Elizabeth in London, Pride and Prejudice Fanfiction

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Elizabeth in London By Louise

Prologue

Posted on Thursday, 26 June 2003

Continuing from somewhere in Chapter 42...

The time fixed for the beginning of their Northern tour was now fast approaching; and a fortnight only was wanting of it when a letter arrived from Mrs. Gardiner which at once disappointed Elizabeth excessively. Mr. Gardiner's business was having financial trouble with a rather eminent client and he was quite unable to leave London until the affair was settled, as his wife explained to her niece:

'... and so you see my dear, we do not know when we will be able to leave for the North, therefore we have decided to postpone our departure until the end of August. No doubt, the weather will be cooler for travelling at that time of year. You are, of course, still invited and meanwhile, would be more than welcome to come and stay with us at Gracechurch Street...'

Elizabeth's reaction upon reading this letter was that to be expected from one who has just had her hopes and expectations of delight dashed. But she took some pleasure from the thought that she would at least still see the Lakes, albeit later than expected. Their beauty in early autumn would not be inconsiderable and in the meantime, the shops, theatres and galleries of town did hold a certain charm for her.

To London, therefore, she decided to go.

Upon her arrival, Elizabeth's welcome in Gracechurch Street was as pleasurable as she could have expected. And the days that followed were scarcely less agreeable. The engaging company of her aunt and the novelties of city life contributed greatly to Elizabeth's amusement during the day and in the evenings, her uncle kept them all entertained by dropping dark hints about the mire of scandal in which his noble client was becoming ever deeper embroiled. Although Elizabeth despised society gossip, as did Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, her uncle assured her that the spiral of debt his business had unconsciously uncovered would cause disgrace at the highest level.

Elizabeth had been in London two weeks when her aunt informed her of their invitation to the ball of an old acquaintance that night. Miss Lewisham had been a very close friend of Mrs. Gardiner before their marriages and after a chance meeting the previous day, Mrs. Cholmondely, as she was now, was eager to renew the friendship. Her hospitality was celebrated and Elizabeth found herself extremely well pleased with her hostess, as she remarked to Mrs. Gardiner at the ball,

'I like your friend Mrs. Cholmondely very much, aunt. She has none of the pretension to grandeur which is so often evident in those who have married above themselves.'

'Yes, Victoria always had an amiable disposition. Witty and lively but modest. I believe that is what first attracted Mr. Cholmondely to her. He was such a quiet gentleman and- Ah Lizzie, here comes Mr. Leigh to claim your hand. Enjoy yourself my dear.'

Elizabeth did enjoy herself. Mr. Leigh was fortunate enough to be the young cousin of Mr. Cholmondely, making a name for himself at the Bar and possessed of both a handsome face and a ready wit. He was also fortunate in being so unlike a certain other admirer of Elizabeth's that she took thorough delight in his company. They had discussed what books they liked and the feelings they had when reading them, the generosity of Mrs. Cholmondely, the upright character of Mr. Cholmondely and were about to begin another topic when Elizabeth suddenly saw, over Mr. Leigh's smartly clad shoulder, the certain gentleman whom Mr. Leigh was so unlike. It was evident that he had just caught sight of her, such was the surprised expression on his face.

'What can he be doing here?' Elizabeth asked herself. She had not thought that he could be part of the Cholmondely's general acquaintance. Since reading his letter, she was not sure whether to think well or ill of him and it could not be said if pleasure or displeasure was more on her mind at that moment. Her greatest feeling was probably one of shock. However, a puzzled enquiry from Mr. Leigh forced her to recollect herself and turn her attention back to the dance as well as she could.

When Mr. Leigh finally returned Elizabeth to her aunt, with many professions of a desire to maintain an acquaintance, Mrs. Gardiner could not help but notice Elizabeth's heightened colour. At first she attributed it to Mr. Leigh but on seeing the arrival of another young man whose own appearance suggested more than a little embarrassment, she changed her mind. It seemed he and her niece were already quite familiar.

