Elizabeth And Darcy: A Romeo and Juliet Twist
A Pride & Prejudice Regency Variation
Rebecca Preston
Illustrated by
Natasha Snow
Edited by
Elizabeth A Lance
Copyright © 2018 Rebecca Preston
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Natasha Snow
Edited by Elizabeth A Lance
Similarities to real people, places or events are purely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Mailing List
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
About Rebecca Preston
Also by Rebecca Preston
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
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Chapter 1
Elizabeth Bennet drifted through the garden, listening to the chatter of her four sisters, who surrounded her and had just started bickering about the weather, of all things. She was used to the petty arguments, as her younger sisters, Lydia and Kitty, were quite impressionable and child-like. Mary, was quiet, of course, as she always was. Elizabeth imagined Mary was creating stories in her mind while they walked. She was probably oblivious to her sisters’ bickering. If she was anything like Elizabeth, she had learned over the years to be patient and stay out of their little debates.
For some odd reason, Jane, the eldest of the sisters, was adding her thoughts to the debate between Kitty and Lydia, encouraging the lengthening of an otherwise pointless discussion.
“I tell you it will rain before the day is out. We should go in before the clouds completely cover the sky,” Lydia said, her soft voice high-pitched and shrill. “I do not want to get wet.”
“You are being a silly goose, Lydia,” Kitty insisted. “There will be no rain today. Those clouds are big and fluffy. They are white, not gray. They are not rainclouds.”
“I do not wish to get wet,” Lydia repeated with a pout. Her eyes were still focused on the clouds above their heads.
“If you do not want to be out here, Lydia,” Jane used a reasonable voice when she spoke. “Why are you still out here? No one forced you to come on a walk with us.”
“But if I did not, you would have left me all alone at the house!” Lydia exclaimed. “And I do not want to be left out. You would not know how I feel, Jane, as no one ever leaves you out of anything! You are older and beautiful and everyone loves you!”
Jane giggled softly, covering her mouth with her hand. “Do not be silly, Lydia. I am sure there are those out there who do not care for me.”
Lydia shook her head. “No, Jane, it is not possible. I am well-known to the Ton as Jane’s younger, uglier sister.”
“Oh, Lydia!” Kitty reacted with shock widening her eyes when she looked at her sister. “You should not speak that way about yourself. You are a beautiful girl, too. Papa says we are all beautiful.”
Lydia snorted. “Yes, Papa does say that. But we all know who he thinks the most of, do we not?” Lydia turned her eyes to scan Elizabeth.
“Do not bring me into your discussion, Lydia,” Elizabeth replied, shaking her head. “I am not interested in participating in your spat.”
“It is not a spat, Lizzie,” Lydia said. “It is merely a…a discussion.”
“I used that word, too.”
“Yes, however, we are not arguing. I think we should go inside. What do you think, Lizzie? Shouldn’t we go inside? Do you not think it is going to rain?”
“You are barking questions at me too fast. I do not want to be involved in this. Ask Mary.”
Mary looked up at the sound of her name and shook her head. “No, I am less interested in this silly debate than you are, Lizzie, do not bring me into it.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Let us go back. I am sure we can find something to do in the house. Will that satisfy you, Lydia?”
“Yes, yes, of course.”
As the five girls turned to head back to Longbourn, Mary walked beside Elizabeth and said in a low voice, “Anything to stop her complaining. I swear sometimes I get such a headache.”
Elizabeth nodded. She reached forward and tapped Jane on the shoulder. “Jane, have you spoken to Auntie Phillips about our visit tomorrow?”
“Yes, she will be waiting for us. I sent a message to her a few days ago and she only just responded this morning.”
“Will we be taking the coach?” Lydia asked.
“I doubt we will. We will probably walk, as we always do.” Jane looked at her sisters to confirm and they nodded their heads.
Lydia frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.
“But what if it rains tomorrow? I do not want to—”
The rest of her sisters finished the sentence with her, the five voices speaking at exactly the same time, “—get wet.”
Jane and Elizabeth both continued to nod.
Elizabeth said, “We know, Lydia, we know. And if it looks as if it might rain, we shall ask Mother or Papa for the coach. Though, should they have need of it, I too doubt we will have use of it.”
Lydia shook her head. “They will not have need of it. Mother said they have no plans tomorrow and that the coach will be available. Besides, she is coming with us.”
