Lady Catherine Interferes: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

Lady Catherine de Bourgh has never lied to her nephew. Until now.After her confrontation with Elizabeth Bennet at Longbourn, Lady Catherine returns to London and tells Darcy that Elizabeth has promised never to accept him.Elizabeth made no such promise. She refused to give it.Darcy has no reason to doubt his aunt. Believing that Elizabeth has closed the door herself, he does the only honourable thing he can: he stays away. Elizabeth, who has been waiting for him to return to Netherfield, can only conclude that his feelings have changed.Neither of them is wrong about what they see. They are only wrong about what it means.When Jane and Bingley's wedding brings them into the same rooms again, every warm look is misread, every retreat is a courtesy, and every attempt at friendship makes it worse. Elizabeth crosses rooms he will not cross. Darcy accepts a friendship he does not want, because it is all he believes she will allow him.And Lady Catherine's lie holds, until the one person who was in the carriage that day decides she has been quiet long enough.Lady Catherine Interferes is a short Pride and Prejudice variation about crossed signals, second chances, and two people who might have understood one another much sooner, if only Lady Catherine had minded her own business.