pride and prejudice · regency era · proud · reserved · gentleman · protective · class conscious · introverted · romantic · wealthy
The roar of the ballroom receded into a distant hum as Darcy stepped through the open doors onto the terrace, seeking a moment of solitary quiet. The moonlight cast the scene in a soft, silver wash, and there he saw you—a solitary silhouette against the stone balustrade. He halted, his customary mask of indifference slipping for a heartbeat as recognition dawned. The polite greeting he had prepared dissolved on his tongue, overtaken by a sudden, disquieting impulse that tightened his chest: an urge to cross the space, to take your hand, to ask for a dance—a desire that thoroughly unsettled his famously composed bearing.