Darcy's Charade by Meghan Parrish

Author:Meghan Parrish [Parrish, Meghan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: None
Published: 2019-05-30T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

The next day, seeing Darcy out riding in Hyde Park, Caroline bore down on him. Once more, he made it plain that he was not interested in her. She managed to flirt with him for scarcely five seconds before he excused himself and rode over to where Elizabeth was cantering with a group of equestrians.

Caroline gazed malevolently at Elizabeth. She reflected on the fact that Mr. Darcy had been seeing Elizabeth a great deal. She didn't believe for one moment that they were related!

But if they were not cousins, and Elizabeth was staying under the same roof as Mr. Darcy...

She must be his mistress! Caroline concluded silently.

She continued to view Elizabeth with envy and hatred. She wasn't a lady. That was quite plain to Caroline.

No lady would take the outside seat on a stagecoach! The very idea! Caroline was ready to faint at the notion.

On the other hand, if Elizabeth were not a lady, that meant she did not belong in society. She was an impostor!

Caroline ground her teeth. How dare that upstart make a play for Mr. Darcy! Didn't she know her place?

Ever since Elizabeth came onto the scene Darcy avoided her. How did she do it? How has Elizabeth succeeded with Mr. Darcy where Caroline could not?

What was it in Elizabeth that appealed to Darcy?

Caroline pouted. She had every man in London at her feet—with the exception of the one she wanted.

Caroline sighed once more. There had to be a way to end this sorry state of affairs. There had to be some method she could use to reinstate herself. And then, suddenly, she had it.

She could hoodwink Elizabeth. She could discover what it was about her that attracted Mr. Darcy and then use the same wiles on him.

She would discover how to penetrate Elizabeth's defenses and then her rival would be powerless against her.

Caroline laughed aloud, and it was not a pleasant sound.

"You miserable little upstart," she whispered. "You don't know what you are in for, do you?"

* * * *

Elizabeth was sitting on a bench in the shade, watching a cricket match between militia officers.

Darcy walked across the grass towards her.

Elizabeth smiled welcomingly at him as he sat down beside her. She noticed that although his body faced the opposite way from hers, he had placed himself so that he could gaze into her eyes. She immediately blushed, and lowered her lashes becomingly, and took another stab at the embroidery she had brought with her.

"What is this going to be?" Darcy questioned.

"A tablecloth," she informed him. "A very small tablecloth."

"What is it going to cover?"

Elizabeth gave a slight shrug. "A very small table?" she suggested.

Darcy's lips twitched with amusement. "Are you not bored doing that?" he queried.

"No. Why?"

"I merely wondered. You seem to have been at it all afternoon."

"Not really. I only began it half an hour ago."

"Oh?"

His tone was immediately suspicious. What had she been up to while he had been concentrating on the game?

"I tried to read," Elizabeth said, "but I couldn't concentrate."

"Oh."

In a split second, the fighting note had disappeared.

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