by Wendi Sotis
His eyes lingered on her mouth. Instinctively, she moistened her lips. The rise and fall of his chest quickened against her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his expression had changed. “We’ll eat at the bar in here, if that’s okay?”
“Sure.” Her breathing was shallow, quite affected by finally being alone with him.
His arms tightened around her briefly; then he took her hand from his chest and released her. William led her to another door, opposite the one through which they had entered.
“This was the mistress’s bedchamber, but from what I understand, it hasn’t been used in that way for a very long time. There were no more marriages of convenience after Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth’s love match.”
He opened the door to reveal an office, as well equipped as his home office in Meryton. This room and the living room both had French doors like the bedroom.
“The mistress’s dressing room was converted into a bathroom that allows access from both this room and the living room. The door from the bathroom to the sitting room is the only alteration to the structure of the house in the past eighty years. Everything else has been updated with additions that can be removed without harming the original walls.”
“Excellent!” Elizabeth chuckled. “You do know that if you had told that to almost anybody else, they wouldn’t understand how important that is.”
“Which only proves that I married the right woman.”
Just as he leaned in to kiss her, a knock sounded on the hall door to the living room. The couple returned to that room, and William opened the door.
Three maids and Mrs. Finn entered with trays. The scent that quickly filled the room made Elizabeth’s stomach growl once again, and she felt herself blush under William’s gaze.
Elizabeth excused herself to freshen up in the bathroom off the living room. When she returned, the trays and place settings were all arranged, and the maids had left.
Mrs. Finn asked, “Is there anything else you need?”
“If there is, I either know where to find it, or we’ll figure it out,” Will replied. “See you tomorrow.”
“Please, just pull the bell when you’re finished; we’ll clean up before we leave for the day.” Mrs. Finn closed the door behind her.
“Bell?” Elizabeth chuckled.
“Yes, we still have the bellpull hooked up. It rings in the kitchen.” He pointed toward a long strip of cloth that hung near the door.
Elizabeth walked over to the counter and slipped onto a stool. Even their stools are comfortable. Lifting a cover, she found a platter filled with mountains of bacon, sausage, and mushrooms. “Do they think we can eat all this?”
William lifted the cover off another tray, revealing toast, fried tomatoes, and baked beans. “It’s a proper English breakfast... minus the blood sausage.” He scrunched his nose. “I’m glad they remembered that I can’t even look at it without feeling sick.” William settled himself onto a stool across from her and grabbed her plate. “What do you want?”
“I’m so hungry, I’m sure I can fit in a little of each. Do you want coffee, or do you drink only tea when in England?” She wiggled her eyebrows.
“Coffee, please.”
The pair dug into their meal and ate until they were comfortably full.
“Can I pull the bell?”
William laughed and nodded.
Smiling widely, Elizabeth did so. “I really need a shower.”
“I’ll show you where everything is.”
~%~
When she finished showering, Elizabeth slipped into the long, cream-colored negligée that Jane had made just for her. The smooth silk dipped provocatively at the neckline and hugged every curve seductively.
Elizabeth smiled. She had to admit that even she thought she looked good!
As she passed through the bedroom to meet William in the living room, she noticed the bed had been made. She walked over to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. She continued into the next room. Her husband was watching television, sitting on a low-backed couch with his back to the door. She tiptoed over to surprise him, slid her hands down his solid chest, and deeply inhaled the scent of his shampoo, the spicy musk of his cologne, and the distinctive maleness that was William. “Mmmm, you smell good.”
“I showered in the other bathroom.” He clicked off the television, turned around, and his mouth fell open when his gaze drifted down the length of her body.
As Elizabeth made her way around the couch, she felt William’s eyes follow her every move. From his expression, she thought he might have devoured her right then had he not just eaten. She sat on his lap and rested her hands on his shoulders.
William’s arms came up around her waist. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
She blushed and looked away, but he caught her face in his hands and turned her toward him again. He waited until she met his gaze before saying, “Truly, you are beautiful, inside and out. I can’t stop wondering what I’ve done to deserve you.”
“You have a beautiful soul, too, Will.” She smiled impishly. “And of course you must know how incredibly handsome you are. You couldn’t have been a most eligible bachelor without that.”
“I couldn’t care less about anyone’s opinion but yours, Elizabeth.” He kissed her gently as he feathered his touch down the length of her arms. His thumbs brushed her sides as his hands made their way up again. “Did you notice the bed covering?”
She sighed as his lips traveled to her chin. “It’s the same as your room at Meryton.”
“Mmm hmm,” he agreed, tracing her jaw with kisses. “I brought an identical set with me. Sheets, too.”
She asked breathily, “Don’t they have any in England?”
“They do, but...”
Elizabeth’s bones felt as though they were melting and could no longer support her. William moved an arm to support her back as he progressed to her neck.
“I understood...” he continued, pausing when he reached the soft skin where her neck met her shoulder and to pay special attention to that spot.
