Returning to Mr. Darcy

by Sheena Austin

  “I am ready, Millie.” Millie followed her upstairs to her room.

  As soon as her heavenly bed came into view, the tiredness caught up with her. She was far more exhausted than she let on, still wanting to spend every waking moment with Darcy. She intended to act as though she felt okay, but her body and mind were at war. Millie stood there, again having to clear her throat to get Elizabeth’s attention.

  “Millie, I am fine undressing, you don’t need to make a fuss over me.” Elizabeth flinched at the look of disapproval on Millie’s face.

  “Sorry, your ladyship, but Mr. Darcy gave me strict orders to take care of you, and what Mr. Darcy says, goes.” Elizabeth should’ve been upset at her husband’s demands, especially not being able to undress herself, but after their lovemaking, she relished being looked after by him. She would never let Darcy know since she was not an object to be possessed, but she didn’t mind playing the role for a couple of weeks whilst this insane fantasy lasted.

  “Fine.” She feigned defeat, allowing Millie to pull her dress over her head, removing all traces of her antics by the lake, before dressing her in a crisp cotton nightgown. Millie left with an accomplished expression on her face, obviously delighted that Mr. Darcy would not fire her.

  “Well, I might as well have a nap.” Laying her head down on the soft, downy pillow, she pulled the covers over her head, ready for some rest. She fell asleep, experiencing terrifying dreams of a fiery crash. She felt hot flames licking at her skin; the acrid smell of burning leather invaded her senses, almost as if it weren’t a dream. She couldn’t breathe, gasping for air until she felt those strong, familiar arms pulling her out. The smoke clouded her eyes, too thick for her to see anything. She heard a faint voice—though she was too disoriented to understand what was said. She tried to speak, but heavy smoke and ash filled her mouth, searing her throat. She began to thrash, so terrified of suffocating, desperate to escape the inferno that was burning her from the outside in. She clutched on to whoever was dragging her—saving her, but she felt like everything was moving backward, and seconds later she was falling deeper into the blaze. Too weak to hold on, she let the flames consume her.

  ****

  Elizabeth woke up drenched in sweat, heart pounding, with strained gasps clawing their way out of her sore lungs. She was certain that she was on fire. Feeling lost, blinded by the smoke, and petrified of the flames had Elizabeth flailing her arms and screaming for help. Someone pressed a cool cloth to her forehead, jolting her from her nightmare.

  “Hush, darling Elizabeth, you are safe.” She hesitantly opened her eyes, discovering a single candle lighting the room, flickering ominously, almost mirroring her darkened the mood. She was having trouble focusing and turned to find the source of the voice—Darcy. He placed the cloth on the nightstand, and embraced her shivering body, obviously trying to comfort her. She pulled away abruptly, still distracted by the aftereffects of her hallucination.

  “Please, don’t touch me!” He caressed her hair; she didn’t miss the rejected look that passed through his features.

  “Darling, you are safe.” It felt so real to her; she swore that she could still smell smoke in the air. Moving away from her husband, Elizabeth lay back down, trying to get her bearings. Darcy looked unsure of what to say. Elizabeth knew that he didn’t want her to feel scared; he was protecting her. Recognizing the fear in his eyes, she reached for his hand, stroking it absentmindedly, enjoying the distraction.

  “Please lay down with me,” she whispered, looking up through her lashes into his chocolatey eyes. Naturally, he obeyed and gently laid beside her. He scooted closer to her, encircling Elizabeth in his warm embrace. It was a welcome solace after the ordeal she had experienced.

  “How long did I sleep for? I thought you were going to wake me for my surprise.”

  “Darling, you have missed dinner. You have been asleep for quite some time. I had Millie check on you a couple of times, and to rouse you for dinner. I did not want to be the one to wake the grizzly bear from hibernation. It was not until I heard you scream that I came dashing up the stairs, grizzly bear be damned.”

  “Are you calling your wife a grizzly bear?” She poked Darcy in his deliciously toned side.

