He said this without any bitterness, but Elizabeth felt a sting of shame. Not wanting to dwell on the past, she made an attempt at levity. “Can you imagine Sir William Lucas’s reaction were he here to witness your superior dancing?”
“As long as Sir William would not detain me from dancing with you, he may speak with me as he pleases.”
“There was a time when you did not always think so.”
“My de— I think we may agree that Sir William is by nature of an obliging temperament, and I shall bear his comments with a calmness you could admire. Should you be referring to my refusal to dance with you at the assembly, I can only now say that I am exceedingly sorry.”
Miss Darcy made her excuses to leave on an errand and promised to return quickly. They danced in silence, and Elizabeth was swept up in the music, the warm look in her partner’s eyes, and the firmness of Mr Darcy’s hand on her back.
The waltz playing from the musical box slowed to a halt, and Elizabeth suddenly stopped twirling. She found herself standing still in Mr Darcy’s arms as he gazed into her eyes with more than his usual intensity. Elizabeth attempted to remove her hands and step away, but he held her fast.
“Tell me, why did you come today?”
“Do you not believe I wish to continue my acquaintance with your sister?” Elizabeth felt too much to admit she had come for him.
“You are all goodness, and if that is theonlyreason you called today, then say so at once.”
“At the very least, I hoped if I left my card, Miss Darcy would tell you I called, and then perhaps you would come to Hertfordshire after all.”
“You wish for me to call on you?”
Elizabeth eagerly nodded.
“You must know why I would call. You act as though your feelings for me have changed, that I am no longer the last—”
“Do not repeat what I said! I am heartily ashamed of it. My conscience tells me I deserve no extraordinary politeness from you, and I hardly can expect more, no matter how much I might desire it,” she quietly added.
“We are not the same people as we were that night in Hunsford,” he said softly, “and more to the point, we are not the same people who met in Mrs Collins’s drawing room the following morning. The feelings of the man who wrote and the lady who received that letter are so widely different from what they were. Perhaps every unpleasant circumstance attending to it ought to be forgotten.”
“You would have me think of the past only as its remembrance gives me pleasure?”
“It should be no trouble for you because your actions are void of reproach, but with me it is not easily so. When I wrote my letter, I imagined myself to be indifferent, but I had only been angry because you would not have me.”
“No, we have both been wrong. I came here to profess that I think my heart could be yours if you give me the time to know you better.”
Mr Darcy gazed at her in silence, and she was terrified that she was too late.What if his feelings for me are no longer the same?Her voice dropped and was almost inaudible. “Do come to Hertfordshire with Mr Bingley in June. Please come—you must come.”
“I shall join Bingley after he reopens Netherfield, but I will call on you before then. Now that you are not decided against me, I cannot bear the thought of not seeing you for another month.”
Their eyes locked, and Elizabeth felt her tension and fears slip away. She smiled at him and hoped he understood the difference between this smile and all the teasing grins she had given him before. An expression of heartfelt delight diffused over his face, and his gaze fell from her eyes to her mouth.
The door opened, and when Miss Darcy entered, Elizabeth realised they were still entwined; they hastily moved away from each other. While they were speaking, they had lowered their hands from above their heads; Elizabeth’s left hand had been resting around his neck while Mr Darcy had allowed his to wrap around her waist to draw her closer. Elizabeth was unsure of what might have happened if her hostess had not interrupted, but she was certain she would have enjoyed it.
“Miss Bennet, your maid says it is time for you to be at home.”
Mr Darcy looked meaningfully at his sister, but she remained silent, and he ultimately offered to have his carriage return her to Gracechurch Street. He exited the room to make the arrangements, and Miss Darcy approached her.
“I have been delighted to make your acquaintance.”
“As I have yours, Miss Darcy. I enjoyed my dancing lesson, but I am sure the next time we meet we may pass our time without resorting to moving the furniture.”
Elizabeth felt guilty for neglecting her new friend as soon as Mr Darcy made an appearance. She suspected many women had feigned friendship with the sister hoping to secure the brother. “Please forgive me for deserting you. I cannot deny that I was pleased to encounter your brother, but I hope you will overlook my rudeness and continue our acquaintance.”
“Fitzwilliam has written and spoken of you for months, and I suspect he was just as pleased to see you as you were to see him.”
This knowledge gave her an unexpected thrill, and she tried to hold back a smile. “Be that as it may, Miss Darcy, I would like to see you in particular again.”
“Please call me Georgiana. I feel as if we know each other well now.” In anyone else, these words may have appeared haughty, but coming from this faint-hearted girl, Elizabeth took it to be a gesture that she did not bear her any ill will for taking advantage of their visit to speak to Mr Darcy.