'Miss Bennet.'

'Mr. Darcy.'

Part One

Posted on Monday, 30 June 2003

It was hard to perceive who was the more disconcerted, but after civil enquiries on both sides, Elizabeth remembered the presence of her aunt who was eyeing them both with not a little bewilderment and hastily introduced her to Mr. Darcy. He was clearly surprised yet expressed his pleasure at meeting Mrs. Gardiner and apologised for interrupting them. His manner was so very different from their last encounter that Elizabeth wondered at the change for some time. That he could be civil and courteous after their bitter parting at Hunsford quite astonished her. When her aunt excused herself and she was left to face Mr. Darcy alone, Elizabeth rapidly tried to think of a subject for conversation and had to resort to asking about his stay in London. His main purpose was business but, as he told her,

'Mr. Cholmondely was a good friend of my late father and on discovering our presence in town, promptly invited my sister and myself to come tonight.' He paused. 'While we are on the subject Miss Bennet, Georgiana has long been desirous of meeting you. May I introduce you to her?'

Elizabeth agreed and Darcy led her to the far side of the hall where Mrs. Cholmondely and a tall young woman were talking quietly. The latter saw them approaching and smiled with delight as she set eyes on her brother. Elizabeth soon began to realise that Mr. Wickham's deceitful accounts had included the character of Darcy's sister; she found Miss Darcy charming, good-humoured and possessed of a natural modesty and shyness that could be mistakenly construed as pride by those who were not eager to be pleased. Together with their hostess and Mr. Darcy, they talked of music, books and of their mutual love of the countryside. It was with some wistfulness that Elizabeth enjoyed this lively, intelligent conversation- there was little to be had of it at Longbourn, even when militia were not quartered in Meryton. Mr. Darcy eventually brought the discourse to a close by asking Elizabeth with trepidation,

'Miss Bennet, I believe the next dance is about to start. Will you give me the pleasure of your company?'

Elizabeth could not resist remarking archly,

'Are you asking me to dance with you sir or merely favour you with my company whilst you perform the required movements?'

His expression betrayed his amusement.

'Elizabeth Bennet, will you dance with me?'

'Yes, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, I will.'

If Elizabeth was ever worried that this dance might be an awkward repeat of the 26th of November, then she need not have feared. Mr. Darcy's new-found ease and openness allowed a relaxed discussion and Elizabeth even found occasion to tease him gently, observing,

'For someone who dances rarely, you do not seem wholly lacking in proficiency, Mr. Darcy.'

'Miss Bennet, I confess that I dance rarely due to dislike rather than inability. I have been instructed in the art of dancing as any young man in my position would have been.'

Elizabeth smiled to herself at this remark; although it was perfectly true, his manner of saying 'any young man in my position' demonstrated that pride had not disappeared completely from his character. She was intrigued however, and asked him,

'May I assume that you are not dancing with me out of dislike then?'

'I only dance, Miss Bennet, when I admire my partner or because I feel it is my duty to do so.'

'And which of those two occasions is this?'

'Whichever you prefer.'

Being still confused about her feelings towards Mr. Darcy, or his towards her, Elizabeth did not know whether to be satisfied with this response or not. Her moment of indecision was interrupted when she noticed that her former dance partner, Mr. Leigh was approaching them, warmly greeting Darcy,

'Darcy! It is Darcy, is not it? I have not seen you since Cambridge! My cousin has told me nothing of you. Are you well? Is Georgiana here?'

Elizabeth watched Mr. Darcy's face break into a smile.

'Robert Leigh! I see you haven't changed. Your cousin has not told you of me because I have hardly seen him myself. Georgiana and I are both well- she is over there with Mrs. Cholmondely. How are your parents? And your sister?'

Mr. Leigh's expression suddenly became inscrutable.

'You obviously have not heard of me for some time Darcy. My sister Lucy died almost a year ago.'

