Mr. Darcy & Elizabeth by Alyssa Jefferson

Author:Alyssa Jefferson [Jefferson, Alyssa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JAFF
Published: 2019-06-05T05:00:00+00:00

While living amongst the Whipples, the news of the broken engagement was never spoken of by anybody. Elizabeth, knowing Jane’s sensitivity and modesty, never mentioned it. Mr. and Mrs. Whipple were evidently unaware of it, or else too polite to speak of it. Miss Whipple, had she known, surely would have brought it up, and therefore Jane was somewhat relieved to believe that the circumstance had escaped the notice of the general public. After all, her would-be fiancé was in trade, and they moved in vastly different circles. However, Mr. Dixon was not the kind of man who recognized the importance of discretion—or perhaps, he intended to wield the truth like a weapon. An evening that week, as the Whipples and the Bennet sisters were dining with the Jacksons, Miss Whipple approached Elizabeth with wide eyes full of intrigue.

“Miss Elizabeth,” she hissed in a voice barely above a whisper. “Why did not you tell me?”

Elizabeth had been seated alone in the Jacksons’ drawing room surrounded by people she did not know, and she replied with calmness, “I cannot think what you mean.”

“Why, about Miss Bennet, of course! Why did you not tell me your sister was engaged?”

Careful to conceal any emotion in her features, Elizabeth replied, “Jane is not engaged.”

“Of course, she is not engaged, now,” Miss Whipple said, drawing closer to Elizabeth. “But she was engaged! You cannot deny that she was!”

Elizabeth whispered, “If she is not engaged now, then of what import is it whether she was in the past?”

Not taking her friend’s hint, Miss Whipple continued in a highly audible tone, “Mr. Fink’s brother-in-law is in trade, and he has just told my mother that Jane used to be engaged to a supplier of his. A man in trade himself, with an income scarcely greater than six hundred pounds!”

Elizabeth looked across the room at Jane, who was at this moment seated near Mrs. Whipple. At least the mother’s discretion could be relied upon more than the daughter’s. Elizabeth replied, “It was a secret engagement, and not long-lived. Jane does not wish for it to be spoken of, Miss Whipple, and therefore I must insist—”

“But why did he believe her to be rich?” Miss Whipple said. “For Mr. Fink said the man considered himself most ill-used by the young lady because she claimed to be of noble birth and to have thirty thousand pounds!”

“Jane never claimed any such thing!” Elizabeth hissed, “And I must insist that you speak of it no further! Think in what a bad light it places Jane!”

Miss Whipple nodded seriously, but to cease to speak on the subject was more than she was capable of. She continued to ask questions, which Elizabeth continued to avoid answering, until dinner was announced by a rather smug looking servant whom Elizabeth imagined was in on the secret. Everybody at the table seemed to be aware of the same gossip that Miss Whipple had been plaguing her with all night. The words “Miss Bennet” and “engaged” and “no

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.