Courting Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation by Erin Butler

Author:Erin Butler [Butler, Erin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-03-11T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

As remarkable as it seemed, Elizabeth found the baths to be enjoyable. Mrs. Darcy exclaimed that she had yet to see Elizabeth’s complexion look quite so well as when they were on their way back to the house so Lizzy could dress for the theater. “I will have Julie help you again tonight,” Mrs. Darcy said. “You are quite beautiful, Elizabeth. Always have been.” She fingered her skirts with her hand and sighed. “Mr. Darcy used to say so all the time. He would see you running around with Fitzwilliam and remark on the glow of your skin and the brightness of your eyes. I hope you know he thought of you as his own.”

Elizabeth swallowed the thickness in her throat. She had always been very fond of Mr. Darcy. She would never be able to repay his family for his kindness. Leaning forward, she squeezed Mrs. Darcy’s hands. “I miss him as well. He was one of the best men I have ever met.”

“Well, surely, I agree with you,” Mrs. Darcy said, squeezing Elizabeth’s hand and then releasing it. “To have married for love has made me a very happy woman for most of my life. That is not always the case, however, as I am sure you are well aware. To live comfortably is also a necessity. If they should go together, as it did for me, then you can count yourself truly lucky.”

“And if they should not?” asked Elizabeth.

“Then it is a very great test of your person. I sincerely hope, as I do with all my children, that they will get the best of both situations.”

Elizabeth, struck with the idea that Mrs. Darcy may have just included herself in the subject of her children, could not answer. Mrs. Darcy, though always amiable, never did treat her as her own as Mr. Darcy once did. Though Elizabeth pretended not to mind, it left a lonely scar upon her chest. A daughter was always in want of a mother and since Elizabeth could not see her own, she looked to Mrs. Darcy to take her place. The puzzle pieces had never fit together, however. The look Mrs. Darcy graced Elizabeth with now allowed her to hope the great Mrs. Darcy did care for her in that way.

Lizzy warmly thanked Mrs. Darcy as they stood in the hall. The great lady waved all the tenderness of her thanks away. “You should get ready for the theater. I will send Julie up to you directly.”

Elizabeth curtsied and hurried up the stairs. The time was getting late, and she was sure Fitz would want to leave with enough time to talk amongst his friends before the theatrical began. She had just chosen a gown to wear when a knock sounded on the door.

“Come in,” Elizabeth said.

Julie walked in with a large box, which she set on the bed. She looked at Elizabeth and then back at the package.

“What is that?” Elizabeth asked.

“A present from Mr. Darcy,” Julie explained. “He told me just now he wishes you to wear it this evening.

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