From Admiration to Love: a Pride and Prejudice variation novella

by APRIL FLOYD

  From Admiration to Love

  A Pride & Prejudice Novella Variation

  APRIL FLOYD

  Contents

  Dedication

  Copyright

  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

  Epilogue

  From Love to Matrimony Sample

  Also by April Floyd

  About the Author

  To my best friend, Elizabeth Ann West, you are the inspiration for so many stories and the true friendships my characters find are modeled from our friendship. Thanks for alway cheering me on.

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2016 by April Floyd

  All rights reserved.

  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.

  The cover of this book is Sun and Moon Flowers by George Dunlop Leslie, dated 1890, and is in the public domain.

  1

  Elizabeth Bennet roamed the woods near Brambling Hall and came out upon the road that led to Pemberley. Although her sister had married Charles Bingley, a close friend of the master of Pemberley, she had never been a guest inside Mr. Darcy’s home. She wished and hoped to become one before long, but the tragedy surrounding the man had kept visitors away from the once busy estate.

  Mr. Darcy was now a shadow of the man she had met at Netherfield all those months ago. His mother had taken to her rooms after the family’s great loss and Mr. Darcy appeared haggard the one time she had glimpsed him speaking to Charles in front of Brambling. She had not meant to spy upon the men but had been sitting at her window when he appeared.

  Before the death of his sister, Georgiana, while he was a guest at Netherfield, Elizabeth found him to be a proud, reserved man. His insult to her person at the assembly in Meryton had stung more than she would admit. After a contrite apology for his careless words, he had walked with her once in the garden at Longbourn and asked her to dance during a party at Lucas Lodge. Still, her heart often wondered if his personal grief had drawn him deeper within himself.

  He left Hertfordshire weeks after Jane’s wedding to Bingley due to the untimely demise of his dear sister. Elizabeth had not seen him since, only his profile in a passing carriage or what she assumed to be him upon horseback riding as though the devil was behind him across the fields of his estate.

  She paused at the rise of a hill overlooking Pemberley and sighed. When first they met Mr. Darcy, her mother had made a fuss over his ten thousand only to abuse him later for his slight to her daughter, but Elizabeth could not have imagined then the jewel that sat before her now. The house gleamed richly in the sun and the lake before it enchanted her.

  Brambling Hall was divine, a lovely country house with a pleasing aspect, and her room there suited Elizabeth perfectly. Still, the whole of Brambling with all its splendor could not match Pemberley from without and, she imagined, certainly not from within.

  She wore a mischievous smile and set her feet toward Pemberley. It was unlikely Mr. Darcy was home, for Jane told her the day before during tea he was in London. She was certain his presence there was the reason Caroline Bingley had refused a visit to Brambling Hall.

  Miss Bingley preferred London to the countryside and Elizabeth hoped it would always remain so. With the woman’s vehement dislike of the Bennet sisters, Elizabeth doubted she would visit more than once or twice a year.

  Thinking on the occupants of the great estate before her, she wondered at the Lady Anne Darcy closed away in such a fine prison. Ghosts of her daughter must appear in every shadow of the evening, in the empty chair at the dining table, in the cup missing during tea.

  Elizabeth could not imagine the sadness and quiet that must pervade the woman’s rooms. At her home in Hertfordshire, there was never a quiet moment, never an empty seat. Tragedy was unknown to her at the age of not quite twenty and one.

  The surface of the lake before the house glittered in the late afternoon sun and Elizabeth wandered to its edge. She lifted her skirts, longing to cool her feet in the shallow water’s edge. Glancing about and seeing no movement of servants in the drive, she bent to remove her shoes.

  The water was warm and the bottom of the lake as smooth as the surface. Lifting her skirts higher, she splashed the water with much satisfaction moving farther from the bank.

  She spun round, happy and carefree with a view of the great house meeting her at each graceful turn. Elizabeth stopped to regain her balance, her head spinning. One step more and her foot became tangled in an unseen snag.

  Elizabeth threw her arms out to steady herself but the motion pitched her to her side. She landed with a great splash, gasping and clutching at the water.

  Though the day was warm, the water was cooler in the deeper reaches and it took her breath and weighted her skirts in moments.

  She sat shocked at her present state of being, mortified that she must return to Brambling Hall as a wayward child, soaked to her skin.

  Attempting to free herself from the watery seat, her face grew hot with shame as she struggled with her now heavy skirts. Jane would certainly not be pleased to know her sister had fallen into the lake situated squarely in front of Pemberley’s front door.

  The shadow of the great house moved across the lake and Elizabeth cursed her own folly. Thoughts of her failure to learn to ride came unbidden to her mind. A horse would be a welcome companion in her current predicament.

  As Elizabeth struggled to escape the lake, a figure moved with haste and purpose inside Pemberley. Lady Anne shouted for help and no less than three maids and a footman came running with the butler. “There is a young lady in our lake! We must see that she is safely removed!”

  Lady Anne continued shouting her warning and kept pace with the butler. He flung open the front door, aghast at the site before him. There was indeed a young woman in the lake determined to crawl on her hands and knees to escape the chill waters.

