presence at the forthcoming ball seemed more possible than ever. Second—she must wake up early and prepare for the sleigh ride, as she would meet Miss Darcy at ten o’clock. Third—among all the gentlemen at the party, Mr. Darcy was indeed the one whose clothes were most flattering to his figure. It was fortunate that Lady Brightmore and Lady Selina had pointed out that feature to her; she had never paid close attention to it before with any gentleman.
***
“Lizzy, you look pretty and rested, my dear. May I presume you slept well?”
Not at all, Elizabeth was tempted to reply, but instead she smiled approvingly at her aunt. She felt rested, though, and anxious for a long ride in the freezing, December air.
“Lizzy dearest, are you sure it is wise to ride in this weather?” Jane asked with a trace of worry. “It has been snowing since yesterday.”
“My sweet Jane, the problem with a sleigh ride is that its success depends precisely on snow.” Elizabeth laughed while pouring herself a cup of tea. “Do not worry; I am sure we will be perfectly safe in Mr. Darcy’s sleigh. And, of course, any of you are more than welcome to join us. I am sure Miss Darcy would like that.”
“Thank you for your kind invitation, my dear,” smiled Mrs. Gardiner. “We will save our strength for tomorrow’s ball.”
“I fail to understand how a sleigh ride would drain your strength, Aunt. However, I shall not insist further, but I am sure you will come to regret your refusal.”
“I would rather take that risk, dear,” Mrs. Gardiner concluded.
Half an hour after they finished breakfast, Miss Darcy arrived. Elizabeth prepared herself in a few minutes while Eleanor and Edward ran from their mother to Elizabeth, begging to ride with them. Elizabeth kissed her cousins and renewed her promise that she would take them to the park the next day; even Miss Darcy promised to join them. The children were not happy about the result but had no other choice than to accept the offer.
Elizabeth and Miss Darcy left the house and bravely confronted the snow and wind while holding each other’s arms. The servants—Mrs. Gardiner’s doorman and the groom—helped them into the sleigh. They sat near each other and wrapped themselves in warm blankets. With a tinkle of bells, the horses started to move, and soon there was no sight of them. Mrs. Gardiner and Jane reluctantly retired from the window.
“This is a beautiful sleigh, Miss Darcy! And such wonderful snow!”
“My brother said he cannot believe I have found someone to agree to do this with me.” Miss Darcy smiled. “I thank you; the sleigh is beautiful indeed. My brother gave it to me five years ago. And the horses are splendid, would you not agree? We brought them from Pemberley when we came to town.”
“They are splendid, indeed, but I confess I am not fond of horses. I have always been a little…scared of them since I was a child.”
“You do not like horses?” Miss Darcy asked, disconcerted. “How can that be?”
“I am sorry to disappoint you; unfortunately, there is little I can to do remedy this fault.” Elizabeth laughed at this, but Miss Darcy changed her countenance immediately.
“Oh, forgive me, I did not mean to… It is just that… I am sorry if—”
“Miss Darcy, if we are to spend time together in this sleigh, we should make an agreement: we must not use the words ‘I am sorry’ or ‘forgive me’ unless it is absolutely necessary and no more than once per hour.”
Miss Darcy smiled shyly. “That sounds a convenient agreement, Miss Elizabeth.”
“Also, if it is not inappropriate for me to suggest it, please be so kind as to call me by my given name.”
Again, Miss Darcy seemed surprised by the request. “That would be lovely—Elizabeth.”
“Thank you, Miss…Georgiana.” This time the girl laughed.
“Elizabeth, this is our house,” she said suddenly, and Elizabeth turned to look at the place in front of them. Through the dense snow, she could see little, but the building seemed impressive as she would expect for Mr. Darcy. For a moment, she wondered whether the gentleman was at home and looked with much attention at the house.
“Oliver, please stop a moment,” Georgiana said, and Elizabeth looked at her, puzzled.
“I would like to see whether William is home. He mentioned his affairs would not take long. Would you come inside for a moment, please?”
Elizabeth had little time to answer as Georgiana had already left the sleigh; she followed her, and the next moment a servant came from the house and retrieved the blankets.
“My child, it is so good to see you home. I am glad you finally took my advice.” A lady in her late fifties came to greet them and remained silent when she saw Elizabeth.
“Mrs. Spencer, this is my friend Miss Elizabeth Bennet. We will only stay a moment; the sleigh is waiting for us.”
“I am so pleased to meet you, Miss Bennet! Please come in! Would you like some tea? Are you not hungry? I will order some refreshments immediately and—”
“An admirable, though unsuccessful, attempt, Mrs. Spencer, but I doubt you will keep them inside by offering tea and food.”
“William, I am so happy you are home. We just stopped for a moment to check on you.”
“Miss Bennet…”
“Mr. Darcy… I hope we did not interrupt you with our impromptu visit. We will leave in a moment.” She felt her cheeks burning, but she was certain it was due to the heat from the fireplace.
“No interruption at all… I am pleased to see you. Yes, I understand you are in a hurry. Georgiana, you will need some dry, warm blankets. Where do you plan to go? I would suggest the direction of ––.”
“That would be a lovely idea. But how are you, Brother? Did you finish your appointments? Would you not like to join us? It is snowing beautifully. That is—if you have time…”
The request obviously took him by surprise; Elizabeth could see that clearly. Their eyes met for a moment, and she had a
strange feeling that he was awaiting her approval, which was a ridiculous notion. Why would he need her approval in his house—and in his sleigh? She smiled at her own folly, and to her surprise, he smiled back.
“I would not want to impose on you with my presence. Are you certain I will not ruin your plans? Perhaps you and Miss Bennet have private things to talk about.”
“Oh, forgive me, Elizabeth; I should have asked your opinion first. Would you mind?”
“My dear Georgiana, you have been so kind to invite me on a lovely ride in a beautiful sleigh. Do you think I could possibly mind that the master of the sleigh joins us?” Elizabeth smiled, slightly flustered.
“Well, Miss Bennet, the master of the sleigh is actually Georgiana. And being a guest, you are entitled to refuse any presence that might disturb you.”
Though Mr. Darcy’s intervention was surprising, his light, teasing tone and the mirth in his eyes left Elizabeth speechless. She swallowed the lump in her throat.
“Thank you, sir. I would surely refuse any presence that might disturb me, but I would be glad for you to join us as I understand you are familiar with the places we might visit.”
He did not answer as he seemed preoccupied in staring at her; Georgiana chuckled and asked her brother to prepare himself as quickly as possible while she and Elizabeth took their seats in the sleigh. A few minutes later, Mr. Darcy appeared and, after giving the driver brief instructions, took a seat in front of them.
The snowflakes were falling gently, and everything around was white and frozen. They passed near Hyde Park when Georgiana suddenly addressed her brother.
“Elizabeth seems to be similar in passions to me except that she does not like horses, which I can hardly understand. Do you remember when father gave me Duke?” She turned to Elizabeth to offer more explanation. “I was about three years old, I think, and Duke was of the same age. He is sixteen now, you see. I loved him so much from the first moment I saw him! I shall introduce you to him when you come to Pemberley. I am sure you will love him. How can you not like horses?”