Chapter 15

Elizabeth had never seen Netherfield Park look so beautiful as it did that evening. Every candle in the entire place was lit, casting the hallways and the ballroom aglow with light and warmth. Beautiful ribbons adorned the candelabras, the banister, and across every mantle. The tables were bedecked with crisp white linens, making the shining silverware and crystal atop them gleam. Musicians played from the gallery above the ballroom, where their music could be heard throughout the entire house.

Elizabeth, as the guest of honor, was the first to arrive with her family. She handed her velvet-lined cape to a footman before stepping into the ballroom. The sight there took her breath away, and it was not merely the candles and decorations, but the person who stood there before her.

Mr. Darcy leaned his arm against the mantle, his coat of black superfine wool cut trimly to the advantage of his figure. He wore white dress breeches that fit his legs nicely, and a perfectly tied cravat peeked out above his fine silver waistcoat. His black, curly hair, always immaculate, had been combed differently tonight, and Elizabeth could not help thinking how becoming it looked, with only a few tendrils of curls dangling across his forehead .

Her movement caught the corner of his eye, and he turned with a smile to her, causing a sudden warmth to rush to her heart. "You look well this evening, Miss Elizabeth," he greeted her with a bow.

"As do you, Mr. Darcy." She curtsied, trying hard not to let the flush of her cheeks betray her thoughts. In less than a day, they would be united as husband and wife, and she would be sharing a home with him—a fact she tried hard not to think about at that moment.

Then another thought occurred to her. Will he expect me to share a bed with him? A shiver ran up her spine. She would not be the first person to marry out of convenience or out of necessity, and surely Mr. Darcy would want an heir. She gulped as he drew near her.

She could not decide whether to be delighted or disgusted by the thought of bearing children for him. He was the most unpleasant man she had ever known, and she had no wish to be married to him, but when she considered his appearance–as fine a specimen of a human male as one could hope for– the notion was less unpalatable than before.

She quickly banished such thoughts as the heat in her face continued to travel down to her neck. "It is warm this evening," she remarked, opening her fan and fluttering it quickly to cool herself. "Mr. Bingley has all the fireplaces lit and so many candles."

"Yes," Darcy chuckled. "It is a wonder the whole place does not burn down."

"I suppose he wishes to make a good impression on his neighbors, given everything that has transpired since his arrival," she said.

"Bingley has never failed to impress others when he desires to. Though it is a mark of his character that he has gone to such trouble on our account."

Their host soon appeared, and Elizabeth was able to express her gratitude to him for his generosity. His sisters also appeared along with Mr. Hurst. Caroline was dressed in an ostentatious and revealing gown, the shade of a tangerine, with a turban of many plumed feathers perched on her head. Mrs. Hurst was dressed similarly in an elaborately-detailed russet gown. Mr. Hurst merely gave his perfunctory greetings, attending himself to the punch bowl and the trays of hors d'oeuvres that were beginning to circulate in the hands of the footmen.

"What a pleasure to be able to celebrate your wedding this evening, Miss Elizabeth," simpered Caroline.

"I thank you, Miss Bingley, for playing hostess," Elizabeth curtsied to her.

"Of course, the honor is all mine," she replied. "It is the least we could do, all things considered. Charles quite insisted upon it, in fact." The hint of irritation in her voice did not escape Elizabeth's detection, but it did her mother's.

Mrs. Bennet's head bobbed. "We are vastly obliged to you, Mr. Bingley and Miss Bingley. I originally had in mind to throw a wedding breakfast, but this plan is much better, and I am quite happy that Mr. Bingley made the offer. After all, Longbourn is so small to host all of our neighbors. And since we do not know when we are to see our Lizzy again, it will be so good for her to have all her friends come to bid her farewell before her departure."

Mr. Bingley could only smile and nod before Mrs. Bennet went on, "My, how impressive, the number of candles you have here at Netherfield Park! It must have cost you a fortune to light all these. And you have such expensive linens covering the tables." She went on and on in this manner, complimenting everything in the room, while the others turned to greet the rest of the guests who were now arriving.

The Lucas family were among these next set.

"Dearest Eliza," said Charlotte Lucas, drawing near and kissing her cheeks. "My heartfelt wishes to you."

"Thank you, Charlotte," Elizabeth said, with as much warmth as she could muster. Elizabeth knew it was the first of many wishes she would receive that day and the next, which she would have to accept graciously, no matter her real feelings on the matter.

"You have done well for yourself, my dear," Charlotte whispered under her breath. "Look how well he looks this evening." Her eyes glanced in the direction of Mr. Darcy, presently receiving a hearty handshake from Sir William. "And here I thought Jane would be the first one to catch her husband," she added.

Elizabeth's cheeks pinked. "It is not as you surmise, I assure you," she hissed, but Charlotte paid her no heed as she moved on to greeting her hosts before making her way to the refreshment table.

Elizabeth, seeing Mr. Darcy's eyes upon her, blushed and hurried after her friend.

S

Hearing the musicians tuning their instruments, Darcy knew it was nearly time for the ball to begin. But he could not locate Elizabeth among the throngs gathered in the hall, nor in the ballroom, which was growing more crowded as guests continued to filter in.

Finally, in the drawing room, Darcy found Elizabeth standing in one corner, chatting with her friend Miss Lucas.

"Miss Elizabeth," he bowed. "It is time for us to open the ball." She hesitated. "After all," he went on quickly, "we are to be married tomorrow. As the guests of honor, it will be expected of us."

"Yes, yes, of course," she said, taking his hand. Her friend grinned widely as they parted.

