“Such a charming partner could never be refused.”
“Then,” Darcy spoke with a happy, high tone to his voice, “I must give up having the first dance with you, Georgiana. But save the second and the last for me.”
“I will! I will!” Georgiana replied blushingly with a color Elizabeth was sure was not primarily produced by herbrother’srequest.
Chapter Fifteen
During the course of the afternoon prior to Bingley’s ball, Elizabeth dressed with more than usual care. She had not been this giddy about the prospect of dancing since she had been a young miss in her first year or two within society.
Giddy, happy, irrational, hopeful, desirous, and frightened. She was like a carriage driver who had tangled the reins and could no longer control the horses. Perhaps she should neither encourage him, nor accept him if he offered. She was too independent, and despite her love of their conversation, sharp arguments and shared jokes werenotsufficient foundation for a life together.
These doubts did not affect her preparations in the slightest. During the course of the afternoon, Elizabeth eagerly asked both her mother and Mrs. Gardiner for sartorial advice. Then she ignored their advice, after which she decided she looked terrible and changed her clothes precisely following her relations instructions. Then she removed half ofthatoutfit to follow her own inclination again. She sent her poor maid down to Meryton twice to acquire ribbons and flowers not available at Longbourn.
Elizabeth settled upon lacing and Christmas blossoms woven into her hair. Her hair was fetching.
She went through every single one of her scarves and eight necklaces before settling upon the first shawl and the second necklace attempted. She however had grown tired of her absurd indecision when her hair was made, and for Georgiana’s sake she wished their party to be present at Netherfield early, so she simply wore it without further adjustments past the first attempt.
Bingley’s ball had turned into a large affair to which the entirety of the community was invited, and few chose to not attend.
It amused Elizabeth — no one in the community would have been the first to greet Georgiana Darcy. The Lucases and Gouldings met her due to their enduring friendship with Elizabeth and Jane. But once the society of the neighborhood collectively determined Georgiana Darcy was a sweet creature with no harm in her — and that she would not conveniently disappear — how to treat her became difficult question.
No onewishedto miss aNetherfieldball, and Bingley would only invite a person willing to acknowledge his guest.
What a dilemma for the defender of morality and community standards!
Bingley’s balls were the grandest affairs in the neighborhood, exceeding in splendor, not in size, the public assemblies. Everyone liked Bingley, and Jane was adored by every gentleman, andstillliked by every lady.
This ball was to be particularly good — Bingley had hired musicians from London! Not the town players everyone hired and who performed the assemblies. And Bingley was using the last of the wines from the famed French vineyard in Margaux that had been placed in the cellars of Netherfield two decades past by the old baronet and sold with the house. Bingley’s cook was the best in the neighborhood, and he always laid out a fine supper during the break.
Initially Bingley gave only a few invitations to people who were carefully selected to be willing to count a girl like Georgiana amongst their acquaintance. But oncetheyagreed to come, the rest of the neighborhood did not wish to be left out of such a good party.
For almost allthatwas a greater consideration by far than any moral squeamishness or worry about what others would think if they acknowledged Georgiana Darcy.
But once all of the couples and matrons had begged and hinted their way into invitations, everyone agreed the young maidens should also be allowed to attend — what possible harm could occur in such a crowded venue?
In short,everyonewas to attend the ball, everyone in the neighborhood was to be introduced to poor Georgie, and Elizabeth had strong fears for how the shy girl would support herself under the sudden exposure to near a hundred superficial well-wishers.
So with her hair pronounced beautiful by her father, her mother, her aunt and uncle, her enthusiastic maid and by Mr. Peake, Elizabeth set off in the carriage to Netherfield. She still thought a different style of flower would have been better.
Ridiculous. Why was she being ridiculous?
The carriage rolled over the cold road between Longbourn and Netherfield, with familiar fields and houses passing by Elizabeth’s unseeing eyes.
The dark truth must be confessed: She loved Fitzwilliam Darcy. Her admiration was an animal passion; a spiritual connection; a bond in friendship betwixt their hearts. And she believed that he, with his elegantly trimmed head and beautiful long limbs, had formed a tolerably powerful attachment towards her.
She would agree to marry him, and he would ask. Always before she thought marriage meant loss of freedom and dependence upon the goodwill of a changeable man. She told herself and others that that was why she had never married.
A lie, Elizabeth now knew.
She had never married before because she had not yet met Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley.
“Lizzy.” Papa tapped her shoulder from where he sat opposite in the carriage. “You are distracted today. Thoughts of someone?”
There was both curiosity and worry in his eyes. What didPapathink?
Elizabeth suddenly had an urge to ask him for advice.
Mrs. Bennet exclaimed, “I believe Mr. Darcy admires you, Lizzy. Faith! He looked at you in a most particular manner yesterday. I cannot believe it! I do not understand it. But I sawyoutoo. My dear daughter! Ten thousand a year! Even Bingley is nothing to Mr. Darcy.”
