Lady Elizabeth and Jane spent the next several days fairly quietly and mainly with their young cousins even though they received several invitations from new acquaintances. They invited Georgiana to come with them when they took the children to the park so they could run off some energy, but they did not see Mr. Darcy at all. They received only one or two callers as they had not told any of their new acquaintances where they were staying. One caller who came several times was Mr. Bingley, so Elizabeth gladly accepted the role of chaperone for them. She was pleased that their relationship quickly returned to where it had been in Meryton in spite of their two months apart. Jane did tell her that Mr. Bingley's sisters were the reason he had not returned to Netherfield as they were so busy accepting invitations to various entertainments that they just could not refuse. Elizabeth could see that her sister forgave him, so she could only hope that this time he would be more constant in his attentions to her.
The day of the ball, they both dressed in their finest new ball gowns. Emma assisted them to get ready and almost outdid herself with their hair and accessories. All the Gardiners, children included, complimented them profusely on their appearance. The children insisted their cousins must be princesses. When they neared the Palace, they saw that many very fine carriages were there. This was obviously a prestigious affair, the likes of which they had only dreamt about until now.
Once again, Lord Margison met them and escorted them in. He personally led them through the reception line and introduced them to several members of the royal family who were in attendance with Prince Augustus Frederick. As soon as they entered the ballroom, he was besieged with gentlemen asking to be introduced to these two beautiful ladies who were unknown and were making their first appearance at a royal ball. Rumours about them had been circulating after their appearance in the Royal Box at the theater. Elizabeth heard whispers about 'Baroness Longbourn' and 'her own estate.' She suddenly appreciated how Mr. Darcy must have felt at the Meryton Assembly when whispers of his 'ten thousand a year' circulated almost as soon as he entered the room. She was thankful that Lord Margison was with them to protect them.
Both their dance cards were filling up quickly, but Lord Margison informed them that the Prince asked to dance with each of them for two of the earliest sets. Even though these sets had been requested by other gentlemen, he merely erased their names and substituted the Prince's name instead. He assured them that he would inform the unlucky gentlemen what he had done. They all knew that no one would dare question the Prince's right to do this.
The sisters had decided to leave the supper dance open for Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley as they knew that they had received invitations to the ball. Elizabeth thought that Mr. Darcy might refuse to come as she remembered his words to Sir William Lucas that he never danced at St. James's Palace. However, they were both pleased when these two gentlemen came to them before the first dance started.
Darcy bowed over her hand, "Lady Elizabeth, may I say how lovely you look tonight? There is not another lady here who can compare with you. You take my breath away."
She decided to tease him. "Thank you, Mr. Darcy. Does that mean that my appearance is tolerable tonight? If I may be so bold, I might add that no gentleman has slighted me yet, but the evening is young."
Darcy shook his head and smiled, "My Lady, will I never live my folly down? How could I have said that when you and your sister are easily the two most beautiful ladies here? You and Miss Bennet outshine everyone here."
"Mr. Darcy, I have long forgiven you for your words, but no lady could ever admit that it does not please her to be complimented on her appearance. Might I suggest that you keep practicing your compliments?"
"My Lady, I will try to remember your advice. Am I too late to solicit a set with you? I have seen how many gentlemen have been around you since you first arrived."
"I just happen to have the supper set open. I will grant you that one. It is the only open slot on my card." While she did not tell him that she had kept it open for him, he suspected that this might be the case. In spite of himself, this pleased him.
Just then, the first strains of music were heard to announce that the first set was about to begin. Her first partner came to claim her. She remembered that he was the son of a duke. She thought that they made an attractive couple as he was tall and handsome and smiled constantly, even if it seemed to be a superior smile that reminded her of Miss Bingley's. She saw that many eyes were on them while they danced. Not only was he handsome, but he was also an excellent dancer and made easy conversation whenever the steps of the dance permitted them to be together. She could not have asked for a better partner. Whenever she happened to look around, she saw many envious eyes on them from both ladies and gentlemen.
