“Uh, I-“ he stuttered, a lot less eloquently than Ashley, but Elizabeth took the opportunity to just explain herself.
“Please forgive me, sir. We were told that the family were not at home, I should never have presumed...” she was telling him, as he reached back to give Ashley’s hand a bit of a squeeze. This had to be painfully awkward for her as well.
“I - we returned early,” he explained, because telling her he’d walked through a magic door was ridiculous. “Excuse me, this is Miss Ashley Sully. Miss Sully, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennett,” he introduced them, even though Ashley obviously knew who it was.