The officer then marched out of the room, without speaking to anyone else.
Everyone stared around, and then everyone began eagerly talking.
Elizabeth looked back at Mr. Wickham, he breathed hard and the cards he held from the game they’d played while speaking had been crumpled together.
Chapter Ten
As inclement weather had prevented the normal easy interaction between Elizabeth and Caroline, they did not see each other for the five days preceding the ball at Netherfield.
Thus Elizabeth hurried with more eagerness than usual to enter the ballroom, fully anticipating a night filled with pleasure and interest, even though shewouldbe required to dance the second sprightly set of the night with the heavyset Mr. Collins.
Fortunately when Charlotte had braved a break in the rain to run over and visit, she’d taken sufficient pity on Elizabeth to engage the clergyman in conversation and gain his hand for the third dance of the night, so for atleastone set after her first with Colonel Fitzwilliam she would be free of his bothersomeness.
“Caroline!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “So lovely! What fine silk and lace!”
Her friend turned side to side to show off the newly made dress, the papillote curls, and the bit of color from rouge in her pale cheeks.
Elizabeth looked at her friend with delight. “I ordinarily do not envy you for your pale skin, but tonight! — you look exquisite.”
Caroline’s eyes were bright and she glowed. She embraced Elizabeth. “Just from London — I was very unhappy that you were not able to come by to see me fit for it.”
The glow from hundreds of candles hanging down from chandeliers, the murmuring of the crowd, the first achy chords from the violins as the band warmed up, the slight chill on the air of the ballroom that would turn into heat from the exercise and presence of so many guests.
A ball!
A single glorious word in which the greatest happiness in all the world could be packaged.
Colonel Fitzwilliam stepped up to them, and with an intrepid look at Caroline, he said in a considered tone, “I do not know, Miss Bingley, but I prefer you without those curls.”
Caroline groaned and rolled her eyes. “You always say such things just to be contrary.”
“No, no — besides I heard them tell of a girl who set her hair on fire while ironing them in. Horrid story, quite the sort of morbid tale of wounds you expect from battlefield exploits” He shivered. “I may be a brave man. Simple soldier. All that. But I’d rather—”
“Face the grapeshot of the French?” Caroline laughed, and Elizabeth was glad to see how high her spirits were. “I believe the chances of mortal wound are higher with the French than with the iron.”
“Rather I would say,” Colonel Fitzwilliam replied, “that I would rather face the bared bayonets of a French brigade — alone, without even the singlest man to support me. They are iron also you know, those bayonets. Alas! Such loveliness will be danced with first by Mr. Darcy.” He placed his hand on his forehead and sighed theatrically.
Caroline rolled her eyes once more, but Elizabeth thought she could perceive that her friend had reached a point of accommodation with Colonel Fitzwilliam’s tendency to absurdity, and that she was more than a little pleased by his attention.
For her part, it was impossible for Elizabeth to not take Colonel Fitzwilliam at least a little seriously after watching how he had dealt with Mr. Wickham.
“Miss Elizabeth,” the officer added. “I hope you aremostsensible of what joy and happiness this dance with you shall cost me.”
“Yes, but you have theseconddance with Caroline.” Elizabeth said that with arched eyebrows and a dimple. “You’ll not allow yourself to die of disappointment in the next half hour will you?”
“What a lovely creature you are. Your mind is as beautiful as your, ah—”
“Ahem.” Darcy approached them.
He glowered at his cousin, and Elizabeth wondered why. Perhaps he really was unhappy to have a ball held at the house where he was residing. He bowed stiffly to all three of them. “Miss Elizabeth, Miss Bingley.”
“Mr. Darcy,” Caroline replied with a smile.
Elizabeth said, “Does my friend not look better than ever? A flower and a gem.”
“And what is more,” Colonel Fitzwilliam added with an exaggerated leer, “a woman.”
Elizabeth slapped her fan on his arm, since Caroline was too busy hopefully staring at Mr. Darcy to do so herself. “Be civilized.”
