A New Bride for Pemberley

by Anna Harlow

  “Perhaps ten would do?” Elizabeth suggested. “Let noon be the hour of our departure instead.”

  “Are you certain your sisters and parents will agree to such an hour?” Darcy wanted to know.

  “It matters little what they will agree to, sir, but much more on what we are willing to do,” she insisted. “If they will not come for it, it can matter little since they will surely attend the larger party later, and most of your friends are already in the house.”

  “I would wish for your family to attend, madam,” Darcy told her. “None of your siblings have yet married. It must certainly be an occasion for excitement, that you shall be the first among them. And, if Jane is to be believed, you would hardly be happy with no ceremony at all. I would not wish to treat my wife so ill.”

  “I am glad you will consider at least some of my feelings, sir, when making decisions which may involve them,” Elizabet told him with a slight smile. “I am quite used to being independent, you know, and might balk completely if you attempted to impose your will upon me all the time.”

  He shook his head at such a notion. “Madam, one of the things I could not stand about Anne was her propensity to leave every decision to me alone. I will welcome all of your opinions most gratefully, and you shall soon be placed in your proper position as Mistress of my household. I have no doubt in my mind that you have learned bookkeeping and the running of an estate.”

  “I have, sir, of course,” she replied. “My mother has always hoped at least one of her daughters would marry a gentleman in possession of land.”

  He smiled. “No doubt with the hope that he would provide her with a house of her own sometime. But I do not mind. It cannot be pleasant, knowing that as you grow old, and near an age when you shall need to be cared for, that will be precisely the time when the home you have enjoyed so long will suddenly no longer be your own.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Though they did not like getting up so early, especially right after they’d gone to an assembly dance the night before, of course the Bennets were eager to witness the small ceremony held in the Netherfield parlor, with Mr. Darcy situated on a comfortable chair while Elizabeth stood by his side, grasping his hand, and Mr. Collins delivered a short sermon and then pronounced them husband and wife.

  Afterwards, they served an early tea for everybody and said their good-byes. Elizabeth was able to say quite a few more of them as the footmen attempted to make Darcy’s leg as comfortable as possible before she was, herself, summoned out to join him.

  “My leg is quite uncomfortable, madam,” he told Elizabeth when she looked at it askance, “but I am feeling better already. Come and rest your head upon my shoulder, my wife. This journey will take a while—and it is uncertain if you shall get any sleep tonight.”

  Elizabeth’s face began to flame, so she was quite happy to bury it into her husband’s chest where he could not see the affect of his words. Yet, she was not wholly embarrassed by them. Rather, she was remembering his suckling from the other night, and how much her body had craved more. She could not wait to discover all of the secrets a man already skilled in the art of physical pleasure might be able to teach her.

  Elizabeth had been on the road only a few times in her life, since her father did not prefer to venture into London himself, so only a visit to her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner had ever brought her so far south before.

  Cheapside was a shopping district, and her relatives’ home was situated next to the store they owned. Surely Darcy House would be in a far more sumptuous neighborhood, and it would be substantially larger, though not nearly as large as Netherfield, of course.

  Darcy had taken a dose of laudanum as a means to endure the journey, in an amount which soon had him fast asleep. Elizabeth did not mind, as it gave her time to take in everything as they passed by. She was now a married woman. And tonight, a man would actually see her naked! She both anticipated and feared the upcoming exchange.

  The coach had come into London, and soon bypassed every road Elizabeth recognized and headed for the larger houses. They entered a most expensive district and continued on to one of the largest homes within it. The coach pulled in, giving Elizabeth her first glimpse of one of her new homes. As it was late spring, many of the flowers were in full bloom, lending color beneath the fire of the setting sun. She had never seen anything more beautiful.

  “Darcy—Will, wake up,” she said, giving him a little shake. “We are home.”

  “Home,” he repeated, smiling as he rubbed at his eyes. Taking her hand, he added, “I like the sound of that, my dear.”

  Elizabeth smiled right back as the coach came to a stop. The footman soon appeared to help her down. With him came a stout woman with a managing air. As soon as Elizabeth’s feet hit the ground, she stepped forward to greet her.

  “Mrs. Darcy, if you will come with me, I will take you to the parlor. I doubt that the Master will wish for you to witness any indignities that may befall him as the men bring him down and help him into the house.”

  Elizabeth chuckled. “He does not care if I witness his unmanning, since I once had to help him indoors myself.”

  “Indeed? That is a story I should love to be told.”

  “It is in large part how we came to be married, actually,” Elizabeth explained as they walked together. “It was just after he’d broken his leg when I found him.”

  Elizabeth related the rest of the details in full, and the parlor door was soon upon them. Mrs. Annesley, as the woman had introduced herself, said, “My dear, I will bring you a spot of tea if you like. Or lemonade, if you would prefer.”

  “Lemonade would be lovely,” Elizabeth told her.

