The Ball Part 1
A week passed and Elizabeth felt her spirit start to grow, it may still be damaged but it was healing, as well as her heart. Tonight was her coming out ball and she had woken up with an attitude that nothing could nor would damper her evening. She was going to dance till her feet hurt and more, she was going to have delightful conversation, and she was going to see her very best friend Jane Bingley nee Bennet. Jane had just recently married a Mr. Bingley at age one and twenty and she was overjoyed. Elizabeth had not seen her friend since before she left for school. They were quite inseparable when they were little girls. Jane's uncle is in trade and Elizabeth's father indorsed in part of the company. They had met at the park in London when both families were out for a walk. Along with Jane came her sister-in-law's a Caroline Bingley and a Louisa Hurst, the latter being married to a man of large fortune. From what Jane told Elizabeth through letters her sisters were quite nice and very fashionable. Elizabeth could care less to meet more girls that were like the ones from her school.
"Ma'am how is it you want your hair this evening?" Lucy asked as Lizzy sat at her vanity.
"One that will maintain through the night and something that does not give me a headache is all I ask Lucy," Elizabeth smiled.
"Yes ma'am," Lucy replied as she set to work on Elizabeth's hair. Coiling, braiding, and twisting, the final look was her hair wrapped up atop her head leaving the lower half down to rest on her shoulder. Pearl pins were set in place to match her navy ball gown. Elizabeth's gown had a tight corset vest that Elizabeth thought showed too much, draped sleeves that fell off her shoulders and a full skirt. The only other color or thread weaved through out the gown was a shimmering silver that made the dress sparkle.
"Lucy you work wonders, I do not know how you manage this hair but you do, and so wonderfully too."
Lucy blushed at her mistress's praise, "Thank you ma'am," she curtsied and helped Elizabeth into her slippers. A knock at the door made them both turn their heads, Lucy hurriedly stood to answer the door, "its Colonel Fitzwilliam ma'am."
"Oh let him in Lucy I am almost done."
"Yes ma'am," Lucy replied opening the door wider for Richard to step in.
"My do you get pretty with every second? I swear I left you just this morning after breaking my fast and now here I am and you look ravishing."
A becoming pink tinted Elizabeth's cheeks, "Thank you Richard, I suppose you are here to escort me down?"
"Oui Mademoiselle, for the carriages have arrived and the people are eager to see their star."
"I highly doubt that, but of course I mustn't keep my subjects waiting," She teased.
"No that would not do, we do not wish to have a riot on our hands. I fear after tonight we just might."
"You exaggerate Richard, no wonder you ranked so high up so fast. You could make Bonaparte blush with compliments."
"You wound me dear sister," Richard feigned, grasping his chest where his heart lay.
Elizabeth giggled as they walked down the steps and into the ballroom. Richard smiling all the while to see in his sister's eyes the light that once shown there.
…
Darcy's P.O.V.
Darcy had arrived at his London home four days ago for the season. He had wanted to stay at Pemberley with Georgiana, but it was she who urged him to go. More for her benefit than his, she was lonely and wanted a female companion other than the hired Mrs. Annesley. Darcy agreed it was most likely time he began to look for a wife. The problem was all the woman were the same brought up snobs he could not stand. Mrs. Reynolds had told him to start a mental list of things he could not live without and things he could. So began the mental check list he would use that night. One, anyone but Caroline Bingley, Darcy thought with a grimace. His old friend Bingley had contacted him saying he would be in town for part of the season to introduce his new bride. 'An angel' according to Bingley with a kind disposition, or at least he thinks. Bingley's writing was very hard to read do to it being fast paced and splotchy.
He thanked Phillip as he finished tying his immaculate cravat and walked from his room and out the front door. It had been seven years since he had seen Elizabeth, he decidedly felt awkward attending tonight. However she was Richard's sister and his parents had been close to the Fitzwilliam's. He had to attend to avoid spiting them on accident by attending someone else's soirée and not theirs. Not to mention it was to be the biggest ball of the season and the chances he would actually run into Elizabeth were slim. Two, cannot be Richard's little sister.
