Hearing her tinkling laugh made Darcy very happy. How he loved to hear it.
For the remainder of the first dance and the whole of the second one, they were both relaxed, and conversation flowed naturally between them.
At the end of the dance, Darcy had the pleasure of leading Elizabeth to supper. As soon as he had her seated at a table with Jane, Emily, Charlotte, and Lady Marie Smythe, Granville’s wife, Darcy went to make plates for both of them.
Like it had been during the dance, conversation at supper flowed easily. They were close to the table where a group of parents were seated. The Gardiners—who had arrived that morning—the Bennets, Wendells, Lucases, and Matlocks were all at the table. There was a lull in the conversation when Mrs Ravenclaw approached Fanny Bennet.
“So, my son was not good enough for your Jane when our estate earns as much or more than Willowmere? For one who said she cared not about material considerations, it seems that the connections they have were the difference,” Mrs Ravenclawhissed nastily.
“You were invited because, against my better judgement, I believed you would behave with propriety. I was wrong. Before you and that rakehell of a son of yours, and your rude and nasty daughter leave the ball, understand that as it was then and as it is now, it is about character—something of which your son has none—and compatibility. You could have been a duchess with more money than God, yet my husband and I still would not have allowed my daughter to marry your son. He is a debaucher and a gambler. It is time for you to take your leave.” Fanny nodded to two footmen-guards and gave them instructions to escort thelady, her son, and daughter from the premises.
Once the woman was gone, those close by who saw and heard the confrontation, clapped politely.
The rest of the ball passed without incident. During her dance with Johnny Lucas, Elizabeth was pleased to note that he had finally given up his doomed attempt to court her. She was looking very much forward to the final set and was determined not to have to be teased into speaking.
The last dance of the night was a waltz. Neither Elizabeth nor Darcy felt the need to converse during the dance.
Chapter 24
Cilla sat next to Ellie in the coach as it turned past the gateposts which announced they were at Willowmere.
As much as she had prayed it would come to pass, her belief that Ellie was alive notwithstanding, Cilla had not thought that she would live to see this day. This was the day when Ellie was at the estate of her birth again. They were here, just a mile from the manor house, and Ellie was, as she had been most of the way to Derbyshire, looking out of the window with great interest as she eagerly observed everything.
For part of the journey, Fanny and Thomas had ridden with them in the lead conveyance; other times it was Jane and David. Between a few rest stops, Elaine and Fanny had ridden with them, but one thing was constant; Ellie was in the carriage with Cilla and Joseph whenever they were in motion.
As soon as she saw the name of the estate on the brass arch which connected the gateposts, Elizabeth felt her anticipation growing. Rather than being afraid of the memories, she hoped that being back in the house where she was born and taken from on that fateful night would allow her to remember more and possibly even allow the face in her dream to come into focus.
The one thing which was disappointing was that, like the previous day, there had been low clouds, so there had been no view of the Peaks yet. Although she was impatient to see the mountains, Elizabeth was sure it would not be long before they were revealed to her.
Mother and Father, as well as other family members who rode with her, had not grown tired of the myriad of questions and comments from her along the way.
They had departed Hertfordshire on the Monday after the ball. Elizabeth was well pleased that most of her family would travel with them; the only exceptions were Barney and Uncle Stephen, who would make for Glenmeade with the Lucases.
Ever since their dances at the ball, Elizabeth had discovered she had tender feelings for William. She had not a clue of how he felt about her. It was entirely possible he only saw her as a cousin, but if that was true, would he have requested and danced two sets with her? More than that, he requested two significant sets. She supposed that could be one cousin supporting another, but then again, none of the other cousins or her brothers had asked for more than one set.
Thanks to society’s rules, all she could do was to wait until, if, he declared himself. She reminded herself that now may not be the most opportune time for romance, as there was so much to do and see. Another thing Elizabeth considered was how Mother and Father would feel if she married and left them right away.
That led her to cogitate on from whom her future betrothed would have to ask for consent and blessings to marry her. She knew that her preference was that both Papa and Father be asked.
Elizabeth did not think she was in love with William…yet. However, she had never before been in romantic love and had no idea what it felt like to be in that state. At some point, when things were settled, she would speak to Mama or Mother about her feelings. Elizabeth was sure they would be able to provide her the answers she was seeking.
Darcy was in his coach with Richard, Giana, and Mary. He looked to his left where Richard sat, lost in his ownthoughts. He was very seldom jealous of anyone, but Darcy felt that towards Richard, who he was sure was sitting and counting the minutes until he could dash off to Granville to visit Lady Melody. His feelings of envy were not that Richard knew who he wanted to make his wife, but that he was able to make the declaration and that it would be gladly received.
He was fairly certain he was falling in love with Ellie, and although she had accepted his request for two dances, Darcy did not know if Ellie was willing to have more than friendship with him. If that was not enough of a question, even if he felt she was open to hearing a declaration from him, there was the matter of her recent recovery.
He chastised himself and reminded himself that he had promised to give her time before he attempted to advance his suit. He was, under normal circumstances, a very patient man.
Having waited so many years to find a lady with whom he wanted to share his life, Darcy supposed that his head and heart were at war. The latter organ wanted him to charge forward like a cavalryman, while the former was preaching restraint. As much as he wanted to follow the dictates of his heart, he knew it was prudent to do what his head was urging. The last thing he needed was to push Ellie away with a premature declaration.
In the lead coach, Elizabeth was looking at the manor house as it came into view. It was a little larger than Longbourn’s, but it was built in the Tudor style, speaking to the many years it had been standing.
So far, nothing she saw sparked any memories for Elizabeth. Then again, given the age she had been when she had last been here, it was not so very surprising. Elizabeth did not miss the way Mother and Father were watching her with looks of joy on their countenances.
As much as she regretted the pain her kidnapping had occasioned her Wendell family, Elizabeth would never feeldiscontent that she had come to know and be part of the Bennet family.
The only thing she was sorry about was that Grandmama Beth had not accompanied them. A long journey, even in a comfortable coach, was too much for her. Before they departed Longbourn, Elizabeth had made a promise to her grandmama that it would not be too long before she came back to see her. Grandmama’s sadness when farewelling everyone was understandable; she was no longer young and her old bones could not withstand long travel, and no one knew when God would call her to His side.
Even though it was approaching winter, and noticeably colder than in Hertfordshire, there were many servants lined up in front of the house. There were three standing just a little ahead of the servants, who Elizabeth correctly assumed were the senior staff.
