Page 6 of I Thee Wed (Pride And Prejudice Variation #2)

Elizabeth stepped out of the bookseller’s shop with two letters in her hands.

They were letters she had been waiting for, each one was from a different ladies’ journal.

Her heart tripped over as she opened the first, and she felt crushing disappointment when she read the refusal.

Her poem had not been accepted for publication.

With trembling hands, she broke the seal of the second letter only to find another refusal.

Hot tears pricked her eyes even though she fought them. She stood for a moment, breathing deeply as she tried to fight down the tide of disappointment that rose from her chest to her throat. She was reaching for her reticule to put the letters away when a familiar voice called her name.

“Elizabeth?”

She looked up. Alexander Lucas was crossing the street from the haberdasher’s, smiling as he came.

The sunlight caught his bright blond hair, and his even teeth made his smile undeniably attractive.

Elizabeth thought, not for the first time, that Alexander was a very handsome young man.

They had been childhood playmates for as far back as she could remember, and now, at two-and-twenty, he was even dearer to her.

Through the years, they had learned to read each other’s expressions and to understand each other’s words on a deeper level.

This resulted in a relationship that reached beyond friendship.

They both expected to marry one day soon.

He hinted at it often, and she had come to expect that her childhood companion would quickly become her suitor in earnest. He frequently spoke with a warmth that betrayed his deep regard, and more than once, he told her of his wish that the day might come soon.

Despite her despondence, she smiled back.

He came nearer and studied her face. “What is it, Elizabeth? You are distressed.”

She brushed a tear from her eye and forced a weak smile. “It is nothing. I received two refusals to publish my poetry.” She held up the letters as proof.

Alexander’s expression softened. “Then they do not know fine verse when they read it. Let me see the letters.”

Years of friendship made him bold. He took them from her hand without waiting for leave, and read through the first. “Why, Lizzy, they liked your verse. They are only seeking a love story, something like the ballads you sing.”

Elizabeth blinked and leaned nearer. “Truly? I did not read the entire letter, only the refusal.”

He handed it back to her and turned to the second. After a moment, he said, “This one says the same. They are asking for a love story. I would wager that a love story is what sells.”

She unfolded the first letter and read it through again, paying close attention to the reason they gave for the denial.

“Alexander, I believe you are right. I will write some verses about love and longing and submit them to the journals. Perhaps, by changing the subject, I will have one of my poems published.”

She tucked both letters into her reticule and smiled up at him. “Thank you for reading these. I was planning to burn them, and I would never have tried again.”

He moved nearer and took her arm. “Let me walk you home.”

At his touch, a quiver of pleasure stirred within her. “Will you stay to take tea with us?”

As they strolled together, arm in arm down the quiet country lane, she asked, “Alexander, do you think a poem about two children who grew up together, and then fell in love as adults, would serve as a good foundation for verse?”

He grinned. “Are you going to write a poem about us, Elizabeth? Be certain that you say good things about me if you do.”