I am apologizing in advance for the insults and rudeness my Aunt Catherine will undoubtedly cast against you, your family, and everyone else this evening. I have not been successful in persuading her to leave, and I dare not risk coming to Longbourn and having her follow. This evening is to be Bingley’s and Miss Bennet’s triumph, and my relations are set upon ruining it.
I am most anxious to see you again, Elizabeth, to hear your voice even if it is to yell and point out my faults. Hearing my aunt decimate Bingley’s sister gave me great pause to reflect on the behaviors in me you find so abhorrent. I confess I felt pity for Miss Bingley at times during my aunt’s set down.
This evening I wish nothing more than to dance two sets with you and hope you will be so kind as to dance the first with me?
Your Obedient Servant,
Fitzwilliam Alistair Marcus Darcy
Elizabeth blinked back tears to read how cruel the universe appeared to be in teaching Mr. Darcy a painful lesson. She began to realize now that just as she was a reflection of mostly her father, but at times vexed by behaviors similar to her mother’s nerve, Mr. Darcy, being orphaned in his early adulthood, might have similar influences as to his personality. What was society but its follies and foibles? And she was not without fault, as he had pointed out to her the day she fell at Netherfield.
“Oh Jane, poor Mr. Darcy!” Elizabeth wallowed in the emotions of care and worry that were new additions to her complex understanding of Mr. Darcy in her heart.
Jane hugged her sister and smiled, laughing to see Elizabeth so upset and moved by Mr. Darcy’s plight. “See? You do love him, and the two of you will have a long and happy life together, just like me and Charles!”
“But, oh no, his aunt! She despises my status and thinks I am not good enough to marry him! What if the rest of his family feels the same way?” Elizabeth began to panic, finally asking Jane what she would do.
Jane winked at her younger sister. “Marry him anyway, that is what I am doing. I am not an idiot where it comes to the prejudices of Louisa and Caroline. But I make Charles happy, and he makes me doubly so. A marriage is never done without the ruffling a few family feathers. Remember how much Grandma Bennet disliked Mama?”
Elizabeth furrowed her brows, trying to remember what Jane was referencing, but she was only six when their grandmother died and Jane was eight.
“I suppose so. But I am so . . .” Elizabeth struggled to find the words to explain that one thousand flutters and heartaches plagued her system all at once. But Jane nodded in understanding.
“It feels so dangerous, and then when you see him, or hear his voice, the danger becomes exhilarating. We will make you the beauty of the ball and his aunt will HAVE to accept you.”
“And if she does not?” Elizabeth genuinely worried for the first time she might lose Mr. Darcy’s regard, and it was not an outcome she could accept.
“Then we shall introduce her to Sir Lucas and Mrs. Long and she shall never get another word out!”
Elizabeth laughed at her sister’s plan, feeling with dread that Lady Catherine de Bourgh sounded like a bully of a degree they had never encountered. If Mr. Darcy was not able to manage his aunt, how on earth were two Bennets supposed to meet the challenge?
Eleven
November 26, 1811, the Netherfield Ball
Delayed by what seemed to be concerted efforts on the part of Kitty and Lydia to make the entire family late, the Bennets and Mr. Collins did not arrive at the Netherfield Ball until they were nearly forming the end of the receiving line. The Hursts joined Mr. and Miss Bingley in welcoming the surrounding countryside to the family’s first major social event at the leased estate. For some families, it was still a novelty to meet and greet the Netherfield residents, but for the Bennet family the friendships and rivalries were already quite firm.
“My, that is a lovely gown Miss Eliza. The neckline was a favorite of mine two seasons ago, wasn’t it, Louisa?” Miss Bingley wasted not a moment before engaging in open hostilities with Elizabeth. Unfortunately for Caroline, Elizabeth Bennet already knew the best way to get under Miss Bingley’s skin. She simply had to be nice.
“Thank you, Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst. I fear the latest fashions do not always satisfy my tastes. But were I called upon to perform for London society, I should be content to wear the unflattering waistlines and cuts you must endure. Now that you live in the countryside, you can follow my example and wear only the pieces you find absolutely divine.” Elizabeth Bennet forced a bubbly demeanor during her brief conversation with the Bingley sisters, finding it fiercely difficult to keep her anxiety at the idea of being introduced to Mr. Darcy’s aunt.