“Is she?” This was the first Elizabeth had heard that their mother planned to join them in their visit to her sister and her sister’s husband, the Phillips, who lived in Meryton. Their home was only a mile from Longbourn and easily accessible by walking. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet always encouraged their girls to walk, rather than ride a horse or a coach. They felt it was beneficial for the strength and vitality of their children. The girls were used to walking everywhere they went, within reason.
“Mother says there is a visitor at the Netherfield estate, the one that belongs to the Bingley’s, you know.”
“Yes,” Kitty added, nodding. “He is a descendent of a family that has argued with Papa’s for years.”
Elizabeth brought her eyebrows together. “What do you mean? I did not know there was an old feud against our grandparents.”
Lydia shook her head. “It goes back further than that, Mother says. She says that there was some kind of bank discrepancy or a land deal that went wrong between our family and his family. It has carried down through the generations.”
“How could I not have heard about this before? Surely Papa would tell me if such a thing exist
ed in our family.”
Lydia stared at her and lifted one shoulder. “I am sure I do not know, Lizzie. It seems quite surprising that he would not tell you, of all people, about it.”
Elizabeth’s frown deepened. “What is that supposed to mean?”
The look on Lydia’s face changed to one of pure innocence. “I mean nothing harmful by it, Lizzie. You and Papa are very close and you converse a great deal. I do not have that with him, but you do. If there is something to be told, you are usually the one to hear it.”
Elizabeth looked away, trying not to feel as though she were sticking out like a sore thumb. She detested the attention and tried to avoid it at all costs. “Well, I have not heard of this. I have many questions.”
“You must speak to Papa about it,” Lydia piped up. “It is not a family secret. It just has never been mentioned. Or perhaps Papa never thought about mentioning it before now. Either way, Papa and Mother were speaking about it just a few days ago, which is how I know.”
“How did Papa seem? Was he angry about the man visiting Netherfield?” Elizabeth asked, curiously.
“No, not at all. He does not wish to bring any trouble to the family, so he is keeping out of it. However, should anything happen that would connect him with our family, there may be some heavy discussions.”
“I doubt we will ever have an excuse to meet him or associate with him,” Elizabeth said, firmly. “I will probably not give this another thought.”
But Elizabeth knew she would be giving it another thought. She would be giving it many thoughts, as a matter of fact. It seemed very interesting to her that she might potentially meet a man who had ties to a family with a grudge against the Bennet ancestors. Would he be cruel and bitter? What kind of man was he?
“What is the name of the man visiting the Bingleys?” Jane asked.
“I believe it was…Mr. Darbin?” Kitty looked at Lydia for confirmation.
Lydia shook her head. “Darcy,” she said. “His name is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy.”
“You remember his name? Why, Mother could not have said it more than once.”
“She also said that he is a very handsome young man. Papa did not seem upset by him, but if anyone else in the family finds out about it, there may be trouble.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “I do not understand why such a thing should cause us trouble. We cannot be held responsible for the things done by our ancestors. And who is to say it was the fault of our ancestor? Perhaps it was this Mr. Darcy’s ancestors who caused all the trouble.”
Jane grinned at Elizabeth. “You are doing an excellent job not thinking about the subject any longer.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Yes, I suppose I do find it interesting. I will ask Papa for more information about it later this evening.”
“He is home now, you could speak to him if you wanted to,” Kitty said. “He is in the library.”
“I do not know if I want to bother him. He is usually working when he goes in the library.”
“It is not a very extensive library,” Lydia put in.
Jane sighed. “My dear younger sister. You simply must stop complaining about every little thing. It does seem that no matter where our conversation turns, you find something of which to complain. Please, dear sister, speak more positively and you will win over many friends.”
Chapter 2
“This young man you and Papa were talking about,” Elizabeth had waited most of the afternoon to bring up the subject. She had only spoken to her father briefly, who told her it was an old unsettled argument and he had no idea if the current young Mr. Darcy would even think about bringing it up. He was quite busy when she wished to speak to him, so they were unable to further their conversation. She took the opportunity of their visit to the Phillips in Meryton to dig for more information.
If anyone would know the details, she knew it had to be her mother and her aunt, who were both known to gossip heavily among their circle of friends.
Her mother and aunt looked at her in surprise. “Your father has not spoken to you about this before? Surely he has told you the story.” Her aunt glanced at Mrs. Bennet. “How is it that he has never spoken to her about this?”
