Brother Dearest: A Pride & Prejudice variation by Elin Eriksen

Author:Elin Eriksen [Eriksen, Elin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms, Alternate Universe, Read, Not in Amazon Library, To Transfer
Goodreads: 210210242
Published: 2024-03-19T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6 Pemberley Revelations

Elizabeth was a lark, not a night owl, and she rose early on the morning after the ball. She tiptoed out of the quiet house for a solitary stroll in the garden. A feeling of unrest had settled within her. She may have gone too far when she quarrelled during her dance with Mr Darcy. Or it might be the peril Georgiana would suffer if her stubborn brother did not realise that admiration and respect mattered in a marriage. Georgiana was thriving—if one overlooked the dour brother over whom she had no influence. Had she not proudly proclaimed, not so long ago in Meryton, that dancing, and not poetry, was the food of love? Utter nonsense! There was not a dance in the world that could make her fall in love with Mr Darcy.

Elizabeth trotted the now familiar path to the top of the hill. Her ruminations had taken her farther than she had initially planned, but the view was spectacular and would relieve her of her unwanted thoughts. She would enjoy the splendour of the morning and think no more about Mr Darcy. He tended to occupy an inordinate amount of her thoughts—and quite undeservedly so. Elizabeth drew a heavy breath as she reached the rewarding summit. Unfortunately, the view of the house was counterproductive to her purpose of ridding herself of thoughts about its master.

#

An uneventful week passed after the ball. The party was gathered in the parlour when the conversation veered into a treacherous discussion on marriage. Who had introduced the potent topic, no one could remember, but it was Elizabeth who made the unfortunate comment comparing matrimony to slavery.

“Despite the fact that the slave trade was abolished in the 1807 act, slavery still continues. The bill against the trade itself has not freed the people who were already bound, included in which are four hundred thousand new British slaves from between 1801-1807 alone. Much like a gentleman’s wife, they have no rights by law and are still bound to their owner,” Elizabeth remarked.

“You compare marriage to slavery?” Mr Darcy had an edge to his voice that did not bode well, but Elizabeth chose to explain herself regardless.

“I did not mean it in the sense of workload or living conditions but in the eyes of the law. A married lady has no right to decide her own fate. Once she has spoken her vows, she is considered her husband’s possession and has to follow whatever he dictates. She cannot own property, and her fortune becomes her husband’s. In some cases, pin money is a small substitute for a large fortune. It might not be so bad if the husband offers the same leniency to his wife as he allows himself, but that is rarely the case.” Elizabeth tried to explain, but she was aware she was doing it poorly. What she wished to say could not be voiced in company.

“Such as?”

Elizabeth sighed; Mr Darcy already had a poor opinion of her. What did it matter if she sunk even further in his esteem? Soon enough, she would be on her way home.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.