Flirtation and Folly

by Anna Harlow

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Elizabeth and her uncle returned to the parlor, bringing news that Mrs. Bennet did not feel well enough to come down immediately. Darcy looked quite concerned.

  “What is the matter with your mother, Miss Lizzy?”

  “She suffers headaches much like my own,” Elizabeth explained. “And she has expressed a great desire that I should take you out on a walk with me so you will not upset her once she comes down.”

  This last statement was briefly greeted by a pleased smirk, though it was quickly subdued. He said, “Of course, we shall go walking. But not until I have given the remedy’s ingredients to Mrs. Hill. Surely most of the requirements can be satisfied with herbs in your hothouse or on the grounds.”

  “That is a most generous offer, sir, since I am also in need of that recipe for myself,” said Elizabeth, smiling.

  “I am certain you will have easy access to it after today,” he replied cryptically.

  Elizabeth’s heart skipped a beat and began to pound at these words. Try as she might to avoid reading any significance into them, it was impossible when she caught his meaningful glance as he received a sheet of parchment from her and moved to the little writing desk in the corner to quickly make use of ink and quill. His scribblings were soon finished, and they brought the note to Hill on their way to the door.

  “Do you not need somebody to walk with you?” called Jane uncertainly behind them.

  “It won’t be necessary,” Darcy told her. “We shall endeavor to behave ourselves.”

  Before anyone could once again force them to wait for company, the two stepped out the back door and into the little park behind the house. Across the lawn, there was a covered walkway that led into the hothouse, and beyond that grasslands that had not been manicured, and which could not be seen from the house. It was to this small patch of privacy to which Darcy led Elizabeth with some urgency, holding her hand the entire way.

  “Sir, this direction is most singular,” she mentioned, unable to hide an amused grin from him. “If indeed Jane has arranged herself by the window as I suspect, she is certain to notice, do you not think.”

  “I find that there are some instances when propriety is not foremost in my mind,” Darcy admitted as he tugged her with him behind the building. Elizabeth found herself wrapped into his arms, their faces quite close, and she made no attempt whatsoever to move. “I know that the last time I attempted to express myself, you were decidedly displeased, but I fear my feelings will not be repressed. One word from you, and I shall never broach the topic again, sweetheart, but I must be allowed explain myself now.”

  His hands came up to cup her face, drawing her nearer still. Elizabeth gasped as his lips came down to graze her forehead.

  “My wishes and feelings have not changed, dearest, sweetest Elizabeth. You would not allow me to tell you before, but now I must inform you in the most elemental of language that you have bewitched me, body and soul. Please end my agony and consent to be my wife.”

  “Sir, I was so wrong in what I said to you before,” she admitted in a husky tone. “I do not know the precise hour when it occurred, but you seem to have bewitched me as well. I could never have the courage to refuse you a second time, for I have very foolishly allowed myself to fall in love with you. I dare say if I don’t marry you, I will long for you day and night for the rest of my life.”

  Darcy smiled as his lips came down to claim hers. The kiss was brief, however, before he said, “Very foolish, indeed. Though I do seem to be similarly afflicted. I have longed for and feared this moment with equal measure.”

  She giggled. “Words are only good at conveying one’s feelings to a particular degree, sir. I have determined it was the kiss that has told me more plainly than anything else.”

  Laughing with her, he wrapped her more completely into his arms. “My darling girl, you know that after this I shall never wish to let you go. I do not think that they will allow me to always hold you thus, but in my heart it is exactly where you shall remain.”

  “If you are to say so, I must tell you that in my own heart and imaginings, I have found you closer still,” she admitted wickedly as he rained kisses upon her cheeks and lips. “In fact, within my fantasy, I have already produced your heir.”

  His laugh now was one of sheer delight. Devilishly he asked, “And had you yet considered the particular acts which would be required to produce him?”

  “Sir, you are incorrigible!” At about that same moment, her uncle’s words came back to her, reminding her of his assertions that kissing might lead to other liberties. However, she was not deterred in the least by his warnings when Darcy’s hands moved down from her waist and settled instead upon her backside. His lips claimed hers once again, though this time his tongue slid over her bottom lip a couple of times.

  “Sir, I believe I can hear Bingley and Jane heading this way,” she told him worriedly.

  “They shall not arrive directly,” he replied with apparent ardor. One of his hands smoothed up the side of her body, and his fingers landed at the top of her décolletage.

  “Mr. Darcy!” she gasped, enabling him to claim her mouth more completely. She was shocked at the sensation of his tongue entering her mouth, yet found the exchange pleasant in a way that left her incapable of further restraint. Their breaths mingled and began to come in short little gasps.

  “Will,” he reminded her. “You are to be my wife now.”

  “Master Will.” She giggled, making him laugh as well. “We must endeavor now to control ourselves. Jane and Bingley are almost here.”

  “If we stay like this until they arrive, it could save us plenty of unnecessary explanations,” he teased, not letting her go.

