Chapter 16
Elizabeth
The Meryton assembly drew almost everyone who had heard the rumor—and half of those who claimed not to believe it.
My mother would have preferred we stay at Longbourn. She worried less about my reputation than about the possibility that Mr. Darcy, exposed to gossip, might abandon his ten thousand a year. My father insisted we attend the ball.
“Rumors feed on closed doors,” he said. “Let us open ours and let them die of indigestion.”
Jane and Mr. Bingley were to appear together for the first time since the announcement of their engagement. Their happiness already drew every eye. Yet when Mr. Darcy entered the room, the murmur that rippled through the assembly had nothing to do with them.
He stood straight, his expression more guarded than ever. Georgiana was on his arm, accompanied by Mrs. Annesley. Bingley followed them.
Darcy’s eyes found me.
I stepped forward before my prudence could stop me.
“Mr. Darcy.”
“Miss Elizabeth.”
He bowed. I extended my hand.
The gesture was unnecessary. A young woman could greet without offering her fingers. He understood. His gaze held mine, then he took my hand with almost solemn delicacy.
Around us, conversations slowed.
“Will you grant me the first dance?” I asked.
Surprise flickered across his face.
“With pleasure.”
I had never invited a man to dance. Several nearby ladies leaned toward one another. My mother pressed a hand to her chest in delight. Wickham, whom I had spotted near the officers, stopped smiling.
When the music began, Darcy and I took our places among the couples.
“You didn’t have to do this,” he murmured.
“You promised to let me act.”
“I will keep my word, even when your actions threaten my self-control.”
“Is dancing with me such an ordeal?”
“Not the kind you imagine.”
His gaze dropped to my waist as the figure brought us closer. The memory of the pavilion swept through me.
We separated, then found each other again.
“Wickham is here,” I said.
Darcy stiffened.
“I saw him.”
“Don’t speak to him.”
“I had no intention of it.”
“I will speak to him.”
“Elizabeth…”
“You promised.”
His jaw tightened.
“I detest this promise.”
“That’s why it’s useful to you.”
After the dance, I rejoined Jane. Eyes followed me.
Mrs. Long questioned me with what she considered subtlety about Mr. Darcy’s generosity toward his friends.
I replied that he was most remarkable for refusing to take credit for his good deeds.
The phrase was being repeated before I had finished the next sentence.
Wickham approached me near the refreshment table.
“Miss Elizabeth. I am pleased to see that certain stories have not shaken your trust.”
“What stories, Mr. Wickham? The ones you tell, or the ones you leave out?”
His smile faltered.
“I would not wish to see you bound by gratitude to a man who knows how to use his fortune.”
“Your concern touches me all the more since you yourself have considerable experience using Mr. Darcy’s fortune.”
He paled.
“I fear you have heard his version.”
“On the contrary—I have discovered yours.”
He cast a glance toward Darcy, who stood several yards away with Georgiana. The young woman had also seen Wickham. Her face went white. Darcy immediately moved to block the officer from her sight, then murmured something to Mrs. Annesley.
Anger surged through me.
“You will leave this room without approaching Miss Darcy,” I said.
“You give me orders?”
“I am warning you. Colonel Forster might not appreciate learning that one of his officers has been spreading gossip about a gentleman’s debts—gossip obtained through indiscretion.
My father would be entitled to demand an explanation.
Mr. Bingley as well. And Mr. Darcy, if I stopped asking him to ignore you. ”
Wickham studied me. His charm fell away, revealing a hardness I should have seen earlier.
“You defend him quite passionately.”
“Yes.”
“Because you love him?”
The question cut through me.
I looked at Darcy. Georgiana had just left the room with Mrs. Annesley. He remained near the door, tense, his eyes on me. He didn’t move forward. He was letting me handle this, despite what it cost him.
“Because he deserves to be defended,” I replied.
Wickham bowed with cold irony and walked away.
Darcy joined me at once.
“What did he say?”
“Nothing worth repeating.”
“You’re pale.”
“And you’re furious.”
“Yes.”
“Georgiana?”
“Mrs. Annesley is taking her back to Netherfield. She hadn’t seen him since Ramsgate.”
I placed my hand on his arm.
“Go to her.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone after…”
“I’m not alone. My family is here. She needs you.”
His gaze filled with painful gratitude.
“Come to Netherfield tomorrow,” he said. “She’s fond of you.”
“I will.”
He brought my hand to his lips. The gesture, made in the middle of the room, completed what the first dance had begun. Everyone saw us.
“Darcy,” I murmured.
“Forgive me. For once, I didn’t ask.”
“I didn’t tell you to stop.”
His lips lingered a second longer against my fingers.
After his departure, my mother rushed toward me.
“Lizzy, what have you done? Everyone will think you’re engaged!”
I looked at the door through which he had just disappeared.
I had not yet given him the final answer he awaited. Yet the prospect of the neighborhood believing us engaged no longer frightened me.
“Perhaps,” I said, “they won’t be wrong for long.”