35

Elizabeth did not awaken in time for her customary walk the next morning; it was nearly noon by the time she dressed herself and walked down the hall to the nursery. She sipped a cup of coffee instead of her usual tea, but she did not feel half as ghastly as she normally had after playing Regents and Lunatics. Perhaps it had been a good thing that she and Captain Darcy had deliberately stopped answering questions correctly.

She had employed a trick Oliver taught her, the last time they had ever played the game together. She had won, and no sooner had she claimed the victory – and the brandy – then she knew she would soon regret it. Two glasses of water and headache powders before bed, he had told her, and the advice was serving her well this morning.

Lydia did not look quite so rosy. She sat not on the rocking chair but on the foot stool in front of it, squinting at the three sleeping babies with a strange, pained smile. She looked up at Elizabeth and raised a finger to her lips. “If you speak above a whisper, I shall perish immediately.”

“Oh dear,” Elizabeth breathed. “I hope last night was worth it.”

Lydia closed her eyes and let out a low hum of satisfaction. “That is for you to say.”

Elizabeth sat down on the rocking chair and rubbed Lydia’s back in slow, soothing strokes. “I know it was your plan all along, but I owe you my thanks,” she whispered.

“Did it work?”

“If you intended for our new friends to feel like family already, you certainly hit the mark.”

Lydia turned her head back to look up at Elizabeth, then gave a little groan. “I saw Charles go into Jane’s room last night, not his own.”

“I wonder you could see anything, the state you were in,” Elizabeth murmured with a breathy laugh.

“Mmm,” Lydia sighed. “It was wonderful. He is so very strong, he lifted me up as if it were nothing at all. He smelled like cinnamon.”

“Possibly the scone you smashed in his face?”

Lydia gave another happy hum. “I wanted to kiss him, but I was too sleepy.”

Elizabeth arched a brow but recollected that she was in no position to criticise. Last night, she had considered doing something scandalous enough to make her sister’s antics seem saintly.

“Did you kiss Captain Darcy? I thought he was going to kiss you right there in the parlour a few times last night.”

After a moment of beaming reflection, Elizabeth had to say, “No, I suppose I did not.” She had licked his cheek and he had suckled her earlobe, but she knew better than to give her sister any ideas.

“You sound surprised.”

“Perhaps I am,” Elizabeth admitted. “But I did think of Olly a great deal last night.”

Lydia shifted to one side and rested an arm in Elizabeth’s lap. “Me too,” she said quietly. “If I over-imbibed, surely I did it in his honour.”

Elizabeth smiled and patted her sister’s hair. “It is what he would have wanted.”

“Exactly.” The sisters shared a little laugh, and then Lydia yawned. “I think I wish to go back to bed.”

“You ought to; you look awful,” Elizabeth said. “That is, you look like you had an awfully grand time last evening. Perhaps some more rest would do you good. I had not expected to see anybody else awake yet.”

“My windows face fully east, and once the sun was up, I could not go back to sleep,” Lydia whined. “But I must rest myself; I have so much to plan.”

Elizabeth gave her sister a loving pat on the cheek. “You shall make a very fine hostess when you have a home of your own, someday, dearest. And I know Jane appreciates your efforts – we all do.”

With Elizabeth’s help, Lydia shambled back to her feet and moved toward the door. “Thank you, Lizzy. I feared I would get so swept away in managing the entertainment that I would not be amused myself, but that was not at all the case. But you shall all be far less diverted tonight if I keel over, and I am sure I shall.”

Elizabeth rushed to her sister’s side and insisted on helping Lydia back to her room. She made her sister partake of some water and headache powders before returning to bed, and then Elizabeth resolved that she would take a walk after all. She returned to her room for a warm pelisse, and brought along one of Captain Darcy’s letters.

She had promised not to read them all at once, and so she perused the first of them as she walked beyond the garden, out across the meadow. It was not long after she had finished the letter than its author appeared on the path before her.

“I am surprised to see you – I suspected everybody would remain abed later than usual,” she said, smiling up at him as he offered her his arm.

“An old trick I learned at sea….”

“Two glasses of water and headache powders?”

He nodded. “We would all be quite lost if Olly had shared my reticence.”

She shared a wistful glance with him, feeling a warm satisfaction at how natural it was to speak of her husband with him. “I see that has not changed – you still claim to be reserved when I have never seen any evidence of it. Your two dearest friends are Olly and Charles!”

Elizabeth furrowed a brow, having forgotten to speak of her husband in the past tense, but she pushed the thought away. “Papa enjoyed your company a great deal, too – and he had little patience for anyone who is not amusing.”

