Chapter Twelve
Elizabeth was already seated at a table toward the back of the room when Darcy arrived at the supper that evening; her uncle would not hear of her standing in the receiving line on her injured ankle.
There were four seats open at her table, so Darcy moved that way with Richard and Georgiana chatting merrily as they trailed behind him.
As they made their way through the crowded ballroom, Darcy recognized the gentleman who had just led a pretty, fair-haired young woman to Elizabeth’s table.
It was his old friend, George Knightley.
Their fathers had been the dearest of friends since their days at Eton; Darcy had grown up as close with the Knightley brothers as with his Fitzwilliam cousins.
He had heard that George was lately married to the sister of his younger brother John’s wife—indeed, he would have happily attended their wedding had he not been determined to woo Anne back in Sanditon.
And then Anne herself appeared, ignoring some admonition of her mother’s as she scanned the ballroom for a place to sit for the first course.
She saw Darcy moving toward Elizabeth’s table and seized Miss Lovelace’s hand, dragging her companion along as she hastened to beat Darcy to his destination.
As she reached Elizabeth's table, Anne turned and smiled at Darcy over her shoulder, and he found himself returning her smile.
More than wishing to sit with Sir Sidney, Anne did not want Darcy to sit with Elizabeth; the ruse was working.
This small but reassuring scrap of hope carried Darcy through the first course of supper.
He sat with his sister and cousin, who conversed with Miss Esther Denham.
She had called at Sandpiper Cottage that afternoon while Darcy had been enjoying his visit with Sir Edward Gardiner.
It was clear that Georgiana was trying to like the woman, but with little success.
Miss Denham was not unpleasant, like the preening Miss Bingley, but neither was she pleasant.
She lacked warmth and humor, and seemed almost to view her activity in society as transactional.
Darcy supposed much of society did operate in such a way, without such forthright pragmatism, and so he could not fault the lady for saying aloud what most people would think anyhow.
Indeed, he saw her company as an exercise for Georgiana, who needed to experience moving amongst a varied mixture of people.
Not all of society would be like her new friend Elizabeth, and he was proud of his sister for her endeavors to converse with the cold but eager young woman.
Richard was not put off by Miss Denham’s odd behavior, and seemed content to act as intermediary in coaxing Georgiana to participate in their discussion about sea-bathing, so Darcy made free to converse with Sir Edward Gardiner once again.
They had spoken of his beloved late wife that afternoon; Sir Edward had painted such a picture of the lady’s character that Darcy could easily see her influence on Elizabeth, whose other relations he recalled finding rather silly when he had visited Hertfordshire.
“I never saw her so happy as when we came here to Sanditon—it has been the same for my Lizzy, too. It is a relief that you do not mean to take her away from me, for she keeps the magic of this place alive for me.” Sir Edward sipped sadly at his wine.
“I still find myself doing things in such a way as would please her, taking her opinion into consideration in my plans…. Lizzy understands and does not think me a pitiful old fool.”
“Nor do I, sir.” Darcy gave the man an encouraging smile.
He admired Sir Edward’s duality, for the man was an utter romantic, yet also a shrewd businessman; the hotel and indeed all of Sanditon had benefited from the vision of such a man.
“I suppose you must be thinking often of her as you plan the summertime events you mentioned this afternoon.”
“Of course! Though it is true that many come here for the healthful benefits, there is no reason Sanditon cannot become as popular as Bath, offering as much entertainment as remedy.”
Sit Edward was content to extol in the many events planned for the coming summer. Some were annual occasions he had enjoyed with his late wife the previous year, while others were new diversions—and in these Darcy thought he could sense a little of Elizabeth’s influence.
When the second course was called, Darcy was again thwarted in his attempt to sit with Elizabeth so that they could enact their charade of courtship.
He was sure she meant to seek him out, but she was slow on her injured foot, and despite his sense of urgency to approach her, the ballroom was a crush to navigate.
He got near enough that he might have called out to her, when Sir Anthony came to her aid and seated her at a table beside himself.
There were no other seats at that table, but Darcy selected the one nearest to it, so that he might hasten to her side for the third course.
“You are fuming at being kept from your lady,” Richard observes as he sat down beside his cousin.
“I have but a fortnight for our ruse to achieve the desired outcome; it would be a pity to see the entire evening wasted.”
