The Marriage Bargain by Lucy Marin

Author:Lucy Marin [Marin, Lucy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quills & Quartos Publishing
Published: 2022-04-17T18:30:00+00:00

After their brief exchange of words when her uncle left, Elizabeth and Darcy did not talk alone again until the next morning. Darcy avoided her for the rest of the day, and Elizabeth was not sorry for it. He had stolen the comfort from her heart that she found in her uncle’s visit, blackening her memories of it. After she had tolerated the Bingleys, he had dared to criticise her uncle, who never had an unkind word for anyone?

We must have a rational conversation about what happened, she thought that evening. She stood at the window in her bedchamber, the starless night looking as friendless as she felt. Dinner had been uneasy, despite her attempts to mask her disappointment in Darcy so Georgiana would not be distressed. Georgiana chattered too quickly, though, and spent the evening at the pianoforte, which was an obvious indication she knew something was not right.

I refuse to live in such a situation. Darcy knew what he was doing when he chose to marry me; it is too late to regret his decision now. Oh, everything was going so well! We were friends—more than that—and everything was…easier than I imagined it could be.

To be sure, there were one or two matters that irritated her, principally the tight control Darcy kept over Georgiana’s time, but they had been married only two months, and she expected they would sort these things out as they grew to know each other better.

Elizabeth yawned, and her eyes drifted closed until her body jerked, waking her enough to realise she ought to get into bed before she fell asleep where she stood. There was no chance Darcy would come to her that night, which was just as well; she had no wish to see him.

If I did, I might tell him he was acting like a child. That would not improve our situation at all. I shall seek him out in the morning, and we will resolve this like two intelligent adults.

Before breakfast, she found him in the library, a book in hand. When she asked if she could talk to him, he simply nodded, and she bit her tongue so that she would not make a biting remark.

Sitting across from him, she said, “I want to talk about what happened yesterday. Are you truly disturbed by what Uncle did? It never occurred to me to mention it to you, and for that I apologise. He explained his intentions to me in early December or at the end of November. I suppose I thought he had talked to you about it. As I said yesterday, he feels it is better you owe him money than a bank or those who would take advantage of you, as you know my uncle never would. He wants only the best for this family—you, Georgiana, me, and when we are so fortunate as to have them, our children. If, for instance, the estate does not bring in as much as you and Mr Potter hope it will this year, a bank will not care and will demand its money no matter what.

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