Mr. Darcy's Grieving Wife
Page 18
“And your wife thought of all of this?” The earl gaped at them.
“Of course not, Uncle.” Darcy laughed. “We are partners in all things. We concocted this together.”
The earl took a long sip of his tea at last, searched their faces, then grinned. “We may not have always agreed, my boy, but I very happily wish you the best. You have needed a wife who would fight by your side.” He set aside his cup and stood. “Well, my dear,” he said, bowing to Elizabeth, “welcome to the family, and I hope next time we may be allies and not foes.”
Lord Fitzwilliam bowed to Darcy, then left the room. When they heard the front door close, Darcy pulled Elizabeth into his arms and kissed her passionately.
“Upstairs,” he commanded.
Elizabeth grinned and allowed him to lead her back to his chamber. Dashing up the stairs, he called to the butler. “If anyone else calls, I am not at home. I do not care if it is the King himself!”
Reaching the bedroom, Darcy shut the door and locked it before turning to take his fill of Elizabeth. Her breath came rapidly, a slight flush on her cheeks, hair in disarray, and her pupils dilated. Was there a more beautiful sight than his Elizabeth waiting to be ravished? Yes, he thought as he grinned and approached. Her look of contentment after finding her bliss.
Darcy began unbuttoning his layers of coats and untying his cravat. Elizabeth followed suit, shedding her gown faster than he guessed possible. Their feet met, and Elizabeth stayed his hands, unravelling the fabric around his throat, then using it to guide his head to hers. She sought his hungry lips, and Darcy was only too happy to oblige. Walking her back to the bed, he trod over her gown, and a crunching sound under his foot stopped his movement.
“What the devil?”
“Oh! I forgot!” Elizabeth said against Darcy’s lips as he pressed her onto the mattress. “That must be the glass. We will have to reframe it.”
“Reframe what?” he said, rubbing one hand up and down a stockinged leg.
“I had Charlotte paint a miniature of you to match the one of me. Now I need never be without you again.”
“You never will be, darling.
As Darcy and Elizabeth consummated their reunion, he acknowledged how blessed he was to overhear Elizabeth the day her father had collapsed. She may have begun as his grieving wife, but now she was the other half of his soul and his reason for living. She ruled his heart and would one day bear his children. Gone were the days of his lonely existence. His original intention of marrying only to gain freedom from his relations seemed laughable compared to the love he had for this woman. She challenged him like no other but could also sit beside him as an equal. Having her love made him desire to be a better man and gave him the courage to face any difficulty life could throw at them. Elizabeth was everything he had never known he wanted or needed, but precisely the woman he would cherish forever.
The End
Acknowledgments
To my author friends Leenie and Zoe that always were willing to hold my hand, nothing can take your place in my heart.
Thank you to the countless other people of the JAFF community who have inspired and encouraged me.
Last, but not least, I could never have written, let alone published, without the love and support of my beloved husband and babies!
About the Author
Born in the wrong era, Rose Fairbanks has read nineteenth-century novels since childhood. Although she studied history, her transcript also contains every course in which she could discuss Jane Austen. Never having given up all-nighters for reading, Rose discovered her love for Historical Romance after reading Christi Caldwell’s Heart of a Duke Series.
After a financial downturn and her husband’s unemployment had threatened her ability to stay at home with their special needs child, Rose began writing the kinds of stories she had loved to read for so many years. Now, a best-selling author of Jane Austen-inspired stories, she also writes Regency Romance, Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance, and Historical Fantasy.
Having completed a BA in history in 2008, she plans to finish her master’s studies someday. When not reading or writing, Rose runs after her two young children, ignores housework, and profusely thanks her husband for doing all the dishes and laundry. She is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America.
You can connect with Rose on Facebook,Instagram, Pinterest, and her blog: http://rosefairbanks.com
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Rose’s Reading Garden
Jane Austen Re-Imaginings Series
Christmas with Jane
When Love Blooms Series
Pride and Prejudice and Bluestockings Series
Loving Elizabeth Series
Also by Rose Fairbanks
Jane Austen Re-Imaginings Series
(Stand Alone Series)
Letters from the Heart
Undone Business
No Cause to Repine
Love Lasts Longest
Mr. Darcy’s Kindness
Mr. Darcy’s Compassion
Courtship at Rosings
When Love Blooms Series
Sufficient Encouragement
Loving Elizabeth Series
Pledged
Reunited
Treasured
The Loving Elizabeth Collection
Pride and Prejudice and Bluestockings
Mr. Darcy’s Bluestocking Bride
Lady Darcy’s Bluestocking Club (Coming 2020)
Impertinent Daughters Series
The Gentleman’s Impertinent Daughter
Mr. Darcy’s Impertinent Daughter (Coming 2020)
Desire and Obligation Series
A Sense of Obligation
Domestic Felicity (Coming 2020)
Christmas with Jane
Once Upon a December
Mr. Darcy’s Miracle at Longbourn
How Darcy Saved Christmas
Men of Austen
The Secrets of Pemberley
The Secrets of Donwell Abbey (Emma Variation, Coming 2019)
Regency Romance
Flowers of Scotland (Marriage Maker Series)
The Maid of Inverness
Paranormal Regency Fairy Tale
Cinderella’s Phantom Prince and Beauty’s Mirror (with Jenni James)