دانلود رمان انگلیسی “زفیر” – تنوع غرور و تعصب

The light was so bright, I had to squint to see the road ahead. A few strands of hair had escaped my braids, teasing my nose as the wind rose to match the blistering drumbeat of horse hooves. I tightened my grip on the reins. “Let go of my arm, Kitty,” I said between clenched teeth, for I needed the freedom to drive. My sister, who had seized my elbow, released my arm but grabbed hold of a large handful of my skirt instead. She squeezed her eyes shut as I feathered the horses—who were still running at a gallop—around a rutted corner. The wheels came up on Kitty’s side for just a second as we made the arc, and we landed with a terrific bump that nearly tipped us into a ditch before dashing down the straightest part of the lane towards the Lindbury Wood. “Lizzy!” Kitty’s protest was more of a gasp than a cry of complaint. I flashed her a rueful grin. “I know. I could have done that better,” I said, speaking over the rush of the air. “You could have slowed down!” she cried as she released my skirt and sat upright from her contracted cringing. A quick glance, however, told me she still had a firm grip on the handrail on the far side of the curricle as she continued to scold me. “Must you?” “Must I what? Drive like a demented fool? A demon? A heedless⁠—” My horses pulled my attention away from my sister, and I called out to encourage them. “June, must you always out-pace your sister? Come now, Jules, do not be so lazy. Look at how she has you bested by a quarter beat!” “…drive so fast,” Kitty spluttered in continuation of her interrupted protest. “You will wind them before we are even halfway there.” “Pay her no mind, ladies,” I called to my girls. “My sister has no faith in your lungs, much less your hearts.” With that I took up the whip, flicked it delicately in the air above July’s rump, and soon we were dashing through the shade of the woods. This is freedom! This is joy! These thoughts arose in me almost as a song that spills out—not as a tune—but as a gurgle of delight filling my throat. I scanned the deserted lane ahead, the brilliant sky shining above the trees, and I even flicked a glance behind. “What?” I murmured, turning back to mind the road and blinking in surprise. “Who is that?” I said more publicly to my sister, again swivelling to see a black dot back at the perilous curve upon which I had rattled us. “Kitty, take a look at our company, and tell me if he is falling behind?” “Well, he cannot possibly overtake us,” she grumbled. “No one would be stupid enough to drive after you.” Still, she glanced behind us off and on for the next two minutes, finally announcing in disbelief, “But he is catching up, Lizzy!” I turned to verify her assessment, and indeed, I could now see a curricle and a pair pulling up only a hundred yards or so behind us. “No, sir,” I said grimly, cracking the whip loudly over the twitching ears of my horses, “you shall not outstrip me.” Thus, with June and July at a roaring gallop, we truly began to fly. “Who could that be?” I called to Kitty over the cacophony of wind.