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    Outwitting Mr Darcy
    Outwitting Mr Darcy
    Outwitting Mr Darcy
    Ebook138 pages2 hours

    Outwitting Mr Darcy

    By Enid Wilson

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    About this ebook

    In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet and her mother have a difficult relationship. What if Mrs Bennet invests for her daughters' futures? Instead of criticising Mr Darcy, what if the Mistress of Longbourn detects his interest in Elizabeth and promotes the match? This Pride and Prejudice what-if short story explores that scenario with wit and takes Miss Jane's perennial favourite to another direction. Warning: This drama contains foul language, attacks on Mr Darcy and vulgar discussion of money.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEnid Wilson
    Release dateDec 27, 2019
    ISBN9780463913260
    Outwitting Mr Darcy
    Author

    Enid Wilson

    Enid Wilson loves sexy romance. Her writing career began with a daily newspaper, writing educational advice for students. She then branched out into writing marketing materials and advertising copy.Enid’s novels have been ranked in the top 50 best-selling historical romances on Amazon USA, the top 30 best-selling Regency romances on Amazon Canada, the top 21 romantic short stories on Amazon UK and the top 39 British mysteries on Amazon. Enid loves to hear from her readers. You can contact her at enid.wilson28 (at) yahoo.com.au or www.enidwilson.comBooks by Enid:- Outwitting Mr. Darcy- The Truth About the Merry Widow- Deepest Desires, Deadliest Hate- Steamy Darcy Box Set: Sketching His Character and Darcy's Theta Magic- Close Encounters with a Martian Hunk- The Spinster's Vow- Chemical Fusion- Bargain with the Devil- Really Angelic- Fire and Cross- My Darcy Mutates...- Every Savage Can Reproduce- My Darcy Vibrates...- Honor and Integrity

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      Book preview

      Outwitting Mr Darcy - Enid Wilson

      Outwitting Mr Darcy

      What if Elizabeth Bennet and her mother schemed against Mr Darcy?

      Copyright 2019 Enid Wilson

      Published by Enid Wilson at Smashwords

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Cover photograph: Fashion Plate (Evening or Full Dress) by Rudolph Ackermann [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

      Cover design by Tracy W

      First published 2019

      OUTWITTING MR DARCY © 2019 by Enid Wilson

      Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilisation of this work in whole or in part in any form is forbidden without the permission of Enid Wilson, www.enidwilson.com

      All the characters in this book except those from Pride and Prejudice, have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author.

      This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the author. This condition is imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

      Table of Contents

      Acknowledgements

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      About Enid

      Acknowledgements

      To

      Debra Anne, June, Aimee, Marliz, LoveAndFaith, Nancy, Lucy6526, Doris, Nerianne, Barnabus67, Isa, Vesper, Jen Red, Christoph, Linda Bee, HongKongPhooey63, Nikkistew, Redhead, Bettyj542, Shelby0677, Cheska, Luv2laff, Kayenne, BrytteM, Ruerda, Diane17Lynne, Joseph, Elise115, Penfan, WadeH, Frida, Hopefulro, Saralee, StevieB, Jbrand3039 and all my JAFF friends.

      Thank you for your encouragement!

      Chapter 1

      ‘Hill, what am I to do?’ Mrs Bennet exclaimed.

      ‘Ask Miss Lizzy to help!’ Mrs Hill, Mrs Bennet’s trusted housekeeper, said. ‘She is the smartest of your girls. Explain everything to her. She will think of something.’

      ‘Absolutely not! She is exactly like her father. She will mock me, laugh, and walk away.’

      ‘Miss Lizzy is much more compassionate than her father. She will help, especially since it involves Miss Jane.’

      ‘Lizzy is Mr Bennet’s favourite. She will tell him. She will not keep my secret.’

      ‘It may be time to tell the Master too. Miss Jane has found her match and is at the right age. You cannot hide the truth from Mr Bennet any longer.’

      Mrs Bennet huffed and dropped onto the chair in a most unladylike manner. She waved her handkerchief and sighed. ‘Bring Lizzy here. Then you go over to Netherfield and execute our plan. Hill, I rely on you. Do not fail me!’

      ‘Yes, Mistress, I shall not.’

      ‘Yes, you would not. We shall outwit that odious Mr Darcy together!’

      Mistress and servant shared a conspiratorial and determined look before Mrs Hill pushed open the heavy door and disappeared into the dead of the night. Mrs Bennet sat in her seat, pondering the events after the ball, without moving at all. After almost half an hour, Elizabeth, her most difficult daughter, came into the room, staring at everything with wide eyes.

      ‘Mother, what is this room? Why are you here in the middle of the night? No, so early in the morning? Did you sleep at all? Why did you ask for me?’

      Mrs Bennet drew in a deep breath and stared at her husband’s favourite daughter. Elizabeth took after her in appearance and feature, even more so than her youngest daughter Lydia. And yet, Elizabeth was nothing like her at all. Lizzy was witty, intelligent, and sarcastic, precisely like Mr Bennet. Even the way Lizzy stood or sat reminded Mrs Bennet of her hateful husband. Could Mrs Bennet trust her second daughter to come to her aid without judging her? Would Lizzy help her in outwitting that abominable man from Derbyshire? Perhaps Hill was right. It was time to do away with all the pretence. Mrs Bennet took another breath.

