Love at Rosings: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (The Rosings Collection) by Hailey Jones

Author:Hailey Jones [Jones, Hailey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Goodreads: 221764767
Publisher: Hailey Jones
Published: 2024-11-19T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

"Lizzy, Mary, there is something we need to discuss," Kitty said, causing Elizabeth to look up and exchange a glance with Mary. They both had been talking to one another about Kitty and the colonel—

Could he have proposed to her this morning when they were on their walk?

"Whatever is the matter?" Elizabeth asked, sitting down on the settee beside her sister. Mary sat across from them and called for tea before turning her attention to the both of them.

"It is about Mr. Wickham," Kitty said, much to Elizabeth's surprise.

"Mr. Wickham?"

"Yes," Kitty said, "Colonel Fitzwilliam has just made me promise to stay away from him. He says that the story Mr. Wickham told us about Mr. Darcy and the living is not true!"

Elizabeth felt Mary's eyes on her, though she did not look up and make eye contact. Instead, she looked at Kitty and asked, "Mr. Wickham was lying?"

Kitty nodded. "And the colonel nearly begged me to stay away from Mr. Wickham, as well. He seemed concerned when I told him how often Lydia and I used to be in his company."

Elizabeth sat back in her seat, shocked and surprised at this news.

"How does the colonel know Mr. Wickham?"

Kitty shrugged. "I suppose the same way Mr. Darcy does. They are family, after all."

Previously, Elizabeth was inclined to wholly believe Mr. Wickham's tale on account of how pretentious and arrogant Mr. Darcy seemed. But the colonel never gave Elizabeth any impression of presumptuousness: he was the most amiable sort of man, very similar in demeanor to Mr. Bingley, in fact. She wondered at the scene she had witnessed earlier between Kitty and the colonel, and she asked, "Was Mr. Wickham the subject upon which you were speaking when you took a stumble earlier?"

Kitty nodded. "Indeed, I said the man's name, and Colonel Fitzwilliam stopped so quickly that I was unable to keep my balance—"

"Were you alright?" Mary interjected.

“I am well, do not worry. It was the colonel who stopped me from falling, actually,” Kitty said rather quickly, blushing.

Elizabeth looked over and saw Mary's eyes on her. If Wickham was lying about the living, then Mr. Darcy's character was not at all as she thought he was—Elizabeth pulled her eyes away from her knowing sister and trained them back on Kitty.

"What shall we tell Lydia?" Elizabeth asked, "for I do believe he is fast engaged to Miss Mary King, but I am afraid Lydia still finds a way to be in his company, despite that fact."

Kitty frowned at the thought and said, "It is highly improper of Lydia to behave in such a way, I must admit. Oh, how I have failed to realize this before now."

Elizabeth patted her remorseful sister on the back and said, "You are not responsible for Lydia's behavior.”

Elizabeth then turned to Mary and asked, “What do you believe ought to be done?"

"I shall ask Mr. Collins first, to see if he has any alternative advice, but I believe a letter to Papa warning him about Mr. Wickham would suffice for now.

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