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"Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

"Ah, Miss Bennet, is it?" Something in his expression changed and softened, although his bearing was still scrupulously rigid. "Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Burke, miss. Mr Darcy's valet, at your service."

"How do you do, Mr Burke? I am very sorry to trouble you at such an hour, but I have a matter of some importance to discuss with your master."

"A matter of some importance, is it? Well now, we'd best not keep you standing out here in the corridor, had we?" He stepped aside and gestured for her to enter. "Come along in, miss, and I'll see about fetching the gentleman for you."

Elizabeth hesitated. It was one thing to knock upon Mr Darcy's door, but quite another to cross the threshold into his private apartments. Mr Burke, however, seemed entirely unconcerned by her presence and held the door open in cheerful expectation.

"Are you quite certain? I should not wish to impose."

"I'm sure it's no imposition at all, miss. And I wouldn't have you standing out here where any passing soul might take it into their head to ask what you're about. Much better to come inside, wouldn't you say?"

Elizabeth could hardly argue with that. She stepped across the threshold and found herself in a small, comfortably furnished sitting room, beyond which another door stood partially open. There was a fire burning in the grate, a collection of books upon a side table and a dark blue coat lying across the back of a chair. The room was unmistakably masculine in its appointments, although everything was so orderly that she suspected Mr Burke knew his business very well indeed.

"Now then, miss, would you care for a drop of sherry while you're waiting? There's a bottle here somewhere, unless the master has taken it upon himself to hide it from me."

Elizabeth wanted to laugh. The whole situation could not have been more ridiculous. She was standing in Mr Darcy's private apartments, having arrived uninvited in the middle of a ball, and his valet was offering her sherry.

"No, thank you, Mr Burke. I have had quite enough excitement for one evening, and I fear sherry would only encourage me to make an even greater fool of myself."

"Have you now?" He gave her an interested look before nodding gravely. "Well, there's wisdom in knowing when you've had your fill, miss. Though if you change your mind, you need only say the word."

"Thank you. You are most kind."

"Not at all, miss. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go and tell the master he has a most welcome visitor."

Welcome? Elizabeth wondered if she had misheard, but the valet had already disappeared through the inner door, closing it silently behind him. She was left alone with only the sound of the clock ticking on the mantelpiece and the full horror of what she had done descending around her like a heavy blanket. Lord in heaven, what had possessed her? She had come to Mr Darcy's chambers! And now his valet knew of it, which meant that at least one person in the house was aware that Elizabeth Bennet had taken it upon herself to visit an unmarried gentleman in his private apartments. She pressed her hands against her burning cheeks and wondered whether it was too late to make her escape. She could simply leave, and Mr Burke, being a gentleman's valet and presumably accustomed to the peculiarities of the wealthy, might be persuaded to forget the entire incident.

Before she could act upon this promising idea, she heard voices from the adjoining room.

"Miss Bennet?" Mr Darcy's voice was unmistakable, although considerably louder than she was accustomed to hearing it. "Here?"

"Aye, sir. Miss Elizabeth Bennet herself, and a very pleasant young lady she is too."

There followed a silence of several seconds, during which Elizabeth could only imagine what expression had settled upon Mr Darcy's face.

"Burke, are you certain you are not mistaken?"

"Well, unless there's another young lady by that name wandering about Netherfield this evening, sir, I'd say I'm fairly certain."

"But what on earth is she doing here?"

"She says she's a matter of some importance to discuss with you, sir. She didn't see fit to share the particulars with me, and I didn't think it my place to go asking."

Another silence followed, and then Elizabeth heard what sounded very much like a man pacing up and down the adjoining chamber. She should go. She should absolutely, definitely take her leave. The only problem was that her limbs seemed to have stopped obeying her commands. And she sat rigid on the sofa, listening to every word of the conversation in the next room.

"Good God. Has anyone seen her?"

"Not that I noticed, sir. And I thought it best to bring her inside rather than have her standing in the corridor for all the world to see."

"Yes, yes, of course. Quite right. But this is most extraordinary. What can she possibly want?"

"Well now, sir, I imagine she'll be able to tell you that herself."

Elizabeth wished she felt half as composed as Mr Burke sounded. Although Mr Darcy sounded increasingly harried, his valet batted his every comment back with a calm sort of indifference.

"Very well. I shall come directly. Burke, you must not breathe a word of this to anyone."