Richard rolled his eyes. “Perhaps I am as easily duped as Anne, for I had thought you seemed genuinely keen for Miss Bennet’s company.”
“Of course he is,” Georgiana interjected.
“Of course I am,” Darcy agreed. To his relief, he was spared Richard’s impudence when Knightley and his lady came to sit at their table.
He presented his bride as Emma Knightley, née Woodhouse. The newlyweds had arrived that afternoon from Surrey on their wedding trip.
“I have never been to the sea before, what fun we shall have!” The new Mrs. Knightley gazed at her husband with adoration before taking a seat beside Georgiana.
Happily, nobody else joined their table, and the five companions dined amidst amiable conversation. Richard had been involved in many of Darcy and Knightley’s youthful antics, which he described to the ladies with exaggeration they could easily forgive, when their audience was so delighted.
Darcy thought his friend had chosen well in his bride, for beyond her elegance and her evident infatuation, she was artless and engaging.
Her manners reminded him of Elizabeth, though she was the superior of the two.
Mrs. Knightley had not Elizabeth’s talent for humor nor the sparkle of wit in her eye, but she was a promising new acquaintance for his sister.
Mrs. Knightley herself was as eager to find a friend as Georgiana.
“We are to remain for a month complete, and so I hope I shall see a great deal of you. My home, Highbury, has little to offer by way of society, though the village did experience a short burst of interesting diversions. This is my first journey away from home, and I am ready to be fascinated by everything. Ah, but how silly I must sound!”
“Not at all,” Georgiana assured her.
As the two young ladies began to chat amongst themselves, Knightley fixed a curious gaze on Darcy. “I recall you and your sister are fond of summering by the sea. You have chosen well this year; Sanditon, I hear, seeks to rival Bath or Brighton.”
Richard snorted with laughter. “Lord, you will never guess what brings Darcy here—you will shriek when I tell you.”
Darcy bit back a groan. “You recall I have been betrothed to my cousin Anne for nearly two years now.”
Knightley did not conceal his sentiments; they were written on his countenance. “Is there any particular reason the engagement has been so prolonged?”
“The family was in mourning for my late uncle, the former Earl of Matlock, when the betrothal was made. Since then, I have spent some time in Scotland, and Anne’s health is occasionally…. And then after what happened at Pemberley….”
“I heard—I am terribly sorry. If there is any way I can assist….”
“I have it in hand for now, though it will be a lengthy process to rebuild.” Darcy let out a heavy sigh, grateful for his friend’s commiseration.
“And our cousin has found herself at the end of her patience,” Richard said. “Not long after the fire, she severed the engagement.”
Knightley’s eyes went wide. “She did? Or was it her mother?”
“My aunt has beseeched me to win Anne back, which is in accordance with my own wishes. It is an unfortunate thing….”
Before Darcy could find a tactful way to describe his predicament, Richard made a gesture with his head to indicate their cousin at the next table over.
where Anne had leaned so close to Sir Sidney that her bosom rested in the crook of his arm—she might have toppled over had she not reached backward and clung to Miss Lovelace’s arm as she craned her neck up to whisper in Sir Sidney’s ear.
Her gaze flicked over to Darcy and she smirked at catching him watching her.
“That is her over there, in the orange gown.”
Knightley barked out a surprised laugh. “Is everyone in this town out of their senses? We met that fellow when we arrived at the hotel and he spoke about an upcoming event he is hosting as if it were some mad bacchanal. And your aunt is permitting her to make such a display with this fellow? And you, Darcy—you wish to win her back?”
Mrs. Knightley had taken an interest in the gentlemen’s conversation, and Georgiana’s face made it plain to her new friend that it was one worth hearing. Darcy felt his face burn with the heat of his mortification.
“What is this about Sir Sidney? We met him at the hotel before—he reminded us of a certain person in Highbury….”
Knightley shook his head with a teasing smile for his bride. “Emma….”
Georgiana giggled. “Is there another such person in existence?”
“I do not know him well enough to be certain, nor should I wish to, but my first impression of Sir Sidney put me in mind of the son of my dearest friend’s husband, who treated another of my friends abominably—she came to her senses and made a happy escape, but she nearly married the coxcomb!”