Mr. Darcy In Love (Pride & Prejudice Variations) by Clara Winfield

Author:Clara Winfield
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms
Publisher: Heartiman
Published: 2021-01-24T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“Mother, I am sure I shall never be able to walk properly again.”

Miss de Bourgh’s legs appeared to have been transformed into two lengths of rubber, which wobbled precariously as she descended the wooden walkway onto dry land. It took a good ten minutes to make her descent. She had to be grabbed twice by Elizabeth and her lady’s maid, to prevent her toppling right over the hand rail and into the sea below them.

Lady Catherine was already on the harbour by this point, being fussed over by a small army of servants. Her irritability had only increased during the voyage.

“Do come along, Anne,” she snapped. “I know you were terribly sick aboard the ship, but we are on dry land now. At least let us be grateful for small mercies.”

Miss de Bourgh still looked somewhat green. Had it not been for Elizabeth’s quick thinking, Miss de Bourgh might have had to undergo even more changes of clothes than she did. Quick-thinking Elizabeth had managed to procure a small wooden pail for poor Miss de Bourgh to use when the nausea was at its worst.

Less happily, she had had to assist Miss de Bourgh in holding it. It had been a most unpleasant experience, and Elizabeth was very grateful to be back on solid ground.

“We shall stay in Calais tonight,” Lady Catherine announced. “We shall not put ourselves through the ordeal of further travel until my daughter is quite well again.” She peered at Miss de Bourgh. “Are you all right, Anne?”

Miss de Bourgh appeared to have fallen asleep standing up, and was leaning on her lady’s maid, who seemed to struggle to hold her upright.

“I believe Miss de Bourgh is tired,” Elizabeth said.

“Of course she is,” growled Lady Catherine. “She is weak, and needs to rest. Let us go immediately to our lodgings.”

From somewhere, a pair of large carriages appeared together. One was an open barouche, and the other was a very impressive closed coach. Footmen helped Lady Catherine and Anne into the closed coach, and the door was left open for Elizabeth and the ladies’ maids to climb in unaided.

All the party’s luggage was strapped securely to the outside of the carriage by energetic footmen, who then crammed themselves into the open coach.

Once the remaining servants had leaped on to the outside of the closed vehicle, they set off.

Elizabeth gazed out of the window in wonder. So this was France! She drank in all the details, hungry to find out exactly what this strange land was like.

Being wholly honest with herself, Elizabeth felt it did not look so terribly different from England. But perhaps she would notice great differences in scenery as they made their long trek across the country, in the direction of Italy.

She was a long way from home. That much was certain.

Though there did lie in her heart a sense of adventure, it had been outweighed by her sorrow at leaving her sister Jane, and her disappointment at being sent away by her family. Parting had been so very hard, though she had tried to remain stoical.

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