Raising the Stakes: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (First Impressions) by Alix James

Author:Alix James [James, Alix]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Winsome Wit Publishing
Published: 2025-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

The soft clatter of a carriage outside the Gardiners’ townhouse caught Elizabeth’s attention just as she was folding the corner of a book she had been pretending to read. She moved to the window, expecting to see the familiar figure of her uncle returning from his business, but instead, the sleek, unmistakable crest on the door of the carriage made her pulse skip.

Mr. Darcy.

Before she could fully process that realization, the bell chimed downstairs, and moments later, the maid’s hurried steps echoed up the staircase.

“Miss Bennet,” the girl announced breathlessly, poking her head into the sitting room. “Mr. Darcy is here to call on you.”

Oh. Goodness. She must have forgot some planned engagement. She sprang up from the settee, smoothing the wrinkles from her skirts with one hand and hastily tucking an errant curl behind her ear with the other. The book lay abandoned as her eyes darted around the room, scanning for anything out of place. A stray shawl tossed carelessly over the arm of a chair, a cup of half-finished tea—she set to rights what she could in the brief seconds it took the maid to retreat.

By the time Darcy entered, Elizabeth was standing near the mantel, feigning a calm she certainly did not feel. “Mr. Darcy,” she greeted, curtsying with what she hoped looked like practiced ease. “Forgive me, I must have forgot an appointment. Was there something we were meant to attend?”

Darcy seemed slightly taken aback. “No,” he replied, his brow knitting slightly, as though her assumption puzzled him. “I simply thought to call.”

Elizabeth blinked. That was… unexpected. She gestured toward the window with a hint of a smirk. “I see. And who, pray, is meant to witness your carriage stationed outside? I should hate to think I have disrupted some grand scheme for public appearance.”

Darcy’s confusion deepened, and for a rare moment, he seemed genuinely at a loss. “I... doubt anyone is observing me so closely,” he said slowly, as though the idea had not occurred to him. “I assure you, Miss Bennet, there is no scheme. Not this time.”

“Then… are we to plan a scheme? Ah, I understand. Easier to talk over plans in person.”

He frowned. “That is not a bad notion, but it was not my intention.”

Elizabeth’s curiosity finally overcame her skepticism. “Then… why are you here, Mr. Darcy?”

Darcy’s mouth opened, then closed again. He glanced at the floor as though the answer might be hiding in the intricate weave of the carpet. He even turned about once, his eyes casting almost plaintively toward the door, but then twisted back to his original place. Just as Elizabeth began to wonder if he might leave without saying anything at all, his expression cleared.

“I was thinking about the… ah… the letter,” he said suddenly. “And the key. It occurred to me that my cousin, Richard, might know something—or at least, he might inquire discreetly.”

Elizabeth’s heart gave an odd little jolt, though whether from disappointment or relief, she could not say. She moved to the side

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