An excerpt from The Adventures of William Fitts

“Darcy! And Lizzy, and Will, how wonderful it is to see you all!”
There was only one person who could ever sound that genuinely enthusiastic, and it was Charlie Bingley, Darcy’s best friend. He beamed as he came into the dining room, pulling Darcy into a tight hug before greeting me and Lizzy with more affection than I thought was strictly necessary.
“How’s Jane?” said Lizzy, asking about her sister and Charlie’s girlfriend.
“She’s doing wonderfully,” he gushed. “She sends her apologies that she couldn’t come tonight, she organised a charity gala for tonight. But had she known you would be here, I’m sure she would have worked something out!”
Someone cleared their throat behind Charlie. Standing in the doorway was a tall, beautiful woman, with short black hair and skin as dark as Charlie’s. She was effortlessly stylish in a figure-hugging, bright blue dress, with stilettos to match.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Charlie. “This is my cousin, Caroline. Caroline, you’ve met Darcy – and this is Lizzy, and Will.”
“H-h-hi,” I stammered out, waving awkwardly. I desperately racked my brains, hunting for something to say, but Caroline obviously wasn’t interested. Instead she was very obviously eyeing up Lizzy, taking in everything from her brown hair to her flat ballet-pump shoes.
“So,” said Caroline, syrup dripping from every syllable. “You must be my replacement.”