Pride and Lust (Pride and Other Sins #4)

Foreword

This novella is a sequel to Pride and Envy, Pride and Sloth, and Pride and Greed (all by Cathleen Earle).

If there is some reason that you cannot read the books in order (as recommended), or if you need a refresher of their plots, here is a summary of those three books and a set-up for the current volume:

Elizabeth Bennet spent much of her childhood in London with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. During her long visits, she was able to take advantage of cultural events and classes, and she made friends from several spheres, including daughters of wealthy gentlemen.

When she was eighteen years old, she attended a London concert with one of her wealthy friends. There she met Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, who was immediately fascinated by Elizabeth and quickly developed strong feelings for her. However, as a second son, he knew he could never offer for her.

When her uncle asked Richard to stop calling on Elizabeth, since society would misinterpret the calls, the colonel became desperate to maintain a connexion.

Therefore, he introduced Elizabeth to his mother, the Countess of Matlock, so she could present to Elizabeth some worthy potential suitors.

When Elizabeth and Mr Darcy met, their attraction was immediate and mutual.

Richard spiralled into a maelstrom of envy, and his emotions resulted in upheaval in his own life as well as ugly behaviour towards Elizabeth and Darcy. When he saw the havoc he had wrought, Richard apologised and made every effort to overcome his infatuation.

Elizabeth returned to her father’s estate of Longbourn—to the county of Hertfordshire and to the not-always-well-behaved Bennet family—with some trepidation.

She was both delighted with and anxious about Darcy’s decision to travel to Hertfordshire as well, along with his sister Georgiana and friend Charles Bingley.

Mr Bennet was sarcastic and curmudgeonly towards Darcy, but the stakes were high; neither Darcy nor Elizabeth wished to wait years to marry.

Darcy set out to court Elizabeth’s father with debate, chess, and books.

While Darcy wooed Mr Bennet, he and Elizabeth deepened their own relationship with important discussions, affectionate teasing, and many kisses as they took almost-daily walks to the top of Oakham Mount.

Ultimately, the couple had to take steps to force the hand of the Bennet patriarch. Finally, they were officially engaged.

Another couple was forming in the background: Mr Bingley and Jane Bennet seemed immediately smitten with one another.

However, Darcy was worried that Jane would be just one more in a long string of “angels” who Bingley meets, calls on, and then drops in favour of a new lady.

Indeed, Darcy believed that he saw signs that the rift was already underway.

As for Jane Bennet, she was very shy about showing her feelings for Mr Bingley, and she demonstrated fear, or aversion, or both to the idea of anyone “taking liberties” or discussing marital relations.

Mr Bingley’s family—his elder sister and her husband, Mr and Mrs Hurst, and his younger sister, Miss Bingley—arrived at Netherfield Park, and Richard and another friend of Darcy’s visited Netherfield as well.

During this time, several pieces of jewellery went missing and Elizabeth seemed to be taken ill.

Darcy investigated these incidents; he became certain that the jewellery had been stolen and that Elizabeth had been given a large dose of a sleeping draught, almost certainly in her tea.

Seeking further evidence as to who had done these misdeeds proved that Caroline Bingley was the responsible party.

Richard suggested that Miss Bingley was victim of a sort of stealing madness, and Bingley took his sister to a secluded house in which he arranged for a cousin to keep her safe and, more importantly, to keep others safe from her.

This story begins as Bingley returns to Netherfield with two women on his mind….