Temptation at Rosings

By Emma East

Darcy wakes knowing one thing: he will marry Elizabeth Bennet.

Yet when he finds out she loves a man close enough to call his best friend, Darcy faces a choice: keep with society's norms... or have Elizabeth in an unconventional way.

This spicy Pride & Prejudice short novella will require your smelling salts for sure - as well as a healthy dose of love for one rakish Colonel Fitzwilliam. As long as you're comfortable with two noble gentlemen who will do anything to satisfy their sweet Lizzy, you're in for a treat.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emma East
• Release date: Jan 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215739334

Emma East

Emma East loves three things: Darcy, Darcy, and Darcy. Writing since her teenage years, she delights in putting characters into steamy situations, creating a need for smelling salts for unwary readers.

Book preview

one

The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, throwing a golden light over the sprawling grounds of Rosings. Inside, the grand house stood in dignified silence, its stately walls and luxurious furnishings a testament to the grandeur of its occupants.

Mr. Darcy stood at the window of his chambers, surveying the grounds before him. The garden lay in tranquil repose, the spring flowers in full bloom and the trees arching their branches in a graceful canopy. He spotted the roses in the walled garden, petals as vibrant as the spring day.

He sighed, a mixture of contentment and melancholy, as he watched the scene. He had made it his habit to take in the view from his window every afternoon, and today was no different. Soon it would be time to leave Rosings for London, but a growing side of him didn’t want to leave, and it all had to do with a certain young lady visiting a friend nearby.

His feelings were conflicted on this point. Elizabeth Bennet was not one his family or friends would choose for his wife. While she herself was unobjectionable, the state of her family and her lack of connections certainly didn’t fit the dignity everyone expected of his future wife.

However, in the short time since their first meeting in the autumn, he found himself increasingly drawn to her. He had expected her to be like the rest of her family, but he had been mistaken. She was different, unlike the silly, giddy girls he had usually associated with. She was bold, confident and intelligent. Her forthright manner and her quick wit had a way of melting his reserve, and he had enjoyed her company and the unexpected challenge.

The challenge and the pleasure had been more than he anticipated. In the last few weeks of his visit, he’d sought every opportunity to spend time in her presence, and it had convinced him that despite his initial objections, she was special.

Rarely, in the course of his daily life, did he feel a strong desire to do something other than what was expected of him. Yet something about her drew him to her, and it wasn’t only her beauty, which had grown in his opinion since the fateful day they met. He couldn’t say when it had happened, but he understood his heart was markedly altered now by her person.

He had spent the night restless and unable to sleep, his thoughts full of Elizabeth Bennet. As the first rays of morning light shone through the window, he sat up in bed, feeling a newfound resolve—he would ask Elizabeth to be his wife.

He had become so lost in his thoughts that he had not noticed the figures approaching from the east, until he saw them outlined against the dying sun.

Two figures entered the garden, a man and a woman. From his vantage point, he could not make out their faces, but he could tell that they were obviously in the throes of some heated exchange. The man was of a strong and muscular build, while the woman had a delicate and elegant figure. They walked close together, their words indiscernible, and