Chapter 14
The music began, and Marcus led Eleanor onto the dance floor. He could not take his eyes off her.
She, in turn, kept hers fixed on anything but him.
Marcus was torn between hope, joy, and sorrow.
For twenty years he had dreamed of seeing Eleanor again, if only for a single moment. Yet now that she was beside him once more, he found himself at a loss for words.
In the end, he spoke the only thought that seemed to matter.
"You look very beautiful this evening, Eleanor."
"Thank you, General Sinclair," Eleanor replied without meeting his eyes.
A shadow crossed Marcus's face.
"General Sinclair?" he repeated quietly. "I suppose I was foolish enough to hope you might still remember me as Marcus... the man who loved you."
After a brief pause, he added with quiet resignation,
"Forgive me. I shall not address you so familiarly again, Lady Campbell."
"Marcus, please," Eleanor said, finally looking at him. "This is neither the time nor the place to speak of the past."
Her voice trembled.
"I know we must talk. There are far too many questions that demand answers. But not here... not while the whole ballroom is watching us. Please understand. Let us postpone this conversation."
Despite her efforts, tears welled in her eyes.
The sight of them immediately softened Marcus.
"You are right, my dear."
His voice was gentle once more.
"When this set is over, I shall escort you to the refreshment table. There we can decide where and when we shall meet tomorrow."
He deliberately emphasised the final word.
He had already waited twenty years. He could not bear to wait another day.
"Yes," Eleanor whispered. "Tomorrow we shall speak... and this time we shall tell each other everything."
For the first time since entering the ballroom, she felt able to breathe.
At least she had until tomorrow to gather the courage she would need to uncover the truth.
Marcus knew that every hour until then would feel like an eternity.
Yet he was willing to wait.
What pained him most was the thought that the woman he had loved above all others had become another man's wife and now bore another family's name with pride.
◆◆◆
On the other side of the ballroom, Elizabeth was engaged in lively conversation with the amiable Viscount Blackwood.
Their easy laughter drew more than one curious glance from the surrounding guests.
Christian delighted Elizabeth with his humorous observations, while he, in turn, laughed heartily at her quick wit.
"I must apologise, Miss Elizabeth," he said with an amused smile.
"I fear we have attracted rather more attention than either of us intended.
I have never understood why people cannot believe that a gentleman and a pretty young lady might simply become friends.
My mother, in particular, has been trying to find me a wife ever since I was old enough to walk. "
"Do not worry, my lord; your mother is not the only one. Mine has been looking for husbands for her five daughters since before we were even born," Elizabeth said, making Christian laugh aloud.
He entertained Elizabeth with several amusing stories about Lady Westcliff's determined attempts to introduce him to every eligible young lady of her acquaintance.
Elizabeth laughed again.
"Always remember, you are not the only victim of such schemes, my lord. My mother behaves in much the same way, particularly where my eldest sister is concerned."
She, in turn, recounted some of Mrs Bennet's more extravagant matchmaking efforts.
Christian found himself increasingly charmed by his new cousin.
He was in no hurry to marry. There were still many things he wished to accomplish before giving any serious thought to matrimony.
What he appreciated most was that Elizabeth was not attempting to captivate him. She spoke to him exactly as she would have spoken to a friend.
Elizabeth did no swooning, no preening, and made no casual passes of her hand through her hair to 'inadvertently' accentuate her shining, bouncy curls.
She did not fawn on him like so many women he'd met who seemed to think that all men sought women whose affections were as simple as those of a good pet.
Elizabeth was sensible, smart, and funny.
She was so easy to respect. And yet, she was still so pretty!
It was a truly rare combination that invariably inspired a tiny bit of awe in him when he discovered both great beauty and great intelligence together in one woman.
Alas, he had seen so often that great beauty sometimes had a profoundly detrimental effect upon certain women's minds. Such women never felt a need to improve the quality of their thinking when they knew they could so readily rely upon the high quality of their own pretty faces.
He found the conversation refreshingly easy. He was well aware that many eyes were fixed upon them, but he cared very little. One person, however, caught his attention.
Mr Darcy.
Christian knew him through Colonel Fitzwilliam and had always regarded him as an intelligent and honourable gentleman, though reserved almost to excess. Darcy generally appeared indifferent to everything taking place around him.