  He grinned, feigning fear, palms held up in defeat.“No harm, darling. You are not the most pleasant person when you are awoken. I did not want to be on your bad side, on the off chance that you deny me our little adventure later.”

  She rolled her eyes, secretly enjoying his lighthearted teasing.

  “You failed to answer. Why did you let me sleep, and what about my surprise?” The look that Darcy shot Elizabeth took her breath away; it was so full of love. He stroked her face gently with his thumb, brushing her hair from her eyes. The act wasn’t as soothing as it should’ve been—scenes from her horrific dream still plagued her mind. She desperately hoped that she would soon forget.

  “Darling, there is nothing to fear, you are safe. You need not worry about your surprise tonight. Please rest.” Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, Darcy slowly backed away to pour Elizabeth a glass of water, his back turned to her. He did not want her to see the laudanum he put in her glass. He knew she would refuse it if she knew. He turned back around; he felt guilty for tricking her, but he wanted her to rest and have no nightmares.

  She greedily drank the water, feeling it dripping down her chin. She was very thirsty, drinking so quickly that she almost didn’t taste the laudanum in her glass. She understood why Darcy would sneak her a dose—always protecting his dear wife—though she couldn’t shake the guilt at how accustomed she had become to the taste of the medicine, without her husband knowing. Darcy smiled, oblivious, and wiped the water from her chin, his touch sending a jolt of electricity through her body. She moaned without thinking. A wild look passed through Darcy’s handsome features. He placed the empty glass back on the nightstand, and before she could react, his lips pressed against hers. His whole body was vibrating with passion; she responded, swiping her tongue along his lower lip, demanding entry. Elizabeth’s head swam as their tongues dueled, her body craving more. In one swift movement, he laid her down flat, his sensational body covering hers. Every nerve in her body was set alight, so sensitive to each caress of her skin, each kiss placed from the hollow of her neck to the valley between her breasts, each graze of his arousal against her aching thighs. It was as though the world around her was in slow motion, as he worshipped her body. Much to Elizabeth’s dismay, her eyelids began to droop, her body growing weightless, the effects of the laudanum kicking in. She weakly tried to push Darcy from her body, the moment temporarily halted.

  “You drugged me, you sly devil.”

  He looked confused. “Drugged you? If you are referring to the laudanum in your water, I admit I did it out of love. You need to sleep, my beautiful wife.” Darcy continued peppering her skin with kisses.

  She attempted to push him away. Giving in to her weakness, she thrashed her arms in defeat.

  “Don’t think that I’ll allow you to sweet-talk me, or distract me from your cunning . . .” Before she could finish, he stopped her negations with a chaste kiss. She again reciprocated, before falling into a drug-induced sleep.

  He quietly lay next to her and held her and waited until she fell asleep. Once she started to softly snore, he kissed her gently on the cheek, and left to go to his bedroom. He could not lie with her, for he was restless with thoughts that she might never regain her memory and that he would never have his Elizabeth back.

  Nightmares did not plague Elizabeth; instead, vivid dreams of Darcy played out before her. Vivid dreams as if they were like movies of the past. Her body squirmed with anticipation and desire as Darcy kissed her with passion. A jolt of desire woke her from the dream as Darcy thrust deep inside of her. She awoke, her heart pounding in her ears. Her pulse racing, she touched her lips, feeling where he had kissed her. She turned around to see if Darcy was in the room. Her shoulders slumped in disappointment. She let out a frustrated si
gh. Without hesitation, she slipped out of her room and into the hallway to Darcy’s room.

  ****

  Darcy lay in bed, restless, as he had just woken up from a vivid dream of making passionate love to Elizabeth. He nearly jumped out of bed when the doorknob turned. His heart still racing from the dream, he was disoriented and shocked to see Elizabeth slipping into his room.

  “My love, are you all right?” he asked in a husky voice.

  She bit her lower lip, as his sexy voice sent chills throughout her body. Without a word, she sauntered to his bed and climbed in. Before he could say anything, she wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him with fervor.

