Elizabeth could not help but smile. The girl’s enthusiasm was infectious, and her spirits, weighed down all the morning, began to lift.
“Well then,” she said, her eyes brightening, “picture it: the house ablaze with candlelight as our carriage rolled up, the fragrance of perfumes drifting through the rooms, the music as sweet as any I have heard. The ladies wore gowns of every color, blues, greens, silks of rose and ivory, and the whole scene seemed enchanted.”
Georgiana took one of her friend’s hands in her own. “Tell me all about your partners. Did Sir Lawrence ask you to dance? He is very handsome, is he not?”
Elizabeth laughed softly at her young friend. “I danced every set. Sir Lawrence secured my first, and so I escaped the mortification of standing idle with the usual wallflowers. Your brother danced the second with me. Then I had some punch, and it was the most delicious drink I have ever tasted. It had fresh fruit and a light ratafia, and it was not too sweet. I was tempted to drink a second cup, but I resisted.”
Richard observed that Miss Elizabeth seemed happy this morning, and her memories of the ball were as lively as he could hope for.
“And supper? Who was your partner then?”
Elizabeth’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and her gaze flicked toward Colonel Fitzwilliam. Then, forcing herself to speak in a bright voice, she answered, “Why, your own dear cousin danced the supper set with me. And afterward, he served me a plate of crab cakes, tiny cucumber sandwiches, and raspberries. As we ate those delectable morsels, he filled my head with equally delicious nonsense and flirtations.”
Georgiana giggled. “Richard is charming, and I hope someday to marry a man just like him.” She leaned her head affectionately against her cousin’s shoulder, then, in a voice of complaint, she added, “Aunt Helen says I must wait until my seventeenth birthday for my first ball!”
She pressed Elizabeth with another question. “Who did you dance with after supper?”
Elizabeth looked down at her feet, and her smile faded. “Ah, after supper I developed a headache, my dear, and returned home before it grew worse.”
Georgiana’s face fell. “Was it the insult? Miss Bingley said someone insulted you, and that you went home on foot.”
Elizabeth’s cheeks flushed pink. “Ah, Miss Bingley mentioned it, did she? I did not realize she was aware. As it happened, I was not insulted directly. I overheard something said about my mother, and it saddened me. I will admit that it brought on the headache, and I wished for some fresh air. I often walk the Gladstone path between Netherfield and Longbourn. Two of my dearest friends once lived at Netherfield, and we visited each other daily; sometimes I would walk to them, and sometimes they would come to me. So I set out home, and the fresh air, together with the bright stars, soon relieved my aching head.”
Georgiana looked appalled. “You walked home all alone in the dark? It is at least three miles from Netherfield to Longbourn!”
Elizabeth clarified. “No, I did not walk those three miles alone. Your brother kindly offered his escort. So you see, I was perfectly safe, and my head was well by the time I reached home.”
Georgiana searched Elizabeth’s face with concern and took up her friend’s hand, pressing it gently. Elizabeth smiled at the cousins, who regarded her with compassion, yet her heart still recoiled from the words that had fallen from Mr. Darcy’s lips, words she wished she had never heard.
As they walked, Georgiana pressed Elizabeth’s hand with shy earnestness. “I am grateful, at least, that my brother was able to offer you his escort last night. For me, it is a fearful thing to think of walking alone in the dark. I could not bring myself to do it when I was evading Mr. Wickham at Ramsgate. I still dreamof it sometimes, of running in the dark, unable to find my way home, with him pursuing me. Then I wake up and realize I am in my own bed, and all is well. I always light my candle to chase the terrors away, because they linger in the room.”
The confession saddened Elizabeth, and she drew Georgiana into an embrace. Resting her head against the child’s curly golden one, she said softly, “You have been very brave, my dear. I think if you speak of these fears and let them out into the open, it will help you. For once spoken, they lose their power, especially when you share them with your family, who loves you.”
Georgiana’s eyes filled with unshed tears, and she clung to Elizabeth, holding her tightly for a long while.
Richard broke in with good humor. “Shall we walk back with you to Longbourn? My little cousin has an ardent desire to see your gown.”
Elizabeth laughed softly. “Of course. And you must stay for tea, where you may also hear all of Kitty’s adventures at the ball. Mary will say nothing, yet she, too, enjoyed herself. Mr. Nicholas Goulding, newly returned from university and but two-and-twenty, was quite taken with her. That nice young man asked her to dance twice, though you will never hear a word of it from her lips, for she is very shy.”
Georgiana took Elizabeth’s hand in hers and turned to walk down the hill. “Let us go at once. I am dying to hear all about it from your two sisters!”
Richard followed behind with the horses, grateful that both his little cousin and Miss Elizabeth were laughing and had moved past their sorrows.
He held his tongue, but his thoughts were far from idle. He was thankful that Elizabeth had made light of the insult, almost as if it had been nothing at all, and had turned it toward her mother rather than naming the true culprit.
Richard knew well that she had overheard Darcy. Yet she would not injure Georgiana with that knowledge. She had chosen to bear the sting herself rather than let the young girl suffer pain in discovering her brother’s fault.
What a gracious creature she was. What charity, to cover another’s failing so generously. She had been wounded, Richard knew it. He had seen the color leave her face, the bright spirit dimmed, yet here she was, smiling again, making light talk to lift Georgiana’s spirits.
He stole a glance at her as she walked beside them, the morning sun glinting on the copper that streaked through her dark hair, and those lovely dark eyes, fringed with long, dark, curling lashes. He wished, not for the first time, that he could make her his own. What a wife she would be, cheerful, charitable, brave. A woman to adorn any man’s life.
Richard sighed inwardly. His heart craved her loveliness, yet his fortune did not entitle him to hope. She deserved all that was best in life, and he knew he was not in a position to give it.
Chapter 12: An Intervention
After their two guests had breakfasted and departed for London, Caroline and Mrs. Hurst had pressed their brother relentlessly throughout the morning. With smooth words and sly glances, they had urged Mr. Darcy to intervene, to rescue Charles from what they termed a “folly of the heart.”
“Darcy,” Caroline implored, her voice pitched low, “you must see the danger. My brother has quite lost his head over Miss Bennet. She is amiable, I grant you, yet she brings neither fortune nor connections. Her large family is vulgar, her mother is insupportable, and her uncle is in trade. You know as well as I do, such a match would be ruinous. When her father passes, Charles may be responsible for six unmarried women.”
