by Anna Harlow
“My wife perjures herself greatly,” said Darcy. “She plays and sings like a dream.”
“Yes, if that dream were a nightmare,” said Elizabeth, chuckling.
“Come, Miss Elizabeth, and play for us,” Catherine told her, indicating a very grand piano across the room. “For music is my delight. If I had ever learned, I should have been a great proficient. Without practice, you can never hope to improve.”
“Oh no, madam, I beg of you,” Elizabeth complained. “When I say that I play poorly, I do not exaggerate. I believe Mr. Darcy is quite mistaken in the depths of my talent.”
“Mrs. Darcy, her ladyship demands it,” said her husband. “And I desire it. Would you deny my aunt and cousin the beauty of your soprano?”
“Cousin?” she asked, confused.
“Colonel Fitzwilliam,” said Darcy, indicating another gentleman, who was dressed in a red coat, seated in the shadows. “I dare say he has come to dance attendance on my aunt during her time of sorrow.”
“Which is more than can be said for you, cousin. And it was your wife we have lost, too,” the gentleman pointed out. “I do not blame you for it, of course, Miss Elizabeth. I can easily see why you were the lady Darcy has chosen to help him heal.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Elizabeth sat at the piano, plucking out a song as best she could, but with plenty of misfingerings, until Darcy appeared with some music for her. The song was romantic in nature, and one she could easily play while singing as well. She smiled wryly up at him.
“Do you mean to frighten me, Mr. Darcy, coming over here in all your state? But I shall not be intimidated. My spirit rises to meet every occasion.”
Her husband smiled at her. “I know enough of you, my dear, to know that I could not frighten you even if I tried.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam showed up in time to overhear them, and with a wink he asked, “So, then, my dear, how has my cousin been treating you? You certainly smile much more than Anne, but that takes very little to accomplish.”
“Your cousin has been beyond charming, sir,” she told him.
“Charming, really?” he smirked. “I find that difficult to visualize. Darcy is seldom charming among strangers.”
Darcy piped in, “You know I find it difficult to remain long in a room when I am not acquainted with the people there. I have not the talent that some people possess to be easy among any company they encounter.”
“Perhaps, sir, you should take your aunt’s advice, and practice if you wish to improve.”
Darcy smiled at her, surprised but pleased by her words.
“In what way has my cousin managed to charm you?” Fitzwilliam persisted. “I am too curious to leave this concept alone.”
“He has foisted clothes upon me I did not ask for, served me breakfast in bed when he knows I prefer to get up, and has been an all-around dictatorial sort of a fellow. You cannot fathom how much I adore him.”
“You call that charming?”
“Well, it is all in the way he looks at me while he is giving his orders, I suppose,” Elizabeth said, chuckling. “For certainly, it cannot be found in the actions themselves.”
“I get the feeling, madam, that you have been truly enjoying yourself,” he said then, laughing at Darcy’s innocent expression.
“Excessively, sir,” Elizabeth replied.
“Excellent, then. Carry on.”
“Sir, might I ask you something? You seem a rather curious fellow, for you are clearly an officer, yet I do not think there is a regiment near here.”
“You must comprehend, my dear, as the second son of an Earl, I have a life outside of the army as well,” he explained. “I took a family leave, more to keep an eye on our aunt than from any grief of my own—though I do feel some sense of loss since we were related. Anne was not very friendly and we never grew close. Even Darcy could not bring himself to more tender feelings where she was concerned. But I now believe it was because he was destined for greater things.”
“Sir, you flatter me, but I wish you would not compare the two wives of Mr. Darcy, for I would not wish to take away from what life Anne did manage to live. And, after all, if not for her, we would not daily enjoy the antics of our little Fanny.”
His eyes widened. “Oh ho! Fanny, is it? I hope you do not use such a nickname in the presence of Lady Catherine, if you do not wish to see the tyrant in her come out to play!”
“It is not up to my aunt in what manner my wife and I address our child,” Darcy grumbled. “However, since she is still grieving so heavily over her daughter, perhaps we ought to try not to ruffle her feathers. Do you not agree, my dear?”
“Of course, sir,” Elizabeth replied. “You know that my main reason for visiting was to see Mrs. Collins. I shall endeavor to visit her often, and thus remain out of Lady Catherine’s sight.”
“You will not hide, madam,” he said sternly. “If you begin in such a manner, she will soon walk all over you. Try not to upset her, but do not play the coward. Only in this way will her respect for you begin to grow.”
“Sage advice,” Fitzwilliam agreed.
Elizabeth realized her fingers were no longer moving and remembered what she was supposed to be doing. She began to play and sing the song Darcy had delivered, and with music in front of her, she fared much better than she had before.
“Darcy? How does Georgiana get on with the piano?” Lady Catherine called, drawing the two gentleman back across the room to talk with her.