  He moaned and reciprocated. He lay her down gently on her back, and climbed on top of her, and continued where he left off in his dream, in which he was thrusting deep inside her. Her body squirmed beneath him, as she nibbled his ear. Her nibbling on his ear only encouraged him to thrust faster and deeper. He relished every curve of her body, and they both climaxed together.

  He rolled onto his side and stroked her hair. “My love, you never did answer me, why you slipped into my room. I am not complaining, it was a pleasant surprise. For I was lying awake, thinking of you. I had a very pleasing dream about you.”

  “I too had a very pleasing dream about you,” she responded in a sultry voice.

  “Well, I am pleased; both of our dreams did come true.” He kissed her softly on her lips.

  She yawned, and he caressed her hair. “My love, I have exhausted you, please rest and we shall talk in the morning.”

  Without hesitation, she snuggled up to him and fell asleep.

  ****

  Elizabeth awoke to find Darcy staring at her, and she smiled. “How long have you been staring at me, Mr. Darcy?”

  “Not long, Mrs. Darcy. I have only been awake for a few moments. I could not help admiring you.”

  Her cheeks flushed, and she turned red. He leaned in and kissed her lips. “As much as I love admiring you half naked, Mrs. Darcy, I think it is only fair that we venture out today, into town. Fresh air will do you some good.”

  She jumped up in joy. She pushed him onto his back, straddled him, and showered his face with kisses.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He moaned. His body reacted as she straddled him. “Shall we go on that little adventure I spoke of yesterday?”

  She answered by grinding against him. He laughed. “I take that as a yes then.”

  She began stroking his aroused manhood. “You would be correct, Mr. Darcy.”

  He removed her hand and flipped her over onto her back. On top of her, he pinned her wrists down with his left hand, and with his free hand, hiked up her nightgown. His fingers explored, tracing up her thigh until he reached her womanhood.

  She squirmed with desire as he stroked her. “Stop teasing me.”

  He removed his fingers and released her. Before she could react, he pulled off his pants. As they hit the floor, there was a knock on the door. Darcy cursed and quickly pulled on his pants. He opened the door, and Millie stood there with breakfast.

  Without noticing the tray, Darcy barked, “There better be a damned good reason why you’re interrupting us, Millie.”

  Millie thrust the tray of sausage, eggs, toast, and jam into Darcy’s hands, and walked out. “I’m such a damn fool,” he stammered, as he walked back to bed. He placed the tray on the nightstand.

  Elizabeth locked eyes on the tray, and her eyes glazed over. Her stomach growled.

  “I guess that answers my question, as to whether you want to continue our adventure.”

  “I’m sorry, darling, but that sausage is practically calling my name.”

  Darcy put his hands up in defeat. “I cannot compete with the size of that sausage.”

  Elizabeth snorted. “Don’t worry, yours is bigger.”

  He laughed and placed the tray on her lap. He sat next to her, grabbed a piece of toast, and kissed the top of her head. “Please excuse me, I am going to bathe, and get ready to take you out.”

  Her shoulders slumped in disappointment that he was not staying. “You won’t stay and eat with me?”

  He smiled and winked. “I’m afraid, darling, what I want isn’t on that tray. I’m hungry for something sweet.”

  She blushed. “Sweet-talker. If you’re good, perhaps you’ll get dessert later.”

  He growled. “Is that a promise?”

  “Yes, I always keep my promises,” she said seductively. She winked as she placed a sausage in her mouth.

  Darcy’s eyes glazed over as he watched his wife suggestively suck on the sausage. He tried to restrain himself from tossing the tray aside and having his way with her. He got up and walked to the door. “I’ll have Millie fetch the tray and dress you in a few.”

  Before she could protest and beg him to stay, he walked out the door. Way to go, Lizzie that was really smooth. Her body ached to have him finish. She slumped her shoulders and sighed. She hoped that her little act didn’t disgust him and turn him off. She chastised herself; no more acting out of character, Lizzie. Triumphant in vowing to be on her best behavior, she finished eating and readied herself without the help of Millie.

  Clean and ready to go, she went downstairs before Millie had a chance to gather her tray and bathe her. She ran down the stairs, almost knocking Millie over. Millie glared and huffed.

