Hello my dears! I love your enthusiasm so, so much. Thank you! Darcy's insult coming from Caroline just kinda fit, didn't it? She's really vile in this one (just wait).
Now, last chapter was Darcy's POV of the meeting, in this chapter we get Lizzy's. But first, a little recap...
Chapter Eight
Two days earlier…
Elizabeth had been home a week, and it had not taken long for Caroline to resort to her old habit of disdain and dismissal.
The behavior was not unexpected, but it was still a great disappointment, for Elizabeth had held out some small hope that perhaps the four years of her absence might have softened her sister's heart toward her.
Clearly, she had hoped in vain.
Elizabeth's clothes had been coldly remarked on as being "dowdy," "unflattering," and "out of fashion," and on the eighth day, when she casually mentioned that she was in the process of commissioning a new wardrobe, Caroline threw quite a fit, protesting both that she had not been consulted and that Charles had given Elizabeth money after denying her additional funds for herself.
To Elizabeth's secret amusement, Charles nonchalantly flicked his newspaper to straighten it, and without deigning to look at her, reminded Caroline that she had already spent her allowance for the quarter.
"Elizabeth is spending her own money—she has not asked for a shilling of mine," he added. "If you would but listen to the advice I have given you regarding the management of yours, you would not be without funds now."
Caroline scowled and fisted her hands on her hips. "You want me to budget?" she seethed. "Oh Charles, do be serious. What is the point of having a fortune if one does not spend it?"
Charles again kept his attention on the newspaper in his hands as he casually replied, "The point, dear sister, is to keep it—which one cannot do if one spends it all. That is where the fine art of budgeting enters the picture."
Caroline growled and stomped her foot, much as she had done when a child, and stormed from the room.
Louisa stood and started to follow her, and it was only then that Charles lowered his newspaper. Fixing his elder sister with a firm glare, he said, "Louisa, pray take a moment to remain, and listen to me very carefully."
Louisa's gaze had flickered between Elizabeth and Charles, and the former stood quietly to give them privacy.
"No, Lizzy, do not go—this matter concerns you as well," said her brother, who neatly folded his paper, set it aside, and stood. He took a step toward Louisa and placed his hands together behind his back.
"I wish to be clear, sister, regarding the treatment of Elizabeth I have observed since her return to the family," Charles went on in a commanding tone neither of his sisters had ever heard him use before. "Clear in that I will not tolerate any bullying or disrespect from you or Caroline—and do not mistake me, I will have this conversation with her as well."
"I… I do not know what you mean, Charles," said Louisa. "I have not disrespected or bullied Eliza."
"Perhaps not, but nor have you been particularly kind," spoke up Elizabeth. "You more often agree with Caroline than offer your own opinion."
Louisa had sniffed and said, "Perhaps my opinion is the same as hers and I simply wish to save breath by agreeing with what she says."
Elizabeth sighed sadly. "Then you are as cruel and unkind as she is."
She turned then to her brother and said, "Pray excuse me, Charles. I have a dress fitting at the modiste—Madame le Blanc promised she would have a gown ready for me in time for Mr. Hiddleston's birthday ball two days hence."
"Of course, Lizzy," Charles said. "I will call my carriage for you."
For the next two days, Elizabeth and her sisters avoided each other. She ate breakfast in her room and shared tea in the library (which was depressingly short in supply of books to read) with Charles, and though they all appeared in the dining room for dinner, hardly a word was said between them. Elizabeth elected to forego supper on those days to retire early.
She could hardly wait for the ball—she needed to thank Mr. Hiddleston and his mother for their kindness in allowing Charles to add her to their guest list at the last minute.
And for giving her something to look forward to after the disappointing reunion with her sisters.
-...-
Elizabeth smiled in delight as they entered the Hiddleston home behind the Hursts, who had gone ahead in their own carriage.
The entry hall was tastefully decorated, and at present, every single candle was before a mirror or other silver surface so as to increase the light projected.
"Oh, Charles, it's lovely!" she said softly.
