by Linda Wells
Darcy quietly accepted the congratulations of the group of men he had joined when Mr. Bennet introduced him as the man his Lizzy would marry. The surprise of the local gentleman was subdued, obviously Mr. Bennet was correct; the match was expected. Some men offered their hands in congratulations, some eyed him with speculation, wondering at the rapidity of the attachment, but it seemed one and all recognized that winning Elizabeth was winning a treasure. With that, Darcy could not agree more, although they seemed to value only her beauty and wit, where he knew there was so much more to his dearest friend then they could ever imagine. He was extraordinarily uncomfortable being the centre of attention and turned the conversation away from himself, encouraging discussion of the war news, and breathed a sigh of relief when he was able to remove to the background again. Darcy wondered how much longer he must stay to have put in a respectable appearance. All that he wanted to do was return to Netherfield. He was anticipating another night in Elizabeth’s bed, although he swore that he would not allow their displays of affection to go beyond what they had already experienced. He felt a tightening of his breeches at the memory and shifted uncomfortably. He glanced across the room to find a distraction and spotted Lucas. In an instant his warm amorous thoughts changed to those of heated anger.
Mr. Bennet spotted the change in his expression, and followed his gaze. “Mr. Darcy, you do not need to begin a free-for-all here tonight. Try to restrain yourself.”
He turned to Mr. Bennet in amazement. “Do you think that I would fight him here?”
“No sir, I was merely stating something ridiculous to draw your attention. It worked, did it not?” He raised his brow and tilted his head, a move so like Elizabeth that Darcy actually smiled.
“Indeed.” He relaxed. Lucas could not harm him, the engagement was official. “You remind me of Elizabeth.”
Mr. Bennet laughed. “Well, I suppose I should!” He sobered. “I will miss her terribly when you take her away.”
“Sir, I appreciate that more than you know; please be assured that you and your family will be welcome at Pemberley or in London when we are in residence.” Darcy spoke sincerely.
“I thank you for that. I hate to let her go, but I know that she does not belong here. She is meant for bigger things. She can learn so much from you.”
“It is odd that you say that sir, because I feel that I have learned a great many things from her already.” The men smiled.
“Will she be returning home soon?” Mr. Bennet asked quietly.
Darcy looked down and said reluctantly, “She is feeling better, but she spent most of the day sleeping. I believe the decision is hers.”
Mr. Bennet laughed. “Well, that is certainly true. She will declare herself well and there will be no stopping her, whether she is or not.” He looked over the wistful expression on Darcy’s face. “You will be married to her soon enough. I do envy you. I went into marriage without any expectation of happiness, and I see you, all anticipation. It is good to see such love for my daughter.” He nodded over at John. “I do not believe that would have been the case with Lucas. I think that he would have been triumphant over the prize, but would not have appreciated the gift.”
“I believe you are correct.” Darcy looked around the room. “Will you tell Elizabeth the story of your marriage? I think that she would appreciate your trust, as well as knowing her aunt. I will be honest with you sir, I feel uncomfortable not telling her, but feel that it is your story to explain.”
Mr. Bennet shook his head. “I am not ready to tell her.” Darcy nodded and jumped when he felt Bingley touch his arm.
“Come gentlemen; let us take in this meal so we can return to our homes.”
Mr. Bennet laughed. “Mr. Bingley, I rather expect you to be paying me a private call sometime soon.” He lifted his brow and Bingley flushed.
“Yes, sir.”
On their way in to the dinner, John sidled up to Darcy. “I know what you did.”
Turning to him, Darcy looked at him. “Pardon me?”
“You denied a man his inheritance from your father’s will. You denied him a living. You are not worthy of Miss Elizabeth.” Darcy’s head tilted, watching him. This story sounded painfully familiar.
“What man do you speak of? Give me his name.”
John flushed. “I … I do not know his name.”
“Then how do you know that what he speaks is true?” Darcy’s eyes travelled the room, seeking out a familiar face, but came up empty. He looked back at John. “Be sure of your facts before spreading rumours, sir. It does you and nobody you know any good.” He stepped away and approached the dining room, his appetite gone. Finding Bingley he leaned down. “I think that I will return to Netherfield. I will send the carriage back for you.”
Bingley stood. “What is wrong?”
Darcy shook his head. “It is nothing.”
