November Twenty-Seventh

by Kate Speck

  ~*~

  “Do you think she realises how ridiculous she looks? It looks like her maid has given up and is sitting on Lord Cavanaugh’s stairs.” Elizabeth commented, as she stealthily peeked behind the drapes.

  Darcy grumbled, “No, I doubt she even aware that all the residents on the street are watching her. She has been pacing up and down the street for over half an hour. Ridiculous woman.”

  “I agree. She will not get it through her thick skull that she is no longer welcome in this circle and she will be sent to her aunt in York for a month to teach her a lesson.” Mr. Dalcy declared as he sat in the Darcys’ sitting room. “Her maid has been keeping me updated on my wife’s behaviours and she still believes herself above being a tradesman’s wife. One week has not been long enough for her to find humility and it offends me that she finds me contemptible.”

  “Well, let us get this done and over with. My wife and I have appointments to attend before leaving for Scotland tomorrow and the last thing I wish to do is to think about your wife, Dalcy.” Darcy announced.

  Mr. Dalcy stood and shook his hand. “Thank you for your patience, Darcy. I promise she will not bother you again.”

  “Good luck to you. We appreciate your arriving here quickly to warn us of her intentions. I wish you the best, Dalcy. Hopefully she will bear you a child soon.” Darcy nodded sternly.

  “I hope so as well.” Mr. Dalcy responded. “That is all she is good for.”

  “It is such a sad situation,” Elizabeth sympathetically added. “She can achieve so much with her education but she is stubborn and will lose her chance at contentment if she cannot change. I hope you will continue to be kind to her, Mr. Dalcy.”

  Mr. Dalcy smiled for the first time since arriving. “Yes, madam. I promise that I will not harm her but will discipline her as I would a child by taking away what she perceives as important. My sister is fifteen years younger and I have three nieces and nephews and have learned how to manage such petulant behaviours. She will not be mistreated but will be persistently poor.”

  “I am glad to hear it. You are a kind man.” Elizabeth reached up and kissed Mr. Dalcy’s cheek. “You were always generous to Jane and me whenever we visited and my uncle has great respect for you. I wish you much happiness and I know you will succeed in making your wife the best person she can be. Do not lose hope and please keep us updated.”

  Mr. Dalcy bowed to her and shook Darcy’s hand. “Thank you for your investment, Darcy. Gardiner and I will work hard and we will not let you down. We are the fortunate ones to gain a silent partner and can expand our business to Scotland and Ireland.”

  “We are family, however convoluted it may be,” Darcy smiled, “and I respect you and the Gardiners very much.” He looked at his wife, “You are my wife’s favourites.”

  Mr. Dalcy chuckled, seeing the loving couple become lost on each other’s eyes once again. “Well, I will see you sometime in the New Year, I believe. Best wishes for safe travel and I will most likely see you next with your babe in tow.”

  Elizabeth laughed, “Perhaps. And you as well.”

  Darcy and Elizabeth donned their outerwear and took a deep breath before walking out. They had already called their carriage and it was waiting for them.

  As soon as the front door opened and they took a step outside, Caroline Dalcy’s shrill voice could be heard.

  “Mr. Darcy! Mr. Darcy!” She called out loudly, but the Darcys completely ignored her. They marched straight toward the carriage but Caroline blocked the way and stood in front of them.

  “Mr. Darcy! I came to speak with you and to see how married life has been treating you. My marriage has taught me so much and I would love to spend some time with you,” Caroline looked down her nose at Elizabeth, “and your wife.” She forced herself to curtsey as quickly as possible.

  Caroline nearly fell backwards when she heard the roaring voice shout, “Move out of the way, woman!”

  She stammered, “But… but… what are you doing here, husband?”

  Mr. Dalcy descended the steps from Darcy House, “I was informed that you would be making a fool of yourself and I see that it is true. I have told you to never approach my business partner, Caroline.”

  “Business partner? Oh, would it not be perfect to have Mr. Darcy for dinner next week, husband?” Caroline turned to Darcy, “How wonderful it is to have you connected to us even closer! We can spend many merry evenings in each other’s company!”

