Lizzy sat in the morning room at Longbourn, trimming one of her day dresses with a satin ribbon. The sound of her younger sisters’ chatter made her teeth grind. How had she never noticed before how uncultured their language was? The constant bickering made her wish Mrs. Morton would sweep through the front door and put a stop to it.
Instead, when a visitor arrived, it was Mr. Bingley. She ought to be happy to see him. She was happy. But she couldn’t see him without thinking of Darcy.
It had been two days since the engagement ball, but it seemed like a week. Every moment without Darcy scraped her spirit raw.
Mrs. Bennet welcomed Bingley with barely disguised excitement. Jane had revealed nothing of the betrothal to her family. Bingley wanted to talk to her father first.
So he spent a fe