Upon arriving he was greeted warmly by the Earl and Lady Fitzwilliam.
"Mr. Darcy thank you for attending," the Earl greeted bowing to him.
"I would not have missed this sir." Darcy replied with a bow back.
"Mr. Darcy what a pleasure! Richard will be down shortly, I will notify him of your arrival if I see him."
"Thank you Lady Fitzwilliam," Darcy replied not knowing what else to say. He bowed again and left for the ballroom. Stalking close to the wall Darcy walked the perimeter of the crowded room. Three, cannot smell to high heavens of flowered perfume.
"Mr. Darcy!" a voice shrieked, making several people who hadn't notice him take notice. He cringed knowing exactly who the voice belonged to.
"Mr. Darcy," it called again in a sing song tone. Darcy had no choice but to turn around.
"Mr. Darcy it has been far too long! I have missed your company, and pray tell how is dear Georgiana?"
Darcy refrained from rolling his eyes, four, can't be over dressed or zealous in their clothing.
"She is fine Miss Bingley, thank you."
"And how are you Mr. Darcy?"
"Fine."
"Oh wonderful, I find myself in the best of moods Mr. Darcy," she purred, but it ended up sounding like she had a bubble in her throat.
Darcy grimaced and nodded his head.
"How long are you here for Mr. Darcy?"
"I know not, at least part of the season."
"Oh how delightful! Us as well. I was just telling Charles," Caroline was cut off as everyone drew quiet looking towards the entry way.
Darcy felt his stomach give an involuntary flip, there, eyes alight with laughter was Elizabeth. She had grown, formed, and her dress helped him take notice. Her eyes still carried that light Darcy had felt himself fall in love with so many years ago. Even before she had left for school and him for university. The blue dress complimented Elizabeth's dark curls, the silver of it making her glow. 'In the end,' Darcy thought, her dress resembled the night sky but Elizabeth resembled the heavens.
"Excuse me Miss Bingley," Darcy pleaded as he made his way over to where Richard led Elizabeth. Caroline stood seething at being ignored and then dismissed. All for Lady Elizabeth, she thought mocking her. 'She may be a lady but I have more to offer to Mr. Darcy. I know how a man likes to be cared for, she certaintly does not.' Caroline thought walking away and towards her brother.
"Lady Elizabeth do you have the next set free?" Darcy heard a young man ask as he drew closer. He swallowed hard at the thought of another man dancing with her.
"I do indeed Mr. Anderson."
"Capital! I shall retrieve you then," he bowed and left. Darcy moved a bit closer waiting his turn to make it into the inner circle formed around Elizabeth. He, however was quite tall and Richard spotted him standing behind the other gentlemen.
"Darcy old man is that you?" Richard shouted at him.
"Richard, good to see you." Darcy replied walking through the crowd and into the inner circle. Coming face to face with Elizabeth. Darcy tried not to stare but she was even more beautiful up close. Her nose was small and round, she had long black lashes that made her bright eyes pop, and she had laugh lines already forming around her thin lips. She was a goddess, Athena in her human form, a wood nymph come to tempt him. Yet she was still that Elizabeth he knew when he was a boy. She still had those mesmerizing brown eyes, those same pink lips that she was so in the habit of biting when she was uncomfortable, and her hair it still seemed ready to spring loose of its pins.
"The same old man, please allow me to re-introduce my sister, Lady Elizabeth Fitzwilliam."
Darcy turned towards Elizabeth grasping her gloved hand in his. He had watched those hands move chess pieces, had watched those hands grasp tree branches countless times, and watched those hands eat his stolen treats after supper.
"Lady Elizabeth," he bowed over her hand, trying to never break eye contact with her. Though Elizabeth made that impossible. She made sure she did not make eye contact with him. Elizabeth was determined to forget Mr. Darcy, they were not friends, and they were not enemies, simply two people who shared memories.
"Mr. Darcy," She curtsied before pulling her hand back.
