Elizabeth's Covenant

by Florence Gold

  “Let him wait, he deserves…” His thoughts were focused only on her now, but Elizabeth dressed in haste and invited him to follow her.

  ∞∞∞

  They found Bingley nervously pacing the drawing-room; he stopped and bowed in front of Elizabeth but could not say a word.

  Elizabeth made a gesture as to invite him to sit and only then he tried to calm down from his frenzy.

  “I must apologise, Miss Elizabeth,” he mumbled and Elizabeth was under the impression he had even cried. She just nodded and let him continue.

  “I would never have the right to be here if it was not for love. I am in love with Miss Jane.”

  Elizabeth wanted to say something, but Darcy stopped her with a loving caress on her back. Bingley seemed to suffer sincerely, and she decided her future husband was right.

  “And why did you come here, Mr Bingley?” Elizabeth asked, with a voice she wanted to maintain cold but not angry.

  “I could not miss my friend’s marriage but to tell you the truth, I am here to ask Miss Jane to forgive me and…marry me!”

  “We should let them talk,” Darcy said.

  Elizabeth was so surprised that she stood up in haste. Darcy, in his turn, also stood up as if to defend her. He was worried for her and only for her, his love filling the space between them. Elizabeth leaned on him so grateful for his feeling and his support. He was right; it was not for her to decide.

  She nodded, and she left the two men together while she headed Jane’s room.

  ∞∞∞

  Jane was sleeping and did not wake when Elizabeth sat near her on the bed. She looks like a blond angel—Elizabeth thought while she caressed her on the forehead. Jane opened her eyes and smiled. More than anything else in the world, Elizabeth wanted to protect her.

  “What happened, Elizabeth? Is it already morning?” she asked and then she looked at the window to see it was still dark outside.

  “No, my darling, something else happened. Mr Bingley is downstairs,” she said as she thought it was easier to tell her the news directly.

  “Mr Bingley?” Jane said. “I am not dreaming, Elizabeth?” Her blue eyes were full of incomprehension.

  “No, my dear, you are not dreaming. He came to see you!”

  “To see me?”

  “Yes, do you want to see him? If you do not want, I will just go down and refuse him.”

  “No, no, I will see him,” she proffered with a strange voice. It was not clear if she was angry or happy.

  Elizabeth helped her to dress, and they slowly went downstairs. In front of the door, Jane had a brief hesitation, Elizabeth let her decide when to open the door, but suddenly she mumbled something, and she entered the drawing-room.

  “I will be in the parlour, waiting for you,” Elizabeth whispered, as she and Darcy left the room.

  “I will wait with you,” Darcy said.

  “No, my love, you go and sleep.”

  It took less than five minutes of waiting for Jane to burst into the parlour, “He proposed, he proposed, we are going to be married!”

  ∞∞∞

  Mr Bennet, still in the library, received an excited young man who tried to ask his daughter’s hand in marriage but hardly could proffer a word. After a generous quantity of brandy, he was able to formulate his request, and Mr Bennet accepted him as his future son-in-law. He only hoped that in the morning, Bingley would remember his decision to marry Jane, as he was not on his first glass of brandy.

  Elizabeth smiled while she went to sleep, imagining the scene that took place at that late hour the night before her marriage. For the first time in months, her heart was serene and her happiness complete as her covenant was closed.

  She went directly to her future husband’s bedroom and, before his stunned eyes, she undressed.

  “Leave the chemise,” he whispered on the verge of an enormous excitement receiving her into his arms.

  “What changed your mind?” he whispered while he caressed her marvellous soft skin.

  “I swore while climbing the stairs I will never make a pledge, vow, covenant ever again in my life…not even a promise.”

  “It is a marvellous decision, madam!” he said.

  Then he looked at her with his teasing eyes that Elizabeth liked so much. From the windows, a splendid moon was illuminating their room. It was the first clear night in two weeks.

