Dangerous Magic: A Pride & Prejudice Variation (Mr. Darcy's Magic Book 1) by Monica Fairview

Author:Monica Fairview [Fairview, Monica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: White Soup Press
Published: 2021-03-15T04:00:00+00:00

THE OARS DIPPED RHYTHMICALLY in and out of the water. The motion should have been soothing, but she was on alert, listening and watching for possible danger. There was no moon in the sky, and the river seemed a band of unfathomable depth, the ghoulish outlines of the willows and the beeches on the riverbanks hiding unknown enemies. Without the ability to cast spells, she felt exposed. When an eel thrashed in the water, she jumped.

The boat slid smoothly through waters that parted in little white swirls. Darcy rowed silently for a while, until they reached a bend in the river where the water was shallow and bogged with reeds and plants. The Thames was mysterious to Elizabeth. The small streams she knew were nothing like this. She had never been on such a large river. They were far enough from the bank that no one could take them by surprise or overhear them, but not too far to be dragged by the current, away from those who were keeping guard over them.

She was already aware of every sound, every motion around them. Being alone with a gentleman in the darkness heightened her awareness even further. The boat was small, intimate. Enveloped by the night, they could have been the only people in the world, with nothing but the ghostly presence of others keeping watch. In the stillness, she could hear the scrape of Darcy’s boots against wood as he moved, the rustle of cloth as he settled the oars, the creaking of the boat as it swayed to his movements. His knee was so close to hers the smallest shift in her position would make their knees touch. She wondered what would happen if she allowed that to happen. She was strangely tempted to try.

Except that if she did, there could be a spark, and a fire, and Napoleon’s mages would descend upon them. Reality kept her in check.

“So what should we talk about?” said Darcy. He spoke in a quiet murmur, hardly more than a whisper, really, a rough rasp that caressed her senses. Her breath hitched as she imagined him leaning over and brushing his lips over hers.

She shook her head, dismissing the disturbing image. How could she even consider such a thing, when their every move was being observed? She felt suddenly even more constrained than they were indoors. How could anyone live like this?

She wondered how Darcy felt about it. Did he find it strange to be surrounded by invisible people, or did he take it for granted? For the first time she considered what it was like to own an extensive property.

The only way to find out was to ask.

“What is the name of your estate? Pemberley?”

“Yes.”

“Is it very large?”

“It is.”

He was not exactly forthcoming. At this rate, she would need until the morning to find out anything new about him. She wanted to ask him what owning such a property felt like, but her instinct told her he was not yet ready to reveal anything more personal.

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.