“The Lathrops,” he whispered, pointing and cautiously sticking his head around the corner. Lizzy peered around his shoulder and stifled a laugh at the sight before her. At the bottom of the stairs, Mr. and Mrs. Lathrop had discovered one of the strategically positioned mistletoe balls and were dutifully obliging the custom.
“What shall we do now?” Lizzy asked her husband with a grin. At roughly the same moment, they looked upward and noted that they too were precisely under another mistletoe ornament.
“How many of these baubles did the maids fabricate, anyway?”
“I believe they were considering all the places the footmen frequent,” Lizzy said with a chuckle.
“Whatever the motivation, it is a ritual with historic dictates that we would be severely remiss to not observe.” Darcy stated firmly, capturing his wife’s mouth equally as firmly in an ardent kiss.
It must have been the day for espying lovers beneath mistletoe, for Col. Fitzwilliam’s chambers were down this very hallway and, with a chuckle, he ducked back into his room and busied himself until he deemed the corridor was clear.
The Pemberley occupants drifted into the breakfast room in spaced interludes throughout the morning, all with smiles on their faces and some with flushed cheeks and downcast eyes. Mrs. Langton and her fine staff had outdone themselves. The morning repast was stupendous with every imaginable type of breakfast cuisine. Mr. Gardiner had readily ascertained, as only a rabid angler can, that Mr. Lathrop shared his penchant for the avocation. Darcy assured them that the trout and other fish well stocked in the lake would happily acquiesce despite the half-frozen water. With obvious zeal, the two men quit the table, not to be seen until late in the afternoon.
The ladies decided a walk was in order. Darcy frowned, noting the persistent gloom and foreboding clouds as well as the slick pathways. He attempted to dissuade them, but Lizzy was insistent.
“We shall take care, Mr. Darcy, I promise. You need not vex yourself,” Lizzy assured him.
“Georgiana,” he turned to his sister, “I will trust you to keep to the safest paths closest to the house.” He glanced at his wife’s faintly scowling visage, pointedly ignoring her and declaring to the group in general in a tone which booked no argument, “Miss Darcy is most familiar with the walkways and knows which are best maintained and level. Please follow her lead.”
Assuring that Georgiana and his wife were properly attired, Darcy pulled Lizzy aside. He buttoned her coat for her as he whispered, “Be careful, love, and return if it begins to snow or rain. Promise me.”
“William, you are being silly,” she began but he cut her off with a piercing look, eyes darkening somewhat, and that small crease of annoyance flashing between his brows.
“Elizabeth Darcy, do not argue with me. Stay with Georgiana.”
“Yes, dear.”
Once outside, Aunt Gardiner turned to her niece with a smile. “Mr. Darcy certainly is protective.”
“Too much so at times, yet it is endearing; irritating but endearing!” They all laughed. Lizzy related their honeymoon luncheon experience and they laughed even harder.
Georgiana spoke then, in her quiet voice, “My brother has always hovered in this manner. I do believe nothing frightens him other than the thought of someone he loves being hurt. He still refuses to allow me to take my horse out without a groom shadowing me even though I have been riding since I was five!”
“I am afraid you are a more tolerant lass than I,” said Mrs. Lathrop, “I confess to being a bit of a rebel. My parents turned gray over my antics. Do you ever defy him, Miss Darcy?”
Georgiana was genuinely shocked. “Never!”
Despite Darcy’s concerns, the ladies had a lovely walk through the snow- dusted gardens. Georgiana proved to be an excellent tour guide, pointing out with amazing knowledge the plant and tree varieties. They lingered for a short rest at the water nymph fountain and then Georgiana unerringly ushered them through the hedge maze.
While they rambled, they babbled together serenely. Mrs. Gardiner and Georgiana happily conversed about Lambton and its environs as Violet remembered them from her youth, including her memories of Georgiana’s parents. Lizzy and Mrs. Lathrop established a friendship that would persevere throughout their lives.
“How did you and Mr. Lathrop meet?”