  “Well madam, we arrived here, our wedding is in a few hours and your husband will ask for his rights as soon as the priest gives his blessing. Are you a virgin?”

  “Well, sir, there was a man!” she answered, using the same tone. “He almost undressed me one morning in a chaise and then he just came into my room and…I could not resist.”

  “So you are not a virgin…”

  “No! But now that you ask...How did you come to be such a skilful lover from the first moment of our passion? Is it because I was not your first woman?” Elizabeth asked, watching him with her head on her palm and the most scrutinising gaze.

  He looked at her and smiled… “In the end, I am not so interested in the subject,” he said and took her into his arms eager to escape a discussion he did not want to have with her. But he did not succeed.

  “So, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy why were you such a skilful lover before me?”

  Epilogue

  Bingley and Jane married two months after Elizabeth’s marriage. They decided to celebrate their wedding in London and have all their family and friends together.

  Awaiting the event, the Bennets were invited to stay at Darcy and Elizabeth’s house. With Jane busy with her future groom, Elizabeth spent much more time with Kitty and Lydia. She was delighted how changed her sisters were from the time they laughed at the officers’ jokes in Meryton.

  Her most significant surprise was Lydia, who visibly wanted to get closer to her now that Jane was to begin her new life with Mr Bingley.

  One afternoon they were alone in Elizabeth’s parlour, and Lydia seemed to have something to tell her but did not know how to begin.

  “What is it, Lydia?” she finally asked.

  Lydia kept fidgeting around until she said, “I have a confession to make to you.”

  It was a considerable surprise for Elizabeth. There had never been any “confessions” between them, but she enjoyed their new relationship.

  ∞∞∞

  “Imagine how surprised I was,” Elizabeth told her husband. He was holding her in his arms, caressing her with slow gestures but enjoying her talk. It did not take long to convince her that the afternoons were also made for love. Still, after the passion, they usually spoke unable to separate.

  “And?” he asked while he caressed her stomach, he had an idea she was with child but did not tell her a word. She had a new glow around her that appeared only a short time ago. He imagined their child, but he was also attentive at her talking.

  “You won’t believe this,” she said and put her gown on, a sign that this was a serious conversation. He did not protest, he adored her in any circumstances, even when she scolded him, or she had unexpected news—like that afternoon.

  “Thomas Russell likes Lydia.”

  It was indeed an interesting piece of news. An eventual family tie with the Russells was the best news.

  “Splendid,” he said. “I have always dreamt that Georgiana would marry one of the boys…but Lydia is so right for Thomas.”

  “Yes, they both are deliciously superficial.”

  Darcy laughed with all his heart. Only his wife could proffer such accurate and kindly ironical descriptions.

  “But this is not all. I do not know how to tell you this.”

  Darcy smiled in the face of her worries but kept silent.

  “Lydia wanted to elope with Wickham,” Elizabeth whispered. She did know it was an awkward situation, but she did not imagine how distressed Darcy became in just one second.

  “The bastard!” he shouted so loud that all the house vibrated. “The scoundrel, the rascal! But I told you to speak to t
he ladies.”

  “And I did, and I think it is what saved Lydia.”

  “Smart girl!” he said, somewhat calmer.

  “Well,” Elizabeth said, “almost saved…as she…”

  “No!”

  “Unfortunately, yes!”

  “I have to find a solution. Otherwise, this miscreant will dishonour all the girls around us. Tell me what happened.”

  “Lydia told me that they had decided to elope. I do not know whose idea it was to consume their love, Lydia said it was hers…”

  “Absolutely, not. He knows how to manipulate young girls, it is what also happened to Georgiana.”

  Elizabeth looked at him in shock.

  “Yes, I did not tell you the whole truth…it is sad, but she is so young that it did not matter. Anyway, it is time to imagine some manoeuvre for him.”

  As Elizabeth did not seem to understand, he continued. “Our army has manoeuvres in many countries…take India, for instance.”

