Chance Encounters

by Linda Wells

  “William.” Elizabeth said, watching her husband butter a piece of toast, but noticing an unusual tremble in his hands. “Is there something on your mind?”

  He smiled and looked towards her but did not meet her eye. What makes you ask that?”

  “You seem particularly animated this morning.”

  He pressed his lips together, suppressing a smile. “Really?” Georgiana giggled and he kicked her leg under the table. “How so?”

  Elizabeth’s gaze moved between the siblings, becoming more suspicious as the time passed. “You are both behaving like guilty children. What have you done?” She demanded.

  “Done? Why nothing, nothing at all.” Darcy smiled.

  “No, nothing, Elizabeth.” Georgiana giggled again.

  She sighed. “Fine, if you prefer to behave childishly I will. . .”

  Darcy interrupted. “Lizzy, shall we take a carriage ride today?”

  She was completely thrown by the change of subject. “A carriage ride? But do you not have work to do with the harvest?”

  “No, my work is finished for now. I thought that since we have not seen much of each other of late, you might enjoy a ride with me. You have seen very little of the surrounding area.” He stared into her eyes, determined to give nothing away.

  “Well, yes, I would enjoy that very much, but. . .”

  “Splendid!” Darcy interrupted again. “Shall we say, let us meet in the foyer in fifteen minutes?” He jumped up and left the room, leaving his completely befuddled Elizabeth watching as he disappeared.

  “You should go and prepare yourself, Elizabeth; you know how William behaves when he is late.” She smiled sweetly.

  Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. “Georgiana, what is he up to?”

  “Really Elizabeth it is simply a carriage ride. Now go!” Georgiana had advanced upon her and dragged her from the chair.

  Elizabeth admitted defeat and went upstairs to take care of necessities. She could hear Darcy rattling around in his dressing room, but he did not approach her. She appeared on time in the foyer to find her widely grinning husband waiting.

  “Are you ready, my love?” He was bouncing on his heels.

  “I suppose I must be.” She looked at him suspiciously, wondering what had happened to the man she married, something had changed.

  He turned and kissed Georgiana’s cheek. “Now you behave yourself while we are gone, dear.”

  “I could say the same of you!” She smiled at him and sent a look of delight to her sister. He laughed and grabbing Elizabeth’s hand pulled her outside and quickly into the carriage, which immediately began to move.

  “William, I could not help but notice Rosie and Rogers and a vast amount of luggage in a second carriage. Please tell me what we are doing?” She demanded, brooking no more foolishness.

  He pulled her gently into his embrace and kissed her lips, very softly, allowing their mouths to linger and their senses to drink in the warmth of their mingled breath, and whispered into her ear. “My dearest wife, I am absconding with you to a beautiful cottage on a lake. I think we have earned ourselves a honeymoon.” He looked into her eyes, his soft and warm, and full of his love for her. She stared into his and she finally let her fear go. This was her husband and he loved her, whatever life brought them they would face together. She touched his cheek and nodded.

  “Yes it is time to begin again.” Darcy held her tightly and sighed with relief.

  THE TRIP TO THE COTTAGE would take two days. After leaving Pemberley, the couple settled into a comfortable embrace, talking about everything but the subject that most concerned them both. Darcy was undecided about what to do that first night. If things between them were as they had been, he would not hesitate to take her to bed and love her most thoroughly at the inn; however, things being as they were, he wondered if he should wait until they had the privacy of the cottage to start over. He kept a quiet watch on Elizabeth all day, trying to measure her mood, and finally decided that he would leave it in her hands. If she gave him even the slightest signal of readiness, he would gladly acquiesce to her desires.

  For her part, Elizabeth could feel the intense desire radiating from William. Every look, every sigh, even the way that he held her to him, made the purpose of this trip quite clear. He wanted her. It was extraordinarily satisfying to have such an incredibly handsome and powerful man want her so palpably. The wonderful discovery was that she felt the return of her equally intense appetite for him as well. She closed her eyes and considered the night. Should they wait until arriving at the cottage? If this had truly been their honeymoon trip, as was originally planned, would they have been capable of waiting so long? She smiled and inwardly laughed. No, they would not have been able to keep their hands off each other, despite their mutual lack of experience. She decided to pretend that they were truly just leaving the church, freshly wed, and began to behave accordingly.

  She glanced up at William from her position nestled against his chest. She saw that he was staring out the window, deep in thought. Taking a breath, she thought, Now, Lizzy, what did you imagine touching first on this man? She decided to start with the spot that always garnered his attention. He loved to feel her touch his chest. Her hand was already resting on his stomach, so it was no great accomplishment to begin gently unbuttoning his waistcoat. He did not seem to be aware of her movements. Succeeding with her task, she considered the best method to claim his bare skin. His cravat was definitely in the way, and she knew from experience that she would likely strangle him if she tried to untie it without his help, so approaching from above was not an option. She looked down at his waist and realized that the only way to achieve her goal was to unbutton his trousers, but how to do it without his notice? Looking up to him, she found to her delight that he had closed his eyes, and was resting his head on the back of the seat. What she did not realize was that Darcy was well aware of her quiet movements, as he had been watching her most carefully. Inwardly he was rejoicing in her instigating their play, and chose to simply let her take the lead.

