Bennet steered his wife towards where Sir William and Lady Lucas were receiving congratulations for the good news.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
For some reason she could not explain, Elizabeth was in great anticipation of her two dances in the set with Mr. Darcy. The moment he had taken her hand and bowed over it; she had felt a frisson of pleasure shoot from her hand throughout her body, even though they both wore gloves.
When he led her to the floor and the forming line for the set they were to dance, Elizabeth felt like it was the first dance she had ever danced. His cologne of sandalwood and spice pricked her sense of smell, and when mixed with his masculine odour, Elizabeth felt it was the best smell she had ever experienced from a man.
Darcy was no less affected by her than she was by him. As they touched, he felt a tingling throughout his body. When he had bowed over her hand, he had come within hair’s breadth of kissing her hand! Never had he been enchanted, ashe was now, by any woman before. Just as she had cast her spell over his parents, his sister, the de Bourghs—at least the good ones—and the Fitzwilliams, now he was under her power. What he would not have given to be able to go back in time and watch her ten-year-old self charm a nervous team of four, and then use the same team to stop Uncle Lewis and Anne from crashing to their deaths in the gully below.
There was one word for her—magnificent. Darcy looked to the heavens. ‘Mother and Father, you have brought me to this place at this time to meet Miss Bennet when I was ready to do so. Richard told me I should be open to the possibility; how prophetic he was! I know it is very early and my rational side rejects the concept of love at first sight, but I will be open to it. If Miss Bennet—Elizabeth—is the one, I will endeavour to make it work,’ Darcy promised silently.
“Mr. Darcy…Mr. Darcy the dance is about to commence,” Elizabeth shook him out of his reverie. “I thought I was a more interesting dance partner.” She arched her one eyebrow in challenge.
“Please pardon me, Miss Bennet, I was thinking of my late parents,” Darcy explained.
“I met both of them and liked them very well,” Elizabeth stated as the dance commenced.
He felt somewhat embarrassed Miss Bennet had thought him inattentive to her. Darcy promised himself to give her his full attention for the duration of the dance. “I was riding this morning and I could swear I saw a wood nymph riding her beautiful thoroughbred astride,” Darcy teased right back when they came back together. “Mayhap it was in my imagination.”
Now it was Elizabeth’s turn to be embarrassed and blush. “You saw me?” she verified. He nodded. Thankfully the dance separated them. She had regained her composure when they came back together. “My father permits me to ride thuslyonourland at times when I will not be observed.”
There was no mistaking her defensiveness. “I must admit at first…” The dance took them in opposite directions, they were across from one another soon enough. “…I was judgemental of a young gentlewoman riding in that fashion…” They entered a pattern with a second couple. After a few minutes, they were together again. “…however, I soon realised I was the one who was not where he should have been. You had no expectation of being observed by a stranger so I apologise for spoiling your solitary time.”
Elizabeth had not expected him to be either so understanding or to be the one to apologise to her for being on Longbourn’s land at that time of the morning. Her defensiveness flowed out of her posture as she relaxed.
“Her name is Penelope, but I call her Penny. What is your horse’s name?” Elizabeth enquired before they were separated once again.
“Zeus,” Darcy replied when they came back together. “My father named his horse Poseidon because he loved being in water.”
“If you see me riding one morning and you are not too scandalised, we should see if Zeus can keep up with Penny.” Elizabeth shocked herself with the forwardness of the rather inappropriate invitation. Thankfully they went down opposite sides of the line so she would not have to hear his refusal right away.
“I think I would enjoy that,” Darcy stated as soon as they came back together. “I must correct one thing though.” Miss Bennet gave him a questioning look. “It will be Penny following Zeus.”
“We will just have to see now, will we not,” Elizabeth responded pertly.
For most of the remainder of their set, neither spoke, just revelling in being close to one another. At the end of theset, Darcy stopped as he was leading Miss Bennet back to her parents.
“I thank you, Miss Bennet. I cannot remember a time I enjoyed any dances so much before the two we danced.” Darcy returned the smile she gifted him. “Do I ask too much if I were to enquire of you whether you have another set available for me this evening?”
Since her come out, Elizabeth had always declined to dance the final set with anyone. She had started this practice as a way to express solidarity with Anne who could not dance. Anne was the one who commanded she attend the assembly this night, therefore, it stood to reason she should award that set, the only one she had open, to Mr. Darcy.
She was rewarded with a dimple revealing grin when she informed him her final set was his.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Fanny watched the tableau which unfolded between her second daughter and William Darcy. She did not miss the way Lizzy reacted to him, as she had never reacted that way to any man before.
She would be pleased if Lizzy found the other half of her heart, though she was sad at the prospect of parting with another daughter.
Chapter 26
All five Bennets were well pleased with the assembly as they rode back to Longbourn.
“Mary, you seemed to greatly enjoy your three sets with Richard,” Elizabeth observed with a smile.
“I most certainly did. My fiancé is light afoot and dances very well.” Mary looked to her older and younger sisters. “You two were not required to sit out at all, and Lizzy I am not the only Bennet who danced more than one set with a man.”
“To whatever are you referring?” Elizabeth hedged as her cheeks turned a deep pink.