“I believe your father would have put up with a great deal to win a game of chess,” he drawled.

She thought of how they had both lost their fathers, and said, “I read the letter you wrote me in May.”

Captain Darcy looked as though he knew not what to say; he only nodded for her to elaborate.

“It was not as sad as you suggested; indeed, it almost seemed as though you were restraining your feelings. You wrote of your difficulties, and yet you mentioned only how it affected those you cared for, and not yourself. Kitty once suggested to me that there is more significance in what is omitted than what is said.”

“My family, those I love will always be of the greatest importance to me,” Captain Darcy replied, giving her a look that plainly told her she was amongst them. He sighed heavily. “And I had no wish to burden you. In truth, I feared that if you knew how wretched I was, you would somehow think less of me.”

Elizabeth could not help herself; she reached up to stroke his face. “I might be hurt that you could have thought me so heartless, and yet I know what it is like to be so downcast that you cannot see how anybody could possibly bear to be in your presence, much less hear of your woes.”

Captain Darcy looked pained, and gave a nod of his head. He cupped her hands in his face and kissed her forehead. “I have no wish to speak of it, not after such a happy night last night. For all you shall read of my suffering in the next letter, at present I should rather think of my sister’s smiles. And yours. Last evening was… it felt like something I never knew I had wished for.”

“Even though our relations are now entirely incapacitated?” Elizabeth grinned at him, her hands drawn to touch his arms as she had done the night before.

“Not one of them shall say it was not worth it, I am sure,” he teased. “When Georgie met Jermone, she began to return to her old self again. But, no – she became something more. I have realised how long I went without seeing her happy, and how vital her sweet cheer has ever been to me. Last night it was like she was lit from within, like she had never belonged somewhere so much as she did when she was laughing with such genuine friends. And I began to think the same of myself.”

“I believe we all felt such a sensation,” Elizabeth said warmly. “We all have ample cause to wish for happier times after all that has happened.”

Her hand found its way into his, and they walked on in a blissfully comfortable silence for a few minutes before Elizabeth said, “You wrote of the future in your letter. You promised the very sort of joy amongst our friends and family as we enjoyed last night. I find I am a little ashamed that my own hopes dwindled away when I never received your letters.”

“There is nothing for you to be ashamed of, Elizabeth,” he said. “Perhaps I ought to have done more. If I had gone to Longbourn sooner…. But I know you do not wish to speculate on such things. I will not, but neither will I hear you reproach yourself. We must speak of the past only to understand one another as we are now. There is no need to wish it any different, when we are here now.”

“You are full of poetry today, Will,” she said, testing the feel of his name on her tongue.

“Only with you am I ever eloquent,” he laughed.

“If that is the case, I should be delighted to listen to you. You wrote of the future you imagined for us two years ago – I would like to hear your mind on the matter now.”

He smiled brightly. “You would like to speak of the future?”

“I wish to listen to you speak,” she teased. “And then I shall likely think upon it a greater deal oftener than I would ever confess. But I told you last night you shall have to woo me properly. Fortunately for you, I am a wiser woman than I once was, and I have no intention of making it difficult for you. I shall tell you quite directly what I desire from you, and at present I wish you to paint me a very pretty picture.”

Elizabeth gave him a reassuring smile – one she knew as also rather alluring. She knew she was not entirely ready to commit her life to this man she loved so dearly, but she was perfectly amenable to being persuaded.

They walked through the meadow to the east of the manor and Captain Darcy obliged her for more than an hour, speaking on everything from the places he wished to travel, to projects he wished to pursue at Pemberley – he even told her what an excellent grandmother Lady Anne would make someday. He also told her a great deal about his ward, his niece Louisa, who was now six years old.

When he asked to see her children, Elizabeth agreed without hesitation. They walked back to the house hand in hand, and entered the nursery to discover Jane there. Elizabeth feared her sister would be feeling the effects of last night's entertainment, but Jane looked very well indeed; to Elizabeth, she appeared absolutely radiant.

Jane held little Marcus in one arm, angling her hip to support him as she leaned over the twins’ cradle to coo at them. She straightened, her hand moving to rest on her belly in a beautiful maternal pose as she smiled at Elizabeth.

“I came to collect this handsome young man for a ramble in the garden, now that he is growing surer in his steps,” Jane explained. “I seem to be tiring more easily lately, but I do cherish my time with him.”