  “I do not think it necessary for them to witness our lovemaking,” Elizabeth scolded him as she moved out of his arms circumspectly. “Besides, I do not think we ought to declare ourselves until Jane has had all the attention she deserves.”

  “I shall await the day after the wedding, but no longer,” Darcy declared. “For until it is understood, we shall never get enough time to ourselves to suit my needs.”

  Their unwanted company rounded the corner and discovered them there. The pair smiled amiably, and Darcy was quick to reclaim Elizabeth’s arm, starting to walk with them into the field.

  “Did you see us heading here?” Jane asked curiously. “Is that why you waited rather than continuing on?”

  “Nay, indeed not,” Elizabeth told her. “Darcy and I were finally able to say our apologies over our former disagreement and to completely clear the air. I am quite relieved to know that he and I are completely amiable again.”

  “From the look of your countenances,” Bingley observed, “I would say Darcy’s plan progresses most adequately.”

  “Charles, stop teasing them,” Jane admonished him. “You know well enough that had we been out here alone, we should look very much the same. But, Lizzy, I must caution you to proceed no further into this course without first speaking to our father. You know that he will want to determine if Darcy can make you happy before he allows such a union.”

  “I shall speak with him directly, of course,” Darcy agreed. “Though we have agreed that our understanding shall not yet be announced. Not until after your own wedding has been achieved.”

  “Such kindness is unnecessary, I can assure you,” said Jane, smiling meekly. “It has been my fondest hope to see my sister happy, sir. Knowing that she has selected my fiancé’s particular friend makes my happiness even more complete than it was already. Bingley told me of his hopes that the two of you would soon become brothers.”

  “And this is what comes of confiding in you?” Darcy scolded him. “I shall know better than discuss my wife with you after this, if all my secrets shall soon be shared with yours.”

  “Perhaps, sir, it is best if we four agree not to harbor secrets to begin with,” Elizabeth suggested. “I think that plan would be much easier to implement.”

  “Indeed it sha
ll,” he agreed, winking at Bingley and Jane as he slid an arm about her waist. “Beginning with being quite easy in each other’s company.”

  Bingley followed his example, drawing Jane against his side. “You know this freedom will not do beyond this field, I trust? I can hear the gossip concerning our improper behavior spreading throughout all of Hertfordshire within a day if we were to behave so freely in a place more public.”

  “My happiness has overcome my reason,” Darcy agreed. “But I wish now to make certain it is complete. Elizabeth, I shall go to your father immediately. Though I dare say he will wish to hear the news of your willingness from your own lips. If I were to attempt to explain it to him, I do not think he would believe me.”

  “I shall speak to him after you have, sir,” she said with a smirk. “That should save me some unnecessary explanations.”

  Darcy laughed as he let go of her and then claimed her hand in his, guiding her back to the house immediately. Jane and Bingley did not follow the pair, but instead cast one another a look that clearly stated they wished to make use of the hiding place as well.

  Though Mr. Bennet was surprised, and somewhat reluctant to part with his favorite child, he could easily see upon interviewing Elizabeth that the pair were very much in love. He said, “I had wished never to part with you, my darling Lizzy, but it seems that I am overruled. Mr. Darcy is a wealthy man, and you shall have fine carriages and pin money even more than your sister, but I can easily see that these concerns are not even in your mind. If he has managed to so thoroughly impress you, I most heartily give my consent. I could not have parted with you, Lizzy, for anything less than a partner you can truly love and respect.”

  Though Mrs. Bennet had until this point been no fan of the gentleman, once she had tried Darcy’s tonic and soon felt better, she was able to return below to hear their news with great joy. “Have I not always said he was a handsome gentleman, Lizzy? Oh, I am sure the two of you will be most happy together. And when you have birthed my grandson, pray, do manage to keep him under better regulation.”

  “I assure you, madam, my son shall be maintained quite properly,” Darcy said proudly. “For one day, he shall become Master of Pemberley.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Once Jane and Bingley were married, Darcy insisted that he and Georgiana should remove to Longbourn for a couple of weeks before they headed back to Derbyshire, where he and Elizabeth would soon be wed. But the pair had managed to stay only a few days before they both agreed it was much too difficult to wait.

  “You must all come along to Pemberley instead,” said Darcy to her family. “For we shall want you there for our ceremony—so long as it is well understood we shall wish for plenty of privacy afterwards.”

  Bingley had already agreed that he and Jane would escort Mrs. Fisher and Caroline back to Lambton, so his idyllic first days with Jane were already interrupted by undertaking that journey. Since they were expected to stay in Lambton and await the Darcys, news of their earlier arrival could only be pleasing.

  “It is quite clear from the manner in which you kissed your bride this morning, sir, that our presence at Pemberley is no longer required,” said Mr. Bennet, smirking as he shook Darcy’s hand outside the church. “We have decided to remove to the inn tonight, so your privacy shall be assured. I have already instructed your servants to deliver our belongings and booked the rooms. And in the morning, we shall depart, though the two of you need not come to see us off.”

