Arranged to Darcy by Rebecca Preston

Author:Rebecca Preston [Preston, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-11-04T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The snow melted and the sun came out in full force, drying the countryside of Hertfordshire and bringing out the beautiful colors and smells of spring.

Elizabeth jostled to the side as the carriage went down the gravely road. Darcy held out a hand toward her. He was too far away to touch her, but she noticed the gesture and smiled at him. He was gradually showing signs that he cared for her in a similar fashion. Since Christmas Elizabeth’s feelings for him had deepened, but she was still uncertain of how he felt for her, whether his love for her ran as deeply as hers did for him.

She did a remarkable job hiding her true feelings for him, remaining a bit stand-offish when she felt it was necessary to hide how she was feeling. Their marriage, to him, was one of convenience. But when she told herself that, she wondered what it was that he gained besides a beautiful, intelligent wife, as Wickham insisted at Christmas. Surely that couldn’t have been the only reason. He wasn’t in love with her. She had been able to tell that from the very beginning.

But surely, now, after nearly a year, he felt at least some love for her in his heart. At times he was warm, funny, teasing, and happy. But typically, he wasn’t smiling and gave off a cold impression. At times it would make her uncomfortable. It was her nature to be open and happy. She loved to laugh and smile. He was nearly always the opposite, giving off a negative vibe that was in competition with her positive one. She delighted when he opened up to her and would joke with her.

“I spent some time with Jane when I visited Longbourn a few days ago.”

Darcy looked at her. “Oh?” was all he said.

“Yes.” Elizabeth didn’t wait for him to show interest in what she was saying. “She’s still suffering from Bingley’s rejection.”

Darcy shook his head. “It’s been quite a long time, Lizzie. She should be well over that by now.”

“Her love for him was quite deep.”

“Regardless, she must accept that he’s not coming back to her. It wasn’t right from the beginning. If she doesn’t see that, she’s more foolish than I thought.”

Elizabeth felt her temper rising. She struggled to contain it, feeling her face becoming hot. “My sister is not foolish!” she exclaimed.

“She is if she still hasn’t let this foolish romance remain in the past, instead of letting it affect her still, all these months later.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “She truly loved him. She thought they were going to have a future together. It must have been a severe blow and she’s a sensitive girl.”

Darcy shook his head back at her. “You say sensitive. I say foolish. It’s the same thing.”

“It is not the same thing. You imply that she’s not smart when you say foolish. She’s an intelligent woman.”

“I said nothing about her intelligence. There’s a difference between matters of the mind and matters of the heart.

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