Read Online A Touch of Night by Sarah A. Hoyt - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sarah A. Hoyt
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Fantasy, Jane Austen, Dragons, shifters, darcy, pride and prejudice, elizabeth bennet, weres
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smile. Besides, Caroline had her sights set on an estate in Derbyshire -- preferably Mr. Darcy's own.
As they rode alongside the carriage, Darcy turned to Bingley and said again, as if to reaffirm his decision. "We have no choice but to leave. She will be sure to report us to the Royal Were -Hunters."
Bingley was not as sure as his friend, but there was no sense in taking any chances. He knew that he could never again look Miss Elizabeth Bennet in the eyes anyway, not after she had seen him naked. And he knew that he had to leave Jane Bennet even though she was the sweetest, most angelic lady he had ever met. He had been foolish to entertain thoughts of love and marriage. Happiness was not for his kind.
Darcy sat upright upon his horse as they cantered towards London. There was only one thing about the entire episode that still confused him. Why had Mr. Wickham so forgotten himself as to denounce Darcy to a provincial girl? Was he seeking to get her to condemn Darcy for him? Sometimes Darcy thought it was he or Wickham. One of them would be the death of the other.
Chapter Six
"Oh, I cannot believe that Mr. Bingley would leave," Mrs. Bennet said over breakfast. "And yet, my sister Phillips says that the house has been locked up and there's no thought of coming back again. I'll always say he used my daughter very ill. Very ill indeed."
"It is true, Elizabeth," Jane said, looking up at her sister, her eyes filled with tears. "Caroline herself wrote to tell me that they've gone to London, to meet with Mr. Darcy's sister. She..." Jane's voice faltered. "She has great hopes that Mr. Bingley means to marry Miss Darcy."
Elizabeth took a deep breath. She would rather cut out her own tongue with a butter knife than tell Jane what she'd seen in the rhubarb. Through the night she'd lain awake, tossing, tormented by the idea of what Mr. Darcy had corrupted Mr. Bingley into. She was quite sure it wasn't Mr. Bingley's true nature. She'd seen the way he looked at Jane.
But she'd read the Plato and the historians of the Roman Empire. She didn't understand the attraction of the vice, but there must be some, since so many powerful people had indulged in it. And however it was, Mr. Bingley wasn't for Jane. Helping herself to eggs and a slice of ham, she said, "I'm sorry to say it, Jane, but I think it's a good thing that Mr. Bingley should be removed from us, and that we should be removed from Mr. Bingley."
She saw Jane's eyes widen at her contradicting what she told Jane just the day before. But Jane was too kind to call her to task about it.
"Bite your tongue, girl," Mrs. Bennet said. "Well... The good thing is that Jane is going to London to stay with my brother, Gardiner. I'm sure that she'll contrive a way to run into Bingley. She is such a clever girl."
"Mama..." Elizabeth said.
"It does credit to your modesty, cousin Elizabeth," Mr. Collins said, from across the table, where he was stuffing his face with fried kidneys. "To mention that it is not right for the lady to run after the man. For a woman's reputation is as lovely as it is frail. And once gone, it is gone forever."
Lydia rolled her eyes. "Guess what?" she said. "Oh, never mind. They caught an old wolf out Cunningham farm's way. The Were -Hunters think he might have been the one that was getting into henhouses. I hope not, for if they do not catch at least one were soon, we'll be declared non-infested, and the RWH will be moved elsewhere. Oh, I hope not."
"Well," Mrs. Bennet said. "You girls must make the most of it while you can. You should walk to Meryton and see the officers."
Mr. Bennet turned the page of the paper and made a sound. "Well," he said. "Brighton has just been declared a most infested locale. They have three dragons, a were-cheetah , and--" He looked over the paper at them, his eyes sparkling. "A were-gorilla who appears at the pump nightly. Now -- that would be diverting. Why can we never get unusual weres ?. The least they can do is make sport for
As they rode alongside the carriage, Darcy turned to Bingley and said again, as if to reaffirm his decision. "We have no choice but to leave. She will be sure to report us to the Royal Were -Hunters."
Bingley was not as sure as his friend, but there was no sense in taking any chances. He knew that he could never again look Miss Elizabeth Bennet in the eyes anyway, not after she had seen him naked. And he knew that he had to leave Jane Bennet even though she was the sweetest, most angelic lady he had ever met. He had been foolish to entertain thoughts of love and marriage. Happiness was not for his kind.
Darcy sat upright upon his horse as they cantered towards London. There was only one thing about the entire episode that still confused him. Why had Mr. Wickham so forgotten himself as to denounce Darcy to a provincial girl? Was he seeking to get her to condemn Darcy for him? Sometimes Darcy thought it was he or Wickham. One of them would be the death of the other.
Chapter Six
"Oh, I cannot believe that Mr. Bingley would leave," Mrs. Bennet said over breakfast. "And yet, my sister Phillips says that the house has been locked up and there's no thought of coming back again. I'll always say he used my daughter very ill. Very ill indeed."
"It is true, Elizabeth," Jane said, looking up at her sister, her eyes filled with tears. "Caroline herself wrote to tell me that they've gone to London, to meet with Mr. Darcy's sister. She..." Jane's voice faltered. "She has great hopes that Mr. Bingley means to marry Miss Darcy."
Elizabeth took a deep breath. She would rather cut out her own tongue with a butter knife than tell Jane what she'd seen in the rhubarb. Through the night she'd lain awake, tossing, tormented by the idea of what Mr. Darcy had corrupted Mr. Bingley into. She was quite sure it wasn't Mr. Bingley's true nature. She'd seen the way he looked at Jane.
But she'd read the Plato and the historians of the Roman Empire. She didn't understand the attraction of the vice, but there must be some, since so many powerful people had indulged in it. And however it was, Mr. Bingley wasn't for Jane. Helping herself to eggs and a slice of ham, she said, "I'm sorry to say it, Jane, but I think it's a good thing that Mr. Bingley should be removed from us, and that we should be removed from Mr. Bingley."
She saw Jane's eyes widen at her contradicting what she told Jane just the day before. But Jane was too kind to call her to task about it.
"Bite your tongue, girl," Mrs. Bennet said. "Well... The good thing is that Jane is going to London to stay with my brother, Gardiner. I'm sure that she'll contrive a way to run into Bingley. She is such a clever girl."
"Mama..." Elizabeth said.
"It does credit to your modesty, cousin Elizabeth," Mr. Collins said, from across the table, where he was stuffing his face with fried kidneys. "To mention that it is not right for the lady to run after the man. For a woman's reputation is as lovely as it is frail. And once gone, it is gone forever."
Lydia rolled her eyes. "Guess what?" she said. "Oh, never mind. They caught an old wolf out Cunningham farm's way. The Were -Hunters think he might have been the one that was getting into henhouses. I hope not, for if they do not catch at least one were soon, we'll be declared non-infested, and the RWH will be moved elsewhere. Oh, I hope not."
"Well," Mrs. Bennet said. "You girls must make the most of it while you can. You should walk to Meryton and see the officers."
Mr. Bennet turned the page of the paper and made a sound. "Well," he said. "Brighton has just been declared a most infested locale. They have three dragons, a were-cheetah , and--" He looked over the paper at them, his eyes sparkling. "A were-gorilla who appears at the pump nightly. Now -- that would be diverting. Why can we never get unusual weres ?. The least they can do is make sport for
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