Amelia smiled sweetly. “His family has interest in a sheep farm near Motherwell. My father is a baron of the region, and we were introduced when my father invited Mr. Lathrop to dine with us. It was love at first sight; however, my father required a bit of persuading! He was not too content with the idea of his daughter marrying a Sassenach.” They laughed. “He eventually consented, yet I do not believe he shall be entirely resigned until I have presented him with a grandchild or two.”
“How do you find Leicestershire, compared to Scotland?”
“Have you ever been to Scotland, Mrs. Darcy?”
“No, I have not been so fortunate.”
“It is far colder there. Rainier and very green with heathers and mosses in abundance. I mourn the absence of certain trees and flowers that only grow there. Mostly, though I miss my family. I have two older brothers and three younger sisters. Our house was perpetually loud and raucous. I never imagined I would miss it, but I do.”
“I understand how you feel. I have four sisters and spent much of my time escaping to the solitude and silence of the woods and meadows. Pemberley is beautiful and I love it here, yet it is imposing compared to Longbourn where I grew up, and very quiet. It is pleasant to have people in the house.”
“Even if we are disrupting your honeymoon?” Mrs. Lathrop said with a gentle laugh.
Lizzy blushed prettily. “Merely a brief hiatus, I think. The honeymoon shall continue unabated for a long while, I trust.”
“It is a delight to have made a ‘love match,’ is it not, Mrs. Darcy? I have learned that love often does not enter into the arrangements among the upper classes of England. This was a shock to me as these social considerations are not as important to the Scottish. Mr. Lathrop broke more than a few rules in marrying me, and his father did not approve.”
“I am sorry, Mrs. Lathrop. Was it uncomfortable for you?”
“Initially. My husband, contrary to his gentle demeanor, has a strength and stubbornness of astounding proportions. He tenaciously stayed the course in his devotion to me, and his father eventually capitulated. We established a tenuous peace between us prior to his death.”
“Mr. Lathrop sounds very like Mr. Darcy. Both are tenacious and stubborn. No small wonder they are such good friends.”
They laughed. “They also appear to have similar taste in women, Mrs. Darcy, if I may be so bold as to declare that I think we are quite similar in our temperaments. Outspoken, independent, and with no lack of stubbornness myself, I sense this in you as well.”
Lizzy smiled. “Along with a heavy dose of pride and misjudgment. Flaws that were almost our undoing, yet oddly aided us in coming together.” Lizzy noted Mrs. Lathrop’s quizzical expression and laughed. “It is a long and horrid tale. Perhaps later I shall tell you of it.”
Speaking of her husband and touching on the subject of their convoluted and painful journey toward matrimony brought an ache to Lizzy’s heart that could only be assuaged in his arms. As soon as she returned to the house, she sought him out. She had a vague idea where he would be, and a footman confirmed her suspicion. Upon entering the library her eyes immediately spied him alone and in his favorite chair by the far window, his back to her, and wholly lost in the pages before him. Her heart surged and skipped a beat as she rushed toward him silently on the thick carpet. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind, burying her cold face into his neck. He gasped in surprise and shock from her chilled nose.
“Who is this?” he demanded in mock severity.
“Are there a plethora of women who attack you in the library, Mr. Darcy?” Lizzy began loosening the knots of his cravat, planting cool kisses along his neck.
; “No. I must confess this is the first occasion ever.” He closed his eyes and tilted his head to allow her freer access.
“How remiss of me,” she mumbled, “I vowed to kiss you in every room of the manor. I am slipping hideously in my promises. What are you to think of me?”
He chuckled and grasped her hands, pulling her onto his lap. “I will happily aid you in fulfilling your vows, Mrs. Darcy. Lord knows there is probably a mistletoe ball in each room to lend credence to the venture if we are discovered.” He rubbed her rosy cheeks and bussed her icy nose before seizing her mouth in a deep kiss.
He broke away reluctantly, snuggling her close to his body with her head resting on his shoulder. “You all returned safely, I presume?”
“Yes, my dear worrywart of a husband. No one fell or caught their death of cold.” She laughed but he frowned and held her tighter.
“Nothing wrong with being cautious, Elizabeth.”
“Of course not, love, but you must admit you fret excessively on occasion.”