  “Mr. Darcy ought to rejoin you shortly, my lady,” she explained. “He asked us to prepare a lovely dinner for the two of you, which is to be served in here. He has further insisted that once the food is brought in, that everyone is to make themselves scarce.”

  Elizabeth blushed. “Yes, I suppose that would be for the best, for tonight at least.”

  ‘Don’t worry, my dear,” she said, smiling. “I have a curious affliction I must tell you about. It seems that there are times when I can be quite deaf, most particularly at those times when others might wish for me to be. I can assure you, my ears are quickly failing this evening. I am certain I will not hear a thing.”

  “Thank you for your discretion, Mrs. Annesley.”

  “Welcome to the family, Mrs. Darcy,” she said, smiling, and then soon disappeared, leaving the rest of the work to the servants.

  Mr. Darcy, now wearing something more comfortable and looking as though he had visited another room before this one, was soon helped in by three men and settled onto the sofa.

  “There must be a convenient water closet below stairs somewhere,” Elizabeth observed.

  “There is, indeed,” Darcy said with a nod. “Ryan will show you the way if you need to make use of it.”

  “Yes, please do,” she agreed. “And, I would not mind if you also showed me to my rooms for a few moments. I should like to freshen up before our meal.”

  “Take your time, my dear, for the servants must bring in our table, and then the food, before we may begin the meal.”

  “This way, Mistress,” said Ryan as she began to walk, and Elizabeth followed her. Once she had made use of the water closet, the maid led Elizabeth up a grand staircase and into the East Wing, where the family rooms were located.

  “Mrs. Annesley made certain to remove those items which were personal to Miss Anne, my lady, so that you would find no discomfort in here. However, those items are available for your use if you should want them, since they now belong to you.”

  “I am sure I’ll need nothing of them right now,” Elizabeth told her. “I merely wish to change out of my traveling clothes and put on a comfortable gown. Do I have a lady’s maid in residence?”

  “Not tonight, madam,” she shrugged. “Mr. Darcy felt you would prefer to select one yourself. But, if you would like, I shall help y
ou out.”

  “I would have liked to bathe, but I know there is no time for it,” Elizabeth said with a sigh. “Many of my belongings were sent ahead for me. Did my trunk with the dresses arrive yet?”

  “It came in yesterday, madam,” she said with a nod. “Mrs. Annesley set four maids to the task of hanging them up and making certain they had no wrinkles. Is there a particular gown you want me to bring out?”

  “I have a jade green evening gown made of silk,” she told her. “Could you see if that one can be located? I think Mr. Darcy will like it quite well.”

  Blushing slightly, the maid then asked, “And did you have any particular undergarments in mind?”

  Elizabeth smiled. “I had no chance to get anything new. Why don’t you pick something out? Surely you must have learned something of the gentleman’s tastes while serving his last wife.”

  “I shall see what can be done, my lady,” she said, smiling.

  When she returned after a few minutes, she had the jade gown in hand. She also had a parcel from Elizabeth’s mother, which contained silk bloomers and a camisole made of a fine, white material, and edged with cream-colored lace.

  “Those are quite lovely, Mistress,” said Ryan. “I thought you did not have time for new clothes.”

  “I did not, but my mother made do, as she always does,” said Elizabeth, smiling. “I suspect she must have sewn these for me herself. I might have known.”

  “She has an excellent skill with the needles, ma’am. I am impressed.”

  “It must have taken her hours,” Elizabeth agreed as she removed her clothes and put on the offerings, which fit her perfectly. “My gown, if you please. Surely my husband is quite hungry, and I could also use a meal. Your help with the buttons would be beneficial.”

  Ryan soon had all twenty of the tiny buttons at the back of Elizabeth’s gown fastened, and together they found her some black silk shoes. The maid smiled appreciatively as she looked her over.

  “You are a beautiful bride, madam,” she told her. “I hope you will enjoy yourself tonight.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “Well, I am certainly going to try.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Dinner was a leisurely event characterized by lingering gazes, gentle touches, and words filled with hopeful expectations about their future together. Darcy insisted afterwards that he would most certainly want to attempt the stairs, at least for their first night together, which he wished to spend in his bedroom.

  Blushing at the implications of the statement, Elizabeth watched as four men lifted Darcy, chair and all, and hauled him that way up the flight of stairs, depositing him on his bed. He thanked them all profusely and said they might disappear until sometime tomorrow.

  Elizabeth’s blushing grew worse than ever as she stepped inside once the men stepped out, for the two of them were now alone in a way they never had been before, except possibly the time they had spent in the cottage. The biggest difference was, in the cottage there had been no intentions other than to pass the night so help could be found in the morning. Tonight, the intentions were a palpable force crackling all around them. They could not be ignored.

  “Come here to me, Elizabeth,” said Darcy, holding his hands out to her.

