by Bella Breen
“Madam, I assure you, if I acted with how I really felt towards you, you would have screamed and run back to your family as soon as possible.”
That gave Elizabeth pause. She was scared to ask because she feared the answer, but she had to know. “What ever do you mean?”
She had heard of men that beat their wives and children, though she had not thought Mr. Darcy was one of them. She still did not think so.
“I have found you the handsomest woman of my acquaintance for some time. You have a lush, beautiful body full of curves that are pleasing. Big, beautiful brown eyes. Luscious hair. A figure that would drive any man mad with want. I have found it nearly impossible to keep myself away from you. But I force myself to do so for fear that I would scare you away by my desire of a wedding night.”
Mr. Darcy had succeeded at last in doing what he had wished for earlier: Elizabeth was completely speechless. She stood in the rain with her mouth open and stared at Mr. Darcy. She blinked and still could not speak.
Mr. Darcy’s control was slipping rapidly, especially with Elizabeth in the rain in her day dress. Her hair had fallen around her face from having partially come undone from the carriage accident. The rain caused her dress and chemise to be nearly transparent.
He slowly walked towards Elizabeth. He approached her as if she were a scared and wild animal that he wanted to tame. He could no longer keep away from her. “It has been some time, and I do not even remember when it started, that I began to think of you in the way that a man thinks of a woman.”
Mr. Darcy reached out and ran his fingers along her hair. “Your beauty drew my eye. Your intelligence kept my attention. Your wittiness and smiles entrap me. I was your slave long before I realized it. I apologize for ever causing you to think that I did not find you appealing.”
Mr. Darcy then tilted her face up and lowered his head until their lips touched and he finally kissed her. Not the chaste and quick kiss at the altar during their wedding, but a real kiss. A kiss full of promises, of heat, of emotion. He longed to show her exactly how much he cared for her.
He felt Elizabeth wrap her arms around his shoulders. He kept one hand on the side of her head and wrapped his other arm around her back. As their kiss deepened, he lowered his hand and grabbed Elizabeth. He had lost control over his desire for her.
They finally broke apart, breathing heavily. Elizabeth stared in shock.
“Does that answer your question?”
A blush crawled up Elizabeth’s countenance, yet with a smile formed on her lips.
“Mrs. Darcy, perchance have I convinced you to lie with me under the pine tree?”
Elizabeth nodded. Mr. Darcy took her hand in his and led the way back to their pine tree.
Chapter 25
Their bed of clothing and pine needles under the tree was so comfortable that Elizabeth had the best night’s sleep since she left Longbourn. Plus, she was warm in Mr. Darcy’s arms. That man was like a fireplace. She was quite sure that if there had been any snow about, the heat from his body would have melted it.
Elizabeth smiled and snuggled closer to Mr. Darcy, who lay behind her. She was glad she had brought up, even accidentally, his avoidance of her at night. Of course she had been horrified that she had done so, yet they had finally had their wedding night. -
Most importantly, she found out that Mr. Darcy did not find her detestable by any stretch of the imagination. No, she felt beautiful like a goddess. She also thought that their wedding night in the woods was a much better idea than waiting to be in a house with servants about. Though of course it would be nice to have some food and something to drink, as the rain water they collected to drink was not enough.
“Mr. Darcy? Mr. Darcy?”
And there was a servant now probably bringing their breakfast tray. She did so love Mr. Darcy’s style of living, which was so much higher than what she had been accustomed to at Longbourn. Such as servants bringing in breakfast trays in the morning. That was definitely something that she was thankful for.
“Mr. Darcy? Mr. Darcy?”
Why was the servant yelling for Mr. Darcy? Where was her maid with her breakfast tray yelling for Mrs. Darcy? And why was the servant yelling? Elizabeth was in that state of almost awake but still caught in dreamland. She snuggled back against Mr. Darcy.
She was amazed she was able to sleep at all in the clothes she had on. Her dress and chemise were wet, so she had changed into a pair of Mr. Darcy’s breeches and a shirt from his trunk. The rest of his clothes had been used as a mattress over the pine needles and as blankets to keep them warm.
