“They may promote it all they want, but she only has eyes for…”
They were interrupted by servants presenting trays full of hors d’oeuvres. Both accepted, but Lizzy did not touch hers. Watching Nell’s intrigues had resulted in a loss of appetite. But a smile returned to Lizzy’s face when Mr. Darcy, looking somewhat sheepish, came to talk to Anne and her.
“First, Miss Elizabeth, may I request the honor of the next two dances?” he asked, smiling broadly, guessing that he might be in trouble.
“Gladly, Mr. Darcy, that is, if you can fit me in.”
Darcy sat back in the chair and let out a sigh. “I am not happy with the way the evening is progressing, but the Granyard and Darcy families are so intertwined. We are related by marriage and are near neighbors here in Derbyshire as well as in London. His Lordship’s first wife was a good friend of my mother’s. We have always been close, etc., etc.”
“Some members of your two clans seem to be closer than others.”
“I know how it appears, but let me assure you there is nothing…”
“Mr. Darcy, excuse me for interrupting, but I can assure you that there is something, and that something needs to be addressed.”
And then the goddess herself put in an appearance, and before she returned to the ballroom, she had succeeded in securing the last dance with Mr. Darcy.
As Lizzy watched Nell return to the ballroom, she thought, “Tonight, you may have won the battle, but it is my intention to win the war.”
The Darcy party did not return to Pemberley until four o’clock in the morning, and after such a long night and so many dances, Lizzy longed for her bed. But the gentleman begged a word with her before she retired. She agreed, but declined his offer to go into the drawing room. If she sat down, she would not get up—she was that tired. Instead, she went to the wrought iron staircase and took two steps up. In that way, she could look into his beautiful green eyes.
“Are you angry with me?” he asked while running his fingers along her hand.
“No, I am not, but I am amazed that you are unaware that Lady Helen is determined to have you as her husband,” she answered, as she traced the outline of his chin.
“Well, after tonight, I have to admit that I can see that there is an interest there, but it does not matter. I love another,” he said, moving up one step.
“Will, she is the most beautiful woman I ever saw.”
“Do you think so?”
“Who do you know who is more beautiful than she, and do not say me?”
“I have seen portraits of Lady Hamilton, Lord Nelson’s amour, painted by Romney. She is very pretty,” he replied, while putting his hands around Lizzy’s waist. “I am partial to brunettes.”
“I too have seen a portrait of Lady Hamilton, but she cannot hold a candle to Nell.”
“Again let me say, it does not matter. I do not love her. Besides, she is boring.”
“What do you mean she is boring?” Lizzy asked, taking a step up and away from him.
Darcy let out a sigh. This was not the way he had envisioned the evening ending. Rather, he had pictured something more intimate involving the use of lips and hands.
“When we are in the woods together, there are only two topics of conversation with her: food and grooming. She eats every bit as much as I do, and I have twenty pounds on her. Allow me to give you an example of the enormity of her appetite. In the spring, four of us took down a deer. By the time we had finished, there was no meat left on the carcass and everyone was satisfied, except Nell. No sooner had we finished eating than she ran out and caught a rabbit, and when it comes to pheasant, she kills more than the best gun I have ever hosted at Pemberley.”
That statement made Lizzy wonder. If Nell gained weight while she was a she wolf would she keep the weight on once she had regained her human form? She might end up looking like Wolfie, the Darcy Newfoundland. One could hope.
“What do you mean by grooming?”
“Tonight, you may have gathered that Nell spends a lot of money on jewels and dresses and whatnots. She devotes a lot of time to her appearance. Well, in the wild, you tend to get dirty, have grass and twigs in your coat, etc., but she will not let anyone rest until all unwanted material is removed.”
“And how is it removed?”
“Thank goodness for Teddy Brotherton, as that chore usually falls to him, but since Teddy and Rupert are in Scotland, I have to do it. So I rake through her coat with my claws.”
“Hmmm.”
“I could do the same for you,” he said, stepping closer to her. “Would you like me to help you take your hair down?”
“You are very kind, sir, but I must refuse your generous offer. However, may I suggest that we journey to Longbourn as soon as possible so that you may ask my father for his consent to our marriage? After doing so, we will share our good news with all our friends and that would include the family of the Earl of Granyard.”
Darcy started to laugh. “That is fine with me. But, again, I must tell you that it does not matter what Nell wants. She cannot have me.”
Lizzy leaned into him, and after placing her cheek against his, she whispered in his ear, “No, she cannot have you.”
Chapter 14
Rather than have a repeat of the previous day’s unfortunate speculation by Mr. Darcy as to the meaning of her coming down so late to breakfast, Lizzy was in the breakfast room by nine o’clock. Even so, she was the last one to put in an appearance. She understood the reason for Georgiana’s early arrival. Mr. Darcy’s sister wanted to make sure that she did not miss anything, especially any comments made about the previous night’s ball. But Anne looked exhausted and should have stayed in bed.
Georgiana did most of the talking, and a good deal of her conversation concerned Mr. Albert Norwall. Although not the handsomest of men, he had a most pleasant disposition and was an excellent dancer. When Darcy was asked by Anne for his opinion of the young gentleman, he merely grunted. When pressed by Georgiana, he said, “He is too young. He has not even finished his studies at Oxford.”
“Will, all I want to know at this point is, did you like him, because I most certainly did.”
“I shall need to know a good deal more about him before forming an opinion,” he said, looking at his sister with a furrowed brow. “I have reason to question his judgment in choosing Oxford over Cambridge, and to the best of my knowledge he neither plays cricket nor attends the matches, which makes him suspect in my book.” Georgiana groaned at her brother’s comments.
Between yesterday’s grumbling and today’s grouchy responses, Lizzy was getting the impression that Mr. Darcy was not a morning person. Another possible cause for his grumpiness might be the realization that he would soon have gentlemen asking for his permission to call on his little sister. A third reason, and the most likely for his being peckish, might have to do with Anne. Had she said something to him about his performance at the Granyard reception? She had hinted at her displeasure during the carriage ride to Pemberley, but Mr. Darcy had ignored her comments and had stared out the window, saying nothing.
“Perhaps we may all go for a walk after breakfast,” Lizzy suggested. “Granted, the day is chilly, but the sun is out. And the ground is carpeted with fallen leaves that make that wonderful rustling sound.”
Anne excused herself, citing fatigue, and Georgiana declined, stating that she had to practice on the pianoforte because she would be performing a particularly difficult piece at a dinner party in Berkeley Square during Yuletide.