The Impulse of the Moment Read online

  The Impulse of the Moment

  by

  Jann Rowland

  By Jann Rowland

  Published by One Good Sonnet Publishing:

  Pride and Prejudice Adaptations

  Acting on Faith

  A Life from the Ashes (Sequel to Acting on Faith)

  Open Your Eyes

  Implacable Resentment

  An Unlikely Friendship

  Bound by Love

  Cassandra

  Obsession

  Shadows Over Longbourn

  The Mistress of Longbourn

  My Brother’s Keeper

  Coincidence

  The Angel of Longbourn

  Chaos Comes to Kent

  In the Wilds of Derbyshire

  The Companion

  The Angel of Longbourn

  Chaos Comes to Kent

  In the Wilds of Derbyshire

  The Companion

  Out of Obscurity

  What Comes Between Cousins

  A Tale of Two Courtships

  Murder at Netherfield

  Whispers of the Heart

  A Gift for Elizabeth

  Mr. Bennet Takes Charge

  Courage Always Rises: The Bennet Saga

  The Heir’s Disgrace

  Pride and Prejudice Adaptations

  Co-Authored with Lelia Eye

  Waiting for an Echo

  Waiting for an Echo Volume One: Words in the Darkness

  Waiting for an Echo Volume Two: Echoes at Dawn

  Waiting for an Echo Two Volume Set

  A Summer in Brighton

  A Bevy of Suitors

  Love and Laughter: A Pride and Prejudice Short Stories Anthology

  The Earth and Sky Trilogy

  Co-Authored with Lelia Eye

  On Wings of Air

  On Lonely Paths

  On Tides of Fate*

  *Forthcoming

  This is a work of fiction, based on the works of Jane Austen. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are products of Jane Austen’s original novel, the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously.

  THE IMPULSE OF THE MOMENT

  Copyright © 2019 Jann Rowland

  Cover Design by Jann Rowland

  Published by One Good Sonnet Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1989212042

  ISBN-13: 9781989212042

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, digital, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  To my family who have, as always, shown

  their unconditional love and encouragement.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter I

  Chapter I

  Chapter II

  Chapter III

  Chapter IV

  Chapter V

  Chapter VI

  Chapter VII

  Chapter VIII

  Chapter IX

  Chapter X

  Chapter XI

  Chapter XII

  Chapter XIII

  Chapter XIV

  Chapter XV

  Chapter XVI

  Chapter XVII

  Chapter XVIII

  Chapter XIX

  Chapter XX

  Chapter XXI

  Chapter XXII

  Chapter XXIII

  Chapter XXIV

  Chapter XXV

  Chapter XXVI

  Chapter XXVII

  Chapter XXVIII

  Chapter XXIX

  Chapter XXX

  Chapter XXXI

  Chapter XXXII

  Epilogue

  For Readers Who Liked The Impulse of the Moment

  About the Author

  Chapter I

  July 1807

  While it is often understood that a single man of good fortune must be in want of a wife, it is also understood that if that man is merely an heir to an estate, such concerns cannot be pressing. While a man in possession of his own fortune must be a specimen of much interest to young ladies of a similar station, the heir may escape much of that attention, though he is not truly free of it.

  In the neighborhood surrounding the small town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, there were enough smaller estates that the aforementioned truth could not be relied upon. For young ladies of little dowry and few other benefits in life must take what they can get, not always what they wish. The society near that town boasted two families of moderate wealth among all the smaller estates. These estates, Longbourn and Netherfield, were about equal in consequence, producing something in excess of five thousand a year. Each estate also boasted a young heir of a little more than twenty summers, who were, thus, of interest to the ladies of the neighborhood.

  It was unfortunate for those young ladies and their mothers that neither heir was yet considered a strong possibility for marriage. The elder, Mr. Thomas Bennet, was two and twenty summers and had only graduated from Oxford that spring. The younger, Mr. Charles Bingley, was still attending university at the age of twenty, with two more years before he too would graduate. Furthermore, though any developments were still some years away, it was also evident to the locals that each preferred the sister of the other. Mr. Bingley was often to be found with Longbourn’s eldest daughter, Jane Bennet, while Mr. Bennet usually preferred the company of Miss Caroline Bingley, Mr. Bingley’s younger sister. Both ladies were eighteen, possessed substantial dowries, and were content with the attentions of their beaux, with little interest in other gentlemen.

  It was so unfair! Or at least that was what the other eligible ladies and heirs of the area could often be heard to lament. Longbourn and Netherfield were more than double the size of any other estate in the neighborhood—it was the height of selfishness for those two families to keep to themselves, rather than spreading their connections and wealth to other families of their acquaintance. Of course, in these lamentations, the locals did not consider the fact that had the two couples not been inclined to each other, it was equally likely they would have made marriages among wider society, as they were the only two families who boasted any kind of presence in London.

