The Mist of Her Memory by Suzan Lauder

Author:Suzan Lauder [Lauder, Suzan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781681310312
Publisher: Meryton Press
Published: 2019-04-21T04:00:00+00:00

Mrs. Hurst wore a mottled complexion, but she did not defend her sister nor did she argue against her. Was she as mortified as she deserved to be? She held her head high as she took Miss Bingley by the arm and attempted to steer her from the room before they were forcibly evicted.

“Louisa, let go of me,” Miss Bingley hissed in a low, angry tone whilst she tore her arm from Mrs. Hurst’s grasp. “I have not said all I want to say.” She spun about. “Mr. Darcy, you must know she has no connections, no fortune, nothing to recommend her. Please do not allow—”

“Caroline, please do not embarrass yourself further,” her sister muttered in a low voice from between clenched teeth. “Let us take our leave with dignity and hope our long-standing connection with the Darcys will endure your insolence.” She spoke louder with a taut smile, “My apologies, Lady Matlock, Mr. Darcy, Miss Darcy.”

“I have done nothing wrong!”

Mrs. Hurst momentarily silenced her sister with a withering look as she once again grabbed her arm and led her through the doorway. When the latch clicked shut, Caroline Bingley’s renewed opposition could be heard until she and her sister quit the house. The sound of the outer door closing caused Darcy’s whole body to relax.

Lady Matlock was the first to speak. “What a contemptible harpy that one is!”

“I apologise. You should not have been required to listen to her drivel,” he said as he took the vacant seat next to his sister. Hopefully, she was no worse off for having experienced such a shocking display. “Since Miss Bennet first met her, Miss Bingley has seen her as a sort of rival for attention. To her disadvantage, she has not considered the wealth of friendship available to her from Miss Bennet, who is the more amiable of the two.”

“I agree,” replied his aunt.

“I am of a mind to inform Hodges that Miss Bingley is no longer welcome at my house. The only reason I have tolerated her thus far is due to my close friendship with Bingley, but he must understand I cannot allow such insolence to be unnoticed.”

“Yes, Fitzwilliam, please do,” said Georgiana. “I have never cared for Miss Bingley’s company. She is only nice to me because she wants me to tell her about you.”

“I hope her exhibition was not too ghastly for you to bear, dear,” said Lady Matlock.

“I am well, Aunt, but thank you for your concern.”

Darcy pressed his lips together. “Just another reason to ban that woman. Georgiana does not need to be upset by that sort of treatment from callers in her own home.”

“I do appreciate the gesture, Brother. It will go a long way towards calming my nerves.”

“I do not wish to continue talking of our discomfort; rather, I would like your opinion on our other guests. How did you find Miss Bennet and Mrs. Gardiner?”

Georgiana’s eyes brightened as she sat up straighter. “As amiable as always.”

“I agree,” said Lady Matlock with a broad smile, “and I admire Miss Bennet’s courage.

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.