Page 90 of Her Whole Heart
The colonel nodded and relinquished her arm to Mr. Darcy as they left a suddenly crestfallen Mr. Bingley and his outraged sisters behind them.
“Do you intend to allow this, Charles?” Miss Bingley hissed as they turned away. “Lady Penelope says that the Bennet women set fire to their school. What if that woman does the same to Pemberley?”
Fitz made to turn about, but they heard Bingley scoff. “Do not be ridiculous, Caroline. I never heard such foolish gossip in all my life. Repeat it again, and you shall find yourself without access to any of my funds.”
Elizabeth lifted a brow in approval as she looked up at Mr. Darcy.
He nodded, then said, “Thank you, Miss Elizabeth. Your timing was impeccable.”
“You have your cousin to thank for that. He led me directly to you.” Her words turned mischievous. “Once there, I could see you were in need of a rescue, and as rescuing Darcys seems to be a specialty of mine, I could not very well leave you to fend for yourself against Miss Bingley’s questionable attentions.”
“Indeed. I might rather take my chances with the coach and six.”
Elizabeth looked up, surprised by the vehemence in his statement. She could not help but laugh.
Mr. Darcy chuckled in return and patted her hand where it rested on his arm. “Bingley moved out of his brother’s house today and told his sisters that he will not have Miss Bingley with him. They are both in dangerouslypetulant moods. I fear I shall have to dance with them both this evening to placate them, but I refuse to give Miss Bingley a set of any significance.”
“I do not blame you,” Elizabeth replied, casting a quick look over her shoulder back at them. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst were standing together, watching her and Mr. Darcy with glares sharp enough to cut glass.
When she turned back, Mr. Darcy’s voice was impossibly tender. “You are wearing the roses.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth said, her hand wandering again to the back of her coiffure. “They are so beautiful I could not leave them all in the vase.”
“You liked them, then?”
“Of course. I am sorry I did not say before, but Miss Bingley put them entirely out of my head. I wonder that she has not heard that we are courting.” She was determined not to mention the gossip. Lady Penelope was no match for Lady Carlisle, but she might not know that yet.
His smile was enigmatic. “Is that what we are doing, Miss Elizabeth?”
She walked a few steps in silence, but then nodded. “We have not used the word, but I trust I have not spoken out of turn?”
“You have not.” His eyes seemed to sparkle in the candlelight. “But if we are courting, it would be entirely reasonable for me to dance both the first and the supper set with you. Unless, of course, you wish to decline the second.”
“And leave you to the tender mercies of a woman like Miss Bingley?” she asked lightly. “I think not. The first set may be for you, but the supper set is for me—I have been greatly anticipating our conversation. Do not disappoint me.”
“I would not dare.”
They met Lord and Lady Carlisle where they now stood with Jane and Amelia. The colonel offered his hand to Jane and Amelia was escorted to the floor by a Mr. Grey, to whom they had all just been introduced.
Elizabeth nearly trembled with anticipation as Mr. Darcy led her to the floor. She had not intended to dance twice with him, let alone speak the word courtship. Yet to say it aloud and have it so readily confirmed by him—it was as though she was standing at the edge of a cliff without any fear that she would fall.
It was exhilarating.
“The Lady of the Lake!” cried the master of ceremonies, and many lines of around five couples formed about the floor.
“You still have my copy of that book,” Mr. Darcy muttered to Colonel Fitzwilliam who was standing to his side.
“I have no idea what you mean,” the colonel said with a grin. “Quick now, Darcy, the dance is starting.”
She and Mr. Darcy were at the top of the line in their small group, and so they began by approaching the second lady on their line, which was Jane. They circled once around and then retreated to their original positions before doing the same with Colonel Fitzwilliam. As they joined hands and Elizabeth tamped down the gasp that Mr. Darcy's touch induced, they danced down the centre of the line. “Where did Mr. Bingley move?”
“His new direction is just off Harley Street.”
Elizabeth glanced at her sister. “May I ask why he left Mr. Hurst’s house?”
They reached the top of the line and then were separated as they each skipped behind the other dancers, meeting again at the bottom and taking hands to move up through the centre again. They performed their allemandes, then danced to the far corners to meet in the middle for another set of allemandes, and then rested again in the second position.
Now the colonel and Jane took their turns, circling around with Elizabeth and then Mr. Darcy. While they went through the rest of their steps,Elizabeth waited until they were as far away as possible before arching an eyebrow at Mr. Darcy and awaiting his answer.
