Yuletide Reunion: A Pride and Prejudice Variation: A Festive Pride and Prejudice Variation, #5

By Meg Osborne

 

A festive reunion in London...

Absence makes the heart grow fonder as London-bound Fitzwilliam Darcy realises all he left behind him in Hertfordshire. What providence, then, that Elizabeth Bennet and her whole family have been invited to spend the tail-end of the Christmas season in London with their aunt and uncle.

Will Mr Darcy and Elizabeth work together to reunite their friends; and in so doing listen to their own hearts?

A festive Pride and Prejudice variation novella ~ just in time for Christmas!

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Meg Osborne
• Release date: Dec 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393997245

Meg Osborne

Meg Osborne is an avid reader, tea drinker and unrepentant history nerd.  She writes sweet historical romance stories and Jane Austen fanfiction, and can usually be found knitting, dreaming up new stories, or adding more books to her tbr list than she'll get through in a lifetime.

Book preview

Chapter One

London was rarely Fitzwilliam Darcy’s preferred location and at Christmas it became particularly unbearable.

Darcy! Good to see you!

He rearranged his features into some approximation of a smile and waved at the older gentleman he did not recognise but evidently should have, barely pausing in his progress across the crowded floor towards a dim, deserted corner. He fully intended to hide there for the duration of the evening and thus avoid being pressed into any further socialisation than was necessary.

A Christmas Eve assembly! a voice in his head taunted him, mimicking the tone and timbre of Caroline Bingley’s when she had first suggested their small party of three attended this very evening’s celebration. That will be the very thing to lift your spirits, Charles! When Bingley had not immediately answered in the affirmative, she had nudged him with one foot which at least provoked a vague nod but there was no evidence that he cared either way for Caroline’s plan. Darcy had taken a breath and thrown himself into the breach. Yes, come along, Charles! It will do us all good to meet people and celebrate the holiday! He groaned, recalling that his enthusiasm had sounded less than believable to his own ears at the time. He felt certain that he had done little to encourage his friend. Caroline, however, had seized upon this tiny show of interest and made all the arrangements so that when Darcy came back to himself and realised how much he would like not to attend a public assembly on Christmas Eve, it was too late to back out.

He reached his corner and let out a breath, glancing disinterestedly around the room and hoping he might soon see his friends. Once Charles was here and Darcy could see for himself that his friend began to rally, he could make his excuses and leave. He might return to his townhouse, his study and his solitude perhaps even within the hour!

Good evening, Mr Darcy! a greying gentleman with a smiling wife approached him and Darcy realised his error. In selecting a corner he might be free to observe but he was not free to move. Indeed, he glanced desperately around him and, seeing no exit, was forced to smile and greet the gentleman with all the enthusiasm he could muster.

Mr Johnson. Good evening. He bowed. I am surprised to see you in town for the holiday.

As we are to see you! Did you not wish to make the journey to Pemberley?

Darcy’s smile tightened. He had wished to go to Pemberley, and had his life been in any way normal prior to Christmas, he would likely be there now, enjoying the festive celebrations with his sister and the limited local company he chose to keep. Not, he thought, with a grimace, hemmed into a crowded London assembly room. He could not say as much without risk of insulting the couple in front of him, though, so he forced himself to smile and mutter some excuse about travelling back with friends.

Oh, yes! Now I recall I did hear some tell of your spending time in Hertfordshire. With Mr Bradby, was it not?

Bingley, Darcy said, glancing up and seeing, at that blessed moment, the very fellow step through the entrance to the hall, with Caroline on his arm. Darcy was not sure he had ever been so pleased to see his friend before, so much so that his swift farewell to Mr and Mrs Johnson bordered on friendly.

Please excuse me, both of you, I see Mr and Miss Bingley have just arrived and I did so need to speak to them. His smile grew. A very Merry Christmas to you both, if I do not see you again before the morrow.

And to you! Mr Johnson beamed, a little surprised by Darcy’s sudden departure but somewhat placated by the genuine smile that softened the usually stern young man’s countenance.

Oh, Mr Darcy! There you are!

Caroline was the first to greet Darcy when he had finally managed to make his way through the sea of people towards his friends.

Look, Charles, she said, elbowing her brother a little roughly in the side. It is Mr Darcy!

Charles looked up long enough to meet Darcy’s eyes before looking away again. Gone was the habitual smile and the merry laugh. Darcy’s expression sank back into a frown and he wondered, not for the first time, whether he had done the right thing in dragging his friend back to London for Christmas. Charles had planned, originally, to stay in Hertfordshire, claiming that Netherfield was the very place to host an old-fashioned country Christmas and Darcy had to admit that he made the whole idea sound so enticing that even he had been tempted to remain. If he could not be at Pemberley with Georgiana he would at least be amongst friends, and with only the small society bordering the small town of Meryton to bear with. That, alas, had been the problem. Caroline Bingley had been fretting for weeks about the growing affection between Charles and one of their neighbours, and she had appealed to Darcy’s judgment in bringing the matter to a swift and satisfactory conclusion. Darcy did not wish to see his friend tricked into marrying a woman who saw him only as a ticket to a better life. His lip curled. He could well envisage wanting to escape life at Longbourn, but he certainly did not intend to see his friend manipulated. And my loyalty lies with Charles, not with anybody by the name of Bennet. He still could not quite think the name without his stomach clenching and without his traitorous mind taunting him with memories of another young lady possessed of that name.

Elizabeth Bennet.

It had been at an evening like tonight - without the festive flair and London finery, but still remarkably similar in tone - where he had first laid eyes on Elizabeth Bennet and had been all too quick to reject her out of hand. Not handsome enough to tempt me. What a falsehood that had been, one he grew even more aware of with every hour that passed.

Caroline was still talking, twittering inanely