The ballroom was draped in the rich colors of autumn as gold and brick red buntings were fixed to every surface in the room. It appeared every chair, settee, and sofa of the downstairs floors lined the walls of the enormous room, and the musicians had begun to warm up by the time Elizabeth stepped into the crowded room. Despite the din, Mr. Darcy spotted Elizabeth in her delicately trimmed white lace dress, finding her understated beauty the perfect match for the teardrop pearl accents in her hair.
“Is that her? I can see Mr. Collins in the doorway there, is that woman the shrew who has her clutches upon you, Fitzwillam?” An elderly lady hunched over and possessing rings of fat making up her shoulders, thick neck, and double chin, stood next to Fitzwilliam Darcy in nothing short of nearly full court dress, complete with a tiara in her hair. As Elizabeth zeroed in on Mr. Darcy’s handsome, tall frame, she spied the squat, overdressed woman next to him covered head to toe in gold and deep burgundy brocade, and giggled. In her mind’s eye, Lady Catherine de Bourgh could be no other than the woman possessing quivering jowls and pointing in her direction with a finger shaking about in a manner most unbecoming to one of her station.
Feeling mischievous, Elizabeth did not wait for Mr. Darcy to approach. Instead, the young woman put one slippered foot in front of the other and effortlessly cut through the crowds anxiously awaiting the start of the first set. To Darcy, he finally understood Bingley for calling Jane Bennet an angel. From his position nothing less than one of the highest choir was gliding toward him with the enigmatic smile he cherished in his dreams.
As soon as Elizabeth reached Mr. Darcy, she dipped into a deep curtsy, and rose anticipating an introduction. But Mr. Darcy’s behavior took an unexpected turn. Grasping Miss Elizabeth’s hand, he bent over it and kissed the top.
“May I have the honor of the first set, my dear?”
Elizabeth held her breath as her eyes flitted from Mr. Darcy to his aunt and then back to him, catching a slight wink from the man. Trusting him and playing along, she accepted the set and laughed heartily once they were a few steps from his aunt. As Lady Catherine began to shout Fitzwilliam’s name, he led Elizabeth away entirely refusing to make the introduction of the grand lady to his intended.
“Before you mistakenly decide I find you beneath introduction to my aunt, I wish to assure you it is quite the opposite. She has not proven herself worthy of meeting you, my dear Elizabeth.”
Mr. Darcy’s romantic sentiments were for Elizabeth’s ears only as he led her to take their places next to Jane and Mr. Bingley. The strained and struggled first note smoothly glided into a familiar tune for a lively reel. Elizabeth and Darcy danced to the first steps with Jane and Bingley before they took the turn. Gaily dancing, Elizabeth Bennet felt a joy previously unknown in the laughter and smiles of her sister and the two friends to whom their hearts belonged. After the first set, Elizabeth and Jane exchanged partners so the foursome might remain on the dance floor without interruption. Elizabeth made pleasant conversation with Mr. Bingley, offering her sympathy for the unwelcome visit by a family member.
“Darcy’s aunt has been a surprise, but I shall always take comfort in the fact that she is not my aunt.” Mr. Bingley laughed at his jest before stopping when he realized before too long, Elizabeth would not be able to say the same.
“Do not fear my offense, sir.
I am convinced there is something in the Kent waters which causes the residents to be utterly unbearable should they travel outside their home county.”
Mr. Bingley appeared confused with Elizabeth’s proclamation, until he remembered her own cousin was the parson of Lady Catherine and therefore a resident of Kent. Suddenly her jest appeared to be much more comical than his own, and Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth finished the set with a jolly laugh that raised the spirits of those observing. To the local gentry, the perfect coupling of the two eldest Bennet sisters to the London visitors at Netherfield satisfied a romantic sentimentalism that rippled through the gossip mongering tongues of Meryton’s elite.
Elizabeth danced the third set with John Lucas, Charlotte Lucas’s eldest brother, while Charlotte danced next to them with Mr. Collins. She appreciated that her cousin fulfilled his promise of the first two sets with Mary, but found Charlotte dancing with Mr. Collins rather odd. She wished her friend a happy time as any at the ball, but it was not Charlotte’s nature to stand up with gentlemen she was not so very familiar with. Most annoyingly, Mr. Collins attempted to talk to Elizabeth the entire time and chastise her for wanton behavior with Mr. Darcy.