Elizabeth smiled back at her sister. Here was the Jane she knew, who could love another woman’s child. For a moment she wished her sister could see herself so kindly, for Jane’s heart was kinder than she gave herself credit for.

Jane glanced down at the cradle. “They are an impressive pair, sitting up and chatting away already.”

Here Elizabeth could not resist some shameless boasting. “They have their own little monosyllabic language with one another, I am sure they find themselves very clever. And Sophia is very near to crawling – she shall master it faster than her cousin Thomas Collins, yes she will.” She picked up her daughter, who laughed and gurgled a few sounds that delighted little Ben.

“May I?” Captain Darcy began to reach for Bennet, and when Elizabeth nodded her assent, he lifted the boy into his arms. “Hello, Master Lucas. What a fine fellow you are. You have your mother’s eyes.”

“And both parents’ fondness for you,” Elizabeth teased as her son tugged at Captain Darcy’s cravat and squealed with glee as he lifted it into his mouth.

Jane watched them with a knowing smile and began to walk toward the door. “I will return in about an hour.”

Once they were alone, Elizabeth was overcome by the intimacy of the moment, and she moved away from Captain Darcy, whose attention was fixed on her son. She sat Sophia down on a plush rug at one side of the room, then gathered a few toys and sat down on the floor near her daughter, hoping she might finally encourage the girl to crawl properly.

Captain Darcy followed and sat a few feet away from her in the same cross-legged pose, placing Bennet in front of him. “Do they have any favourite toys?”

“Sophia has the makings of an artist, for she likes brightly coloured things best – here is her favourite doll, Maggie, dressed rather like a harlot.” Elizabeth picked up the doll and laughed as she displayed it. Maggie had the countenance of a painted up courtesan, and the sleeves of her vibrant, over-trimmed dress had been pulled down about her shoulders.

Sophia reached for the doll and cooed out a few more sounds that wanted to be words. Bennet rolled onto his stomach and lurched for the doll. “As you can see, his favourite toy is whatever his sister likes best.” Elizabeth moved the doll’s arms and legs as if she was dancing, and began to sing out, “Dance, Maggie, dance. Crawl for Maggie!”

Sophia scrambled on her belly, pulling with her arms and kicking with her feet, but not quite managing to lift up off of her belly. “Maz,” she cooed.

Elizabeth gasped and reached for Captain Darcy’s hand. “Did you hear that? She said Mags!” Elizabeth handed Sophia the doll. “Say it again, my darling! Say Mags. Maaaggsss.”

Captain Darcy chuckled. “I think she said maps. She shall be a great geographer and travel the world with Maggie the tart.”

Elizabeth snorted with laughter. “Perhaps she said mask, and she shall have a great fondness for masquerade balls.” She held her hands over her face and then moved them away several times, making a different silly face at her children each time she moved her hands away. They both found it tremendously amusing.

“Who is fond of masquerade balls? Are you talking about me?” Lydia giggled and stepped through the doorway arm in arm with Georgie. Then they stopped, observing Captain Darcy and Elizabeth together. “We were just….”

Georgie turned red and smirked. “We just, ah, forgot something in the other room.”

“The library,” Lydia said, and she deftly steered them both away without another word.

Elizabeth was once again aware of the tender feelings her familial moment with Captain Darcy had aroused. She looked down at her son, who was half crawling, half rolling toward her. She drew him into her lap and he grabbed at her thumb, pulling it into his mouth. Through the gums, she could feel the beginnings of a tooth, and she winced a little. “You spoke this morning of those you love being of the greatest importance to you, and my little darlings are the most important people in the world to me,” she mused.

Captain Darcy gave a nod of his head. “I am honoured that you have allowed me the privilege of meeting them.”

As he picked Sophia up and began to gently bounce her and her doll, Elizabeth stroked the thin, soft hair of her son. His resemblance to Olly was striking, though her own dark, thoughtful eyes peered up from his little face.

She looked over at Captain Darcy, searching for the words to give voice to the sudden trepidation that had crept over her. “Does it bother you at all that your dearest friend was the father of my children?”

Elizabeth could see in his eyes that he understood what she really meant to ask. “I did not imagine it would be a full marriage, when first I heard of it, but I am glad that he shall live on in these two mischievous imps,” he replied, and she appreciated how he kept the tone of his voice pleasant enough to put Sophia perfectly at ease with him.

“I have always imagined your friendship with Olly to be much like my own. He brought out a merry side in me when I needed it, and he saved my life. I believe he did the same for you; he was certainly there when you needed him. And I am glad you were loved, truly I am, as much as I wished it to be me.”

