Not long after, the de Melville's and Ian’s parents and sister Amy arrived. Richard had never paid attention to Lady Loretta de Melville before, thanks to the limited time that he was able to spend with the family during his army service, so he had missed most of her visits. The lady had come out the previous season, and, as far as he knew, she had no suitor.
She had grown into a very pretty and poised young lady who, from the snippets of conversation that Richard could hear, was intelligent and witty, not another vapid debutant with air between her ears. He made the decision to try to get to know her, to see if she would pique his interest and if he would rouse hers.
Luckily for Richard, he was placed opposite the lady at dinner and had the pleasure of escorting her to the table, while his cousin Will had the pleasure of escorting Elizabeth in, although he was disappointed that he was not sitting next to her. As the guest of honour, she was seated to her birth father’s right with Marie next to her. Even not being directly opposite his love, he did have a good view of her from where he sat next to Jane and Perry. It was hard to miss the furtive looks that passed between the two during the meal; those caught in the middle were more amused than annoyed as they occasionally intentionally got in the way to engage one or the other in a conversation neither wanted to have.
As they had before their friends arrived, both Andrew and Bennet toasted Elizabeth’s entrance into society, and after the clinking and‘hear hears’subsided, Andrew made an announcement:“It gives me great pleasure to inform all here that, as of today, Lizzy’s brother Richard Fitzwilliam is no longer in the army. Please join me in toasting the Honourable Mr Richard Fitzwilliam and wishing him well in his endeavours managing his estate.” Richard accepted the well wishes of the assembled company gratefully.
During the separation of the sexes, Jane asked her younger sister to join her in a corner where they were not close to any of the other ladies. With Georgiana’s playing the pianoforte, they were assured that others would not hear them.
“Lizzy, do you and Will have an understanding?” Jane asked directly.
“Not officially,” Elizabeth replied coyly.
“Did he ask for your hand before you were out?” Jane probed.
“No, Jane, he has not. There is no secret courtship or betrothal—yet. If he had asked, I would have accepted him regardless of what everyone else wishes, but Andrew was clear with the timing of any declarations, and Will has not contravened Andrew’s dictates,” Elizabeth replied.“It is the end of the season that has been set as the time the restrictions will be lifted, although I plan to ask Andrew for a very special birthday gift.”
“If he has not declared himself, what do you mean by‘not officially’?”
“We have discussed issues in generalities, so the understanding that we have is that we both desire the time we can say the words we very much want to say. I love him, Jane. I love him more than I knew it was possible to love another.” Elizabeth met her sister’s assessment without hesitation and nodded when Jane nodded slowly that she knew and saw the truth.
“He will make you a good husband, Lizzy. I look forward to being able to call him brother.” Jane hugged her sister.
“How are you feeling with your state, Jane?” Elizabeth changed the subject.
“Much better than I expected. I know that many feel sick in the mornings by the third month, but I have been well so far. There are some smells that I can no longer tolerate, but luckily I have experienced no aversion to any foods yet,” Jane informed her sister.
“Do your mother or mother-in-law suspect that you are with child?” Elizabeth smiled as she believed they probably did if how quickly Marie’s state was suspected was any indication.
“Possibly, but neither has asked me anything directly regarding pregnancy yet. I believe they are waiting for me to talk to them. According to the accoucheur I saw who confirmed my state, I should feel the quickening in the next month or so; then Perry and I will make the announcement.” Jane nodded, loving anew that she was talking about her child with her sister Lizzy.
Not long after, the men joined the women, and the party was treated to exhibitions of musical talent by the ladies. Lady Anne, who rarely played in public anymore, displayed her prodigious talent. Richard was impressed by the proficiency Lady Loretta displayed, and as was usual, Elizabeth closed the evening with her magnificent playing accompanied with a song that closed the evening on the perfect note of pleasure.
Chapter7
Fitzwilliam Darcy crossed out the date circled with three red circles on his calendar. He was tempted to circle the date in June that would allow him to declare himself, but he decided against it. Now that Elizabeth was out, he could behave in ways that would not have been acceptable before she had done so without crossing the line that Andrew had set.
He had no idea what her gown would look like, but Will was sure that she would look gorgeous in it, regardless of the style of dress. There would be a family reception with the two royals, then the receiving line, and then the ball would commence. He was alive with anticipation of the pleasure of his three dances with her as it was the start of his quest in earnest.
When the Darcys crossed the square to Matlock's house, they met the Bennets, Gardiners, and Phillipses walking toward the same house. Georgiana, Kitty, and Lilly Gardiner were accompanying their parents. They would be allowed to see Elizabeth in her dress, and they would then be escorted to Bennet House, where all the younger children of the family would spend the night.
Thénardier was just putting the finishing touches on her mistress’s coiffure when Andrew knocked on the door and entered holding a velvet-covered box in his hands.“What is that Andrew?” Elizabeth was very curious as she had not expected more on top of all else that had been purchased.
“Part of the Matlock jewels, Sprite. I am not sure if I may still call you that now that you are out, Lizzy,” Andrew said, as he beheld the girl that was now a woman before him.
He opened the box, and Elizabeth saw the most magnificent necklace of alternating diamonds and rubies, which got larger until they reached a huge ruby in the centre. There was a tiara in the same stones and diamond and ruby earbobs. Elizabeth watched in fascination as her maid placed the jewels on her person. When her lady’s maid had finished the task, she could not believe that the lady in the mirror was herself. Andrew extended his arm, and she placed her gloved hand delicately on his forearm, then they walked toward the grand staircase.
“C'est très bien,” Thénardier said quietly as she watched her mistress descend the stairs.
The Darcy and Bennet parties were just divesting themselves of their outerwear when Elizabeth descended the stairs on her brother’s arm. Will’s mouth hung open as the vision descended the stairs, and he tracked her every movement. It was only when he felt Georgiana’s elbow connect with his ribs gently and heard her soft giggle that he closed his gaping mouth as his sister’s action pulled him out of his trance.
He had always known that Elizabeth was beautiful, but this was beyond anything that he had envisioned. She was stunning. He was happy she would be dancing with so many men from the family as it ensured she would not have many dances open for potential rivals. It was then that he reminded himself that she was not fickle and that even dancing with every eligible bachelor in London would not change her feelings for him.
As Elizabeth and Andrew reached the bottom step, Jane, Perry, and Aunt Rose entered the foyer.“We have all seen Lizzy before; should we not adjourn to the drawing room?” Richard smirked. He would have to use all his military training backing up the men in the family to make sure that no one stepped out of line with his baby sister that night.
As Andrew watched the look on Will’s face as he escorted his sister down the stairs, he smiled, knowing that her heart very much belonged to Will. His late father had always spoken about the age of eighteen, and in a way, Andrew’s stipulation to wait until June was a nod to the late earl; however, as all present now knew, Lizzy would be eighteen in March. He had fought against acceptance of the fact his little sister, the one he called Sprite, was no longer a little girl. She was, in fact, a young woman in love. Letting go of the privilege of her day-to-day protection would not be easy, but he would do it. After all, he wanted his sister to be happy, and she had clearly decided that Will made her happy.
Anne and Ian, accompanied by the Earl and Countess of Ashbury, arrived just before the toasts. After the toasts, Anne cornered her brother Richard and asked him why he had decided to resign from the Army at this time; he told her about his conversation with Lizzy. Anne felt a great debt of gratitude to her sister, as she understood her younger sister was one of the only people who could reach Richard and cause him to consider the path he had taken.
