{"id":2762,"date":"2019-09-09T08:25:01","date_gmt":"2019-09-09T12:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elizabethannwest.com\/author\/?p=2762"},"modified":"2021-12-17T12:50:19","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T17:50:19","slug":"chapter-6-an-autumn-accord","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elizabethannwest.com\/author\/readingroom\/chapter-6-an-autumn-accord\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 6 An Autumn Accord"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I would never want to get in trouble with Mr. Darcy….but the girls had misstepped. And I just realized there has been a rather egregious typographical error in this book for FOUR YEARS. ::head desk:: It’s fixed here, and on my list to fix and republish.<\/p>

XOXOXO<\/p>

Elizabeth Ann West<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Chapter 6 - An Autumn Accord, a Pride and Prejudice Variation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Caroline Bingley strolled\u00a0around the breakfast table for the fifth time, lightly trailing her fingertips over the edges of the empty chairs. A footman stood in the corner of the breakfast parlor at Netherfield Park and had the unfortunate need to clear his throat. The sharp interjection to Caroline\u2019s calculating frustration elicited a harsh chastisement from his\u00a0mistress.<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u201cIs there something you wish to say? James, Robert . . . Stevens . . . whatever your name may\u00a0be?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u00a0\u201cThomas, madam. And no, I merely had a crumb, or other such small morsel caught in my throat. \u00a0I beg your pardon, Miss.\u201d The footman\u2019s hands shook as he held them at his sides. \u00a0To regain control, he eased them\u00a0behind his back and clasped them together so as not to show\u00a0fear.<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Before Caroline dismissed another member of Netherfield staff, her jovial brother, Charles Bingley slid open the wooden door connecting the breakfast parlor to the hall. Charles Bingley made a slight gasp at the sight of his older sister standing near the table this early in the morning. \u00a0Like every other morning, Bingley expected to break his fast alone. Caroline famously preferred maintaining town hours, regardless of her actual\u00a0locale.<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u201cI told you I do not expect the Darcys until later this afternoon, nigh upon\u00a0dinner.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Caroline pretended shock her brother would insinuate she was merely in the dining room to anticipate the arrival of a man she had once designed to catch as her husband. \u201cI merely thought it a pleasant idea to have my maid wake me early, especially so that I might dine\u00a0with my brother and my\u00a0intended.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Charles frowned. \u201cDoes Lord Bergamote rise so early? I\u2019ve not seen the man take breakfast since we retired to the country in the middle of July.\u201d Charles loaded his plate with a healthy portion of hams and jellies, popping a number of Cook\u2019s warm rolls on top. \u201cAre you planning to eat, Caroline, or continue to stare out the window pretending no interest in the arrival of the Darcy\u00a0carriage?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u201cYou\u2019ve become so ornery, brother. I thought you found the country most agreeable. You said as much\u00a0when we changed our plans to follow the Hursts to their much nicer estate in Somerset. Instead, we practically banished ourselves to a county no one cares about, and\u00a0I hasten to think none of our friends even know\u00a0exists.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Her brother tore viciously into a roll with no sense of polite manners or decorum. Swallowing the chunk of bread, he chewed with his mouth half open, slanting his eyes as he followed his sister\u2019s progress to her normal seat on his left. Charles took a sip of coffee served by the footman. \u201cIt was your behavior, Caroline, that had us uninvited to the Hearst estate. Do you not recall how you held it against Louisa after the birth of young Sarah? Did a day pass that you did not mention her failure to produce an\u00a0heir?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u201cAnd you wanted to come back here because you thought she would be here. Living with her poor widow mother, Mrs. Bennet. Admit\u00a0it.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u201cTis not\u00a0true.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u201cOh please, you stay up half the night drinking your way into oblivion and rise with the sun to ride your horse on every lane and road from here to Meryton and back. Jane Bennet is not coming home to her mother\u2019s bosom. She enjoys\u00a0the protection of the Countess and Earl of Matlock! Charles was about to continue his argument with his sister when the tall, devilishly dark Lord Bergamote strode\u00a0into the room. He\u00a0gallantly strolled to Caroline\u2019s side and offered her a good morning whilst\u00a0kissing her hand. Charles stabbed at the ham on his plate, insistent he would eat his fill before the French lord\u2019s behavior stymied his\u00a0appetite.<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u201cBonjour, Charles. I thought to rise early today so that I might join you on your morning\u00a0ride.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u201cAs you arrived in my carriage, sir, from London to Netherfield, I was unaware you also had a horse in my\u00a0stables.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Caroline offered a flirtatious giggle to Lord Bergamote as he shrugged and began to fill his breakfast plate with pastries. \u201cStop your silliness. You and I both know there are a number of horses in the Netherfield stables that would suit his\u00a0Lordship.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Lord Bergamote held up his hand gently and nodded to Caroline. \u201cIf your brother does not wish for me to ride with him, I can hardly complain of your company all morning as\u00a0a waste of\u00a0time.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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