Free An Autumn Accord: A Pride and Prejudice Novella Variation (Seasons of Serendipity Book 4) by Elizabeth Ann West Page A

swallowed as her emotions threatened to choke her, “Brother.”  She paused as the title felt heavy in use for the first time in her life, “I only wish to share my stories.”
    A brief memory of the last moments of Lydia Bennet’s life tugged on Darcy’s heartstrings.  Such youth, such promise, ended by unfortunate circumstances. He could not agree for Catherine to give up her potential happiness without any knowledge of how wonderful a marriage could be. Still, this was not his decision to make. “That I shall discuss with your sister, and also your mother. My stance is that every young lady should enjoy at least one season where she is the belle of the ball. Afterwards, if another path is your true calling, I shall not stand in your way.”
    The girls left to study, sulking about the sudden loss of their freedom and to make good on Fitzwilliam’s order to pack their trunks. Darcy removed the thin slip of paper he also kept in his waistcoat that itemized the tasks yet to finish for the day’s journey. Smiling that the list was in the penmanship of Mrs. Darcy, his Mrs. Darcy, Fitzwilliam completely forgot to send an express to Bingley and apprise him of the additions to their party.
    ♠♠♠

Chapter 7
    Despite being well-sprung, the Darcy carriage jostled and jerked over the deep ruts on the main road to Meryton. Elizabeth Darcy smiled at the familiar sites of Winslow’s Farm and the fork in the road where one could cut a path to her favorite glen. As they reached the outskirts of her hometown, the carriage turned left away from the road leading into the town proper and the inn.
    Elizabeth turned around as she glanced out both windows to find her husband riding Poseidon on the carriage’s left flank. Frowning at the two sulking sisters on the bench across from her as they offered her no help or explanation, Elizabeth bested the stuck window and lowered the pane to lean her head out the side.
    “ Mr. Darcy! Mr. Darcy!” She called out to her husband as he rode just behind the carriage wheel.
    “ Mrs. Darcy!” he bellowed in surprise to see wife’s lovely face pop out of the carriage proper.
    “ Kindly return your head inside the carriage!” he called out as he encouraged the pace of Poseidon to come closer to the window, lest his wife lean even further out and risk falling.
    “ Why have we turned away from town?”
    “ It was meant as a surprise, but Charles is to reopen Netherfield. Now, return to the safety of the carriage!” The master of Pemberley voice issued the edict from on high.
    Elizabeth slammed the windowpane closed with more force than necessary and sank back on the opposing bench from her sisters. The man was infuriating with his surprises and failure to disclose changes in their arrangements to her, his wife. First, their two younger sisters were all at once to join them without even so much as a discussion with Elizabeth, and now they were not to stay at the inn and therefore close to her mother, but clear on the other side of the county. At the dastardly Mr. Bingley’s leased estate, no less!
    “ I never did occasion a chance to stay at Netherfield Park when we lived here before. I wonder if it is indeed as grand as they say?” Kitty Bennet broke the silence both she and Georgiana maintained the entire length of travel from London to Hertfordshire. The presumed excitement of staying at the only estate in the neighborhood aside from Longbourn, once owned by their family but now in the care of a cousin, trumped whatever malady afflicted Elizabeth Darcy’s travel companions.
    “ My brother’s friend Bingley is an agreeable gentlemen, but I often find myself uncomfortable in his sisters’ company.” Georgiana admitted, biting her lower lip. Her outburst that morning over their mischief to seek publication for Kitty’s novel had done considerable damage between her and her brother. She doubted she could rely upon him to spare her from Caroline Bingley’s company as he