Chapter 40 Lady Isabella
The three ladies seated themselves while the two gentlemen went to procure their plates.
Jane, who had likewise danced every set, rolled her ankles gently beneath the table.
“Either these slippers are too tight, or I have danced excessively. My feet pain me dreadfully.”
“So do mine,” Elizabeth admitted. “Meryton assemblies suffer from a dearth of gentlemen and end by eleven. There is truly no comparison.”
A raven-haired beauty approached Elizabeth and fixed her with a cold stare.
Elizabeth rose at once when she saw Lady Helen stand.
“Lady Isabella, allow me to introduce my nephew’s betrothed, Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
“Elizabeth, this is Lady Isabella, daughter of the Duke of Eldon.”
Elizabeth offered a graceful curtsy to the visibly angry young woman before her.
“And who precisely is Miss Bennet? Why should a Miss Bennet concern me?” Lady Isabella demanded. “What I should like to know, Lady Helen, is why this woman has spent the entire evening hanging upon the arm of my intended.”
Darcy drew near, carrying a plate of food in each hand. At Lady Isabella’s words, his complexion darkened.
Beaumont, who followed behind with plates for him and Jane, remarked, “Ah, a scene. Can it not be avoided?”
Darcy moved to the table at Elizabeth’s side and set down both plates. He opened his mouth to respond, but Lady Helen placed a restraining hand upon his arm and stilled him.
Elizabeth replied, “My lady, Mr. Darcy has been betrothed to me these many months. He is too honorable a man to offer his hand to two women at once. My intended has secured a marriage license, and the marriage settlements have already been signed.”
Lady Isabella flushed darkly.
“While it is true that we were not formally engaged, Lady Helen arranged an intimate family dinner at her home and introduced us with the clear intention of arranging a match between us.”
Darcy stiffened, but Lady Helen pinched his arm sharply before speaking herself.
“Lady Isabella, you surely recall that Lady Horatia attended that dinner with her family, and my son Richard was likewise present. I arranged the gathering to introduce all the young people to one another in the hope that one or another of you might suit. As matters transpired, that proved not to be the case.”
Lady Helen’s voice cooled further.
“My nephew has spent these past months in Kent, where he met and courted his betrothed under the approving eye of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The date for their marriage had already been settled, but unhappily, Lady Catherine was taken from us both prematurely and unexpectedly. You now see them waiting for the mourning period to pass before my nephew is free to marry.”
Lady Isabella’s eyes remained fixed upon Elizabeth throughout Lady Helen’s speech, and with every passing word, her complexion deepened to a darker shade of red while her eyes narrowed into glittering slits from which anger seemed almost to spark.
Out of self-preservation, Elizabeth retreated one step and then another.
By this time, Sir Gareth had likewise set aside his plates. He moved smoothly between the two women and offered Lady Isabella his arm.
“May I escort your ladyship back to your party?”
She gave an indignant huff and placed her hand upon his arm.
Then she declared, “Had we been alone in the ladies’ retiring room, never doubt that I should have planted you a facer.”
They all stared in stunned silence as the lady of consequence, beautifully coiffed and elegantly attired, uttered the vulgar cant expression with full knowledge of its meaning.
Lady Helen resumed her seat, and Elizabeth noticed that the older lady’s hands were trembling.
Elizabeth suddenly realized that her legs had begun to wobble beneath her, and she sank quickly into her chair.
Darcy seated himself beside her and covered her hand with his own.
“Are you well, darling? You are very pale.”
He reached for a glass of punch.
“Here, my dear, drink this. It is ratafia mixed with fruit.”
She took a swallow, but now her hands had begun to tremble as well. He steadied the glass for her while she placed her hands over his to guide it to her lips. She drank every drop.
Meanwhile, Jane offered Lady Helen a glass of the mild punch as well.
Lady Helen said, “Elizabeth, I am proud of you. You shall make a worthy niece. You are to call me Aunt Helen henceforth. I believe you are equal to any eventuality.”
Elizabeth smiled at the Countess with genuine affection.
“Lady Helen, I believe I have survived sufficient eventualities for one evening.”
Then she turned toward Mr. Darcy.
“Fitzwilliam, I cannot eat. My stomach is full of butterflies. May we go home now?”
Lady Helen answered before he could speak.
“Attempt to eat at least a little, Elizabeth, and afterward Fitzwilliam may escort us both home, for it would occasion gossip were we to abandon our plates and our hosts now. We shall take our time over supper, and once the room begins to empty, we shall quietly vanish into the night.”
Jane said, “Lizzy, you may ride home with us, for I have no wish to remain either. I shall ask Gareth to take me home as well.”
“Will you return with your sister, or would you prefer that we convey you home in our carriage?” Darcy asked.
She made a careful search of his face.
His gaze was earnest. Neither Lord Dunwich nor Lady Isabella had turned him away from her.
“If you have not washed your hands of me, sir, then I shall be content to return with my sister and brother. But should you need to speak with me about anything, I will travel in your carriage.”
“I shall never wash my hands of you, Elizabeth. It is not possible.”
She reached instinctively for his hand.
“I am glad, sir. After this dreadful ball, I should scarcely have been surprised had a reserved gentleman such as yourself…”
“Do not say it. I shall not hear such doubts from you, Elizabeth.”
Sir Gareth approached the table then, grinning broadly.
“I would have returned sooner, but the lady could not cease denigrating your character, manners, and rakish habits, Darcy. At last, I was forced to extricate myself lest I laugh outright in her face. You are exceedingly fortunate to have escaped that snare, my man.”
Lady Helen’s brows arched comically high.
“I owe you an apology, nephew. Had I not introduced you…”
“Do not distress yourself, Aunt Helen. You merely did what any respectable mother would do for her sons. You sought to help me find a wife. Fortunately, I happened quite accidentally upon the very woman who is best suited to me.”