An awkward moment followed, during which Mr. Darcy tried to offer his sympathies and Mr. Leigh tried to assure him that his ignorance was perfectly excusable and that he should not trouble himself. After bowing to Elizabeth, Mr. Leigh left them; both the lady and Mr. Darcy being somewhat at a loss for words.

They were rescued by Miss Darcy who suggested shyly that Elizabeth and her relatives should dine with them within the next week. Her brother agreed with enthusiasm and Elizabeth could not but accept happily. They parted with much anticipation on either side- Mr. Darcy wanted to welcome her to his home, she was equally anxious for such an experience and Georgiana looked forward to observing the behaviour of them both. In short, the next day and a half could not pass quickly enough.

Mr. Darcy's townhouse was not, as Elizabeth was surprised to discover, on the most fashionable street in London, but rather was in a highly respectable, elegant yet secluded square off one of the main thoroughfares. The house itself was a graceful building with touches of classical style and as the Gardiner's carriage drew up to it, Elizabeth found herself quite charmed.

They were received by Miss Darcy who explained that her brother had had some unavoidable business late that afternoon and would be joining them shortly. She was accompanied by Colonel Fitzwilliam who immediately smoothed over any awkwardness by greeting Elizabeth with great pleasure and entering easily into conversation with herself and the Gardiners. Georgiana spoke a little and it soon became evident to Elizabeth that her brother's absence increased her shyness. However, Miss Darcy did seem eager to speak with her and they talked agreeably for some time until the arrival of their host.

His rather flustered entrance suggested that he had just returned. He stayed only a few moments, apologising for not receiving them properly, before leaving to dress for dinner.

Upon Mr. Darcy's reappearance, in a calmer, more relaxed state, Elizabeth noted with pleasure that he had lost none of his amiability of two days before. He immediately took a seat beside her and inquired as to how she had spent her time, then explained that both he and the Colonel were managing some business for their aunt, hence his urgent summons earlier that afternoon. Elizabeth could not conceal her amusement at Lady Catherine's attempts to direct the actions of her nephews, even from some distance away and Mr. Darcy's face told her that he was of the same mind. They passed an enjoyable half hour in conversation before the summons to dinner.

It occurred to Elizabeth more than once that evening that Miss Darcy and her cousin had somehow conspired against herself and Mr. Darcy. Unsure as she was of her sentiments towards that gentleman, Elizabeth was equally undecided as to whether she liked being thrown constantly into his company or not. She noticed that it was Georgiana who had made the seating plan, placing the two of them opposite each other at one end of the table and later it was the Colonel who proposed a round of whist, asking the Gardiners and Georgiana to make up the four. Furthermore, both of them did their best to keep Elizabeth's aunt and uncle occupied at every possible opportunity. Such occurrences could scarcely be due to coincidence.

When she and Mr. Darcy were not talking, Elizabeth observed, as she always did, how often his eyes were upon her. She could only guess as to what she was to comprehend by it. It was not until an almost insignificant event took place later that evening that she began to realise. It happened when Elizabeth was admiring Mr. Darcy's book cabinets whilst their owner was leaning against the fireplace on the far side of the room, apparently in deep reflection. Leafing through the pages of one of his volumes, Elizabeth glanced up suddenly and surprised him looking at her over his shoulder, a slight smile on his face. Elizabeth met Darcy's gaze for a moment, then turned away in confusion. She replaced her book on its shelf without having the smallest idea of its title.

The evening drew to a close and Elizabeth and the Gardiners left Clarendon Square to sincere farewells from the members of the Darcy household. It was fixed that Elizabeth and Georgiana were to meet in the park the next day and although Elizabeth looked forward to the morning, her head was full of him. The Gardiners were barely less interested in the gentleman, so ardently did he seem to be attracted to their niece. Whilst they did not discuss this with Elizabeth, she knew that they had their suspicions and this knowledge only added to the tumult of confusion she already felt.