Her brother grinned at her. "Do make certain to convey your sentiments to Mrs. Hiddleston. Society ladies thrive on having their hard work appreciated."
"I shall endeavour to remember that," Elizabeth said with a chuckle.
"Come now, Charles, let us hurry to the receiving line," said Caroline. "I am certain Mr. Darcy is here already, and I mean secure the first set with him. Oh, Louisa, can you imagine how envied I shall be to open the dance with Darcy?"
As Louisa cooed her agreement, Elizabeth just refrained from retorting that the gentleman would only dance with her if he wished it, not because she did. Her brother appeared not to have the same scruples, as he took Caroline by the elbow and whispered the same sentiment in her ear.
She huffed and replied, "Just you wait and see, Charles."
Charles shook his head before moving forward. After the Hursts were announced, he gave his, Caroline's, and Elizabeth's names to the caller, who loudly announced, "Mr. Charles Bingley, Miss Bingley, and Miss Elizabeth Bingley."
The three then stepped up to the receiving line—which was made up of the two daughters of the house, their mother, and the birthday honoree himself. After greeting the two girls, they spoke to Mrs. Hiddleston—and Elizabeth did not forget to praise her skill at home decoration.
"Why, thank you, Miss Elizabeth. You are very kind," said the lady.
Next, Bingley proudly introduced Elizabeth to his friend. Mr. Edmund Hiddleston smiled brightly at her. "Miss Elizabeth," said he. "Such a great pleasure to meet you at last. I can see why Bingley here hid you away in Spain all those years—the gentlemen of the ton will be delighted with you."
Elizabeth smiled. "You are very kind, Mr. Hiddleston," said she.
"Too kind," Caroline muttered behind her.
Ignoring the jab, Elizabeth said, "I hope not only the gentlemen will be delighted with me, sir, for I do hope to make friends of my own sex."
Hiddleston glanced over at his sisters, who were speaking to another couple of guests. "I have no doubt, Miss Elizabeth, that you will. Not every society daughter is a harpy, I assure you. Say, madam, would you do me the honor of opening the dance with me?"
Mrs. Hiddleston tapped her son's arm with her fan. "Edmund, dearest… It is very kind of you to offer to open the dance with Miss Elizabeth, but you have already given that honor to Miss Hollar."
"Heavens, I am so sorry! I cannot believe I forgot—do forgive me, Miss Elizabeth," said Hiddleston with a sheepish grin. "Perhaps you might grant me your second set?"
Elizabeth smiled warmly and held out her dance card. "You are forgiven, sir, and I should be delighted. Thank you!"
Hiddleston quickly wrote his name on her card, handed it back to her, then bowed before he turned to the next couple of guests. Elizabeth took her brother's arm again as her family moved further into the ballroom.
Caroline pushed past her and Charles and sidled up to Louisa. "Louisa, do you see Mr. Darcy anywhere?"
"Oh, no, dear—I do not see him," Louisa replied. "But he must be here somewhere, for I know he is a good friend of Mr. Hiddleston—who really ought to have asked you for a dance."
Caroline twittered a laugh. "Oh, I am certain he will. I daresay he only asked Eliza as a courtesy to Charles."
"Ah, excuse me Hurst, Louisa, Caroline—I see an old friend of Father's that I must introduce Lizzy to," Charles said then, and without waiting for a reply, he took Elizabeth toward an older couple that appeared very fashionable—though Elizabeth did hear Hurst muttering something about the card room as they walked away.
"Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, how do you do this evening?" he said in his usual cheerful tone. "I did not expect to see you here."
The couple looked at one another; Mrs. Gardiner smiled, and Mr. Gardiner chuckled. "I know, Mr. Bingley, that it is somewhat unusual to see a tradesman at a fête hosted by a valued member of society, but I assure you, we were invited," the gentleman said.
Bingley laughed. "I did not at all consider that you slipped in through the servants' door," he quipped. "And really, I should not be surprised you have made yourself so agreeable to the Hiddlestons that they would invite you to their ball. Allow me to guess, however, at another reason—you have recently finished a commission for a carriage for the young master of Brooksbank."