  Elizabeth carefully loosened the buttons at the top of his trousers, accidentally brushing her hand over the fall, and feeling the unmistakable presence of a very full erection. She quickly drew her hand away and looked back up at him. He did not react. She then began to slowly tug his shirt upwards. When it seemed to become stuck, William fortunately moved slightly in his sleep, and she was able to completely remove the shirt tail from its tucked position. Smiling with her success, she then slid her hands underneath, and finally up to touch his warm, smooth skin, gliding her fingers along him in the way that he desperately craved.

  Unable to hold back any longer he let out a low moan. “Oh Lizzy, how I have missed you!” Darcy’s eyes, darkened with desire, bore into hers and he pulled her up to his lap. Lowering his mouth, their lips met with deep hunger and longing. They did absolutely nothing but kiss and caress each other until their jaws ached. When they finally pulled apart, Darcy held her tightly to him and buried his face in her hair. “Please Elizabeth, may I love you tonight?”

  “Yes, William. I need you, and have missed you so much.” They both sighed, and spent the remaining hour of that day’s journey wrapped in their embrace.

  UPON THEIR ARRIVAL at the inn, Darcy burst into a frenzy of activity. The carriage containing the luggage had arrived ahead of them and their servants had already prepared the rooms. Darcy gave them precise orders. A meal was to be delivered and left in the sitting room, a bath was to be prepared in the Mistress’s chambers, and they were otherwise to leave them alone until morning. This information was given within moments of descending from the carriage, and Elizabeth hardly noticed that he had left her side as she was occupied admiring the scenery and the appearance of mountains in the distance. She felt the change in temperature. It was much cooler there than Derbyshire, and she shivered a little.

  Darcy returned just in time to see her rub her arms, and offered her his large warm hand. “Shall we, my love?” He looked down at h
er, so many emotions playing across his face.

  She nodded and smiled shyly up at him, stroking his cheek. “Yes please, William.”

  They entered the inn and Rogers led them straight to their rooms. Elizabeth walked into the sitting room, then into the far bedroom and stood, looking out of the window. It was not until she heard the soft click of the lock turning in the door that she looked around to see her husband standing before her, staring unblinking down into her face, practically shaking with desire. “Lizzy.” Was all he said before he pulled her against him and crushed his mouth down to hers. His kisses were matched in fervour with those from his wife. His hands were all over her, stroking, caressing, and ultimately cupping her bottom and raising her off of the floor so that he could rub his erection into the warmth that he knew was waiting for him. Elizabeth’s hands began to tug at his clothes. Deftly her small fingers made short work of the buttons, and for once, successfully untied his neck cloth. His clothing began forming a neglected heap on the floor, leaving his warm, bare chest anticipating her strokes. He began to wrestle with the hopelessly small buttons on her dress, until with a growl of frustration, he spun her around and ripped the back of her dress apart, showering them with a cascade of white shell. Her squeal of surprise only made him more intent to expose her body. He ripped off her corset, her chemise, her petticoat and soon left her standing trembling before him in nothing but her silk stockings and garters, a sight that made him harder, if possible. Elizabeth pulled open his trousers and small clothes and dropped them to the ground, so he too stood before her, in all of his masculine glory.

  He pulled her back against him, and kissed her, rubbed her, felt her, revelled in her luscious, voluptuous body. Elizabeth grabbed his behind and held him firmly against her, joyously reacquainting herself with the feel of his engorged manhood stabbing into her belly. Darcy scooped her up and dropped her on the bed, her body bouncing slightly before he dove on top of her. She barely had time to draw breath before he began laving her breasts, running his tongue up and around, sucking in the nipples, moaning the entire time, telling her exactly what he thought of her body and what he wanted to do next. And he was as good as his word. As soon as he satisfied his hunger for her breasts, his ravenous mouth ate its way down to her mound. He spread her legs apart and plunged between them, first rubbing his lips and nose over her, drinking in the scent and spreading the wetness over his face, then licking, shuddering with the longed-for taste of his wife’s essence. He worked hard, satisfying another craving, hearing his Elizabeth’s moans. They were soft at first, and grew harsher and rasping until he felt her fingers, deeply entwined in his curls, grab his head and drive it deeper into her as she shook violently with her passion. Only then did he relent and climb back up her body, and with the utmost joy entered her, thrusting with precision and power. He watched her face, watched her breasts roll with each of his strokes, and loved the feeling of passion he achieved taking this woman once again. Oh, how he loved her!

  Elizabeth tried to keep up with him, but she realized very quickly that this act was his alone; he needed to prove his desire for her. He needed to touch and love her in the ways that he had been imagining throughout the long, long, wait for her to welcome him again. She held onto him and revelled in everything that he had to give. His thrusting returned her to the peak, and her moans turned into the calls for him to love her harder, faster, deeper. He wanted it to go on forever, but his moment was fast approaching, and with a great roar of satisfaction, he felt his own release arrive, lasting longer and more powerfully than ever before. He collapsed upon her, kissing her desperately, telling her of his love and passion for her, and held her against him, promising his love for her would never die.