  Darcy and Elizabeth did not look her way at all and as soon as she stepped aside, they entered the carriage and tapped on the roof to depart.

  Caroline staggered as her husband stood by her side and gripped her arm. “You will be sent to York for a month. When you return and if you have not improved, you will be sent back for three months. After that, it will be up to you if you will reside permanently as a disgraced wife or return to London to take your place worthy to be my wife.” Mr. Dalcy calmly spoke to her after calling for a hackney. “I do not have a preference either way, Caroline. I have your dowry to give me the comforts that you cannot provide, and since you cannot be the wife that I wanted to entertain my guests, I will obtain a mistress to do the duty. Rumour is that Lord George Beresford is releasing his mistress soon and I plan on scooping her up. Miss Darling is young and demure and is a gentleman’s daughter. I could never have married a courtesan but she will make a fine hostess and be most welcome in my bed and might give me a son first.”

  He pushed her into the hackney and motioned for Agatha to join them. “Your maid will begin packing your belongings and you will travel north in two days.” He continued while they sat and travelled back home. “I am showing you kindness, wife. If you had done this to anyone else, you would not have been given a second chance. Agatha will choose if she wishes to stay with you in York at double her wages or you will hire your own. It is your choice, Caroline. Take the month to grow up and find out what you want in life; if you wish to be abandoned by your husband and outcasted in society or if you would like a chance to redeem yourself and be a decent wife of a tradesman. You are only four and twenty, Caroline. You are too old to behave as a child and too young to be spending the rest of your life like a spinster because your husband rejected you.”

  Caroline cried bitterly and began her packing after returning home. She knew any hope for further acquaintance with the Darcys was gone and she would be miserable in York with her pious aunt and her sermons for company.

  Chapter 21

  “Are you tired of your wife already?” Elizabeth giggled, as she tickled her husband’s ear with her finger while sitting in the carriage.

  Darcy replied with his eyes still closed, “I have been worn out by my wife and had very little sleep all night. Who would have believed that after nearly a month of marriage, my wife could be so enthusiastic in bed? My mistress was certainly passionate but not as much as my wife.”

  Elizabeth nibbled on his ear and caressed his chest, “Not just in bed, my love, but in the library and your study and the bathtub as well. You certainly enjoy speaking of your wife very much, husband. Did you not like your mistress?”

  Darcy grabbed her by the waist and lifted her onto his lap. “Minx! I love my mistress and wife with all of my heart. Thank goodness they are the same person!” They laughed. “I will never tire of you, Ellie. Whether we are making love or I can just hold you in my arms, I love having you with me. I look forward to three months of privacy in Scotland.”

  “I love you with all of my heart, husband.” Elizabeth kissed his lips affectionately. “You are the best husband I have ever had.”

  Darcy laughed, “And you are the best wife I could have ever imagined.”

  “William, we have made love in so many places but I would like to try it in the carriage.” Elizabeth straddled her husband and rubbed herself on his eagerness. “Do you think it possible?”

  “Good lord, Ellie, I am the luckiest man alive. Yes, it is possible. It is certainly possible.” Darcy moaned and lifted up
her dress to love her again. “I love you and we are never travelling with other people in the carriage again.”

  After they were exhausted from the frantic copulation, they fell asleep in each other’s arms until they arrived at their scheduled stops on the way to Scotland.

  ~*~

  “It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen.” Elizabeth exclaimed, seeing the beautiful mansion surrounded by the greenest trees she could have imagined. “It is larger than Netherfield and it is absolutely gorgeous. It is certainly worth the four-day trip to arrive here!”

  Darcy smiled, “And it is yours, Ellie. Everything I have, it is yours. Welcome to Arcadia Cottage.”

  Elizabeth snorted in surprise, “Cottage? You call this a cottage?”