      ‘I need to speak to Mr Bingley tomorrow, no, today, since it is past midnight, and privately. You are to help me distract the others whilst I do so.’

      ‘We have just left his ball not an hour earlier. It is most unbecoming to call on him again today. Mama, have we not embarrassed ourselves enough already? Mr Bingley will surely withdraw his interest in Jane if we continue to behave in such an improper manner. His friend is from the first circle…’

      ‘Do not speak of that proud and officious Mr Darcy to me!’ Mrs Bennet yelled and cut off Elizabeth’s sentence. Mrs Bennet jumped from her chair and paced around the room, seriously debating whether to trust her daughter over the whole thing. Lizzy clearly blamed her for embarrassing the family.

      ‘I am made of sterner stuff! I shall not allow that arrogant man to win!’ Mrs Bennet murmured as she walked around in circle.

      ‘Mama, are you well? Is that your nerves? Let me fetch Mrs Hill for your tonic. Pray sit down. Or better yet, let me help you back to your bedchamber. The damp in the cellar is not good for you.’

      Elizabeth’s soft words finally calmed Mrs Bennet’s soul. Perhaps Lizzy cared for her a tiny bit. Elizabeth was not exactly cast from the same mould as her father, after all. Her daughter must have got a bit of good blood from her. Mrs Bennet was too tired, too emotional. She wanted to trust more family members and share her secret.

      ‘I am well. Perhaps a glass of wine would do me good.’

      Elizabeth looked around and saw a decanter. She immediately poured a glass for her mother and helped her to sit down again.

      ‘Mother, please tell me what this room is and why you want to speak to Mr Bingley so soon and in private. I promise to help, if possible. After all, we share a common goal: to make sure Jane gets her heart’s desire and outwits the insufferable Mr Darcy!’

      Mrs Bennet’s lips curled up. Lizzy was so like the young Mr Bennet - teasing and smart. She could not be angry with him for long, or Lizzy now, Mrs Bennet thought to herself. She made a decision.

      ‘This is my study.’

      ‘Your study? But why have we never learned of this secret chamber in the wine cellar?’

      ‘This is my sanctuary, to be away from your father and manage our investments.’

      ‘Investments!’ Elizabeth’s eyes widened in disbelief.

      Mrs Bennet grinned with satisfaction. She had something after all to laugh over her witty daughter and husband.

      ‘Yes, when Lydia was born, and the doctor told me I could not have any more children due to the difficult pregnancy, my brother Edward told me to be diligent, for you girls and myself. I had begged your father to start saving for all of you girls once…’

      ‘Father invested for us but never told us? How very typical for him, to make a joke on all of his girls!’

      ‘No, your father is indolent. He lacks control over his love for rare books, guns and wine. He did not do anything.’

      ‘You did it all by yourself? In secret? Here?’

      Mrs Bennet nodded. ‘Yes. My dowry, which will be for you girls upon my death, was four thousand pounds. Your father did not do anything about it for years. But with your uncle Edward’s help and with the money I saved from managing Longbourn the past fourteen years, the investment has grown to forty thousand now. So, each of you will have almost eight thousand pounds’ dowry.’

      Elizabeth was speechless and she plonked down on the chair on the opposite side of the desk.

      ‘How could that be possible?’ she whispered.

      ‘The first few days after Lydia was born, your father raged at me constantly, blamed me, said I was useless for not giving him an heir and continuing the Bennet name and bloodline. He would have been happy to see me starve in the hedgerows after going to heaven. Your father would stare at Lydia and me with cold contempt, like he wanted to throw the two of us out of Longbourn. After a month, he reverted to his old self, not angrier, but detached. I had been helpless, sobbing my heart out for the entire year. My brother Edward sent me a letter to congratulate me on the birth of Lydia and to remind me to ask Mr Bennet to invest for you girls. Edward has been doing so since Jane was born, trying to get your father to invest some of the profit from Longbourn. But your father never did. I had no head for that before, as I thought I would surely birth a son. That was not to be. A few days before Lydia’s first birthday, your father started his cold stare at Lydia and me again. I feared he would start berating me once more, so I rushed to your uncle’s house with Kitty, Lydia and Hill, leaving Mr Bennet a note only. Edward and Maddie were shocked that I had lost nearly half my weight. They thought they were seeing just my skeleton.’

      ‘I never knew…’

      ‘They got the whole story from me. Edward was going to race to Longbourn to beat your father to his senses, but I prevented him. I no longer cared for Mr Bennet. He indulged in his books, sport and wine for the whole year, without even laying an eye on Lydia. It was not Lydia’s fault that she is a girl! I told Edward that I would rather he helped me save for my daughters, seeing that Mr Bennet would not do so, perhaps to spite me, to know that I would be homeless and in poverty after he dies. I would not fail you girls!’

      ‘Mama, I never knew…’

      Mrs Bennet waved her hand to stop Elizabeth and continued her tale. ‘During the week in London, Maddie taught Hill and me how to economise, such as buying the season’s things, going to a nearby town to buy a larger quantities at a lower price, caring and expanding our gardens so that the yield would be better, rearing more cows, chickens, and so forth. Most importantly, cutting my spending on clothes for you girls, and entertaining less.’

      ‘But we are

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