Mr. Darcy's Dilemma: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Grace Belton

Author:Grace Belton [Belton, Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, POV First Person, Darcy's POV, POV Alternating, Read, Not in Amazon Library
Goodreads: 225103196
Publisher: Grace Belton
Published: 2025-01-30T05:00:00+00:00

I settle the burgundy shawl around Anne’s shoulders, adjusting its folds for what must be the tenth time under Lady Catherine’s exacting supervision.

“No, no, Miss Bennet, it must drape more elegantly. And Anne, remember to keep your right side toward the window—the afternoon light is particularly flattering from that angle.” Lady Catherine gestures imperiously. “Three inches to the left, I think. Or perhaps—”

“My lady,” Mrs. Jenkins appears in the doorway, “Cook wishes to consult with you about tomorrow’s menu.”

“Surely that can wait,” Lady Catherine begins, but the housekeeper’s expression suggests otherwise.

“It concerns the dinner for the Archbishop’s wife,” Mrs. Jenkins adds meaningfully.

While Lady Catherine is momentarily distracted by this domestic crisis, I catch Anne’s eye and we share the briefest glance of understanding. I make one final, minute adjustment to her shawl—not because it needs it, but because I know it will please her mother to see me attending to my duties with such diligence.

“Very well,” Lady Catherine sighs. “Miss Bennet, you will ensure Anne maintains the proper position. Remember the light.”

“Mr. Darcy,” the butler announces from the doorway, and my heart gives an entirely inappropriate leap.

He enters with his usual quiet dignity, executing perfect bows to both his aunt and cousin. But when his eyes meet mine in greeting, there is a moment—brief enough that I might have imagined it—where his gaze holds mine just a fraction longer than propriety strictly demands. I feel a flush rise to my cheeks and busy myself with needlessly adjusting a cushion behind Anne’s back.

“Darcy, you are precisely on time,” Lady Catherine declares, her consultation with the cook apparently forgotten. “Anne was just saying how eager she is to hear your opinions on the new landscaping in our gardens here. Were you not, Anne?”

I notice the slight tension in his jaw as he takes the seat his aunt indicates—one carefully positioned to face both Anne and the afternoon light streaming through the tall windows. Though every word and gesture is perfectly correct, I cannot help but observe how his attention seems to drift in my direction whenever his aunt’s focus is elsewhere.

“Indeed, Cousin?” he addresses Anne. “I would be most interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter.”

The afternoon light catches his profile as he turns toward Anne, and I find myself remembering our shared moment of amusement over Lady Catherine’s pronouncements at dinner. I should not be noticing such things, I remind myself firmly. I am here as a companion, nothing more. Yet even as I take up my position slightly behind Anne’s chair—close enough to be of assistance if needed, but not so near as to intrude—I cannot help but be aware of his presence, as if some invisible thread connects us across the carefully arranged drawing room.

“Perhaps,” Anne suggests with unexpected animation, “we might take a turn about the garden? The new arrangements would be best appreciated in person, would they not?”

“My dear,” Lady Catherine interjects swiftly, “surely you are not strong enough for such an excursion. The air is

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