Darcy's Big Wish by Cassandra B. Leigh

Author:Cassandra B. Leigh [Leigh, Cassandra B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Alternate Universe, Fantasy, Not in Amazon Library, Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms, To Transfer, Z-Library
Goodreads: 33969152
Published: 2017-01-21T05:00:00+00:00

Jane Austen Quote: “He is now gone into the army,” she added; “but I am afraid he has turned out very wild.” (Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 43)

Chapter 9

Saturday morning, William awoke in his sparsely furnished room and smiled at the memory of the previous day. Miss Elizabeth had helped him remember his childhood and the liberation of running with abandon and gazing at the sky with no purpose other than pure enjoyment. In those days, he truly was free from burdens and at his leisure to explore the world around him. Even young Oliver had helped him recall those lazy hours spent fishing with his father and the simple pleasures of helping to fill the family larder.

Rising from his bed, he went to the basin to bathe but there was no water; of course, he would have to fetch it himself. He dressed in clothes from the portmanteau and descended the stairs to the servant’s quarters where Mrs. Nicholls and Bruno greeted him, enjoying their breakfast and coffee. He longed to join them but since he had not bathed since Thursday, he thought it best to inquire after the water.

Mrs. Nicholls gestured to the hearth. “We have plenty of hot water. If you will run out to the pump for half a bucket, we shall fill the rest with hot.”

William found a bucket next to the pump and began pumping in earnest until it was half full; this task, at least, he had performed many times at home. Knowing full well that Bruno would not fail to criticize if he spilled any water, he carefully carried the bucket into the kitchen, where Mrs. Nicholls added hot water from the kettle.

“Do ya need any help with that, Sprout?” Bruno inquired with a jovial air.

William refused to give him further cause for merriment. He lifted the bucket, with no small amount of effort, and headed for the stairs. “I shall manage,” he said, determined not to spill a drop. After conquering the first flight of stairs, he went on to the second, taking care to keep the bucket level. Yet by the time he reached the second floor, his arms had begun to ache. Surely the weight of two gallons of water should not challenge him; however, gazing up at the last flight of stairs, he wondered if he ought to have bathed on a lower floor.

Carrying water up the stairs was normally a footman’s job and he had not known until now how difficult the task could be, particularly since they usually carried two buckets at a time. He resolved at that moment, if he ever was restored to his adult form, to never again complain about spilled or delayed bath water.

Ascending the last flight of stairs, he arrived at the landing midway up and set the bucket down for a moment. He could not fail now. Climbing one step at a time, he finally arrived at the third floor and sat on the top step to catch his breath before carrying it to his room and setting it down in the middle of the floor.

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.