All evening, she and Jane never had a chance to sit or rest. Between sets, they were both besieged with handsome young gentlemen asking for dances or inviting them to dinners, musical evenings, the opera, and other events. They appreciated that Lord Margison magically appeared every time the music ended. He subtly let them know which invitations might be accepted and which should be graciously declined.
When the Prince approached Lady Elizabeth for his set, she saw that every eye was on them. She had to force herself not to look too satisfied with this obvious compliment of his attentions. He was an excellent dancer, but was not much of a conversationalist. He did ask, "My Lady, are you enjoying yourself tonight?"
"I am, indeed, Your Royal Highness. I can only thank you for the invitation. Neither my sister nor I ever expected to dance at the Palace."
"I promised you that I will do whatever I can for you, I owe you so much. I could think of no better way to have you become known to society. Every time I think of my daughter floating away in the ocean, I shudder. I only want to see you happy in your life. All that you need now is a good husband. Should I find one for you?" She saw that he was smiling. She did not notice that he was looking at Mr. Darcy when he said that.
"Now, Sir, I already have a matchmaking mother; you could not outdo her no matter how hard you tried. From all the attention that my sister and I are receiving tonight, we could probably pick and choose if we wanted to. I can only thank you for inviting Mr. Bingley to come here. He and my sister are perfectly suited for each other. I am pleased that his sisters are not here to interfere with them."
"Do not worry; I have heard about them." When he saw her confusion, he added, "I try to keep informed about what people to avoid."
His next dance was with Jane. Once again, she saw that everyone's eyes were on him and his partner. She could see that Jane was embarrassed from all the attention they were receiving, but she knew that this memory of dancing with a Prince would stay with them forever.
When the supper dance was announced, Darcy and Bingley came to claim their hands. Darcy asked, "My Lady, are you enjoying yourself? I noticed that you have not had a chance to sit down all evening."
"I am enjoying myself, but I will appreciate being able to sit for a while when we eat. I cannot believe how much attention Jane and I are receiving."
"Can you not, My Lady? Two beautiful sisters and you with your title and your own estate? This is exactly what I expected. I am pleased that Lord Margison is keeping the undesirable 'gentlemen' away from you; I thought that I might have to do that myself as I know who is in poor financial condition and would love to acquire a good estate such as Hinckston Abbey. Your having a title would be an added bonus to them."
While Darcy was not as good a conversationalist as several others that she had danced with this evening, she enjoyed talking to him as he was so intelligent and well-informed. At the end of the set, they found seats beside Bingley and Jane and the gentlemen went to get food for them both. While they was doing this, Lady Elizabeth saw that the Earl of Matlock was approaching with a lady who could only be his wife.
She and Jane stood to give him a polite curtsy. "My Lord Matlock, I am pleased to see you again."
"The pleasure is all mine, My Lady. May I introduce my lady wife, the Countess of Matlock? My dear, this is Lady Elizabeth Bennet, Baroness Longbourn and her sister, Miss Jane Bennet. You know that I met them in Hertfordshire several months ago."
They greeted the Countess very politely. The Countess said, "Lady Elizabeth, I am so pleased to meet you at long last. I have heard nothing but the best about you from both my niece and nephew. I must also thank you for saving them from that blizzard. I was horrified to hear how they were stranded in it. I cannot believe that Darcy did not realize that the storm was coming when he left Pemberley. He should have recognized the signs. It certainly caught him unawares. They both told me all about it but also how much they enjoyed your company at your estate."
"My Lady, I was only too pleased that I was able to help them. I have never seen such a storm in all my life. We certainly do not get anything like that in Hertfordshire."
"Are you both enjoying yourselves? Have you ever been at St. James's before?"
"I was here for my investiture, but Jane has not. I can safely say that we are both enjoying ourselves very much. Neither of us expected to garner so much attention."
"That speaks well for your modesty, My Lady. Seeing how attractive you two are, I can understand why all the gentlemen want to meet you. Speaking of this, Darcy mentioned that you do not know many people here in town and that you might appreciate if I offer to guide you through the intricacies of society. I expect that you will receive many invitations for different events; far too many to accept them all. I may be able to help you to decide which you might accept and which you should decline. I hope you do not think that I am too presumptuous to make this offer."
