Against Better Judgement – Lydia Fairfax

The same man who had, according to Wickham, stripped him of every opportunity for advancement out of spite and jealousy. It made no sense. A man who valued education enough to teach poor children twice weekly would not deny a deserving young man the means to pursue his own studies. Would he? Unless Mr. Wickham’s account had been…incomplete. The thought unsettled her more than she cared to admit. While she still struggled to reconcile the thought, Mr. Darcy cleared his throat, as though eager to change the subject.

“But enough of myself, Miss Elizabeth. Tell me—how often do you and your sister accompany your aunt and uncle in their travels?” “Not very often, I am afraid,” Elizabeth replied, composing herself and pushing the errant thought from her mind. “We generally visit them in Town during the winter months, but journeys such as this are quite uncommon.” “I am surprised your aunt and uncle could leave London for so long at all. Do they not have children?” “They do. Three of them. But the children remained in London with the housekeeper and their governess.

My aunt thought it best, given how young they are. The journey would have been difficult for them.” “That was wise,” Mr. Darcy said. “And how long do you intend to remain in Bath?” “Only a fortnight in total. We arrived just over a week ago, so we have less than a week remaining before we must return to London, and then home to Hertfordshire.”

Something flickered across Mr. Darcy’s expression—disappointment, perhaps, though it was gone too quickly for Elizabeth to be certain. “That is not very long at all.” “No. But it has already proven beneficial for Jane, so I cannot regret the brevity of our stay.” “Of course not.” He said. They walked on in silence for some moments before Mr. Darcy cleared his throat. “May I ask—why did you choose to accompany your aunt and uncle to Bath? Forgive me if I am too forward, but from what Mr. Gardiner mentioned, he seldom visits Bath save on business.

This visit, however, does not appear to be of that nature.” Elizabeth sighed, reluctant to speak but feeling she owed him honesty. “Jane was…weary. About the Mr. Bingley situation.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the author. This novel is dedicated to everyone who has spent their hard-earned money to support art. You may not realise it, but you place food on our tables and give us every reason to keep creating. Thank you. 1kitap1.com/en AGAINST BETTER JUDGMENT 1kitap1.com/en CONTENTS PROLOGUE ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FOURTEEN FIFTEEN SIXTEEN SEVENTEEN EIGHTEEN NiNETEEN TWENTY EPILOGUE 1kitap1.com/en PROLOGUE Kent, April 1812 Elizabeth ELIZABETH BENNET left for her morning walk before the household awoke, restless and unquiet in both mind and heart.

The wind caught at the hem of her pelisse and slipped beneath her bonnet, biting at her cheeks with a chill that belonged more to March than to April. The air felt sharper than it ought, or perhaps it was only that she could not be still. Sleep had eluded her.

Each time she closed her eyes, Mr. Darcy’s voice returned—steady and proud, trembling only when she refused him. The disbelief in his tone, the warmth that had broken through his reserve, and the pride that had coloured every sentence played again and again in her thoughts until she could bear it no longer. Her thoughts wandered to the events of the previous day. The proposal had been unlike anything she could have conceived; it was astonishing, ardent, and offensive all at once, and her heart still beat more swiftly whenever she recalled it.

A few months earlier, her cousin, Mr. Collins, had offered her his hand. She had refused him, and he was now married to her dearest friend. Elizabeth’s mind drifted to that ridiculous morning when Mr. Collins, looking as limp as a wilted lettuce in his ill-fitting coat, had declared his affection in the Longbourn drawing room.

She laughed softly as she stepped over a small stone in her path. Even now, she could hardly believe that any proposal might rival Mr. Collins’s absurd declaration, yet Mr. Darcy’s had been far worse. Where Mr. Collins was ridiculous, Mr. Darcy was wounding. His pride had turned what might have been a compliment into an insult, his affection offered as though it were a favour she ought to accept with gratitude.

She had come to Kent expecting nothing beyond Charlotte’s good sense, Mr. Collins’s pompous attentions, and Lady Catherine’s ceaseless instruction. Never had she imagined she would be obliged to endure Mr. Darcy’s company, still less to be offered, and compelled to refuse, his hand.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: de7be9e32810807f
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 1,451,184 bytes (1.384 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 141
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 202.79 minutes
• Total Words: 40,558
• Total Characters: 235,853
• Average Words per Page: 287.65
• Average Characters per Page: 1672.72

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