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Once the introductions were finished, Kitty took charge immediately. “You must call me Kitty, I beg you! My friend Maria and I were about to stroll in the orangery. Would you join us? I have not seen London in ever so long, and I must know what everyone is wearing!”
Miss Darcy was a little bemused. “Surely you wish to dance—”
Kitty leaned forward and confided, “The young men at this ball are trying my patience, I must say. I am sick of them.”
Miss Darcy giggled at Kitty’s playfully rolled eyes and slowly reached out to take her outstretched hand. Kitty tugged her toward the room’s exit, where Maria was already waiting. Soon the three girls had vanished from sight.
Mr. Darcy watched his sister disappear with a slight frown. “Will she be all right?”
“Kitty has high spirits, but she has settled considerably since my father’s death. Added responsibility forces you to mature. Your sister may hear slightly scandalous stories of boys kissing girls, but nothing worse.”
Mr. Darcy gave her an ironic smile. “I believe Georgiana can cope with that. Very well.” He bowed formally. “Miss Bennet, will you honor me with the next set?”
Chapter Nine
Somehow Darcy had known where Elizabeth was from the moment they had entered the ballroom. His eyes had been drawn to her as if she were his lodestar. She was a peacock among pigeons. The blue dress was far more elegant than anything the other women wore, but her appeal exceeded mere clothing. Her dark hair was coiled on her head in a sophisticated style that took advantage of her natural curls. As he crossed the room with Georgiana on his arm, Darcy had been unable to tear his eyes from her neck, where an inky curl laid against her pale throat.
He was astonished that everyone was not staring at her. How could they ignore such glorious beauty in their midst?
He congratulated himself and Georgiana on their choices with the gown. They had passed a pleasant afternoon deciding on fabrics and trims for Elizabeth’s dress, and he had hoped he was accurate in recalling her complexion. He had been enchanted with the result, but now he saw the result was beyond his wildest imagining.
He had to remind himself to breathe.
She was magnificent. The deep sapphire of the bodice complemented her dark hair, bringing out some of its auburn highlights. The current fashion was for headdresses of feathers and beads, often quite elaborate and tall. But she had eschewed this trend in favor of a simple circlet of gold ribbon that perfectly matched the trim on the gown. Delicate cream slippers with blue shoe roses peeked out from under the hem.
Her color was high and her lips a dark pink. Surely they would be soft and kissable…
He had managed some semblance of proper behavior while he introduced Georgiana to Elizabeth, but the events still left him a bit dazed. And then they were alone together, and she had agreed to dance with him.
He had drifted closer to her without even being aware of moving. Did his mouth hang open? Was he drooling? Darcy only just prevented himself from raising his hand to check. She regarded him with a curious tilt of her head. Did besottedness shine through his eyes?
He swallowed, attempting to take command of himself. “Miss Elizabeth, you look lovely tonight.”
Her lips curved in an arch smile. “Thank you. I am most grateful…to your sister.”
“She did receive your gracious note.”
“It is a most generous gift.”
He shrugged. “She found that it did not suit her and did not want it to go to waste.”
Her eyes twinkled. “I was astonished when I first saw Miss Darcy. I expected that she and I would be almost twins.”
“Twins?”
Elizabeth’s lips twitched. “Indeed. A dress made for her fits me like a glove. I thought surely we must be two of a kind.”
Darcy’s face heated. She knew he had obtained her measurements from Meryton’s dressmaker; there was no other possible explanation, but they could never speak of it. He found her knowing expression rather alluring. There was something quite fascinating about a clever woman.
“You are about the same height…”
“Indeed,” Elizabeth murmured.
Darcy ignored her sally with as much dignity as he could muster. “It suits you admirably.”
Her expression grew serious. “It is an expensive garment. We should consider any debt you believe you owe to my family entirely paid.”
Darcy experienced a sensation akin to panic. “No! No, it is not paid at all. This was never intended to be… It is merely a happy accident. Everyone who observes you shall be quite grateful the dress did not suit my sister.”