  Lady Anne hurried behind her footman, past the butler who stood stunned, and dashed to Elizabeth’s aid. The butler blinked and ran after Lady Anne, stopping her before she entered the lake herself. “My Ladyship, you must not!”

  Lady Anne turned to him, her brow creased in worry. Elizabeth was mortified as the footman fished her from the lake and helped her stand on the bank alongside Lady Anne and the butler. The maids had stopped at the door, their number growing as word spread throughout the great house of the most unusual situation.

  Lady Anne took Elizabeth’s arm. “My dear, are you well? How have you come to such calamity?”

  Elizabeth gazed upon the lady’s face with awe and not a little discomfort. The woman’s hand on her arm was solid but her face was pale from the long months without sunlight nor company to engage in conversation. Elizabeth’s body shook from the chill of the water and her face remained a bright crimson.

  Lady Anne led her past the curious butler and footman. “Come, dear. We must see to your clothing. I cannot abide for a young lady to come to harm at Pemberley.”

  Elizabeth nodded and bit her bottom lip, her consternation growing
that she was found out by nearly half those employed at Pemberley. The number of servants come to see the spectacle had spilled from the front door onto the drive.

  She was grateful Mr. Darcy was absent, for she was certain he would find her behavior most outrageous. His mother appeared not the least surprised at her trespassing and the resulting tumult. Elizabeth imagined the commotion was a welcome diversion for the entire house.

  She stopped to wring out her skirts, heavy and quite cold as they were, before entering the grand house. Lady Anne urged her forward. “Have not a care for the floors my dear, we do walk upon them you know. The maids shall draw a hot bath. I will await your return in the parlor.”

  Lady Anne shooed the other servants inside and had her own maid take Elizabeth upstairs to the bedroom adorned with rose paper that reminded her of Elizabeth’s complexion. “See she is bathed and dressed in good order, Wells. You may search my closet for a lovely gown for the young lady.”

  Elizabeth smiled at the graceful woman before her and murmured her thanks. She lowered her lashes in a bout of uncustomary shyness. Meeting Mr. Darcy’s mother in such a manner had not been her intent when she entered the lake to cool her feet.

  She hoped Mr. Darcy would not be given the news of her unsettling adventure, for she was certain there had never been a young woman found floundering in his lake. She silently vowed to keep to the grounds of Brambling Hall in future excursions.

  The maid led her up the stairs and Elizabeth admired the paintings they passed in the hallway. A young lady, with hair the color of Jane’s, smiled down at her and Elizabeth was certain it must be Georgiana Darcy. The next was a lovely portrait of Mr. Darcy and Lady Anne with the girl in the first painting and an older gentleman who must have been George Darcy. She was grateful now for the information Jane had given her on the Darcy family over her months at Brambling.

  The affection in the portrait shone through the brush strokes and Elizabeth clutched at her heart as she hurried behind the maid. Mr. Darcy had been happy once, as had his mother. She ached for their losses.

  A stab of pity rent her heart and took her breath as she recalled the whispered rumors. Jane was certain Miss Darcy had met a terrible end. It was thought to be too much laudanum.

  The maid cleared her throat as she stopped before a door along the hallway. “This is the room her ladyship recommended, miss.”

  Elizabeth entered the room, her eyes wandering from the lovely ornamental design of the fireplace mantel to the exquisite pale yellow silk that adorned the bed and then the soft blush rose pattern of the paper on the walls.

  Wells opened an adjoining door and two maids from below stairs were pouring steaming water into the bath. Elizabeth went to stand by the fireplace, grateful for its warmth as Wells approached her. “Shall I help you, miss?”

  Elizabeth nodded and allowed the maid to help her undress. She gave Elizabeth a sheet and sent her ruined clothing downstairs with one of the younger maids. “I shall do as her ladyship bids and return with a gown from her closet. Betsy, here, will see to your bath.”

  Wells left and Betsy beckoned Elizabeth forward. “Come miss, we cannot have you shivering as you are. Her ladyship would be most displeased to find you standing round in only a sheet.”

  Elizabeth smiled at Betsy and stuck a toe into the gloriously warm water of the tub. A bath would take the chill from her body, and give her time to collect her thoughts before she hurried back to Brambling.

  Her favorite scent, lavender, greeted her as she sunk gratefully into the water. If heaven were on earth, Pemberley was certainly as close as she had come.

  2

  Not an hour later, Elizabeth followed Wells downstairs to the parlor. Her hair was swept up and secured with the loveliest pins. They were a pale blue representation of roses that complemented the darling blue silk dress Wells had chosen for her.

  She was surprised not by the style of the dress, for it was of an older yet elegant design, but by how well it fit her person. When Elizabeth thought for a moment, she supposed she and the Lady Anne were of a similar form.

  Her eye was drawn below by the large round table in the entry which held a heavenly array of blooms. Elizabeth allowed her mind to wander. Glancing about, she imagined what a thrill it must be to be mistress of this home. She smiled as her steps became lighter in the lovely satin slippers on her feet.

