A Wife for Mr. Darcy

Giovanni ,” Georgiana said. “But even if I have something in my music chest, no one here will know the steps.”
    “Except me, my dear. You see, my friend has been giving me private lessons,” and for the first time that evening, Darcy adopted that stare which could bore a hole right through a man. Ignoring his cousin, Lord Fitzwilliam continued, “The dance calls for the gentleman to take the lady’s right hand and hold it thusly,” and he raised his arm to slightly below shoulder height, “and he then places his hand on the lady’s waist, while she puts her hand upon his shoulder. The dance begins with sliding steps followed by a bit of a hop. It is actually quite easy.”
    Mr. Gardiner stared aghast at His Lordship. “Milord, I am not sure if you are to be taken seriously. Surely, no father or husband would approve of his daughter or wife performing such a dance in a public venue?”
    “Oh, I would. Lady Eleanor may dance with whomever she chooses in any venue she chooses. But, Mrs. Gardiner, if you would permit me, I will provide you with a demonstration. It is not nearly as scandalous as you think.”
    Georgiana jumped out of her seat and said to her cousin, “Antony, I am quite interested in new dances. Would you please show me the steps?” When she took Antony’s hand, she whispered, “I am begging you. Please behave. Do you not have lady friends in London with whom you could practice the waltz?”
    “Of course, my dear. But you have identified the problem. They are in London, and I am here.”
    Rather than risk being asked to dance again, Mrs. Gardiner quickly offered to play the tune to the best of her ability. All watched as Lord Fitzwilliam made elegant turns with his young cousin. Elizabeth viewed the performance with admiration as the couple executed the simple steps quite nicely.
    “It is actually quite lovely,” Lizzy remarked. “I do not know if I would approve of it in a setting less intimate than this one, but it is elegant.”
    Upon hearing that Elizabeth liked the display, Darcy stood up and offered his hand to her. “Miss Elizabeth, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?” In short order, they were moving about the room as if they had been dancing together forever, and she wished it would go on forever. But when the music stopped, Richard bolted out of his seat and asked Mrs. Gardiner for a reprise of the waltz, so he might dance with her. As much as Lizzy liked the colonel, she wished he would go away.
    Everyone was having such a good time “waltzing” that Lord Antony finally convinced Mrs. Gardiner to dance, and her husband was pleased to see his bride of more than a dozen years looking so beautiful on the dance floor. The evening ended with Lizzy and Darcy dancing the last waltz, and instead of holding her hand out as he had previously done, he wrapped his hand around hers and brought it to his chest and laid it against his heart.

    While Darcy had been dancing the waltz with Elizabeth, his need for her to become a part of his life had moved into every fiber of his being. As a result, he was experiencing the acute frustration of someone who was being denied the one thing he wanted more than anything else. With Elizabeth returning to Longbourn in the morning, it was critical that he speak with her tonight because he needed her reassurances that she would not give Mr. Peterson any encouragement.
    After the Gardiners announced that they were retiring, Darcy was hopeful the others would do likewise, but the brothers Fitzwilliam were enjoying their port while talking military strategy and the war on the Peninsula, in which the British were suffering large casualties as a result of dysentery, the bane of any army. However, as soon as Georgiana heard the word “dysentery,” she popped up and said she was ready to go to her bed, and Lizzy felt that she must leave as well.
    Darcy followed the ladies into the foyer, and after kissing Georgiana good night, he asked Elizabeth if he could have a word with her. Because there was no time left for any misunderstandings, Lizzy took one step up on the stairs, so she could see his eyes. But, apparently, the particular word he had been searching for eluded him, and he remained silent and just stared at her. And so she would begin.
    “I cannot praise Pemberley enough or your sister, who was a most gracious hostess, and I am indebted to you for taking me to Shepherd’s Cave and for your hospitality last night and this evening. I