Thank you to Miss Austen for providing the material from which this is drawn. No infringement is meant, only enjoyment to be had.
Bang! Rip! Thump! Bang! Muffled scream followed by the sound of shattering wood. Crash! Splat!
'Darcy!' exclaimed a shocked and stunned Bingley.
He'd stopped dancing at the strange sounds emanating from the other side of the wall. Going to the door to investigate, his friend appeared suddenly. A little the worse for wear, Darcy looked horrified at his position on the floor.
Beside Bingley, Jane screamed. Swooning, both her words and actions drew far too much attention from the rest of the couples on the floor. Realising she'd made the situation worse Miss Bennet swallowed her pride. As the music stopped because of her shriek, she steadied her legs and attempted, belatedly, to screen the pair rolling on the floor at her feet.
'Impossible,' she uttered, watching in horror. Red stained both her cheeks, but not to the same degree as the couple in a compromising clinch. The populace of Meryton would talk of this event for months.
Stunned, Mr Darcy tried to untangle his arms and legs from the woman beneath him. Mortified, he couldn't look her in the eye. He did manage to get his hand from the inside of her gown but not before Charles noticed his fingers on her bare breast. The fact she attempted to push him off her person only succeeded in further hampering his efforts to extract them from the situation and get said body part back inside her dress.
The quickly gathering crowd gave him little leeway. Finding no room to manoeuvre, Mr Darcy became planted firmly between her spread legs in a very unbecoming position. Trying to hide the effect of being this close to a woman, he had little option but to push himself off the Lady in order to stand. Eyes flaring wide, she'd noticed, more likely felt, his condition.
Quickly offering a hand, the one not hiding the evidence of his physical reaction, she looked as though she might bite it off. Fire lit her brown eyes. Her disdain evident in stiff body language, lips pursed, she ignored his help. Instead, she scrambled to her feet in a very unladylike manner and turned her back on him.
'Pray tell,' Mr Bennet made his way through the crowd to push Bingley out of the way and stare at the interloper, 'who are you, Sir? I don't believe we have been introduced.'
'Mr Bennet,' Charles Bingley stuttered, finally coming to his senses. Hoping to aide his friend, the pleasant gentleman offered, 'please allow me to present Mr Darcy.'
Bowing deeply to the man, Darcy wondered if this might be the woman's father. The Bennet's, he'd been lead to believe, where the eminent family in the district, owning the Longbourn estate for generations. He hoped the man would be reasonable and listen to his explanation. Not that the circumstances could be seen in a prudential light, Darcy needed to try. By the look of the young Lady, she would collaborate his story. The look of disdain on her face accused him of being anything but a gentleman and it rankled.
'He must be made to marry her,' screeched a woman at the top of her lungs before he could get a word out. This had to be Darcy worst nightmare come true. How many Mama's had hoped for just this situation to force him into matrimony? The matron came to stand beside the older, balding man. Taking his arm, she must be Mr Bennet's wife which would make the woman one of her five daughters. 'You must make him marry our poor, poor, dear Elizabeth.' Rounding on the tall, distinguished man, Mrs Bennet demanded en sotto 'how could you use my daughter so ill, even if you are the richest man in all of Derbyshire?'
With that outburst, the good lady placed a hand on her brow and hit the floor, creating even more of a spectacle. Several footmen, attracted by the commotion, picked her up. The entire place seemed to be in an uproar. Laying Fanny Bennet on a chaise longue, the doctor was called for immediately. He didn't have far to come as he'd attended the ball with his new wife.
'He must,' the murmur went through the assembly.
'He has completely compromised Miss Bennet,' another remarked in agreement.
'Did you see it?' a loud voice asked from the back.
'Papa, no,' the young woman at his side looked utterly horrified. Beseeching first her father, then neighbours, she finally turned to the man at her side. 'Do something,' she demanded.
'Mr Bennet,' Darcy tried to drown out the uproar and explain. Fitzwilliam didn't like his chances of success with the hostile looks on the faces of people surrounding them.
'I believe,' Mr Bennet looked thunderous as his wife awoke with the aid of smelling salts and began to rant and sob at the same time, 'you have compromised MY DAUGHTER completely, Mr Darcy. There is no longer a choice, you must marry, AND SOON.'
If you're interested in finding out more, let me know. I have written a second chapter but want to see how you receive this. That chapter is even more risqué, from a 1813 moral stand point, than this one.