Bingley looked at his friend carefully. “It is not nothing; Darcy.” He signalled Hurst who strolled over. “We are going to return home.” Darcy protested but Bingley ignored him.
“Is there a problem?” Hurst asked. Darcy stared at his hands then looked away. “Well, apparently there is. Come we will farewell our host.” The brothers left to express their regrets to Colonel Forster and Darcy was approached by Mr. Bennet.
“Leaving so soon?” He asked with an amused smile.
“Uh, yes sir, we …”
Mr. Bennet stopped him by holding up his hand. “Please do not even try to explain, just wish my daughters good night for me.” Darcy flushed and nodded, then turned to join Bingley and Hurst.
The men arrived back at Netherfield well ahead of their expected time, and were informed that the rest of the household was at dinner. Bingley spoke to his butler as their outerwear was collected and he bustled off to give orders to lay three more settings at the table. Bingley took Darcy’s arm and pulled him into the darkened library; Hurst followed and closed the door. “You have not said a word since we left there, Darcy. What happened?”
Darcy began pacing and ran his hand through his hair. “It will sound foolish but Lucas approached me with a very familiar accusation, it made me uncomfortable.”
“What accusation?” They watched Darcy’s progress. “It has to do with my father’s will; and a bequest …” Darcy stopped moving. “I need Elizabeth.” It was a simple statement but Darcy saw their confusion, and looked from one man to the other. “You do not understand do you?” He shook his head. “It is not so long ago that I would not have understood either.”
Bingley watched him stare distractedly out the window. “They are eating; you must compose yourself before entering the room. I understand that your cousin the colonel has arrived. Did you know of his plans?”
Darcy startled. “Richard is here?” He closed his eyes; the news was welcome but a curse all at once. He nodded. “I was going to ask you for permission to allow a visit. He was to meet Elizabeth and report back to the family.”
“Ah, to determine their approval of the match?” Hurst nodded.
Looking over at him, Darcy sighed. “Yes, I was going to ask him to come after the engagement was generally known …” He thought of the odd accusation by Lucas and wondered how he could have known. Perhaps this was the rumour he heard in London; and not the story of Georgiana at all. Wickham certainly had not held back in spreading his tale of woe far and wide. “I need Elizabeth.”
Bingley exchanged a glance with Hurst. “Well, then it is good that she remains in this house. Come, let us join the party.” He opened the door and they proceeded down the hallway.
The three place settings had been prepared and Darcy sought out Elizabeth as he entered, and found her sitting next a newly laid place, with Richard across from her. She smiled warmly at him and he felt better instantly. Bingley was rapidly explaining away their early return as Darcy strode in. “Richard, this is an unexpected pleasure, what brings you here so soon?”
“Ah Darcy, I thought that I had been invited.” He stood and raised his
brows while tilting his head at Caroline, who was furrowing her brow at him as they clasped hands.
Darcy shook his head. “Well, I had planned to invite you … but it seems no harm was done by your early arrival.” He was too preoccupied to give his cousin any leeway. He pulled out his chair and sitting down, took Elizabeth’s hand, squeezing it tightly. She immediately felt the tension in his grip.
“What is wrong?” She asked softly, leaning towards him.
“I can hide nothing from you.” He whispered and raised her hand to his lips. He looked at her carefully. “You are tired.”
“And you are angry.” She continued holding the hand that now lay in his lap. “What has happened?”
He shook his head. “After dinner.” Elizabeth looked at him with concern, but noticing the eyes of the table upon them she nodded reluctantly.
Richard could see that something was upsetting Darcy, but he also saw something new and unexpected. He was seeking and receiving comfort from Elizabeth. They could not hide the small touches and glances, and clearly neither one was able to eat comfortably as their hands appeared to be joined beneath the table. Despite the mysterious reasons for his upset, Richard was happy to see his cousin so obviously attached, and after spending some time with Elizabeth, he could easily see why he was so besotted. The conversation throughout the meal could not help but be lively with Bingley, Richard and Elizabeth at the table. Caroline did her best to dominate Richard’s attention since she was not really speaking to her brother and Darcy’s display did nothing but infuriate her. Georgiana was just happy to see her brother smile, though he did look at her sadly from time to time. Louisa spoke to Jane and Caroline, while Hurst ate and enjoyed watching the scene.
