by Wells, Linda
“I hope Mrs. Darcy stops feeding her soon, it is time for an heir to come along.” Mrs. Reynolds fretted.
“He’ll come in his own good time.” Adams chuckled.
“I was upstairs.” Matthews began and all eyes turned to him. “Um, Miss Darcy … Is she given to wandering the halls at night?”
“What?”
“I was just looking over the nursery for the guests, and when I came down to the family wing, I spotted Miss Darcy outside the master’s chambers. Lingering a bit.” He shrugged and looked at his hands. “It’s none of my business.”
“She did that at Darcy House, too.” Millie said softly.
“I wouldn’t think too much on it.” Mrs. Robbins stood and smoothed her gown. “She was distraught when they were hurt, and as you point out, Mr. Nichols; they are not quite healed yet. It just shows how fortunate we are to have such good employers. Everyone worries over them.”
“COME ALONG!” Darcy called.
“Slow down!” Elizabeth cried and gave Emma a nudge. “I have not been on a horse for nearly a year!”
“Forgive me, love. My enthusiasm overtook my good sense.” He reined in Richard and waited for her to catch up. “You are doing remarkably well. What a shame.”
“A shame?” She laughed. “And why is that?”
“If you had forgotten everything, then I would have to teach you all over again.” Darcy leaned over to bestow a kiss. “Do you remember sharing Richard?”
“I do.” They kissed again then laughed as the horses moved them apart. Elizabeth squealed when she lost her hold, but Darcy’s steady hand caught her in time. “Perhaps one horse would have been better.”
“Perhaps. Are you comfortable?”
“I will not be in the morning, I am certain.” They laughed and started walking again. “So we have no destination?”
“No.” He smiled and looked around. “We have not had a chance to just be ourselves for so long. Let us explore and see what has changed. There is no hurry to return, is there?”
“No, none at all.” She watched him and saw that he was fine; the gentle pace did not affect him like galloping would. “Although it should probably be before sunset so the household does not panic again.” Her laughter bubbled up and he grinned. “Who knew how dedicated the stable staff is!”
“I suppose that we could have come down.” Darcy smiled and looked at her fondly. “But it was so much nicer hiding up there with you.”
“I cannot believe you talked me into … with them just below!”
“It was rather thrilling.” He confessed. “Almost being caught.” Elizabeth gasped. “I know, I know, I would have been mortified, but … It is your fault!”
“Mine!”
“Yes! How do you expect a man to behave, trapped in a hayloft, starving for food and comfort?”
“Comfort, you found comfort, that is certain!”
“And you did not?”
“My jaw was tired.” She said with a poorly hidden smile.
“I ached for more.” Darcy’s hand reached out and took hers. “You cannot possibly know what that kiss means to me.”
“Oh, I have an idea.” Darcy blushed and kissed her hand. “I have an idea for more kisses.”
“More?” He sighed. “Where?”
“All over you.” Seeing a slow smile appear, she leaned over and whispered. “But I will not tell you when.”
“Anticipation.” He sat up straight and confidently looked out over their land. “I cannot wait.”
Chapter 24
“I have to tell you Georgiana, your playing is beautiful. I have enjoyed listening to you this morning while I toiled away with plans for our guests.” Elizabeth smiled. “I am quite envious!”
“Oh Elizabeth, stop.” She blushed. “You play very well.”
“You are being far too kind. I just do not seem to have enough hours in the day to practice anymore, perhaps this winter when there is much less to accomplish. At least I can sing wherever I am, and your brother may hear me and find some modicum of pleasure.” She laughed and reached for her account book for the household. “I may just sing as I check these figures, which is fortunate, for the funds spent still astound me, and I am much more likely to be shocked into silence at the sight of them.”
“Will you teach me as you have been teaching Mary? How to be a mistress?” She said quietly.
