Separated from Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

Prologue

Fitzwilliam Darcy arrived at Longbourn on the day he had promised he would.

As he and Elizabeth had planned, his sister Georgiana and her companion had come to Hertfordshire, as well, and were already installed at Netherfield Park. Bingley still had a month on his lease, and he had happily arranged for the estate to be opened for Darcy’s party.

Darcy had rushed to wash—removing a day’s worth of road dust—and change his clothes, but he was too impatient to sit for a fresh shave, as Cooper had suggested. He ran his hand over his jaw and decided that he could barely feel any new growth.

That was how much he longed to see Elizabeth again.

Riding to Longbourn, his mind felt the peace of having everything settled, everything decided. His happiness was so new, it still filled him like some shimmering, magical bubble.

Darcy turned his horse over to one of Longbourn’s stable boys, and he smiled at him, thanked him, and gave him a coin as he said, “Beorht has had a long day. If you have time to give him a rubdown, he would love it.” As he walked to Longbourn’s door, Darcy reviewed the names of the servants he would encounter: Mr Hill, the Bennet’s butler, and Mrs Hill, their housekeeper.

Elizabeth’s sisters’ names felt indelible in his mind.

Not only had he met them the previous autumn, he had recently heard a great deal about Jane, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia.

Knocking, he proudly gave Mr Hill his card as he said, “Fitzwilliam Darcy to see Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

Mr Hill looked…twitchy. He said, “Sir…uh…” but then showed him through the slightly familiar corridor to the more familiar parlour, announcing him properly but stepping aside to display a room filled with every Bennet except Elizabeth.

Miss Jane Bennet came forward with her usual sweet, gentle smile replaced by a sweet, gentle, and pitying smile, and she said, “Good afternoon, Mr Darcy. Welcome back to Longbourn. We have…news…. It will seem bad news to you. Lizzy—Elizabeth—has left. She has, in fact, eloped.”

Her smile grew yet more sympathetic as she added, “With Mr Wickham.”

The shimmering, magical bubble of happiness within Darcy’s chest popped.