Darcy & Elizabeth: A Season of Courtship (Darcy Saga Prequel Duo) by Sharon Lathan Read Free Book Online Page A

roam
freely. If a solution were within his power, Darcy would have done anything to
accomplish it so the Bennet family, especially Jane and Elizabeth, would not be
adversely affected by a scandal. Fortunately, crossing a line into an illegal
zone had not been necessary, but Darcy had prepared for that as well.
    When it was finished, even after
confessing his error in judgment about Miss Bennet to Bingley and seeing the
positive outcome there, Darcy refused to allow himself to hope.
    A knock at the door postponed
further musings and ignited fresh rumbles in his stomach. Samuel entered with a
heavily laden tray, sat it onto the low table by Darcy’s chair, and proceeded
to unerringly prepare his master’s coffee the way he liked it.
    “Do you have any specific
instructions for me today, sir?” Samuel handed the hot cup to Darcy. “Should I
unpack the rest of your bags?”
    “Yes.” Darcy winced at the scald to
his tongue but took another gulp of the restoring beverage anyway. “We will be
staying at Netherfield for a while longer after all. If I can have my bath
drawn in an hour, that would be perfect. And I shall be dining at Longbourn
tonight with Mr. Bingley. If my dark blue suit, and green and gold waistcoat
are clean, I would like to wear them tonight.”
    He was staring directly at Samuel,
so Darcy noticed the slight lift of his valet’s brows. In a flash, the hint of
surprise was gone, a smooth-faced Samuel assuring that all would be as he
commanded. Once the door to his dressing room was shut, Darcy gave in to a
smile and chuckle. He knew why Samuel was surprised. In his over ten years of
service to Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, there was probably less than ten times Darcy
expressed a preference for which garment to wear. Darcy honestly could not care
less most of the time, as long as he was clean, properly attired in the latest
fashion, and presentable. Darcy wondered if Samuel was thinking of the handful
of particular clothing requests he had made, realizing that the majority of
them were in the last year, when his day involved being in the presence of
Elizabeth Bennet.
    “Probably not,” he muttered between
bites of jam-smeared toast. Samuel was an excellent manservant, but his
attention to Mr. Darcy’s personal life did not extend past knowing his schedule
so he could plan for the correct cravat knot and pocket fob. If Darcy had
mentioned his engagement, the response from Samuel would have been something
like: “Very good, sir. Congratulations. Would you like more salt on your eggs?”
    The first plate was cleaned and
refilled before Darcy resumed his musings.
    Elizabeth Bennet loves me.
    The thought was no less gratifying
than before. The ridiculous grin and palpitating heartbeat continued unabated,
even as he chewed. Darcy knew she spoke the truth, Elizabeth never one to mince
words or speak falsehoods. It was simply so astounding that he struggled to
grasp how it had happened!
    If he was being honest, the reality
was that after spending time with Elizabeth at Pemberley, Darcy had believed
her opinion of him had changed. He had not entirely trusted his ability to
decipher Elizabeth’s demeanor and actions after so hideously misinterpreting
them before. Nevertheless, after nearly four months of constantly replaying
every verbal and nonverbal exchange from the moment he saw her at the Meryton
Assembly to that disastrous day when she vigorously refused his offensive
proposal, he surmised his vision was clearer. While he had not thought for a
second that Elizabeth had developed affection for him, her general disposition
was not of a woman who actively hated him either.
    So, yes, during their hours
together at Pemberley, he had allowed glimmers of hope. If he was
reading the sign from God correctly, and if he was finally interpreting
Elizabeth’s manner without bias, then perhaps they could start afresh.
Tragically, there had been no time to anticipate or plan beyond that initial
step. The letter from Jane