A Wife for Mr. Darcy

account.”
    “Believe it or not, decisions are made every day that do not require taking you or your whereabouts into consideration.”
    “Really? Well, I shall then take every opportunity to enjoy the time we have together.”
    Antony behaved himself all through supper because he knew that Darcy could hear everything he said. There were few people whose presence gave him pause for thought, but his dour cousin was among them.
    “Miss Bennet, are you positive we are not acquainted?” the earl asked as soon as they had removed to the drawing room.
    “Quite sure, milord. I only know you from the newspapers and magazines.”
    “Ah, The Insider . My reputation has preceded me.”
    “I was referring to the more serious London newspapers. They have written extensively on your call for an accounting of the money spent on the war.”
    “How boring. I would rather you have read The Insider .”
    “I do read The Insider , milord, but it is not reliable. For example, you could not possibly have been at White’s and Boodles and Mrs. Arbuthnot’s salon all at the same time.”
    “I have a reputation as a rapscallion to protect, and I fear you are damaging it.”
    “If that is the case, you are already too late. My aunt shared some of your conversation from this afternoon in which you spoke so affectionately of your daughters. I cannot believe a man who told such tender stories about his children can be a complete rascal.”
    “Miss Bennet, you have found my one weakness, my darlings, Sophie and Emmy.”
    “I consider myself to be an optimist, milord, and if there is one good thing about a person, surely there are others.”
    Standing up, Lord Fitzwilliam said, “I must quit your company immediately, my dear, or you will have me down on my knees at the altar of the Abbey repenting like Henry II, which I do not want to do. I can assure you it is much more fun to be a sinner than a saint. But let us have some music. My cousin has opened the ballroom for our pleasure. Perhaps we may convince the talented Miss Darcy to play something so that we might dance.”
    Upon entering the ballroom, Lizzy gazed in wonder at the crystal chandeliers and polished wood floors, and when she looked at the marble fireplaces, the flames made the cherubs carved into the mantle look as if they were dancing.
    Mrs. Gardiner offered to play so that the others might dance, and Darcy was about to ask Elizabeth for a dance but found the colonel was quicker on his feet. Darcy shot his cousin a withering look, but the colonel paid no notice. He liked beautiful women, and he liked to dance. Darcy would have to bide his time.
    After waiting his turn, Darcy first apologized to Elizabeth in case Lord Fitzwilliam had said anything offensive during supper or in the drawing room and offered a preemptive apology in the event he should embarrass her at any time during the remainder of the evening.
    “I suspect his reputation is exaggerated,” Elizabeth answered.
    “I am not sure I can agree with you, as he has worked hard to deserve it.”
    “Can a man who is so fond of his children be all bad?”
    “No, of course not. But he could be so much better. It is a point of irritation for me to read in The Times an excellent speech that he had made in the Lords, with everyone praising him, and then to learn that following his oration, he headed straight for the gaming tables. But you are right in one thing. He is devoted to his daughters and quite a different person in their company. Like Sophia and Amelia, there are those who have such power over the hearts of others.”
    Lizzy looked into his eyes, and they were the beautiful green she had discovered on that long-ago morning when he had come to Longbourn to apologize. In his elegant suit, he was so handsome, and he had her heart beating faster than was comfortable. She looked away so that he might not see what she was feeling.

    Lord Fitzwilliam was an excellent dancer, and after stepping lively to a number of the more familiar tunes, he suggested they all try something new.
    “There is a lovely dance called the waltz, which is very popular on the Continent.”
    “Antony, if it is on the Continent, with battles being fought everywhere, how could you possibly know that?” Georgiana asked.
    “Because I have a friend in London who is an émigré from Vienna. She got tired of war, war, and more war, and snuck out of the country.”
    “I am familiar with the music as there are waltzes in Mozart’s Don