Chapter 9
When Elizabeth arrived at her father’s residence in Grosvenor Square, London, her father immediately introduced her to Lady Priscilla Prescott. He explained that this lady would be her companion and chaperone for the foreseeable future.
Lady Priscilla seemed to be in her early thirties.
Her dress, while made of fine materials, was a couple of years out of fashion.
Over time Elizabeth learned that Lady Priscilla was the widow of the Earl of Danroe, who had gambled away their wealth and left her with almost nothing, and her father was now deceased, so she had no family to help support her in her difficulties.
She had borne a son who, though only twelve years old, was now the new earl, but she had been forced to turn over his care to her husband’s brother, since her husband’s will declared that he was more likely to be able to raise the boy to properly care for his status and property.
That being the case, whatever little the Earl’s lands now produced went entirely to the deceased Earl’s brother to be used for the care and education of the young Lord.
Elizabeth could detect the heartbreak the Lady tried to hide at being separated from her son in such a way, but she knew of no way to change it.
Any time she tried to express her concern or sympathy over Lady Priscilla’s plight, the Lady waved it away, instead expressing how grateful she was for the duke’s assistance in finding her a comfortable way to support herself.
The very day after Elizabeth’s arrival in London, she received calls from over a dozen ladies, all of them married or widowed, all of them at least a dozen years older than she was. They complimented and flattered her, but none of them had anything interesting to discuss.
The most interesting part of any of these conversations was when several ladies asked after her father and whether he was planning to take part in the Season’s festivities.
This wasn’t particularly interesting in itself, but it did explain why they were interested in getting to know Elizabeth.
They were simply attempting to get closer to the newly widowed duke.
She answered their questions honestly, explaining that she did not know her father’s plans.
A few days after this, Lady Priscilla escorted Elizabeth to St. James Palace and presented her to the queen.
It was a harrowing experience, but Elizabeth seemed to make a good impression, if not on the queen herself, at least on the members of the court, because within only a few days of her presentation, she had received invitations to a dozen events as well as a voucher for Almack’s.
Elizabeth’s father insisted on previewing every invitation to determine which she could accept and which she should decline, but he did not insist on accompanying her. He said she would do well enough with Lady Priscilla for company.
Fortunately, Elizabeth and Lady Priscilla seemed to get along quite well. The Lady was kind and gentle, though she always seemed a little tired. Perhaps a better phrase would be worn down. It made Elizabeth wonder what kind of life she had led.
Elizabeth’s first appearance among society was at an assembly at Almack’s the day after her presentation to the queen. There, Lady Priscilla introduced her to at least a dozen young men and another two dozen young ladies.
The evening was pleasant. Elizabeth was asked to dance every single dance, though she reserved one dance to deliberately sit out and rest her feet. Most of the gentlemen were reasonably interesting with only a couple who were truly boring, but none really caught her attention.
She found herself mentally comparing each gentleman with Mr. Darcy, and they all came up short. She berated herself for doing this. After all, she had only spoken with Mr. Darcy twice. No matter how much she told herself not to, however, she kept doing it.
Elizabeth gradually became used to living in London.
It was far busier than life at either Pollaner or Longbourn, but that very busyness made it interesting.
There were walks in Hyde Park, St. James Park, and Vauxhall Gardens.
There was shopping and sightseeing. There were dinners, balls, soirees, and musicales.
On her mornings home, there were always multiple callers of both sexes.
There were young ladies who wished to become better acquainted, older ladies who continued to harbor the illusion that getting close to Elizabeth would bring the attention of the duke, and single gentlemen who came courting her attention.
Elizabeth was under no illusion as to the motivations of any of these people.
Of them all only two or three young ladies did not have obvious ulterior motives for calling on her.
She gave most of her attention to these young ladies, though she tried not to slight the others.
No matter their motives, she was certain that it would be wise to maintain positive relations with as many as possible.
During this time, she relied heavily on Lady Priscilla’s advice to help her navigate this new environment.
Over time, Elizabeth came to realize that the Lady was wise and wary due to her experiences with her late husband, though she had not yet lost the innate kindness she must have had long before her marriage.
By the beginning of February, Elizabeth felt that she had made a few friends and quite a number of friendly acquaintances. It was a far bigger social circle than she had ever known, but she was beginning to feel as though she belonged in a way she could not remember feeling before.
~~~~~
Elizabeth’s first ball in February, on the third of that month, was at the home of Lady Matlock, a countess from Derbyshire. Rumor had it that she was hosting the ball in an effort to convince her younger son, a colonel, to finally get married.
As usual, her father declined to accompany her. Elizabeth and Lady Priscilla went on their own.
As they entered the ballroom, Elizabeth looked around. There were many guests there that she already knew, but about half of them were new to her. As she looked around, her eyes eventually landed on a familiar face, one she had been hoping to see ever since she arrived in the city.
Mr. Darcy.
She was so happy to finally see him again that she almost completely ignored the several gentlemen who had approached her to request dances, but she managed to pull herself together enough that she gave each of them the attention they deserved.
Of course, she excused herself as quickly as possible and made her way over to where she had seen Mr. Darcy, though he was no longer there.
As she was looking around again to see if she could find out where he had gone, a familiar voice came from just behind her. “I am glad to see you again, Lady Elizabeth.”
She turned around, a smile blooming on her face. “Mr. Darcy. It is wonderful to see a familiar face. I thought I might not see you again when I had to leave Hertfordshire so suddenly.”