Mr. Gardiner chuckled again. "I have indeed—a barouche landau, done in the finest black and white velvet with white satin curtains embroidered in black silk thread."
The gentleman then looked at Elizabeth, and his eyes widened. "Well, bless my soul! Is this little Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow. "Have we met, sir?"
"Yes, Mr. Gardiner, this is my dearest sister, Elizabeth," Charles said. "Lizzy, may I present Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gardiner of London. Mr. Gardiner is the creator of the most sought-after carriages in the whole of England, Gardiner's Custom Carriages, and Bingley Textiles is in partnership with his business, providing all of the English-made cloth he uses for upholstery and curtains."
"It is a great pleasure to meet you again, Miss Elizabeth," said Mr. Gardiner. "I am not surprised you have no memory of me—we met only once, when you were a little girl. Your father and I were friends, you see, and it was he with whom I established the partnership."
"You knew my father well, then, Mr. Gardiner?" Elizabeth asked, feeling hope rise within her. She knew so few people who had known her parents aside from her siblings and the few relations that remained on her mother's side of the family.
Mr. Gardiner nodded. "I did, yes. Would you like to hear some stories about him?" he asked with a grin.
"Oh, would I!" Elizabeth exclaimed. She turned to Charles. "Oh, please—may I stay here for a moment to hear about Papa?"
Charles smiled warmly, and lifted the hand that held his arm to his lips to brush a kiss on her knuckles. "Of course, dear sister. I shall start making the rounds to my friends—I know several of them are hoping to meet you."
Elizabeth laughed and shooed him away. For the next few minutes, she was delighted by stories of her father and Mr. Gardiner helping each other's business to thrive. Throughout she found herself fighting back tears, as hearing such warm reflections of her father stirred her emotions and made her both love and miss him more.
Mr. Gardiner was just beginning to share the story in which her father had been the one to introduce him to his lady when Elizabeth heard Caroline's shrill voice from off to her left.
"Mr. Darcy!" Caroline called out, leading Elizabeth to flit her eyes over to find her sister sidling up to a tall gentleman with dark hair, a strong jaw, and a noble mien. A funny little flutter started in her belly as she noticed the gentleman cut a very fine figure in his evening wear.
She pushed the thought aside and returned her attention to the Gardiners but was again distracted when she heard Caroline's description of her, and she thanked the training she had received from her aunt about how to keep a smile on her face even when confronted with disappointment.
How could her sister be so cruel and unfeeling?! Elizabeth wondered. And so inappropriate! What sort of person disparaged their own relation to a man who had not the opportunity of meeting that relation and judging for himself?
Warmth flooded through her when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Charles and Colonel Fitzwilliam were approaching the pair, and her brother did not look to be pleased with her sister. He must have heard her vicious remarks as well, Elizabeth mused, and she hoped that Charles would give Caroline a set-down, even while knowing that the ball was hardly the time or place for such discourse.
"Mr. Bingley, I understand from my cousin that he escorted your youngest sister home from Spain. Would you do me the honor of introducing me to her?"
The deep timbre of Mr. Darcy's voice reached Elizabeth's ears and stirred the butterflies in her belly again. Her eyes widened and her heartbeat increased its pace when she was soon afforded the pleasure of a close-up view of his countenance.
My, he is handsome.
Charles spoke for a moment with the Gardiners before Elizabeth prompted him to introduce his friend. Mr. Darcy studied her with what she believed was an appreciative gaze, and it was all Elizabeth could do not to blush as they engaged in polite conversation.
She was certain her tanned skin was flushed crimson when the gentleman asked her to dance, and when she gave him her hand to be led to the dance floor, Elizabeth felt the warmth of his skin through his glove and hers. She also felt the strength in his grip though it was gentle, and for a reason she could not understand, that made her feel … safe.
They took their places in the line, and she found it difficult to look at him while she worked to govern the strange feeling she'd had. At length, Elizabeth mustered her courage, smiled, and lifted her gaze to engage Mr. Darcy in conversation again. It had at first surprised her to learn that he had difficulty in speaking with strangers, but when she recalled he had also been described as reserved unless among his intimate acquaintances, she understood—Mr. Darcy of Pemberley was shy!