Early the next morning, Elizabeth was preparing to leave Gracechurch Street to meet Miss Darcy in Grosvenor Park. She had just stepped out of the front door when the arrival of a young clerk of her uncle's stopped her. The boy was breathless and evidently greatly excited.

'Urgent message for Mr. Gardiner- it's about that business with Lady Catherine de- Oh!'

Mortification filling his face, he clamped a hand over his mouth.

Part Two

Posted on Saturday, 5 July 2003

To say that Elizabeth was shocked would be to underestimate her feelings. It was quite beyond her to conceive how her uncle could have business with Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The immediate appearance of Mr. Gardiner in the doorway added to her discomposure.

'May I ask what is going on, Perkins? Lizzie?' he demanded.

The clerk, Perkins, handed him a folded note and made as if he was about to escape when a stern look from Mr. Gardiner stopped him.

'Perkins, you are to go back to the Mitchell Street office and wait for me there. You would be well advised to avoid telling anyone else about my private business. Lizzie, come back inside. I would speak with you.'

Elizabeth had never seen her normally jovial uncle look so serious. She followed him into the house and he ushered her into his study and closed the door.

'Sit down Lizzie,' he began. 'I apologise if I am delaying your rendezvous with Miss Darcy and I am not angry with you. The business to which Perkins accidentally referred should be treated with the utmost discretion but you are an intelligent young woman and, I am sure, could not have missed the name of the person whom it involves. I would rather I told you the truth than you picked up gossip and rumours from idiots like Perkins.

'I do not think you know that my business supplies, amongst others, the dressmakers of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. We are paid directly by her Ladyship- it is unusual but it is her preferred way and she does not wish to be cheated or overcharged by her dressmakers. However, for the last six months, her bills have not been paid. The sum owed was not very significant at first but has now become quite considerable and of some importance to my business. As a result, enquiries have been made at my request. Such actions would normally be despicable but I hope you will excuse them in the present situation. The investigations revealed other creditors in a similar position to myself. I have no particular wish to expose her Ladyship and I suspect unusual circumstances. Apparently, the Rosings estate brings in a clear seven thousand a year with a further two thousand from smaller properties. I am told that Lady Catherine does not live modestly but neither does she exceed her income. This means that... simply, Lizzie, something is draining her Ladyship's funds rapidly and it cannot be by a legitimate means. Her daughter is free from scandal and there are few other relatives and no other dependents. Lady Catherine is a devout Christian, which makes me doubt the idea of vices such as gambling, which has been suggested. With no wish to be melodramatic, Lizzie, that leaves the possibility of blackmail...

'But that is solely my speculation and it could be no more than speculation. As you can imagine, it would be best for all concerned if the matter could be cleared up quietly and satisfactorily. Am I assured of your absolute secrecy, Lizzie?'

Elizabeth could only nod. Her uncle continued in quite a different tone.

'Well, you had better be setting off for the park. If you wish, you may care to invite Miss Darcy and her family to dine with us tomorrow night. We have other company and more will liven our party. Do have a pleasant morning, my dear.'

Elizabeth walked briskly to Grosvenor Park. There was much for her to contemplate on her journey. She did not like Mr. Darcy's aunt but she would not wish such misfortune on anyone. It occurred to her that this must be the business Darcy and Fitzwilliam were trying to resolve. Lady Catherine had obviously acknowledged her secret to someone but it must have pained her greatly to do so.

On the subject of her Ladyship's nephew, some sleepless hours of reflection the previous night had allowed Elizabeth to clarify her sentiments somewhat. All negative feelings had gone and her surprise at discovering his civility and good-humour had lessened at finding that such qualities suited him better than arrogance and selfish pride. She liked Mr. Darcy now but whether her feelings extended any further, she had decided, would depend entirely on his own behaviour. Elizabeth could not quite believe that he might still love her- such generosity she had not yet met with- but his conduct was encouraging and she now felt that she could meet him as an agreeable, friendly acquaintance rather than as a teasing, ambiguous former admirer.