“I was loved, and I love him – loved him – very much,” Elizabeth said. “I always will, for more and more I shall see him in my children.”

“It is something to be looked forward to,” he said with a meaningful look in his eyes. “I should never wish him forgotten. I miss his friendship, but I am reminded of it when I am with you, for you are the only other person I have ever felt so much like myself with. I spoke with my mother of you a few times, and she told me on one occasion that such friendship is the finest foundation for love; few are so fortunate to have either.”

Elizabeth was pleased, though not fully satisfied by his answer. “I have had both already, and could not settle for less if I were to….”

“Nor I.”

She gave him a hopeful smile, and resolved to say what weighed upon her the most. “Charlotte spoke to me before her marriage to Mr. Goulding – I do not know if you recall him from Meryton – he is a widower with three children. She told me that she worried he would not be able to care for her fully, for his first union had been a love match. I would hate to make anyone face such doubts with me.”

Captain Darcy stared at her with glistening eyes as he considered his words. He was always so thoughtful, so deliberate; she loved that quiet circumspection. Finally, he said, “I have always marvelled at how you love your sisters. My family has ever been smaller than your own, and I care for them all a great deal. You bestow your affection on more relations than I, and yet they do not receive smaller portions of your love. Nobody fortunate enough to have some claim on your heart could ever feel they were not being given enough of what you possess in such abundance. And Olly is but one of the many lucky souls blessed with your affection.”

Elizabeth wiped at the tears she felt welling in her eyes. “Thank you for saying that. I am rather too awed to know what to say.”

“We need say nothing more about it, if you find that we are in accord. Let us simply savour the delights of you children.” And for the next hour, that is just what they did.

***

Lydia had recovered her usual energy by that evening, and they were once again a merry party at dinner. She was very well pleased, though she feigned some playful exasperation with the colonel, when he made an announcement that delighted their companions. “We have ridden to the village this afternoon,” he said, gesturing to Charles. “On an errand you will all applaud us for.”

“Oh, yes!” Bingley grinned. “Richard suggested that we –”

“Make haste in acting upon his excellent idea,” the colonel said, deflecting the credit of his little scheme to his friend. “Charles has hired a dancing master to come to us next week. We found an advertisement from a fellow in York who is most suitable, and we hope to have a dance lesson next Monday in preparation for the ball.”

“Is it not a fine scheme?” Charles had certainly convinced himself it had been his own idea, and he beamed with pride. Jane smiled brightly at her husband, and so Lydia could not be too vexed that she had been on the verge of devising the scheme herself, when the colonel had beaten her to it. She had another fine idea in progress, and so she would content herself with that.

Surely by the morrow her aunt and uncle would receive her letter, and they would arrive sooner than planned at Cameron Court. Elizabeth had befriended Georgie as swiftly as Lydia had imagined; next Captain Darcy must do the same with the beloved Gardiners.

It was but six days later that Cameron Court was graced by both the dancing master and the Gardiners. The latter arrived in the early afternoon, and received a warm welcome from all. They fussed over their nieces and the little ones, relished all the praise for their own children, and were exceedingly civil to Viscount and Lady Webster.

Lydia had not realised until then how much she hoped they would approve of Colonel Fitzwilliam. They had met briefly with him in London on the occasions Lydia had called on Georgie. But it had been so intimate and easy at Cameron Court, and she found that she dearly wished for her aunt and uncle to be on the same friendly terms with the man she had long esteemed.

But of course they liked him. He was impossible not to feel perfectly comfortable with, for he was as affable and Charles, with a great deal more wit in his humour. There was such a happy blend of sincerity and worldliness in his bearing, and Lydia was relieved to see that the Gardiners were pleased by his warmth. For his part, the colonel was as natural and candid with them as he was with everybody else.

She had felt a rising tension between them since the night they all played Regents and Lunatics. Of course she had known that the drunken frivolities would lead to a heightened sense of physical awareness between them, and she had relished those sensations. It hung in the air between them every time they spoke, and they were often finding excuses for fleeting touches and secret whispered conversations about their schemes. But what neither would admit was that the designs they formed were not only for their friends.

It was thrilling to leave it unspoken, and Lydia was in no hurry to progress until her sisters had their happiness completed. Still, she knew the session with the dancing master would only push her deeper into her secret passion. Just as the colonel had jested once or twice, her diary was becoming a shocking thing indeed.

