The Choices Series by Leenie Brown

Author:Leenie Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Jane Austen Fan Fiction, Jane Austen Books, Pride and Prejudice Variation, Novella, sweet regency romance, sweet romance, sweet romance British, Sweet romance box set, sweet romance bundle, Clean Regency Romance, clean wholesome romance, Classic British, clean and wholesome romance, sweet regency romance series, Jane Austen Fan Fiction Series, Pride and Prejudice Variation Series, Pride and Prejudice Variation Bundle, Darcy, Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, Mary Bennet, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Kitty Bennet
Publisher: Leenie B Books
Published: 2016-07-22T00:00:00+00:00

Mary closed the door to the small drawing room behind her father’s study quietly, and then, pulled her shawl tight as she crossed the cold room to her place of refuge from the busyness of the house. With a sigh of relief, she sank into her favourite chair and tucked her feet under her skirts.

“A fire would make this room more enjoyable.”

Mary jumped at the voice. She had forgotten there was an entrance to the room from her father’s study. “Papa, you gave me such a fright.”

He shuffled over to the bell pull and gave it a tug. “I have been meaning to enjoy this room, and it would not do for me to sit in here in the cold,” he explained to her with a sly smile.

She shook her head. She would have refused the offer of a fire, and he knew it. He also knew she would not deny him some warmth. He might be rather feeble in his body, but his mind was still sharp enough to manoeuver things to be how he wanted them to be.

Her father took the chair next to her. It was the one in which Lord Rycroft – Samuel – had sat as he proposed. Mary swiped at a tear that had escaped her eyes, trying to hide the fact that she was once again feeling melancholy. She was certain she had spent more time crying in the past few days than she had in all the years of her life together.

“Do you miss him?” Her father had not missed the tear.

She bit her lip and nodded.

A servant entered and began to lay the fire while Mr. Bennet began a discussion of the weather and then of the service that morning. When the fire was blazing, and the servant had left, he took Mary’s hand. “Speak to me about him. Why did you refuse him?”

She shrugged. It had seemed the right thing to do at the time, but now? Now, she felt the error of her decision most severely. “He loves me so much, and I was unsure I could return that love.”

Her father patted her hand. “And are you still unsure?”

She shook her head. “No. When he left so suddenly, I felt as though my heart has been ripped in two. And when Miss Bingley began her campaign to unsettle me...”

“Ah, yes, I remember you telling me about Miss Bingley and her catty ways.”

Her father had found her in here on that day, too.

“I wanted so dearly to talk to him about it, and I knew in that moment, Papa, that he will always be a part of my heart.” She wiped at her eyes again. There was no way to stop the tears now that she was allowing her heart to unlatch itself and spill out of her. “I wish he were here now.” And if he were here now, she would never let him leave again without her.

“He will return tomorrow, and you may tell him this then,” her father assured her.

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