~T~
Deveril was not the only admirer of the sisters. Elizabeth and Mary also had their fair share of gentlemen who requested permission to call on them.
While neither Elizabeth nor Mary felt any particular regard for any of them, they were prepared to become better acquainted with them with a view towards potential friendships.
By the end of the ball several sets of parents were starting to make enquiries about the newcomers who had taken the interest of so many of the available gentlemen.
Invitations would soon be forthcoming for the Gardiners and the Bennet sisters.
~T~
The following day Deveril did call on Jane.
Mrs Gardiner, Elizabeth, and Mary were content to converse amongst themselves and allow Jane and Deveril just enough privacy for their own discussion.
After several minutes of general but still enjoyable conversation, Deveril told Jane, ‘I must confess that my reason for visiting today is partly to deliver an apology.’
‘An apology? I cannot recall anything which would require my forgiveness.’
He sighed and gave a small shrug. ‘My apology is for what I am about to do. You see, I received a letter this morning which obliges me to leave town for a week or so to deal with some family business. But I was afraid that unless I let you know that I am seriously interested in getting to know you better, you would think me inconstant. While I of course respect that you have many options and are free to make your own choices, I hoped that you would be willing to become better acquainted with myself when I return.’
‘You did not know about this yesterday, before you raised the expectations of your friends?’
‘I swear that if I had known about this business yesterday, I would have been more subtle. But that ship has sailed. The only option now is to be even more obvious. Therefore, if you are agreeable to seeing meagain, I plan to stop at my club and bemoan the need to leave town just when I had met a lady whose interest and good opinion I would like to gain.’
Jane had spent much of the time since the ball thinking about Deveril and wondering how she could have become so enamoured with him on such short acquaintance, as well as hoping that the feeling and interest was not one-sided. While she would have liked to keep this circumstance more private, she understood that it was necessary to forgo that privacy to stop any rumours about her being jilted.
‘What if I do not agree?’
‘Then I will go to my club and bemoan the fact that you have no interest in me and the only reason you danced the first set with me was because you did not wish to sit out the rest of the evening.’
‘You would do that?’
‘Since I was the one who has put you into this uncomfortable position, it is only right that I should do everything in my power to ensure that no censure falls to you.’
‘Well, Mr Deveril, in that case, I wish you have a successful journey, and I hope to see you immediately upon your return.’
Jane was rewarded with a brilliant smile. ‘Thank you. I shall hasten back.’
~T~
13Fitzwilliam
Elizabeth continued her habit of rising early and going for a walk. While she would have preferred to walk to Oakham Mount, she settled for Hyde Park instead.
She discovered that she was not the only one who took advantage of the early morning hours to get their exercise and soon recognised by sight several walkers and riders.
The other walkers included a couple of young girls on the brink of womanhood who walked briskly with an older woman, trailed by a footman.
She also noticed a young woman accompanied by a footman carrying an infant. Elizabeth could not tell whether the woman was the mother or the nurse.
There was also a boy with what appeared to be his older brother, whom she often saw running rather than walking.
The only rider whom she saw frequently was an officer in the regulars, a colonel if she judged correctly, who exercised his horse.
While no one spoke to her on her walk, once she became a regular visitor, the other adults would smile and nod at her, the colonel going so far as to tip his hat.
Those small acknowledgements made Elizabeth feel more at home in this city full of strangers.