***

Darcy had first believed that Charles hired the dancing master, Monsieur Gaspard, in an effort to woo his wife. He soon realised Richard had been the mastermind of the plan, and it seemed to be a gambit to court Miss Bennet, which Darcy found a surprisingly pleasing prospect. Of course, he was grateful for his own sake, for it allowed him to dance with Elizabeth.

She still wore her mourning garb, and seemed a little hesitant at first, but by the second dance she had begun to enjoy herself.

“I hope you know that nobody here will think less of you for taking pleasure in activities amongst intimate friends and relations.”

“I suppose that is why I am so determined to reproach myself, for nobody else shall do it,” Elizabeth replied ruefully. “But then I begin to feel that in doing so, I shall only depress the spirits of my friends. Grief is a strange thing, is it not?”

Darcy knew all too well what she meant. “In times of grief, those who care about you will desire you take some pleasure in life, and yet the guilt of doing so only becomes another burden – but only if you allow it.”

She smiled up at him as Monsieur Gaspard called out some instructions in his thick accent and clapped in time to the music that Elizabeth’s nanny had offered to provide. She was quite proficient, and had agreed enthusiastically to play for them. “I’m a romantic, in my heart, and any chance to enjoy such a grand instrument,” she had cried, and she appeared to take as much delight as the dancers.

The Gardiners had elected to join in after watching the four couples learn the first dance, and after the second dance Mr. Gardiner called for a change of partners, citing a wish to dance with all his nieces. “And it would hardly be proper for you all to keep the same partners for six consecutive sets! The adults are here now, children, and we shall make you behave properly!”

This was said with a jolly laugh and a great deal of winking, evoking what Mrs. Bennet might have been like had she a rational amount of sense. He was sure to be a complaisant chaperone; yet another reason for Darcy to like the man.

He found that he had thought well of the Gardiners as soon as they were introduced, if only because their affection for Elizabeth was so apparent. That they were intelligent, good-humoured, and genteel only increased Darcy’s wish to know them better.

He offered his hand to Mrs. Gardiner, and broached the topic of Derbyshire, for Elizabeth had told him once that her aunt hailed from Lambton, a village not five miles from his home. She did not grasp at such a connection, as so many would. In fact, she did not seem interested in discussing Derbyshire at all.

“I suppose you are aware that Lizzy stayed with us in London not long after she made your acquaintance, sir,” she said evenly.

“Yes.”

“I have never seen anybody so dejected, and so physically altered from her low spirits,” Mrs. Gardiner observed, the lilt in her voice belying a rather stern expression. “She confided in me, as she has ever done. She is looking better in her countenance at present, and bearing the twins has restored her figure, thankfully. I hope she will continue to confide in me while I am here, and I expect to hear happier tidings on this occasion.”

Darcy took this for the warning it was and gave a nod of his head. He looked over at Elizabeth then, struck with the realisation that she certainly appeared healthier than she had when they met in Kent two years ago. Anguish constricted his chest as he considered that even while she was grieving her husband, the misery was not so wrought upon her lovely form as it had been when fate had first separated them.

“I will do everything in my power to ensure that she never suffers so acutely again, on my honour as a gentleman.”

Now Mrs. Gardiner’s smile became warmer. “I am glad to hear it.” She allowed the conversation to turn to lighter subjects after she had said her piece, though Darcy could not shake the painful reflection she had led him to ponder.

Their group continued to exchange partners, and Elizabeth danced next with Charles while Darcy partnered Miss Bennet. She was easy to converse with even as his guilt weighed upon him. She attempted to behave causally as she peppered him with questions about Richard, and he was able to answer them all without fully taking his mind off of how desperately he wished to make Elizabeth happy.

After this, Jane Bingley made a serene partner, speaking chiefly of the children in residence, and the little Collinses who would arrive with their parents in another week. It both chagrined and heartened Darcy to hear the woman speak so kindly of little Marcus, reminding him of his other purpose in coming to Cameron Court.

“I am so pleased you consented to visit us,” she said after a few minutes of easy silence – or as close to silence as was possible with Monsieur Gaspard’s near-constant stream of praise and correction for the dancers.

“I am glad that Charles invited me,” Darcy replied. “I hope you have not found it too overwhelming to have a house full of people.”

“A little faster, Madame Bingley,” Monsieur Gaspard tutted. “The exercise is beneficial, your doctor would tell you so! You will not perish from movement! Do the steps better, like so.”

Jane blushed as she glanced back at the pedantic man’s demonstration. “You are doing beautifully,” Darcy reassured her.

