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She had alway
s disliked the man, but his recent kindnesses had prompted her to rethink her opinion. Certainly he was proud; however, she had realized how much Mr. Wickham’s false reports about the man had colored her perception. When Elizabeth had finally rejected the officer’s perspective, she increasingly realized she had always found Mr. Darcy attractive.
Only now did she truly understand her sentiments—at the very moment when she lost all hope of him. Her feelings greatly exceeded attraction.
“Miss Elizabeth?” She started at the sound of his voice and whirled around. How had he approached her so quickly and without her noticing?
“Mr. Darcy,” she stammered and stumbled into a semblance of a curtsey, attempting not to stare at the beautiful woman on his arm. Far from affecting fashionable languor, she was regarding Elizabeth shyly. Elizabeth could feel the weight of many eyes watching them; no doubt some women were jealous of Mr. Darcy’s attention.
Mr. Darcy gestured to the woman on his arm. “Please allow me to introduce my sister, Georgiana Darcy. Georgiana, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
His sister.
Elizabeth was too relieved to chastise herself for the error. As the two women exchanged curtsies, Elizabeth gave her a warm smile, which Miss Darcy returned tentatively. “Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth exclaimed, “I am delighted to make your acquaintance. I must thank you for this beautiful gown.”
Miss Darcy blushed and ducked her head. “It appears to far more advantage on you than it would on me.”
Elizabeth silently agreed. Not only was Miss Darcy’s coloring utterly different, but she also could not have fit into Elizabeth’s gown—even with the help of a shoehorn. Any tale that the dress had been created for the other woman was complete fiction.
“Are you enjoying Hertfordshire?” she asked.
“Oh! I hardly know. We only arrived today.”
“Well, I hope you will find it to your liking. Where are you staying? At the Meryton Inn?”
“No.” Miss Darcy’s voice was scarcely above a whisper. “Mr. Bingley has lent us the use of Netherfield.”
That name conjured a host of memories for Elizabeth. “Did he accompany you?” she inquired hopefully.
Mr. Darcy cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, no. He had some urgent business in the north.”
I wonder if that business includes marrying a woman more acceptable than Jane, but it is not my affair.
Miss Darcy lifted her chin as if steeling herself to speak even as her hands nervously clenched fistfuls of her skirt. “My brother informs me that you are fond of walking. I am as well…fond of walking, that is. I was hoping…if you do not mind…if it is not too much trouble…would you show me some of the walks…the better walks in the neighborhood?”
Elizabeth blinked at this unexpected request.
“If it is too great an imposition—” Miss Darcy started to say.
“Not at all,” Elizabeth assured her quickly. “I dearly love to walk and can rarely find a ready companion. If the weather proves fair, perhaps we might meet at Netherfield tomorrow morning for a stroll?”
A smile spread over Miss Darcy’s face, rendering it even more beautiful. “That would be lovely.”
Mr. Darcy, too, was grinning in a most uncharacteristic manner, perplexing Elizabeth exceedingly. Did it mean so much to him that his sister acquaint herself with the people of Meryton? “Miss Bennet, I would like to solicit your hand for the next set of dances, but my sister is not acquainted with anyone present, and I would not leave her alone…”
“Is she in want of a partner?”
Miss Darcy’s eyes widened as if Elizabeth had suggested she might become an opera dancer. “Not at all,” her brother said hastily. “That is, she is not yet out. According to strict rules of propriety she should not attend the ball at all, but I did not want to leave her alone at Netherfield during our first night.”
That begged the question of why Mr. Darcy had brought his sister to Hertfordshire at all. They had just completed a long voyage; surely a visit to Hertfordshire could not be their most pressing priority. But Elizabeth certainly could not ask such an impertinent question.
Fortunately, Elizabeth had a ready solution to Mr. Darcy’s conundrum. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder.
“Miss Darcy, please allow me to introduce you to my sister, Kitty. I am certain she will be most pleased to keep you company while we dance.”
Elizabeth led the Darcys over to where Kitty was conversing with Maria Lucas. Kitty enjoyed balls and attracted her share of partners, but the Bennet family’s isolation weighed more heavily upon her than it did the others. Elizabeth knew she would relish the company of an elegant girl from London near her age.
She explained the situation by means of a soft conversation in Kitty’s ear, and her sister immediately comprehended the situation. She accompanied Elizabeth back to where the Darcys stood, exchanging curtsies with both.
