Chapter 12

Darcy entered the Netherfield ballroom and was arrested by the sight. Miss Bingley had up until that very morning tried to convince her brother to cancel the ball yet Charles had been determined; he was anxiously looking forward to dancing with his angel. As a result of her brother's resolve, Miss Bingley decided to lay aside her own concerns and throw the most lavish ball the neighborhood had ever attended. Darcy was loath to admit that she had succeeded and that this was sure to be the most talked of event for many years to come. Whether the discussions were ones of pleasure remained yet to be determined.

As he walked the perimeter of the room, Darcy was repulsed at the sheer number of decorations adorning every possible surface. Yards of expensive fabric in a most atrocious color were draped between curtained windows, glass baubles hung from the chandeliers increasing the glare from the over abundance of candles lighting the room, and more vases of flowers than he cared to count were set on small tables every ten feet along the walls, the fragrances combining to create an offensive odor.

With a small smile, Darcy decided that if he were to make the most of this evening, he might as well do his part to improve the atmosphere of the room. Subtly he turned so that none could see the slight movements he made with his hands as he changed the flowers to include more roses and amaryllis and less chrysanthemums, orchids and hyacinths. The difference in the room was immediately apparent as the fragrances were far less conflicting and overpowering. Taking a deep breath, Darcy turned back to the room to see the confused yet pleased faces of the servants noticing the flowers as they performed last minute duties.

Continuing his circuit of the room, Darcy drew near the musicians. Miss Bingley had claimed that the country would have no suitable musicians for her ball so instead had hired a small orchestra from London, accompanied by two dozen extra servants. Bingley had originally balked at the extra expense claiming that there were more than enough suitable servants they could hire from Meryton. His sisters, however, had joined forces and convinced him that if he truly wanted to impress his neighbors, then he needed to host a ball that would be acceptable among the finest of the ton. Darcy had struggled not to interfere, yet he highly doubted that any extravagance was needed to impress the neighborhood. In fact, he was certain that those from the first circles of the ton would find Miss Bingley's tastes overdone and ostentatious; although perhaps his Aunt Catherine would be pleased.

Before long, guests began arriving and Darcy, not wishing to offend his hosts and wanting to make a good impression on Miss Elizabeth, greeted those he knew and sought introductions to those he did not. Many appeared confused at his changed manner, yet received his attentions with great warmth and pleasure.

When the officers of the militia regiment arrived, Darcy was surprised to see Colonel Forster head directly towards him after going through the reception line. Excusing himself from the couple he had been talking to, he bowed to the Col and, seeing that the man was hesitant to speak where others might hear, motioned towards a small alcove out of the way.

"Good evening, Colonel Forster. Is there something I may assist you with?" Darcy asked.

"Good evening, Mr. Darcy. I would not wish to inconvenience you here tonight, yet I find myself in need of your assistance," the Colonel replied as he wrung his hands together nervously.

Knowing where the conversation was leading, Darcy nodded with a concerned look upon his face in an attempt to appear as though he was unaware of any circumstances needing his involvement.

"I fear, sir, that a problem has arisen with one of my officers, and I understand you to have a previous acquaintance with the man."

"Would you perhaps be referring to a Mr. George Wickham?"

"You know of his residence in the area, Mr. Darcy?" the Colonel asked with brows raised in suspicion. "I was told that the two of you had not met since his arrival."

"I fear your information is faulty, Colonel Forster. I had the...er...pleasure of coming across Mr. Wickham last Tuesday when I accompanied my friend into town. Although no words were exchanged between the two of us, he had acknowledged me and I was obligated to do the same. At the time he was in company with Mr. Denny and the Misses Bennet, although I believe only Miss Elizabeth was privy to our...awkward greeting."

"And you have not seen Mr. Wickham since, sir?"

"Indeed I have not," Darcy replied letting a trace of haughtiness enter into his voice. He had no desire to let his presence in the tavern become known to anyone. "May I ask to what these questions portend, sir?"

