Falling for Mr. Darcy by KaraLynne Mackrory Page A

have feelings for Mr. Darcy. That could be the only explanation for the calming effect of his declaration. She decided that his urge to comfort her with the only words that would have done so might be proof that he returned at least some of the regard she felt for him. She was realistic enough to know that a great man with his fortune did not pay his addresses to just anyone. He would have ladies of the ton swarming him with eagerness to become his wife, and he would be ever careful not to raise expectations. This thought finally made things clear to Elizabeth as, frowning slightly, she realized that, in all her experience with the man, he had always been honest — brutally so at times. While staying at Netherfield, she had learned that he despised deception.
    She now comprehended that, even if Mr. Darcy had developed some feelings for her, he would be a man driven by honor — an honor that required him to clarify the truth of his situation with his cousin. With sadness, Elizabeth realized that he likely did not declare himself unattached to his cousin due to any affection for her but because his honor would not allow the deception, and his natural kindness did not want her feelings burdened. With a pang in her heart, she determined that, at the ball, she would not allow her feelings to be so transparent. They could converse as friends because she did not want him to feel responsible for raising feelings in her that, by honor, he may not be able to return.
    “Is something troubling you, Lizzy?” Her father’s voice broke through her musing and brought her to the present.
    Looking up and smiling convincingly, Elizabeth responded, “No Papa, I am just tired of being indoors. I will be glad when this ball is over.”
    “You are not looking forward to dancing then?” he teased.
    She laughed. “Oh, I am, but I am afraid we will have no peace at Longbourn from Mama until it is over.”
    “Well, my dear, we have never had peace at Longbourn as long as your mother is at home. But yes, her excitement for the event has seemed to express itself most violently.” As if to prove his point, the voice of Mrs. Bennet calling for Hill was heard beyond the door as she walked past the library. Elizabeth and her father broke out in laughter.
    Elizabeth covered her mouth to hide the sound when her father gestured with his finger to be quiet lest they attract visitors to their sanctuary.
    “Shh, child! Unless, of course, you want your Mr. Collins to find you here.”
    “Oh no!” She chuckled silently, sinking deeper into the chair. Earlier, when her cousin had been looking for her, he had come into the library to ask Mr. Bennet if he knew where she was. If she had not been curled so tightly in the chair, he would have seen her, and she was thankful that the huge, leather chair had its back to the door. She had shaken her head to her father, begging him not to divulge her hiding place, and he graciously kept her secret, directing her cousin to another room.
    “He does seem to have a particular interest in you, Lizzy,” her father said suggestively.
    “I cannot think why. I never speak to the man if I can help it, and you know that, although I love to read, I have not spent as much time in this library in years as I have since he came to Longbourn. You do not think he . . . ” She could not finish the thought without a shudder.
    “Have no fear, Poppet, I will not force you to marry him should he pay his addresses, regardless of the entail and the wishes of your mother.”
    “Marry him!” she whispered with distress. She shifted uncomfortably as she tried to dispel that thought. “Thank you, Papa; I should not marry such a fool. In fact, I believe I am indebted to my sister Mary for her kind efforts in distracting him. She is often the reason I am able to escape as she always seems to have some topic of great doctrinal import to discuss with him.” Elizabeth smiled mischievously.
    “Hmm. Yes, Mary has been most kind,” Mr.