At this thought, she felt her courage rising. She would not be intimidated! She would not! He was just a man, Pemberley was just a house, and the new would only be strange for a little while.

“Here we are,” said Darcy. Elizabeth looked up in surprise. They had gone the entire way, though it was short, without saying a word. He had silently observed her while she mulled over her thoughts, thinking she was still upset about the evening prior. “I know we did not speak much last night and there is more to say. We will have plenty of time after the breakfast to say whatever needs saying.”

She nodded and he helped her down.

~

The breakfast was a great success, or so Darcy’s aunt would call it. The same people from the church were there in addition to a few others. A group of musicians played constantly and the food was elegant and abundant. Lydia, Catherine, and Georgiana all escaped to a sitting room on the next level while Jane spent a great deal of time speaking to Mr. Bingley.

He wore a blue coat, a few shades lighter than Darcy’s, and Jane thought his hair was unusually attractive that day. One curl in particular kept falling across his forehead and she hated that she found such a simple thing so endearing.

“It is good to see them so happy, is it not?” Mr. Bingley said to Jane as they stood to the side of the crowd.

Jane raised an eyebrow and glanced at her sister. Elizabeth looked as if she would bolt to the nearest exit any moment and Mr. Darcy looked like he also wanted to leave, but for entirely different reasons. How did Mr. Bingley not notice it? Perhaps he was just making polite chatter.

“Yes, it is a lovely breakfast,” she replied.

“Miss Bennet, do you plan to be in town long?”

“We return to the seaside the day after tomorrow. Why?”

He shifted from one foot to the other. “I had hoped to see you again, perhaps plan an excursion. May I call on you tomorrow? Or would you like to go to the menagerie? I’ve heard the most wonderful things about it and would love to see it with you.”

She couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “I would love to see the menagerie with you if my mother has no need of me.”

His smile took up half his face and she laughed lightly, feeling her traitorous heart give a little tug in his direction.

~

They stayed at the wedding breakfast longer than Darcy wanted. It was clear to Elizabeth that he wanted to leave, but she could not bear to say goodbye to her family just yet and she lingered long.