Darcy gave her a tight smile, "Do you have a set free Lady Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth tried not to groan, she had her set after supper free. "I do Mr. Darcy, after supper."
He nodded and turned back towards Richard to distract himself from the bewitching beauty in front of him. Hearing the music start Elizabeth turned to her brother, "Richard the first dance is starting, shall we?"
"Right, of course Elizabeth. Excuse me Darcy." They bowed to each other and Darcy watched as Richard led Elizabeth to the floor. The smile that had left her eyes now returned as she opened her ball with her brother.
...
Elizabeth's P.O.V.
Elizabeth had spent the supper set with her eldest brother Thomas, who had traveled down for three days just to attend her coming out ball. Elizabeth never really cared for her eldest brother, he was pompous, arrogant, and quite bluntly stupid. She was now wishing she had not agreed to give him her supper set. His conversation was quite literally killing her. She was trying very hard not to beat her head against the table relentlessly. She had thought early that it would be nice to have a bit of a breather in between dancing and spend her supper with a relative. She was now seeing the error of her ways.
"So I told the young proprietor that he was sorely mistaken, I told him that Othello was indeed written by Lord Byron and plagiarized by Shakespeare. He violently disagreed so I went on to ask him, 'did you attend Cambridge? Did you mark well in all your classes? Are you the heir to the Matlock family name and fortune? And have you been on this earth for seven and thirty years?' And of course his answer to all those questions was no. So I began again with then I am right in my knowledge that Othello was indeed written by the masterful Byron."
Elizabeth only smiled and shook her head, no use in arguing with an imbecile. She really could not understand how she and Richard could be so different from her eldest brother. Perhaps it is the age gap she thought. Elizabeth had tuned out her brother's ramblings by now and focused her attention on observing people. It was one of her favorite pass times, observing people. She turned to her left to study a short woman of about three and forty. She was shorter than herself, with mousy light brown hair and beady eyes. Elizabeth thought she only missed two front teeth and rounded ears atop her head. She was overdressed in a yellow ball gown and decked in yellowing pearls. Yapping on about lace and Madam Rosette's new assistant to her daughter, who was a plumper version of her mother dressed to match. Across from her sat a man with red hair that was slowly receding, he was probably in his forties and was picking something out of his teeth. Elizabeth tried not to make a disgusted face, but she was thoroughly disgusted. Next to him sat his wife who was ogling the man next to her who had to be twenty years younger than herself. At the moment Elizabeth was looking at him he looked up from his plate towards her. He had blonde hair nicely swooshed to the side and trimmed cleanly. Bright blue eyes that reminded Elizabeth of the water. He caught her eye and Elizabeth blushed to have been caught staring. She looked down before looking back up at him and smiling. He turned towards Mrs. Stainton who had been flirting shamelessly with him and asked her a question. She looked confused at first and then angry before turning towards Elizabeth.
"Lady Elizabeth I would like to introduce you to Lord Moreton, Lord Morton Lady Elizabeth."
Elizabeth smiled at the man, "Tis a pleasure milord."
He stared back at Elizabeth unguardedly, "the pleasure is most assuredly mine."
Elizabeth could not help the heat that climb her neck reaching her ears.
"Lady Elizabeth I don't suppose you still have a dance free do you?"
Elizabeth looked at her card and indeed she did not, however she did not think her brother would mind giving up his dance with her. No doubt would her mother mind either. So crossing off Richard's name Elizabeth replied, "In fact I do, the last set I have free."
His blue eyes seemed to get bluer, "Splendid, I look forward to our dance."
"As do I milord."
A/N: TADA! Part one of the ball. So Darcy has been re-introduced, Elizabeth has some other man catch her eye and Caroline has come into play. FYI I hate Caroline she's so ridiculous, but she is really fun to write. Hopefully you liked it, it was a bit challenging to write however because I was trying to get Darcy's character right. He's hard to portray. Any suggestions are welcome and feedback it helps me know you guys like it or not. So next we meet Jane and Elizabeth dances with Darcy and Lord Morton fun fun.
Much love ~ Mrs. Lily Darcy