Darcy Overhears by Zoe Burton

Author:Zoe Burton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JAFF
Publisher: Zoe Burton
Published: 2018-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

The next morning, an uneasy feeling in his stomach at Elizabeth’s lack of response to his missive of the day before, Darcy decided to send another note to Longbourn. Calling for a footman, he handed it over, with the request that it be taken care of immediately. Then, Darcy finished his morning ablutions and descended the stairs.

“Good morning, Darcy. Have you taken a ride already?” Bingley was always cheerful in the morning, something Darcy could neither fathom nor manage himself.

“I did.” Darcy followed Bigley into the breakfast room, where Caroline stood, staring into the fire. Darcy wondered what she was about; her behavior was unlike anything he had seen before, though he knew she was a bit put out with everyone in the home lately.

“Did you see anyone special while you were out?” Bingley’s teasing voice drew Darcy’s attention, and he put Caroline’s odd behaviour out of his mind.

“I had hoped to, but did not. I cannot imagine what would have kept Miss Elizabeth from her walk.” Darcy was reminded of his concern over Elizabeth’s lack of response.

Bingley sipped his tea. “I hope she is well. Will we have time to visit today, do you think?”

“That depends upon how long it takes us to conclude our business.” Darcy looked toward the door. “And that depends upon my cousin making an appearance. It is unlike him to sleep in.” Darcy sipped his own tea and set the cup down.

“There he is now,” Bingley exclaimed.

Darcy looked up to see Richard stroll into the room and head for the sideboard. “About time, Cousin.”

“Hush, Darcy. I may not have been out of bed at the crack of dawn, but I am here now and will be ready to deal with the menace that is Wickham as soon as I break my fast.”

Bingley laughed at Richard’s response. “Well, Darcy, I do hope we can get the problem dealt with quickly so we can get to Longbourn. I have not seen Miss Bennet in two days, and I am eager to do so.” Bingley noticed that his sister was still standing by the fireplace, though she was no longer gazing into the flames. “Come, Caroline, break your fast with us.”

Caroline, who had been watching the gentlemen and listening to their conversation, hesitated and then moved to the sideboard to fill a plate. Turning around, she looked over the places available at the table and chose one next to Darcy.

“Good morning, Miss Bingley.” Though aware of her irritation with him, Darcy’s good manners were too deeply ingrained to allow him to ignore her. “I was wondering … I thought I might have received a note from Longbourn yesterday. Do you know if anything came?” He reached for his cup once more, watching Caroline’s reaction. He did not miss the flicker of something in her expression, but it was gone before he could decipher it.

“As far as I am aware, nothing at all has come from there.” Caroline put a forkful of eggs in her mouth.

“Hmmm. Well, I have sent another missive to her.

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.