His Good Opinion: A Mr. Darcy Novel Read Online Free PDF

girl."

    Darcy set his lips in a firm line. Does she mean to imply her daughter actively seeks gentleman callers?

    He could not tell if the sudden pink tint in Jane Bennet's face was simply a reflection of the candlelight, or if her mother's comment embarrassed her. However, when he heard her sister's quick indrawn breath, he guessed it to be the latter.

    "Mama, that was not at all what Jane meant." Miss Elizabeth smiled at Mr. Bingley. "My mother was fretting over the courses, and Jane simply said that she could not imagine you would mind mutton."

    The grace with which Miss Elizabeth jumped to her sister's defense unfortunately proved to be the only pleasant moment of the evening. Once the courses were laid on the table, the two youngest girls joined in the conversation. "Mama, do you know what we learned from our Aunt Philips today?"

    "Tell me, Lydia, my love."

    Miss Lydia's light brown curls shook as she trembled with unrestrained excitement. "The Militia are coming to Meryton!"

    Darcy's eyes widened when Mrs. Bennet clapped her hands like a giddy schoolgirl. "The militia!"

    "Yes." Miss Catherine placed her elbows on the table and leaned into her cupped hands. "They are to remain here for the whole winter."

    Sighs of delight followed this intelligence. "Oh my dears, what an exciting thing for you. Officers in Meryton!"

    Darcy glanced down at Mr. Bennet. Why does he not step in to check this idle prattle? That gentleman watched the proceedings with an amused smile. He seemed to positively delight in the ridiculous behavior of his wife and daughters, and Darcy's disapproval of the family was firmly set.

    The evening left Darcy in a foul frame of mind, and it did not end when they left Longbourn. Even in the comfort of the Netherfield drawing room, he could not escape mention of the Bennet family. Miss Bingley dismissed her brother-in-law's suggestion of cards--"For we have far too much to talk of to pay attention to what we are playing," she explained.

    Unperturbed, Mr. Hurst sat in the far corner of the room, and Mr. Darcy took the seat nearest him, not even minding the draught he felt when he sat down. The less I hear of the Bennets, the better.

    Alas, the room was not large enough for him to miss the conversation between his companions. "The more I meet with Jane Bennet, the more I take a liking to her," Miss Bingley said, a self-satisfied smile on her face.

    "Indeed, she is a very sweet creature." Mrs. Hurst wrinkled her nose. "But her family."

    "Oh yes, the mother and those two younger sisters; so unrefined! Miss Mary Bennet was described to me as accomplished, so imagine my surprise to discover she can neither draw nor paint. Her one skill seems to be playing the pianoforte."

    "Do not forget quoting from Fordyce's sermons." Their merry laughter grated on Darcy's nerves.

    Bingley frowned at them both. "You do not give enough credit to the Bennet sisters, I think. They have not had all the advantages of town and education that you have, and yet they are all pleasant, genteel girls."

    All of them pleasant, Bingley? Darcy shook his head, and from Miss Bingley's smirk and barely muffled giggle, he knew he was not the only one who doubted this statement.

    The room was quiet for a moment, and Darcy thought perhaps they had left the subject of the Longbourn family behind them. Then Miss Bingley spoke again. "I have heard Elizabeth Bennet referred to as one of the great beauties of the county."

    "Elizabeth Bennet?" Darcy at last lost all patience with the conversation. "I should as soon call her mother a wit."

    Both sisters tittered at this pronouncement, but Bingley was not amused. "Darcy, you are too harsh. Perhaps Miss Elizabeth is not quite the standard beauty you see in town, but I vow, there is something about her which draws the eye."

    "Oh no, not quite the standard beauty at all," Miss Bingley said snidely. Her brother turned to glare at her, and she quickly modulated her answer. "However, Miss Eliza