Page 60 of Her Whole Heart
As the murmurs gradually subsided and some noises on stage signalled that the performance would begin shortly, Diana smiled warmly and turned her gaze away.
“Thank you for your kind words,” Elizabeth said to Mr. Darcy. “They were more than I expected.”
In the flickering glow of the candles, his eyes met hers in a long, charged look, a wealth of unspoken emotions passing between them. It made her heart speed into an almost painfully quick cadence.
“I meant every word,” he said quietly. “I will not stand by and allow you or Georgiana to be the target of malicious gossip. Not while I have breath in my body.”
“Well,” Elizabeth replied with a smile, “I hardly think a battle to the death will be required of you this evening.” She pretended to cock her head to one side and listen. “I think your spirited defence has silenced the crowd.”
“They will still talk,” he warned her. “But there will be a good deal less interest in making anything of it, now that they are aware that you and Georgiana are so well protected. I believe the proclamation of two earls is of more significance than my statement. No one will be foolhardy enoughto make the same mistake Mr. Loughty did just now, though. I must say he was very useful in that regard.”
Elizabeth felt a curious warmth bloom in her chest at his declaration, a sensation that had little to do with the crowded theatre or the anticipatory hush descending upon the audience, a hush she knew would last mere moments beyond the rising of the curtain. She glanced at his hand on the armrest between them but refrained from reaching out to lay her hand on his.
“Still, I must thank you again,” she said softly. “Your support means more than I can properly express. I am . . .” She hesitated but finished her thought anyway. “I am not used to it.”
His brows pinched together, but Elizabeth said nothing else. It was enough to feel certain that whatever trials lay ahead, she would not face them alone. She had gathered good friends around her, and Mr. Darcy had become a good friend in his own way. Elizabeth stole another glance at him as he turned his attention towards the stage. It was a foolish thing, to feel so connected to him now, only because he had helped her from the street, trusted her with his sister, and now, had spoken for her, particularly because they had all been warned not to deviate from Lady Carlisle’s plan. Mr. Darcy had been protecting his sister as much as Elizabeth. But he had made his statement of admiration so strongly that it could not fail to send a little thrill through her heart.
“Oh!” Amelia exclaimed and lifted one gloved hand. “There is Lady Ashford!”
When Lady Ashford returned the wave by lifting her fan and smiling, the sound of gossip traveling faster than any mail coach burst into song around them.
As the performance drew to a close—Elizabeth would have found it difficult to recollect anything that had occurred on stage—their party rose from their seats and prepared to depart. As they made their way outside of the box and to the front of the theatre, they found themselves amidst a bustling crowd. To one side, resplendent in an elegant silk gown, was Lady Ashford holding court among a group of her friends.
Lord Milton was leading Elizabeth out, and as they passed the ladies, they heard snippets of the conversation.
“Yes, Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth first met at my ball, you know,” Lady Ashford said, bestowing a knowing smile on Elizabeth as they passed. Elizabeth nodded in recognition. “I imagine they will make a charming couple.”
“She has not been on his arm at all this evening,” one of her friends protested. “I think they are not as close as you believe, Lady Ashford.”
“But did you not see that he sat next to Miss Elizabeth all night? Did you not hear him nearly challenge young Mr. Loughty to a duel?”
“And did you not see Mr. Loughty wilt like a hothouse flower taken out in the cold?” A husband of one of the women thought this very funny indeed, and soon they were all laughing.
“Indeed. Who is Mr. Loughty to think he can cast aspersions on anyone in the Carlisle household?”
“Presumptuous fop.”
The gossip faded behind them.
They passed another group—Elizabeth caught Cordelia’s eye as she regaled her father’s friends with a tale of her own. “Indeed. Miss Elizabeth’s bravery in saving Miss Darcy was absolutely daring. It is no wonder Mr.Darcy thinks so highly of her. And as you know, Papa, I very recently spent an afternoon with Miss Darcy at Carlisle House and found her to be quite an intelligent and charming creature.”
“That is right, you did, you did,” said her father, appearing far more dapper in his evening wear than when he and his friends had entered the falcon-inspired drawing room to inspect his daughter’s company as they returned from hunting.
The other members of her coterie, four couples her father’s age, nodded in agreement.
Lord Carlisle led the way with his wife, and Lord Matlock conversed amiably with them as though he was not watching everyone about him. The young women followed behind, Elizabeth next to Lord Milton, and Amelia and Jane strolling together on either side of Mr. Bingley. Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam once again took up the rear. Elizabeth glanced back once to say something to Jane and noticed how the men’s tall figures cut dashing silhouettes in the soft light.
“Mark my words,” she heard someone whisper as she returned her attention to the viscount, “there is a special connection between Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet. The way he looks at her . . . “
“And she at him . . .”
“I would not be surprised to read an announcement in the paper one of these days.”
Elizabeth pressed her lips together, concerned that she and Mr. Darcy might have landed themselves in some trouble there. In the end, though, Elizabeth simply allowed herself to feel relief, for they had done it. No one could doubt that Georgiana's reputation—and Elizabeth's own—would be strongly defended.
As they stepped out into the cold night air, their carriages were awaiting to convey them all to their respective homes. Lord Carlisle joined the ladiesof his house in their carriage this time, and Mr. Darcy and the Fitzwilliams would ride home in their own.
Mr. Darcy approached Elizabeth with his hand outstretched to assist her into the Carlisle carriage. He must not have heard the talk.