Elizabeth stopped her work and looked up. “Of course. Surely you are not wishing to be burdened with this duty yet? Mary will be out in the spring, and that means she is ready to be a wife. I am simply preparing her for what will come with some man. With the connection to our family, she will be desired, despite her small dowry.”
“But will not Brother give her more?”
“He will present her a gift upon her wedding, just as he did for Jane.” She smiled and squeezed Georgiana’s hand. “Your brother made a great sacrifice in marrying me. I brought little into this marriage, and I am young. If we have many children, he will not have my dowry to help provide for the girls. As much as we would love to settle large sums on my sisters, we have to be prepared for our own children should they come and hopefully survive to marry one day.”
“Oh Elizabeth! I cannot imagine you losing any children!” Georgiana cried.
“I have no desire to imagine it either, but it does happen, as you know.” Seeing her downcast eyes, she tilted her head. “Now, why are we discussing such a sad subject? What brings you here? Or do you just miss me?”
“Of course I miss you. You are always with Fitzwilliam or Rosalie, and now Mary … And Jane is coming. And everyone else.” She looked at her hands. “I thought it would be different.”
Turning in her chair, Elizabeth gave her full attention to her. “You thought that we would be alone more often? You wish that we were not hosting our family?”
“That is petty, is it not?” She looked up and bit her lip.
“To be honest with you, neither your brother nor I are really ready to host people for an extended period, but this is family. Your cousins have been very worried about us. They will only be here a short time before leaving for Matlock. It will not be so bad.”
“But then there is harvest.”
“And the Harvest Home.” Elizabeth smiled. “You enjoy that.”
“But then I will leave and Mary will get to return with you.” She looked back down at her hands.
Immediately, Elizabeth understood. “It will be a new school. Does that worry you? You do understand why we would not send you back to Mrs. Banks?”
“Yes.” She said quietly. “I will have to make new friends all over again.”
“You know how to now. And you will have Kitty there with you, so you already will have a friend.”
Georgiana said nothing then spoke to her shoes. “Mary yelled at me today.”
“Did she? That does not sound like her. What did you do to draw my sister from her shell?”
“She … she compared me to Lydia, doing things to draw attention. I … I do not do that do I?” She looked up worriedly. “She is so loud and pouty, I … I am really very shy. But Mary said that I am purposely taking forever to finish the reading assignment that Fitzwilliam gave me because then I have to discuss what I have done and spend time with him. And that I follow you around asking questions all the time to distract you from everyone else.”
“Is that what you are doing?” She studied her. “Mary is very observant; I have a feeling that she is not too far off the mark.” Elizabeth bit her lip and decided on her course. “I do not think that you are like Lydia. She draws attention to herself because she has heard nothing but praise since the moment she entered the world, and craves it constantly. Nobody ever said no to her until very recently, and I am afraid that it will lead her to a very unhappy future one day. No amount of schooling will likely touch what has become of her. You, I think, are frightened, and have been since your papa died.”
Tears welled up in her eyes and she fell into Elizabeth’s ar
ms. “What will I do if I lose you?”
“We are well, Georgiana, we are!” She hugged her. “And even if we are very busy with all of our responsibilities, you are never far from our minds and we are always ready to talk to you.” Drawing back she wiped her cheek. “Your papa never said no to you, did he?”
“No.”
“And Fitzwilliam tried to continue that, but found that he was incapable of being a lax parent.” She laughed when Georgiana sighed. “And your aunt and uncle were very strong examples for you, and then I came along. And I am wicked.”
“No you are not!” She sat up and stared at her.
“I just work in collusion with your evil brother?” She suggested.
“He is not evil, either.”
“And your aunt and uncle, and the rest of the family?”
“I suppose that they are just looking out for me, and want me to be a girl that Papa would be proud of.”
“A woman your papa would be proud to give over to a very special gentleman one day.” Elizabeth smiled.
“Fitzwilliam is not well yet, is he?”
Sighing, Elizabeth took her hand. “No, but he is a little better every day. Is that frightening for you?” Georgiana nodded. “Well it is frightening for all of us, but I have faith that all will be fine.”
