“Why should I have waited? Elizabeth has made me the happiest of men, Mother.” His chest puffed with pride as he said, “She agreed quite willingly.”

Lady Anne turned a gimlet eye toward her future daughter-in-law; however, before she could start to ring a fine peal over her for anticipating their vows, the young woman thrust her skirt back down and spoke. “No! No more misunderstandings! Pardon me, Lady Anne, for speaking thusly. But it is not what you think … that is, if you think what I think you think. I came to repair my … garter!” Elizabeth reddened; but her eyes flashed as she continued, “Your son was here with Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Bingley. Both of those gentlemen immediately departed when I entered, and your nephew locked us in. Fitzwilliam has made me an offer of marriage, and I have most ecstatically accepted. Yet that is all that has happened in this room. I am a gentleman’s daughter who was taught right from wrong by my parents and governess, Nannie MacFee. I am a graduate from the very proper St. Trinnean’s Seminary for Young Ladies and am most certainly not a woman of easy virtue!”

The young man finally gained realization of the conversation’s content. Mother never did approve of my reading Valmont and said the book would be a bad influence. Then she found me alone with Elizabeth and assumed we … Good God! He was aghast and only managed to stutter, “Mama mia! Did you actually think … ? How could you possibly assume … ? We most certainly have not … !”

George Darcy entered the library. Upon witnessing his wife’s evident embarrassment, the younger lady’s overt outrage, and his son’s apparent agitation, he calmly stated the obvious. “There appears to be a bumble-broth brewing hereabouts. My dear Anne, I was informed by Anne you earlier experienced a fainting fit. Are you well now?” The gentleman gently supported his wife’s forearm and put two and two together. “You three appear at sixes and sevens. Tell me at once, what is amiss with Miss Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam?”

“My dear husband, there is nothing truly amiss. The only bumble-broth is I foolishly leapt without looking, to a very wrong conclusion, which, I am vastly embarrassed to admit, made me actually swoon for the first time in my entire life. As you can see, I am fine and do not need your support with which to stand. Notwithstanding, your son and Miss Elizabeth do have important news to impart.”

“Well, they may have to stand in line. I just met the Earl, Richard, Miss Bennet, and her parents in the hallway. Your brother is soon going to announce to our guests the engagement of his second son to Miss Elizabeth’s elder sister. Perhaps we should be there for … ”

“WHAT?! Excuse me, sir. But … my sister is to marry Colonel Fitzwilliam? My parents are here? Good Lord! What has transpired while we were alone in here, Fitzwilliam?”

Before her husband could also jump to a wrong conclusion, Lady Anne said, “Go stand in that line to make an announcement, George. There is another engagement of which our guests should be informed. Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth are to be married as well. We are to gain a regular out-and-outer as a daughter-in-law. Is that not wonderful news?”

“Indeed it is, my dear. Congratulations to you both.” The gentleman kissed Elizabeth’s cheek and added, “You are very welcome to join our family, young lady. I can tell from the unrestrained look on his face you have made our Fitzwilliam euphoric with your acceptance.” He shook his son’s hand and said, “Shall we proceed to the ballroom and make the joyful announcement before the waltz begins? We most certainly do not want to miss being involved in the upcoming scandal about to take place under this roof.”

Fitzwilliam raised a hand and said, “Wait. Once again we are all jumping to a conclusion. I must first speak with Mr. Bennet and gain his permission for the honour of his daughter’s hand. And when did you last see your father, Elizabeth?”

As soon as Lizzy entered the ballroom with her fiancé and future in-laws, she spotted her mother and father and rushed to join them while Fitzwilliam and his parents followed at a more sedate pace. Pleasantries were exchanged; and when Lizzy inquired about her sister’s sudden betrothal, her mother gave the pat answer, “I shall explain later.” Mr. Bennet and the junior Darcy walked a short distance away for a few moments of private conversation and returned just in time to applaud the happy news of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s engagement to Miss Bennet.

When the applause died down, George Darcy consulted briefly with his son and then stepped forward to make his own announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for just another moment, please. I know many of you are anxiously and eagerly waiting to partake in the onset of a bold and exciting new trend. We will very soon be ending our evening together in a most beautiful, albeit controversial, manner. However, before we start the music, I have an especially important announcement. Earlier you learned of the engagement between my daughter, Georgiana, and Mr. Ellis Fleming; and we have all now just heard the happy news about my nephew, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, and Miss Jane Bennet. Obviously, there is something in the air tonight. Or perhaps it is in the smuggled … er, imported French wine.” Polite laughter followed, and he continued, “Love is evidently all around us at this assembly, because I am very proud to tell you of the betrothal of my son, Fitzwilliam Darcy, to the charming and Original, with a capital ‘O,’ Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

Murmurs of surprise, envy, and glee gave way to jubilant applause as George Darcy beckoned the happy couple forward. Many in the crowd were astonished to see Fitzwilliam Darcy in such high spirits and actually beaming; and more than a few female hearts were set aflutter as he turned to his fiancée, gazed lovingly and passionately into her eyes, raised her hand to his lips, and then possessively tucked it into the crook of his arm. His father raised his hands to quiet the crowd as he continued, “Thank you all for attending tonight; and now, family and friends, let us celebrate these three joyous betrothals … with a waltz! Lord Matlock, please escort your lovely wife to the dance floor. Lady Anne, shall we? Musicians, let the music, the waltz, and the gossip begin.”