Mrs. Bennet shrugged her petite shoulders. “I am just as surprised as you are, dear. Lizzie, there was some type of dispute over land some generations back. There was a duel. Someone died. The descendent of that family is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. He is the one who is visiting the Bingleys and will be moving back into Pemberley House soon, which is his family’s home.”
“How does Papa feel about it?”
“That is something you would need to discuss with him.”
“But you spoke to him about it, Mother. Can you not tell me what you assessed from his words and behavior on the matter?”
Mrs. Bennet looked her daughter up and down. “Yes, I do suppose I notice the subtle behaviors of your father, do I not?”
“You should, you have been with him all your life,” Lydia spoke up from her place at the window, where she was standing, staring out at the horses in the meadow beyond.
Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Phillips laughed heartily. “Well, I would not say all of my life, but a good portion of it!” Mrs. Bennet giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. She looked back at Elizabeth. “I do not think he is particularly happy that he may have to deal with Mr. Darcy on occasion. He was raised not to trust anyone in that family. But your father is a very forgiving man. If this Mr. Darcy turns out to be a gentleman of great value, Mr. Bennet will not hold this old grudge against him. He believes in giving others a second chance to redeem themselves.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “If he has done no harm to our family, he should not be held responsible for the actions of his ancestors.”
Mrs. Bennet nodded. “This is true. I also believe that to be true. But your father will have to see for himself if the man is worthy of his trust. And that is only if the occasion should ever occur that there would be a need for trust between them. As I said, he was raised with the belief that the Darcy family was not trustworthy. His father and grandfather would have no dealings with that family. And I see no reason why your father should embark on any ventures with the man. Nor does he have any dealings with the Bingleys. There should be no reason for interaction between them.”
“It could happen, could it not?” Lydia asked. “And if it does, will Papa strike them down with his mighty sword?”
They all laughed as Lydia made the motion of her father swinging a sword down, essentially cutting the Darcy man in half.
“That is quite doubtful, Lydia. But a very funny thought.” Mrs. Phillips’s eyes gleamed at her humorous niece. She turned to Mrs. Bennet. “I cannot see Mr. Bennet doing any such thing, my dear. Can you?”
Mrs. Bennet shook her head, a smile still on her face. “No, I truly cannot.”
Mrs. Phillips turned her eyes to Jane and Elizabeth. Then she looked at their mother. “You know, this young man is about the right age to take an interest in Jane and Elizabeth. Perhaps you can win over his favor with their charm and beauty.”
Elizabeth gasped, while Jane looked shocked. “Auntie!” Elizabeth said. “You cannot simply offer us up as lambs to the slaughter.”
Mrs. Phillips laughed again. “I would suggest no such thing, my dear. I simply meant that if there was ever a need for diplomatic discussion between your family and Mr. Darcy, it would be best served for you girls to speak to him. There is no man that could resist the intelligence, charm, and beauty of the Bennet sisters.”
Jane and Elizabeth were both smiling at that point. “Oh, Auntie. I do so wish that were true.” Jane sighed, a wistful look covering her face. “If it was, I would surely have a man in my life by now. And there are so many good men who interest me…”
“Eventually, you will find a man to love, Jane, there is no doubt.” Mrs. Phillips sat forward, taking a cookie from the large plate sitting in front of them on the mahogany coffee table. She took a small bite and spoke again after she swall
owed. “You are beautiful and talented and you have a good head on your shoulders. Why, I have no doubt you will find a man to love and soon.”
“I am praying for it. I truly am.”
“Of course you are. And so are your sisters and your mother and father. Especially your father.” She smiled wide at them all. “I know how much he wants all of you ladies out of his house so he can have a moment’s peace.”
The women all laughed again. Elizabeth relaxed a little, her mind going back to the presence of an unwanted figure at Netherfield. She tried to imagine what it would be like to meet him. She pictured him as a short, frumpy, glasses-wearing kind of man, perhaps going bald and with a slight limp. She turned toward the window, a large grin on her face, as she changed her picture to make Mr. Darcy even more of a beast. She pictured him with a lot of hair and long claws and huge eyes. She giggled. She turned back to her mother.
“What does this man look like?”
“I have never seen him,” her mother replied. “But I was told that he is very handsome. He is tall and distinguished. He has quite deep pockets, of course, as the Pemberley Estate boasts many tenant farms. I believe he has an annual income of ten thousand pounds.”
“That is a good healthy sum!” Kitty exclaimed.
Her mother nodded at her. “Yes, dear, it is.”
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