“She has not practiced as diligently as usual, Aunt, though I am certain now that things are beginning to settle down, and I have a wife to help with Francesca, she will soon be able to play more. In fact, though she knows it not, a new piano has been delivered to Pemberley, for while I have been away I authorized the construction of some new rooms, one of which was a more serviceable parlor, allowing me to open up the wall to make the music room quite a bit larger.”
“It sounds as though you are planning to expand more than the house, sir,” his aunt replied, glancing over at Elizabeth speculatively. “Your wife seems a sturdy girl, with good hips. She ought to do the job adequately.”
Darcy scoffed at this. “I’m glad you approve.”
“I have neither approved or disapproved of her, sir,” she replied. “For, any such opinion ought to have been obtained before the wedding, and it was not. If she does well, or if she does ill, will remain to be seen. I shall reserve my judgments for later.”
Catherine turned away, and the men returned to the piano just as Elizabeth had finished playing.
“Ah, here is your sister coming down at last. Have you gotten your niece to sleep, my dear? She seems quite the active baby,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam as Miss Darcy entered.
“I have left the task for Mrs. Avery,” Georgiana said. “I could not miss out on the conversation about Will’s ankle, and the sudden acquisition of a wife. Has he yet told you the tale?”
“I have not,” Darcy said, trying to look dignified but unable to hide his blushing.
“It happened all at the same time,” said Elizabeth. “I’ve worked it out, though, what really happened. I think that Darcy was so dismayed that Mr. Wickham was interested in me that he broke his ankle so he could steal me away completely.”
Georgiana gasped, her eyes rounding at the mention of Wickham’s name. Elizabeth would have loved to ask what was wrong, for all of her companions looked away uncomfortably. Of course, she decided the best course must be to take note of it, and not mention the gentleman again. Yet she fully intended to learn more about this as soon as possible.
“The hour grows late, and you know I never remain awake beyond eight in the evening,” said Lady Catherine. “Darcy? I have arranged a special set of rooms for Elizabeth, across the hall from yours. I know that she would prefer the adjoining rooms, but I could not bring myself to have Anne’s things removed. I hope you understand, my dear. I find I am having a great deal more difficulty letting her go than everyone else.”
“Madam, she was you
r only child,” Elizabeth pointed out. “I cannot begin to think you would be over such a loss in so short a time. I thank you for your thoughtfulness where I am concerned.”
“Well then, I shall bid you all good night,” she said, smiling sadly as she headed slowly toward the door. “Do not stay up too long, else you may regret it during church tomorrow.”
Darcy’s ankle had not healed well enough to mount the stairs himself, so he soon rang for the two men now assigned to help, and bid everyone good night. To Elizabeth, he said, “Come to my rooms before you head off to bed, my wife. I shall find it difficult to sleep without a proper kiss goodnight.”
Fitzwilliam next disappeared, leaving Elizabeth with a chance to speak to Georgiana alone. “I do not wish to open wounds you don’t seem to have healed from, sister. Will you explain why the mention of Wickham’s name troubles you?”
“To make a long story short, he kidnapped and defiled me, and attempted to elope with me just for my inheritance. My brother would not expose him, though I believed it would have been wise. He was worried that exposing the gentleman would also expose me to ridicule. Thankfully, nothing more came of the event, and I have never seen him since. Honestly, Lizzy, I pray that I never will.”
“Forgive me, Georgiana, Will has told me some of the tale, but he mentioned nothing of how you were abused by the gentleman,” said Elizabeth, hugging her. “I understand now why he considers him such a rakehell.”
“I suppose, with time, I may learn to hear his name without fear,” she conceded sadly. “But, after all, it has only been a year.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Though the maid led Elizabeth to the door of her bedroom suite, she soon instructed the woman to leave her to her own devices until morning. Without bothering to undress, Elizabeth stepped across the hallway and knocked on the door to Darcy’s rooms. She heard him bid her to enter, and stepped inside. She was wearing a mischievous smile.
“Good evening, Mrs. Darcy,” said her husband, his own smile now mimicking hers. “Are you off to bed, then?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said. “Your bed looks quite comfortable, sir. Did you not invite me here for my kiss goodnight?”
“I did,” he confirmed, nodding his head. His eyes danced over her small frame deliciously. Knowing what thoughts he must be having, a hot desire ignited between her legs. Every time she was convinced they had tried every possible position that could be serviceable until his ankle was better, Mr. Darcy managed to attempt another with her. Tonight, however, she saw that his splint had been removed.
“Sir? Your leg?”
“Is in need of some movement betimes, though it is not yet completely sound,” he explained. “The physician said I should attempt to exercise it without the brace sometimes. And I thought—what better time to free it from bondage than now?”
“Does it pain you, sir?”
“I have another ache which needs your attention right now, my darling wife,” he told her in all seriousness. Glancing down, Elizabeth saw an unmistakable outline in the placket of his pants that drew her to him instantly. Her fingers traced the contour, which she had come to adore, and the heat between them swirled deliciously.
