Chapter 30
Drawing Room
Bennet’s Rented House
Norfolk Street
London
A Few Days Later
“Miss Darcy, Miss Georgiana, and Mr. Darcy,” the butler intoned. Elizabeth was on her feet in a moment, and she hurried forward with her hands outstretched.
“Serena, Georgiana, Mr. Darcy!” she cried out. “Oh, how wonderful it is to see you again!”
Serena, her face flushed with delight, rejected the hands in exchange for an enthusiastic embrace.
“And I am overjoyed to see you as well, Elizabeth,” she said softly. “It seems as if we have been apart forever!”
Elizabeth returned the hug with fervor and then stepped back and smiled up at her friend. “But now we are together once more.”
She turned toward the other Darcys, both of whom were smiling at her, and she grinned back. “Georgiana, Mr. Darcy, it is wonderful to see you as well.”
“We are also very pleased to see you again, Miss Elizabeth,” Darcy said, and while the words were conventional, there was real intensity in his eyes and a special warmth in his tone.
“Please sit down,” she replied, her cheeks warming. “My mother and Jane are … oh, here they are.”
Indeed, at this moment Mrs. Bennet and her stepdaughter entered the room. Greetings and bows and curtseys were exchanged, and then everyone sat down.
“When did you arrive in London?” Elizabeth asked.
“We arrived only yesterday,” Serena said. “We wished to visit you as soon as possible. You and your family are my closest friends in town, apart from family, of course.”
“Naturally,” Elizabeth agreed.
“I believe you have some relations in town as well?” Darcy asked.
“We will, my cousin, Viscount Langdon,” Mrs. Bennet said.
“He and his wife and some of his children are arriving in London tomorrow and will be staying in a rented house less than half a mile from here. Lady Langdon’s aunt will be hosting a ball for Miss Rutherford.
What of you, Miss Darcy? Will you have a coming-out ball? ”
Serena blushed bright red and said, “Yes, though I will not be alone, which makes me very happy. My cousin Rebekah, my uncle Matlock’s elder daughter, is also coming out, and we will be launched at a ball at Matlock House in Grosvenor Square at the beginning of May.”
“You ladies will be receiving an invitation for that ball,” Darcy interposed.
Elizabeth, whose eyes were on Serena, saw the hope in those blue eyes, and she said promptly, “We look forward to attending; I promise you!”
Serena smiled gratefully as two maids entered with tea and refreshments.
Mrs. Bennet began asking Georgiana about music, and Jane discussed gowns and hats and hairstyles with Serena.
Elizabeth was not certain that such topics were palatable to Serena, but Jane quickly put the younger lady at ease, laughing about various aspects of trying on gowns and agreeing that it took considerable patience to sit still while a maid fussed with one’s hair.
When she relaxed her attention and turned toward Mr. Darcy, she discovered that he was staring at her. Her eyes widened in surprise, and he said hastily, “I am very glad that you will be attending the ball at Matlock House. Serena will relish having friends there.”
“And we will be overjoyed to attend,” Elizabeth said warmly.
A short pause ensued, and then the gentleman said, “This seems a very pleasant house.”
“It is,” Elizabeth agreed, looking around with contentment. “It is not the largest house we considered, but it was the closest to Hyde Park, and I am ridiculously excited about being within walking distance of such a marvelous stretch of greenery.”
He smiled and said, “I would expect nothing less from you, Miss Elizabeth. Have you already walked there, then?”
She wrinkled her nose. “No, not yet. We arrived but a few days ago and have been busy settling in, and it has been rather wet this week, too.”
Darcy glanced toward the window. “Would you care to walk there now? It is sunny and warmer today than it has been.”
“Oh, I would enjoy that very much!” Elizabeth cried out in response.
***
Hyde Park
A Few Minutes Later
Darcy’s suggestion had been met with acclaim, and the eldest two Misses Bennet had at once hurried to ready themselves for a brisk walk in the Park. Mrs. Bennet had declined to join the party, instead choosing to address herself to some correspondence.
Now Miss Bennet and Serena and Georgiana strolled, talking and laughing, down the path, their bonnets shading their faces from the harmful rays of the sun.
Behind them, Darcy and Miss Elizabeth walked side by side in companionable silence.
Hyde Park, with its many attractions and natural beauties, its waters and trees and flowerbeds, its walks and swards, was a familiar sight to Darcy.
He had been to the park numerous times and had thought himself largely inured to its charms.
