Read Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation for Free Online

have used glue to keep them from sliding out! She
combed her hair with her fingers, then quickly twisted it into a simple knot,
all the while refusing even to look in Mr. Darcy’s direction. She could not
hope to play the part of a gentlewoman in her current condition.
    “Have you any idea how delighted Miss
Bingley would be to find herself in your shoes this morning?” Mr. Darcy’s deep
voice from behind her made her jump.
    She turned to discover he still lay on the
pallet, though he was now propped up on one elbow. It was frighteningly
intimate to see him so different from his usual formal self. Her cheeks grew
hot. “I did not plan it. I was completely unaware of where I was.”
    “I know that.” He sounded perfectly
reasonable, as if this were a conversation about the weather over the breakfast
table. “Although other women have tried, I cannot imagine you attempting
to entrap me.” He held out his hand to her. Could he possibly be trying to
invite her back to bed?
    Her fingernails bit into her palms. “I
have no expectations of you, beyond that you will never breathe a word of this
to anyone.”
    “You may depend upon my discretion, of
course, but I know my responsibilities as well as you do.”
    “Then I release you from those
responsibilities. As long as no one knows we were both here, no harm has been
done.”
    He raised an eyebrow. “The fact you have
been away overnight is damaging already.”
    It did not matter whether it was true or
not. She had no intention of being trapped in a marriage with a husband who
regretted his choice every day of his life. “My fondness for long walks is well
known, and no one would be surprised if I sought shelter until the storm
passed. Most likely many people were stranded in Meryton by the snow. Everyone
will assume I was one of them.” She turned away to signal the conversation was
over.
    Why was he so calm about the idea of
marrying her? It made no sense. Either she must be dreaming or he was still
suffering from the blow to his head. In his normal state, she had no doubt Mr.
Darcy would be furious at being forced to marry an impertinent country nobody.
He should consider himself fortunate to be with one of the few women who had no
desire to take advantage of the situation. Good Lord, married to Mr. Darcy! Her
shiver had nothing to do with the cold.
    It was imperative they leave this place as
soon as possible, preferably separately. Bracing herself for the chill, she
approached the window. It was completely frosted over, allowing only a weak
light through. She scratched at the frost, then blew on it to clear a peep
hole. Her shoulders slumped at the sight of white clouds of snow still falling.
Deep drifts of snow covered everything in the small area she could make out.
There would be no escape from Mr. Darcy yet.
    ***
    Puzzled, Darcy allowed his hand to drop.
What was wrong with Elizabeth? Surely she understood what must be done. Why was
she not pleased? After all, he was a finer match than she could have dreamed of
making.
    Ah, perhaps that was it. She understood
only too well the gulf between their positions and how inappropriate it was for
her to aspire to enter the sort of circles he frequented, and wished to spare
him the embarrassment of making such a match. Dearest Elizabeth! What other
woman would think of his position at a time like this?
    He stretched like a satisfied cat,
conscious of the empty space beside him which had once been Elizabeth’s warm
body. He should have taken advantage of the opportunity to kiss her before she
ran off. His lips still ached with the desire to do so. But it was no longer a
hopeless desire. Once she overcame her skittishness, he could kiss her as often
as he pleased – and it would please him to do so as often as possible. He
smiled at the thought.
    After all, fate was smiling on him today. Elizabeth Bennet was no longer out of his reach, and at the same time,
no one could blame him for marrying so far beneath him. She had