  “Hahaha! Yes, this is where Darcys have taken their wedding trip for the past four generations and it is a holiday lodge to relax and seek peace from our busy lives.” Darcy helped her descend the carriage and introduced her to the household staff who were lined up outside. There were at least twenty servants in attendance and Elizabeth was shocked at how her life had completely changed after meeting her husband.

  As soon as she had privacy, she jumped into Darcy’s arms and kissed his face wildly. “Thank you for marrying me, William. It is not that I am so impressed with your wealth but that you chose me; of all the women in the world with connections and fortune, you chose me.” She embraced him and held him tightly.

  “There is no one for me but you, Ellie.” Darcy kissed her hair. “It is a dream to be here with you. I thought I would be here with you as my mistress but to introduce you as my wife and for us to be here on a wedding trip is incredible.”

  “I am your wife,” Elizabeth kissed his lips softly, “and the mother of your child, William. You know I am very regular and my courses are a week late. We will have to wait for confirmation but I would guess we are already with child.”

  She squealed in joy as Darcy spun her around in circles. “My wife, my mistress, the mother of my child.” He placed her on the ground gently, “I love you and I will take care of you. We will have a child. Good lord, I am going to be a father.”

  Elizabeth laughed, “It is too early, William. Sometimes the babe does not stay. We will have to wait yet another two or three months.”

  “It will be fine. Whether you are with child or not, whether he stays or not, I will still love you with all of my heart and body. I suppose we will have to be more careful, but I am going to still make love to you, Ellie. I promise to be as gentle as possible.” Darcy kissed her lips.

  The couple embraced each other and began their wedding trip with lightness in their hearts and hope for the future together.

  ~*~

  “You were right, my love. Absolutely right.” Elizabeth breathed out in bewilderment. “I cannot believe it. Of all this I am mistress.”

  Darcy beamed and rubbed her small bump on her abdomen. “Yes, my dearest wife. You are the mistress of my heart and of my homes. Pemberley is the grandest estate in the county but it is only a house. I love it because it is my home but I will love it more now that you will be here with me.” They looked down the magnificent vista to see the perfectly situated mansion, where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste.

  “Let us begin then. We may have been married for four months now, but I have yet to see the home you grew up in!” Elizabeth laughed. “Perhaps I will redecorate the entire house according to how Caroline Bingley might have wished!”

  Darcy chuckled loudly. “You are within your rights to do as you wish, Mrs. Darcy. I will not be in your way but I already know your tastes and Arcadia Cottage was wonderful after the minor updates you made.”

  Elizabeth squeezed his arm as they returned to the carriage. “Well, my priority will be the nursery, husband. We have a few months to wait but I promise to respect your mother’s tastes. I loved what she had done already with Darcy House and Arcadia Cottage and I suspect Pemberley to be the same.”

  “Perhaps you may inspect the family wing to see where you would like your family to reside first.” Darcy smiled. “I have a surprise for you, Ellie. The Gardiners will visit us in a month. They will stay with us for a week and we will all travel together to see the Lakes together for a fortnight. I wished for you to see your family as well as visit the Lakes together since I knew you had desired to visit. Georgiana will arrive with them and we will no longer have the privacy to which we have become accustomed but I hope you will be happy.”

  “You are the best of husbands, William. I treasure you.” Elizabeth brightly grinned.

  They arrived at the front of the grand mansion and were greeted by dozens of servants lined up. Elizabeth enthusiastically greeted Mrs. Reynolds, the Pemberley housekeeper, and knew that the thoughtful woman had already spoken kindly of the new mistress to all of the staff, as everyone smiled brightly at the couple.

  After touring the family wing, Elizabeth knew this was home. This was where she would love her husband and raise their children and build memories of a lifetime. She was now home.

  ~*~

  “Why must you be so stubborn?! I am fine, William!” Elizabeth exclaimed loudly. “I have too many things to do and I do not have time to argue with you! Leave me alone!”

  Darcy raised his arms and waved them angrily. “Fine! Go and do whatever you want. If you want me to leave you alone so much, I will leave you alone. You have been so busy that you never even missed me! I am gone!” He turned and slammed the door to his study as he departed.

