It had occurred to Darcy to ask Antony to comport himself in a manner befitting a peer of the realm. But that would be the same thing as asking a leopard to change its spots, and so he had said nothing. In any event, he had witnessed how expertly Elizabeth had handled Caroline Bingley at Netherfield Park, and he hoped she was up to the unique challenge of conversing with Lord Fitzwilliam. Hopefully, Georgiana had warned her about him because she had them sitting together at supper. His sister was probably correct in thinking he was more likely to be on his best behavior with an unmarried woman than with Mrs. Gardiner. Despite Georgiana’s youth, rumors of her cousin’s reputation had reached her ears.
Darcy was waiting at the bottom of the staircase for his guests, and from the look on the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, it appeared that each had had a good day—he at Viator’s Bridge and she in the gardens with Mr. Ferguson—because they were both obviously in a stellar mood.
After greeting the Gardiners, he stood waiting for Elizabeth. After pulling on his waistcoat, tugging at his neckcloth, and checking his cuffs for the tenth time, he looked up to see Elizabeth descending the stairs, and the sight took his breath away.
“Miss Elizabeth, you look exceptionally beautiful tonight.” Although she was wearing her hair up, some of her curls fell softly on the back of her neck, and the effect was perfect. And he too felt something stir, and he hoped it would go away quickly.
“Thank you, sir. Your sister was kind enough to allow me to borrow her dress.” Surely, it was all right to acknowledge she was wearing Georgiana’s dress. After all, he had paid for it.
“An excellent decision. My sister was perceptive enough to realize how lovely it would look on you.”
“We have come a long way, Mr. Darcy, since the Meryton assembly when you were of a different mind.”
“Yes, but you know me well enough to know that I praise only that which I truly admire.”
At that point, Colonel Fitzwilliam came into the foyer, and he looked glorious in his brilliant red regimentals. The colonel truly was—what was the best word to describe him—oh, yes, gorgeous, and a smile came to her lips. She could easily imagine women stopping and staring at him whenever he came into a room.
“Miss Elizabeth, you are absolutely luminous tonight,” the colonel said, bowing. “‘She doth teach the torches to burn bright.’ You see, I am not as guarded in paying compliments as my cousin here. When I have such beauty before me, I do not pick and choose my words. I announce it to the world.”
“Colonel Fitzwilliam, I can see the influence spending an afternoon with Lord Fitzwilliam has had on you, but your praise is appreciated.”
“I admit that it is a Fitzwilliam trait to speak freely, and it is one of the few things Antony and I have in common.”
“However, with regard to Mr. Darcy,” Lizzy said, “since he is so judicious in his use of compliments, I would find myself quite flattered to have earned even one.”
“Did I hear my name mentioned?” Antony said as he joined the party. Lizzy quickly judged His Lordship to be quite handsome, but was surprised to find him out of fashion as he was still wearing the colorful jacket and waistcoat of the fops who had preceded the fashion followers of Mr. Beau Brummel. She wondered if the reason for his out-of-date attire was that he had not paid his tailor.
Taking Mrs. Gardiner’s hand, His Lordship kissed it, and he kept his lips pressed to her ungloved hand for so long that she had to gently pull it away.
“Did you have a pleasant afternoon, Mrs. Gardiner? Did your husband regale you with his fish stories, including the big one that got away, or was he able to catch it?”
“Milord, I was very pleased with my catch,” Mr. Gardiner answered, and when Lord Fitzwilliam left their company to seek an introduction to Elizabeth, Mrs. Gardiner whispered to her husband, “Do you see what I mean? He is scandalous.”
“Well, my dear, I am not going to say anything to him.”
“Because he is an earl?”
“No, because I am in his debt,” and he said this with a gleam in his eye, and Lord Fitzwilliam, having seen it, winked at him.
After they were seated at the dining table, Antony complimented Darcy on his company. “With so much beauty in Derbyshire,” he said, bowing his head in the direction of each of the three ladies, “I have no reason to go back to London.”
“Please feel free to make yourself at home, Antony. Unfortunately, we are all departing tomorrow,” Darcy said.
“Surely, not on my account.”
“Believe it or not, decisions are made every day that do not require taking you or your whereabouts into consideration.”
“Really? Well, I shall then take every opportunity to enjoy the time we have together.”
