It happened Alicia had no chance to speak with either between dances, because the two couples stayed together on the dance floor until the next dance started and they switched partners. Alicia wondered if they were sisters, although they certainly looked different. Observing both her brother and cousin this time, both seemed to enjoy the dance, but it was clear that in this case, both were dancing with friends whom they enjoyed, but for whom they had no particular feelings and when the dance did require a change of partners, when Darcy and Miss Elizabeth were together, there was once again that chemistry between them.
As they came off the floor, Lady Alicia intercepted them and nodded. “Darcy, Richard, I could not help but notice you were dancing with young women I did not know, although I had the pleasure of seeing Miss Elizabeth perform. Could I request an introduction?”
“Of course,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam. “This young lady is Miss Jane Bennet, Miss Elizabeth’s older sister, and this, of course, is Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, this is my sister, Lady Alicia Rutherford. Her husband, Captain Rutherford is at sea with the Royal Navy.”
The three women curtsied and exchanged greetings. “You two are a complete surprise to me, because my cousin and brother have never mentioned either of you. It is very unlike them, particularly my brother, not to tell me or my parents about young ladies they have met.”
“Would you care to dance with me the next dance?” said Darcy. “I am not dancing, but I believe Richard is dancing with Miss Farnsworth. Is that not so, Richard?”
“It is, and I believe I should find her.” Giving a slight bow, he said, “Ladies,” and left. At the same time Mark came and claimed Elizabeth and Matthew came to claim Jane. After the Dumonts and Bennet girls had gone to the drink table to obtain drinks between the dances, Alicia said, “Now, William, what is happening here? I watched you dance with Miss Elizabeth and to my eyes, you looked like a couple in love. But I have never heard her name. Who is she; how did this happen; and do I dare tell my parents?”
“Was it that obvious?” asked Darcy. “I must admit, when I am near her, all I can think about is her, and I tend not to think about how it looks. I do love her. I have been trying to convince her to marry me for weeks.” He then suggested rather than dance, they go to the library, and he would tell her all.
They found a quiet spot in the library, away from the artifacts there at which people would occasionally come to see, and he told her his story in abbreviated form, but covering all the salient points. “She must be some young woman, to have captured your heart and despite her lack of wealth and status, refused you until she was certain. I must admit, if you had asked me, I would not have believed there was a young woman in England who would have taken that stance. It must have been difficult for her, because she obviously loves you.”
“I believe that it was at least partially because she does love me and Georgiana that she delayed, because she did not want to be the cause of any unhappiness to either of us. She is exactly the woman I always desired but did not believe existed. Oh, it would have been good had she wealth and a higher position in society, but they became unimportant to me once I came to know her. I know Aunt Helen and Uncle Robert will be quite angry at me for proposing to one who is not of the status they believe my wife should have, but no matter what they say, or anyone says, for that matter, I will wed Elizabeth.”
Alicia stared her cousin, seeing a side of him she had never seen. Looking around and seeing no one in sight, she gave him a quick hug. “I think that is wonderful, William. I have never seen you so happy and content and determined. You can be sure you will always have the support of me and my husband. Does anyone else know about your feelings, other than Richard, of course?”
“Mark, Matthew, Margaret, Penny, Vollenbrook. All of them know and are supportive. They only met Elizabeth this week, but I think they all like her and approve of her and that we will marry. I believe they will not say anything until it is official.”
Shortly thereafter they returned to the ballroom because Darcy had the fourth dance with Margaret. Elizabeth was dancing with Matthew. As they were heading to the dance floor, Margaret asked in a low voice, “Are you intending to propose tonight? Richard was not sure, but he thought you might.”
“If she will allow me, I will. If not, it will be tomorrow morning.”
“That is wonderful. I hope you know that all of us are happy for the two of you, and I am certain you can depend on our support, no matter what others may think of it.”
“Thank you, Peggy. I never doubted it, but it is still good to hear.”
As the night wore on, Darcy and Elizabeth had little time together because Elizabeth’s dance card was full. They were both relieved when the final dance came. When the last dance came, it was announced that it a new dance than had become popular on the continent and in some places in England – the waltz. Darcy said, “Do you know this dance, Elizabeth. I have only danced it with Georgiana because she had heard about it and wanted to learn it.”
“I have only danced it with my sisters,” said Elizabeth. “Whenever a new dance like that appears, as soon as we hear about it and can find information on how it goes, we practice it, taking turns being the man.” She laughed softly, “I think I would greatly enjoy being in your arms as the dance requires. I believe we should try it.”
He smiled. “I completely agree. I was having the same thought. Shall we?”
Once the music started, they were a little hesitant at first and somewhat chagrined there were not more dancers on the floor, but once they got the feel for the music and began to move around the floor, they became quite comfortable with the dance and greatly enjoyed the feeling of closeness being in hold gave them. By the end of the dance, they were not the best dancers on the floor, but neither were they the worst, and when Colonel Fitzwilliam and Jane joined them after the dance, the Colonel said, “I am impressed. By the end of the dance, you looked like you had done it several times before. Miss Bennet and I tried it for a while, but I do not have the feeling for the music you do, Darcy, so we eventually gave up. However, I enjoyed it and am determined to learn it so that I can fully enjoy it next time. I might even take a dance class to learn that dance.”