“Are you better?”
“Yes, as long as I do not try to lift anything or hold Rosalie very long.” She watched her carefully, and saw that Georgiana was unconvinced. “What else frightens you?”
“When you fight.”
“Hmm, well our fights are not that terrible, are they? No china gets thrown! Oh, Georgiana, I know that you want endless harmony and bliss, but even two people who deeply love each other can get on each other’s last nerve from time to time, especially when we are frightened about something.” She smiled when Georgiana’s eyes opened wide. “Now, back to you and this call for attention that your shy self insists on displaying. What are we going to do about it?”
“Stop it, I suppose.” She sighed. “I guess it is what you said once, I am not a woman, but I am not a little girl anymore.”
“So the woman in you needs to recognize when you are behaving like a little girl.” Elizabeth studied her and nodded. “I think that you need an occupation beyond your music and your brother’s little reading assignments. We will talk to him and discuss how you can fill your time really studying and not worrying so much about us. Mrs. Somers will be back with you soon and she can keep you working.”
“Oh.”
“Not quite what you had in mind?” Elizabeth laughed.
“No, but I suppose it is the right thing to do.” She stared back down at her hands.
“I suppose.” Elizabeth stood and gave her a hug, and wondered what else they could do. She would have to talk it over with Darcy. With all their worries and responsibilities, it seemed that Georgiana had been feeling very neglected. Kissing her cheek, she whispered. “See? You are not like Lydia at all; she never would have asked these questions or worried about anyone else.”
Georgiana left Elizabeth’s study and walked slowly down the hallway, lost in thought. “They fight when they are frightened.” She glanced up the stairs. Darcy had gone up earlier and it was worrying. She feared that he was about to suffer another terrible headache and had felt it coming on. Despite Elizabeth’s assurances, she felt afraid that he was very ill. He was always so hard to understand, so serious and quiet, except when Elizabeth was near. His slight smile could mean almost anything, or that he was hiding almost anything.
She found herself by the door to Darcy’s study, and paused, looking at it. Rarely did she enter, and never uninvited. But not long ago, this had been her father’s study, and since Darcy had changed virtually nothing since his death, it was where she felt closest to him.
She stepped inside and closed the door. Walking around the desk, her hand ran over the polished wood, then looking back to the doorway, she settled into her father’s chair, and thought of how much she missed him. With her eyes closed, she rested her hands on the leather arms and in her mind begged him to look after Darcy and Elizabeth. Many times since the attack she had awakened, and scared, crept into the hallway to stand outside of their chamber door, listening to hear some sign of life to assure her that they were well. If it was very late, it might be her brother’s soft snoring. If it was early, it might be the sound of their muffled voices; or the creak of the bed as they moved, just something to confirm that they were breathing. Since returning to Pemberley though, she had lingered longer and longer, wondering what they talked about and why they laughed so much and so differently than when they were with other people, and why they did not do something about their bed, and if the moans she sometimes heard were caused by pain from their wounds, or something else …
She opened her eyes to see the miniature portraits on her brother’s desk, and wondered what he thought about when he looked upon them. Then she wondered about the journals they kept. How many times had she found him before he married, staring at the pages? And how many times had she seen them both writing in them, then sharing them with each other, sometimes with smiles, and sometimes with tears.
Urgently needing to know if he was well, she left the room and mounting the stairs, found herself outside of the master’s bedchamber. Not hearing anything, she moved up the hallway to listen at the sitting room door. “Perhaps he is ill.” She thought worriedly and opened the door, stepping inside. It was empty, as were the bedchambers. She was about to leave when she spied their journals sitting on the writing desk. The temptation to understand this part of their marriage was irresistible. She walked forward and picked one up. It naturally fell open to a page, and as she began to read, she did not notice the knot of ribbon that fell to the floor.