"That is happening already, My Lady. We have both been invited to a number of different events. I am already feeling overwhelmed. We would appreciate your advice about them."
"This is not the time nor place to go over everything. May I invite you to come to Matlock House tomorrow to talk about this? If you like, I will also invite Georgiana to come. I know how much she likes your company."
Elizabeth looked at Jane, who nodded. "We accept with gratitude, My Lady."
Just then the gentlemen returned with plates of food. After greeting them, the Matlocks left them to their refreshments. Darcy asked, "Did my Aunt offer to guide you in society? I talked to her about doing that."
"She did, and we gratefully accepted her offer. She invited us to go to her house tomorrow to see which invitations we should accept and which we might decline. We have already received a number tonight."
"My Aunt is very knowledgeable about almost everyone in society, so she will be able to advise you well."
They continued to talk until the music began to indicate that the dancing was about to resume. Their lucky partners came to claim their hands for this set. This continued for the rest of the evening and they did not have a chance to speak with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley again.
When they returned to Gracechurch Street, it was either very late at night or very early in the morning, depending on your point of view. Neither sister had ever attended such a fancy ball as this. They were so tired that they had to forgo their intended sisterly chat; they were asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows. Their dreams were very pleasant; dancing the night away with princes and other handsome gentlemen.
They next day when they finally got up, they first had to tell their aunt and oldest cousins every detail about the ball, the gowns, the royal family members who were there, and their partners. As the Gardiners had met the Prince, the talk of dukes and earls did not impress them as much as it might have. Before they left to go to Matlock House, a royal messenger appeared with a number of written invitations for them that had been received by Lord Margison on their behalf. Apparently, as people did not know where they were staying, they merely sent their invitations to the Palace under the assumption that they would be forwarded to them. They took these invitations and the others they had already received with them when they left.
At Matlock House, Georgiana was there waiting with the Countess. They first sat down for tea while their guests regaled them with their experiences and impressions from the night before. Lady Elizabeth was especially amusing with her dry wit and appreciation of the ridiculous that had been honed by her father. In the back of her mind, she realized that what they had experienced at St. James's Palace had many similarities with what had so often occurred at the Meryton Assembly Hall; only the cost of the clothing and the number of titles were different.
It took them a while, but Lady Matlock finally sorted their invitations in order of their desirability. She kept up a stream of descriptions and anecdotes about what might be expected at each event. Almost every night for the next two weeks could be filled with different events, not counting afternoon socials and teas.
"I hope I am not too late to invite you to the opera. I have already asked my son, Colonel Richard and the Darcys to come. If you two will attend, that makes seven. Our box can hold eight, so we could invite one more." She looked at Jane with an innocent twinkle in her eyes. "Is there anyone that you can think of who might like the opera?"
Elizabeth saw that Lady Matlock was teasing Jane, so she had to rescue her. "Jane, do you think Mr. Bingley might like to come? Too bad there is not enough room for his sisters."
Jane was blushing. "He might like to go. Perhaps Mr. Darcy should ask him."
Before they left, Elizabeth and Jane had to make difficult decisions about which invitations they would not accept. They insisted on holding one evening a week open so they could stay home with the Gardiners. They did not notice that Georgiana was paying attention to the events they would be attending so she could tell her brother.
When they returned to the Gardiners' house, their Aunt was smiling. "Girls! You have to see the society pages of the newspaper! They wrote a very detailed description about last night's ball."
Jane and Elizabeth read about the two beautiful ladies from Hertfordshire, one a baroness, who were special guests of the Prince and were the 'belles of the ball' as they were so popular, not being allowed to sit out even one dance. The article described their gowns with glowing terms and mentioned that they were escorted to supper by 'Mr. B. from Hertfordshire' and 'Mr. D. from Derbyshire.'
When this article was read in another house in town, the screams were heard in the street from one very annoyed lady.