NO, Mr Darcy: A Regency Romance inspired by P&P by Sydney Salier

Author:Sydney Salier [Salier, Sydney]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2021-01-08T00:00:00+00:00

It was the beginning of March, when Mrs Barnet-Smythe and Elizabeth left Brighton. They made their way along the coast until they turned inland from Dover, to visit Canterbury and its famed Cathedral.

They spent a day exploring, but since Mrs Barnet-Smythe had an intense dislike for hotels, they did not linger.

The following morning, they set out for the next stop of their journey. As had become almost a custom with them, the lady again raised the topic of Mr Darcy.

‘Now that you have seen a little more about the machinations of the ton, what do you now think of Mr Darcy’s behaviour?’

Elizabeth grudgingly admitted, ‘while I still disapprove of the manner in which he acted, I can understand the reasons behind it. Although I could wish that he had taken Mr Travis as an example. That gentleman appears to be in a similar situation, but while he is standoffish, he is not rude and disdainful.’

‘Mr Travis is also not shy and socially awkward.’

Elizabeth sighed. ‘Yes, I suppose that makes a difference.’

She was silent for several minutes, as she considered the two gentlemen. Elizabeth suddenly remembered that Mr Travis too had quite often watched her with an impassive, although not scowling, countenance, and realisation struck her.

‘Mr Darcy was looking at me with that disagreeable expression because he was interested in me but did not wish to raise my or anyone else’s expectations.’

‘Very good, my dear. You are learning. I suspect he was also fighting his attraction to you, which added to his dyspeptic expression.’

‘So, he is shy, has poor social skills, has been a target for fortune-hunters for years, and he was taught from an early age that his family was better than most…’

She considered Mr Darcy in this new light. ‘While I still have an issue with his attitude towards everyone, not just myself, I can now understand it.’

‘And forgive it?’

After a few moments of thought Elizabeth came to the realisation that the months she had spent in Mrs Barnet-Smythe’s company had relaxed her, and she was no longer angry at the world in general, and Mr Darcy in particular. The betrayal of her family was a different matter altogether.

‘Yes, I can.’ She smiled. ‘I suppose I had better write to Lady Matlock soon.’

~~NO~~

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