Epilogue 2
Ballroom
Darcy House
Evening
The sweet sound of strings filled the air, while the atmosphere was redolent with the perfume from the massive bouquets of flowers set in the alcoves along the wall.
The servants had been busy for days preparing for this ball, scrubbing the parquet floor until it shone like a mirror, draping the walls with silk, and taking great care polishing candlesticks and the crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the room.
Each faceted drop of glass shimmered like a diamond, dazzling in the light of the candles blazing above and casting glittering specks of light across the floor below.
Elizabeth Darcy, mistress of the house and hostess of this entirely successful squeeze, sat in a plush upholstered chair not far from the open door, fanning herself with as much vigor as grace.
The ivory fan that was cooling her face had been a gift from her dear Fitzwilliam and had seen much use as Elizabeth’s burgeoning pregnancy raised her internal temperature.
The fan had rapidly become one of her favorites, not only for its strong ivory bones and sturdy construction, but for the lovely green and blue seascapes painted on either side.
Tonight, however, she was not admiring her fan because her focus was entirely on her party.
It gave all the appearances of being a rousing success, and there was a good breeze entering from the doors along the wall, which opened onto the moonlit balconies and let in the healthful night air.
If one became chilled, it would be easy to move deeper into the room where the heat generated by the energy of the dancers and a multitude of candles could protect one from draughts, and if one overheated, one had only to move to where a cool breeze could be found.
Elizabeth was likely alone in being overly warm this evening, but then, she often was these days and was determined not to let it ruin her enjoyment of the evening.
It was, of course, her duty to open the ball, which she had done on the Earl of Keaton’s arm.
The Earl and Countess had graciously accepted Elizabeth’s invitation, making them the highest-ranking guests present.
Darcy had danced with Clara, and Elizabeth had seen him exiting the other side of the dance floor with her after the first set ended.
She was content to sit out for the second set and rest and cool herself down, and she knew her darling Fitzwilliam would find her before the beginning of the third set, which they had arranged to dance together.
For now, Elizabeth would ensure that nothing was occurring to mar anyone’s enjoyment of the ball hosted in honor of the debut of Georgiana Darcy and Kitty and Lydia Bennet.
The ladies of the hour were themselves dancing joyously not far from Elizabeth, all together in a set for a country dance.
She smiled upon them, watching three pairs of slipper-shod feet move with great assurance and grace through the familiar figures.
All three girls were radiant, their faces bright with pleasure.
Elizabeth paid special attention to Kitty and Georgiana, pleased to see the shyness of their early teens replaced by a lovely confidence that both girls wore gracefully.
Lydia, who like Georgiana, had attained her eighteenth birthday this year, had never been shy, but her youthful boisterousness was tempered by a maturity that did her credit.
Quite aside from their confidence and joy, all three girls looked lovely in their gowns designed by Lydia.
Georgiana had trusted her sisters by marriage to dress her, and she had done well to do so; Lydia’s already excellent eye for fashion had only improved of late, and Kitty’s understanding of her closest sister and skill in sketching had proven invaluable, with Lady Bennet’s preferred London modiste bringing the sisters’ combined visions to life.
Georgiana was heavenly in pale blue, her dress accentuating her tall, graceful figure.
Lydia blossomed in bright petal pink that set off her eyes and curls beautifully, and Kitty had chosen a more demure blend of rose pink and old ivory that lent her wisdom beyond her twenty years.
“The girls are so beautiful, are they not, Lizzy?”
Elizabeth turned to look at her mother, who was herself gazing fondly at the dancers.
“They are,” Elizabeth agreed.
Lady Bennet shifted a trifle closer to her wealthiest daughter and said, in a softer tone, “I was most displeased when you insisted that the girls wait so long to be launched into the ton, but perhaps you were right! I think Lydia would have done quite well two years ago, but Kitty and Georgiana were rather shy young ladies. Perhaps they did need the time to mature and grow more accustomed to the presence of others, especially eligible gentlemen!”
Her second daughter could not help but be touched by this statement, given Lady Bennet’s fussing and wailing over the delay in the young ladies’ coming out. It was rare for her mother to acknowledge a personal error of any kind.
