Page 105 of Mr. Darcy Comes to Town

“They are in my reticule,” Mary explained. “I want to be able to see the comet through the lens of Lord Wulfrun’s telescope. Vanity is a foolish concern.”

“That is a sensible attitude.” Lizzy guided her sister out the main door and down to where their carriage stood waiting. A groom stood next to the open door, ready to assist them inside.

“I hope we will be able to see the comet’s nucleus. I fear it may be obscured by its coma,” Mary said.

Jane, about to enter the carriage, turned and asked, “Oh? What is a coma?”

“Come along, my dear, I will explain once we are seated,” Papa said, waving toward the inside of the carriage.

“I beg your pardon, Papa,” Jane murmured, climbing the steps.

The carriage swayed as she took her seat facing forward. Lizzy followed after, facing to the rear. Mary joined her, and finally their father climbed in and sat beside Jane. The carriage door shut and they were on their way.

“Coma, father?” Jane reminded him.

“Yes, of course. The coma is the gases that surround the nucleus,” he explained. “It forms the majority of what we can see with our naked eyes. The nucleus is the solid center of the comet.” He held up his gloved hand. “Do not ask me to explain any further. No doubt our host will give a small lecture on the subject during our viewing. Possibly even over our meal.” He fixed his gaze on Mary. “Will Miss Darcy and her brother be coming tonight?”

“Mr. Darcy will be there, but not Georgiana, who does not enjoy being amongst strangers,” Mary explained.

“Mr. Bingley and Miss Bingley will be there, as well,” Jane told them.

“Will there be many at the viewing, Papa?” Lizzy asked.

Their father shrugged. “I cannot say. I hope not, else we will have very little time viewing the comet through the telescope.”

Chapter Seventeen

His hopes were not realized. Forty guests sat down to dinner. Mr. Darcy’s place had been set some six people away from Lizzy’s spot. Jane, more fortunate than Lizzy, sat next to Mr. Bingley. Miss Bingley sat across from Mr. Darcy. Lizzy observed her watching him often, sparkling overmuch in her lively conversation. She hopes to make him notice her. In spite of her efforts, he is politely minding his partner to his left and right. Lizzy, following his example, conversed with the gentleman on her right, and then switched to the one on her left after a time. She had met them both at other functions. One had a whole pack of hunting dogs and the other one nurtured a flock of peafowl. They talked about their animals, and Lizzy heartily thanked God that her mother could not hear their conversations.

Once the men rejoined the ladies in the drawing room, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley joined the Bennet sisters where they sat staring out the vast windows at the night sky where they could view the comet in the northwestern sky, its forked tail trailing upwards across twenty-five percent of the sky.

“Did you enjoy our meal, Miss Elizabeth?” Mr. Darcy asked.

Lizzy looked up at him and noticed that Miss Bingley threaded her way toward them through the other guests.

“I enjoyed it excessively,” she replied. “And yourself?”

“Yes, indeed. I enjoy a good curry. I have eaten at Sake Dean Mahomed’s Hindoostane Coffee House. It is in Portman Square, London—it opened earlier this year. Lord and Lady Wulfrun spent time in India in the 1780s. They must have developed a taste for their cuisine.”

“I see. I found it spicy, but warming,” Lizzy observed. Miss Bingley had reached them so Lizzy turned to her. “What did you think of the curry, Miss Bingley?”

“I found it immensely flavorsome.” She smiled broadly and took Mr. Darcy’s arm as though she owned him.

Lizzy stiffened, and managed to say, “I quite agree,” with tolerable composure in spite of how much she wished to force Miss Bingley to release Mr. Darcy’s arm.

“Lord Wulfrun’s chef has a way with the saffron rice, as well,” Mr. Darcy said, deftly extricating his arm from Miss Bingley’s grasp, by turning to look at where their host stood in front of the viewing windows. “Ah, it appears Lord Wulfrun does, indeed, mean to present a small lecture on comets.”

Lizzy’s heart warmed when Mr. Darcy shifted his position so he stood closer to her while turning his attention to their host. She could scarcely pay heed to Lord Wulfrun’s excellent explanation of heavenly bodies, so engrossed was she in the feeling she experienced standing near to Mr. Darcy. Even Miss Bingley’s supercilious sniff could not distract Lizzy from her awareness of Mr. Darcy.

Her hand down near her hip, Mary inconspicuously flapped the appendage, drawing Lizzy’s attention. She looked from the hand up to Mary’s face, a frown tugging her brows together. Mary exchanged a meaningful look with Lizzy, gazing at her, and then at their host.

I assume she wishes me to concentrate on the lecture. Does she realize how difficult I am finding the effort? She cannot possibly understand.

To please Mary, Lizzy schooled her own countenance into one of polite interest, listening in time to learn that the comet had a split tail. She peered beyond her host out into the night sky, noticing this phenomenon for the first time.

“When you get your chance to view the comet through my telescope, you will see that there are even more striations visible through magnifications,” Lord Wulfrun promised them. He waited while everyone’s appreciative sighs died away, and then he said, “I will take four or five individuals with me at a time. They will return in fifteen minutes and send the next group up to my observatory.”

Mr. Darcy leaned over to quietly say, “Miss Elizabeth, I have obtained for us a position in the first group. Bingley and Miss Bennet, as well as Miss Mary, will be the others in our group.”