He was silent for a while and then spoke very softly, “I suppose I do worry overly. It is just that… I could not bear to have anything happen to you, Elizabeth, or Georgiana either. It is my responsibility to assure your safety and protection. I fear… failing in some way and losing you.”
She gazed into his eyes and kissed him tenderly. “Forgive me, William. I shall aspire not to try your patience nor cause you anxiety. Nevertheless, you surely realize that you cannot control everything, my dearest. Accidents do happen.”
He shuddered. “Please, love, let us not discuss this now. Hold me tight and kiss me instead.”
She smiled. “With pleasure, Fitzwilliam, with pleasure.”
“I love you so completely, Elizabeth,” Darcy groaned, crushing her against him and kissing her ardently for a good long while.
“Ice skating, Elizabeth? You cannot be serious. Did you not satisfy your itch for outdoor activities earlier today? It is snowing outside!”
“Lightly snowing, William; the small pond is frozen solid, and I never tire of outdoor activities. Besides, I am not an accomplished ice skater, as I am informed you are, so the opportunities are ripe for you to clutch me tightly or perhaps even fall on top of me into a soft snowbank.” She said the last with a mischievous twinkle and he could not stop himself from laughing.
“You are incorrigible, Mrs. Darcy.” They stood in the hallway outside the parlor where their guests were lounging after lunch, except for Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Lathrop. The anglers had apparently lost all sense of time in their pursuit of the elusive fish, so a basket of food had been delivered to them.
She stepped closer to him, fingering the buttons of his coat. “You will arrange this for us, my love, will you not? And join us in our frivolous pastime as my savior if nothing else.” She looked up at him through her lashes.
He smiled, tenderly fingering her chin and cheeks. “My love, I shall likely chastise myself later for confessing this; however, I would doubtless grant you anything within my capacity to give, such is your power over me.”
In short order they were bundled snugly and laced into their skates. Mrs. Gardiner had opted to rest in her chambers, and Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Lathrop were still captivated by the trout pond, leaving Darcy and Col. Fitzwilliam to escort the ladies. Once Darcy relinquished his initial pique, the idea of ice skating actually sounded pleasant. He had not skated in several years and had almost forgotten how enjoyable the experience was. Georgiana had truthfully enlightened Lizzy on her brother’s abilities, which he displayed in a rare example of exhibitionism by effortless gliding onto the ice and rendering a dazzling figure eight with a spin on one foot before grinningly approaching his stunned wife.
“Braggart!” she declared, to which he bowed grandly before taking her hand. He tucked her in close to his side and set a measured pace. Lizzy was not truly as inept as she hinted but had decided to enjoy the deception for now, to the point of already eyeing the snowdrifts along the edge, thus saving the joy of seeing her husband’s surprise later when she smugly revealed her competence.
The small pond, as it was called, was indeed smaller than the other water bodies of Pemberley; it was roughly forty feet in diameter and shallow, allowing it to freeze quickly and easily. The purpose of the pond, Lizzy had been told by Darcy from the upper windows of the manor when he gave her the “tour” of the grounds, was primarily for winter skating and as a summer home for minnows, frogs, toads, and several species of ducks.
They passed a lovely two hours, twirling and floating, as the snow steadily fell in gentle flakes. Lizzy accidentally fell only once, picking a particularly cushy heap; however, her ploy failed. Darcy merely laughed and offered his hand. Once she was safely on her feet, he bussed her rosy pouting lips and slithered away, leaving her standing there with her mouth open.
“Mr. Darcy!”
“Come along, Mrs. Darcy; catch me up! I am wise to your charade.”
Col. Fitzwilliam had surreptitiously observed this little interplay, cataloguing it with all the other amazing actions, words, and expressions he had noted from his cousin, and marveling at the phenomenon. It was as if the Fitzwilliam Darcy he had known all his life no longer existed. No, he reconsidered, that was not accurate. Darcy had always had the propensity to laugh and joke, and was renowned in fact for his clever wit, but always with reserve and caution attached. Very few people, a mere handful in truth, could say they knew the relaxed side of his personality. Richard doubted whether Georgiana could claim to have witnessed her brother in a completely undone state and, with one glance at her shocked yet radiant face as she, too, observed Darcy’s antics, he knew he was correct. A Darcy who laughed boisterously, kissed and touched in public, smiled foolishly, blatantly ignored rules of propriety by whisking his wife off to their bedroom, and who teased and conversed affably was a new creature entirely. Richard could not be happier.
