Page 44 of He Taught Me to Hope (Darcy and the Young Knight’s Quest #1)

“Pardon me, dear cousin. I should like to go to my room. I am certain Mrs. Reynolds will have arranged for me to be comfortably settled in the blue bedroom, where I normally stay.” Anne headed towards the door.

She paused. “Do make yourself useful and ring for tea to be served in my room. I am rather parched, and I much prefer my own company than to suffer your impertinence a minute longer than is necessary.”

“Oh Anne! Why do you not go away and let us be? My brother does not intend to marry you; on the contrary, he is promised to another.”

“We shall see about that!”

Several hours later, Anne stood at the window of her apartment, the same room she had occupied whenever she had visited Pemberley for as long as she could recall.

I shall not be consigned to this room much longer, she considered.

I shall reside in the mistress’s suite soon enough.

Such grandiose scheming was halted when she espied her cousin.

She could recognise his fine gait from anywhere.

The pleasure she enjoyed from the sight of him was soured by the sight of the two companions who joined him.

They united hands and ambled along together, the smallest of the three in the middle.

One big happy family, she considered mockingly.

Anne then recalled Darcy’s attachment to the child whilst in Kent.

At first, she had thought it all a ruse, a not so subtle attempt to garner the favours of the mother.

She was no fool. Surely, her intended was no stranger to the arts and allurements of beautiful women.

If he deigned to have a mistress, who was she to object, as long as he did not flaunt it in her face?

However, this was too much. Did he just lift the child in his arms, then lean forward, and place a kiss on the mother’s forehead? Anne had seen enough.

This ends today!

Anne stalked out of her room and stationed herself in the hallway where she would be sure to intercept Darcy on his way to his apartment.

Darcy was not surprised to see his cousin.

Georgiana had mentioned she was there. He had thought to speak with her later—much later, after she had rested from her long journey from Kent.

He had not expected to find her standing in the hallway with her arms crossed in front of her, awaiting his approach.

Darcy cast any semblance of formality aside. “Anne, you should not have come. Where is Lady Catherine? Did you travel without her?”

“I believe it is your mistress who should not be here,” she accused at the top of her voice.

Neither Darcy nor Elizabeth wanted Ben to bear witness to Anne’s unseemly behaviour. Taking her son by the hand, Elizabeth excused herself and ushered Ben to his room. Georgiana, who by then had joined them, took the opportunity to accompany Elizabeth and Ben.

“Disparage my intended again, and I shall demand you leave my home,” Darcy spoke harshly.

“Nonsense! How can you speak such foolishness? Have I released you from our engagement?”

“I was never yours to release, Anne.”

“It is well established that our engagement has been of a peculiar nature. We are bound by honour, by blood. We are family. It was our mothers’ greatest wish we should be married. ”

“It has never been my intention to honour our mothers’ wishes.

In truth, I have always hoped to marry the woman I loved.

Finally, I have found what I have been searching for all these years.

Can you not understand, Anne? I love her!

She and her son mean everything to me. They are my family.

I would never settle for you when I might have the woman I love. ”

“What about me?” Anne begged. “I love you, too. I have loved you the longest!”

Darcy looked at his cousin in exasperation. “Do not be absurd, Anne. You do not love me.”

“In our world, what is love when there is mutual consideration and respect? Furthermore, I need you.”

“I need her!”

“What about the promises you made? Have you no feelings at all for me? No honour?”

“What has honour to do with this? I made you no promise!” Darcy ran his fingers through his hair whilst he contemplated his next words.

He glared at her. “I do indeed have intense feelings for you, Anne. However, not the feelings you would wish. For I no longer care for you, even as a cousin. You have taught me to loathe you. I detest you! Moreover, I pity you for coming as far as you did only to make a fool of yourself!”

It pained him to utter such words to his own flesh and blood. It seemed the only way to get through to her—to wound her so critically she might then despise him. At least he would be free of her. Darcy turned to walk away, a clear signal the conversation had ended.

Anne had other ideas. Deranged, infuriated, and confused, she did not intend to broker disappointment. He was hers! He would regret speaking to her as barbarously as he had, in such denigrating terms of disparagement.

As if floating along on a dense cloud of rage, all sense of reason escaped her as she followed him down the corridor. He had dared to utter those words to her—that he loved another woman, needed another woman. She would be damned if she allowed him to walk away from her .

The pain and disappointment of the past years overtook her.

It had not been all for naught. Had she even been capable of admitting the truth to herself, she would have confessed she never truly wanted him at all, until at some point in time, all she wanted was him.

Suddenly, there was no turning back from the path she had set upon.

Possessing a strength she did not even know she had, she caught up with him at the top of the stairs.

Trying desperately to halt his descent, to force him to hear what she had to say that she might persuade him to see things her way, she grasped at him just as he halted of his own volition.

A split second too late and taken quite by surprise, Darcy tried but could not grab hold of her.

Anne grappled at anything that would break her fall, but alas, there was nothing. She tumbled. Mindless of nothing other than the pain she endured, soon enough her contorted body rested at the foot of the stairs on the hard, cold ebony and ivory marbled landing. Then darkness.