By Force of Instinct Read Online Free PDF

attempt to assume poses of ex-emplary propriety. even Georgiana could not be blind to the tension in the room as Darcy bowed silently and exited. However, as she could think of no possible source of disagreement between her brother and her new friend, she quickly dismissed the incident from her mind.
    elizabeth could not forget it so easily—her sense of humiliation could not have been any greater than it was after her outburst at Darcy. It was dreadful enough that he thought those things of her; to have him know how much his scorn for her family disturbed her was worse. she was furious with herself for displaying her vulnerability to his criticism and could not begin to imagine what he must be thinking of her now. no sooner had she left rosings after her visit with Miss Darcy than she resolved that under no circumstances would she ever set foot there again. If she had to lay abed pleading illness until her departure for London, she would do so.
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Chapter 2
    the following day colonel Fitzwilliam paid a call to the parsonage and, finding elizabeth at home alone, persuaded her to walk out with him. elizabeth, whose spirits had been troubled by memories of her humiliating quarrel with Mr. Darcy, was pleased to accept the distraction.
    “Will your family be staying long at rosings?” elizabeth had wondered more than once about the reason for the Derbys’ sudden descent on rosings.
    “That is not clear; I believe they had only intended to stay a few days, but we are still no closer to a resolution than when they arrived,” he replied.
    “A resolution?”
    “yes, about Georgiana,” he said. At her puzzled look, he added, “I apologize; I assumed you had heard the tale, either from Georgiana or Darcy, if not Mr. collins.”
    “no one has mentioned anything to me,” she said cautiously, unsure if she wished to be drawn any further into the issues of the Fitzwilliam family.
    “Well, there is no harm in your knowing, I suppose. My parents have come to the conclusion that a single young man cannot provide the kind of home a girl Georgiana’s age needs, and they have offered—well, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they have demanded—to bring her out themselves. of course, that is tantamount to taking her away from Darcy forever—he would have little say in her future or in choosing her future 24

    By FoRce oF InstInct
    husband. However, Darcy is absolutely determined that she should remain in his care, and Georgiana has no interest in this new plan either. He is extremely devoted to her, you know. of course, Lady catherine’s solution is that Darcy should marry Anne immediately to provide a stable home for his sister. Darcy has spent years ignoring her hints and demands about Anne, but for some reason he decided this time to tell her that he was not going to marry Anne, now or ever.”
    This explanation for Lady catherine’s displeasure with Darcy had never occurred to her. “But is this not a matter for you and Mr. Darcy to decide as her guardians?”
    He sighed. “Legally, yes, but we do feel some sort of obligation to listen to the family. Darcy takes family loyalty very seriously—you may be certain that he would not choose to visit rosings each year if he did not! I hope it will be resolved soon, for his sake, if nothing else. This has troubled him even more than I would have anticipated.”
    suspecting with a certain discomfort that the question at hand was not the sole cause of Darcy’s distress, elizabeth limited herself to saying, “That is unfortunate.”
    “It was unfortunately done,” he responded with a frown. “Darcy has always done everything possible for his sister, and now my father is suggesting that his care for her was inadequate—it is no wonder he is perturbed.”
    elizabeth’s curiosity was raised. “And what of you, sir? Are you in agreement with Lord Derby?”
    “no, as I said, Darcy is a very devoted brother and guardian. It is only that, well, an incident involving