Mr Darcy's Second Chance: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Trilogy by Lucy Marin & J. Marie Croft & Jan Ashton

Author:Lucy Marin & J. Marie Croft & Jan Ashton [Marin, Lucy & Croft, J. Marie & Ashton, Jan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Anthology, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms
ISBN: 9781963213546
Goodreads: 216655815
Publisher: Quills & Quartos Publishing
Published: 2024-09-28T04:00:00+00:00

Eight

Respecting Elizabeth’s wishes, Darcy bid her a good day and let her go, but as he watched her walk away, something she had said weighed heavily on his thoughts. ‘You are not responsible for my welfare.’ Yes, thank you for reminding me that this heart of mine belongs to someone who does not want it.

Darcy recollected himself before he could be completely overtaken by sentiment, and although he was not directly responsible for Anne’s welfare either, he set off after her, anxious about what might have delayed his cousin’s return from the outing with Gilchrist. Hoping to catch her before she reached the manor, he hastened towards the carriage house, a two-storey structure housing the barouche, chaise, phaeton, and Darcy’s own coach. Above were living quarters for the coachman, grooms, and stable hands. Horses were accommodated in the nearby barn.

He espied her between those two buildings. Anne saw him, he knew she did, but she pretended she had not and strode towards the house at an amazingly quick pace.

Close behind, Darcy raised his voice. “Anne! Where have you been?”

“Not now, Cousin.” Tucking something beneath one arm and hitching up her skirts, she broke into a run, shouting over her shoulder. “It is freezing cold, and I am rather late. Her ladyship will have my guts for garters.”

Darcy took chase across the lawns, hard on her heels, until he reached her. “How prodigiously eloquent you have become of late. When did you learn to run like that, and from whence has all this unexpected vitality sprung?” His cousin was quite an altered creature since last he had visited Rosings, and he truly was glad that she no longer appeared quite so pale and sickly. “I fear you have been spending far too much time with the head gardener. Your good manners have suffered, and I might have to advise your mother to curtail your visits.”

She sped ahead and breathlessly called back to him. “I was not alone with Gilchrist all morning, if that is what is vexing you.”

Again, Darcy easily caught up with her. “Who else was there?”

She stopped to spare him an annoyed look. “Where, exactly, do you mean? In the woods? I saw a few squirrels scurrying about.”

“Such insolence!” Darcy placed his large hands upon her thin upper arms. “Listen to me⁠—”

Anne pulled away. “Leave me alone. I was in such good humour earlier, diverted beyond moderation. Now you are ruining it.” Panting, she ran up the steps towards the garden entrance.

Darcy caught her by the sleeve, and a book dropped from under her arm. Leafing through it, he scoffed. “Is this your herbarium? It does not contain much. I had expected to see descriptions of plant specimens and, if apt, their healing properties.”

Colour rose in Anne’s cheeks as she snatched the Flora from him, clasping it against her breast. “Gilchrist and I have just begun.” In a tone shifting from defensiveness to challenge, she added, “It is a respectable diversion. Botany is one of the few sciences considered appropriate for genteel women, and I shall not listen to any opposition.

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