Colonel Forster looked up at the taller man and offered a small smile. "Are you aware, Mr. Darcy, that Mr. Wickham has had a falling out among his fellow officers and was involved in a drunken rout with several of the town's shopkeepers?" Upon hearing Darcy reply in the negative the Colonel heaved a sigh of relief and continued. "I am afraid that another acquaintance of Mr. Wickham's had arrived in the local tavern last Thursday evening and shared some rather unsavory information regarding Mr. Wickham's past. I have not been able to find the man as he left town immediately and no one knows where he calls home. Since I understand you to have a personal history with Mr. Wickham, I was hoping you would be willing to meet me tomorrow morning to either confirm or deny the accusations made against my officer."

"I would be pleased to be of assistance in any way I can Colonel."

Bowing low Colonel Forster thanked him. "Will eleven tomorrow be acceptable to you sir?"

Nodding in agreement, the two agreed to meet the following morning and bowing to each other left the alcove to head in separate directions. Pleased, Darcy had to force down a smug smile in order to keep up his appearance of innocence. Looking around he spied several of the officers already conversing in low whispers to several of the local populace. Before the evening was over, he was sure the entire neighborhood would be aware of Wickham's misdeeds.

At that moment, Darcy felt his stomach leap, and turned to observe the newest arrivals. There stood Miss Elizabeth looking out among the crowd with a sense of wonderment and excitement in her eyes. Mesmerized, Darcy stood there and watched as she greeted her hosts and moved further into the room. As she continued to scan the room, he realized she was looking for someone and felt a pang of disappointment that he was not the object of her desire.

Wishing nothing more than to approach her and request her hand for the first two dances, Darcy forced himself to look away and began conversing with Mr. Long who stood nearby. He needed for her to hear the truth about Wickham before he could attempt any conversation with her. Until then, she was likely to brush off any attempt at conversation from him as she believed the lies told regarding him.

Unable to completely keep his attention from his beloved, he was disappointed to see her bestow a wide smile upon Mr. Denny and several other officers who had approached her and her younger sisters. While Mr. Long turned towards his wife to make a comment, Darcy tilted his head so that he could focus on the distant conversation surrounding Miss Elizabeth.

"Mr. Denny," simpered the youngest Bennet, "did not your friend Mr. Wickham attend with you this evening?"

Satisfied, Darcy watched as Mr. Denny shared a scornful look with the other officers, a look Miss Elizabeth had noted as well. "I am afraid, Miss Lydia that Mr. Wickham was obliged to go to town on business yesterday and has not yet returned."

With a brow raised in amusement Miss Elizabeth said, "I do not imagine his business would have called him away just now, if he had not wished to avoid a certain gentleman here."

Heated murmuring from the gathered officers in reply to her comment surprised the Bennet sisters and Miss Elizabeth's face immediately fell as she quickly took a step back from the men, a hand over her chest in fear.

"Indeed you could not be more wrong, Miss Elizabeth." Denny replied with a menacing look in his eyes. "It was discovered this last week that my friend is not the gentleman he claimed to be and is not fit for polite society. As such, the good Colonel sent Mr. Wickham to town so as to have a proper excuse for his absence tonight. Now if you will excuse me, I believe I have yet to greet Mr. Darcy. Ladies."

With a bow in reply to the ladies' curtsies, Denny quickly walked away from the sisters towards Darcy with his fellow officers in his wake. Appalled and confused at the conversation she had just had, Miss Elizabeth ignored the angry mutterings of her youngest sisters who claimed she had chased away their favorites. Whines of "who will dance with us now" had no effect on her as she immediately left to join her friend Miss Lucas and Darcy was forced to turn his attention towards the approaching officers.

Purposefully crossing through the middle of the ballroom to gather as much attention as possible, Mr. Denny came to an abrupt halt in front of Darcy, snapped his feet together and delivered a crisp bow as if in salute. Taken back by the open display, Darcy watched wide eyed as the other officers delivered the same greeting before he was able to bow in acknowledgement. With a wide smile, Denny stepped forward with his hand outstretched. Taking the proffered hand in a firm handshake, Darcy eyed the officers with great curiosity.

"To what do I owe this honor, gentlemen?"

"I am afraid that we...that I have done you a great disservice Mr. Darcy," Denny replied loudly still holding Darcy's hand in a firm grip. "I listened with glee to the stories of the proud and haughty rich man and started many falsehoods of my own. I then allowed myself to be deceived by a man whom I considered to be a friend. I am ashamed to admit that at first I was willing to believe his lies and help spread vicious slanders against your name even though I believed you to have been known only by name to the man in question. I have since learned that you are the most honorable man of my acquaintance and that what we saw as your disdain was merely your discomfort amongst strangers. I humbly beg your forgiveness although I know I do not deserve it."

