Update 28
"Anne! You have now changed three times! Pick your gown and settle, or your hair will not be completed in time for the carriage." Elizabeth admonished her friend. She was sitting in her gown while her maid pinned her curls into place with opal hairpins. Maria sat on the bed, already dressed and ready, watching the pair with unrestrained wonder and anticipation.
Anne sat down in her chemise in frustration. "Tonight must be perfect, for there shall not be another chance for my plans to come to fruition."
Elizabeth laughed. "What plans? You will dance with your cousins and perhaps a couple other gentlemen."
"I cannot tell you all my plans. Oh, the green dress shall have to suffice!" The maid returned with the green dress she had been told to put away three times already. Quickly, Anne stepped into the dress and her maid began fastening the buttons. As soon as she was free, Anne pulled away to her bed to pull a stack of letters out from under her pillows.
"Anne! Who are those for?" Elizabeth asked impatiently. Anne's penchant for letter writing knew no bounds, it seemed, for Elizabeth had been asked to help post letters almost every day. "Surely those letters can wait until morning."
Anne blushed and took her seat as she pushed the letters into the pockets sewn into her gown. "Never you mind, but they are important for tonight. At least some of them will be. I have a few contingencies planned out that could make some necessary. I am always prepared." Anne took Elizabeth's seat in front of the mirror so that her maid could complete her coiffure.
The three ladies were ready to descend to the parlor to await the carriage half an hour later. Anne was wearing a pink dress, having changed one more time. Elizabeth announced that Anne would tire herself before the ball if she changed back into the green dress, so Anne tucked her letters away and allowed herself to be led out of the room.
The gentlemen behaved as expected. Mr. Darcy gaped at Elizabeth until Lady Catherine pulled his attention to her daughter. The colonel was effusive in his praise first to Anne and then to the others so that Lady Catherine could not complain. Mr. Collins stated that everyone was dressed in a manner to praise Lady Catherine's good sense and condescension.
With laughing eyes, Elizabeth shared her glee with Charlotte who had been sitting patiently beside her husband, waiting for the ladies to appear. She was not disappointed as she watched the reactions in the room. Charlotte gave Elizabeth a wide-eyed look which Elizabeth immediately interpreted correctly that she still suspected Mr. Darcy admired Elizabeth. Elizabeth rolled her eyes playfully before taking her seat beside Anne.
The colonel dominated the conversation, actually drowning out Mr. Collins for the first time. Elizabeth watched him with wonder as he regaled his audience with stories of London balls where rakes abounded, and ladies used fans to communicate with men they wished to get to know.
Lady Catherine interrupted her nephew when the butler came in to announce the carriages were ready. "That is quite enough, Fitzwilliam. Our carriages await, and I have no intention to be late, fashionable or otherwise. Lady Metcalfe will wish for my advice."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes as Mr. Darcy took her arm, causing him to bite his lips so as to avoid laughing openly at her jest. They followed Lady Catherine and her daughter, and as a result were in the first carriage facing them.
"Elizabeth Bennet, you cannot sit there. Take the seat beside me." Lady Catherine demanded as Elizabeth entered the carriage. "Anne will need a stronger assistant than you. Mr. Darcy will take the seat beside her, so that he could catch her should there be a jostling in the carriage. You no doubt can take care of yourself in such an event."
Elizabeth thanked Lady Catherine for her defense of her abilities. Mr. Darcy gave her an intense stare for a few seconds which Elizabeth read as him trying not to laugh again. They both knew better than to make facial expressions in the carriage.
The drive took an hour, and Elizabeth felt exhausted at the end of it. Lady Catherine spoke nearly the entire way, explaining to Elizabeth the heritage of many of the guests Lady Metcalfe would invite. Everyone knew to let her speak. Anne and Mr. Darcy, used to Lady Catherine, simply looked out their windows in boredom. Lady Catherine occasionally quizzed Elizabeth to see if her memory was active and was pleasantly surprised to see Elizabeth was up to the task.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Mr. Darcy opened the door and stepped out, pleased to be able to stand. The footman stepped back, surprised that his duties had been unnecessary. Mr. Darcy helped Lady Catherine out first. Elizabeth came out next, descending daintily onto the gravel path lining the Metcalfe estate. The house was equally as imposing as Rosings and lit to be the complete envy of the county with candles in every window. She hoped the extravagance was being watched carefully by servants so that the house did not erupt in flames while they danced.
Lady Catherine took Elizabeth's arm and led her into the waiting line which had only begun to form. When Mr. Darcy finished helping Anne out of carriage, he was dismayed to find Elizabeth gone. With a huff of annoyance, he offered Anne his arm again and helped her up the steps. She needed more support, so he was glad to be of assistance, though it rankled him that Lady Catherine had taken Elizabeth away, even the few steps to the waiting line.
Lady Catherine attempted to hold court over the waiting line. The four people in front of her veered out of line to allow her to pass, interestingly becoming very interested in the rug. Elizabeth bit her lips to avoid laughing at the absurdity.
