Cassandra : The Cousins Of Pemberley - Book 1 by Linda O'Byrne

Author:Linda O'Byrne [O'Byrne , Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SpellBound Books
Published: 2021-12-23T05:00:00+00:00

7

Curled up on the window-seat of her bedroom at Pemberley, Cassandra looked out over the formal side gardens towards the long paved walk lined with lime trees whose branches met overhead forming a green and golden tunnel. Further away still she could see rolling meadows that rose to the woodlands that clad the surrounding hills.

She had been back at Pemberley for five days now and never tired of waking early and watching the sun rise over those hills. The peace and tranquility of this fine house helped calm her troubled mind. She had begun to explore - tiptoeing along the wonderful picture gallery, gazing with awe at the portraits of past members of the Darcy family; some handsome, some ugly, all staring down from the walls, giving the appearance of questioning her being in their exalted company. She found Uncle Darcy’s father and, although he looked as stern and forbidding as his son, she also decided he had kind eyes. His picture was hanging beside that of the late Mrs Darcy whose sweet expression captured Cassandra’s attention. She wondered if her uncle would have become a more approachable man if his mother had not died so young. Alongside was a lovely portrait of a young woman, dressed in the fashion of twenty years before. From the likeness to the late Mrs Darcy, Cassandra determined that this must be her Aunt Georgiana who now lived in Scotland.

She had peered into the great ballroom, wondering what it would be like to dance on the fine, polished wood floor with its fascinating patterns, and wandered through rooms and corridors all furnished with exquisite taste. The library had drawn her like a magnet, but she had only stared with longing at the shelves and shelves of books, not daring to touch any of them but wondering what miracles of pleasure and education were contained behind their leather bindings.

She had been introduced to Miss Reynolds, the housekeeper, who had greeted her with a brief curtsey and tight lipped deference. Cassandra was quite certain that she did not approve of her or her behaviour in leaving home, and certainly was extremely annoyed that she had somehow led Bennetta astray and caused her accident.

Miss Smith, Bennetta’s governess, had fluttered and twittered like a little bird, and showed an avid curiosity about Cassandra’s adventures that was not seemly.

A groom had been sent to the Courtney house and returned with her carpet bag tied behind his saddle and leading the little mare. Miss Reynolds had insisted on unpacking, muttering under her breath as she whisked away most of the undergarments that Lydia had bought her daughter, the most frivolous of which Cassandra was certain would never be seen again. But her beloved books were there, safe and well, if a little battered from their travels and, most important of all, the two little carved animals that her papa had made for her all those years ago.

Aunt Darcy had returned to her the copy of The Last of the Mohicans that she had left behind in her flight.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.