By the end of the speech, the ballroom had fallen silent as a fission of subdued energy erupted among the occupants. Uncomfortable with the attention, Darcy looked into Denny's eyes and immediately knew what the gentleman was hoping for. He was giving Darcy the chance he knew he needed to right his wrongs. Here was his chance to improve Miss Elizabeth's opinion of him. With a sincere smile of gratitude, he swallowed the sudden emotion in his throat and began to reply.

"I thank you, Mr. Denny, although I admit I am not fully deserving of your praise. I have made my fair share of missteps and through my mistaken pride and reserve I know I have not endeared myself to the good people of this neighborhood. I hope you can be as forgiving towards me as I wish to be towards you."

"All is forgot, sir," Denny said giving his hand one last shake before stepping aside so that the other officers could make their own apologies and offer their hand in harmony. Overwhelmed by the unexpected display of approval and acceptance from the officers, Darcy warily glanced across the room towards Miss Elizabeth. He was shocked to see her eyes narrowed in contempt as she watched the display.

Gradually the conversation in the room began again, although Darcy noticed many glances and fingers pointed his way. As the orchestra began to tune their instruments the officers began to leave in order to collect their dance partners for the first set leaving Darcy and Denny standing alone.

"I am afraid I must once again beg for your forgiveness, Darcy," Denny said in a low voice. "No, do not look at me in surprise; too many are watching us. We must appear as though all is well between us and that we are having a conversation appropriate for the ballroom." Having finished his short speech, he turned to watch the dancers lining up with a smile of amusement upon his face.

Unsure of why Denny wished for a private audience with him at such a time, he decided to emulate the man beside him. Smiling he noticed Bingley at the front of the line bestowing a large smile upon his partner, Miss Bennet. As he looked farther down the line, he noticed an uncomfortable looking Miss Elizabeth partnered with the clergyman he had seen with the Bennet's the same day he saw Wickham. As the dance started, the man immediately took a wrong step and ran into the gentleman next to him. Instead of correcting his steps and continuing, he began apologizing profusely causing Miss Elizabeth to recall him to the dance with much embarrassment. With a small chuckle at the man's misplaced confidence, he leaned towards Denny slightly to reply while continuing to watch the clumsy clergyman.

"I must admit Denny that I am quite at a loss. For what do you have to apologize for?"

"For putting you on display. I know that could not have been to your liking, yet I know not how else I could have repaid my debt to you."

Truly confused now, Darcy struggled to maintain a neutral facade. "While I understand your intent behind such an act, I cannot deny that it was beyond my comfort level nor can I regret the gratitude I feel. Yet I am unaware of any debt you owe me."

Chuckling Denny turned to face him. "How much do you know about the happenings of last Thursday evening, sir?"

"Very little, I am afraid, and until this evening nothing at all. Colonel Forster has already shared with me that Wickham had a falling out among the officers and was involved in a rout, but I know nothing beyond that. I myself was suffering from an indisposition and so retired early."

Nodding, Denny turned to greet another gentleman as he passed by with his wife and then turned to introduce the couple to Darcy. Smiling as he bowed, he once again watched Miss Elizabeth and her partner while he waited for his companion to continue. As he watched, he saw the clergyman step on Miss Elizabeth's toes and wished he could step in and save her. However, he knew she would resent any interference he gave as well as him singling her out. Finally Denny bid the couple good evening and Darcy turned in great anticipation to hear what the man had to say.

"What do you know of a man named McClellin?"

Feigning surprise, Darcy raised his eyebrows. "I am afraid I know little as I have only met him once. His family owns a small store in another county and had the unfortunate luck to service Wickham. You must understand, Denny, that Wickham is the son of my late father's steward as well as his godson. He has used my family name for years to gain favor with those whom he wishes to use. For reasons I now suspect you are aware of, I do not trust Wickham and as such have had him followed for years buying up all his debts. I would hate to see innocent hard working people ruined because of Wickham's selfishness."

"I do not doubt your honest intentions, sir. As for your relationship with Wickham, it does match his own account."

"I see. Then may I inquire as to how you became aware of McClellin's existence."

