Page 1 of Raised at Rosings (Elizabeth and Darcy True Love Multiverse #4)
Prologue
Was this to be her lot? To be abandoned not once, but twice by the people who should have been there to protect her? At least the first time it had happened, it had been driven more by selfish whim than by malice and cruelty, though the outcome was hardly any different. She was alone, struggling to hear anything over the pounding of her heart.
As she scanned the somber street, the weight of lingering gazes lurking in every shadowed corner nearly overwhelmed her. Elizabeth found herself suddenly grateful that her mother had abandoned her at an inn on the road to London, rather than in the dangerous streets of a London slum. But even this small grace offered little comfort, doing nothing to ease the fear coiling in her stomach like a tight knot.
She was not ignorant. Elizabeth was acutely aware of the potential dangers that awaited a woman alone on the streets. Her vulnerability seemed to heighten her senses with every breath she took. Fighting down her panic, Elizabeth forced herself to contemplate all the ways she was capable of protecting herself.
A sudden wave of understanding swept over Elizabeth, and a subtle, ironic smile graced her face. The very act of desertion that haunted her as a child would now become her saving grace in the face of abandonment as an adult. Abandonment had influenced much of the way she lived. With a history of betrayal, Elizabeth struggled with trusting others. However, her eagerness to acquire a means to protect herself compelled her to seek out those who were willing to teach her.
Having recently grown wary of Lady Catherine, Elizabeth had taken two precautions for her safety before leaving her room that morning—a knife hidden in her boot and money sewn into the hem of her cape. At one time, she had money sewn into several of her garments, but as she grew, so did her confidence in her surroundings. She had been proud to get over her habits, born of anxiety, but recent developments had alerted her to the necessity to reinstate them. With unwavering resolve, Elizabeth knew she would not only survive but find a way to thrive, regardless of whatever hardships lay ahead.
Elizabeth drew a breath to steady her nerves but instantly regretted it as the fetid air turned her stomach and left her coughing. Once the fit had passed, she scanned the street once more, searching for someone who appeared safe to approach. She squared her shoulders and stepped forward.
Elizabeth refused to disappear, to let the danger of the slum wipe her out of existence. She would remain unyielding and fearless in the face of her situation. She knew what Lady Catherine wanted for her, and Elizabeth was not about to roll over and take it. The wretched woman would learn, to her dismay, that she could not discard people as she pleased. Her authority didn’t extend that far. Elizabeth knew the woman’s last vestiges of power would soon be taken from her.
With a smile, Elizabeth took another step toward the little girl nearby. Despite what she wanted everyone to believe, Lady Catherine was just a woman with a courtesy title. There was nothing special about her and she would be toppled just as easily as anyone else.