Chapter 19 #2
“How generous and kind of you. Miss de Bourgh is surely pleased to have such considerate cousins,” Elizabeth responded, puzzled as to why he would make such a disclosure to her.
“We only hope to see her content and relaxed. However, many of those in attendance know that Anne and I are expected to marry,” he said, glancing at her. She met his eyes briefly.
“Anne and I know such an event will not occur, but still people will look at us. Therefore, I must be careful and mind my manners to avoid arousing useless gossip.”
Elizabeth’s puzzlement increased. “What kind of gossip, sir?”
He stopped and turned to her. “It was my intention to ask you for the first set, Miss Bennet. And for at least one other set during the evening.”
She held his intense gaze and allowed herself to become lost in it.
“Oh…” she whispered while he slowly resumed walking.
“However, in doing that, I would place Anne in an awkward position and provoke all kinds of rumours. That is, if I invited you to dance and you agreed.”
“Yes,” she admitted without hesitation, her heart pounding. She then stopped and he did the same. “I would have gladly accepted your invitations—both of them—and that would have indeed put Miss de Bourgh in a difficult position.”
Their eyes locked again before they continued to walk. No other words were needed.
“Therefore, I told Richard that I would not dance the first two sets. I suspect he will invite you for the first set and Miss Bennet for the second.”
“Thank you for warning me,” she said, laughing nervously.
“I shall ask Miss Bennet for the third set, and if you would do me the honour, I would kindly ask you to reserve me the supper set.”
“I think that is a perfect choice, sir,” she whispered.
They stepped side by side for a while, her emotions mixed and strong. His confession and the explanation he offered were stronger proof of his affection than any dance could be. His kindness towards his cousin did not diminish his admiration and care for her.
“Thank you for listening to me, Miss Bennet. I was reluctant to broach such a subject with you as I feared it would be an awkward conversation. But for many months, I behaved in a way that allowed you to form a wrong impression of me. This time, I wished to avoid any misunderstanding.”
“It was an awkward conversation indeed.” She laughed again. “But I am deeply grateful to you for it. I confess that I hoped you would ask me for the first set—or for any other.”
“That is good to know…very good to know,” he uttered in a low voice.
“Will you come to Hertfordshire?” she inquired sometime later. They were both looking ahead, paying attention to the view ahead, painfully aware of each other’s closeness.
“I shall, but I am not sure of the length of my stay. I would rather go to Pemberley to be certain everything is prepared for your arrival.”
She said nothing but felt so much that her entire being was racked by chills. Her mind tried to keep her racing heart under good regulation, but not even her fear of assuming too much could dismiss the obvious truth in his words.
Although their walk lasted only an hour, Elizabeth knew its importance could last a lifetime.
They returned home, and the gentlemen soon left, leaving both Bennet sisters with large smiles and light hearts that did not go unnoticed by their relatives. However, the only subject discussed was the upcoming ball.
∞∞∞
After her conversation with Darcy, Elizabeth began to count the days based on the major events she eagerly awaited: the ball, where she would dance the supper set with him; Jane’s wedding, when he would be in Hertfordshire; and her visit to Pemberley.
A sort of excitement she had never known before filled her, and she felt light-hearted all the time.
The more she thought about it, the more she understood the weight of his confession about the ball.
She was amused, grateful, and touched that he considered sharing with her the cousins’ plans and confessed his intention of dancing two sets with her.
What man would do that unless he wished her to recognize his admiration and his intention of revealing it publicly?
His prudence in not exposing Anne to a distressing circumstance, she could understand perfectly well.
She would have done exactly the same. It would have been torturous for Anne to see people talking about Darcy’s preference for another woman while expecting a certain engagement.
Even worse, Elizabeth wondered about Lady Catherine’s reaction to such a revelation.
Surely, it was outrageous to risk a scandal at the ball Mr Wilson had worked so hard to arrange.
Besides, knowing his intentions was more important than having them actually occur.
