Rebellion at Longbourn by Victoria Kincaid

Author:Victoria Kincaid
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Meadowbrook Press
Published: 2020-06-01T04:00:00+00:00

Elizabeth tied the ribbons on her bonnet, ignoring the mixture of relief and anxiety churning in her stomach. Mr. Jones believed Tommy Wiley would make a full recovery and had promised not to reveal the Wileys’ presence at Longbourn. Standing by the cottage’s kitchen table, he expressed disgust at Collins’s behavior toward the young widow and praised Elizabeth for sheltering her.

However, Elizabeth’s joy at the boy’s fate was tinged with concern. Mr. Darcy was a clever man. Deep in their concern for the boy, neither of the farmers’ wives had been particularly adept at concealing the truth. He had surely guessed. Then he need only drop the name “Wiley” to anyone in the neighborhood to discover that the family had been evicted from Longbourn. If only I had managed to find another estate that would take the family!

At this very moment Darcy could be spilling the entire story to Mr. Collins. Perhaps instead of trudging to the manor when she exited the cottage, Elizabeth should race to the stable for a cart to transport the Wiley family’s worldly possessions. And then Elizabeth herself might be in need of a new living situation. Banishment from Longbourn would be a terrible fate; however, she feared Collins might exert his wrath on her mother and sisters as well.

Closing the cottage door behind herself, Elizabeth was so engrossed in her own musings that she did not immediately recognize Mr. Darcy sitting on a tree stump near the road. He stood as she emerged. “How fares the boy?”

This is a good sign. If he cares about Tommy’s health, he is unlikely to want to see the family evicted. “Mr. Jones believes he is out of danger.”

“That is excellent news.” The muscles in his face loosened; he really had worried about a boy he did not know. How different he was from her cousin!

“Might I accompany you back to the manor house?” he inquired.

She would rather face Napoleon’s army, but it was impossible to decline. “Yes, of course.”

They started along the road, climbing the slight incline that would let them reach the house. He did not offer her his arm. Was that a sign of anger? Disgust? He walked quite deliberately, his posture erect. Darcy held the reins in one hand as the horse trailed behind his owner.

A minute of silence passed. A bird trilled in a tree over her head, the sound grating on Elizabeth’s nerves. She did not dare to speak. If only Mr. Darcy would say something! Or would he pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred in the cottage?

Finally, he cleared his throat. “I take it that Mrs. Greeves is as much Tommy’s mother as your ball gown was fitted for Georgiana.”

This drew a startled laugh from Elizabeth, but she did not respond.

“I have tried,” Mr. Darcy continued, “but for the life of me, I cannot fathom why everyone would pretend Tommy belonged to Mrs. Greeves when he was so obviously Mrs. Wiley’s son.”

Elizabeth could find no plausible way to deny his assertion.

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