  “No…” Elizabeth laughed, “how will you do this?”

  “The colonel has high connections, and even I could do some manoeuvres.”

  “An interesting idea, maybe some maharajah will teach him a lesson!”

  “If he continues with this kind of behaviour…India is not the best place to dishonour a girl.”

  “But what I wanted to ask you is also a matter more delicate, Lydia wants to tell Thomas the truth about…her deed. What is your opinion on this?”

  “Categorically, no. It is what I also discussed with Georgiana. Both girls have to forget and go on with their life. Thomas has a lot of deeds to recount, I am sure.”

  “As you perhaps also have!”

  “Oh, no, my lady, I was a virgin on our wedding night, something that cannot be said about you!”

  END

  By Florence Gold

  A Struggle for Lov

  e

  A Pride and Prejudice Variation

  Kindle Edition

  Just weeks before his wedding to Elizabeth, Darcy departs for London to attend some urgent business. After three painful days, neither Georgiana nor Elizabeth has received any news from him. Has he run away, suddenly fearing married life or have more somber circumstances occurred? A Struggle for Love is a Regency Pride and Prejudice Variation, with an original touch of mystery that triggers angst and passion in a plot that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the long-awaited happy ending.

  Excerpt

  At the end of their meal Mr Bennet forced himself to ask a question he profoundly disliked, but knew it was necessary to find an answer. “Dear Georgiana, please forgive me, but I have to ask you a question.” The girl looked at the man in front of her in total confidence; she understood that there might be many doubts regarding her brother's disappearance. With a frank look, she invited him to continue.

  “Is it possible that Darcy simply wanted to escape his future marriage and just went abroad or far away in the country?” Mr Bennet was flushed from the effort he made, while Elizabeth looked absolutely devastated. For a moment Georgiana hid her eyes in the cup in front of her not sure she was capable of answering. It was at that very moment that Parker made a step towards the table, addressing only Mr Bennet, “If you may permit me, Mr Bennet, sir, to speak.”

  The butler's words miraculously eased the atmosphere, as someone else was to carry the burden of an answer. They all looked at Parker, waiting for his words, confident that his butler was the man to give them an honest answer.

  “Please, Mr Parker, continue!” said Elizabeth in her father's place. “My master is a gentleman, a genuine one, not just in name but in spirit and mind; if he had decided not to marry, I assure you that he would have found a way not to hurt Miss Bennet’s reputation. Absolutely not, neither would he leave Miss Georgiana with no notice from him. He is the most attentive and responsible brother; he is even attentive to me. He tells me when to go to sleep and not wait for him, for all years I have been in his service. No, I am sorry to say this, but something had happened to him.”

  Mr Darcy’s Legac

  y

  A Pride and Prejudice Variation

  Kindle Edition

  Paperback Edition

  Mr Darcy is eagerly awaiting his wedding to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the young woman he considered to be the mistress of his heart. Unfortunately, his family and mostly Lady Catherine and Lord Matlock are against this union. While their love grows stronger and their future seems it will be filled with connubial bliss, a letter from Darcy’s past shatters their present, making him question everything he has known his entire life. Is he prepared to open his heart and his mind to such a tormenting revelation? Is London’s Ton ready to accept such a disclosure, or will it turn it into a new subject for more disturbing rumours? Will a gentleman such as Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, who takes pride in his family’s past, accept that his legacy is not what he believed it to be?

  Excerpt

  Darcy smiled for the first time that morning, and kissing Elizabeth’s hand, he looked around the table. In the past he harboured a secret displeasure thinking he would be associated with Wickham as brother-in-law, but Mr Bennet dispelled his worries by his unconditional and unselfish support.