“He is engaged to another!” Mr. Collins’ proclamations began to turn the heads of not just the Lucas’ siblings, but also another couple next to them in line.
“Mr. Collins, this is none of your concern.” Elizabeth smiled at John. “How did your family fare with the deluge of rain we lately had? Have you made any new carvings?” Elizabeth took a turn with Charlotte ending in line with her cousin again for the second part of the step.
“You are making a mockery of the family. Lady Catherine is an illustrious and titled person, her word is more than sufficient to ruin the good name of Bennet. You must desist in your charms and allurements.”
Elizabeth could not respond before the dance readjusted the pairs back to their original partners.
“I have crafted a vine on the miniature house you last saw when you visited Charlotte.” John Lucas happily discussed his carvings with an interested party as his father considered his talent a waste of time.
“Oh, a charming addition!” Elizabeth started to feel the effects of dancing three sets in a row, developing a desperate thirst for punch. During her last spin, she caught Mr. Darcy sitting the set out, watching her with John, but then noticed he was approaching her sister, Mary, who was also sitting out the third set. Now paired with an officer who was partnered with Lydia for the second step of the dance, as Charlotte and Collins were thankfully heading back down the line, she could not recall the poor man’s greeting as she craned her neck to find her Mr. Darcy asking Mary to dance.
“Miss Elizabeth?” the officer asked again as Elizabeth realized she had spun the wrong way and created a momentary confusion for the partners.
“Silly me,” she jumped to her correct position on the ladies’ side of the line and waited as Lydia and John Lucas performed, clapping her hands in time with the beat.
When the set ended, John Lucas kindly led her off the dance floor and asked Miss Bingley to dance. She could not decline without the consequence of sitting out the entire rest of the evening. Having not danced with Mr. Darcy yet, that was not a move Caroline would make, but she did lead John Lucas to stand next to Mary and Mr. Darcy in the line for the fourth set.
“Cousin Elizabeth, I believe you owe me a dance.” Mr. Collins suddenly appeared, covered in perspiration from the effort of dancing the first three sets.
“Mayhap we stand up for the fifth set? I so desperately need a rest.” Elizabeth began to walk away from her cousin who to her surprise, grabbed her upper arm to halt her progress, ripping the sleeve of her gown in the process. Elizabeth gawked at the damage, swiftly covering the torn sleeve with one hand. Mr. Collins stood there, smug and apparently pleased with himself.
“How dreadful, I suppose you shall not be able to dance again this evening. Your gown is ripped. You should take more care, those are such delicate garments.”
Elizabeth’s anger flared, but she took a calming breath. Marching over to the table of refreshments, she accepted a glass from a happy Mrs. Pilkington who found it peculiar Elizabeth was holding the sleeve of her gown. Following Elizabeth to see if she needed assistance, she had a clear place to witness Elizabeth Bennet, long known as the feisty Bennet daughter, tip her full glass of punch purposely upon her cousin!
When Mr. Collins shouted as a child from the shock of Elizabeth’s actions, the dancing ceased and more than just Mrs. Pilkington’s attentions were on the dueling cousins. Elizabeth apologized and handed Mrs. Pilkington the cup before turning around and storming from of the ballroom.
“Shocking! I told you the woman was wild and beneath your notice, Mr. Darcy.” Caroline Bingley antagonized the man who had only seen Elizabeth dump punch on her oaf of a cousin. But where Caroline suspected Elizabeth acted unprovoked, Darcy knew from personal experience something very grievous had to have happened for Elizabeth to retaliate in such a manner. Apologizing to Mary, Darcy attempted to move through the throngs surrounding Mr. Collins, trying to find what happened as they pretended to offer him aid.
“She is unstable! I have witnessed her moods many a time in my visit at Longbourn, from utterly content to violent with rage. Why, she poured that punch on me without provocation! She is unstable, I tell you.”
