“I understand, Miss Elizabeth that Darcy and his sister have been often in your company. How do you find Miss de Bourgh?”
“I have only met her once, Mr. Bingley, but in that short amount of time found her company quite pleasant.”
“Of course, it would be,” Caroline Bingley snapped. “She is the heir to Rosings Park and the future mistress of Pemberley. Could you imagine her as anything less?” Lizzy swallowed her retort and ignored this implacable enmity.
Upon entering the ballroom, Bingley was met by several acquaintances and he introduced his intended with much animation. Lizzy recognized few faces but was pleased for her sister’s triumph. After a moment of realizing she was not the center of attention, Miss Bingley excused herself to join a party of ladies
Oh, my dear Jane. Pray Miss Bingley finds a husband soon or even your patience will be tested while she resides with you.
Caroline Bingley paidlittle attention to the prattling of the freckle-faced gentleman and his sister next to her while Lord Matlock called for the first dance. Mr. Darcy led Miss de Bourgh to the top of the set. She was not about to be sitting on the side while Jane Bennet danced with her brother, Eliza Bennet danced with Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Mr. Darcy danced with that dowdy cousin of his!
“Yes, Mr. Knight,” she said, realizing too late he was two inches too short. “I would be honored to have this dance.”
After twenty minutes of less than stimulating conversation, she learned that Mr. Knight’s estate was a short distance from Pemberley, that he and Mr. Darcy had known each other as boys and later at Cambridge—and her scheme was hatched.
“Isay” —Charles Bingley smiled over his glass while leaning over to Colonel Fitzwilliam— “my sister seems to be quite taken with Knight.”
“Bertram Knight?” The colonel sputtered into his cup. “That cannot be possible.” The two men looked across the ballroom to see Caroline Bingley casting a coquettish glance to their old school chum. “Do you think she has accepted that Darcy is no longer an option? Has she broadened her choices?”
Bingley shook his head in wonder. “As of this afternoon, I would have said no. But maybe this ball has made her reconcile her hopes are all for naught.”
“If that is the case, she is not the only one here tonight with disappointed hopes.”
Bingley wondered at the slight edge in his voice but laughed instead at all the broken hearts their friend was leaving behind. “I tell you, Colonel, if Knight approaches me with any interest in my sister, I will not hesitate. He would work well for my future plans.”
“Ah, yes, Bingley. Allow me to congratulate you on your betrothal to Miss Bennet. She is all that is lovely.”
“That she is, my friend. Both she and her sister do not begrudge Miss de Bourgh’s fortunate alliance. They have their own to celebrate.”
“Her sister? Miss Katherine?”
“No, Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam choked on his wine while Bingley smacked him on the back. “Miss Elizabeth?”
“Yes. She accepted a courtship with James Hamilton only yesterday. He has ridden to Longbourn this morning to seek her father’s approval, and then on to Ashby Park for estate business.”
The colonel scanned the room, attempting to locate the aforementioned woman. He found Miss Elizabeth standing with her sister Miss Bennet, who was in conversation with another young woman. Miss Elizabeth seemed to be paying more attention to the conversation behind her than her own sister’s and by the alarm on her face was none too pleased with what she was hearing. As Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam glanced from Elizabeth Bennet to the retreating woman, he pondered two things: Why did Miss Elizabeth agree to marry Hamilton, and what had Caroline Bingley said that upset her so?
* * *
Fitzwilliam Darcy had a headache. He felt as if he had been dancing for hours, a skill he excelled in greatly but abhorred. He was not truly a snob, but dancing forced him to be amongst many he did not enjoy. However, this was his engagement ball, and although he had no choice in the matter, he was grateful his aunt Ellen had moved forward with the event even with Lady Catherine still at Rosings and constricted by assize judges regarding the poaching incident.At least I do not have to deal with her overbearing presence!After catching his aunt Ellen’s eye, he indicated the hallway toward the library and escaped for a moment to refresh his spirits. He excused himself from Anne, waiting not a moment longer, lest another guest approach him.
His footsteps echoed on the marble tile and he was grateful for the dim light which did not aggravate his headache. Entering the library, he breathed in the scent of generations of thought and study. Darcy was a man of few words but relished the craftsmanship of Keats, Wordsworth, and Shakespeare. He was most comfortable in a room where his pronouncements were the least important. He poured himself a drink before selecting a tome which he felt befitted his mood. “Dante’s Inferno,” he said aloud to the empty room. “I am in my own personal Hell, but not one of my making. Which ring would this be?”
He sat down heavily on the couch and propped his feet up on the ottoman prepared to relax for a quarter of an hour before returning to his family duties. As he looked up at the clock, he heard the latch of the door click. “Richard?” he asked, expecting to see his cousin. Instead he was stunned to find Caroline Bingley.
* * *
Lizzy’s mindand heart were racing. Not five minutes before she had watched as Mr. Darcy quietly slipped out the door leading to what she was assuming was the private family wing of the house, only to be followed shortly thereafter by Caroline Bingley. Lizzy would not have concerned herself with these activities had she not overheard Miss Bingley’s boast.
She wasted no time in finding Colonel Fitzwilliam. He was in the midst of a discussion with a fellow officer.
“Colonel?”
“Miss Elizabeth. Might I present you to my good friend, Alastair Thompson? Colonel Thompson, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet, one of the loveliest exports from the county of Hertfordshire.”
“How do you do, Miss Bennet?”