The Earl of Matlock led Lady Rebecca onto the dance floor to start the controversial new sensation. George Darcy and his wife followed; and then other daring couples, bold enough to try the intemperate waltz, began to leave the sidelines and joined them.

Fitzwilliam Darcy proudly escorted his radiant fiancée through the throng of relatives, friends, and acquaintances bent on offering hearty congratulations and best wishes. The newly betrothed couple graciously smiled and courteously thanked everyone, but they were bound and determined to find an available spot on the dance floor. Since they had already embraced and waltzed in the privacy of the library, they were eager to do so for a second time and gave not a thought to holding one another in public once they again became cocooned in their own world. The handsome young gentleman in the black tailcoat and trousers, snow-white shirt and cravat placed his gloved right hand on the yellow silk covering Elizabeth Bennet’s tiny waist. He inhaled her heady perfume and gazed into the sparkling, intelligent eyes of the woman who would soon be his wife. The strains of the beautiful waltz music began, and they stepped into the romantic dance in perfect rhythm. Darcy and Lizzy moved as one, smoothly and surely. As they glided and twirled, the candlelight caught and reflected the tiny, glittering spangles on the lady’s shimmering dress. The gentleman’s coattails billowed, and the hem of Elizabeth’s flowing gown swirled and floated around her as they circled the dance floor. The dazzling couple outshone all others, not only with their grace and style but also by the blissful expressions on their smiling faces.

The majority of dancers were understandably tentative, uncoordinated, or downright clumsy; and some were embarrassed by their obvious ineptitude. But frequently overheard expressions of apology were also oft times accompanied by peals of laughter and gaiety as ladies and gentlemen tripped, toes were trod upon, and couples collided. Darcy and his bride-to-be had silently found a rhythm all their own as they held each other and elegantly waltzed around the room. Elizabeth felt as though she were floating while she matched the exemplary lead provided by her tall, strong, debonair partner as he moved with style and grace. Her head was delightfully dizzy, and her body tingled wherever it made contact with his. Breathless with exhilaration, she wished the waltz would never end.

With a tear in his eye, Mr. Bennet watched his two beautiful daughters as they moved around the dance floor with their dashing fiancés. Although he occasionally frowned when a male leg came into contact with that of Jane or Lizzy, he thought the waltz was actually quite graceful and not in poor taste at all. He turned to his wife and said, “Frances, my love, would you do me the great honour of dancing the remainder of this set with me?”

“Why, yes, Mr. Bennet, you devilish old coot. I would very much like to give this new dance a whirl.”

No longer under the watchful eye of his future father-in-law, Colonel Fitzwilliam pulled Jane a bit closer than the accepted distance for a waltz. “My darling girl, I am so sorry you are being rushed into this engagement without an actual courtship. You deserve so much better. Truly, do you have any regrets?”

“Absolutely not, Richard, not a single one.” She smiled and then amended, “Well, perhaps one regret.”

“Tell me, and I will do everything in my power to make it right.”

“I regret we were interrupted earlier, and I do not mean being caught. That goes without saying. I just wish we had been able to continue …” Jane blushed and lowered her eyes. When understanding dawned on the Colonel, he immediately manoeuvred their position to a set of open doors leading to a conveniently close balustrade and waltzed his fiancée outside. They stared into one another’s eyes for a few seconds before he dipped his head and did everything in his power to erase her one regret.

Similar to another newly engaged couple, Fleming and Miss Darcy moved together with perfect timing. Azure eyes gazed into indigo eyes as time stood still for the young lovers. The glowing, fair-haired lady was completely focused on the tall, dark, and handsome man who held her in his embrace while she recalled the first time they met. Georgiana had been attracted to Ellis even then, and it was quite obvious theirs was not the only attachment formed on Pemberley’s lawn one sultry summer afternoon.

“Georgie, my dearest heart, you suddenly have a rather mischievous glint in your eyes. May I ask what is running through that very pretty head of yours?”

“You may ask; and I may tell you sometime, but not now. Oh, Ellis, this has been the most wonderful night of my life! I am to wed the most magnificent man in the world, and my two best friends will marry my brother and my cousin. ’Tis too much! By far too much! Oh, why is not everybody as happy?”

“Well, I am, most certainly.” He remembered there were other people in the room; and he took a quick glance at them before adding, “And if I am not mistaken, there are lots of other joyful people here as well. Just look at all the beaming faces surrounding us, Georgie. Like your father said, love actually is all around us tonight.”

Charles Bingley and Miss Anne de Bourgh may not have been as well coordinated as Darcy and Elizabeth, but at least they did not tumble down like several other unfortunate colliding couples. Bingley and Anne merely laughed away their missteps and awkwardness and waltzed on. They spoke on many topics and found they truly had much in common. Both had a close female relative with ‘issues’, and those ladies had caused considerable embarrassment over the years. They also discovered those same women, coincidentally, had equally set their caps on Fitzwilliam Darcy. Bingley’s sister had pursued Pemberley’s heir hoping to become Mistress of the estate he would someday inherit, and Lady Catherine aggressively promoted a match between her daughter and nephew.

“Miss de Bourgh, I have often heard Darcy and Fitz make mention of you in a most complimentary and affectionate manner. Why would you not want to wed someone like Darcy? He is handsome, I suppose; wealthy, certainly; and quite intelligent, really. Is that not what a girl wants in a husband?”