A Whiff of Scandal: A Pride & Prejudice Variation Novella (In Different Circumstances 2) by Lane Cossett

Author:Lane Cossett [Cossett, Lane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Not in Amazon Library, To Transfer, Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms, Alternate Universe
Amazon: B0866B7J7Z
Goodreads: 53345069
Published: 2020-03-19T04:00:00+00:00

15

Darcy

Darcy was beginning to wish that he was anywhere but the dining room at Hazelfield. When they had been called into dinner, he had found himself guiding Miss Bingley in and now she was seated next to him.

He did not have to say very much as she kept up a string of conversation, but she had moved her seat closer to his and, to his utter horror, she had even placed her hand on his thigh at one time. The touch had been fleeting but it had revolted him, and it had been all he could do not to slap it away.

She was acting as if they were intimate friends, which they were not and nor would they ever be. It was some time since he had seen her, and she had grown harder and her face looked bitter. Even her voice appeared to have grown more shrill and each time she laughed, it hit a nerve inside him. He did not find her attractive in any way.

He yearned for the meal to be over as she kept hinting in a low voice how generous her brother was to have the Bennets to stay and how ungrateful they were. Darcy did indeed think his friend was extremely generous but he also knew that Charles Bingley would not have done it unless he believed it was the right thing to do.

He looked down the table at Miss Bennet. She was seated next to Rebecca Fitzwilliam and was laughing at something his cousin’s wife had said. Unlike Caroline Bingley, Miss Bennet did not try to dominate a conversation but listened to what was said. She looked very elegant in a pale green gown with her brown curls piled on her head, fixed with tiny glass pins.

“Mr. Darcy, did you hear what I said?”

Darcy was startled. He turned back to Caroline Bingley who was glaring at him.

“Do forgive me. I was momentarily distracted.” It was the wrong thing for him to say. Miss Bingley’s eyes narrowed.

“And what is it that was so interesting?” asked Miss Bingley, a sudden edge to her voice.

Darcy recognised the signs of a jealous woman. He had no intention of telling her the truth. “I was looking at the painting on the wall. It looks like a picture by William Lythgoe. I like his work.”

Caroline Bingley looked at him suspiciously. “I did wonder whether you were captivated by Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

Darcy was not in the habit of lying, but he wanted no one to suspect his growing admiration for Miss Bennet.

“I have only met Miss Bennet on three previous occasions. I do not know her well. No… Miss Bingley, I would draw your attention to the painting. Look at the landscape, with the horses running across the fields. Such magnificent beasts, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, indeed. Quite beautiful,” said Miss Bingley.

“What is beautiful, Caroline?” asked Charles Bingley suddenly.

It was Darcy who answered. “We were admiring your painting, Bingley.”

Charles Bingley looked surprised. “I like it, but Caroline has always said how much she dislikes it.

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