Sadly for Elizabeth, any such resolutions fell apart immediately as she saw the gentleman's tall figure standing alongside that of his sister in Grosvenor Park. Blushing, she approached them, hoping fervently that they would excuse her late arrival. Her anxiety was quite unnecessary. Georgiana was delighted to see her. Her brother explained that he had been extremely busy that morning and had accompanied his sister to the park to seek some relaxation. Elizabeth was amused.

'Some relaxation, Mr. Darcy?' she asked in mock puzzlement. 'Surely you must know that conversation between two young women could scarcely be called relaxing?'

Elizabeth and Georgiana exchanged mischievous smiles. Mr. Darcy responded in kind.

'You shock me Miss Bennet. I was so convinced of the innocence and piety of my sister and yourself that I expected you to be talking of no more than Fordyce's Sermons. I even brought my own copy, so that I may join in your discussion.'

And producing a little-used book from his pocket, he proceeded to read aloud a solemn passage in such monotonous tones that Elizabeth and Georgiana soon had to concede defeat and beg him to stop. Elizabeth was secretly thrilled to discover that both Mr. Darcy and his sister, despite her shyness, were each possessed of a wicked sense of humour. Georgiana quickly had Elizabeth laughing merrily at a tale of Miss Bingley,

'to whom I gave a copy of the Sermons last Christmas. You must have seen how she likes Fitzwilliam ever so much'- here Georgiana shot her brother a sweet smile- 'so out of politeness to me, she had to read them, especially since Fitzwilliam and I promised to talk about the book with her afterwards. She was so bored! But she had to pretend to be interested; Caroline is such an accomplished woman, after all!'

'Do you spend a great deal of time with Miss Bingley, then?' asked Elizabeth.

'A fair amount, yes. I do not dislike Caroline- she can be very kind- but I am afraid we have little in common. I love being outdoors and would happily spend hours walking but Caroline and Louisa only set foot outside between the house and the carriage. Charles Bingley is quite different from either of his sisters but he has been a little subdued of late and has not made particularly good company.' Georgiana lowered her voice to a whisper. 'I fear he's crossed in love.'

Elizabeth smiled, hoping that Mr. Darcy had heard the whisper, and changed the subject. She could not help feeling slightly triumphant at discovering that Mr. Bingley had made no advances towards Miss Darcy and also that Georgiana herself did not seem to expect them. A glance towards the brother revealed nothing; he wore the same complacent expression that he had done so all morning. Mr. Darcy seemed quite content to merely listen to their conversation, occasionally expressing an opinion when asked. His happiness at seeing the friendship between the two dearest to him left him with little inclination for speech. For her part, Elizabeth had never spent a more enjoyable morning and as they finished their tour of the park, she did not hesitate to mention her uncle's suggestion.

'Miss Darcy, Mr. Darcy, my uncle and aunt would be honoured if you would allow them to repay some of the hospitality you showed us yesterday and would dine at Gracechurch Street tomorrow night. I would be equally delighted.'

On seeing Mr. Darcy smile at this, she added hurriedly,

'Colonel Fitzwilliam is of course welcome. My aunt and uncle have other guests but you would be as gladly received as any of them.'

A single look sufficed for agreement between brother and sister and Georgiana accepted. They escorted Elizabeth back to Gracechurch Street and some while later, left her, a little flushed from the exercise, at the front door.

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner had no reason to suspect that Elizabeth and Miss Darcy had been accompanied by anyone else during their morning at the park and so beyond enquiring after Georgiana, they asked Elizabeth no questions. Indeed, with the expectation of three extra guests at her dinner table the following night, Mrs. Gardiner had quite enough to worry about and enlisted her niece's help from the earliest opportunity. Supervision of the menu, dressing the dining room and planning the seating plan- taking care to place Georgiana in between Colonel Fitzwilliam and a handsome young friend of her uncle's- kept Elizabeth busy for the rest of the day. Preparing her own apparel and running errands for her aunt occupied the next morning and by the afternoon of the dinner, Elizabeth realised that she had passed some time without thinking anxiously of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy or the suspicions of everyone else.

