The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy

BOOK: The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy
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The
M
YSTERIOUS
D
EATH
of
M
R
. D
ARCY

A PRIDE & PREJUDICE MYSTERY

Regina Jeffers

Text copyright © 2013 Regina Jeffers. Design © 2013 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in the United States by

Ulysses Press

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN:978-1-61243-204-5

Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2013930884

Acquisitions Editor: Kelly Reed

Managing Editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Sunah Cherwin

Proofreader: Elyce Berrigan-Dunlop

Editorial Associate: Lindsay Tamura

Cover design: what!design @
whatweb.com

Cover photo: ©
lolaira/istockphoto.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Character List

Characters from Jane Austen's
Pride and Prejudice

F
ITZWILLIAM
D
ARCY
– the Master of Pemberley

E
LIZABETH
B
ENNET
D
ARCY
– Darcy's wife of six months

G
EORGIANA
D
ARCY
– Darcy's seventeen-year-old sister; Darcy serves as her guardian

C
OLONEL
E
DWARD
F
ITZWILLIAM
– Darcy's cousin; second son of the Earl of Matlock; shares Georgiana's guardianship with Darcy

M
RS
. R
EYNOLDS
– Darcy's housekeeper

M
R. AND
M
RS
. B
ENNET
– Elizabeth's parents

M
ARY AND
K
ITTY
B
ENNET
– Elizabeth's middle sisters

L
YDIA
B
ENNET
W
ICKHAM
– Elizabeth's youngest sister

G
EORGE
W
ICKHAM
– Darcy's former friend; now his worst enemy

J
ANE
B
ENNET
B
INGLEY
– Elizabeth's older sister

C
HARLES
B
INGLEY
– Darcy's dearest friend; Jane's husband

C
AROLINE
B
INGLEY
– Charles's sister

L
ADY
C
ATHERINE
D
E
B
OURGH
– Darcy's aunt

A
NNE
D
E
B
OURGH
– Lady Catherine's daughter

Characters Unique to This Story

S
AMUEL
K
INGSLEY
D
ARCY
– George Darcy's cousin; lives at Woodvine Hall in Dorset

G
EORGE
D
ARCY
– Darcy's father

L
ADY
A
NNE
F
ITZWILLIAM
D
ARCY
– Darcy's mother

M
R
. S
TALLING
– Darcy's coachman

M
URRAY AND
J
ATSON
– Darcy's footmen

M
R
. H
ENRY
S
HEFFIELD
– Darcy's valet

H
ANNAH
– Elizabeth's maid

M
R
. T
HOMAS
C
OWAN
– a former Bow Street Runner; served under Colonel Fitzwilliam during the war

T
HE
E
ARL AND
C
OUNTESS OF
M
ATLOCK
– Edward's parents

R
OWLAND
F
ITZWILLIAM
, V
ISCOUNT
L
INDALE
– Edward's older brother

M
R
. P
EIFFER
– Samuel Darcy's man of business

M
R
. F
RANKLYN
, M
R
. S
EDGELOCK, AND
M
R
. C
HETLEY
– members of the British Antiquarian Society

M
R
. M
C
K
YE
, M
R
. P
OORE
, M
R
. C
ASTLE
, M
R
. M
AXTON, AND
M
R
. D
OUGLAS
– men hired to protect Samuel Darcy's house from intruders

M
R
. B
ARRITON
, M
RS
. R
IDGEWAY
, E
LS
, M
RS
. J
ACOBS
, M
RS
. H
OLBROOK, AND
M
R
. H
OLBROOK
– servants in Samuel Darcy's employ

S
TEWART AND
P
ERDITA
D
ARCY
– Samuel's elder brother and sister-in-law

B
ARTHOLOMEW AND
C
YNTHIA
S
ANDERSON
– the Earl and Countess of Rardin; Samuel's niece and heir to his property

M
R
. T
OBIAS
C
RESCENT
– Samuel Darcy's valet

M
R
. L
OUIS
S
TOWBRIDGE
– the local magistrate; a squire in Wimborne

M
R
. G
EOFFREY
G
LOVER
– a local surgeon

M
R
. W
ILLIAMSON
– the local curate

C
APTAIN
L
EWIS
T
REGONWELL
– the real-life founder of Bournemouth

A
NDRZEJ
G
RY
– the leader of the gypsy band

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Epilogue

Historical Notes

About the Author

Chapter 1

“Fitzwilliam, Mrs. Reynolds said you wished to speak to me.”

Darcy looked up from the letter he clutched tightly in his grasp. It never ceased to amaze him—the effect her beguiling smile had on him. A moment earlier, he had read the Dorset-based solicitor's letter and had known immediate sorrow, but the moment the former Elizabeth Bennet had walked into the room, light returned to his heart. They had married a little over six months prior, and Darcy had not known one day of regret. For her regard, he would dare anything. Despite her poor connections,
his
Elizabeth was worth more than a hundred of Society's debutantes.

Darcy stood to greet her. “Yes, my dear.” He extended his hand to her. “Please join me.” When her fingers slid into his, Darcy automatically brought them to his lips. His self-control was sadly lacking when it came to his wife. He meant the kiss as a token of his affection, but Elizabeth caressed his jaw line; and one thing had led to another. Within seconds, he had forgotten the odious letter. Instead, Darcy had drawn her into his embrace. He inhaled her essence.

Months before, with her first raised eyebrow as he had entered the Meryton assembly, Elizabeth had claimed him. At the time, she had not realized the effect of her impudence toward a man exhausted by feigned regard from Society's overanxious mamas. Unknowingly, she had marked him as hers. Now, to his delight, Elizabeth lifted her chin and accepted his kiss. If it were not the middle of the afternoon, Darcy would lock his study door and enjoy the exquisite intimacy of his marriage.

Yet, Darcy realized that although Elizabeth had accepted his constant desire for her, she was still an innocent in many ways. As his lips released her, Darcy sighed with satisfaction. For months during their acquaintance, he had thought this moment might never be possible. From the first time he laid eyes on her across that crowded assembly hall, the woman's sheer force had possessed him. Uncharacteristically, Darcy had found himself on marshy footing when it came to their relationship: completely out of control. Elizabeth Bennet eclipsed every woman Darcy had ever encountered.

Elizabeth snuggled into his chest. “I hold no objection to knowing your regard, Mr. Darcy,” she said on a rasp. “Yet, I find it hard to believe you sent for me in order to share this moment.”

Darcy's lips trailed heat down the column of her neck. He whispered huskily against the creamy softness of her skin, “I can think of no better way to spend my day.”

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