As they were speaking, Lord Monttard invited all those who wished to see the outcome of the silent auction for artifacts adjourn to the dining room. Because neither Darcy nor Colonel Fitzwilliam had bid on anything, the two couples headed for the grand salon and found only a few people there, including Lord Vollenbrook, Lady Penelope, Margaret, and a young man Elizabeth had not met. He was introduced to her a Lord Weatherstone. After introductions, he said, “Miss Elizabeth, I am devastated that I could not be here to hear you sing. I am told that your duet with Mark was especially good and hope that sometime in the future I may have a chance to sing with you.”
“Thank you, my Lord. I have been told about how good you are. Mark claims you are better than him and if you are, then you are the best tenor I know, because Mark is the best I know to this point.”
“Nobody is willing to say anything to me, but may I assume congratulations will soon be in order?”
“What do you mean, my Lord?”
“Come now, Miss Elizabeth. I saw you dancing the waltz with Darcy. I know Darcy as well as anyone and know he dances very little. I am certain he has never even considered dancing the waltz with anyone. That he should do so with you and look as if he was loving every minute of it is not the Darcy we all know and love. I heard people near me commenting about it and speculating on your relationship. One of them told me you danced the first dance together, and they had never seen Darcy look so engaged and smile so often. I believe most of the people here who have seen you two together are speculating and expecting the announcement of at least a courtship, if not an engagement.”
Elizabeth looked at Darcy, who shrugged his shoulders and said, “You see. You cannot delay me any longer. Think of how our reputations would be damaged.”
Lord
Weatherstone looked at Elizabeth with new respect. “You have made him wait, knowing he wanted to propose? That is remarkable. Listen, I am almost as wealthy as he is, am the second son of a Duke, and sing quite well. Why do you not ignore his pleas and consider marrying me?”
“Because, my Lord, I do not love you.”
“Ah well, it was worth a try. If Darcy believes you are acceptable, you must be one in a million. I wish you both the best. Darcy, I believe you are a lucky man.”
“Thank you, Weatherstone, but we must still go through the formalities.”
“I believe the result is a forgone conclusion, is it not, Miss Elizabeth?”
“I cannot answer that question, because I believe my future husband should be the first to hear that answer.”
“Very nicely answered without directly answering. Darcy, I know your relatives are going to give you difficulty with this and claim it will ruin your standing in our society. Do not believe it. I am sure all your true friends will remain friends, and Miss Elizabeth, we will welcome your addition to our little group.”
“Thank you, my Lord. I am happy to know that.”
“This is ridiculous, Elizabeth,” said Darcy. “Are you willing to leave this group for a brief time so that we can make this official.”
Elizabeth gave a little laugh. “Actually, I was rather enjoying this. I cannot imagine such a discussion taking place with my friends in Meryton. Can you Jane?”
When Jane shook her head and said no, Elizabeth continued, “As a matter of fact, I find it hard to believe it is happening here. I will depart with you, if you want, Will, but why do you not just make it official in front of my sister and our friends, since they know about it anyway?”
Shaking his head and smiling, Darcy took the ring box out of his pocket and took out the beautiful emerald ring he had shown her before. “As you have already deduced, it is the custom in my family for a man to offer his prospective wife a ring. Therefore, Miss Elizabeth Anne Bennet, will you agree to take my hand in marriage and accept this ring as my expression of my love for you.”
Elizabeth stuck out her left hand and said, “I will.”
He put the ring on her finger. “Now, unfortunately, because we are in such a public place, I cannot give you the kiss that should occur with this ceremony.”
Vollenbrook, who was going to arise and shake Darcy’s hand, looked at the other in the room and saw the people there, looking their way. Sitting down again, he said, “Our group seems to be an object of interest to others in this room. If we all come to you and express our congratulations physically, your engagement will no longer be much of secret. Do you care?”
“I do not,” said Elizabeth, “because I know of none of my acquaintances that will be upset by our engagement. However, Will, do you want to make sure you aunt and uncle do not know until we have talked with them?”
He thought for a minute and then laughed. “I can remember a time when their opinion was uppermost in my mind when I thought about whom I might marry. Now I do not care what they think; therefore, I would happy to accept everyone’s congratulations.”
The women hugged Elizabeth and Margaret said, “Lizzy, I think this engagement may take precedence over your visit to me at my grandparents’ estate Sunday and Monday. I suspect there will be demands on your time by William’s relatives. I will assume you will not be coming. Perhaps another time. Please send me a note if you can to come later.”
“I promise, I will, Peggy. I am sorry. I had no idea at the point we made the arrangements that I would be engaged by the end of the party.”
The men, of course, all shook Darcy’s hand. Then the men each congratulated Elizabeth and kissed her hand, while the women took one of Darcy’s hands, giving congratulations, except for Jane, who also told him to be good to her sister, and Margaret, who, teasingly, scolded him for proposing and ruining her plans for Elizabeth to visit her. By the time it was over, it was obvious to the others in the room what had happened and a few of them left the room, probably intending to spread the news.
