Lilacs & Lavender by Zoe Burton

Author:Zoe Burton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zoe Burton
Published: 2021-08-31T00:00:00+00:00

At the Gardiner home, Elizabeth had bathed and dressed in her nightclothes, and was sitting in front of the fire in the room she shared with Jane, drying her hair. She and her favorite sister were sharing everything that had happened in the weeks they had been apart.

“Oh, Lizzy, it is all so romantic! Who would have thought that the reserved Mr Darcy would have such beautiful words inside him?”

Elizabeth laughed at the dreamy tone of Jane’s voice. “To one who does not know him well, it would be quite the surprise, I’m sure, but having spoken to him almost daily for a month, and learning what was in his heart, I was not at all startled. I was probably too eager to hear his words; I barely waited for him to finish proposing before I accepted.”

Jane laughed along with her younger sister. “I can easily picture that!”

“Enough about me, Jane! Tell me what has happened with you. You seem so much happier than you were when I left.”

With a smile and a blush, Jane looked down at her lap. “Mr Bingley has been to call. No, that is not entirely honest. Let me share with you from the beginning.”

Taking a deep breath, she began. “The day you left, almost at tea time, Mr Bingley came to call. He had quite a tale to tell, and it was clear that he was distressed. The night of our theatre visit, when we sat in Mr Darcy’s box?” She looked up and seeing Elizabeth’s nod, continued. “That night, after we separated following the performance, Mr Bingley took his sister into his study and asked her about me, and why she had not told him of my being in town. Eventually, after what I understand to be a spectacular argument, he gleaned from her that not only had I been here for weeks, but that I had visited their house. Oh, Lizzy, his anger, even hours after their confrontation, was frightening to behold.”

Elizabeth got up and sat on the bed next to her sister, reaching for her hand to hold. “And what was the result of this meeting?”

“He said that he did not sleep a wink that night. He was so upset that he had put his trust in her. He said, right in front of Aunt Gardiner, that he had been on the verge of proposing in Hertfordshire and was angry with himself as much as with her, for if he had not listened to her, he would be a happily married man by now. He then apologized for being so faithless and asked if he might formally court me and try to regain my good opinion. Oh Lizzy, I was so happy!”

Elizabeth squeezed her hand. “I am happy for you! What else happened?”

“At first, I told aunt that I would have gladly accepted his hand, but she helped me to see that such an action would have been too impulsive. I must allow him to court me, and question him, and make sure we are compatible and that he can prove himself steady.

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