Lord Hertford had not seen his nephew since before he married and wished to meet Mrs. Barton in an intimate setting rather than in a ballroom. Therefore, the day before the ball, he hosted an informal dinner at his home, where he invited the Darcys and Elizabeth Bennet in addition to the Bartons.
Mr. Barton, Mary, and Lord Sebastian fetched Elizabeth at the Harrisons and arrived at Lord Hertford's house at the same time as the Darcys.
Since it was a 'family' dinner, Lord Hertford decided to have it in the smaller dining room, which had the capacity to seat only 12 guests, and his cook prepared three dishes and just one dessert.
Although her husband and Lord Sebastian had assured Mary that the Marquess was a simple and kind man, she was still very nervous about meeting him and afraid of making a wrong impression. Seeing Mary's nerves, Lord Hertford was very kind and considerate of her, and she calmed down after fifteen minutes and spoke to him relatively naturally.
The conversation during dinner was pleasant. Lord Hertford sat next to Mr. Barton and Mary and spoke with them about their lives in Hertfordshire and plans for the future, while Georgiana conversed with Lord Sebastian, Elizabeth, and her brother.
As expected, one of the main topics of conversation was the ball, and as he did with Elizabeth, Lord Sebastian gallantly requested Mary for a dance.
"I have to take advantage of the fact that it is my ball, and young and beautiful ladies cannot refuse to dance with me." He smiled broadly. "So, Mrs. Barton, you have no choice but to grant me a set."
Mary smiled and nodded, "With pleasure, my Lord, although I warn you that I am not an accomplished dancer."
With a smile, he replied. "I do not dance well either, which makes two of us. And you, Miss Bennet, have already promised me a set, and since I was meticulous not to step on your toes at Miss Campbell's ball, you cannot refuse. After all, a lady must always keep her promises."
Elizabeth laughed and responded. "With pleasure, my Lord. I have already reserved the second set of the night for you."
Lord Sebastian nodded, smiling, and Georgiana exclaimed with a sigh. "I wish I could go to the ball!"
"You are still very young, Georgiana, and it will be at least a year before you enter society," Darcy answered thoughtfully.
Georgiana resignedly nodded, and a smiling Lord Sebastian added, "A year goes by very quickly, Miss Darcy. I promise that when you enter society, I will dance with you at all the balls. So, you have been warned."
They continued to talk about the ball, and Darcy quietly asked Elizabeth to reserve the first set of the evening for him.
PPP
After the guests had retired, Lord Hertford asked his son to stay for a few minutes to talk about the ball.
"Rumours are already spreading that Darcy was the one who ended the courtship with Lady Isabella because of her father's lies about her dowry, and the gossip in the newspaper was a vile lie fabricated by Lady Isabella and her father."
Lord Hertford nodded and added, "I spoke to the parents of Lady Isabella's friend who was in Ramsgate and allegedly saw Wickham leave the house at dawn and heard gossip from a servant. I told them that Wickham left the house at dawn because he had been having an affair with a servant, and she spread the lies."
"Do you think they will contradict what you said?" asked his son.
"They would be fools if they did. As you know, I have taken it upon myself to find out the weaknesses and dirty secrets of all the people who could become a problem." Lord Hertford sighed ruefully: "Unfortunately, everyone in the ton has something to hide, including me."
Lord Sebastian nodded.
"You know, I do not like divulging secrets, and I would rather not ruin a family, but in this case, it has been made clear that I will not stand for insinuations about my friends, the Darcys." Looking around and verifying that both doors were closed, he said very softly to his son, "I am not sure if you are aware that only Lord and Lady Matlock, George Darcy, and the now-deceased clergyman were in attendance at Georgiana's baptism. The only record of the baptismal certificate is on file at Pemberley's chapel."
Lord Sebastian's eyes widened.
"I discussed with Lord Matlock the possibility of spreading the rumour that George Darcy was one of my best friends, and Georgiana was my goddaughter."
"But how would you justify that, until now, you have had so little connection with them?" Lord Sebastian asked curiously.
"Bear in mind, I have rarely been involved in London's seasons all these years, and George Darcy and I have never attended the same places. Also, I am known to be very discreet, so very little is known about my personal life." He sighed. "It has not even been hinted at in all these years that I have a mistress, which of course, I do not."
"I suppose, Father, that you and Lord Matlock will carefully assess the risks before making such a serious decision as to forge a church document."