Darcy led Elizabeth to the ballroom, where the couples were lining up.

"It occurs to me that though we are to be married tomorrow, I know very little of you," he said as the strains of violin above them in the gallery began playing a minuet. "Aside from sleepwalking, what are your interests? "

She blushed, and he could not help but admire the beautiful rosy color it brought to her cheeks.

"Reading," she supplied. "All sorts of books, really. Anything I can lay my hands on. My father has always been an avid reader, and I confess I have followed in his footsteps. But I also love to be outdoors."

"Do you ride?"

"Oh, no," she said a little too quickly. "No. I mean, we do have an old mare designated for our use. My sisters sometimes ride her. But I have always had a fear of horses, you see."

"Have you never tried to learn, then?"

"I did try once when I was about seven or eight. We had a different horse then, a stubborn old unruly thing. He never threw my father or Jane, you see. But as for me, well, when I tried to ride him, something spooked him and he reared up suddenly and threw me off. And despite all my father's protests that one must simply climb back on the horse if one is to learn to ride, I found that I simply could not. I was too terrified any time I went near him."

"That is a pity, for Pemberley has many wonderful horses in its stables. I, myself, confess to a great love for riding. My sister, Georgiana, also loves to ride. I hope that you will enjoy meeting her."

"I am sure that I shall." Elizabeth smiled sweetly.

Darcy's heart warmed to hear her say that. "Good. I believe I told you, I am expecting her to join us at Pemberley, not long after we are settled there. Her governess, Mrs. Younge, will bring her."

"Does she not attend school then? I mean, I thought people of your class often did. Bingley's sisters seemed to think very highly of their school in London."

"I did, initially, on Miss Bingley's recommendation, send Georgiana to the same seminary in London where she and Mrs. Hurst attended. However, Georgiana quickly found it was not to her liking. The other girls there were petty and jealous. They teased and bullied her to the point that she became quite miserable and begged me to let her leave there and study under a governess, as she had before. I made inquiries and at last someone came to me by recommendation of my rector. As she had all the necessary qualifications and excellent references, I hired her to take charge of Georgiana's education. Georgiana has, for the past two months, been living at Darcy House with Mrs. Younge.But I hope she might stay at Pemberley with us, at least until we go down for the Season."

"Of course, nothing would please me more. Do you spend much time in London during the Season then?" Elizabeth said, changing the subject.

Darcy nodded. "I own a house in Mayfair, and spend a good part of the Season there each year. My uncle, Lord Matlock, also has a house in town nearby, as does my aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, whom you have met."

"Yes, she had quite a lot of things to say to me," Elizabeth admitted.

"So I was told. She came to me straight from her visit to you, and I received quite the set down."

His comment made Elizabeth laugh. "Not enough to make you turn aside from your pledge to marry me, and marry your cousin, as you were ordered," she noted, unable not to tease.

"I told her my solemn duty to you lay above my duty to my family," he replied, in all seriousness. "Nothing could persuade me to withdraw my promise. I am, and always will remain committed to you."

S

Such a solemn vow stirred Elizabeth's heart and made her regret how coldly she had treated Mr. Darcy in the past. Here was a man who wore his honor like a badge on his breast. For better or worse, in less than a day, they would be husband and wife. She determined she would not regard him as her adversary, but allow them to come into an amicable friendship. They were, after all, to be companions for the remainder of their days.

Very well, Mr. Darcy, if an armistice is what you seek, then I shall accept your olive branch.

Their dance ended, and he surprised her by asking if she might take a stroll with him on the terrace again. This time, she readily consented. The moon had risen, and the garden looked less bleak than before. Torches had been placed along the terrace, illuminating their path and generating enough heat to stave off the cold as they walked.

Mr. Darcy cleared his throat. "There is something I wished to give you the other night, which I did not have the opportunity to do." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the box containing the ring.

Kneeling before her, he opened it. Flickers of light danced off the gleaming gems, a circular diamond surrounded by four smaller oval diamonds, laid at each point like a cross. Elizabeth froze.

"It was my mother's ring," he told her, taking one of her hands gently and putting the ring on it.. "Though we are already engaged, I wished to formally propose to you and ask you, whether you would consent to be my wife. After tomorrow, there will be no turning back. If you wish now, to renounce everything, I will ensure you and your sisters, along with your mother, are cared for, all the remainder of your days."

It was too much! Such generosity from a man who, until recently, she considered her enemy! Taking a step back from him, she removed her hand from his, then pulled the ring from her finger.

"I-I cannot accept this," she stammered, handing it back to him, her heart awash with feeling .

He sighed. "Am I to take this as a sign you wish to dissolve our betrothal?"

"The ring–it belonged to your mother. It is too precious a thing for me to wear."

"It was her wish that I give it to my bride, whomever she may be. But I shall return it to its chest to await the finger of the next lady, if such is your desire."

"You are too good, Mr. Darcy! To promise to care for me and my sisters, even if I should not wed you." She willed the tears that welled up, threatening to spill over, to maintain their bounds. "But I cannot allow you to do that. Even if we are financially provided for, the stain on our family would be irreparable. I could not send my father to an early grave, knowing I had the power to restore honor to my family. We will proceed tomorrow as planned."

"In that case, then this ring belongs on your finger." He moved to put it back on her, but she shook her head.

"Tomorrow, at the church. You may place it on my finger then. I do not trust myself with such a valuable keepsake."

He nodded, returning the ring to the box, and then to his pocket.

"Let us return to the party," she said, "before we are missed." She turned and walked from him quickly before her emotions overcame her.