Lady Metcalfe and Lady Catherine greeted each other as though each wished to show they outranked the other. Elizabeth realized that her lips would be sore from restraining her laugh so often. Lord Metcalfe was as short as his wife, who was as tall as Lady Catherine's shoulders. He made up for his short stature with a booming voice which could easily be heard miles away yet was being delivered to them in the waiting line. Their two sons and one daughter greeted them next.
Lady Catherine introduced Elizabeth, "Viscount Metcalfe, Mr. Warden, Lady Sarah, delighted to see you again. This is Miss Bennet of Longbourn, Hertfordshire." After curtseys were executed, Elizabeth took a moment to observe them. The viscount was the tallest, dressed impeccably with the latest fashion of using a different color for each piece of clothing. Mr. Warden also dressed like a peacock; however, he was slightly more subdued and at least an inch shorter, making him only slightly taller than Elizabeth. Lady Sarah was beautiful. Her hair was light, her skin was fair, her eyes a decadent blue. Elizabeth was certain that with such beauty and what she assumed was a handsome dowry, Lady Susan must be very sought after. She did appear to be looking farther in the waiting line.
"Lady Sarah," Lady Catherine continued, "Is your betrothed here tonight?"
"Lord Evingsbrook should be here presently." The lady responded, not wishing to encourage her mother's overbearing friend. Instead, she looked decidedly past them and focused their attention on Mr. Darcy, who greeted them warmly.
Lady Catherine moved into the ballroom with Elizabeth, introducing her to the highest-ranking people in the room. Lady Metcalfe had not invited anyone higher ranking than her, so this was not a difficult accomplishment. Elizabeth wondered if Lady Catherine was simply trying to keep her from speaking to anyone else, for she had no interest in conversing with anyone Lady Catherine seemed to wish to join. However, Elizabeth could not determine a way to politely convince Lady Catherine to leave her be.
Eventually, the musicians began warming up their instruments as Lady Metcalfe and her family entered the ball room. Mr. Darcy, still holding Anne on his arm, asked her to dance. Lady Sarah seemed to have found her intended, for they stood beside Mr. Darcy. Mr. Warden was next to secure a partner, followed by his older brother. Lady Catherine watched the dancers line up with delight only diminished when Lady Metcalfe arrived and boasted that her daughter had finally accepted a proposal and would be wed within the month, allowing her younger daughter to come out sooner. Lady Catherine's face instantly soured, but she said nothing.
The colonel finally braved the two matrons to ask Elizabeth for a dance, which Elizabeth gratefully accepted. Elizabeth was happy to be standing beside Maria and Charlotte who had each secured partners, Maria with a handsome young friend of Mr. Warden, and Charlotte with her husband.
As the dance began, Elizabeth took the time when she passed the colonel to thank him for rescuing her. "I could not envision a way out. I felt smothered."
The colonel laughed gaily. "Be sure to steer clear of both Lady Catherine and Lady Metcalfe for the rest of the evening. Their evaluation of success at a ball is very different from ours. You ought to turn away abruptly should you see either coming in your direction," the colonel warned.
"Thank you for your advice, colonel. Normally, I should not be intimidated, but they are rather formidable, and it is not my place to be impertinent tonight." Elizabeth responded over the course of about 5 minutes, for the dance did not bring them often together. They turned the topic to trivial matters until the first dance ended. They remained standing and Elizabeth noticed Mr. Darcy escort Anne off the dance floor. She thought about following them to ensure Anne was well, but the colonel assured her this was planned. "Anne does not wish to tire too easily. She apparently plans to dance with more than my cousin and me."
Elizabeth blushed as she thought of with whom Anne probably wished to dance. She spied Mr. Warden speaking with his current dance partner while watching Mr. Darcy's tall form make its way through the crowd until he disappeared. Elizabeth smiled to see such affection for Anne.
When the second dance ended, the colonel took Elizabeth by the arm and led her around the room, introducing her to a few people until Viscount Metcalfe arrived and asked for a dance. He did not seem very pleased, but Elizabeth accepted. The colonel winked at Elizabeth as she left, causing Elizabeth to chuckle under her breath.
The look the viscount gave Elizabeth wiped her smile away, and she observed him carefully as they stood together before the dance started. He seemed to be evaluating her carefully. As the music started, they silently moved through the motions of the dance. Elizabeth was about to lose patience with her partner when she remembered another taciturn gentleman who said little. Elizabeth almost smiled as she said, "The room is beautifully decorated."
"Indeed, my mother knows how to decorate a ballroom." He said without even a hint of a smile.
They descended into silence again. "There are quite a few dancers. I do not believe Meryton could boast such a large number of gentry to attend a private ball. How many have come from London?"
"It is a short distance, and my father has a great influence in London." He paused as he finished as though he wished to speak again. Elizabeth waited for him to determine to speak, so they finished the dance in silence. During their second dance, Elizabeth learned what he had hesitated to say.
Bored with her partner's silence, she looked around and noticed that the other dancers were whispering to each other as they watched her. It did not take her long to find out why.