The day of the ball dawned without a cloud in the sky, which was a true relief after four straight days of rain. Elizabeth took great care that evening to make herself look as pretty as sheknew how. She also noticed that Mary had taken pains to look her best as well.
As the two sisters entered the ballroom at Netherfield, Elizabeth immediately looked around for Mr. Darcy, but she did not see him. Instead, Mr. Worsley approached them. He had clearly been watching for Mary, and Elizabeth was not surprised when the two of them headed off to the side to talk together.
Elizabeth mingled amongst the growing crowd. She found her good friend, Charlotte Lucas, and chatted with her for a bit. Still, Mr. Darcy did not show his face. Elizabeth was beginning to worry that he would miss their dance.
Just as the beginning of the music signaled the guests to assemble for the first set of the evening, Mr. Darcy finally arrived by her side.
“I apologize for the delay,” he said. “I found I was quite a bit more nervous than usual, which had the effect of causing delay in my preparations.”
Elizabeth could well imagine that if she were as nervous as he seemed, she might have trouble getting herself ready for the evening, so that was understandable. What was incomprehensible was why he would be so nervous in the first place.
“You were nervous, Mr. Darcy?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “I wanted to make a good impression on you, so I kept changing my mind as to what to wear. In the end I only succeeded in making myself late, which is far worse than getting the color of my waistcoat wrong.”
Elizabeth laughed lightly. “No need to worry. Your waistcoat is perfectly lovely, and you are not late. At least, you are not late as long as we join the dancers now.”
In answer, Mr. Darcy held out his arm to lead her to their place in the dance.
The conversation flowed easily and smoothly throughout their dance, much like all the other conversations they had in the last two weeks. This time, there was a charged undercurrent to their interaction, similar to the feeling one gets when a strong thunderstorm is approaching.
When they grasped each other’s hands as part of the dance, their touch always lingered a beat or two beyond what was expected. Their gazes lingered on each other’s faces. Their feet felt as though they were unwilling to separate them even when the moves of the dance called for it.
Elizabeth struggled against a strong urge to simply leap into his arms and kiss him. There was an expression on Mr. Darcy’s face and a heat in his eyes that suggested to Elizabeth that he might be struggling against the very same temptation.
As they danced, the rest of the world faded away. Elizabeth only had attention for the man in front of her, and she cared not who was next to her or what they were talking about with their dance partner.
Given how strong their attraction to each other was, Elizabeth expected Mr. Darcy to linger by her side even after their dance was over. He did not. He bowed over her hand and thanked her for the dance, but then he departed from her side and disappeared among the guests.
Suddenly, the room felt much colder, though she knew that, in fact, it was quite warm. With Mr. Darcy’s departure, Elizabeth’s mind was inundated with doubt as to when, or if, he would ever propose.
She was not alone with her thoughts for long. A local gentleman approached to request her next dance, and sheaccepted, grateful for the distraction from her own sentimental thoughts.
The first half of the evening passed by in a swirl of dancing and chatting with friends. Elizabeth danced every dance, and she was never alone for more than half a minute. All around her, the people she had known all her life were having a truly joyful evening.
The supper dance finally arrived, and with it so did Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth had been aware of his presence throughout the evening. Her eye had often been drawn to his figure against her will. He, however, seemed to avoid meeting her gaze, almost as if he was distancing himself from her. Given his behavior, she half expected him to conveniently “forget” his request for her supper dance.
He did not forget. When it was time to line up for it, he was standing in front of her, once again giving her his undivided attention.
Instead of offering his arm to lead her to the dance floor, he said, “I have something important to discuss with you. I wonder if, instead of our dance, you would accompany me into the hall.”
Anxiety shot through her at this request. She hoped. She feared. She wondered if this would be the moment he proposed. At the same time, she had always been told to never leave the ballroom with a gentleman.
Elizabeth knew she could not really deny Mr. Darcy anything. Even if it was imprudent or incautious, she agreed to go with him.
The two of them exited the ballroom by the main doors. They found themselves in the grand foyer of the house where a few people were scattered to temporarily escape the heat of the ballroom. Mr. Darcy led Elizabeth further down the hallwaywhere it would be much harder for them to be seen or overheard. Then he turned to face her.
“Elizabeth, I must tell you that I have grown quite attached to you in the weeks since I met you. Your light and laughter brighten my heart, and your beauty is unmatched which brings me further joy every time I see you. Additionally, the way you demand respect and won’t accept anything less only improves my opinion of you.
“You have reminded me of standards of behavior that were taught to me as a child, but which arrogance had pushed aside in recent years. You have brought me low, and in doing so have made me a far better man, and because of you I am determined to continue to strive to be the kind of man my parents wanted me to be and the kind of man you deserve.
“You must know that I love you, Elizabeth. Will you marry me?”
As Mr. Darcy gave her this speech, which he had clearly prepared and memorized, Elizabeth watched his face and eyes. He was full of nervousness, clearly uncertain what her answer would be. Yet, despite his uncertainty, he had gathered his courage to ask anyway. Despite the fact that he had memorized his speech, he clearly meant every word.
“Mr. Darcy,” she said. “It has been some time since I have forgiven you. I believe that one of the biggest reasons your insults hurt me as much as they did was because I have been attracted to you from the beginning. Once the air was cleared between us, it did not take long for that attraction to deepen. I love you, Mr. Darcy. My heart is yours. Yes, I will marry you.”
Relief and joy suffused his face in equal measure, but Elizabeth did not see them for long. His mouth crashed into hers for her first kiss, and it was like nothing Elizabeth had everimagined. At first, all she could sense was his need for her, but his kiss quickly gentled into something more caressing, more tender and caring.
