Erin Berkeley [Berkeley - Till the End of Time, Mr Darcy

Till the End of Time, Mr. Darcy

By

Emma Berkeley

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places, businesses and incidents are from the authors imagination or they are used fictitiously and are definitely fictionalized. Any trademarks or pictures herein are not authorized by the trademark owners and do not in any way mean the work is sponsored by or associated with the trademark owners. Any trademarks or pictures used are specifically in a descriptive capacity. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is coincidental.

Edited By: Leanore Elliott

Till the End of Time, Mr. Darcy

August, 2019. Emma Berkeley

BOOK DESCRIPTION

A MOMENT IS ALL IT takes for Elizabeth Bennet's reputation to be shattered. There is little anyone can do to repair it, except one thing, for Lizzy to marry the most disagreeable man in all of England, Mr. Darcy.

Elizabeth is quite certain she has put the high-handed Mr. Darcy in his place for good. After his thoughtless proposal which she considers an insult to her personality in all its presentation and her rejection of it, she considers all connections with the man over and forgotten. The entire Bingley party has left Hertfordshire, so it should not be too much of a task for life, as she knows it, to return to normal.

But suddenly, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are thrown into a delicate dilemma when at a ball they are found in a situation that calls for nothing but nuptial ties. However, she vows not to allow any feelings in her heart for this man who is responsible for her sister Janes failed love...not even on their wedding night when it seems her skin burns upon his touch.

While Lizzy struggles with her emotions, her life as the Lady of Pemberley is a far cry from anything that she has envisaged. The estates are vast and there is a lot to learn. Darcys friends think her unworthy of him. The Bingley women certainly hold no reservations in calling her out for using her wiles on Dear Darcy. Lady Catherine de Bourgh, scorned that her hopes for her daughter to be married to Darcy is shattered, goes to great pains to discredit Elizabeth.

Will one of Lady Catherines schemes excellently disrupt the growing sense of ease and attraction the newlyweds are beginning to feel for each other?

Chapter One

Elizabeth grimaced at the recollection of the past weeks as the chaise went rickety rackety on its way to Gracehill Manor. Nigh a few days ago, she had been enthralled by the prospect of attending a huge ball in London and anticipated the telling of the entire evening to her sisters when she returned back home to Longbourn.

It was a much anticipated ball, for in the last weeks, Elizabeth had been with her aunt and uncle, the Gardiners, on a tour of the north of England and verily, they had seen naught but the best of sights with a fortnight spent chiefly on the road and in countless inns. Hence, two days afore, they had come thither to Lambton, the town where her aunt had been raised before marrying Mr. Gardiner, the brother to Elizabeths mother.

No sooner had they arrived in town and met some old acquaintances of Mrs. Gardiners had there come to them an invitation for a ball at Gracehill Manor. Her aunt had been very much excited at the invitation and proceeded to regale her niece of the grandness of the manor and how fashionable a lady, the lady of the manor was. As Mrs. Gardiner was not one to be caught in the trappings of useless excitement, Elizabeth soon became excited herself.

That was, until she remembered Mr. Darcy.

Perhaps it was because Lambton was only one or two miles away from Pemberley, the home of the blasted Mr. Darcy. With their coming so near to him, many ideas were such connected and she could not help the recollections, mortifying as they were.

It was the most embarrassing thing, thought she, Mr. Darcy coming to her in such a manner. She could only derive gratification and what a small bit it was that she had done well to set him in his right place. For indeed, she now felt more acutely the sordidness of the entire affair, thinking constantly about him as she did in the past few days since the announcement of their coming to the ball.

He, the man who was chiefly responsible for her sisters misery had come to profess his ardent love for her and request nay, demand her hand in marriage. She wondered at how he could have conceived such a course of action where she was concerned. He had contrived and succeeded at causing her sister immeasurable pain as was disclosed most unwittingly by his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, whom unlike him, she held in perfect regard owing to his gentlemanly civility and strength of character. And, but of course, Mr. Darcy should not have known that she and his cousin had engaged in such revealing discourse he must have thought that his abominable act was well covered as to make her totally acceptable to his proposal of marriage. Particularly, considering her station which was well beneath his as he had so very kindly pointed out during his ill-presented proposal.

In that regard, he had found himself very much disappointed. Mr. Darcy was not a man she considered in favourable terms.

The last summer, Mr. Darcy had formed a party of the newest neighbour to buy the Netherfield Park which was just some small distance from her home, Longbourn. The last occupants had quit Netherfield Park and left it empty. Therefore, it was with such raptures that the people of Hertfordshire had perceived that the park was to be let at last and by a young single man of large fortune from the north of England, no less! The news had brought such lively hopes to the hearts of mothers who fancied that this young man might fall in love with one of their unmarried daughters.

Mr. Bingley, before he came, quite had his course charted for him. And he certainly was no disappointment. He had doubled his regard by bringing with him a veritable party to liven up all expectations of his connections. His party included his two sisters and two men one a friend who was richer than he was, and the other, the husband to one of his sisters. To his credit, Mr. Bingley was all air of condescension and affability that all was endeared to him most unavoidably.

The Bennet family, especially Elizabeths mother, had received so much joy when Jane Bennet, Elizabeths older sister, even with all her beauty and mildness of manner had been the object of Mr. Bingleys attention from the very first day and the match had seemed certain.

But then, he had gone from Netherfield one day and his party joined him the next without an explanation, leaving Jane with a broken heart and spirit, though her sisters sweet disposition was wanting to hide her hurt. Knowing the conniving nature of Mr. Bingleys own sisters and the extreme sense of importance of his friend, Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth held her suspicion but knew nothing with a certainty.