Swipe Left on Mr. Darcy — Rain Check, Page 12
By Suha · Published
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Transcript
In the cool sitting room, Caroline perches elegantly on the pale sofa with a glass of wine and needles Lizzie behind her back, an uncomfortable Bingley beside her. Caroline: 'Mud, to the ankles.' At the tall dark window, Darcy answers quietly without looking over, a flicker of warmth in his steel-grey eyes. Darcy: 'Her eyes were brighter for it.'
Image description
Caroline makes a cutting remark from a pale sofa with a glass of wine while Darcy, at the rain-streaked window, quietly contradicts her.
About this chapter
Caroline Bingley invites Jane to Netherfield, and Mrs. Bennet — smelling opportunity — packs her off on a bike with no ride home just as the sky turns, betting a downpour will force Jane to stay the night. The plan works too well: Jane arrives soaked, spikes a fever, and is stuck under Bingley's roof, sick. When the news reaches home, Lizzie doesn't hesitate — she walks three miles of muddy road to reach her sister, arriving flushed, windblown, and unbothered by the mud on her jeans. Caroline is appalled; Bingley is charmed; and Darcy, who came to Netherfield certain Lizzie's laughter meant nothing to him, cannot stop looking at her. Cornered into the same house for one long evening, Lizzie and Darcy trade barbs across the dinner table — and by the time the rain is still tapping the guest-room window, Lizzie catches herself not entirely hating that she's stuck here.