When the meal ended, the men left for Bingley’s study. Darcy paused before leaving. “You should retire; I can see that you are in need of sleep.”
Elizabeth refrained from stroking his cheek with difficulty. “I am perfectly fine, and I want to know what has happened. You are unhappy.”
“I am very unhappy. I must speak to my cousin, but … may I come to you tonight? We can speak privately there.”
She searched his eyes, they were the sole clue to his feelings, but she had learned how to read him. “Of course, I will be waiting for you.”
He raised her hand to his lips. “Thank you my love. I will be forever grateful that you fell ill at this time.”
Darcy watched her ascend the stairs and then entered Bingley’s study. Richard accosted him. “Well, I understand that something was said to you of your father’s will by a competitor for Miss Elizabeth’s hand. What is this all about?” Darcy sank heavily into a chair and accepted a glass of port from Bingley, then repeated the essentials of his conversation with Lucas. When finished, Richard gave out a low whistle. “So, somehow this Lucas has heard of Wickham’s claims. Well you are correct; he spread that manure all over England, why would you allow that to bother you now? He very likely could have heard that in London, your name was bandied about quite freely this summer. You won the woman he was pursuing; naturally he will seek anything he can to disparage you. Do you think he will try to use this information to change her mind? Or her father’s?”
Darcy shook his head. “I hope not. I just hope that is the extent of his knowledge. I could not bear to see Georgiana shunned here, she is doing so well.”
Richard leaned against the mantle and folded his arms. “I think that if he knew of her ruin he would not have hesitated to mention the subject to you. He had the perfect opportunity. I believe that this news is the worst he has, and as he does not even have Wickham’s name, he really cannot claim good knowledge. It will be regarded as rumour concocted by a rejected suitor, nothing more.”
“Then why do I have a bad feeling about this twisting in my gut?” Darcy said softly.
Bingley clasped his shoulder. “Because my friend, you have always looked at the worst of things.”
Darcy looked around at the men and saw three knowing smiles and shrugged. “It is not without experience.”
They sat sipping their drinks, contemplating the problem. Richard broke the silence. “It seems that you need to speak with Mr. Bennet before this Lucas character does.”
Darcy nodded. “Yes, I suppose that as much as I hate to relinquish her company, Elizabeth is undeniably well enough to return home, although she did appear very tired just now.” The others smiled.
“I will gladly host her and Miss Bennet for any length of time, Darcy.” Bingley volunteered.
“Yes, we all know your opinion.” Darcy smiled.
“You mean that she is taken as well?” Richard caught Bingley’s sharp glance and laughed. “Two lovely ladies … are there more at home like them?”
Hurst laughed then. “Uh, the rest are to be experienced, sir.” Richard frowned.
Darcy’s sigh ended the amusement. “Well, as I said, Elizabeth will likely return to Longbourn tomorrow, so I will take that opportunity to speak to her father. Hopefully he will know not to believe the rumour that Lucas will undoubtedly repeat to the neighbours. I certainly can prove that I am not the ogre that Wickham claimed, so I will be acquitted easily. There is really nothing that I can do about him disparaging me, I have been part of common conversation in London for months, and hopefully this is the worst of his knowledge. I hope that he thinks twice before saying it publicly, without Wickham’s name or a good idea of the facts. I suppose he will resort to anything in his quest to see Elizabeth reject me.” His voice trailed away and his eyes dropped to the glass in his hand.
Richard watched him carefully. “I doubt that she would reject you.”
Darcy continued staring at his glass. “I do not know what else he has heard, or what he might say. I should not have beaten him.”
Bingley stood up and shook his finger at him. “Darcy, he had his hands on her face, he was grabbing her arm, and she was trying to escape. Frankly if you had not beaten him, I would have beaten you for allowing such liberties to the woman you say you love.”
Richard grinned. “You beat him up? Excellent Darcy!”
He looked up at his cousin and smiled slightly. “I knew you would like that.” He sighed. “I cannot say that I regret it, but … I know it will come back to haunt me.”
“What I do not understand is why you are not telling the world what he has done?” Richard gestured with his glass. “Bring the fool to his knees!”
