Page 7 of Leave Her Wild
“Only a bit over a sennight,” Kitty said in amazement.
“I do not know the details, but there is a letter from Uncle Gardiner,” Elizabeth lied.
Leaving her sisters to their conjectures, minutes later, she found her mother already in the sitting room. Mrs. Bennet was stretched out on a settee, a cold compress on her forehead, and a large shawl spread across her legs.
“Who is there?” her mother asked, not opening her eyes or sitting upright.
“It is me, Mama. Papa asked me to gather everyone in this room. Should I make arrangements for another room? I would not have you bothered if you still have a headache. I know they are most troublesome for you.”
“No,” Mrs. Bennet said as she lifted the damp hand towel from her eyes, “but thank you, Lizzy, for your consideration.”
Elizabeth assisted her mother to a seated position, just as her sisters entered, with their father following quickly on Kitty’s and Mary’s heels.
He waited until they were all seated before he cleared his throat to say, “I have received a letter this morning from my Brother Gardiner.”
Beside her, Mrs. Bennet whimpered, and Elizabeth snaked an arm about her mother’s shoulder to comfort her.
“I have instructed Mr. Gardiner in a letter sent moments earlier to deliver my acceptance of a proposal from one Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, which was extended to our Jane and accepted by her.”
“The same Mr. Darcy who presented Cousin Samuel a living?” Mary asked softly.
Elizabeth was a bit surprised Mary was aware of the man and that her sister had been communicating with Samuel Ericks. Evidently, without her knowing, Mr. Bennet had privately presented the two permission to correspond, for Samuel Ericks was not the type to do so in a clandestine manner.
Mr. Bennet said, “Such is what your uncle has indicated.”
“Is this a good thing for Jane?” Kitty asked tentatively.
Mary frowned, but she said, “Mr. Darcy is reportedly quite rich. He owns a large estate in Derbyshire. Mr. Ericks speaks highly of the man’s generosity and his willingness to support the community around the village outside his estate.”
Mr. Bennet added, “Your Aunt Madelyn’s family is very familiar with the Darcy estate. It is the largest in the area whereshe was born. She finds the young man a bit ‘unyielding,’ but not in a malicious manner. Madelyn describes Jane’s suitor as being a remake of his father. Yet, she swears the former Mr. Darcy was both generous and honorable.
“I have extended an invitation to the young man to call upon us when Jane returns to Longbourn in three days’ time or before if he sees fit. Mrs. Bennet, you will see that appropriate quarters are available for Mr. Darcy and possibly his cousin also, according to Mr. Gardiner. Such will provide us an opportunity to learn more of Jane’s young man.”
As a means to stifle her family’s gossipy nature, her father declared, “I will be greatly displeased if when I go into Meryton that I am polluted with questions about Jane’s intended. Our spreading news of everything that goes on in this house permitted Mr. Wickham to prey upon Lydia’s lack of sensibilities. I pray you each learned a lesson in that manner. Let us not turn Jane’s young man away with silly gossip and praise for the militia.”
Chapter Four
Mary and Kitty, thankfully saw to Mrs. Bennet’s exclamations of, “I knew Jane could not be so beautiful for nothing!” while Elizabeth slipped away to her own quarters. She used the excuse that she would be required to room with Mary while Mr. Darcy and his cousin were with them, and she would move the majority of her personal items to Mary’s quarters.
Below, she could hear her mother and sisters excitedly discussing Jane’s short, but productive, courtship. Meanwhile Elizabeth stared at the oval mirror on her sitting table and gazed at her own reflection, but she did not notice the few strands of dark brown curls which had worked their way free from her chignon. Nor did she note the lack of “magic” generally found in her eyes.
Instead, she viewed herself at the one and only London ball she had ever attended. She had worn a gown in the style appropriate for a girl but fifteen at the time. She had practiced lifting her chin and presenting those who approached her a pleasing smile, though she was confident she had failed miserably. As she looked about the ballroom on that particular evening, Elizabeth had been more nervous than she thought possible.
Initially, she had been so excited to be included in her Uncle Gardiner’s small party. Naturally, her relations were not included in the supper party, but, nevertheless, she had been quite eager—nearly fidgeting with nerves—to be included with those who would enjoy the dancing. Elizabeth had always loved to dance—or she had until that night. Now, it was a necessary evil and a means to socialize, though none of the Bennet sistershad attended an assembly since Lydia’s scandal had made the family the laughing stock of the local community.
A young man, who later was identified as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, stood with several others on the opposite side of the dance floor. Dark of head and tall and handsome. Their hostess had brought him to stand before Elizabeth and made the necessary introductions. She curtsied. He bowed.
It was her first time dancing at a ball and with a handsome young man of society, rather than the village’s dancing master.
The ballroom was lit brilliantly, just as it should have been. Laughter filled the air as conversations swirled about them. She had assumed he was, at least, five years her senior, but Elizabeth would not have cared if he was twice her age: It was her “first” dance at her “first” ball.
His dark grey coat stretched tight across his shoulders, and his cravat was tied in intricate layers, but no one would have termed him to be a “fop.” He was a young man of society, and she was awestruck to be his partner.
When she first dared to look into his obviously bored expression, cold, steel grey eyes never met hers, but looked instead over her shoulder to where a pretty blonde, cut much in the form as was Jane, had caught his eye. However, he was too much of a gentleman to deny his hostess’s “suggestion” that he claim Elizabeth as his partner.
His masculine “power of attraction” had thoroughly fascinated Elizabeth. She could not remove her eyes from his countenance. Even so, her growing anger found his arrogance appalling. His inborn lassitude had been forced upon both of them at that moment.
He bowed and extended his gloved hand, while requesting her as his partner for the opening dance. Even now, Elizabeth relived that half hour of which she had always thought would be pure magic as being worse than torture on the rack. It was thenightmare that still returned over and over again to haunt her. “Mr. Darcy looked upon me as if I was an ant to be squashed beneath his booted foot. His chilling eyes had me wishing to disappear. I made myself offer a topic for conversation, but he lifted his eyebrows in response to indicate I was an imbecile.”