  “Oh, I’m very sorry, Millie, have you seen Mr. Darcy?” She sweetly smiled.

  “Mr. Darcy is in his study.” Millie stood along the wall, bracing herself as Elizabeth bounded down the stairs.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Elizabeth remained prim and proper as they rode along the city streets in the carriage. She did not want Darcy to catch on that this was her first time in the city. He sat close to her, with his hand on hers. She was surprised that he was attentive and affectionate after her behavior earlier.

  Darcy broke the silence. “Darling, what is the matter? You are quiet.”

  She turned to face him. “I am fine, my love.” She smiled and turned away and went back to looking out the carriage window.

  They rode past a flower vendor, and Elizabeth’s blood drained from her face. She barked, “Stop.” The driver ignored her, and she grew irritated. “Stop right now, dammit!”

  The carriage came to a halt, and she grabbed the handle. Darcy placed his hand on her shoulder.

  She turned to face Darcy; she could tell he was startled and concerned. “What is it, Elizabeth?”

  Elizabeth panicked, and fear flashed in her eyes. He’s totally going to put me in that asylum now.

  She took his hand. “Darling, riding in the carriage is making me feel ill. I need air.” Shit, is carsick a thing now?

  His eyes reflected confusion and concern. “Of course, darling.” He did not question her any further, and they both departed the carriage.

  Without attracting attention to herself, she scanned for the flower vendor. Her eyes narrowed in concentration. She began to panic when she didn’t see the woman. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her. Darcy, still by her side, took her hand, and she tried not to recoil, smiling instead. “Darling, would you please excuse me for one moment? I would love to look at those beautiful flowers over there.”

  He looked leery. She reassured him. “I will be fine; I would love to have some flowers to brighten up the manor.”

  “Fine, darling.” He did not want to fight with her. He reached into his pockets and gave her a small pouch of coins.

  She speed walked over to the woman. The closer she got, the more her heart raced.

  Elizabeth finally approached the flower seller, but she had her back turned to Elizabeth. “Excuse me, I would like to buy flowers.”

  When the woman turned around, Elizabeth’s body went into shock. Elizabeth grabbed the flower cart; she felt faint.

  “Lizzie,” the woman said as she took Elizabeth’s hands to steady her. “Darcy is watching, please breathe.”


  “Aunt Jane,” Elizabeth whispered. Her senses were bombarded, and her knees buckled, wanting to give way.

  Jane held on to her. “Darling, you need to breathe before Darcy comes over here.”

  Elizabeth obeyed and closed her eyes to ground herself. Once she opened her eyes, her heart was still racing, but she managed to remain calm. She did not want to alert Darcy. She knew he would drag her away from Jane. She did not want to jeopardize her chances of seeing her again. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

  “Honey, I am your guardian. I was sent to watch over you,” Jane said as she wrapped up some flowers.

  Elizabeth’s eyes grew wide and her jaw slack. “So, Darcy is real? He isn’t a psycho nut job who kidnapped me?”

  Jane nodded as she handed her white roses. “My dear, I cannot get into everything. We must hurry, Darcy, is on his way.”

  Elizabeth panicked. “Come to Pemberley in two weeks, I’m having a party.” She quickly placed coins in her aunt’s hands.

  Without another word, Elizabeth walked back to Darcy. Elizabeth tried to remain calm, but she wanted to collapse and cry. She tried to hide her weariness and sadness from Darcy, but she never did have a good poker face. “Darling, what is the matter with you? What did that old peddler woman say to you?” Darcy was in protective mode and wanted to go over and berate the woman for upsetting his wife.

  However, Elizabeth placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort and reassure him as best she could. “My love, please. All is well, she said nothing at all.”

  Darcy did not believe her at all. He took her hand from his shoulder, kissed it, and started to walk toward the woman, but he stopped when he could no longer find her. He thought that perhaps it was for the best since he was not going to hold back his displeasure at her upsetting his wife. He did not want to upset his wife any further; he was afraid she already thought he was a beast, and he tried to contain his temper for her sake.