"He is the man who exposed Wickham," Denny said with a smile. "The man was quite brilliant, too. I have never seen such a large man before, yet he laid not one finger on Wickham. I am ashamed to admit I had no such forbearance, yet I have less to begrudge the man."

"Yes, I remember quite clearly the man's size. I am not afraid to admit I was intimidated by the man and his younger brothers," Darcy chuckled pleased that his disguise had been pulled off so well. "I must ask; how did he turn the entire town against Wickham?"

Laughing out loud at the memory, Denny drew the attention of several people nearby. Wishing to keep up appearances, Darcy grinned widely and smacked Denny on the shoulder. Although surprised, Denny managed to shoot him a look of approval and encouragement. "The man simply challenged Wickham to cards and let him win, the entire time making side comments that began to leave seeds of doubt amongst those of us present. Eventually, McClellin managed to extract a confession from Wickham thus confirming everything he had accused him of, and then exposed him as a cheater. I had lost two weeks' worth of wages to Wickham that night, and I was relieved to discover all was not lost."

"Never underestimate an Irishman, Denny," Darcy said shaking his head in amusement. "What I cannot determine, however, is why McClellin was there, and how my name became involved in all this."

"McClellin told us that he wished to repay a debt he owed you by ruining Wickham so that you would never again need to atone for that man's sins."

"McClellin owed me nothing. Due to my father's admiration for the boy Wickham once was, he was allowed to grow up as a gentleman, yet denied that life upon reaching his majority. Although other paths were offered, Wickham turned them down as they required work he was not accustomed to. Again, I cannot allow innocent people to suffer because of my father's mistakes."

"He was not referring to the charges owed to his father's store. He was referring to his sister," Denny said suddenly sober.

"Cassandra," Darcy said much to his companion's surprise. "She was joined in death a week later by Isabella who was another young woman in the same town."

"You know their names?"

"I do indeed; every one of them. They were only two among many others. Not all were as fortunate as poor Cassandra."

"You believe her death to be a blessing?" Denny asked attempting to keep the fury from his voice.

"Compared to living a life with a child who represents the most horrifying experience of her life? Yes, I consider Cassandra to be very blessed. Despite what Wickham may say, I only know of a handful of his endless conquests that went to his bed willingly." Forcing back a shiver, he had to remind himself that his own sister was now forever safe from Wickham despite his attempt at Ramsgate. "I can never replace what Wickham took be it a young girls innocence or a beloved daughters life, yet I cannot allow these families to suffer any extra financial burdens. I will not support his offspring as I do not desire them to feel entitled, so I instead offer a small settlement upon each family to ease their minds. It is the least I can do."

"I beg to disagree, sir. You have done more than is required of you. You truly are a better man than I knew. I hope to one day be such a man. Forgive me for doubting you."

"There is nothing to forgive, Denny. As I stated earlier, I gave no one in the neighborhood any reason to trust me. I could not even lower myself to expose Wickham personally."

"I am glad you did not." Surprised, Darcy looked to see a mischievous grin upon Denny's face. "As you said, no one would have believed you. Besides, if you could have heard the vitriol Wickham was spouting about you after he was finally detained; I never knew I could blush from so much embarrassment. I can only imagine how much worse it would have been had you been the one to expose him. He would have had cause for revenge. As it is, the town of Meryton and all of us officers are indebted to you, and your name is free from any scandal."

With a small laugh, Darcy once again slapped his companion on the back in an attempt to hide his discomfort. "Thank you, Denny for helping me to see this in such a prudent light. I admit I have struggled with my guilt in not exposing him sooner, yet you have shown me that I was wise in my decision to not do so."

"It is my pleasure, Darcy. I just hope we were successful."

"And what, may I ask, was your exact purpose this evening?"

Denny turned an appraising eye upon Darcy. Realizing that Darcy was truly in ignorance, he smiled. "We have not been blind to your attempts to improve your standing in the neighborhood. At first we thought it was done out of pride and conceit for your name and position in life so allowed you to fail. However, after the events of this past week, we came to realize your actions were that of a true gentleman whose sole desire was to atone for his mistakes. Since we found ourselves indirectly indebted to you, we decided to repay you by helping forward your cause. Who knows how many more weeks of wages I would have lost or been owed by Wickham. Just do not let our action be for naught. Now, if you'll excuse me, Darcy, I must claim my partner for the next set."