This evening, however, was different.
His eyes returned to Elizabeth again and again.
"Miss Elizabeth," Christian asked with a smile, "may I ask whether you and Darcy are old friends?"
Elizabeth shook her head.
"No. We are merely acquaintances. We have met on several occasions, but I do not believe either of us could honestly claim we are friends."
She briefly recounted their first meeting in Hertfordshire, including Mr Darcy's unfortunate remark at the Meryton assembly, and summarised the more memorable encounters that had followed.
"You see, my lord," she concluded with a smile, "Mr Darcy and I can hardly be described as the best of friends."
"I see." That was all Christian said.
He was now quite certain that Darcy was attracted to Elizabeth. For reasons he could not yet understand, however, his friend seemed determined not to act upon his feelings.
"Mr Darcy is a very proud gentleman," Elizabeth continued. "I believe he has little desire to associate with people who are not of his own social standing. Not everyone can be as pleasant as you, Lord Blackwood."
"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Elizabeth."
He smiled before continuing.
"The truth is that very few gentlemen in my position have had the experiences I have.
My grandfather was both irresponsible and immoral, and by the time he died, he had left the earldom on the brink of ruin.
When my father succeeded him, and until I was about ten years old, we survived only because of the generosity of my maternal grandfather, and he was neither a nobleman nor a landed gentleman. My grandfather was a merchant."
“One of the people I admire most in this world is my uncle, and he is a merchant as well."
Christian’s expression softened.
"Everything changed when my Uncle Daniel built his commercial empire in Canada. He restored the Campbell family's fortunes and reputation. He even purchased this house for us."
Christian laughed quietly.
"As a boy, I grew up in a neighbourhood where most of my friends were the sons of merchants and businessmen. That is why I have always respected people who improve their lives through hard work and perseverance, just as my Uncle Daniel and your aunt, Lady Campbell, did."
"Every time I hear someone speak of Lord Campbell, I admire him even more," Elizabeth said sincerely. "He must have been an extraordinary man."
"Unfortunately, I had little opportunity to know him well. I was only a child when he emigrated, but we remained in correspondence, and my father never ceased to love him dearly."
They continued talking as they danced, their conversation flowing as naturally as before.
Across the ballroom, however, Mr Darcy heard very little of what was being said around him.
His attention never strayed far from Elizabeth.
Lord Matlock continued the conversation while Lady Matlock and Lady Samantha quietly discussed various schemes for attracting General Sinclair's attention.
Lady Samantha turned to her sister, Lady Helen.
"Poor General. Lady Westcliff must have persuaded him to stand up with that woman. I truly cannot understand why everyone has spoken so highly of her. Now that I have finally met Lady Campbell, I can assure you she is neither particularly beautiful nor especially elegant."
"When this set is over, let us go and speak with Richard and Lady Claire," Lady Helen replied with a smile. "You know the General is seldom far from his niece."
"You are quite right, my dear sister. That is precisely what we shall do."
Lady Samantha was well aware that the ballroom was filled with influential guests. She was determined that, by the following morning, everyone would be talking about her—and about how she had finally captured the attention of the elusive General Sinclair.
When the set came to an end, Marcus offered Eleanor his arm and escorted her to the refreshment table.
Elizabeth turned to Christian with a smile.
"My lord, I should like to introduce you to my sisters and to my aunt and uncle."
"It will be a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the rest of your family," Christian replied cheerfully.
At the same time, Jane thanked Mr Bingley for the dance, but he seemed reluctant to leave her side and accompanied her across the room.
Caroline and Louisa immediately noticed what their brother was doing and hastened after him, determined not to leave him alone with Miss Bennet.
Within moments, quite a varied group had gathered together.
"Uncle, Aunt, Mary, Jane, allow me to introduce Lord Blackwood, my Aunt Eleanor's nephew."
Turning to Christian, she continued, "My lord, these are my aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs Gardiner, and my sisters, Miss Jane Bennet and Miss Mary Bennet."
Noticing that Mr Bingley and his sisters had joined them as well, Elizabeth introduced them in turn.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Christian said warmly.
Conversation soon flowed with ease.
Christian could not help observing Mary.