~~PoP~~
Courtship
His chance to make a start came when Mary sat down at the pianoforte to play, and Sir William had the servants roll up the carpets to allow his guests to dance.
Darcy approached Elizabeth and bowed. 'Miss Bennet, I hope that tonight, with the presence of all these officers, you need not sit out any dances unless you choose to do so. I therefore hope that you will allow me to request one, or perhaps more than one, dance.'
Elizabeth was about to answer in the affirmative, when she noticed the wording Darcy had used. 'What if I should not allow you to request a dance?' she asked, feeling a thrill of excitement that the gentleman would give her the option to choose whether to dance with him without restricting her enjoyment of the evening.
Darcy was pleased to have Elizabeth's intelligence confirmed by how quickly she had understood his very careful wording. This time it was he who sighed theatrically and, placing a hand on his heart, he said, 'In that case I shall be forced to languish at the sidelines and watch you dance with the partners of your choice.'
'I could not in good conscience allow you to languish, Mr Darcy,' Elizabeth teased with a pleased smile. 'I have not yet promised any dances to any other gentlemen. You may have your choice of dance.'
'If I thought that you would agree, I would love to request… all of them.'
That comment rendered Elizabeth all but speechless. After a moment she recovered enough to say, 'That would be unfair to all the other gentlemen.'
'Perhaps we could start with the first two?'
'That would be better. We would not wish to rush into anything.'
Darcy inclined his head in what appeared to be agreement while he thought, it is too late for me. I was in the middle before I knew it had begun.
~PoP~
As Mary started to play, she hid her smile at her sister's response to Mr Darcy. Yet it had nothing to do with her words.
If Mary was not mistaken, Elizabeth had effectively agreed to a courtship with the gentleman, a fact that pleased her greatly, as Mary had come to respect him.
While Mary had no interest in either Darcy or Bingley, she thought the former to be a good match for her sister. He was quieter and more serious than his friend, but his sly sense of humour was fuelled by a formidable intellect which would appeal to Lizzy.
Years ago, the sisters had promised each other that they would only marry for respect and affection. Mary was certain that Elizabeth had come to respect Darcy and hoped that affection would develop between them.
~PoP~
On the impromptu dance floor, Elizabeth was having a lovely time.
Darcy, who was well rested, instead of exhausted as he had been at the assembly put his best foot forward, quite literally. Being naturally athletic, he was an excellent dancer and had had the best instructors. He put both to good use.
Elizabeth always enjoyed dancing, but she had never before felt in such harmony with any other partner. She gave Darcy a teasing smile as she said, 'Charlotte was correct when she assured me that my toes would be safe. I am surprised that you claim not to enjoy this activity.'
'I do enjoy dancing when I have a partner with whom I am well acquainted and whose conversation I enjoy,' Darcy replied with an intense look. 'Unfortunately, when attending balls in London, I am expected to partner ladies whose conversation is often lacking a certain something.'
'And what is that certain something which you require?'
'Intelligence and an interest in something other than my wealth.'
'I suppose that it must be difficult to have all those ladies throwing themselves at you.'
'There are no ladies throwing themselves at me, as you put it.' Darcy smirked at her unbelieving expression. 'They are throwing themselves at Pemberley.'
Elizabeth could not help but laugh at his phrasing and the woebegone expression with which he delivered the last statement. 'I know, it must be terrible for Pemberley to be so very popular.'
'You have no idea,' Darcy said with an answering smile. He was very pleased with himself, having succeeded in making Elizabeth laugh. In the past he had never been able to flirt with a lady the way he had seen his cousin Richard do. Yet with Elizabeth it seemed perfectly natural.
Elizabeth smiled as well, while she said, 'I have more of an idea than you might think.'
'Of course, I should have realised that with your beauty, men must be flocking to you.'
While Elizabeth mentally disagreed with his assumption, she did not say so as it would spoil the light-hearted mood which they were both enjoying.
As they were both having fun flirting outrageously with each other, even though they remained perfectly within the bounds of propriety, they continued to do so until the end of their second dance.
~PoP~
The following morning, Elizabeth woke early as usual and headed for her morning ride to Oakham Mount, faithfully accompanied by John Farrer. Ever since her coming out, Mr Bennet had insisted that Elizabeth should not go out alone… for the safety of her person and her reputation. Since Elizabeth liked John and he was able to keep up with her even when she was walking, she did not object too much.
On this morning, Elizabeth wanted to enjoy the peace of her favourite place to consider all the confusing happenings since she had met Mr Darcy. Once she reached her preferred perch, and John had taken the horses off to a grassy patch to the side of the top, she let her mind wander while she waited for the sun to rise.
For years, Elizabeth had been somewhat dubious about marriage for herself. Having been raised to be competent, accomplished and in charge of her life, the idea of giving up her independence did not sit well with her. She was fully aware of the law which made women the property of their husbands and had experienced that most men did not like intelligent and educated women.
Yet having seen the affection between her grandparents and having heard stories of her parent's loving marriage, made her wonder if such a thing was possible for her. She had never admitted that she did long for a partner like that in her life. Someone with whom she could share everything. Someone with whom she could discuss her problems and share her triumphs.
Also, even though propriety would not allow her to admit it, she felt that there were passions simmering within her which it would be wonderful to satisfy. Especially after a very frank discussion with her grandmother shortly before her coming out.
While such things were usually left unsaid until a young woman was about to marry, Lady Ashcroft wanted to ensure that Elizabeth knew exactly what she needed to protect herself against. Lizzy was grateful that her grandmother had spoken in general rather than personal terms, as it would be most uncomfortable to imagine her grandparents…
She wrenched her mind away and considered her own reactions to Mr Darcy.
