“We should get you to your room and call the surgeon.” Elizabeth held her hand out to assist him with his uninjured arm.
As his hand gripped around hers, he noted the rough nature of her palm and digits. Mere weeks ago, they would have been as soft as any gentlewoman’s. What kind of life had she endured since he left Hertfordshire?
“We can get to the guest chambers through here.” Elizabeth opened a door near the second-floor landing where he had fallen. “Your room must be this way.”
“I am on the third floor, actually.” Darcy winced as each step sent a jolt to his arm.
“Very well,” Elizabeth said in a confused voice.
That she seemed unfamiliar with the layout brought him some comfort. “Here, room six, I believe they said.”
He knocked, and his valet opened the door. “Mr. Darcy.” Stevens glanced from Darcy to Elizabeth rapidly before he, at last, seemed to realise that Darcy oddly held his arm. “Is all well?’
“It is not,” Darcy said as the servant stepped aside so he could enter. “I have badly sprained my arm. Please, see if a surgeon is available.”
“Of course, sir. The lady’s bag arrived a moment ago.”
Noting that Stevens dashed away rather than be present for the necessary discussion, Darcy shuffled to the table and chair in the room. He could be treated there, and staying away from his bed would likely help Elizabeth’s sensibilities.
“I am so sorry, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said, blushing. “I will leave you and your…guest.” She glanced around, and her eyes fell on her bag. Immediately, she stiffened. “Just why are my things in your chamber?”
“Cuthbert must have needed the room. I suppose he has already found your replacement.”
“My replacement!”
“Well, I paid him for your wages.”
“You bought me?”
Darcy could hear in Elizabeth’s tone her anger and surprise, emotions he thought would soon fade. However, he had not expected the look of utter anguish to haunt her eyes. “No, I paid the man for the trouble of hiring a new maid and secured you safe lodgings until I can deliver you to Longbourn.”
“I will never go back there. Never.”
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Acknowledgments
To my author friends Leenie and Zoe that always were willing to hold my hand, nothing can take your place in my heart.
Thank you to the countless other people of the JAFF community who have inspired and encouraged me.
Last, but not least, I could never have written, let alone published, without the love and support of my beloved husband and babies!
About the Author
Born in the wrong era, Rose Fairbanks has read nineteenth-century novels since childhood. Although she studied history, her transcript also contains every course in which she could discuss Jane Austen. Never having given up all-nighters for reading, Rose discovered her love for Historical Romance after reading Christi Caldwell’s Heart of a Duke Series.
After a financial downturn and her husband’s unemployment had threatened her ability to stay at home with their special needs child, Rose began writing the kinds of stories she had loved to read for so many years. Now, a best-selling author of Jane Austen-inspired stories, she also writes Regency Romance, Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance, and Historical Fantasy.
Having completed a BA in history in 2008, she plans to finish her master’s studies someday. When not reading or writing, Rose runs after her two young children, ignores housework, and profusely thanks her husband for doing all the dishes and laundry. She is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and Romance Writers of America.
You can connect with Rose on Facebook,Instagram, Pinterest, and her blog: http://rosefairbanks.com
To join her email list for information about new releases and any other news, you can sign up here: http://eepurl.com/bmJHjn
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Rose’s Reading Garden
Jane Austen Re-Imaginings Series
Christmas with Jane
When Love Blooms Series
Pride and Prejudice and Bluestockings Series
Loving Elizabeth Series
More from Rose Fairbanks
Jane Austen Re-Imaginings Series
(Stand Alone Series)
Letters from the Heart
No Cause to Repine
Love Lasts Longest
Mr. Darcy’s Kindness
Mr. Darcy’s Compassion
When Love Blooms Series
Sufficient Encouragement
Renewed Hope
Extraordinary Devotion
Loving Elizabeth Series
Pledged
Reunited
Treasured
Loving Elizabeth Collection (Books 1-3)
Pride and Prejudice and Bluestockings
Mr. Darcy’s Bluestocking Bride
Lady Darcy’s Bluestocking Club (Coming 2020)
Impertinent Daughters Series
The Gentleman’s Impertinent Daughter
Mr. Darcy’s Impertinent Daughter (Coming 2020)
A Sense of Obligation
Domestic Felicity (Coming 2020)
Christmas with Jane
Once Upon a December
Mr. Darcy’s Miracle at Longbourn
How Darcy Saved Christmas
Men of Austen
The Secrets of Pemberley
The Secrets of Donwell Abbey (Emma Variation, Coming 2020)
Regency Romance
Flowers of Scotland (Marriage Maker Series)
The Maid of Inverness
Paranormal Regency Fairy Tale
Cinderella’s Phantom Prince and Beauty’s Mirror (with Jenni James)