On the day of the ball, the large hall, dining room, and drawing room on the first floor were all open and decorated with fresh flowers that added to the house’s elegant beauty. Rooms for billiards and cards were also prepared for those who were not fond of dancing.
For supper, special dishes were prepared to satisfy all tastes: white soup, roast fowl and chickens, stewed peas, French beans and potatoes, salads, pastries, jellies and creams, various pies, cold meats, and cheese.
For dessert, fruits—strawberries, cherries and grapes—confectionery cakes, ices, and many others were available.
As for drinks, exquisite wines were abundant, including claret, port, Madeira, and sherry.
Also, orgeat and ratafia, punch, liquors, tea, and coffee were at the ready.
The music for the night was provided by a band of musicians who performed with Mr Gow, whose presence was nearly impossible to attain on short notice since the famous gentleman was always in demand.
Every day, Elizabeth wondered—and asked her aunt too—why Mr Wilson was taking so much trouble for a ball that could bring him little gain. But no one knew more than he was willing to explain, and the idea of the ball, once it came to his mind, was carried out in his own way.
Once everything was ready, Mrs Gardiner and her nieces retired to rest before the ball. Each was restless—worried about the reaction of the illustrious guests and nervous about meeting the Duke of York and two of the noble patronesses of Almack’s.
For all those famous personages to gather in the house of a shop owner’s son—one who started his life without money, connections, or a foreseeable future—was astonishing, inconceivable, and frightening.
The hours flew by, but around seven o’clock, the family was ready to greet the guests. The host declared himself pleased with the ladies’ appearance and expressed his gratitude for their help in preparing such an event in so little time.
As the hour of the ball approached, Mr Wilson also seemed to exhibit a sort of restlessness that the family had not seen before.
His clothes had been chosen with the same care as those of the ladies.
He kept his hair long and tied in a queue.
His beard—long and thick—was neat and elegant and the scar, although visible, added both seriousness to his countenance and elegance to his features.
“Lizzy, you look stunning,” Jane said. “You are always pretty, but tonight you glow.”
Elizabeth laughed. “If I am glowing, I must have caught some of your felicity. You will be the talk of the evening, Jane, as beautiful as you are.”
Jane blushed. “I hope Charles approves of my appearance.”
Elizabeth laughed again. “I suspect he will be thunderstruck with admiration. And then he will not move from your side.”
She teased her sister, but Elizabeth’s own hopes were not far removed.
Her thoughts revolved around Darcy’s arrival.
She knew she looked lovely—better than ever before due to the gown, the jewels, and the hairstyle.
Her appearance might be the result of the maid and modiste’s art, but she was ready to take the credit if praise came from him.
Around eight o’clock, the first guests appeared: Bingley and his sisters. They stopped in the doorway, obviously surprised by the flower arrangements as well as the ladies’ appearance. Everything was elegant, impressive, and striking.
They were invited in, and Jane assisted them; Bingley, completely charmed, was unable to utter more than compliments for his betrothed’s beauty.
Slowly, the house filled with people, most of them unknown to everyone except Mr Wilson.
Mr and Mrs Gardiner struggled to hide their emotions, but their uneasiness in such illustrious company and sense of responsibility for the evening’s success was overwhelming.
Elizabeth was in the middle of a conversation with a Mrs Ramsbury, her daughter Emily, and her son James when her gaze was drawn towards the entrance.
It was a quarter past eight, and the party she had eagerly expected finally arrived.
The group was at a distance but close enough for her to notice them immediately.
Behind the colonel, who held Anne’s arm, Lady Catherine, the Matlocks, and probably the colonel’s eldest brother, she observed Darcy—tall, handsome, and dashing—looking around with a trace of haughtiness until his dark gaze met hers.
At that moment, his face lit up, his eyes opened wider, and his lips twisted in a little smile.
Her entire being smiled at him while her knees weakened. Regardless of her eagerness to speak and dance with him, she regained her strength enough to continue her conversation while she stole repeated glances at him.