Antony behaved himself all through supper because he knew that Darcy could hear everything he said. There were few people whose presence gave him pause for thought, but his dour cousin was among them.
“Miss Bennet, are you positive we are not acquainted?” the earl asked as soon as they had removed to the drawing room.
“Quite sure, milord. I only know you from the newspapers and magazines.”
“Ah, The Insider. My reputation has preceded me.”
“I was referring to the more serious London newspapers. They have written extensively on your call for an accounting of the money spent on the war.”
“How boring. I would rather you have read The Insider.”
“I do read The Insider, milord, but it is not reliable. For example, you could not possibly have been at White’s and Boodles and Mrs. Arbuthnot’s salon all at the same time.”
“I have a reputation as a rapscallion to protect, and I fear you are damaging it.”
“If that is the case, you are already too late. My aunt shared some of your conversation from this afternoon in which you spoke so affectionately of your daughters. I cannot believe a man who told such tender stories about his children can be a complete rascal.”
“Miss Bennet, you have found my one weakness, my darlings, Sophie and Emmy.”
“I consider myself to be an optimist, milord, and if there is one good thing about a person, surely there are others.”
Standing up, Lord Fitzwilliam said, “I must quit your company immediately, my dear, or you will have me down on my knees at the altar of the Abbey repenting like Henry II, which I do not want to do. I can assure you it is much more fun to be a sinner than a saint. But let us have some music. My cousin has opened the ballroom for our pleasure. Perhaps we may convince the talented Miss Darcy to play something so that we might dance.”
Upon entering the ballroom, Lizzy gazed in wonder at the crystal chandeliers and polished wood floors, and when she looked at the marble fireplaces, the flames made the cherubs carved into the mantle look as if they were dancing.
Mrs. Gardiner offered to play so that the others might dance, and Darcy was about to ask Elizabeth for a dance but found the colonel was quicker on his feet. Darcy shot his cousin a withering look, but the colonel paid no notice. He liked beautiful women, and he liked to dance. Darcy would have to bide his time.
After waiting his turn, Darcy first apologized to Elizabeth in case Lord Fitzwilliam had said anything offensive during supper or in the drawing room and offered a preemptive apology in the event he should embarrass her at any time during the remainder of the evening.
“I suspect his reputation is exaggerated,” Elizabeth answered.
“I am not sure I can agree with you, as he has worked hard to deserve it.”
“Can a man who is so fond of his children be all bad?”
“No, of course not. But he could be so much better. It is a point of irritation for me to read in The Times an excellent speech that he had made in the Lords, with everyone praising him, and then to learn that following his oration, he headed straight for the gaming tables. But you are right in one thing. He is devoted to his daughters and quite a different person in their company. Like Sophia and Amelia, there are those who have such power over the hearts of others.”
Lizzy looked into his eyes, and they were the beautiful green she had discovered on that long-ago morning when he had come to Longbourn to apologize. In his elegant suit, he was so handsome, and he had her heart beating faster than was comfortable. She looked away so that he might not see what she was feeling.
Lord Fitzwilliam was an excellent dancer, and after stepping lively to a number of the more familiar tunes, he suggested they all try something new.
“There is a lovely dance called the waltz, which is very popular on the Continent.”
“Antony, if it is on the Continent, with battles being fought everywhere, how could you possibly know that?” Georgiana asked.
“Because I have a friend in London who is an émigré from Vienna. She got tired of war, war, and more war, and snuck out of the country.”
“I am familiar with the music as there are waltzes in Mozart’s Don Giovanni,” Georgiana said. “But even if I have something in my music chest, no one here will know the steps.”
“Except me, my dear. You see, my friend has been giving me private lessons,” and for the first time that evening, Darcy adopted that stare which could bore a hole right through a man. Ignoring his cousin, Lord Fitzwilliam continued, “The dance calls for the gentleman to take the lady’s right hand and hold it thusly,” and he raised his arm to slightly below shoulder height, “and he then places his hand on the lady’s waist, while she puts her hand upon his shoulder. The dance begins with sliding steps followed by a bit of a hop. It is actually quite easy.”
Mr. Gardiner stared aghast at His Lordship. “Milord, I am not sure if you are to be taken seriously. Surely, no father or husband would approve of his daughter or wife performing such a dance in a public venue?”
