—JANE AUSTEN, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Jane hurried home, feeling slightly sick. Lady Embury wasn’t a close friend of Lady Beatrice’s, but she came quite regularly to the literary society and had always been pleasant enough. And since the betrothal, she’d become quite warm toward Jane. But now Lady Embury had given her the cut direct. In public. It could only be because she’d been seen with Zachary Black. But what was wrong with that? It was a public square, she’d only ever walked and talked with him and she’d been accompanied by her maid and footman. It wasn’t as if she’d encouraged him. Well, perhaps she had. A little. But what was wrong with walking and talking? And being friendly? Zachary Black was a fascinating man, and he seemed interested in what she had to say too. And if she thought of him rather too often for her own peace of mind, well, one couldn’t be blamed for that, surely?