“Over here! Look? That looks like the carriage. Oh no...”
“Harry, go down there and knock on the carriage. Climb on top and see if they are still inside. They probably passed the night there.”
The carriage accident. She was not asleep in Mr. Darcy’s bed. She was in the forest with him after their accident! Elizabeth opened her eyes and rolled around in Mr. Darcy’s arms to face him. He had also woken up and looked around.
“Mr. Darcy? Mr. Darcy?”
Mr. Darcy sat up. “Over here! We are over here in the trees!” He turned to Elizabeth. “They found us!” He smiled and hugged her tightly. He held her for several seconds and Elizabeth was gratified to see that their amiability from the day before had not disappeared overnight.
“Mr. and Mrs. Darcy! I am so glad we have found you. Are you injured?” Mr. Ahern, Mr. Darcy’s valet, smiled as he wiped his eyes.
Mr. Darcy let go of Elizabeth and came out from under the pine tree. He offered a hand to Elizabeth, helping her up. She immediately hid behind Mr. Darcy though. It was not every day that your master’s wife wore men’s clothing.
“I am so glad to see you, Mr. Ahern. Our carriage had an accident.”
“We just found your carriage at the bottom of the hill.”
Mr. Darcy nodded. “I believe an axle or wheel broke and then rolled and tumbled all the way down the hill. I could not find the driver or footman. I did not search the forest or too far away from the carriage as Mrs. Darcy hit her head in the accident. I wanted to get her out of the elements.”
Mr. Ahern nodded and glanced at Mrs. Darcy again, who was still hidden behind her husband. “Is Mrs. Darcy better today?”
Mr. Darcy half turned and wrapped an arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders. “She has recovered completely I believe. Do you have a headache today?”
Elizabeth shook her head. She had her arms curled in front of her to protect her modesty. “No. Actually I feel like I had the best night’s sleep.” She glanced at Mr. Darcy but could not hide the blush forming, which caused Mr. Darcy to smile and kiss her on her nose.
Mr. Ahern coughed and backed away. “Very good, sir. Shall I pack up your clothing?”
Mr. Darcy looked back at their improvised pine needle-and-clothing bed. He cleared his throat while Elizabeth noticed a blush forming on his face. She giggled and leaned her forehead against his back. “Yes. Thank you, Mr. Ahern. I will take Mrs. Darcy to the carriage.”
Mr. Darcy picked up one of his jackets that they had used as a blanket, shook it out, and held it up for Elizabeth to put on. It did not completely cover her hips in those form-fitting breeches, so Mr. Darcy picked up his greatcoat and held that up for Elizabeth to also put on. Now no one would be able to see his wife’s figure in his breeches that fit her quite snug.
Mr. Darcy put his arm around her shoulders and they both walked out of the forest to the exclamations of the servants.
“I am very glad that you found us. I was not sure how long we were going to have to wait for a carriage to stop.”
“What happened, Mr. Darcy? We walked down to the carriage and it looks as if the axel broke. The carriage is in very bad shape after rolling down the hill.”
“There was a loud crack then the carriage listed to the side, and we rolled all the way down the hill. Have you found the driver and the footman? I could not find them. I had to stop my search to get Elizabeth up the hill and out
of the elements. She had hit her head and was not quite herself.” The servants all focused on Elizabeth, who pulled Mr. Darcy’s coat tighter around herself. The servants also focused on Mr. Darcy’s arm around her shoulder and how he had tucked her to his side.
Elizabeth smiled at the servants though so many eyes upon her had her nervous. “I am quite well. I had a headache yesterday, but it is gone now.”
One of the footmen approached Mr. Darcy. “We have not found the driver nor the footman yet. We did find another trunk which must be yours, Mrs. Darcy, as it had women’s clothing.”
“Oh, you found it! Thank you.” She could not wait to change out of Mr. Darcy’s clothes and into hers. But then she realized she would not be able to until they arrived at the next inn to change horses.