With another smile of gratitude, Darcy held out his hand before Denny could offer him the customary bow. "I cannot thank you enough, Denny."

"It was my pleasure," he said again with a warm smile and firm shake. "Now if I may be allowed a word of advice? Perhaps you could further your cause by actually dancing tonight."

Throwing his head back in true laughter, Darcy drew the attention of half the room. Never had he laughed so in public and many were greatly affected by it; his hosts and Miss Elizabeth most of all. "I believe, Denny I shall take your advice to heart. Perhaps I should start with the most unpleasant partner of the night so then I can truly enjoy the company of several other more amiable young ladies instead of dreading my duty."

"Ah, now would that be the condescending Miss Bingley?" Denny asked. Upon seeing Darcy's nod of confirmation, he joined the gentleman in laughter. "That is one prospect in which I can never envy you. I wish you luck, sir."

With that, Denny offered one last smile and walked away. As Darcy walked towards Miss Bingley, he could not help but notice the smiles and nods sent in his direction from several of the older gentlemen and the matrons in attendance. He could not recall the last time he had felt such ardent acceptance and admiration. For too long he had been solely focused on his love for Iliana and breaking the curse that he had forgotten how to live and care for others. The feeling of warmth that suffused his body was so pleasant, that he began to wonder why he had ever thought himself above these people and unable to mingle with them.

Determined to make a good impression on all those around him and to change his life, or lives, for the better, he fixed a pleasant smile upon his face as he increased his pace towards his hostess. As he walked, however, he did not fail to notice Miss Elizabeth hobbling from the dance floor with the clergyman trailing in her wake muttering nonstop apologies.

As he escorted Miss Bingley to the front of the line, he was grateful to see Bingley offering to keep Miss Elizabeth company despite their obvious shared anxiety over the clergyman's dancing the next set with Miss Bennet. Chuckling to himself, he stamped down his disgust at Miss Bingley's simpering smile, and determined to be both agreeably civil and polite. After dancing several dances, he would finally have the opportunity to dance with his beloved.

As the set began, he took a step forward grasping Miss Bingley's hand as lightly as possible as the steps required. With each look she bestowed upon him, he managed to keep a small smile by thinking of the moment he would finally dance with his beloved again. He was determined that tonight would be a new beginning for them.


AN: *sigh* I'm beginning to think I should go back and remove the part from my first AN about rarely posting AN's...so far I've already posted more than I had originally hoped to post for the entire story. But, I did say I would only post when necessary, and so far I have. So without further ado...

This chapter is in fact less than half of the original. As I was writing, I became carried away by unplanned events, (Darcy and Denny's private conversation) that I was halfway through writing the dance scene with Darcy and Elizabeth when I realized I had more than doubled my average chapter length and wasn't even done yet! So, while at this time the Netherfield ball is only planned to cover one more chapter, it may turn out to be more; we'll see. While I finish though, I figured I'd treat you all to a quick posting tonight as a thank you for your patience with my slow posting over the last few weeks. I will have the next chapter up tomorrow, and if the ball turns into 3 chapters, hopefully I'll be able to post them both tomorrow. In the meantime, Happy Reading!

P.S. To Raina (to whom I am unable to send a PM) and any others who are curious regarding my pen name:
I have a very common first name with a very unique spelling. I have yet to meet anyone else who spells it the same as I do. As such, it is a rare occurrence for someone to properly pronounce it the first time around. The first day of school very quickly became my favorite day of the year as I usually added one or two new interpretations of my name to my ever growing list. The summer between my Junior and Senior year of high school, I was a member of an Ambassadors of Music group for my state, and one of the chaperon's on my bus our first day of camp tried to pronounce my name as Allahteeah. There were two other band students from my school with me on that trip, and the three of us fell in love with that pronunciation as it was hilarious to us and so shared it with the rest of our HS band when the next season of Marching Band started. Before band camp (yes I am one of those people and super proud of it much to my husbands frustration) was over, I was known to the underclassmen only as Allahteeah. Over time, I continued to fall more in love with the nickname, and discovered it to be a perfect online name when I didn't want to use my real name, and now a pen name. It is unique and quite special in many ways. Thanks for asking!