Few bobbed their heads in agreement, but Mr. Collins’s assertions flew in the face of experience for the guests who had known Elizabeth Bennet her entire life, or theirs. Darcy did not stop to address the nonsense Collins spouted for fear he might do the man a violence far worse if he continued to speak against Elizabeth.
Exiting the ballroom, Mr. Bennet was already attempting to calm Elizabeth.
“But Papa, he ripped my gown! On purpose! All because I asked to sit a set out and would dance the fifth with him!”
“Think, Lizzie. He did not truly intend for you to dance with him at all.” Mr. Bennet hated to see his daughter defeated and in tears over any man, least of all his pompous ass of a cousin. Mr. Darcy arrived at Elizabeth’s side and took her hand gently in his own.
“Your father is right. My aunt more than likely has a hand in this assault. I am only sorry it was my family that pained you.”
“Your family? He is MY cousin. And he did not mention your aunt. Only announced loudly during my set with John Lucas you were engaged to another and that her word was enough to ruin me.”
Mr. Bennet and Mr. Darcy exchanged looks and nodded. The plump, Mrs. Pilkington poked her head into their small grouping.
“Come, my dear, this tiny tear?” She pulled a small kit from her bag and Elizabeth began to cry fresh tears in appreciation. Darcy looked around and realized soon his friend’s guests who witnessed the ‘punching’ might wander out into the main hallway to find Elizabeth.
“Perhaps the library would be a more private place to repair your sleeve? And I will return to the ballroom and see to Collins—”
“Perhaps you should go to the library, eh?” Mr. Bennet was so bold as to direct Mr. Darcy to follow Mrs. Pilkington and Elizabeth. “The ballroom has suffered enough violence this night. Calm your heels son and reassure my daughter. When she realizes how poorly she behaved, she will begin feeling guilty and upset anew.”
Mr. Darcy argued with Mr. Bennet who merely crossed his arms and waited for the young man to finish his tirade.
“And a man of your caliber need not beat a member of the clergy. Go! I shall handle my cousin.”
Darcy relented when he reflected that the arrangement meant he would be alone with Elizabeth. He opened the library door to see Mrs. Pilkington well into stitching the sleeve back into its proper place on Elizabeth’s gown.
“Oh, Fitzwilliam, I was awful!” Elizabeth covered her face with her free hand. Darcy, on the other hand, was delighted that for once she spoke his given name and she was not angry with him.
“No, Collins was awful. I wanted to go back to the ballroom and make him answer f
or his transgression but your father advised me to come here.” Mr. Darcy’s delight took a lower priority to his remembered anger and then feebleness for listening to Mr. Bennet’s advice. If he had only known why Elizabeth threw the punch in the first place, he would have trounced that toad of a man before leaving the ballroom to find her.
“There you are! I see she has convinced you to privately take her services even with a house full of people.” Lady Catherine de Bourgh stood in the doorway of the library, ablaze in fury just as Mrs. Pilkington finished snipping the thread.
“Please. Fetch my father,” Elizabeth whispered. Mrs. Pilkington nodded and dashed out of the library around Lady Catherine’s person. The grand woman did not notice a shopkeeper’s wife scurrying out of a room like an errant servant, keeping her gaze firmly on Elizabeth standing very close to her nephew.
“You are a crafty one, Elizabeth Bennet. I shall warrant you that. I have heard all about how you have wrapped my nephew around your little finger, confusing him as to what he needs in life.”
“Aunt Catherine, your opinions are not welcome here. I have told you I was never engaged to Anne, and she does not wish to marry me.”
“Was I speaking to you, Fitzwilliam? No. And I believe Elizabeth Bennet would like to hear my opinions, before she takes on the task of ruining your life, nephew.” Lady Catherine moved closer to Elizabeth who bravely held her tongue to keep herself from losing her emotions once more.
“See? A little ballroom mishap and you are weak. Quivering over a small tear in a gown. The ballrooms of London are the most vicious, most dangerous. The full power of Parliament, powers that can make or break the Darcy and Fitzwilliam family fortunes and one misstep, one tantrum, can ruin the lives of many. You are not ready to take on such an exalted position. You are a simple, country girl who will embarrass my nephew at your earliest opportunity.”
To Capture Mr. Darcy, a Pride and Prejudice Variation Novel Page 15