Mr. Darcy addressed the servants. “Did you search the forest?” The servants nodded their heads. “I do not want to leave them behind if they are lying somewhere injured. Let us check the hill once more. We shall spread out farther in our search.”
Mr. Darcy turned to Elizabeth. “I think you should stay in the carriage with your maid while I search with the servants.”
Elizabeth did not like the thought of being separated from Mr. Darcy in the middle of nowhere, especially after the catastrophic events of the day before. “I do hope you find them. I would hate that they had died in that accident.”
Mr. Darcy frowned. “I do not want to think that either. It was a bad accident though. I will be thorough in my search.”
He hugged Elizabeth then walked away and organized the search.
Elizabeth and her maid sat in the carriage. Her lady’s maid informed her of the events of yesterday when they discovered that the Darcys’ carriage had not arrived at the next stop. There had been a fierce argument between the servants, with half wanting to immediately turn around and the other half appealing to logic as the sun would set soon. During the argument the light mist turned into rain which made the decision for them. They would have to wait until the morning to search for the missing carriage.
When the owner of the inn heard that the Darcys’ carriage was missing, he provided rooms for the servants. Mr. Darcy was well known in Derbyshire. The innkeeper knew Mr. Darcy would be good for the bill. Therefore all the servants were able to have a good night’s rest, if they could sleep without their worry keeping them awake.
“I did not know the Darcy name was so well known in Derbyshire.” Elizabeth had thought that Pemberley and the Darcy family was well known only to those that lived near it.
“Oh yes, ma’am. The Darcys are one of the great families of Derbyshire. We are all proud of them and Pemberley. The family has always treated their tenants and servants well. It is an honor to work for them.”
Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose. She had never heard any servant say that about a family before. She had never seen Pemberley, though she heard her Aunt Gardiner describe it as a large and beautiful estate. She could not imagine that it was as imposing as Rosings Park.
Elizabeth and her maid had settled in a companionable silence for some time when they finally heard the men arrive. They both left the carriage hoping to see the missing driver and footman. However, they only saw morose faces and neither of the missing men.
Elizabeth approached Mr. Darcy, who frowned and shook his head. Elizabeth had not considered that the two servants could actually be dead. She had just thought that they would find them, injured but still alive. Elizabeth wiped tears off her face. Mr. Darcy wrapped his arms around her and held her.
“I feel horrible that we did not do enough to find them. We could have kept searching and walking—”
“Elizabeth, we could not have done that. You hit your head and were in a stupor. I had to help you up the hill. It was some time before your headache went away and I certainly could not have left you alone to go searching for the missing men. Besides... it would not have made a difference.”
Elizabeth pulled back and looked up at Mr. Darcy. “You mean, you think they died right away?”
Mr. Darcy nodded. Elizabeth rested her head back on Mr. Darcy’s chest. She was sad the men died but thankful they died immediately and had not suffered in pain.
“I will send a carriage back here to bring them to Pemberley. Let us get in the carriage. Your maid and my valet will have to ride inside with us if that is acceptable?”
Elizabeth looked up at Mr. Darcy in wonder. Before yesterday’s discussion, he would have never asked for her opinion on a course of action. She was astonished and happy that he was including her and not being overbearing. “Yes, that is perfectly fine.”
They all climbed in the carriage and set off again for Pemberley. Elizabeth felt for the families of those men and hoped that they did not have wives and children, though she imagined Mr. Darcy would help take care of them if they did.
Chapter 26
The ride to Pemberley did not seem to take much time at all. Most probably because they had traveled at least halfway the day before. The carriage slowed and then turned under a gateway and down a lane. Goodness, what kind of estate was Pemberley?
Mr. Darcy leaned over. “Just around the bend you should be able to see the house.”
Elizabeth looked back out the carriage window, curious. She had not been prepared for the sight that met her when the carriage finally came around the bend: a huge, beautiful building situated pleasantly behind a small lake.