She could barely breathe.
“You chose the ones for my bed...” His mouth journeyed across her collarbone to taste the other side of her neck.
Her heart was about to leap from her chest!
“And you said they were so comfortable...” His lips moved upward and nibbled on her earlobe.
“That once you got into bed...” He whispered the next in her ear. “You’d stay there forever.”
Elizabeth shivered.
William groaned. He moved away slightly and leaned his forehead against hers. “Elizabeth, if you want me to stop, tell me now, because if I hear you make that sound one more time, I won’t be able to stop.”
She shifted slightly so she could meet his clear blue gaze. “Don’t stop, Will.”
With a growl, William rose and whisked her through the bedroom door, kicking it closed behind them.
Chapter 26
Elizabeth swiped at a cobweb and sneezed.
William looked up. “You’ve got dust all over your face.” He laughed as he swept as much as he could away with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. “We must be getting close; there seems to be more than a hundred years’ worth of dust on this stuff.”
“Will!” She pointed to a spot behind William. “Look at that trunk!”
One of them must have brushed up against it, because whereas just a minute before there had been only a thick layer of dust, they could now see a distinct “Fitzw” carved into the lid.
William wiped off the trunk with one of the rags they had brought with them, uncovering the name Fitzwilliam George Darcy.
Hands trembling with excitement, William lifted the lid. The trunk was filled to the rim and on top lay a letter.
William picked it up. After turning it over a couple of times, he handed it to Elizabeth.
“It’s the same handwriting, Will, exactly the same as the outside of all the lette
rs Elizabeth received.”
“I know.”
The two of them stared at it for several moments.
“What should we do?”
William hesitated before answering. “Open it?”
“Do you think...” She cleared the hoarseness from her throat. “Do you think Fitzwilliam left it for us to find?”
William nodded.
Elizabeth handed it back to him. “Then you open it.”
When William carefully unfolded the page, a second page fell onto the floor. William picked it up and quickly looked it over. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath before he read aloud:
Dear Fitzwilliam,
Over the years, while my wife and I have often spent some time gazing upon Elizabeth’s visage, I have often wondered what you, Fitzwilliam, will look like, or do look like, as you read this letter.
Elizabeth, my wife, assures me that, upon reading this, you will already know of the sketch she had attempted to draw to assist in answering this question. Although she is acquainted with the fact, I still risk insulting her by informing you that she is not quite blessed with the talent necessary to render such a likeness.
As Elizabeth reads over my shoulder, she laughs, which is, as always, a balm to my aging heart. But, I digress further from my point.
It is with great pleasure that we have received this drawing to-day, by whatever means the gypsy’s blessing has of delivering them to us, and thus enlightening me as to what Fitzwilliam will look like.
Excuse me, Elizabeth corrects me again, saying you would rather be called William. I should tell you that I agree with your opinion, as I never cared for the name myself, and I have sympathy for your plight. Although, I must say that I am greatly honoured that you have been named for me.
Elizabeth and I experience intense emotions whenever we look upon the drawings, most of which are stored in her trunk, meant for your Elizabeth. We both have felt confident that we should keep my journals separate from hers, as well as this picture, for Elizabeth feels it would reveal something too soon should we place it in hers.
Inside this chest, you will find keepsakes that we have deemed appropriate for you to have, and my private journals, which, by chance – or perhaps not – begin just before I met Elizabeth at Ramsgate. I have continued to keep my most private thoughts separate from the journals that Elizabeth declares will one day become public, although I cannot imagine why they would.
Somehow, it is comforting for both of us to know that you, Elizabeth and William, will be interested enough to read about our lives. I feel it is almost as if these particular journals were written with only you in mind.
My wife tells me you are a good and honourable man, William, of the highest calibre in character, admirable in disposition, and all that is proper and right in scruples. In being so, we know you are a perfect match for your Elizabeth.
We are proud that you have been chosen to continue the Darcy family line, and it delights us that the gypsy’s blessing has been of assistance in guiding you to find your own love and happiness, as it has done for us. We have no doubt that you have found true contentment and delight being together, and will continue to do so.
Yours sincerely,
Fitzwilliam Darcy
William looked up into the tear-streaked face of his wife. “It is his handwriting. I recognize it from his journals in the library.”
Elizabeth nodded and sniffed. “I believe it.” Her gaze landed on the other page lying inside the trunk. “The picture?”
William handed it to Elizabeth. When she opened it, she gasped. “It’s us, Will... today, just before we came up here—when we were in the gallery looking at their portrait!” She handed it to him. “At the time, I didn’t even realize it, but they were standing in the exact same position in one of the drawings Elizabeth received two hundred years ago.”
“Nothing having to do with the blessing will ever surprise me again.” After laying both the letter and the drawing inside the trunk, he pulled Elizabeth onto his lap.
