Page 123 of Ashes and Understanding
He offered a polite smile. “I am sure you will find no shortage of gentlemen eager to correct the oversight.”
The fan snapped closed with a quiet crack. “Oh, but I had hoped for a partner of particular refinement.” Her smile strained. “One who appreciates true accomplishment in a lady.”
Darcy inclined his head slightly, still not taking the bait.
Miss Bingley pressed on, her tone sweetening further. “You have often said you value women of accomplishment. I wonder—what do you consider a true accomplishment, Mr. Darcy?”
Darcy glanced briefly at Mr. Bennet, then back to Miss Bingley. “A woman of true accomplishment must possess rare qualities.”
Miss Bingley beamed. “Indeed! A thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages—”
“Not merely those,” Darcy interrupted gently. “I have known many women who possessed such accomplishments, but very few who possessed what I consider the true measure of refinement.”
She blinked. “And what is that?”
Darcy’s voice was cool but steady. “Compassion. Intelligence. Sincerity. Strength of character. The ability to laugh at oneself. Generosity of spirit. A willingness to act bravely and wisely, even when no one is watching.”
Miss Bingley’s mouth parted in offense, her cheeks coloring rapidly.
“And,” he continued, his gaze steady, “the courage to protect the vulnerable at any cost. That, Miss Bingley, is what I find most admirable.”
Mr. Bennet let out a low hum of approval beside him. “Well said,” he murmured.
Miss Bingley stood stiffly, her composure barely intact. “Besides,” he added, “I am afraid I am already engaged.”
“Toanother?” Her eyes narrowed, incredulous. “Mr. Darcy, I must say I am surprised. You would dance with that… hoyden and her sister, but not with me?”
Darcy’s voice was calm, low, and cutting. “Miss Elizabeth Bennet is a lady of intelligence, compassion, and extraordinary courage. She is the best judge of character I have ever known. She is fiercely loyal, speaks with sincerity, and possesses both wit and wisdom in equal measure. If these are not the marks of a true lady, then I should be ashamed to know one.”
Miss Bingley’s mouth opened and closed like a fish in a drying stream. Her jaw worked soundlessly, color high in her cheeks.
Before she could compose a retort, a sound split through the ballroom.
A scream.
Faint, distant, unmistakably female.
“Elizabeth!” Darcy cried.
∞∞∞
Elizabeth forced herself to look down at the false infant, cooing gently as though soothing a feverish child. Her hand stroked the top of the bundle, her eyes fixed on the shadowy corners of the room, ears straining for the slightest sound.
Then she smelled it. The same foreign, musky scent that she had smelled a few nights prior at Longbourn.
He’s here!
Her body reacted before her mind caught up. She spun around to face the intruder, ducking low as she did so.
The glint of metal flashed as a dagger embedded itself into the wall where her head had been. Pain flared in her arm, and she gasped, clutching her sleeve where the blade had grazed her.
A figure wearing a red coat stepped forward out of the shadows, his face mostly concealed beneath the brim of a militia hat. He looked familiar.
What was his name again? Captain… Carter!
She had been briefly introduced to him at her aunt Philips’s card party.Hewas Le Corbeau?
But he seems so… normal.