  As the matches were not to come to fruition until some years in the future, the neighborhood consoled themselves with the knowledge there was still time to effect a change in their fates. In 1807 a new gentleman came to stay for some days at Netherfield, giving the ladies, at least, a new target for their matrimonial intrigues. Mr. Bennet was, at this time, away on the continent, engaged in that rite of passage, the grand tour, but Mr. Bingley was visiting his parents for the summer. It was his friend, a Mr. Darcy from Derbyshire, who was his guest. And it was to Mr. Darcy the interest of the young ladies was turned. Unfortunately, the young ladies and their mother could not have fixed on a subject more likely to bring them vexation, for Mr. Darcy was not of mind to pay any young woman any attention if he could possibly avoid it.

  There were many points in Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy’s favor. Though he was a son and heir, the same as the aforementioned gentlemen, his father’s estate was easily the size of Netherfield and Longbourn combined, and the family possessed other estates and interests, making their wealth and position in society one to envy. Furthermore, Mr. Darcy was tall, handsome, possessed of a noble bearing and connections to the nobility through his mother, the daughter of an earl.

  What was not in his favor was his less than inviting demeanor and his manners which, though simple reticence and discomfort, gave the impression of haughty indifference or superiority. On the occasions when Darcy w
as in company with his friend, Bingley, he was a little more open, but with whose he did not know, he was akin to a closed book. The rumors of his family’s wealth and position in society did not help either, nor did the ladies’ obviously flirtatious attempts to garner his notice. His disinterested demeanor, rather than giving him concern about causing offense, was his shield against unwanted attention. He could not repine that which brought him a modicum of peace.

  “I am happy you agreed to visit,” said an exuberant Bingley one morning while they were riding the estate. “I know society here is not what you are accustomed to, and I appreciate your willingness to overlook the more rustic manners on display here.”

  “It is not all that dissimilar from my home,” said Darcy. While he was not at all comfortable in society, he knew enough of it to know that truth. Truly great estates were not plentiful, and while the neighborhood about Meryton hosted more than the usual number of smaller estates, it was not so different from Derbyshire.

  “I appreciate your attendance, regardless. I know your father does not exactly approve of your friendship with me.”

  It was the truth, and Darcy made no attempt to deny it. While the Bingley family was landed and had been so for longer than Bingley had been alive, his grandfather had been a tradesman, albeit one whose accumulation of wealth had been sufficient for his son to purchase their present property. Bingley still possessed some relations who were engaged in trade, rendering them much too near to the detested profession for some, including Darcy’s more traditional father. The Bingley family would, unfortunately, bear the stench of trade for at least several more generations.

  Not that the Bingleys appeared disturbed by that truth. The family were respected members of the second circles, and in some respects that was a point in their favor. Darcy was not enamored of high society, for their morals were lacking, avarice was their calling card, and they had a tendency to look down on those who were less in society’s consequence. Even the Darcy family, possessing connections to the nobility, did not always escape the haughty eye of the highest members of society, even though the Darcy heritage was rich, ancient, and lengthier than that most nobles could boast.

  “My father does not look down on you,” said Darcy, feeling some urge to defend his absent sire, though Bingley’s words were essentially the truth. “He has told me he considers you to be a good sort of man.”

  “But he is traditional and concerned with appearances,” replied Bingley with a shrug. “I am not offended, you know. Many men of his station are the same. The few times I have met him, he has been unfailingly polite, which is more than I receive from some.”

  “That he is,” replied Darcy. “Before you think I have deceived him as to my whereabouts, you should know he is well acquainted with my current activities. He may wish for me to associate with those of our circle, but he would never attempt to deny me the right to choose my friends.”

  “Never would I have thought it of him,” replied Bingley. He paused and then laughed. “Then again, if he could see the attention you have received in the neighborhood since you came, he may have judged differently.”

  “It is nothing different from what he received as a young man himself.”

  “I am certain it is not. The fact that Caroline is enamored with Thomas Bennet must make you breathe easier, my friend. If she was not, Caroline is of such a determined disposition that had she focused on you, I doubt you would have a moment’s rest.”

  “Your sister is all that is amiable and lovely, Bingley,” replied Darcy. “Never has she given me the indication that she would act with anything less than propriety.”

  “As I said,” replied Bingley, “she has been smitten with Bennet since she was twelve years of age. Even if you had wished to initiate a closer connection with her, you never stood a chance.”

  Darcy grunted and did not reply. There was nothing to say—Miss Bingley was a lovely woman, poised and elegant, and not lacking in accomplishments. Darcy was well able to acknowledge her assets and not have any further interest.

  “Perhaps you should be grateful that I am not fascinated with Miss Jane Bennet,” said Darcy in a teasing tone. “If I had, I might have tried my hand at turning her attention away from you.”

  A laugh was Bingley’s response, as Darcy had intended. “Miss Bennet is a wonderful young woman, indeed! Never have I met such beauty, poise, kindness, and manners in one angelic package.”

