“Oh, I daresay this is not the first time Mr. Wickham hasexposedhimself to a lady.” Elizabeth did not, as I had hoped, look away. Instead, she crossed her arms… and laughed. “I cannot see why you are so concerned, Mr. Darcy. There is nothing worthy of looking at.”
“This is absurd!” Wickham sputtered, furiously buttoning his fall and glaring at me with venom in his eyes. “You’ll regret this, Darcy.”
“Regret what? I never touched you. All I see is the careless efforts of a lazy soldier coming to fruition. You really ought to take better care of your wardrobe, Wickham.”
“You… you did something!” he accused. “I don’t know what, but I’ll find out, and everyone will know! You’ve some sorcery or… or your sort of madness is catching!” He clutched at his clothing again, sweeping Elizabeth with his gaze. “You’ll be a pariah, Darcy. It’s dangerous just to be around you!”
“Oh, I doubt that,” I replied calmly. “Miss Elizabeth, do you feel in any danger in my company?”
She frowned and lifted a shoulder. “None whatsoever. Really, Mr. Wickham, this sort of conduct is unbecoming of an officer. WhatwillColonel Forster say when he learns of it?”
With one last scowl, Wickham gathered what was left of his dignity and stormed out of the ballroom, his breeches hastily fastened and his wine-soaked waistcoat still dripping.
Elizabeth turned to me, her eyes alight with laughter. “Mr. Darcy, I must say, that was the most... eventful conversation I’ve witnessed all evening.”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. Laughter—genuine and unrestrained—spilled out of me. I do not think I had laughed that long or that hard since I was a boy. And if anyone present wished to declare me mad for laughing until tears sprang into my eyes, they were welcome to it.
Twenty-Nine
Darcy
Ithought I’d seenthe last of Wickham for the night, but Ewan clearly wasn’t done having his fun. As I watched Wickham march out of the ballroom, half-undressed and fuming, I turned my attention back to Elizabeth, who had barely managed to stifle her laughter.
“Miss Bennet,” I said, offering her my arm. “Would you care for a walk? I think we’ve both earned some air after that... spectacle.”
She hooked her hand through the loop of my elbow. “Lead the way, Mr. Darcy.”
We made our way toward the grand terrace doors, where the December air awaited, crisp and refreshing. As we passed through the ballroom, I caught sight of Ewan hovering by therefreshments table, pretending to inspect a tray of mince pies. The moment our eyes met, he gave me a wink and disappeared through the wall. I couldn’t suppress a sigh of relief.
“Ah, there it is,” she said softly.
“There what is?”
“That sigh. You’ve been holding your breath all evening—laughter notwithstanding. I was beginning to think you would turn purple from keeping that upper lip of yours so stiff.”
I smirked. “It’s become a necessity, I’m afraid. I keep waiting for some sort of disaster to strike, and so far, I have not been disappointed.”
She shivered slightly, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders. “Disaster seems to follow you, Mr. Darcy. But I must admit, tonight has been... eventful.”
“Eventful, indeed,” I agreed, glancing around the terrace. The night was clear, the stars scattered across the sky like diamonds. And, to my immense relief, Ewan was nowhere to be seen.
For the first time all night, I felt a strange sense of peace. Standing here with Elizabeth, away from the madness of the ball, the world felt... quieter. Simpler. And for a moment, it was just the two of us, with no ghosts, no Wickham, and no distractions.
“Thank you,” Elizabeth said suddenly, her voice softer now. “For what you did earlier.”
I let my hand trail down the edge of her laced glove to catch her hand. “I don’t know what you mean. What did I do?”
She let her fingers curl around mine. “Oh, well, when I saw Mr. Wickham approaching you, I came closer. I overheard some of what he said about the tracks in the snow. I had some inkling that he had seen something, but that he could have followed them all that way—I had been concerned about being found out. Such a thing would be... difficult.”
“Difficult is a charitable way of putting it,” I replied dryly, earning a soft laugh from her. “But you need not thank me, MissBennet. I’m merely trying to make it through the night without strangling him.”
“You showed admirable restraint. Especially considering what he tried to imply.”
“What, the madness? Or…” I raised my brow. “Theotherthing?”
She sucked in a breath, and her cheeks suddenly went crimson. “I… I would not presume to think…”
I released her hand to touch her chin, lifting her eyes back to me. “Elizabeth Bennet, you were the only person to see me—trulyseeme. You were the only one courageous enough to confront me and the only one who trusted me enough to believe me when all I had to offer sounded like madness. You may presume anything you want, and you will be right. You have made me wholeheartedly yours, and I can only hope—please tell me it is not in vain!—that you may, someday, come to feel the same for me.”