“Oh, I would. Lady Eleanor may dance with whomever she chooses in any venue she chooses. But, Mrs. Gardiner, if you would permit me, I will provide you with a demonstration. It is not nearly as scandalous as you think.”
Georgiana jumped out of her seat and said to her cousin, “Antony, I am quite interested in new dances. Would you please show me the steps?” When she took Antony’s hand, she whispered, “I am begging you. Please behave. Do you not have lady friends in London with whom you could practice the waltz?”
“Of course, my dear. But you have identified the problem. They are in London, and I am here.”
Rather than risk being asked to dance again, Mrs. Gardiner quickly offered to play the tune to the best of her ability. All watched as Lord Fitzwilliam made elegant turns with his young cousin. Elizabeth viewed the performance with admiration as the couple executed the simple steps quite nicely.
“It is actually quite lovely,” Lizzy remarked. “I do not know if I would approve of it in a setting less intimate than this one, but it is elegant.”
Upon hearing that Elizabeth liked the display, Darcy stood up and offered his hand to her. “Miss Elizabeth, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?” In short order, they were moving about the room as if they had been dancing together forever, and she wished it would go on forever. But when the music stopped, Richard bolted out of his seat and asked Mrs. Gardiner for a reprise of the waltz, so he might dance with her. As much as Lizzy liked the colonel, she wished he would go away.
Everyone was having such a good time “waltzing” that Lord Antony finally convinced Mrs. Gardiner to dance, and her husband was pleased to see his bride of more than a dozen years looking so beautiful on the dance floor. The evening ended with Lizzy and Darcy dancing the last waltz, and instead of holding her hand out as he had previously done, he wrapped his hand around hers and brought it to his chest and laid it against his heart.
While Darcy had been dancing the waltz with Elizabeth, his need for her to become a part of his life had moved into every fiber of his being. As a result, he was experiencing the acute frustration of someone who was being denied the one thing he wanted more than anything else. With Elizabeth returning to Longbourn in the morning, it was critical that he speak with her tonight because he needed her reassurances that she would not give Mr. Peterson any encouragement.
After the Gardiners announced that they were retiring, Darcy was hopeful the others would do likewise, but the brothers Fitzwilliam were enjoying their port while talking military strategy and the war on the Peninsula, in which the British were suffering large casualties as a result of dysentery, the bane of any army. However, as soon as Georgiana heard the word “dysentery,” she popped up and said she was ready to go to her bed, and Lizzy felt that she must leave as well.
Darcy followed the ladies into the foyer, and after kissing Georgiana good night, he asked Elizabeth if he could have a word with her. Because there was no time left for any misunderstandings, Lizzy took one step up on the stairs, so she could see his eyes. But, apparently, the particular word he had been searching for eluded him, and he remained silent and just stared at her. And so she would begin.
“I cannot praise Pemberley enough or your sister, who was a most gracious hostess, and I am indebted to you for taking me to Shepherd’s Cave and for your hospitality last night and this evening. I can say without hesitation that I will remember my time here at Pemberley for all of my life.”
“But I hope you will soon return to Pemberley,” Darcy said, surprised that she thought she might not be coming back.
Lizzy looked at him with a puzzled expression. “I do not think that likely, Mr. Darcy.”
“Elizabeth, I know there has been a lot of confusion, but I want you to know that I am taking steps…” and he took her hand in his.
Lizzy waited for him to finish the sentence, but he said nothing. Why could he just not tell her what he was doing? Say what he was feeling? Why was it necessary to have all of this suspense?
“Mr. Darcy, you have me at a disadvantage as it appears you know things that I do not. So let me say this. Picture, if you will, a castle on a hill with a village below. Dividing them is a deep chasm. If the two are ever to come together, it must be bridged, but you cannot span a chasm in a series of small steps. You must do it in one great leap of faith. There is no guarantee of its success, but it is the only way.”
“I understand. I truly do. But I must ask for your continued patience. I leave for London in the morning, and the matter that awaits me there will be settled. I am looking forward to a time when I may speak freely—when nothing binds me to silence.”
Lizzy saw the struggle in his eyes and leaned forward and put her cheek against his and rested it there for a moment before wishing him Godspeed and a successful journey.