  The breakfast continued in a more serene atmosphere; the ladies engaged in quiet talk about the dresses and weddings while the gentlemen discussed horses and hunting when Darcy’s butler made an entrance with the silver tray for correspondence and whispered some words in his master’s ear. It was obviously something important, Georgiana knew instantly. Parker had perfect manners and he never would disturb her brother in the middle of a meal unless…

  Darcy coloured and took the letter in an evident state of emotion.

  “I beg your pardon!” he said. “I have to read this letter; the coach is waiting for my answer.”

  He hesitated a moment with the letter in his hand, unsure of sharing the identity of the sender with the whole party, but then he said rather determinedly, “The letter is from the Duke of Blandford!”

  An exclamation of astonishment circled the table; Charles and Georgiana were astounded, the others just curious but Darcy understood it was too late to conceal the contents from them, so he read in a somewhat uncertain voice:

  Mr Darcy,

  It was such a pleasure to meet you at the Opera and get acquainted with your lovely lady. Please oblige me by joining me on Wednesday at the Club to discuss important matters. I will be present at early hours, till 1 o’clock. Please attend me in that period.

  FitzRoy William, Duke of Blandford

  Weeding at Pemberle

  y

  A Pride and Prejudice Variation

  Kindle Edition

  Paperback

  Following an unexpected encounter in London, two months after Hunsford, love grows tentatively, then turns into passion when Elizabeth and Darcy are reunited in Derbyshire.

  Eager to marry as soon as possible, they find in their way to happiness despite opposition and unexpected obstacles.

  Love, hate, elopement, an unexpected turn of events; enemies and friends - all lead to a long-awaited happy ending at Pemberley!

  Florence Gold offers once again her receipt for a Pride and Prejudice Variation where our beloved characters take a path filled with adventure, romance and suspense.

  Excerpt

  The following morning, Elizabeth woke up very early and dressed without any help from the maid. It was a sunny day, and the sound of birds animated the silent manor. She felt too much joy to stay inside – so what she did not dare do in the middle of the night, seemed allowed in the full daylight.

  Therefore, she hurried downstairs and—with a little guidance from a servant—she found the main door and exited the house. She found herself in an inner yard, paved with stone. Through a large arch, she arrived in front of the house, just at the edge of the lake. On her left, there were impressive stairs, leading to a path between the lake and the colourful gardens.

  She closed her eyes, breathin
g the air of Pemberley deeply inside her so she could take it with her upon leaving.

  “Miss Bennet?”

  She startled and looked around, taken aback. Darcy was approaching her, wearing a broad and warm smile.

  “Are you well?”

  He wanted to believe he had seen on her face a hint of enjoyment at his sight.

  “Very well, thank you,” she responded surprised yet very happy.

  “I hope you found your room comfortable?”

  “Very much so,” she smiled. “But I believe that a room—as comfortable as it is—is not worthy of staying inside when you are at Pemberley.”

  He approved with a nod. “I agree.”

  During a momentarily awkward silence, both glanced around. One could say that the same question was in each of their minds, a question about love that could shatter the incertitude they were living in. He wanted to dare take her on a stroll, far away from other eyes; she wanted to spend with him as much time as was possible.

  “Would you like to take a stroll before breakfast?” he eventually asked, his heart beating at the rate of his emotion.

  “Yes, that was my intention.”

  “Would you… rather be alone?” he continued, yet he was far from intending to leave her alone on Pemberley’s lawn.

  “Some company would be lovely,” she whispered.

  They started to walk, trying hard not to look at each other.

  “Pemberley is even more beautiful than I was told,” Elizabeth declared with a voice that was desperately trying to sound normal, remembering the conversations they used to have when both were self-assured and unconstrained by a sentiment so complicated as love.

  “I am glad you enjoy it. There is so much more of it to see.

  From Pemberley to Paradise

  Kindle Edition

  Following dramatic events in Netherfield—only days before Jane’s marriage to Charles Bingley—Elizabeth is thrown into a turmoil difficult to anticipate. In vain, she looks for solutions; the only one who could solve her problem is Darcy.