The final crescendo to the afternoon was a snowball fight started by Lizzy with a well-aimed lob at the back of her husband’s head. The game was on with all of them breathless, cold, wet, and smiling brightly by the time the snow began falling in earnest with a rising wind, prompting them to quit the pond. They met up with Mr. Lathrop and Mr. Gardiner, blue lipped and shivering, but also grinning broadly and proudly sharing their day’s results with the group, who displayed the appropriate amount of enthusiasm.
The staff scrambled to draw hot baths for all. Lizzy sank into her bathing tub with a grateful sigh, reclining and closing her eyes as the warm water seeped into her frozen, aching muscles. As she began to drift off into a doze, she was jolted awake by a soft whisper and the sensation of hands grazing over her shoulders and then down her arms. She yelped and thrashed wildly, sending a spray of water flying through the air, soaking her husband whom it was, naturally, standing behind her.
Her panic and anger was rapidly replaced by amusement at the sight of Darcy in his robe, droplets hanging from his nose and chin and an expression of incredulity and mortification flowing over his handsome face.
“Fitzwilliam Darcy!” she declared crisply, “How dare you frighten me this way?” Any attempt on her part to be stern was nullified in part by her nakedness and location, but mostly by the comical and heavenly vision of her spouse.
Lizzy had long marveled at the varying miens of the man before her. Darcy’s aspect could be haughty, domineering, blasé, grave, and forbidding; in all ways a face not to be trifled with. Then there was his tender, passionate, joyful, and smiling countenance, approachable and youthfully innocent. His most adorable face was the one he now wore: his “puppy face,” as Lizzy dubbed it. With his blue eyes slightly drooping, brows knitted, pallor marked, and full lips parted in confusion, he looked more an errant little boy than the Master of Pemberley.
“Elizabeth, forgive me! I did not intend to frighten you. I should have spoken louder. How thoughtless of me! I shall leave you.”
“William, wait!” she yelled with a laugh halting him at the door, although he
kept his eyes averted. “You did startle me, which would have been avoided if you had only announced your presence in a less shocking manner. Nevertheless, I am not averse to your being here, depending on what your intentions are,” she finished playfully.
He glanced at her, pallor replaced by a blush, and her smile deepened. How can a man of nine-and-twenty suddenly look about twelve and be absolutely delectable!
“Your bathing tub is quite large… ”
“You purchased it, my love,” she interrupted.
“Yes, well…” he cleared his throat, “I thought at the time that you would appreciate it and that it could easily accommodate two, if such a situation arose,” he concluded lamely, waving his hand vaguely.
“You imagine now to be one of those situations?”
He flashed a grin, meeting her eyes hesitantly. “The maids have to carry dozens of pails, so I merely thought to spare them filling another tub.”
“How considerate of you.”
“Yes. I also recognized how cold you were and thought perhaps the added body heat would be welcome. I would not wish you to fall ill.”
“Mr. Darcy, you are the epitome of English chivalry.”
He was smiling brightly now, “puppy face” replaced by the more familiar one of passionate promise.
Lizzy laughed. “William, you are shivering and the water is growing cold. Hurry up, but lock the door first.”
He needed no further encouragement, and his robe was discarded hastily. He positioned his body behind Lizzy, wincing at the hot water on cool skin. She reclined gratefully against his chest, sighing and closing her eyes.
“Hmmm… This is better. Why have we not previously considered this?”
“We may not have; however, I unquestionably have.”
She was befuddled. “Yet you have not acted on the inclination. Why?”
He was silent and she could sense a hesitancy and slight tension in his body, even as his fingers lightly stroked her arms. She tilted her head to peer up at him and noted a faint blush on his cheeks. She frowned. “William? Whatever is the matter?”
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