Elizabeth and Darcy- Ardently Yours by Evangeline Wright

Author:Evangeline Wright [Wright, Evangeline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regency, Romance, Fiction
Publisher: Evangeline Wright
Published: 2019-08-02T04:00:00+00:00

Mr. Bingley and party did indeed arrive at Netherfield the following day, and the gentleman wasted no time in calling on Mr. Bennet that very afternoon. All Longbourn held its breath during their brief consultation behind the closed doors of Mr. Bennet’s library. During that quiet half-hour, the house enjoyed its last prolonged silence for some weeks. Soon enough the Bennet family, led by their effusive matriarch, were aflutter with celebration and wedding plans.

The wedding date was set for early June—scarcely more than six weeks hence, and Mrs. Bennet was beset with an attack of nerves at the idea of preparing for such an occasion in so short a time. Elizabeth, too, would have preferred a longer engagement, although for entirely different reasons.

The weeks passed quickly enough in a flurry of shopping and preparations. Kitty and Lydia continued to be besotted with the local regiment, and several of the officers, Denny and Wickham among them, called frequently at Longbourn. Elizabeth had little patience for the nonsensical flirtation that filled the parlor on these occasions and excused herself from such gatherings whenever possible.

The only event that threatened to disturb Longbourn’s reign of euphoria was the announcement that the regiment would be moving camp to Brighton for the summer. Lydia was invited by Mrs. Forster to accompany her there, and was none too pleased that the dreadfully boring occasion of Jane’s wedding prevented her from accepting.

Elizabeth kept herself occupied by assisting with preparations and devising ways to grant Jane and Mr. Bingley brief respites from her mother, but even this busy schedule somehow left untold hours for contemplating Mr. Darcy. She read his letter so often that the paper wore translucent at the creases from repeated folding and unfolding. Before long, she knew it completely by heart. With time and the happy influence of Jane and Mr. Bingley’s obvious bliss, she focused less and less on the letter’s beginning and found herself returning frequently to its closing paragraphs.

It was a comfort and a compliment to know that Mr. Darcy did understand her character better than she had believed, and to know that he esteemed her not for trivial ‘accomplishments,’ but for the development of her mind and the source of her spirit. If he had made the effort to come to Longbourn, even after her cold refusal, and look upon her home with open eyes and an open mind, perhaps the least she owed him was the same fresh start.

When next we meet, it is I who should feel fortunate to be greeted as a friend, without hopes of a deeper attachment. He asked little enough from her, but the question remained—was friendship more or less than she wished to give? She had settled that to greet Mr. Darcy with unbiased civility was her duty. What remained uncertain, however, was her desire.

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