Canaletto, and Giuseppe declared that No! No! Canaletto was the better of the two. Darcy’s opinion was sought and, as they ate, a lively discussion ensued.
It was with a light heart that Elizabeth stepped into the gondola at the end of the evening as she and Darcy travelled back to their own palazzo.
Elizabeth was so caught up in the novelties of Venice that it was some days before she finished her letter to Jane, but when she found herself with a free hour, she took up her quill and finished the letter she had begun on arriving.
Darcy and I have been all over Venice, to the Doge’s palace and the Arsenale and a dozen more such wonderful places. We have crossed the Rialto bridge and wandered through the square of St Mark’s. The Venetians tell me that the city is not what it was before Napoleon ransacked its treasures, but there are still great beauties everywhere.
Tonight we are going to a masked ball. It is to be held in my honour and I am very much looking forward to it.
Perhaps we could try holding something similar at home, though I think such clothes and masks would look very strange in Hertfordshire! Here in Venice, they seem somehow right. The mask feels surprisingly comfortable, although I cannot see to the side very well when I am wearing it. It is beautiful, a work of art, as everything is in Venice. It is sculpted into the shape of a human face and it is decorated with jewels at the top.
There is time for no more or else this letter will never be sent!
Adieu for now, my dearest Jane,
Your affectionate sister,
Elizabeth
‘Are you writing to Jane?’ came Darcy’s voice as he entered the room.
‘Yes.’ She folded the letter and addressed it.
‘Have you told her about the ball?’
‘Yes, or at least, I have told her we are going to the ball. I will write again tomorrow and tell her all about it.’
‘Is your costume ready for tonight?’ asked Darcy.
‘Yes. And yours?’
‘Yes, it is.’
‘What are you wearing?’
‘That would spoil the surprise,’ he said. He looked down at her with a smile. ‘I love to see you like this, happy and excited. I knew you would love Venice.’
The clock, an ornate work of art made of ormolu and heavily gilded, struck the hour.
‘It is time to get ready,’ Elizabeth said.
She returned to her room, a large and airy apartment ornamented by frescoes and furnished with gilded marble furniture, and she began the leisurely process of preparing herself for the ball. As she bathed in scented water, she thought of all the times she had dressed for a ball at home, with the noise of the Longbourn household ringing in her ears: Lydia running round the house in search of a missing shoe or ribbon, Mary moralising, and their mother scolding everyone in turn, before complaining about her nerves. She did not miss their noise and chatter, but she did miss Jane. What fun it would have been to dress in her costume with Jane by her side!
But such thoughts did not last for long; there was too much to think about and too much to do.
Sophia had been as good as her word, and she had sent one of her maids to help Elizabeth. Annie had at first been suspicious of the Italian woman, but her suspicions had soon been overcome. Elizabeth sat at her dressing table so that Sophia’s maid could arrange her hair and Annie paid close attention, helping to smooth Elizabeth’s hair over the crown of her head and arrange the waves around her face, then catch the remaining hair up in a chignon pinned at the back of her head.
They helped Elizabeth to put on the heavy, unaccustomed dress, fastening it at the back with deft fingers and then standing back to admire the effect. Elizabeth scarcely recognised herself in the cheval glass, and when she donned her mask, her disguise was complete.
‘Oh, Ma’am, you will fool them all!’ said Annie.
Sophia’s maid let forth a volley of Italian which neither Elizabeth nor Annie understood, but she seemed to be pleased.
‘Is Mr Darcy still here?’ asked Elizabeth.
‘No, Ma’am, he’s already gone,’ said Annie.
‘Then I must go too,’ said Elizabeth.
They had arranged to travel to the ball separately because it was part of the challenge of the ball to see how long it would take them to recognise each other.
Elizabeth put on her cloak, for the nights were cold, and ran downstairs in high spirits,