by Leenie Brown
“This might not have been my best idea,” Bingley said with a laugh as he tried to extricate Oliver’s sharp claws from the fabric of the drapes.
“I am certain Miss Bennet will appreciate the gesture,” Darcy assured him. He sighed. “I brought Dash for Georgiana and Miss Lydia.” He shrugged when Bingley looked at him. “I found it impossible to not grant their request.”
Bingley laughed. “What has become of us?”
Darcy took a seat next to his friend. “We have found love, my friend, and it seems love addles one’s brain.”
Bingley shook his head. “No, our brains are not addled. We are just willing to do that which we might not otherwise do to see those we love happy.”
“You do surprise me with your occasional astuteness,” Darcy teased.
“I am impressive, am I not? If only Richard were here to tell me I was not.”
Darcy sighed and nodded. How he wished the same! And not just because then Richard could worry about Miss Lydia. Nor did he wish it just to have Richard here to tease and taunt. He wished it because then he knew his cousin would be safe and not in harm’s way. “I suspect I will receive some news of him soon, letting me know he has arrived in Manchester. That frame breaking bill will surely stir up more strife than it is intended to squelch.”
“I cannot say I blame the frame breakers for their anger. I have witnessed some very grim living arrangements. However, as the son of a manufacturer, I cannot condone their actions either.”
Both men sat in silence for some time. Darcy tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair, while Bingley ran his hand along Oliver’s back, who was sleeping on his lap.
“I am sure he will be well,” Bingley said, at last, putting into words what both were contemplating.
“He has survived worse,” Darcy agreed. While he disliked the idea of Richard being in harm’s way at all, he knew it was part and parcel of being a colonel in His Majesty’s Forces. And, to Darcy’s mind, it was better for Richard to be here in England rather than in France, where he had been in the past. While there might be some skirmishes in the North, they were unlikely to be as deadly as a battle on the continent.
Bingley rose from his chair with Oliver tucked in the crook of his arm. “I had planned on calling at Longbourn today for a few minutes. Will you and Georgiana be joining me?”
Darcy smiled. “Without a doubt.” It had been nearly a full day since he had seen Elizabeth, and there was only so long a gentleman could go without seeing the lady he loved when he was used to having her under his roof where he could see her at all hours of the day. He was not sure how he was going to survive three miles of separation.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at Bingley. “Do you suppose Oliver could cause some calamity that would require both Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth to take up residence here?”
Bingley chuckled. “I do not think I am that clever.”
Darcy sighed. “Neither am I, unfortunately, so I suppose, I will have to do as regular gentlemen do and call on her at home.”
Acknowledgements
There are many who have had a part in the creation of this story. Some have read and commented on it. Some have proofread for grammatical errors and plot holes. Others have not even read the story and a few, I know, will never read it. However, their encouragement and belief in my ability, as well as their patience when I became cranky or when supper was late or the groceries ran low, was invaluable.
And so, I would like to say thank you to Zoe, Rose, Betty, Kristine, Ben, and Kyle as well as my patrons on Patreon and the readers who faithfully read all those Thursday posts on my blog. I feel blessed by your help, support, and understanding.
I have not listed my dear husband in the above group because, to me, he deserves his own special thank you, for, without his somewhat pushy insistence that I start sharing my writing, none of my writing goals and dreams would have been met.
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For those who might be interested in some of the inspiration and research links I used while writing this book — such as a picture of an adorable puppy, links to a few articles about the Frame Breaker’s Act, which is not named but referred to in this story, or a link to a video of the cotillion danced under Mr. Hughes’s exuberant instruction — I have a Pinterest board of those items and more at this link.
Other Leenie B Books
You can find all of Leenie’s books at this link
[www.books2read.com/ap/8pOrNn/Leenie-Brown]
or choose to explore the collections below
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Other Pens, Mansfield Park
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Touches of Austen Collection
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Other Pens, Pride and Prejudice
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Dash of Darcy and Companions Collection
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Marrying Elizabeth Series
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Willow Hall Romances
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The Choices Series
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Darcy Family Holidays
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Other Novels ~ Novellas ~ Shorts
About the Author
Leenie Brown has always been a girl with an active imagination, which, while growing up, was both an asset, providing many hours of fun as she played out stories, and a liability, when her older sister and aunt would tell her frightening tales. At one time, they had her convinced Dracula lived in the trunk at the end of the bed she slept in when visiting her grandparents!
Although it has been years since she cowered in her bed in her grandparents’ basement, she still has an imagination which occasionally runs away with her, and she feeds it now as she did then ─ by reading!
Her heroes, when growing up, were authors, and the worlds they painted with words were (and still are) her favourite playgrounds! Now, as an adult, she spends much of her time in the Regency world, playing with the characters from her favourite Jane Austen novels and those of her own creation.
When she is not traipsing down a trail in an attempt to keep up with her imagination, Leenie resides in the beautiful province of Nova Scotia with her two sons and her very own Mr. Brown (a wonderful mix of all the best of Darcy, Bingley, and Edmund with a healthy dose of the teasing Mr. Tilney and just a dash of the scolding Mr. Knightley).
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