Page 52 of Without Pride and Prejudice

Oh, heavens, yes. Thankfully, that didn’t come out of my mouth, but neither did any other words. I just stared at Fitz, I mean Mr. Darcy. A silly thought came to me—maybe if Mr. Darcy and I got this party started, he wouldn’t mind if I called him Fitz, since his name was Fitzwilliam. Probably best to save that one until after we were married, though. Oh gosh, would I really get to marry him? I was getting way ahead of myself.

Charlotte came in clutch and spoke for both of us. She really was my BFF here. “We would be delighted.”

“Yes,” I blurted inelegantly.

Mr. Darcy gave me a hint of a smile before leading his horse to a nearby apple tree. A few rotten apples clung to some of the branches.

Charlotte and I exchanged meaningful glances while Mr. Darcy tied his big black steed to the tree. I kind of wished she could skedaddle, but I thought of what Lady Catherine had said about the rules of this time period. It would be scandalous for Mr. Darcy and me to be alone together.Scandalous but yummy,I thought.Stop thinking that way, Monroe. You are Elizabeth now.When Lydia shockingly ran off with Wickham, Elizabeth had been beside herself with worry, believing the scandal would ruin her family. Speaking of which, I should probably try to prevent that unfortunate event. What would it say about my character if I didn’t? I would worry about that after I made a fool of myself in front of Mr. Darcy.

It didn’t take long for him to join us. When he did, Charlotte did the best thing under the circumstances and held back while Mr. Darcy and I set off to walk through the orchard. Fallen leaves and soft ground muted our footsteps. The air smelled faintly of decay and apple cider.

“Are you well after your fall?” Mr. Darcy asked, making sure not to walk too closely.

“Yes, I am well. Thank you once again for coming to my aid. And again, I apologize for anything untoward I may have said.”

“It is understandable.”

I’m glad someone understood it.

“I must inquire, though, how you came to know Alastair Fitzroy.”

Did he really need to inquire? But wait a second ... “Do you know him?” What were the odds there was some guy running around inPride and Prejudicewith that name? Was he like an unnamed extra?

Mr. Darcy dipped his chin and looked down his nose at me with such severity, I shivered. Yep, I blew it. I knew I would.

“When you mistook me for him, I thought his name sounded familiar, and then remembered reading in the paper that the King had bestowed upon him the title of the Duke of Blackthorne.”

Crap! That’s right. Alastair had told me that one of the King Georges had given his ancestor and namesake the dukedom that Fitz inherited last year.

“I read it in the paper too,” I mumbled, like an idiot. What was I doing? Did Elizabeth Bennet read newspapers? I don’t remember that being mentioned in the book.

“You read the papers?”

I mean, if you counted online news sources, yes. It was important for me to stay up to date on world events and politics because Fitz loved to talk about those things, and I loved him. I hadn’t known how much I loved him until recently, but that was neither here nor there at the moment. Right now, I was screwing up the quintessential love story of all time—it was probably best to focus on that train wreck.

“Occasionally I do,” I stammered. “I feel it is important to stay current on local events and politics.” That was true in my real life, but schnikeys, what was I even saying? But did I stopthere? Oh, no. “I just read about the new Duke of Blackthorne the other day and must have become confused after I fell off the horse.” That was it. Game over. Mr. Darcy would never speak to me again—I was the worst Elizabeth ever.

Mr. Darcy took a moment to study me with his broody, narrowed eyes, while Charlotte coughed in thatDanger, Will Robinsonsort of way. She probably thought I’d lost my mind too. It would be a miracle if I didn’t get sent to an asylum. I’d read my history—they weren’t good or helpful places during this time period.

My heart raced so hard, it made me feel lightheaded. But then ... something unexpected happened.

Mr. Darcy smiled—the kind of smile that reached his eyes, the kind of smile that made you feel weak in the knees, like the way I felt now.

“Miss Bennet, it is rare to be acquainted with a woman who finds interest in matters outside of music, art, dancing, and fashion. You see, I value a keen mind overall.”

That wasn’t exactly romantic, but it was better than“You’re insane.”

“And you believe I have a keen mind?” I didn’t know what else to say. No man had ever paid me such a compliment.

“I do.” He smiled, and we walked on. “I was wondering if you have readThe Republicby Plato and what your thoughts are on the allegory of the cave.”

It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but perhaps it was the start of a beautiful relationship.

“He began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention.”

MONROE

“I AM SO NERVOUS.” JANE fussed with her dress as we sat close to each other in the carriage. FYI, I think I’d over romanticized carriage rides. Whiplash, anyone? Not that I was complaining too loudly—hello, I was living out my fantasy. At least I thought I was living. The jury was still out on that one. And what a fantasy it has been so far. I’d spent two hours walking with Mr. Darcy yesterday, discussing not only the allegory of the cave, which seemed apropos considering the subject of our limited perception of reality—and did I ever feel my limited perception right now—but also speaking about his family. He was the most vocal about his sister, Georgiana. It was cute to see how proud he was of her. Of course, I knew from the novel that she was sixteen and an accomplished young woman, but what I hadn’t expected was his concern regarding his role as a good guardian. He changed the subject quickly, though. I think it made him uncomfortable to expose any weakness, especially to someone he didn’t know well.

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