What a notion, Elizabeth thought, then reminded herself that although it had been several years since she had encountered a shy gentleman, they did exist.
When her partner spoke of his sister, Elizabeth was naturally curious as to what the poor girl's difficulty had been, and she could not but suspect that Miss Darcy suffered from a disappointment of the heart. She might have laughed it off and concealed her hurt behind her often-sardonic wit had it happened to her, but not every young lady had the ability to project happiness to hide pain.
"It was Fitzwilliam's suggestion that perhaps Georgiana could use a friend of her own sex."
Elizabeth mulled over the statement and believed it was worth a try. "Well, Mr. Darcy," said she, "if by the end of this evening you determine that this coarse, brown, weather-beaten skin of mine will not frighten your poor sister, I should be delighted to make her acquaintance."
Again, Elizabeth was certain Mr. Darcy was scrutinizing her person, and she found herself resisting the urge to squirm beneath that discerning gaze. Of course, she did not agree one jot with Caroline's spiteful description of her appearance … it was that a handsome man was looking at her and judging that appearance for himself.
"I believe I know enough already to make that decision, Miss Elizabeth," he said at last. "And I would appreciate very much your calling at Darcy House at your earliest convenience, that I may make the introduction."
Elizabeth felt a rush of relief, and yes, a small touch of pride. Mr. Darcy not only approved of her appearance, but he also approved of her as a person—and a potential friend for his sister. That alone bode well for her family, for she knew that further association with a highly respectable and wealthy man like Darcy would make the nouveau riche Bingleys more welcome in the homes of other such members of society. His approval of her as an acquaintance for his sister might also help Elizabeth to make friends of her own among the ton daughters.
Not that she had any intention of using him to further her own position! The last ten days of being back in England had reaffirmed for Elizabeth that she and her sisters were nothing alike—but neither could she ignore the fact that the association was beneficial to her social standing.
Smiling, she said, "I shall speak to my brother as to when he will be free to escort me."
Mr. Darcy returned her smile, and they spent the rest of the first dance in a companionable silence. During the second, he was the one to initiate conversation by asking about her time in Spain.
"You are more worldly than me, in that respect," he said, "as I have never left England."
Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow. "Not even to go to Ireland or Scotland?"
Darcy shook his head. "They are part of the empire; thus, they do not count as foreign lands. Though, I have been to Scotland—my family owns a small estate in the highlands—but I have not traveled to Ireland."
Smiling, Elizabeth said, "Entonces permítame presentarle las bellezas de España."**
Mr. Darcy's eyebrows rose at her flawless diction, then he smiled warmly. Elizabeth's heart fluttered at that smile, and she was forced to exert some measure of energy at settling it again.
For the rest of the dance, Elizabeth talked of her travels with the army. She spoke of the work she did, the landscape, and the people. He listened, and his expression told her he was genuinely interested. This pleased her enormously.
When at last the second song of the first set ended, the ladies curtsied to their partners, and the gentlemen bowed. All the dancers and many of the onlookers then turned and applauded the musicians.
"Shall I escort you to your next partner, Miss Elizabeth?" Darcy asked.
"I should be much obliged, but as he is just over there, you need not exert yourself," she replied.
Mr. Darcy glanced in the direction she had pointed her fan; Mr. Hiddleston was not twenty feet away, speaking to his first partner.
He then looked back at her, and said, "On the contrary, Miss Elizabeth. It is a gentleman's duty to escort his partner either to her chaperone or her next partner."
Elizabeth grinned. "And it would be highly insupportable for a gentleman to fail in his duty, is that not so?" she said teasingly.
With a smile, he offered his arm. "Undoubtedly so, Miss Elizabeth."
Slipping her hand around his arm, Elizabeth replied, "Well then, sir, far be it for a girl who has followed the drum to stand in the way of duty."
** Spanish translation: "Then allow me to acquaint you with the beauties of Spain."