  “And have the others agreed to do this as well?” asked Darcy, well pleased by the news. “The Colonel? Mr. and Mrs. Collins? And even the Lucas family?”

  “We have all agreed, sir,” said Mr. Collins, who had overheard the conversation. “For ourselves, my wife and I came out here only after promising Lady Catherine that we would make every effort to talk you out of the marriage. We were not meant to stay and enjoy it if indeed it actually occurred. Though I could not deny her the act of seeing a sister’s happiness secured, and I am certain that, given enough time to calm down, Lady Catherine shall not begrudge her. Though it is well that we have plans to visit Sir William and Lady Lucas for another two weeks before we return to the parsonage.”

  Elizabeth was just as pleased as her new husband to hear that they would have Pemberley to themselves on their wedding night. For although she was somewhat uninformed about what the two of them would be doing together, she was quite certain a great deal of intimacy was sure to be involved. And she had longed to explore the heated feelings which his kisses always stirred, and to discover just how much stronger they could become, ever since his lips had first touched hers.

  Now, they were seated inside their curricle together in all of their finery, with family and friends tossing flowers, rice, and other celebratory items at them. Darcy had no qualms whatsoever about capturing her chin and holding her face steady so he could thoroughly ravage her mouth right in front of them. If this was how he began, Elizabeth could not wait to see how he would continue when they reached their final destination.

  “Has everything been prepared according to my desires?” asked Darcy of Mrs. Reynolds as she greeted them in the foyer. Darcy helped Elizabeth remove her veil and wrap before removing his hat, coat, and gloves.

  “All is in readiness, sir,” she said. “Most of the staff have gone home for the next three days, per the request of your cousin. Also, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Georgiana are among the party who elected to visit the inn, though they shall not leave along with the rest, but will spend a week there to keep out of your way. I shall turn a very deaf ear to anything I might hear tonight, sir, so I hope you were sincere in your hopes not to be disturbed for any reason.”

  “I am exceedingly sincere in it, you may be sure,” he replied, smiling over at Elizabeth. “We shall not be properly attired for company.”

  “Will!” Elizabeth gasped, her face going up into flames. “What has happened to the proper gentleman I believed you to be? You are entirely incorrigible. I have been utterly deceived.”

  “I am myself with you.” He shrugged. “I wish you would be the same with me.”

  Mrs. Reynolds laughed and smiled. “Well then, I shall leave you lovebirds to it. Have a very good evening.”

  Elizabeth halfway expected her husband to lead her directly up to his bedroom, but instead he took her hand and drew her with him into the dining hall, where they discovered a light meal which consisted of quite a few things they might be able to feed one another. By the time they had eaten their fill of grapes and cherries, Elizabeth had no desire even to taste the roasted venison that lay neatly sliced up on one of the silver trays.

  “Food is all very well, my darling,” said Darcy as he cast her a suggestive smile. “But it is hardly what I am hungry for at the moment.”

  They mounted the stairs and headed into the family wing, where her belongings had been placed in the room meant for the Mistress of Pemberley. It was not that suite her husband brought her to, but he stopped just outside the door to his own.

  “It seemed a silly notion to carry you over the threshold into a house where you have already been staying, but this door is much more important in my estimation,” he said as he captured her and lifted her into his arms. “It is where we shall truly make our home.”

  Elizabeth giggled and kicked her feet as he brought her inside. He did not pause to set her down in the sitting area, but pressed on through yet another door which led into his bedchamber. She was blushing hotly when he finally placed her on his bed, where he shortly joined her, drawing her down with him into the pillows.

  “Will!” she protested.

  “Master Will,” he teased as he moved above her, then leaned down to kiss her soundly. “Did I not already tell you of my fantasy, my sweet angel?”

  After that, Master Will brought his angel to the heights of pleasure for the rest of the evening, and well into the following day. When they finally emerged in search of food, Mrs. Darcy was walking most uncomfortably, but she was so happy she di
d not seem to mind.

  “Do you think it is possibly we have conceived your son already?” she asked, blushing.

  “My dearest Lizzy, I would not be much surprised if you did conceive, since so much of the effort in our interactions may well cause such a thing,” he agreed. “Though I hope that is not the only reason you wished to lie with me.”

  Elizabeth smirked. “Sir, it was nothing of the sort. You know very well I simply cannot resist your mastery.”

  “Nor I, yours, my darling,” he agreed.

  Epilogue

  “Charles William Darcy, I know I told you not to ask for another cookie from Mrs. Reynolds today,” Elizabeth scolded her eldest son with a shake of her head. “You shall earn no trust from me with antics such as these.”

  “Forgive me, Mother, but I am so very hungry,” he answered, not repentant but at least reasonable in his addresses to her.