Observing the open delight on Miss Elizabeth’s face was, however, rekindling his own appreciation of the park.
She was, he knew, a brisk walker by habit, but now her gait had dropped to very nearly a meander as she took in the views.
The park was not as full as it would be on Sunday afternoon, but there were already a great many visitors present.
Nursemaids accompanied scampering children or carried babies, young men of fashion strolled singly or in groups watching young ladies shaded by parasols or bonnets and escorted by their maids, and further into the park, several mounted riders could be seen on the bridle-paths.
All had come out to enjoy the day and the earliest spring flowers that were now in full bloom.
Carefully tended beds showcased carpets of cheerful daffodils, seas of bluebells and forget-me-nots, while trellises and archways were verdant with rose-vines, with buds of pink and yellow and white just beginning to open and perfume the air.
Darcy briefly pulled his attention away from the enchanting lady at his side to view the park with fresh eyes.
It truly was lovely, he admitted to himself, but not nearly as lovely as Miss Elizabeth.
As though pulled by a magnet, his gaze returned to her face.
She seemed entirely unconscious of being the focus of his thoughts, her own attention fully on the trees and the flowers and the shrubs surrounding them.
Her smile was as brilliant as the sun, and Darcy, safely ignored, could admire her all that he wished.
He had wondered throughout the winter, as he sat listening to Serena's reports of every new letter from Longbourn, if his memory held true.
Perhaps Miss Elizabeth was not quite as magnificent as he thought.
Perhaps it was imagination which had lent the sparkle to her eyes, the spring to her step.
Perhaps he had seen that which he desired to see; perhaps his own fondness for the memories had colored them more vibrantly than life.
It had not taken five minutes once more in company with Miss Elizabeth to convince him that, if anything, the opposite was true.
She was even more glorious than he remembered, more vibrant, more beautiful, more tantalizing.
Darcy was not bedazzled by recollection and disappointed in the reality.
He was thoroughly enchanted and hopelessly smitten.
The London Seasons had, ever since his first one, been an obligation for Darcy to endure, a social responsibility inherent in his station.
No lady had ever appealed to him; no ball or great party had ever excited his interest. Never before had he anticipated with eagerness asking for a certain lady’s hand in a dance, much less in many dances.
That had changed this year. For the first time, Darcy was looking forward to a Season. After so many months apart, it was marvelous to spend time with Miss Elizabeth again.
***
Study
Darcy House
The Next Morning
Darcy quickly scanned his letter to ensure that it was legible and sensible, signed it, sanded it, folded it, sealed it, and placed it on the neat stack of letters sitting in the corner of his desk.
He then leaned back with a sigh of pleasure. He had risen early so that he could deal with business correspondence, and now it was just 10 o’clock, and he had the rest of the day to do what he wished.
And what he wanted to do, of course, was visit Miss Elizabeth Bennet and her family. He glanced out the window and was pleased to see a mostly clear blue sky. He thought it quite likely that the lady he admired would thoroughly enjoy another walk in the park.
The door opened to reveal his butler, who said, “Colonel Fitzwilliam, sir.”
Darcy leaped to his feet, a broad smile filling his face at the sight of his cousin. “Richard! Come in, come in, and enjoy some brandy with me. It is good to see you again!”
The second son of the Earl of Matlock grinned back and sauntered over to the fire, where a small fire was burning. “Thank you, Darcy, I will gladly take you up on that.”
Darcy poured drinks, handed Richard’s cup over, and then sat down on the other chair by the fire.
“The last I heard, you were in Brighton,” he observed. “Are you on leave?”
Richard took an appreciative sip of brandy and shook his head. “No, I have been transferred to headquarters here in London, which is most welcome, as it will permit me to take part in some of the festivities of the Season.”
“Serena will like that,” Darcy said, “and Rebekah too, I daresay.”
“Mother tells me that Serena is quite anxious about the upcoming Season,” Richard said sympathetically.
“Yes, she is,” Darcy said, his brow furrowed.
“Serena is a rather unusual young lady, and of course she is taller than a normal woman, and that makes her self-conscious. I hope she will do well enough. At least she will not be entering Society alone; she has not only Rebekah, but her friends Jane and Elizabeth Bennet, who are also entering Society this spring.”
Richard’s right eyebrow lifted at these words, and then the colonel carefully set his glass down on a convenient table and leaned forward. “I will confess that one of the reasons I came to visit this morning is that I wish to learn more about Elizabeth Bennet. What can you tell me about her?”