By seven o'clock, the Gardiners' guests had begun to arrive. Elizabeth was so determined not to show more pleasure at the appearance of a particular party than any of the others that she greeted the Hamiltons, the Parkes, the Algersons and the Trents with great enthusiasm, then welcomed Mr. Darcy's family with a distinctly cooler manner. Miss Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam were slightly disconcerted at first but both could well imagine Elizabeth's reasons. The principal object of her indifference was completely mystified but after he led her into dinner, to her seat opposite his, she softened considerably. By the end of the first course, she was smiling at his occasional witticisms; when the second was over, they were on the best of terms and by the arrival of the coffee, their engrossment with each other had nearly caused offence in more than one quarter. This included Georgiana who at last succeeded in attracting her brother's attention after trying for several minutes.

'Fitzwilliam, Mrs. Algerson declares she is giving a ball on Thursday and has invited everyone here tonight. She says she wants as many people as possible to come. It sounds marvellous fun. May I go, please?'

'It is most unlike you, my shy sister, to wish to attend the ball of a lady you have not known four hours.'

'Yes, but Mrs. Algerson is delightful and she is an acquaintance of Mrs. Cholmondely whom we both know quite well. Please, Fitzwilliam?' begged Georgiana.

Her brother gave a non-committal answer and turned back to Elizabeth. Miss Darcy groaned and left them to join Mrs. Algerson at cards, privately despairing of extracting any reason from him until he himself had extracted a certain answer from Miss Bennet.

The rich Mr. Darcy's partiality for the Gardiners' pretty niece went unnoticed by no-one and by the end of the evening, the mutual attraction was obvious to all but the two people between whom it arose. They rarely talked solely between themselves but during any conversation, each watched the other for an expression or a response. Now and then, Mr. Darcy would look at Elizabeth or unexpectedly reply to her teasing in such a way that she would blush but instead of turning away, would meet his gaze challengingly. After a particularly spirited skirmish, Georgiana attempted to begin a gentler topic by telling Elizabeth about the grounds of Pemberley.

'You must come and see them. My favourite place is a small copse not far from the house. In the spring, I sit amongst the bluebells and draw the house and the lake beyond. The bluebells are exquisite, they are certainly one of my favourite flowers. Do you have a favourite flower, Miss Bennet?'

'Oh! I had not considered it. I like lilies-of-the-valley very much; they have a beautiful smell.'

'Fitzwilliam?' Miss Darcy turned to her brother.

'Roses, I suppose,' he replied. 'Have you nothing more fascinating to talk about, Georgiana?'

'On the contrary,' remarked his sister. 'I think it quite interesting. A person's choices may reveal much about them.'

'Indeed!' cried Elizabeth. 'For example, your choice of roses, Mr. Darcy, struck me as very unoriginal. Roses are exchanged too commonly nowadays; they suggest an excess of sentimentality. I do not think them truly romantic at all anymore.'

Elizabeth's scorn did not invite a response and Mr. Darcy said nothing. Mrs. Gardiner's raised eyebrow indicated her surprise at her niece's vehemence but she too remained silent. Georgiana and Elizabeth moved to the piano for duets and little was said between Miss Bennet and Mr. Darcy for the remainder of the evening. This was not a lengthy period of time; as soon as the card tables broke up, guests began to depart and the Darcy party presently decided to leave.

'Will you be at Mrs. Algerson's ball, Elizabeth?' asked Miss Darcy, standing in the Gardiners' doorway.

'Yes, I cannot see why I would not be. Will your brother allow you to go, do you think?'

'Of course he will,' smiled Georgiana. 'He will be there himself if you are to go.'

And with a mischievous glance from Elizabeth to her brother, who was waiting by the carriage, Miss Darcy turned and left. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner shared an amused look; they were clearly not alone in their suspicions. Their niece, however, seemed annoyed and after muttering her goodnights, retired to bed.

