Love, Letters and Lies_A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Renata McMann & Summer Hanford

Author:Renata McMann & Summer Hanford [McMann, Renata & Hanford, Summer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen: Darcy

Darcy, seated across from his cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, gazed at nothing as his carriage moved ever closer to Rosings. They’d departed London days ahead of schedule, because disastrous spring rains and a damaged wheel had made them quite late the year before. Punctuality, however, wasn’t Darcy’s only consideration.

He couldn’t remain in London a moment longer. Though the Bingleys had moved into their new London residence, he still saw them frequently. They entertained and went out. Darcy encountered them everywhere and was obliged to visit them often and reciprocate with invitations of his own.

Their company was torture. Rather, Jane Bingley’s company was. Not through any fault of her own. Bingley’s choice of bride proved to be just as warm, pleasant, lovely and intelligent as she’d seemed at first meeting. More than that, under Bingley’s tutelage, she’d become more exuberant and talkative, better able to keep conversation moving freely.

No, the only problem with Mrs. Bingley, and, for that matter, the Gardiners, whom Darcy also saw regularly, was the constant reminder of Elizabeth. What had seemed a mild preoccupation, a slight tendency to dwell on the one woman to ever reject him, had turned into an obsession.

His mind was ever occupied with visions of her. Her flashing eyes. The slight smile she adopted when something sparked her sardonic wit. The candid way she regarded him, without a trace of the sycophantic or subservient. Her lithe form as she strode about. Tresses that shimmered by candlelight.

At first, Darcy had tried distraction, diving into managing his affairs, but to no avail. Next, he’d attempted distance from the Bingleys, by introducing Bingley to a socially sought-after couple, the Hyatts. Darcy’s friendship with the earl, Lord Walter Hyatt, dated back to his time at Cambridge. The friendship began with Lord Walter’s older brother, Matthew, who’d somewhat replaced George Wickham in Darcy’s life, but Matthew, ever reckless, had joined the army and died in Spain.

With Matthew’s death, Walter became heir, and later earl. Darcy was Walter’s confidant when he was considering marrying Lady Clara, who was the daughter of an earl. The two married and were eminently happy, and very social. Darcy felt them the perfect match for the Bingleys.

A slight smile played across Darcy’s face. His motives were not all selfish, however. Quite a few of Bingley’s friends were no longer so enthusiastic as they once were. This seemed to stem less from a rejection of Mrs. Bingley’s lower status than from the truth about their friendships. It seemed many of Bingley’s friends had simply been out to marry him off to their relations. It pleased Darcy to introduce Bingley to an earl, for many of the same people had often sought that kind of introduction, and watch those false friends, those sycophants, clamor once more for Bingley’s attention.

Although he’d succeeded in flushing out the false friends of Bingley, Darcy had hardly seen less of the Bingleys. Their group had simply widened to include the Hyatts and some of their friends. Mrs. Bingley and Mrs.

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.