“You are very kind,” she murmured, peering up at him with a question in her eyes. He had endeavoured to be civil, even warm to Mrs. Bingley since arriving at her home, but for a moment their last conversation in Kent hung in the air between them.

“I can easily forgive a misstep when you are endeavouring to improve yourself.” He could see that she understood he was not speaking of the dance. “It is a long set, and there is no reason not to enjoy it even if you began on shaky footing.”

Jane looked up with the brightest smile he had ever seen upon her face. “I suppose that is sensible advice. I fear my thinking overly much about my missteps shall only cause more of the same. It is fortunate that I am surrounded by so many superior dancers, who might give me hope I shall learn their grace.”

She really was a fine woman, Darcy supposed. His discomfiture had cooled in the course of encouraging his partner, and he was grateful to her for it. “I hope the ball will divert you – I know Charles is eager that it should, and I understand your youngest sister has exerted a great deal of energy quite happily in planning the affair.”

“Is she not much improved since we were all together in Hertfordshire? I am prodigiously proud of her.”

Darcy bowed his head in agreement. “She has chiefly resided with such an elegant example to guide her,” he said smoothly. “But we are all older and wiser than we once were.”

Once he had set his mind to demonstrating that he had forgiven her for the schemes she had brought to Kent and laid at his door, Darcy found that it was gratifying to put his friend’s wife at ease. It had been needed, even. And in his heart, he bore her no ill will at all; as Elizabeth had advised him, he had begun to look toward the possibilities of the future, rather than the pain of the past.

And so Darcy endeavoured to reacquaint himself with the woman whose demeanour seemed utterly aligned with the young lady Elizabeth had so often praised when they were in Hertfordshire. She was not as vivacious as her sisters, but her conversation was agreeable, and she seemed to accept his kindness in the spirit it was given.

When the last dance was called, he returned Mrs. Bingley to her husband, and was resolved to partner Elizabeth once more. Richard had the same notion, and gave Darcy a devilish look until Monsieur Gaspard announced that they would learn a Prussian waltz; Richard abruptly diverted his course toward Miss Bennet instead, and Darcy offered Elizabeth his hand.

She appeared merrier after partnering her uncle, and was not daunted when Monsieur Gaspard came to assess them. “You must stand closer, he will not bite you, Madame Lucas! In France we appreciate the chance to stand so close, mon dieu! This man is no stranger, and handsome too!”

Elizabeth blushed for a moment before her countenance gave way to the mirth of the moment as she allowed the instructor to push her closer to Darcy.

They began the steps, and she held his gaze with confidence. When the fussy instructor stalked off to harass his next victim, Elizabeth said, “You and Jane seemed to converse a great deal. What did you speak of?”

“Many things. The children in particular,” Darcy prevaricated.

“Has little Lou any friends to play with?” Elizabeth blushed, realising what she had implied.

Darcy allowed it to pass. “The vicar and his wife have a daughter about her age, and a son who is about a year old. And my steward has a young son and daughter as well. My cousin, Richard’s elder brother, has four children, but they are all a few years older than Lou. However, he is a widower, so it is not impossible that he may have more someday.”

Little cousins to play with their own future children – Darcy could see that she was thinking it, too. He had been back to the nursery a few times since she had first allowed him to meet the twins, and he was as much in love with them as with their beautiful mother.

“I have been inspired to think oftener of the future than the past,” he said after spinning her in time with the other dancers, amidst applause from Monsieur Gaspard.

“You must elaborate; I should like to hear your thoughts of the future.”

It was all Darcy could do to think properly with her in his arms, and he grappled for something to say to please her. “We used to give a ball every autumn, after the harvest, for the tenants and servants. I am looking forward to bringing the tradition back this year.”

Elizabeth’s smile was one of understanding, for he meant her to be mistress of Pemberley when this happy event occurred. “It sounds lovely,” she replied, as if too lost in the rhythmic movement of their bodies so near to give a better reply. Her face flushed with colour.

“Perhaps Pemberley shall have a house party, too, and we shall play Regents and Lunatics after the ball.”

Her eyes sparkled with mirth. “I wonder what your servants would make of that.”

“I hope they shall find it a charming Darcy tradition,” he replied. “There is not a servant at Pemberley who does not wish to see the house come alive again.”

He thought he could see tears glistening in her eyes, but he was obliged to spin her again, and she recovered herself by the time she faced him once more. “Do go on, tell me more of the future. I wish to hear it all.”

And Darcy, though not accustomed to such spontaneous expostulation, happily obliged her. He would speak to her of their future as much as she would allow him. And he would allow himself to believe it would soon come to pass.