"Good morning, Elizabeth, I trust you slept well?" her husband inquired.
"Good morning, Mr. Darcy. Thank you, I did sleep well," she lied. She did not want her husband to know that she had cried herself to sleep mourning the loss of all her could have beens.
"Glad to hear it. I have arranged for a dressmaker to come and visit you this morning. She will take your measurements and you will pick out a wardrobe for this fall. Also, we will be attending the Morgan's ball this evening. You will need appropriate evening attire. She will bring a few gowns that you can pick from to wear tonight."
"I already have a ball gown," Elizabeth protested.
"You will need something more befitting of your new station."
Instead of retorting, Elizabeth bit into her toast.
Three hours later, her new maid, Betsy, and the dressmaker, Mrs. Reynolds, were helping her try on a golden silk gown. Once on, Betsy gasped, "Oh Mrs. Darcy, you look so beautiful!"
Elizabeth smiled. This gown made her feel beautiful. It was the finest and most expensive garment she had ever worn.
"I agree Mrs. Darcy. You look gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. Is this the one you would like to wear this evening?" asked Mrs. Reynolds.
She nodded. "Yes, I think it is."
"You will be the handsomest lady at the ball tonight. Mr. Darcy will be beaming with pride having you on his arm."
Elizabeth doubted that Mr. Darcy ever beamed with pride about anything, much less a wife with such low connections as she. She was determined to act like the gentleman's daughter she was raised to be. She was not ashamed of her family nor would she shy away from the truth if asked about her family.
As she walked down the stairs to her husband waiting below, Elizabeth felt a little queasy. This would be the first impression she would make on her new social circle. How this night went would be indicative of how other nights similar to this one would go. Although she did not expect to find any happiness with her husband, she did so hope she could make friends.
Reaching the bottom step, she placed her hand in the one that her husband offered. Leaning in, his breath brushed her neck as he whispered, "You look quite lovely. This color suits you well."
A shiver went down her spine and she gulped as she replied, "Thank you." His warm smile and sincere compliment oddly made her feel more confident.
"Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy, you're very welcome," greeted Mr. Morgan at the entryway of the grand hall.
Darcy simply nodded in acknowledgement of the greeting. Arm in arm, they walked further inside. Her husband turned when he heard someone shouting his name. Turning with her husband, her eyes lit up at the sight of her husband's cousin waving them over to his group of acquaintances.
"Darcy, my man, it's good to see you. Mrs. Darcy, I hope you will accept my apologies for not being able to attend your nuptials. Allow me to introduce you to some of our friends since your husband is not likely to. This is Mr. Callaghan and his wife, Mrs. Callaghan," he said, motioning towards a young, married couple. "This gentleman here is my good friend Theodore Gordon," he said, patting a ruddy-cheeked man on the back. "And last, but certainly not least is Miss Lucy Wilkins," he said, bowing before a young, blonde woman with rosy cheeks.
"It is nice to meet you," Elizabeth replied. Her husband merely nodded in response.
"Eh, we can always count on Darcy to talk our ears off," Mr. Callaghan said drily.
"You will have to pardon my cousin. As all of you well know, he has always been a man of few words, but I think he is still in a state of shock that his wife agreed to marry him. In fact, our entire family was shocked at the hastiness of their courtship."
"Kept their love a secret did they?" asked Mr. Gordon.
"So secret, none of us knew about it. Although, I should have guessed. Darcy was acting awfully strange when he visited our aunt at Rosings while Miss Bennet, excuse me, Mrs. Darcy was visiting nearby at the parsonage."
Intrigued, Elizabeth asked, "Pray tell. How could he act more strangely than he usually does?"
Laughing, the Colonel replied, "You never noticed? His eyes were always fixed upon you. Every time I tried to strike up a conversation with him, I never could. He was always totally and completely captivated by your beauty."
"How romantic," Miss Wilkins said.
"I don't…I don't think he was captivated," Elizabeth disagreed.
"Oh, but my dear cousin was indeed in awe of you." In a low voice, he whispered conspiratorially to the others, "I even saw the slightest of smiles upon his face while he was listening to her play the pianoforte."
"Why should I not smile? It is a great joy to listen to her play. She plays beautifully," Darcy interjected.
"He is mistaken." Blushing, she told the rest of the group, "I am not a great musician by any means. My husband grossly over exaggerates my talent."
"Take the compliments while you can," Mrs. Callaghan advised with a smile. "Once you have been married for a few years, they become a rarity."
Mr. Callaghan wrinkled his brow at his wife. Changing the subject, he said, "You must be in anticipation of Miss Georgiana's homecoming. She is a fine musician and lover of music as well."
"She's very shy and self-conscious about her talent, but she does play magnificently," the Colonel said.
The announcement of supper stopped Elizabeth from inquiring further about her sister-in-law. As she headed into the dining room with her husband and his friends, Elizabeth felt her nervousness dissipate. Her husband's friends and acquaintances were not rude or snobby at all. For the first time in days, she was not in despair over her marriage to Darcy. Truth be told, the entire evening passed quickly and pleasantly.