“I am quite confident they will all be successes in society,” Lady Bennet continued with a satisfied nod of her head, now a mix of gray and blonde. “Moreover, with the very kind dowry bestowed on Kitty and Lydia by Mr. Darcy … well, my dear, I hope you know how very grateful I am!”
“It was our pleasure, Mamma,” Elizabeth replied.
In truth, Emerald Island had provided the seven thousand pounds dowries for each of the two younger Bennet daughters, but the Darcy coffers had helped in bringing up the yearly income of the island estate, so it was truly six of one or a half dozen of another.
“If Kitty and Lydia can both make excellent marriages, I will have nothing more to wish for! Well, it would be wonderful if Mary were to find a good husband, but given that she is far more interested in the planets than in gentlemen, I think that unlikely.”
Elizabeth turned to look at the corner of the room farthest from her, where Mary was standing across from Sir Andrew Wintersmith, a baronet with holdings in Essex.
Sir Andrew was an enthusiastic amateur astronomer, and Elizabeth had taken note that the pair gravitated towards one another at every opportunity.
She would not point this out to Lady Bennet, of course. Mary was, of her four sisters, the one most likely to be irritated by her mother’s well-meant interference in her life.
“Whatever happens with Mary,” Elizabeth said, turning back to her mother, “she will always be well. Fitzwilliam has set aside plentiful provisions for all of my sisters.”
“Oh, well that is very kind of him, my dear,” Lady Bennet said. “He is such a good man, and I only hope that you are carrying a son for him this time!”
Elizabeth lowered her hand to rest on her abdomen, where her second baby was wiggling enthusiastically.
She knew that her Fitzwilliam absolutely adored their two-year-old daughter, Arabella, and would not be distressed in the least by another girl child.
However, the lack of an heir to Longbourn had obviously cast a long shadow on Lady Bennet’s life, and she was extremely eager that her second daughter provide a male heir for her husband, even as her eldest had succeeded, in spades, with twin Bingley sons born two years previously.
Elizabeth did not feel like arguing with her mother on the topic of childbearing and was thus pleased when her husband arrived at her side holding a cup of icy lemonade for her and a cup of coffee for Lady Bennet.
“Thank you, Fitzwilliam,” she said, taking a welcome drink of the cool liquid.
“Of course,” Darcy replied and looked around just as the last strains of the music came to an end, followed by clapping by the dancers who then left the ballroom floor in a shifting swirl of fine gowns and elegant coats.
“Do you need anything else, dear one?” her husband continued, and Elizabeth stood up and said, “Nothing to eat or drink, thank you, but I would like to speak to Kitty and Georgiana and make certain that they are comfortable.”
“I would like that too,” Darcy said, holding out his arm to his wife. “Until later, Lady Bennet.”
“Of course, Mr. Darcy, of course,” Lady Bennet declared. “Tell the girls that they are beautiful!”
When the married Darcys came upon their young female relations, they found numerous gentlemen gathered around them, all of whom seemed eager to win the favor of the young ladies.
Elizabeth, inspecting her sisters’ faces with care, was pleased to see that all looked cheerful enough, even Miss Darcy.
Lady Bennet was quite correct that Georgiana, in particular, had benefited from waiting until she was almost nineteen years old to be launched into society.
“Good evening, Elizabeth, Darcy,” a feminine voice said from behind them, and the couple turned.
“Anne!” Elizabeth cried out, releasing her husband’s arm and surging forward to take the hands of the former Miss de Bourgh of Rosings. “How good of you to come!”
“We would not stay away, of course,” Anne replied, turning an adoring look on her husband, Mr. Theodore Sampson. “I would not dream of missing out on the debut of my dear cousins.”
“Indeed, we would not,” Mr. Sampson said.
Elizabeth looked at her cousins by marriage with a fond smile.
Anne had scandalized her noble relations by wedding her steward, whom she had hired within a few months of Lady Catherine’s death.
Though Darcy had provided invaluable assistance and advice to his recently orphaned cousin, he could not manage Rosings for her, and Lady Catherine had, in her greed and conceit, left the estate in poor condition.
Anne was not insolvent, but a considerable amount of her income needed to be plowed back into the land, and she was at her wit’s end, even as she coped with the complicated grief of losing her rather difficult mother.