Read Online A Touch of Night by Sarah A. Hoyt - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sarah A. Hoyt
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Fantasy, Jane Austen, Dragons, shifters, darcy, pride and prejudice, elizabeth bennet, weres
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us."
"Papa," Elizabeth said. She loved her father dearly, but sometimes he said things that she worried would be hurtful to Jane, or put her in a position of danger.
"Er..." Mr. Bennet looked at his daughter uncomprehending. "Oh come, Elizabeth," he said. "If I were a were I'd want to give as much trouble as humanly possible." He flashed a grin, before going back to his reading. "Perhaps I'd lock myself up in my library and thus avoid the moon altogether. And at night I'd let out terrifying howls to scare the servants." He made a sound that might be a growl or a choked off bout of laughter. "Oh, that would do very well indeed."
"Mamma," Elizabeth said, her concern rising at all the talk of weres . And if that was not bad enough, she greatly doubted her ability to be alone with Jane without blurting the whole miserable business of the rhubarb. "I think I'll go for a walk to clear my head. Oakham Mount perhaps."
"But, Miss Elizabeth," Mr. Collins said. "I wish to speak with you during the course of the morning."
Elizabeth had a feeling she knew what that talk would be about. She shook her head. "Mr. Collins, I'm sure that there is nothing you want to speak to me about. At least nothing that could possibly be important."
"Miss Elizabeth," Mrs. Bennet said. "I order you to listen to Mr. Collins."
* * * *
And so it was that immediately after breakfast, Elizabeth found herself in the small parlor in the company of a very nervous Mr. Collins. She knew he was nervous because he was walking around the room in circles. And, as he walked, his demeanor changed, and he started stooping forward, his knuckles dragging on the ground.
Turning around, he fixed her with soulful brown eyes. "Ook," he said. "Oook, oook, ook, ook." He gestured with his hands, then gestured with his foot. The shoe slipped, and another hand emerged from his shoe.
Mr. Collins sat on his behind, and started picking his fur, pensively.
His fur. Elizabeth blinked. She backed against the table. Mr. Collins was an orangutan. A were . He had that reaction she'd often read about in books, though never observed in Jane, of turning to his were form when scared. And he was blinking at her out of small, simian eyes and saying, "Ook, ook, oook" with the intensity of feeling that betrayed that he thought he was speaking English. And with a sense of dread and astonishment, Elizabeth realized that Mr. Collins had no idea whatsoever that he shifted forms. And probably neither did most people -- considering that his ape form was so similar to his human form.
The realization shook Elizabeth so that she fell backward onto an armchair, staring wide eyed at him. She'd been so concentrated on Jane, on keeping Jane safe, that she'd never considered there might be other weres nearby.
Oh, she knew there was a dragon and perhaps another wolf somewhere -- at least she hoped that the wolf that Jane was so taken with was not the old wolf they'd caught raiding henhouses. But she assumed they were people they never knew in the whole course of their lives. Apprentices to some craftsman, clerks to some firm. The affliction of weredom was not confined to the upper classes. On the contrary, appearing as rarely as it did in each family, it could not often appear in nobility. Because noblemen and wealthy people, living as they did surrounded by servants and retainers, were caught out more often than not.
It was only through the utmost care that Elizabeth had kept Jane from being discovered. She'd never expected to meet another were in her circle of friends, let alone her family.
She started to shake, and then realized it was laughter, bubbling up from deep within her, from some place she didn't even know existed. It erupted in a burbling stream from her lips, and grew into chuckles, then guffaws.
"Oook?" Mr. Collins said. He looked worried. "Ook, ook, ook?" He stretched a long, brown arm, and picked what Elizabeth hoped was an imaginary louse off her head. "Ook?" he said, taking his
"Papa," Elizabeth said. She loved her father dearly, but sometimes he said things that she worried would be hurtful to Jane, or put her in a position of danger.
"Er..." Mr. Bennet looked at his daughter uncomprehending. "Oh come, Elizabeth," he said. "If I were a were I'd want to give as much trouble as humanly possible." He flashed a grin, before going back to his reading. "Perhaps I'd lock myself up in my library and thus avoid the moon altogether. And at night I'd let out terrifying howls to scare the servants." He made a sound that might be a growl or a choked off bout of laughter. "Oh, that would do very well indeed."
"Mamma," Elizabeth said, her concern rising at all the talk of weres . And if that was not bad enough, she greatly doubted her ability to be alone with Jane without blurting the whole miserable business of the rhubarb. "I think I'll go for a walk to clear my head. Oakham Mount perhaps."
"But, Miss Elizabeth," Mr. Collins said. "I wish to speak with you during the course of the morning."
Elizabeth had a feeling she knew what that talk would be about. She shook her head. "Mr. Collins, I'm sure that there is nothing you want to speak to me about. At least nothing that could possibly be important."
"Miss Elizabeth," Mrs. Bennet said. "I order you to listen to Mr. Collins."
* * * *
And so it was that immediately after breakfast, Elizabeth found herself in the small parlor in the company of a very nervous Mr. Collins. She knew he was nervous because he was walking around the room in circles. And, as he walked, his demeanor changed, and he started stooping forward, his knuckles dragging on the ground.
Turning around, he fixed her with soulful brown eyes. "Ook," he said. "Oook, oook, ook, ook." He gestured with his hands, then gestured with his foot. The shoe slipped, and another hand emerged from his shoe.
Mr. Collins sat on his behind, and started picking his fur, pensively.
His fur. Elizabeth blinked. She backed against the table. Mr. Collins was an orangutan. A were . He had that reaction she'd often read about in books, though never observed in Jane, of turning to his were form when scared. And he was blinking at her out of small, simian eyes and saying, "Ook, ook, oook" with the intensity of feeling that betrayed that he thought he was speaking English. And with a sense of dread and astonishment, Elizabeth realized that Mr. Collins had no idea whatsoever that he shifted forms. And probably neither did most people -- considering that his ape form was so similar to his human form.
The realization shook Elizabeth so that she fell backward onto an armchair, staring wide eyed at him. She'd been so concentrated on Jane, on keeping Jane safe, that she'd never considered there might be other weres nearby.
Oh, she knew there was a dragon and perhaps another wolf somewhere -- at least she hoped that the wolf that Jane was so taken with was not the old wolf they'd caught raiding henhouses. But she assumed they were people they never knew in the whole course of their lives. Apprentices to some craftsman, clerks to some firm. The affliction of weredom was not confined to the upper classes. On the contrary, appearing as rarely as it did in each family, it could not often appear in nobility. Because noblemen and wealthy people, living as they did surrounded by servants and retainers, were caught out more often than not.
It was only through the utmost care that Elizabeth had kept Jane from being discovered. She'd never expected to meet another were in her circle of friends, let alone her family.
She started to shake, and then realized it was laughter, bubbling up from deep within her, from some place she didn't even know existed. It erupted in a burbling stream from her lips, and grew into chuckles, then guffaws.
"Oook?" Mr. Collins said. He looked worried. "Ook, ook, ook?" He stretched a long, brown arm, and picked what Elizabeth hoped was an imaginary louse off her head. "Ook?" he said, taking his
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