Author’s Note: For this week’s post, I am again treating you to an excerpt from my current Work In Progress. It is not sequential to last week’s tidbit. It is simply 313 words that I wrote this week. As I mentioned the first week I did one of these, it is not my intention to write a sequential story to post here, and had I time, I would have written a completely original little bit. Unfortunately, I have a deadline set to complete this story, and have had too much time taken away to do banking and doctoring and other non-writing things to manage to write a separate story. I hope, however, that you like my tidbit, and that you will tell me if you enjoyed it or not. 🙂
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Every day, Darcy visited Longbourn, usually accompanied by Bingley. Weather permitting, they walked the gardens or into Meryton; when the weather was unpleasant, they passed the time in conversation or reading or playing games. On one such afternoon, while Elizabeth and Darcy were engaged with the chess board and Jane and Bingley sat with their heads together in quiet conversation, Lydia asked a question of her soon-to-be-brother.
“Mr. Darcy?”
He looked up at the most rambunctious of his betrothed’s sisters. “Yes, Miss Lydia?”
“Are you taking Lizzy on a wedding trip? I have not heard you mention it. Surely you need someone to go with you, if you do. I shall volunteer for the duty, if you are going somewhere interesting.”
Darcy glanced at Elizabeth, whose gaze was fixated on her pieces and who mien was deeply red. “I am taking her somewhere. As far as a companion, I have heard that such was the practice in years past, but not that it was still so now. Elizabeth, what do you think?”
“I think that I would rather not take anyone with me on our trip. I am not afraid of you and have no need of comfort or entertainment while I am with you. My sister would do better to mind her manners than to poke her nose into my business.”
“Elizabeth,” Darcy softly rebuked her. When she looked up at him, he continued, “I know that she is a trial at times, but at the risk of sounding like Jane, do you not think a softer answer would turn away Lydia’s wrath?”
“Perhaps, but I am currently more concerned with mine. However, I will concede your point.” Turning to Lydia and lifting her voice enough to be heard over that sister’s offended exclamations, Elizabeth apologized. “I am sorry for being rude, Lydia. Thank you for your offer, but I must decline.”