Elizabeth woke early the next morning- not because she had no need of sleep; she was in fact quite fatigued from the previous night- but because a young maid was tapping on her door in what sounded like great excitement. She bid her enter.

'Sarah, I am still very tired. Has something happened?'

'No miss, but these were left at the back earlier this morning. They're for you- the master and mistress don't know about them. I didn't know if it was quite proper, but I smuggled them in...'

'Let me see,' interrupted Elizabeth.

The maid handed her a large, partially unwrapped bundle. Drawing aside the paper revealed a dozen pale pink roses. Elizabeth felt herself turn crimson. A tiny slip of paper was tucked in the middle. She unrolled it tentatively. The note read, in an all too familiar hand,

'So roses are not romantic, are they?'

Elizabeth, quite overcome, had to concede that they were.

Part Three

Posted on Saturday, 16 August 2003

It was with a sense of overwhelming content that Elizabeth stepped out of her uncle's house that morning. Mr. Darcy loved her or, if he did not, liked her well enough to make charmingly flirtatious gestures such as sending roses at dawn. She knew also that she would soon see him at Mrs. Algerson's ball and that if he asked her to dance every dance with him, she would not refuse. Elizabeth had never been in love before, therefore she still remained in some doubt about the depth of her own feelings but the knowledge that she had the gentleman's admiration was enough to render her quite light-headed.

Her destination was a celebrated London bookshop; years of staying at Gracechurch Street meant that Elizabeth had long since devoured her aunt and uncle's library and as she had an order from her father, it seemed an ideal use of her time. On arriving there, she quickly found the books Mr. Bennet desired and then indulged herself by spending half an hour perusing the shelves at leisure. She was distracted by a voice behind her.

'What an agreeable surprise, Miss Bennet.'

Elizabeth slowly turned around and found herself looking at the handsome face of Mr. Leigh, the young lawyer she had met at Mrs. Cholmondely's.

'Mr. Leigh, how good to see you! I knew you were a great reader but I confess I did not expect our next meeting to be in a bookshop!'

'Neither did I. There are few young ladies of my acquaintance who would be purchasing books so early in the day. Why, it is not yet eleven o'clock! You must be a true book lover Miss Bennet.'

Elizabeth smiled. He was not to know that his compliments were wasted on her. He began again.

'I was delighted to see Fitzwilliam Darcy last Friday. Are you well acquainted with him?'

'I have known him almost a year. He is a very amiable gentleman.'

If Mr. Leigh's face fell, Elizabeth pretended not to notice.

'Indeed he is. I would gladly have spent more time talking with him but the mention of my sister made matters uncomfortable.' He paused. 'I must say Miss Bennet, you are not at all unlike her in appearance. And a sweetness of disposition is common to you both. Indeed...'

Elizabeth had an uneasy suspicion that this conversation could only lead to embarrassment for herself and Mr. Leigh. A change of subject seemed to be required but perhaps owing to a preoccupation with Mr. Darcy, her mind was only inspired so far as to inquire,

'What age was your sister when she died, Mr. Leigh?'

The gentleman was eager to reply.

'Not yet nineteen. A tragic waste of a life, I am sure you would agree, Miss Bennet. Her fiancé of four months broke her heart and a nervous depression weakened her constitution so much so that, in forty days, she had passed away.'

'You have my deepest sympathy. But what shocking behaviour on the part of her fiancé!'

'Indeed. The worst is that he acted solely under the influence of a third party who threatened him, Nicholas Mount, younger son of the late Earl of Loughshire, with disgrace or disinheritance if he married my sister Lucy- the daughter of a mere gentleman. Such is the conduct of the aristocracy, Miss Bennet.'

The name meant nothing to Elizabeth but Mr. Leigh's tale could not but inspire much compassion. Being reasonably familiar with the snobbery and self-importance of the...

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Elizabeth in London

Elizabeth in London, Pride and Prejudice Fanfiction

Tematy