Colonel Fitzwilliam, seeing them leave, arose and said, “Excuse me, but I believe I should go to the dining room and ensure that the correct information is being passed. Darcy, Miss Elizabeth, expect many people dropping by to congratulate you or just to be introduced to this woman who had the temerity to steal Darcy away from all the women of the ton who have been pursuing him so relentlessly.”
Not long after he departed, Darcy was not surprised to see Lord and Lady Matlock and Lady Alicia enter the salon and come to them. Lord Matlock, who was obviously upset, did not even wait for introductions. As soon as he reached Darcy, he said, “What is this I hear that you have be engaged yourself to a young woman far below us. You know that is not acceptable to us.”
Darcy, ignoring his rudeness, said, “Uncle Robert, Aunt Helen, may I present Miss Elizabeth Bennet, my betrothed? Elizabeth, these are my aunt and uncle, Lord Robert Fitzwilliam, the Earl of Matlock and Lady Helen Fitzwilliam, the Countess of Matlock. It appears they may not look favorably on our engagement.”
“My Lord, my lady, I am happy to meet you. I would hope that Will is incorrect and that you will accept our engagement, for I am afraid our marriage is inevitable and has been for some time.”
“What do you mean, for some time?” asked the irate Lord Matlock.
“I met her in Hertfordshire over a year ago and have thought of no other woman except her since then. When she and her aunt and uncle happened to visit Pemberley in August, I saw her again and knew I wanted to marry her and told her so. It took me a while to convince her, because she was worried about her acceptability to my friends and family. I said it did not make any difference to me, but not until she learned that my friends are happy to accept her, did she agree to marry me. She hopes my family will also, as do I, but whatever you say, I will marry her. You have no say in my choice of a wife, despite what you may wish to believe, so I suggest you congratulate us and accept it.”
Lord Matlock’s face became redder and redder as Darcy spoke. When Darcy finished, Lord Matlock said, “I will not accept this marriage. You will not marry this woman.”
“I am sorry, Uncle Robert, but I will. If we are to be estranged, then so be it. You may never again see me or Georgiana, who, by the way, has been urging me to marry Elizabeth for weeks.”
“We will see about this,” said Lord Matlock as he turned and started to leave. “Come, Helen, Alicia, let us leave.”
“I think I will let William take me home,” said Lady Helen. “I need to speak to William and Miss Elizabeth.”
“I forbid it. Come with me.”
Lady Matlock looked at him with a placid face and said nothing. Finally, he sputtered and hurried out of the room. Lady Alicia stayed behind with Lady Matlock.
“First, Miss Elizabeth, I am happy to meet you, but I cannot say I am happy about what you and William have done. However, I know William is correct, we have no legal say in who he chooses to wed, but we had hoped for a woman of more wealth and standing in our society.”
“I can understand that, Lady Matlock, and it was one of my concerns when I stopped him from proposing to me. But your nephew is a very persistent man, my Lady, and also persuasive. It was not hard for me to fall in love with him and eventually decide there was no problem we could not solve together. I hope you will eventually comprehend that he and I were meant to be together, and I am exactly the woman he needs. Where we need to be alike, we are alike, and where we need to complement each other, we complement each other, and no two people could be more in love.”
Lady Matlock stared at her, somewhat astonished that she showed no signs of being intimidated or unsure of herself. She looked at the others around them. “And who is this young lady?”
“This is my sister, Miss Jane Bennet, Lady Matlock. She accompanied me to London.”
After exchanging greeting with Jane, Lady Matlock said, “And do I not understand there is another sister who spent time with Georgiana at Pemberley?
”
“Yes, that is my sister, Catherine, who is Georgiana’s age. In fact, she is also staying at Darcy House with Georgiana while we are in town. They have become quite close. Also, I have two other sisters, who are at Longbourn, our estate in Hertfordshire.”
“Will you be in town for a while?”
“We were intending to leave tomorrow morning, but then I made plans to with Margaret Farnsworth to stay at the Denby House Sunday and Monday, and now that Will and I are engaged, even those plans may have to be changed. Will and I have not yet discussed it.”
“Would you be willing to come to Matlock House for dinner one of the coming evenings?”
“We will let you know,” interjected Darcy, “and only if you can assure us Uncle Robert will be civil.”
“Alicia and I will speak with him and try to calm him. I am sure, once he looks at it realistically, he will understand there is nothing he can do, and he will be convinced that he must accept it.”
As they were speaking, Lord and Lady Dumont approached with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. “We just heard. May we add our congratulations?” said Lady Monttard. “It seems our party was more successful than we expected and our offer to sponsor you, Miss Elizabeth, is no longer necessary.”
Elizabeth put her arm through Darcy’s and squeezed it to her body. “Thank you, Lady Monttard. Somehow, I had a feeling your offer would not be needed. Over the past weeks, I became rather sure that we would be engaged before next Season. Mr. Darcy, besides being handsome, intelligent, and lovable, is also persistent and persuasive.”
The Lady of the Mount and Patience Rewarded: Two Stories of Darcy and Elizabeth Page 33