21 May 1809
Hearing voices in the hallway and a door closing, Georgiana startled and straightened, listening … then bent her head and started to read again.
21 May 1809
I can barely manage to put into words the joy I feel this night, no this morning! And when the sun rises at last, and if I miraculously calm enough to find sleep, I will awaken knowing that I am no longer alone. My Elizabeth, my love, the subject of so many dreams and desires said yes to me. She will be my own for the rest of our lives. I know that many things, no doubt momentous, happened at the ball, perhaps things that will affect our lives for months, even years to come. But all that I know, all that I care to remember, are those precious moments alone in my uncle’s garden, where my dearest, loveliest, Elizabeth fell into my arms and confessed that her heart was mine for eternity. She nearly took back her yes; she offered me a chance to change my mind, to escape if I had spoken in haste. Foolish, wonderful, woman! Three times she offered me release, and she questioned me, demanding why I would want her, and not accepting anything less than the absolute truth. Twice, I was required to propose. She cares not of what I have, but only wants me! Oh what a glorious woman! We will not have a marriage of quiet complacency. We will knock heads and make love. We will enjoy every moment and I know already that we will fight for each other in times of trouble. I know it, I feel it, we will have a marriage like no other I have ever known, and it all began with her saying yes to me. I cannot wait to begin, my Elizabeth, the taste of your lips is fresh on my tongue, the scent of your perfume has infused my soul, and the feel of your body under my hands makes me feel weak and powerful all at once, and I crave more. So much more. Thank you, my love.
“ohhhh.” Georgiana’s heart was racing, and eagerly, she turned the page to read his next entry when she heard the door opening. Panicking, she closed the book and dashed into Darcy’s bedchamber, but stayed behind the door to see who was there.
“Is everything ready?” Darcy asked and closed the door.
“Mmmmm. I think so, as ready as it will be until we find out what was missed.” Elizabeth laughed and he chuckled. “Did you enjoy your talk with Rosalie?”
“You know full well that I did.” He sigh
ed happily. “She had many important facts to impart.”
“Really? Concerning her gentleman callers?” Elizabeth laughed.
Darcy groaned. “Do not even jest about that, love. I am not looking forward to that time at all.”
“I was already certain of that, but you have many years to practice your protective glower.” Georgiana giggled into her hand and heard them kiss. “I cannot wait to see Jane.”
“I hope that Lucas handles it well. Darcy House overwhelmed him, but I suppose that Jane has him thoroughly prepared.” There was the sound of a body settling into one of the chairs near the fireplace. Georgiana peeked through the keyhole and spotted Elizabeth’s slippers standing between Darcy’s boots. “Come here.”
There was a swish and a cry. “Unhand me you ruffian!”
Darcy’s low laugh filled the air. “mmmm, do you wish for a ruffian? Would you like a handsome highwayman to accost your carriage, fair maiden?”
“Only if my far more handsome husband came riding to my rescue on his jet black steed.” She said softly. The room quieted and the soft sound of kisses and sighs filled the air. “Oh Will.”
“Your scent is driving me mad, love.” There was the rustle of a gown. “Your legs are so soft; your thighs beg to be tasted.” Georgiana pressed her hands to her mouth. Darcy’s breathing became unsteady and Elizabeth moaned. “So warm.”
“Willlll, oh more.”
“Another?” He whispered.
“Rub … Oh yes, slower.”
“I will be sticky with you.” He sighed. “I want to make you wet with me.” He drew a sharp breath and moaned, “OH, Lizzy, what ohhhh, love, please, yes, oh yes, kiss me there!”
Georgiana cracked open the door and saw that Elizabeth was in Darcy’s lap, his hand was under her skirt, and she was kissing his throat. Mesmerized, she stayed glued to the spot and watched. Elizabeth drew away and Darcy’s dark eyes met hers. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed deeply and slowly. “I want you so badly.” Darcy murmured against her ear, and kissed down her throat while his hands caressed her body. “Do we have time?”
