Her aunt studied her closely. “You have been much tried. I would spare you further pain if I could.”
“I know you would, as I would for you. But hiding feels too much like surrender, and I am not yet prepared to concede defeat.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Mrs Gardiner nodded. “If you must face the world, I will stand beside you.”
Elizabeth stood and wrapped her arms around her aunt. Her gratitude was immense. “Thank you.”
“What of Jane? Will she attend?” Mrs Gardiner asked.
“I will ask her, but I do not expect her to continue to throw herself to the wolves. If she elects to stay behind tomorrow, as much as I would like her by my side, I will accept her choice.”
“I think that is wise.”
Elizabeth thanked Mrs Gardiner once more, finished her breakfast, and made for the parlour as the Gardiner children descended upon the breakfast room in a tumble.
Once alone with her thoughts, Elizabeth turned her attention to the next day’s assembly, and what she would say to Mr Darcy.
∞∞∞
The public assembly rooms glittered with the usual excess of finery, light, and music. However, beneath the polished surface, Elizabeth sensed a keen undercurrent of anticipation and scrutiny. She bore it with as much composure as she could muster, leaning upon her aunt’s arm as they entered.
Heads inclined together as they passed, accompanied by the sharp sting of whispers.
Elizabeth scarcely noticed. Her attention had already found a tall, stoic figure standing against the far wall.
Mr Darcy was in close conversation with Mr Bingley, but at the sight of Elizabeth, his posture shifted. Whatever hesitation had once restrained him vanished. He excused himself, crossed the floor toward her with a purpose that quickened her pulse.
Elizabeth waited, schooling her expression into cool composure.
He bowed deeply. “Mrs Gardiner. Miss Elizabeth.”
They returned his greeting in unison. “Mr Darcy.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke, as though each feared to begin. Elizabeth felt her aunt’s grip tighten ever so slightly on her arm, mirroring the apprehension she felt in her own body.
Mr Darcy broke the silence first. “May I speak with you, Miss Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth did not hesitate. “Very well.”
They withdrew to a quieter alcove at the edge of the room, leaving Mrs Gardiner to join a party of her good friends, though they stayed firmly within her sight.
When they had reached their corner, which afforded them a modicum of privacy, Darcy looked at Elizabeth with uncharacteristic earnestness. “I owe you an apology. Or, at least, an explanation.”
Elizabeth lifted her eyebrows. “I believe you owe me both.”
He bowed his head in contrition. “When I failed to keep my appointment, I believed I was acting in your best interest. The rumours have grown more malicious, and I feared that my continued presence in your life would only provide further fuel for them.”
“So you withdrew and left me to contend with them alone,” Elizabeth said coolly. “And not only that, but you made a decision on my behalf without first consulting me.”
“I see now that I have acted in error,” he replied solemnly. “I did not consider how it would affect you. My intention was to shield you from harm, not to abandon you to it. And I would never seek to control your actions. I suspect I would find myself incapable of such a feat.”
Elizabeth studied him, searching for falsehood and finding none.
“I thought,” he continued quietly, “that if I stepped back, your name might be spared further entanglement with mine. It was a mistake. I see that now.”
A hundred sharp retorts rose to Elizabeth’s lips. He had acted badly, but she could not remain angry with him. Not when there was no malice in his actions.
“You should have trusted me with your concerns,” she said. “You chose for me when you had no right to do so.”