Once he had discarded his haughty attitude, Elizabeth had become quite attracted to the gentleman. He was exceedingly handsome and had an engaging smile when he allowed himself to relax.
Another point in his favour was that he seemed unperturbed by the knowledge of her managing Longbourn.
Then there was last night, when he had asked her to dance. Being asked to dance was not unusual for Elizabeth, but this was the first time a gentleman had given her a true choice.
It was customary that when a gentleman requested a dance, ladies had to accept unless they had a very good reason to decline, otherwise they had to sit out the rest of the dances. After all, dances were intended to give ladies and gentlemen an opportunity to converse and get to know each other in order to find a spouse. Since women were expected to marry at all costs, they were not given the option to refuse.
Yet Mr Darcy had given her exactly that option.
Admittedly, she had no intention of refusing, since she wanted to dance with him, but it had been wonderful to be given a free choice.
Elizabeth wondered if this generosity extended to all areas. If he respected her and was looking for a true partner, perhaps marriage might not be such a bad thing after all.
Remembering the tingling sensation in her hand when they had touched during their dance, still made Elizabeth catch her breath.
Her musings were interrupted by the arrival of the very man who had occupied her thoughts.
~PoP~
Darcy too, had been unable to sleep after the events of the previous evening and, hoping to clear his mind, had gone for a ride.
He was still surprised at himself for his ability to flirt with a lady. At the time it had seemed quite natural and effortless, yet in retrospect it was astonishing.
There were two things which stood out for him about the evening… apart from his flirting.
The way Elizabeth's eyes had lit up with pleasure when she realised that he was giving her a true choice and the exquisite harmony that existed between them when they danced.
On second thoughts, there was one more. Elizabeth had not immediately granted him all her dances, like most other ladies of his acquaintance would have done. She had limited their dances to two. Perfectly proper in a situation where there was mild interest, but it would not raise any expectations if the interest did not go further.
But she had said, for now. Darcy hoped that meant that Elizabeth was considering more for the future. But he did not want to get ahead of himself. He really needed to speak to her, but it was still several hours before he could call on Longbourn. Which was why he had gone for a ride.
~PoP~
As Darcy crested the top of the rise, he was confronted by the very lady who had occupied his thoughts.
His first reaction was joy accompanied by a beaming smile at seeing Elizabeth. His second was concern for her reputation.
Before he had a chance to excuse himself, Elizabeth, who was quite captivated by that smile, greeted him by calling over her shoulder, 'Good morning, Mr Darcy. If you are here to enjoy the view of the sunrise, John can keep an eye on your horse.' She nodded in the direction of her escort, whom Darcy had not noticed before.
Grateful to have an opportunity to speak to Elizabeth in private, Darcy offered a greeting as he dismounted and handed the reins to John before taking a seat on an adjoining rock, close enough for easy conversation but far enough for propriety.
'I had not expected to be so fortunate as to encounter you this early today,' Darcy addressed her with a smile.
'As I am certain that you have observed, this is the best vantage point in this area to observe not only Longbourn and Netherfield, but also the perfect spot to enjoy the view of the sun rising.' Elizabeth smiled at Darcy. 'Therefore, I come here most mornings when the weather is clement.'
'I shall keep that in mind and, if you allow, would be delighted to enjoy the view in your company.'
'As I am always chaperoned, I see no reason why I should prevent you from enjoying the view.'
Instead of looking into the distance to enjoy the view which they both claimed was their reason for being here, they settled for the much more enjoyable view close at hand until they suddenly realised what they were doing.
Darcy and Elizabeth both started blushing in unison and Elizabeth tore her eyes away.
'Forgive me, Miss Bennet. I had no intention of making you uncomfortable. I only hoped to speak to you about last night… I mean yesterday evening… ah…'
Darcy's stumbling speech did much to restore Elizabeth's composure. 'Please, Mr Darcy, be at ease. I know what you meant,' she said with a slight chuckle as she turned back to him.
Darcy grimaced in embarrassment. 'I am afraid that I am at times not very good with words. I was hoping to tell you how much I enjoyed your company last… evening.' He hesitated for a moment. 'And not just then. Even though we have not known each other very long, I have come to greatly admire you and wondered if you would allow me to court you,' he said in a rush before he lost his nerve.
'Mr Darcy, I hope that my flirting during… our dances is not the reason for this request. I had truly not meant to do so, but I had such fun…'
Darcy's face fell as he asked, 'Are you saying that my request is unwelcome?'
'Oh, no. Not at all. I just meant that I had not deliberately thought to entice you. I do not want you to think that I was trying to use any arts and allurements to capture your interest.'
'Please, Miss Bennet. It is now my turn to say, please be easy. I had already hoped to ask you for a courtship when I asked you to dance. I confess that I have never before enjoyed an evening as much as I did… yesterday.' Darcy leaned forward and gently took one of Elizabeth's hands. 'But you have not yet answered my question. Will you allow me to court you?'
'You wish to get to know me with a view to a potential marriage?' Elizabeth insisted on clarification.
'Indeed, Miss Bennet. Although I am already certain of my wishes, I wish to give you time to get to know me. I hope to earn your respect and love as you already have mine.'
At those words Elizabeth beamed and the sky lit up, seemingly in response, as she said, 'I would love to be courted by you, Mr Darcy.'
~PoP~
Btw if you have not yet done so… if you google bible misprints you will find that my example was real. 😊
~~PoP~~
A Plethora of Peers (working title) by Sydney Salier, Copyright © 2023