“I love you, Will. Fitzwilliam was right. You make me so happy; sometimes I can’t shake the feeling that it has to be my imagination playing tricks on me... that I’ve dreamt up all the photos and letters, and the perfect man—you—right along with them. If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”
William swallowed hard to clear the lump from his throat. “I never thought it possible for myself, but even before I met you, you made a difference. The relief of knowing that someone understood what I wanted for Lambton made my life so much easier. Every day that I have known you, you’ve amazed me further. I meant every word of our wedding vows; I really do promise to love, honor, and cherish you every minute of the rest of my life, Elizabeth. I have been blessed—with you.”
Just the Beginning...
Epilogue
~One and a half years later...
“Mr. Darcy, since you’re a member of the board of directors of the hospital that has officially opened today, we’d like to ask you a few questions. Our viewers need to know how long it will be before they can be treated here at Lambton Hospital?” Ms. Simpson, a television news reporter, fluttered her eyelashes at William.
Realizing the camera was pointed at him, William had to force himself not to roll his eyes. He already knew he must be scowling on camera. “Ms. Simpson, the hospital is open, today.”
The woman winked at William, and he fought the urge to turn her down right there and then, on camera. Since Ms. Simpson remained quiet, William took it as a hint to keep talking. “The emergency room has been in operation for at least a month, and, from what I understand, there have been more than one hundred cases treated. For the convenience of the patients, many of the doctors now associated with Lambton Hospital already had offices in the medical complex here as soon as that building was completed. As each department has become fully equipped, they opened. Today, all floors will begin treating patients.”
William’s phone made that noise. “Is this being taped?” William asked.
“Excuse me?” the reporter asked.
“That was an emergency tone. I must check my phone.”
“Oh, yes. Go right ahead.”
It was with relief that William walked away from the cameras—and the flirty reporter. He glanced around the area, looking for his wife, but still he didn’t see her. Knowing how nervous he would be, she had promised to be by his side during the interview, yet he hadn’t seen her since a half hour before the interview began. With all the people around for the ribbon cutting ceremony, she could be within a few feet, and he might not be able to spot her through the crowd.
It’s possible she just lost track of time, but...
He pressed the correct combination of icons to pull up the photo that had just come in and panic overtook him. William looked around frantically until he saw the sign that was above his wife’s head in the photo and started off in that direction.
Ms. Simpson called after him, “Mr. Darcy—we aren’t finished yet!”
“You’ll have to make do with what you have. I’m sorry.”
William could see a crowd of familiar faces surrounding the spot where he judged his wife should be, confirming her location. Pushing his way through, he found Elizabeth at the center. The puddle at Elizabeth’s feet explained her absence from the interview, but he wasn’t certain which lady was responsible for the slick spot. As he approached, he looked back and forth between Elizabeth, Jane, and Anne to gain some insight into which one was in labor. Was he, Charles, or Richard about to become a father? Feeling a bit dazed, William thought he heard Richard make a joke about Elizabeth really being a squirt today, which gave him a hint, but it wasn’t until Elizabeth leaned back in her chair and began to breathe in the way they had practiced that the mystery had passed completely.
Fear and joy welled within his chest, battling for dominance. The Darcy twins were about to be born!
Jane relinquished Elizabeth’s hand to William, and he talked her through the pain.<
br />
When the contraction had passed, William quipped, “Trying to steal the attention away from my television debut?”
“Our babies decided to save you from having to endure a long interview by arriving early.” Elizabeth tried her best to smile.
“William, it won’t do Lizzy much good if you’re going to scowl at her through the entire births of my first grandbabies!” Mrs. Bennett declared.
William tried to smooth the frown from his features, but with such a high volume of adrenaline pumping through his veins, he was not entirely successful.
“Don’t worry about it, Will. I understand.” Elizabeth looked past him. “Hi, Lillian,” Elizabeth greeted the medical intern she recognized from Dr. Denhard’s office as she approached with a wheelchair.
“Can you stand?” William reached out both hands to assist her.
“I think so.” Elizabeth nodded. “But getting up has been the hardest part of standing lately.”
William lifted Elizabeth and placed her in the wheelchair.
Mr. Bennet, Charles, Richard, and Mr. Gardiner all clapped William’s back as he passed them. Their friends and family called after them, congratulating the couple.
Holding his wife’s hand, William walked alongside as Lillian rolled her toward the entrance of the hospital. “Where is Dr. Denhard?”
“She was with me when my water broke, so she ran on ahead to prepare things inside.”
Just as they stopped to wait for the elevator, Ms. Simpson caught up to them, her cameraman trailing behind her. She shoved a microphone in William’s face. “Mr. Darcy, is the obstetrics floor open?”
William was totally out of patience for this woman’s repetitive questions. “Yes, Ms. Simpson. As I mentioned earlier, all floors are open today, including Obstetrics.”
“It seems the Darcys will be their first patients.” The woman held out the microphone again.
William glared at her.
Elizabeth intervened. “Yes. Now, please leave us. I really don’t want my labor pains televised.”