“And tell the world that he compromised Elizabeth?” He reigned in his flaring anger and continued in a softer tone. “To broadcast the news would make me no better than the gossips of the ton who dragged me down with Georgiana. He has two unmarried sisters, and parents who are somewhat important in the area. I will not harm them.” Darcy met Richard’s eye.
“You are too generous, Cousin.”
“I am hopeful that my talk with him will prove sufficient.” He sighed again. “Why can this not be easy?”
“It seems that you are in need of Miss Elizabeth’s cheering. She will knock that permanently morose attitude out of you.” Darcy’s mouth turned up again and he nodded, acknowledging Hurst’s words.
Still marvelling over his cousin’s decision, Richard began planning for what may come. “Well it seems to me that you need to have a conversation with the lady, about this and any other rumours that flew about you while in London. What did you hear that was specifically about you?”
Darcy shrugged. “You probably heard more than I did. What was the worst?” He looked at the three of them and Bingley shifted uncomfortably.
“Um, there was the rumour of your mistress.” They all stared.
“Pardon?” Darcy exclaimed.
Bingley looked at the floor. “Um, yes, I heard that you did not keep company with any ladies of the ton because you kept … a lady that you would visit regularly.”
“My God!” Darcy stood and ran his hand through his hair distractedly.
“Darcy, relax!”
He paced and looked up at his cousin. “This wil
l surely make her reject me!”
Bingley grabbed his arm. “Darcy, this is simply a rumour I heard, not Lucas, it is not being spread about Meryton! Nobody has spoken of this outside of this room. She will not reject you over a rumour, Miss Elizabeth is far too sensible for that!” Darcy stopped his pacing and stared down at his shoes.
“She might if she thinks I keep a mistress.” Darcy said quietly.
Hurst’s short laugh made him lift his head. “I am sorry, but I was just thinking that Caroline or any number of the ladies of society would be quite willing to overlook that habit.”
“Elizabeth would not.”
“The behaviour is hardly uncommon … do not fix me with that glare Darcy, you are no innocent, however I acknowledge that in your case it is most definitely not true. If you feel the need to confess, simply tell her so now and get it out of the way.” Richard watched the turmoil that showed only in his eyes. “When are you to marry?”
“The end of November … four weeks.”
Richard’s brows rose. “Well, I should send a note to Mother and Father, so they can arrange their schedule. Oh and Darcy, I sincerely suggest that you keep this from Aunt Catherine until the event is finalized, Father suspects she is not through with you.”
Darcy made a frustrated groan. “What else can go wrong?” He drained his glass and stood. “I have had enough. I am going to wish the ladies goodnight and retire. Thank you for your support gentlemen, if any of you think of a better way to approach this problem, I would welcome your ideas.” They all stood and entered the sitting room where Darcy kissed Georgiana and bowed to the rest, then departed for his chambers. Jane watched him going with trepidation and noticed Richard observing her. She blushed and turned to the conversation. Richard looked out the door speculatively; his cousin was certainly a changed man.
ELIZABETH OPENED the door at the sound of a gentle knock, and quickly shut it as William slipped inside. She turned the key and had barely drawn breath when she was encased in his arms. “Will …” Her voice was silenced by his mouth. His kiss was different, she could feel a sort of desperation in the way he clutched her to his body. His lips were dominating her in a way that made her feel undeniably wanted. Darcy lifted her into his arms, barely breaking the kiss, and reclaimed her mouth instantly. Elizabeth’s arms wrapped around his neck and he carried her towards the bed, stopping with a jolt when his knees struck the mattress. He bent and laid her down, and quickly took his place beside her. Their eyes met and locked. His hand caressed her face then stroked downward possessively, coming to rest on her breast. Deliberately he pulled the pink ribbons of her nightdress; opening the fabric just enough to reveal one soft mound, and she moaned as his mouth lowered to suckle her hard dusky nipple. Elizabeth closed her eyes, holding his head and caressing his hair with her lips. “Ohhhh, oh Will …” The plea in her moan brought his mouth back to love her lips again, then down to her throat, where he felt her soft moans vibrating as he kissed and licked her tender skin. She clung to him so tightly and he finally gave in to his need, rolling so he lay over her, the sensation was exquisite torture. Elizabeth’s legs had instinctively parted under his weight, her welcome was clear, she could not possibly know what her body was telling him, but he did. She wanted him, and it made him nearly insane with desire.
