When Lizzy returned to the drawing room, she quickly made her way through the crowd to stand next to Jane and Mr. Bingley. With a knowing smile, Charles took his leave, and Lizzy found herself blushing at the idea of someone knowing that she had met Mr. Darcy in secret.
“Was I missed?” Lizzy asked, scanning the crowd.
“Not at all. Lord Fitzwilliam claimed everyone’s attention by asking Charlotte to dance and suggesting that Mr. Collins ask Mrs. Konig to do the same. Have you ever known of an instance where a governess, even a traveling one, danced with her master’s guests? I cannot wait to hear what Mrs. Draper and Lady Lucas have to say about all this.
“I was able to speak with Mrs. Konig,” Jane continued. “Her English is not the best, and she cannot pronounce th. But the effect is absolutely delightful, and she is charming everyone. Despite her relationship with the flamboyant lord, she is very reserved. But enough about Madame. Do you have news to share?”
And Lizzy whispered to her sister that Mr. Darcy had proposed, and looking around to see if anyone was listening, she told Jane that she was insisting on a courtship. “We do not know each well enough, and I do not want him to have any regrets. I shall tell you more later; Charlotte is coming.”
“Charlotte, you appear winded,” Lizzy said after having watched her dance a jig with Lord Fitzwilliam.
“I am. His Lordship is a vigorous dancer.”
“Are you enjoying your day, Charlotte?” Jane asked. Like Lizzy, she was concerned that the uninvited guests were stealing the show.
“I truly am, so please stop worrying. In another hour, it will all be over as we are running out of food and punch. I know that you both have had reservations about this marriage, so I wish to reassure you. When everyone’s attention was focused on His Lordship, Mr. Collins came over, and after taking my hand, he said that he only wanted three things in life. The first was to be a good husband, the second was to be a good pastor, and the third was to be a good neighbor to Lady Catherine and her daughter—in that order. It touched my heart in such a way that I am no longer worried about other things.”
“Oh, Charlotte, that was so sweet.”
“Yes, Jane, it was. Despite his peculiar behavior and his propensity to talk too much, he is a good man, and I am fortunate to have him. And what about you, Lizzy? Are we soon to have another wedding? Oh, please do not look at me like that. Granted, you are better at concealing your feelings than the gentleman, but it is obvious to a friend of so many years that you are in love. When are we to wish you joy?”
“Not until after Jane’s wedding. The gentleman must first speak to Papa, and we must have a courtship. His life is so different from mine. I cannot imagine having a duke as neighbor. His sister was named after Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. I try not to think about it because, if I do, I shall get cold feet.”
“You must forget about all those other things and enjoy your courtship,” Charlotte told her friend. “He is much changed since he first came into Hertfordshire, and you are the reason.”
While Darcy waited in the study for sufficient time to pass following Elizabeth’s departure, he decided that she was right. There were good reasons why young ladies were not left alone with their suitors. If she even suspected the content of his dreams, she would not have sat next to him on the sofa.
Darcy was pouring himself a brandy when the door creaked open, and Antony, Lord Fitzwilliam, the hero of the day, stepped in.
“There you are, Darcy. I see you have helped yourself to the brandy. If you would pour me half of what you have, I would appreciate it,” and he sank into the leather sofa recently vacated by Elizabeth and started to rub his toes through his shoes. “Did you know that as you get older, your feet flatten out, and you can no longer fit in your old shoes? As a result, my feet are killing me, but I dare not take them off as I will not get them back on. I look ridiculous enough without walking around unshod.”
“Those shoes must be ten years old if they are a day,” Darcy said, laughing.
“They are older than that. They are from my days as a bachelor. I have kept almost everything from the time before I was dragged off in chains to serve my sentence with Eleanor.”
“Madame Konig is charming,” Darcy quickly said. He wanted to distract Antony from his wife, a subject that often brought him low. “I did not have a chance to talk to her myself; the line was too long. But from what I overheard, I would imagine that she is very pleasant company.”
“She is more than pleasant. She is kind, and my girls adore her. And if you have any worries as to where she will be sleeping while at Netherfield, Antonia will be with the girls in a room on the second floor, while I will lay my head on a pillow in a room on the first floor. No romantic interludes are planned.”
“I didn’t think there would be. You are always at your best when you are with your children.”
“Thank you for that and for your kind words about Antonia. She always puts a smile on my face. How can you not love someone who says zis, zat, and zee other zing? It is adorable. And speaking of adorable, if I may judge from the smile on Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s face, you have some good news to share.”
“I do. We are unofficially engaged, but…” and Darcy stood up and started to pace. “Antony, this is a whole new experience for me. The only women with whom I may claim a relationship were both widows and five years older than I was. I met Christina Caxton in France when I was twenty years old, and I was the one who knew nothing. But that is not the case with Elizabeth. I think I may have frightened her by my advances. It is not that I mean to overpower her, but it is bloody difficult to go backward. I am a man of the world, and I cannot pretend to not want things that I do want. I have to tell you that I am on the point of exploding, and holding her hand while dancing does not satisfy.”
“Move up the wedding date,” Antony said, stating the obvious. “You have the wherewithal and connections to buy a special license, so you may marry her the same day Bingley marries Miss Bennet.”
“Elizabeth wants a courtship.”
“Oh, that is too bad. Because if your courtship of Miss Montford is any indicator of your talent in that area, Elizabeth will be disappointed.”
Darcy rolled his eyes, but then he had to laugh. Had there ever been a worse suitor than he had been with Letitia Montford?
“But it was so different with Letitia. In all the time I was calling on her, I never once pictured myself actually kissing her.”
“I had the same thing with Eleanor, except we were married.”
“So what do you suggest I do to satisfy Elizabeth’s need for a courtship?”
“Flowers always work. Jewelry is nice, but in Miss Elizabeth’s case, simple is better, and you must resign yourself to authoring love letters. It is the most personal thing you can do for a lady before you are married, and although you may write about how much you desire her, in most cases, less is more. You do not want to frighten her. It is a bad start to a marriage when you have to pry your spouse’s fingers, one at a time, from the bedpost on your wedding night. Ask Eleanor. Although I very nearly succeeded in holding her off.”
“I still intend to go to London,” Darcy said, shaking his head in amusement at Antony’s comment. “I need to find out if it is known that I am no longer courting Miss Montford. That may determine the length of the engagement.”
“Not necessary. I think it was the day after you left London that Sir John was making the rounds in the dining room at White’s telling everyone that he had practically pushed you out the door because of your ideas regarding the mingling of the classes.”
“Montford is a typical bully,” an annoyed Darcy said. “He was lecturing me on my willingness to befriend people such as Bingley, but as soon as I responded, he backed down. Once he is given his barony, he will be even more obnoxious than he is now. But while Sir John was busy belittling me, was anyone paying attention to what he was saying?”
“One person in particular showed quite a bit of interest. Mr. Jasper Wiggins nearly spit out his steak when he heard Miss Montford was available.”
Darcy broke out into a broad smile. “God bless Jasper Wiggins,” he uttered under his breath. “Antony, how does one go about getting a special license?”
When Darcy returned to the drawing room, he immediately asked Lizzy to dance. He decided that if people had seen them together, it would be less of a surprise to her Meryton neighbors when they became betrothed. As the music began playing, Darcy stated that he would very much like to send her a few gifts as tokens of his affection. Antony was correct as to her preferences: flowers, jewelry, but in moderation as to their size, and love letters.
“I shall write from London, and you can judge for yourself as to whether or not I am successful as a writer of billet doux.”
“I look forward to it, Mr. Darcy,” Lizzy said with a smile, knowing that she had won.