  The two spent lovers lay clasped in each other’s arms for some time, regaining their breath and their composure. It was Elizabeth who finally broke the silence that had descended between them. “Will?” She whispered, running her hands over his chest.

  “Mmm. Yes, my dearest, loveliest, Elizabeth?” Darcy murmured contentedly.

  “What do you suppose we will find to do with our time once we reach the cottage?” She lifted her head from its preferred position over his thumping heart and looked at him, grinning. Darcy rejoiced, smiling into her dancing, mischievous eyes. His Lizzy was back.

  “I think, my love, we are far too long out of practice, and we must work to refine our lovemaking techniques.”

  Elizabeth laughed. “Yes, we must become most proficient in our study.”

  “Lizzy, references to my Aunt Catherine will not encourage proficiency, particularly in this field.” Darcy looked at her seriously. Elizabeth began tracing her hands down his sides, eliciting a groan which was only heightened when her clever fingers wrapped around his growing sticky manhood. “But you will not object to proficiency in this area, will you my love?”

  He growled, and reached his hand to stroke between her legs. “Not if you do not object to proficiency in this area, my love.”

  She moaned. “Teach me again, William.”

  A GREAT DEAL OF SLEEP was lost that night, and upon rising the next morning, the couple stared in awe at the havoc their reunion has wreaked upon the room. A very proud Darcy escorted his deeply blushing wife past the curious gazes of the inn’s other guests, and had his man provide the innkeeper with a bonus for their trouble. The two climbed into their carriage and looked at each other silently for a moment, then burst into laughter. They settled into a comfortable embrace and soon the rocking of the carriage lulled them to regain the sleep they neglected during the night.

  Elizabeth awakened many hours later to the soft trace of Darcy’s fingers as he brushed the hair from her face. “Good afternoon, Elizabeth.” He said smiling down at her.

  She stretched and yawned, and smiled back at him. “Good afternoon, William.” She sat up and looked out of the window and gasped. The scenery was stunning. All around them were snow-capped mountains, and before them was a beautiful lake nestled in a great green valley. It was breathtaking. “Where are we?” She whispered.

  “This is Cumbria.” he said, pointing, “And that is Windermere.” He indicated the sparkling lake. “Our cottage has a beautiful view of the lake, and there are many walking trails and scenic vistas. And the waterfalls, Lizzy, I cannot wait to show them to you!” He kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly.

  “When were you last here?” She tipped her head back to see his eyes shining.

  “Last summer. I brought Georgiana here after Ramsgate. I hoped it would help her, but she was not able to enjoy it then.” He said sadly.

  “I think that you are wrong. When I have spoken to her about our plans to visit here, she described it with great fondness, and said that it was a place that brought her peace when she felt troubled.” She studied his face. “I think that your idea to bring her here was very effective, she just could not express it to you then.”

  He kissed her. “How do you always know how to make me feel better, darling?” She just smiled. She was very much aware of how deeply she had hurt him by her withdrawal, how much he must have been starving for some sort of sign from her that all would be well. She knew better than anyone his insecurity and how she failed to reassure him. And here he was telling her that she made him happy. What a fool she had been! In her defence, she could only say that she hardly realized what she was doing at the time.

  Before long they reached the cottage and she laughed. “What is it?” He asked, watching her.

  “I realize that I should know better by now, William, but when you said “cottage” I envisioned something in the way of a building with four or five rooms.” She looked at the imposing stone structure before her. “This is as large as Longbourn! I wonder what your definition of a hunter’s blind would be? Perhaps a six room apartment with a butler and cook?”

  He grinned at her. “Are you calling me overindulged, my lady?”

  “No, I am calling you under experienced, sir.” She smiled, stroking his nose.

&n
bsp; He shook his head. “I think that I know the difference between each of the dwellings you described. It is not my fault that some ancient ancestor dubbed this place a cottage.”

  She raised her brow. “You simply continue the tradition of the improper description?”

  He nodded. “Precisely, my dear wife. You know how deeply ingrained is my desire to always uphold duty, honour, and tradition for the Darcy name.”

  “Except when choosing your wife.”

  “Especially when choosing my wife.”

  She looked at him, surprised. “How did choosing me satisfy all of your requirements of being an exemplary member of the Darcy family?”

  “I chose the very best.” He kissed her. “That alone meets all of the requirements, and honours our name.” He looked sincerely into her eyes.

  “Thank you, William.” She said, very softly.

  THE TWO SOON SETTLED into the beautiful home and spent the next two weeks in blissful solitude. The outside world could not intrude upon them. He showed her the views, and took her sailing on the lake. They climbed rocks and enjoyed long walks and rides. They made love spontaneously and passionately, even indulging a few of his favourite fantasies in the process. Through it all though, he kept a careful watch on her, looking for evidence of sadness, or worse, the fear that seemed to lurk in her. After trying and failing so many times, he had not the courage anymore to ask her about it, and his not knowing made him dread that he was the cause of her anxiety. He tried very hard to tell himself that it was his foolish imagination, and was pleased that he could honestly say that she seemed to be returning to her vibrant, happy self.