Elizabeth realized her mouth was open when she felt Mr. Darcy chuckle next to her. She closed her mouth but could not contain the shock from her countenance as the carriage drew closer. This was huge… much larger and grander than anything she had expected. She had no idea, no inkling that Pemberley was this grand. Elizabeth had heard the Bingley sisters talk of the estate, but with how much Miss Bingley fawned over Mr. Darcy she was sure that Miss Bingley’s praise had been exaggerated. She now thought that Miss Bingley had been conservative in her description.
Elizabeth understood now why her maid said that working at Pemberley was an honor. She was very glad that she had changed out of Mr. Darcy’s clothes at one of their earlier stops; it would not have done to show up to an estate this grand wearing men’s clothing. Still, Elizabeth was embarrassed at how out of fashion her dress was. There was only one way to rectify that situation. She would talk to Mr. Darcy soon about visiting the nearest dressmaker.
As the carriage pulled up at the front of that grand building—Elizabeth could not think of it as a house—she patted her hair and tried to smooth her clothing to look as presentable as possible.
Mr. Darcy leaned over and whispered in her ear. “My dear, you look beautiful. Do not worry what anyone will think. They will love you.”
Elizabeth turned to Mr. Darcy and smiled. She was still amazed at the change that had overcome the relationship after their discussion in the woods and the night they had spent together. “Thank you. You are very kind, but I am sure the servants will be appalled at my state.”
“I think they know something has happened since we did not arrive yesterday. I need to tell them of the loss of the driver Mr. Wentworth and footman Mr. Tennant. They will forgive whatever you think is not right with your attire. For myself, I see nothing wrong.”
Elizabeth looked up at Darcy and blushed. He kissed her cheek then sat back as the carriage stopped in front of his family home. The door was opened by a servant. “Welcome home, Mr. Darcy.”
“Thank you.” Mr. Darcy climbed out first and then held his hand out for Elizabeth. He had written Mrs. Reynolds, the Pemberley housekeeper, regarding his marriage so that would not be a surprise to the staff, though the sudden marriage had to have indeed been a shock.
Elizabeth climbed out of the carriage, straightened her dress, and then looked up not to censure but curiosity from the servants. A young woman, tall with blonde hair, stood next to an older woman. She had to be Mr. Darcy’s sister as there was a resemblance in the eyebrows and nose.
“Elizabeth, I would like to present my younger sister, Georgiana.
Georgiana, this is my wife Elizabeth Bennet Darcy.”
Elizabeth and Georgiana curtsied to each other. Georgiana bit her bottom lip and glanced at her older brother.
“I am very glad to meet you, Georgiana,” Elizabeth said. “I have heard of how accomplished you are at the pianoforte. I know your brother is very proud of you.”
Georgiana blushed. “Thank you. I am glad to meet you.”
Elizabeth smiled though she felt the greeting was stilted and not as warm as she had expected. She squeezed Mr. Darcy’s hand as he introduced her to Mrs. Reynolds as the new mistress of Pemberley.
“Mrs. Darcy, as you have had a harrowing journey, I shall wait to introduce the servants until after you have rested.”
“Oh no, I should like to meet the servants now. Truly it was due to the servants coming back to find us that we were rescued. And...” Elizabeth looked at Mr. Darcy as she realized Mrs. Reynolds might not know about the missing footman and driver.
Mr. Darcy cleared his throat. “I have the sad task of delivering the news that our carriage broke an axle and rolled down a steep hill. The driver Mr. Wentworth and footman Mr. Tennant are deceased.”
Loud gasps were uttered by the servants. Elizabeth squeezed Mr. Darcy’s hand and looked down at the ground as she wiped a tear off her face. She was still upset that two men had died in the carriage accident. “I am sending a carriage back for them today, to bring them back to their families. If any of you would like to volunteer please let Mrs. Reynolds know.”
Elizabeth squeezed Mr. Darcy’s hand as she thought that was a kind and compassionate action. She did not know of anyone else that would show such honor to just a servant.
Mr. Darcy continued to hold her hand as Mrs. Reynolds introduced her to all the servants. There were so many names that Elizabeth did not even try to remember them at all. She was sure she would have to ask their names many times until she remembered them.