  Wells led her to the parlor and Elizabeth cleared her mind, ready to visit with her generous hostess.

  She smiled and nodded to Lady Anne as she entered the room, keeping her eyes on the woman and not on the furnishings, though tempting they were. Tea arrived and Elizabeth sat across from Lady Anne by the fireplace.

  “My dear, you bring such graceful beauty to the dress. I have not worn it since I was your age, I dare say.”

  Elizabeth released the breath she held and gave one of her infectious smiles to the woman. Though the dress was likely as old as Elizabeth herself, it had been carefully kept. “It is the loveliest dress I have ever worn. I am most grateful for your thoughtful hospitality, Lady Anne.”

  Elizabeth leaned forward in her chair as the lady took her hand. Lady Anne’s hand was soft but her grasp firm and comforting as she spoke. “I am at a disadvantage, I fear. You well know my identity and yet, I know you not. I have seen you walking the property of Brambling Hall where it joins Pemberley and hoped you might venture closer, but not into the lake, my dear! Your name, please?”

  “Elizabeth Bennet your ladyship. I am from Hertfordshire but live at Brambling Hall with my sister and brother, Jane and Charles Bingley.”

  The woman nodded and her eyes became distant as though she had just remembered the name Bingley. “Why yes, he is a particular friend of my son William. How wonderful he has settled near Pemberley.”

  “Speaking of Mr. Darcy, is he expected home soon?” Elizabeth asked, though she knew he was away, as she took the cup the maid offered.

  Lady Anne smiled weakly and Elizabeth feared the woman might weep at any moment. “He has gone to Town for business once more, I fear. This house once held precious memories but has become a lonely shadowed place.”

  Elizabeth trembled, for the woman's grief was palpable. Lady Anne placed her cup upon the small table between them with shaking hands and sighed a heartbreaking sound that caused Elizabeth to kneel before her and take her into her arms. She rocked the great woman gently and smoothed her hair.

  Elizabeth suddenly understood the shadow Mr. Darcy had become. His sister lie beneath the cold ground and his mother lay above, her life taken as surely as Georgiana’s.

  She stayed past tea time and helped Lady Anne to her rooms. She got her into bed and read to her until the woman called for her evening tea, given with laudanum no doubt. “Please stay Miss Bennet. I cannot bear another night alone. I shall have a footman return to Brambling Hall in your stead with an explanation for your sister.”

  Elizabeth would not abandon the woman and so she nodded her consent and continued reading until Mr. Darcy’s mother fell into a deep sleep.

  * * *

  As the morning dawned, Elizabeth stretched in the chair beside Lady Anne’s bed. The book in her lap slid to the floor, and she bent to retrieve it. Her stomach rumbled, and she placed a hand there in apology as she rose and met the piercing blue eyes of her host.

  “Miss Bennet, have you sat there the whole of the night? You ought to have left me and gone to your room and sought your slumber, dear.”

  Elizabeth smiled at Lady Anne. “You were so kind and helpful yesterday. I wanted to repay your generosity.”

  She opened the book where she had left off but Lady Anne yawned and stretched in her bed. “I am famished this morning. Would you break your fast with me?”

  Elizabeth nodded and rose to place the leather-bound book in her seat. “Shall I call for Wells?” she asked.

  Lady Anne shook her head and Elizabeth rushed to her side. Plainly, the charm of the man she admired despite his reserved manner had come from his mother
. “Would you mind helping me instead? Wells will enjoy a morning to herself and I find myself well pleased with your company.”

  Elizabeth took her hand and helped her from the bed. “It will be my pleasure. Shall I ring for the bath?”

  Living at Longbourn, Elizabeth was accustomed to sharing their one maid with all the ladies of her home, so Lady Anne’s request was quite reasonable.

  Lady Anne nodded and Elizabeth arranged her morning ritual and sat her before the closets as they chose her outfit for the morning.

  For Elizabeth, it was a quiet, precious time. There was no screaming of her sisters, no chatter from her mother, and no rush of six ladies in the stirring of a house come the morning. Lady Anne chose a claret silk gown and Elizabeth undressed her for her bath.

  “We shall be ready for the morning meal soon, my dear. You may wish to freshen up in your room and meet me here before we go down to the breakfast parlor together.”

  She squeezed Elizabeth’s hand before following the maid into the bath. Elizabeth made her way from Lady Anne’s rooms to her own, further along the hallway. She thought she heard the faint sound of voices downstairs. In a house this grand, it must be the servants preparing the house for the day ahead.

  The door to the her room was open and a maid tended the fire. Elizabeth's eye fell upon another lovely gown on the bed. The pale pink satin was exquisite and tiny pearls decorated the neckline. She hastened to wash her face but waved the maid away, preferring to dress herself.

  The maid left her and Elizabeth twirled around the room, her heart giddy at the opulence of just this one room, a guest room at that.

  Lady Anne’s room was cheerfully decorated in teals and yellow with plum accents here and there. When Elizabeth had thrown back the drapes, she had gasped at the beauty of the room. Her sadness at the beautiful woman sitting alone in the darkness in such splendor pierced her heart once more.