For a few moments, the two of them simply stared at each other. Elizabeth was taking in the sight of him, and she found that he was far more handsome than she remembered. His face and stance were more relaxed, and his gaze was warm and pleasant.
She shook herself out of her stupor and tried to speak, but before she could, he said, “I wonder if you still have the supper dance available.”
“I do,” replied Elizabeth.
“Would you give that dance to me?”
Elizabeth couldn’t stop her smile from growing wider as she said, “I would be happy to.” She handed him her dance card.
As he signed it, he said, “If you are not otherwise engaged, I would consider it a great honor to escort you in to dinner after our dance.”
His gaze was focused on his hands, but Elizabeth noticed his shoulders tense as if he was preparing himself to be rejected. “I would like that a great deal,” she said.
“Thank you, Lady Elizabeth,” he said as he handed her dance card back to her. There was only the slightest of smiles on his face, but his eyes were alight with pleasure and happiness.
They parted soon afterwards. Elizabeth’s attention was taken first by some friends, then by other gentlemen requesting dances.
Something about that particular ball made Elizabeth happier, lighter, more energetic than she could ever remember feeling.
She was chatty and cheerful with her dance partners, and she talked easily with the other ladies between dances.
All the while, her eyes repeatedly sought out the sight of Mr. Darcy.
When the supper dance finally began, and she was able to dance with the man who had effortlessly captured her attention, it was almost like a dream. Though she had been talkative for most of the night, she was quiet now.
He didn’t say much either. Even without words, there was a never-ending stream of communication that stretched between them. Every touch, every glance, every movement spoke of something magical, something that Elizabeth didn’t understand but very much wanted.
When the music stopped, the spell was broken, but Elizabeth knew that he had felt it too.
He escorted her to the side of the room to await the announcement for supper. “You dance very beautifully, Lady Elizabeth.”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy,” she said.
She wracked her brain for something else to say. “You seem much more comfortable tonight than the first time I saw you,” she said.
His mouth turned up on one side in a wry, self-deprecating smile. “I apologize for my behavior at the assembly in Meryton. I am afraid I am rather uncomfortable among strangers, and that discomfort tends to bring out the worst in me.”
“There is no need to apologize,” said Elizabeth. “I had already assumed as much. Shyness is considered to be a uniquely feminine trait, but I am certain it is not. It simply manifests differently depending on the personality.”
“Shyness?” he asked. “Do you think I am shy?”
“What other word would you use to describe someone who doesn’t speak much in company or who is uncomfortable around strangers?” she asked.
“I suppose that makes sense,” he said. “My sister is rather shy. Her governess had to take great pains to get her to speak up, and even now, she is not particularly confident. Now that I think about it, neither of my parents were particularly talkative unless they were among close friends or family.”
“Will you tell me more about your sister?” asked Elizabeth.
“Her name is Georgiana. She just turned sixteen,” he said. “Her favorite hobbies are shopping and music. At least that is mostly what she talks about. I believe she enjoys embroidery to a degree as well.”
“What instrument does she play?” asked Elizabeth.
“She has played piano ever since she could sit up at it,” Mr. Darcy said with a fond smile. “Lately, she has begun to learn the harp as well. I know I am a bit biased, but I honestly believe her piano playing is the most beautiful I’ve ever heard.”
They continued to talk of Georgiana, though that discussion shifted to the topic of music once they were seated at supper, which led to more talk about the theater.
Gradually, the world around Elizabeth faded away, and the magic which was present during their dance returned.
As they talked, each sentence easier and more comfortable than the last, Elizabeth felt as though she were slipping into a warm bath.
She felt at home, more so than she had ever felt before.
As supper drew to a close, Elizabeth realized that she did not know when she would see Mr. Darcy, again. After this evening, it was absolutely essential that she do so. She did not think she could bear the idea that he was in London but that she could not talk with him.
Mr. Darcy must have had a similar thought. As the crowd began to move once more to the ballroom, he said, “Lady Elizabeth, I wonder if you could give me some hint of your schedule. I would very much like to know when I shall see you again.”
She rattled off the five engagements she had accepted for the next ten days, but as she spoke, Mr. Darcy’s expression gradually fell. “I am afraid I am not invited to any of those,” he said. “They are all just a bit above my touch.”
Elizabeth knew what kind of man Mr. Darcy was, how very elevated he was compared to Mr. Bennet, who raised her.
Yet, she also knew what kind of man her father, the duke, was.
He did not allow Elizabeth to associate with just anyone, and those he did allow her to associate with often had similar standards.
She was beginning to think she might never meet the man again when she had a sudden thought. “I don’t suppose you have a voucher to Almack’s,” she said. “I forgot to mention that I attend the assemblies there each week.”
“I do not have a current one,” said Mr. Darcy, though he was smiling. “I stopped attending a couple of years ago when the mercenary atmosphere began to grate on my nerves. However, I am certain I could obtain a new voucher. If all goes well, I shall see you there next week.”
He held his arm out to her to escort her out of the dining room. As she took it she said, “I very much look forward to seeing you there.”
Elizabeth floated through the rest of the ball.
She even danced in her seat in her father’s carriage as she made her way home.
She vaguely remembered dancing with other gentlemen and even being introduced to Colonel Fitzwilliam, Lady Matlock’s son, but her thoughts were almost entirely on the tall, very handsome, very intelligent gentleman from Derbyshire.