  She came to him willingly, though she could not look into his eyes. Her hands were trembling slightly when he caught them in his, and though she was not looking directly at him she knew that it made him smile.

  “Sweetheart, you know, do you not, that my only wish tonight it to show you pleasure? You have no need to fear any pain, once the issue with your maidenhead has been resolved. And even that pain tends to be fleeting, and easily overcome in most cases,” he explained. “Do you trust me?”

  She respected and esteemed him, maybe even more, but she had never given any thought to whether or not she could trust him. The only person who had told her she could not trust him was Wickham, and Darcy insisted that Wickham was not a man to be trusted. And so, the only answer she could give must come from her heart, which was pounding so fiercely at the moment. Her heart trusted him implicitly.

  “I am not frightened, sir, merely nervous,” she told him. “Those are two completely different feelings.”

  “Elizabeth, will you not look at me?” he pleaded softly. “There is no wrong in submitting to your husband, and I will do everything in my power to initiate you gently. Yet, with my leg in such a state, this cannot happen unless you help me.”

  Elizabeth chuckled, moving closer to the bed. He was now able to encircle his arms just above her knees, and she smiled down at him slyly. “You did say there were ways around it, if I recall correctly.”

  “Yes, though it is unfortunate that most of them would not be so kind to your virginity,” he said, frowning. “I shall need to make you quite ready before we try any of them.”

  Smiling now, Elizabeth encircled his face in her hands. “And surely you must have a great skill in that, since all I must do is look at you, and feel as if I am halfway prepared already.”

  Darcy’s look was as sly as her own when he heard this admission. With a tug on the backs of her knees, he caused Elizabeth to topple down onto the bed with him. Both of them laid there, side by side, grinning. But quite soon after, Darcy brought her more fully into his arms. The kiss they shared was fiery in its intensity. His tongue swept into her mouth to take possession, and that remembered heat and desire Elizabeth had begun to feel the other night now came fully to life.

  “As lovely as this dress is, my wife, I would like to watch as you take it off for me,” said Darcy, grinning devilishly.

  “I believe, sir, that the buttons may hinder me without a bit of help,” Elizabeth admitted cheekily.

  “Better and better,” he teased.

  Elizabeth sat up and turned her back to him. Darcy’s fingers slid expertly downward, deftly unbuttoning. In all her life, she had never before viewed the act of unbuttoning sensually. Then again, only maids, her aunt, or her mother had then been helping. It was pleasing to know that, whether her heart was his or not, Elizabeth’s body found the gentleman quite interesting.

  Fully unbuttoned now, she rose up to her feet and tugged, letting the gown drop to the floor and stepped out of the thing. Before she could turn around again, Darcy sat up and ran his hands over the soft silk of her underthings, leaving no portion visible to him untouched. By the time his hands crept around to explore the front, Elizabeth was already breathless and gasping.

  He pulled her backwards, and she allowed herself to fall, trusting that he’d catch her. Lying against his bared chest, she realized he must have removed his shirt. His fingers found her nipples as his lips explored the back of her neck.

  By now, Elizabeth realized that he was somewhat fixed in his own position, and any pleasure they managed to achieve must be accomplished predominantly through her movements. Yet, she had no idea which movements might be the most serviceable! What a wicked mistress fate must be, to present her with such a quandary.

  “Turn around, sweetheart,” Darcy urged her. “Sit on top of me.”

  Free from the confines of her skirt, Elizabeth found sitting on him a much easier matter. She also found that she had yet to kick off her shoes, and now did so before completely settling on top of his lap. She could feel his manhood, hard with interest, seated quite near to the place it hoped to enter, and a little thrill passed through her. Instinctively, her body flexed, moving against him there.

  Darcy laughed. “That is one way to arouse you, to be sure. But my mind is quite set on another, madam. However, for such an accomplishment, we will need to remove your knickers.”

  Elizabeth said, “Sir, if I am to do that, I may as well remove it all. For I find I do not wish to move away from you again, now that I am here.”

  “Indeed, love, feel quite free,” he said, smiling. “My eyes shall certainly not mind such a feast. Now come up here, and turn around, my darling. I wish to taste your womanhood, but cannot do as I would usually and arrange myself above you.�
��

  “My—womanhood?” Elizabeth gasped, though she arranged herself accordingly. At his first lick, she soon understood his reasoning. “Goodness! I had no idea, sir!”

  There was little need for more words for a time, as Darcy brought his wife to full flower. Elizabeth was amazed, for though she had discovered that her fingers could give her some pleasure there, learning what his mouth could do instead left her so gratified she thought she might just faint dead away.

  “You are about as wet as a woman can be now,” said Darcy happily. “Perhaps we should undo my buttons, so you can discover what hides behind the opening.”

  At this point, Elizabeth was too aroused for maidenly modesty, and soon had unleashed the beast within, examining it curiously. “It is quite big, is it not? Is that why it hurts when first going in?”