His Pride & Her Prejudice (in the 21st Century)-unedited.

Chapter Eight

"Would you do me the honours of the first dance tonight?" he asked, looking anxious as if fearing her response.

His lack of self-assurance stunned her as she was used to seeing a confident man. Did she make him nervous? Ella gave herself a mental head shake at the silly thought.

"I-I, of course," she stammered. Ella had been hoping to dance away the night with Wickham. It seemed she had to grin and bear it as, from the looks of it, he was going to be late.

"Are you going outside to wait for your family?" he asked.

"Uh, oh yes," Ella lied and reading his thoughts, she added, "They won't be long. How about I meet you inside later on?"

"As you wish." William frowned but nodded.

Shaking him off, she rushed outside and saw no sign of Wickham. Her family arrived and greeted the hosts. Pippa looked unenthusiastic at the sight of them and only made small talk with Jane while she ignored the rest.

A good fifteen minutes later, her phone vibrated. It was a text from Wickham.

I am so sorry, I can't come. Please enjoy the party with your family. I will explain my absence later. I know you will be mad at me, but I have a good excuse.

Her spirits sank. She felt cheated. Ella knew why Wickham hadn't come. It was because of William Darcy. And thanks to him, she had no date. She wasn't exactly stood up. Wickham had done the right thing, but it didn't help her situation.

Stomping her foot, she stalked inside the ballroom and sulked in a corner. It was where Charlotte found her.

"What happened?" Her face creased with concern. "You look like you have lost your best friend, but here I am."

"Wickham couldn't make it," she told her, filling her lungs with air only to exhale.

"Why not?" Charlotte asked, squeezing her hand in comfort as she had never seen Ella this sad.

"Because of a certain guy in this room," she snapped and thrust her phone in the other girl's face. "Here, read his message yourself."

Charlotte read the text aloud. "Oh, Ella. From what I can gather from others, he seems like a genuinely nice guy. I was looking forward to meeting him."

"It looks like we are without dates," she pouted.

"Well, actually, I have come with David. He is over there talking to my father."

"Oh, he doesn't count. I mean, I am glad that you are showing him around. But he really is an uninvited guest. Dad can't wait to be short of him. Believe me, when I say that he is thankful to you are sacrificing your time to keep him entertained while he is here." She folded her arms and looked about the room to spot Darcy. "Oh my God, I forgot I accepted to dance with William."

"He asked you to dance with him!" Charlotte looked pleased. "Lucky you."

To her horror, William looked in her direction and started to move in her direction.

"Oh shit, he is coming here," Ella cried as the heat rose to her cheeks. She felt out of her depths. "Let's act natural."

"Charlotte, I hope you are enjoying the ball," William greeted her with a smile. "Do you mind if I steal your friend?"

"No, not at all," Charlotte told him. "In fact, Ella is looking forward to dancing with you. I had better find David. Enjoy you too."

Ella wanted to strangle her, but she got swallowed by the crowd.

"Are you having fun?" William was talking to her now.

She wrenched her gaze back to him. "I am, but the evening would have been more enjoyable if everyone had turned out." Her conscience told her to keep her mouth shut, but her anger got the best of her. Why did everything have to go William's way?