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Swipe Left on Mr. Darcy — Guard Down, Page 7

By Suha · Published

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Transcript

Lizzie lowers her book with a dry, amused-skeptic smile. Lizzie: 'That narrows your list to zero.' Caroline looks miffed and sour; beside her, Darcy — half-turned — fights the faintest almost-smile.

Image description

Lizzie lowers her book with a dry smile and a one-line jab; below, Caroline sours while Darcy fights a faint almost-smile.

About this chapter

Still stranded at Netherfield while Jane's fever breaks, Lizzie has to survive days in the cool glass house in yesterday's clothes — trading barbs with Caroline, fielding Darcy's unguarded stares, and puncturing a smug drawing-room debate about what makes a woman a real catch. Then her family descends: Mrs. Bennet sweeps in with Lydia and Kitty to 'rescue' Jane, gushing over the house, sprawling on the designer furniture, and demanding Bingley throw a party — while Lizzie dies of embarrassment and Caroline drinks it in. Bracing for Darcy to confirm every cold thing she believes about him with a verdict on her circus of a family, Lizzie gets the opposite: he sidesteps the insult entirely and quietly tells her that her sister is lucky to have her. It disarms her more than any cruelty could — and her tidy verdict on Mr. Darcy starts to come apart.