  “Exactly,” replied Darcy. “She would be the perfect future mistress of Pemberley with all these advantages.”

  Again Bingley chuckled. “If she takes your fancy, you are more than welcome to make the attempt, my friend. I should warn you, however, that she has been infatuated with me nearly as long as my sister has been with her brother. She will be perfectly polite, but I doubt you will find her easy to move.”

  “And your feelings?” asked Darcy with some interest. His friend was usually an open book, but in this instance, while he could easily discern Bingley’s enjoyment of Miss Bennet’s company, he was not certain that extended past his friend’s easy manners with everyone.

  “I enjoy Miss Bennet’s company very much,” replied Bingley. “But she is yet eighteen, and I am not yet one and twenty. After I complete university and finish my grand tour, my father will wish to ensure I am properly trained to take over Netherfield. When I return to the neighborhood, we shall see.”

  “It does not concern you that she may find another man in the interim?”

  “There are hardly many men in the neighborhood who would meet her desires in a husband.”

  “Oh?” asked Darcy. “You know this of her? This account makes her sound mercenary.”

  “Miss Bennet is as far from mercenary as a lady can be,” replied Bingley. “I simply mean that there is no one who would suit her temperament. The masters of lesser estates and their sons tend to be a rougher lot.”

  “And London? I assume she is not unknown there.”

  “No, she is not.” Bingley shrugged his shoulders and took his hat from his head, wiping his brow and then replacing it on its perch. “If she should happen to find a man she wishes to marry, then I will content myself with wishing her every happiness. But if she is still unmarried when I am in a position to take a wife, she will be at the top of the list, I assure you.”

  Darcy nodded and allowed the subject to drop. Many a time Bingley had been called impulsive—it was good he was approaching this subject with the seriousness it deserved.

  “Perhaps her younger sister would be good for you.”

  Bingley’s voice intruded on Darcy’s thoughts, and he looked askance at his friend. With a shrug, Bingley said: “Miss Elizabeth is still full young, of course, being naught but sixteen. But she is pretty and smart and possesses a rapier wit, the likes of which I suspect you might find irresistible.”

  “I am not looking for a wife, Bingley.”

  “Nor did I say you were,” agreed his friend in his usually easy manner. “As I said, she is not ready to marry anyway and will not be for some years yet. I neither pressure you to consider her nor suggest you should pay court to her. In her, however, I believe I see a girl who would suit your interests. Furthermore, in a few years, I suspect she will blossom into a true beauty, akin to her elder sister.”

  Guiding his horse in close to Darcy’s, Bingley nudged him with his elbow, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “A young woman truly ought to be a beauty, if she can at all help it. Is it not so?”

  The two men laughed together. “I suppose she ought, though she has no true control over the matter.”

  “Which is what makes a young woman of such attributes precious, especially if she is also possessed of a noble and interesting character.

  “Well, you shall be able to judge for yourself,” added Bingley. “I understand from Miss Bennet that her sister is to attend her first assembly tomorrow.”

  Darcy grimaced at the mention of that detested activity, which prompted his
friend to laughter yet again. “Do not look at me that way, Darcy. It will be the perfect send off. Call it a last bit of society in thanks before you depart on Friday.”

  “Then I shall attempt to see it as such, though you know I am not at all fond of assemblies.”

  “I know you are not, Darcy. And it is greatly appreciated that you will agree to attend, in spite of your disinclination. Let us return to Netherfield, for I believe I have had enough riding today.”

  As Bingley heeled his horse back toward Netherfield, Darcy followed his lead. Bingley was nothing if not predictable, and Darcy supposed he could withstand one night with the man’s neighbors, even if he would not enjoy it. It was all part of being a gentleman, his father would say. Robert Darcy, who was much like his son, did not enjoy assemblies either.

  The first glimpse Darcy had of the temptress was within minutes of entering the assembly rooms of Meryton. It was impossible to avoid noticing her, so brightly did she glow in her simple but elegant muslin dress the color of sunshine. It was immediately evident she was the younger sister of whom Bingley had spoken the previous day as her looks were similar to that of her elder sister.

  But while the similarities were easily seen, the differences between the two women were equally striking. Miss Bennet was calm and quiet, akin to a softly bubbling brook, flowing with nary a ripple to the sea. Miss Elizabeth was anything but calm and quiet. Oh, she was not improper by any means. But she was lively and happy, flitting from one person to the next, with a smile and a jest on the tip of her tongue and a joyous smile bestowed upon all.

  Even using the term temptress was pushing reality, Darcy was forced to concede to himself as he watched her. The term implied a woman using her wiles to draw men into her sphere, especially if she meant nothing more than flirtation. Miss Elizabeth did none of these things—it seemed to Darcy that playful manners were simply part of her character. Many men might have found her manners anything but fashionable, he supposed. But having endured simpering ladies who agreed with his every word in order to ingratiate themselves to him, Darcy found her openness refreshing.