“Are you so intent on getting an heir, sir?” she asked him.
Darcy grinned at her. “Sweetheart, this has nothing to do with getting an heir. It is all for you, and only for you. I wish to pleasure you tonight with no ankle to hinder me. You have yet to savor a joining in which the one on top is me.”
Elizabeth chuckled. “Is that not the usual way it is supposed to be done?”
“You know quite well that the Church proscribes a certain direction, wife,” he replied, and tugged her with him onto his bed. “Why else would they call it ‘missionary’?”
“I had not heard it so named, Will,” she chastised him. “Are you trying to corrupt me further?”
“Of course I am, my sweet,” he teased. He traced his fingers along her hip, at the same time leaning in to trace his lips over her brow. Elizabeth smiled and closed her eyes, humming softly.
“I love the way you respond to me so easily, Lizzy,” he said against her skin. “I am glad I did not know what I was missing out on, or I never should have been able to endure my former life even half so well.”
She laughed. “So, you are corrupting me, and I am spoiling you? What an ill-advised pair we make, sir.”
“And yet I am content,” he said, smiling as he gazed at her. “Except for one thing, that is.”
“What is that, my husband?”
“You are wearing far too many clothes, to my way of thinking,” he said. His hands soon crept around and began to work at her buttons. “But, I shall soon remedy that situation.”
“I will not deny you such a pleasure, sir, so long as you also remove all of your clothes,” she told him. “If the splint has been removed, you can certainly now remove everything it hindered.”
“I suspect this desire has been building in you for some time.”
“What desire, sir?” Elizabeth asked, leaning her head to one side as his lips found her neck.
“To see me completely unclothed, just as I have seen you,” he replied, nipping her.
“Is that not a natural want, husband?” she asked him seriously.
He moved lower, hovering over her décolletage as he looked wickedly up at her. ”It is, my dear, if you are learning to love me.”
She laughed. “And if I am not?”
“Then you have a strange way of showing your dislike, Mrs. Darcy.”
He now fitted his body over hers, his hardened need settled quite blatantly between her thighs. She giggled, asking, “How did you wish me to unclothe myself if you have not allowed me even a moment to shed anything?”
“We shall both shed everything, then,” he said, smirking. “That should satisfy the needs of the moment.”
When he released his hold on her, Elizabeth was quick to comply with his plans, and stood before him in all her glory, waiting for her first glimpse of those parts of him which she had not yet seen. He hopped on his good leg as he tugged free his pants and undergarments, soon plopping onto the bed to finish the deed. This had Elizabeth giggling more than ever.
“I should not undress for you, if you only find it funny,” he teased her, holding out his arms. She went to him quickly, falling into his embrace.
“I am not laughing at your body, sir, I assure you,” she told him appreciatively. “I find it quite diverting.”
He captured her breast in one of his hands. “As diverting as I find these?”
She did not bother to answer, for next he brought his mouth down to taste, and she was too busy gasping with pleasure. She threaded her fingers into his hair, drawing him closer still.
“Lie down, love, and let us discover if I am yet able to mount you like a proper lover.”
“I found nothing improper in treating you as my steed, sir,” she remarked impishly, but still she laid on her back, allowing him to crawl up her body without the hindrance of their clothes. The feel of flesh on flesh was almost too good, but Elizabeth was more than willing to endure.
“I’ve changed my mind, sweetheart,” he whispered into her ear. “Tonight, I shall do everything in my power to put a child in you. But we shall have to be quite thorough, if we are to succeed.”
“Do you not worry that Lady Catherine shall hear us?” she teased.
“Far better that she does,” he said. “In that way, she cannot doubt the nature of our union any further. Well, if she ever did, in any case.”
“The way you were gazing at me by the piano, sir?” Elizabeth scoffed. “You made it quite clear to everybody.”
“Perhaps I should clarify it for you now,” he whispered ardently, and he wrapped her legs up around his hips before he fitted himself inside her. From this new angle, Elizabeth could easily understand why it was a preferred method of joining. Darcy fit into her more fully than ever, and the sensations this caused had her clawing at his back an
d moaning his name in a matter of moments.
“You are so beautiful, my darling,” he told her as he moved. “You cannot know how happy I am to have found you.”
“Oh, my!” Elizabeth squeaked when one of his thrusts felt especially wonderful. “I’m glad you found me, too!”
Darcy laughed, repeating the movement she’d liked another time, and then a few more for good measure. Elizabeth could not help herself, her moans grew louder. Since she could not be quiet, she opted for covering her mouth with one hand so the sounds would not carry. It did her little good, though, since Darcy soon began making his own noise.
There was something deliciously fun about sharing each other in the house of a woman who had intended to separate them while they were there. If she could have her way, Elizabeth would never return to her separate rooms at all. Yet, as they came down from their heights of bliss, she knew that eventually she would have to.
