{"id":257544,"date":"2026-07-13T15:36:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/darcy-unmistaken-grace-belton\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T15:36:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:36:45","slug":"darcy-unmistaken-grace-belton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/darcy-unmistaken-grace-belton\/","title":{"rendered":"Darcy Unmistaken – Grace Belton"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cIt was one of the most delightful evenings I have spent since leaving London. The company was so agreeable, the music so lively\u2014I cannot recall when I last enjoyed myself so thoroughly.\u201d \u201cYou are very kind to say so,\u201d Jane said, her cheeks coloring slightly. \u201cI am merely truthful, Miss Bennet,\u201d Mr. Bingley replied, his eyes never leaving her face. \u201cI found the entire evening delightful, but I must confess that my greatest pleasure came from the opportunity to dance with you.<\/p>\n

I hope you will not think me too forward if I say that I have rarely met anyone whose company I enjoyed more.\u201d Jane\u2019s blush deepened, and she looked down at her hands. \u201cYou are very generous, Mr. Bingley.\u201d Elizabeth, watching this exchange, felt a rush of affection for her sister.<\/p>\n

Jane was so modest, so genuinely surprised by compliments, that she could not dissemble even if she wished to. And Mr. Bingley, for his part, seemed equally genuine in his admiration. There was something refreshing about his openness and lack of artifice. He wore his heart, as the saying went, upon his sleeve. Mrs. Bennet, unable to contain herself any longer, inserted herself into the conversation with the subtlety of a cannonball.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Bingley, you are too kind! Jane is indeed the most beautiful of my daughters, though I say it myself. I always knew she would be much admired when she came out in society. Did I not say so, Mr. Bennet? Did I not always say Jane would be a great success?\u201d \u201cYou did, my dear,\u201d Mr. Bennet said from his position by the mantelpiece. \u201cFrequently, and at great length.\u201d Miss Bingley\u2019s expression tightened almost imperceptibly, and Elizabeth detected a flash of something\u2014annoyance, perhaps, or displeasure\u2014in her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour daughter is indeed handsome, Mrs. Bennet,\u201d she said with careful politeness. \u201cThe assembly last evening was quite… rustic in its charm.\u201d It was not, Elizabeth thought, precisely an insult, but neither was it a compliment. There was a faint condescension in Miss Bingley\u2019s tone that suggested she found the entire neighborhood quaint at best and provincial at worst. Mr. Darcy, who had been silent since his initial apology, spoke at last.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe assembly was very well-attended,\u201d he said, his tone neutral. \u201cAnd the company was, as Mr. Bingley has said, most agreeable.\u201d It was a minimal endorsement, but coming from Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth supposed it might be considered generous. She noticed that his gaze had moved to her as he spoke, and she felt an unexpected flutter of awareness. He was watching her with that same focused attention he had exhibited the previous evening\u2014not uncomfortable, precisely, but intense in a way that made her feel as though she were being carefully assessed.<\/p>\n

Hill entered with the tea service, and the next several minutes were occupied with the rituals of pouring and serving.<\/p>\n

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First edition. February 13, 2026. Copyright \u00a9 2026 Grace Belton. Written by Grace Belton. OceanofPDF.com Table of Contents Copyright Page Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 OceanofPDF.com E Chapter 1 lizabeth Bennet had heard enough of Mr. Darcy\u2019s pride to last her a lifetime\u2014and she had not yet set eyes upon him. It was remarkable how thoroughly a gentleman might be judged before ever setting foot in a room.<\/p>\n

By the time Elizabeth had fastened the final hook of her gown, Mr. Darcy of Derbyshire had been declared proud, disagreeable, disdainful of country society, and so acutely aware of his own importance that he scarcely acknowledged those beneath his notice. Which, according to the prevailing account, was nearly everyone. \u201cHe is said to be excessively proud,\u201d Kitty announced from the foot of the bed, where she stood twisting her gloves about her fingers.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Long insists he would not so much as look at her when she was introduced.\u201d Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. \u201cThat must have been a singular disappointment.\u201d \u201cIt was unpardonable,\u201d Lydia said briskly, seating herself before the mirror and examining her curls with great seriousness. \u201cA man with ten thousand a year ought to know better than to offend half the neighborhood before he has danced once.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mary, who had been standing near the pianoforte with a small volume open in her hands, looked up at this. \u201cPride,\u201d she observed, \u201cis a most dangerous failing. Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously\u2014\u201d \u201cYes, yes,\u201d Lydia interrupted. \u201cBut this is pride of the worst kind. The looking-down-one\u2019s-nose variety.\u201d Elizabeth laughed, turning to retrieve her shawl.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou speak as though you have already suffered under it.\u201d \u201cI have suffered by anticipation,\u201d Lydia replied. \u201cWhich is quite enough.\u201d Jane, seated quietly at the dressing table, turned with a gentle smile. \u201cWe should not condemn him too hastily,\u201d she said. \u201cA gentleman newly arrived among strangers may feel uncomfortable, and discomfort is often mistaken for ill-nature.\u201d Elizabeth regarded her sister with affection. Jane always wished to think well of everyone; it was her greatest virtue, and perhaps her only flaw.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are very charitable,\u201d Elizabeth said. \u201cThough I suspect ten thousand pounds affords a man a great many comforts, even in unfamiliar company.\u201d Jane only smiled again, as though comfort and wealth were no certain protection against awkwardness. Elizabeth herself felt no particular eagerness to take up arms against a stranger. She had heard enough exaggerated tales in her life to know that truth often shrank in the telling. Still, she was curious.<\/p>\n

A proud man, if nothing else, might prove entertaining\u2014and she had never been one to shy away from forming her own opinion. Downstairs, Mrs. Bennet\u2019s voice rose in volume and urgency. \u201cGirls! Are you quite ready?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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