Only Mr. Darcy Will Do by Kara Louise Read Free Book Online Page A

the fact that she and Jane were in good homes and had pleasant wards. Jane had always enjoyed caring for the Gardiner children. Elizabeth could find no fault with the Willstones or Emily, but she was all too aware that it was a step down in society’s eyes for both of them. She could only imagine that after tonight’s visit, Mr. Darcy would come to know of it from his sister or Bingley. She pulled her feet up onto the bed and lay her head down on the pillow.
    She often chided herself that as Mr. Darcy’s wife, she would have had it in her power to undo his one terrible injustice. As Mr. Bingley was his best friend and Jane was her sister, they would have had numerous opportunities to meet again and restore what they once had. Hence, Jane would likely be the one to marry Mr. Bingley instead of Miss Darcy. That was her one true regret in refusing him.
    In the short time she was downstairs, Elizabeth had watched Miss Darcy, out of curiosity and a determination to find fault with her. Wickham had characterized her as proud, yet she saw nothing of that. Miss Darcy seemed a sweet, yet shy girl, and Elizabeth could not, in all honesty, blame Mr. Bingley for forming an attachment to her.
    She pounded a fist onto her pillow. “But he loved Jane! I am certain of it!” Her fervent whisper was expelled forcefully from deep within her. She buried her head into the pillow, which acted as a handkerchief, catching the lone tear that slid down her cheek.
    She lay there motionless for a while, and finally, after a few moments, Elizabeth arose and slowly changed into her nightdress. She occasionally heard laughter or an outburst from the party downstairs. It distressed her to hear such joviality, knowing the pain it would instil in Jane once she was informed of their betrothal. It troubled her that she would be the one who would have to tell Jane before she heard it from someone else through some other means.
    “Oh, Jane,” she whispered to herself. “You are the last person in the world that I would want to hurt with such information.”
    She climbed into her bed after snuffing out the candle. With her eyes wide open, she stared upward in the darkened room and listened as the voices grew faint. At length, with the sound of a distant door closing, Elizabeth assumed that the guests had finally departed.
    She rolled over and hoped that she would be able to sleep, putting tonight’s events out of her mind, but the insistent pounding of her heart and her turbulent thoughts did little to aid in her wish.
    After a few minutes, there was a soft tap at Elizabeth’s door. She opened her eyes. “Yes?”
    “Elizabeth, it is Rosalyn. May I come in?”
    Elizabeth sat up in her bed, moving a strand of hair that had fallen across her face and wiping any telltale sign of a tear from her cheek.
    “Yes, Rosalyn, do come in,” Elizabeth answered as cheerfully as she could, but truly wishing to be left alone.
    Rosalyn walked in holding a candle. A soft glow lit both ladies’ faces.
    “I am so sorry to disturb you, Elizabeth. Were you already asleep?”
    “No, no, Rosalyn. I only now just slipped into bed. The guests are gone, I presume?”
    “Yes,” Rosalyn answered and looked down at her hands. She looked up expectantly at Elizabeth as if she wished to say something.
    “What is it, Rosalyn?”
    “Is it… is it really true, Elizabeth?”
    Although Elizabeth had not fallen asleep yet, she found it difficult to comprehend what Rosalyn was asking.
    “Is what true, Rosalyn?”
    “That you are acquainted with Mr. Darcy?”
    Elizabeth’s eyes widened in surprise. “Mr. Darcy? I… I am… only a little. Why do you ask?”
    “After you left, Mr. Bingley told us about how both he and Mr. Darcy had made your acquaintance at Netherfield. Mr. Bingley was very gracious in his words about you and your family, and from the sound of it, you were in their company a great deal.”
    “We did see them on occasion. They were present at some dances, and we