  Elizabeth huffed in anger as she stood alone in the middle of the room. She rubbed her round belly out of habit and now being six months pregnant, she leaned backwards to stretch her aching back but suddenly felt a tightness where the baby moved.

  She whispered as she took a seat and held her midsection. “Oh, no, what have I done?” Tears began to roll down her face as she sat alone. She began to cry in earnest and sobbed in despair.

  Elizabeth suddenly felt her husband’s arms wrap around her as he kissed her hair. “I am sorry, my love. I am so sorry for leaving you like that. Forgive me, Ellie.” Elizabeth lifted her face to see Darcy’s eyes moist with tears. She immediately embraced him and cried harder.

  “It was my fault, William. I was feeling so good and after my uncle and aunt enjoyed their stay here, I have been most eager for my family to arrive and I wanted everything to be perfect. I worried about the smallest of details and have been driving Mrs. Reynolds insane but I never meant to push you away.” Elizabeth cried copiously. “I do not want you to leave me alone. I do miss you and I do not want you to leave me.”

  Darcy caressed her back as he held her tightly against his body. “I should have never left you. I took ten steps out and realised my error. I know you have been under much stress and I only wished for you to rest more, Ellie. You have been an exemplary mistress here but you are doing too much. I know you are anxious but all I wish is to spend some time with you. Either you are working or too exhausted and fall asleep; I have missed you, my love.”

  Elizabeth released her arms from his neck and drew circles around her midsection with her palms. “I am feeling tightness here and my back hurts. I only now realised that I have been overworking and not taking care of our babe. I am so sorry. Our baby is the most important thing to us and if something should happen...”

  Darcy immediately kissed her lips. “Nothing will happen. You will rest often and still do your duties but you must delegate. I will do whatever I can and Mrs. Reynolds and the two dozen maids here can help you. You do not have to lift a finger, my queen, but order us all about and I will massage your feet daily.” He easily lifted his wife into his arms. “I am taking you to bed and I want to have the midwife take a look at you. You are going to do nothing but rest and be coddled for the rest of the day.”

  Elizabeth leaned her head against Darcy’s shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you, William. I guess I am still that wilful girl that ran away from home when
papa tried to force me to marry Mr. Collins. I do not know how if I am ready to be a mother.”

  “Well, the babe will come, whether you are ready or not,” Darcy chuckled, “and I love that you are stubborn. You would not be yourself if you did not exercise your independence, and I know I have been overwhelming you with my constant badgering. I am still that proud man you know, Ellie, where I must dictate everything within my control and have things done my way.” He kissed her lips. “But I should have discussed it with you and made decisions together with you instead of commanding you or constantly nagging. I love you and my intentions were noble, I promise.”

  Darcy placed her on the large bed and covered her. “Give me one minute and I will return.”

  After telling Nancy to call for a midwife to check on Mrs. Darcy, he returned and laid on the bed with her.

  “Do not leave me, William. Never leave me. I need you. Even if I do not know it, I need you always.” Elizabeth pleaded as she closed her eyes.

  “I will be with you always, my love. Rest. I will stay with you and will wake you when the midwife arrives.” Darcy fondly stroked her cheek. “I love you.”

  Elizabeth quickly fell asleep and an hour later, she was examined by the midwife. The tightening of her abdomen had faded after her nap and the midwife advised strongly to take things easier with frequent rests. Since Elizabeth had been very active from the beginning, as long as she took breaks every hour, there did not seem to be any danger to the babe.

  “I promise to delegate and not overwork, William. I am so sorry again, my love.” Elizabeth kissed his chin. “If I agree to lay very still, will you love me right now? It has been two weeks since we were last intimate. I had not realised how long it has been. I apologise, husband.” She looked down sheepishly.

  Darcy kissed her lips. “I have been desperate for you but your well-being is my utmost concern. If you lay very still and allow me to do all the work, I will be happy to love you, Ellie. It would be my pleasure, indeed.”