Prevailed Upon to Marry

by Isabelle Mayfair

  I nodded my thanks. Mrs Reynolds returned with my gown and helped me undress. I suspected she needed to take care of me to distract herself from her terror of losing the boy she had seen grown to adulthood, so I submitted to her unnecessary administrations without complaint. When she finished and bid me a good night, I slipped into bed beside Darcy for the second time in our marriage and drifted off into an uneasy slumber.

  Sometime during the night, I woke to something large tossing and turning beside me. I opened my eyes, my sleepy brain flooded with confusion for a moment before I recalled where I was. I leant up at once to look at Darcy. He muttered to himself as he tossed his head. He winced and gritted his teeth. I sat up and felt his forehead. He was burning up. The crisis. It had begun.

  I considered calling Mrs Reynolds, but the good woman had worn herself out caring for us for the past few days, and there was little she could do but keep me company through it. I dampened some cloths and pressed them to Darcy’s face and neck to cool him down. I opened the window and banked the fire, then pulled the blankets from him and opened his shirt to lay cool cloths on his bare chest. It was inconceivable to me that a man this strong should be so ill.

  “Elizabeth,” Darcy muttered. I leaned beside him at once and took his hand in mine.

  “I am here.”

  “Do not leave me,” he said.

  “Never.”

  “I love you.”

  My throat caught at the words. The poor man did not know what he was saying, and it broke my heart. But I could not resist responding.

  “I love you too. Please recover. I love you.”

  The crisis went on for hours. Or at least, so it felt because I took no notice of the time. Every part of me was focused on my husband. I changed his cloths and did all I could to keep him cool. I fed him water and draughts. Finally, he began to cool down. As though exhausted, he collapsed into such a deep sleep that for a moment, I did not think he was breathing and I wanted to scream in terror, thinking I had lost him. But then he drew a deep breath and from then on, he breathed normally. I watched him anxiously before climbing into bed beside him and watching him carefully. I intended to stay awake for the rest of the night, but it was not long before my own sleep claimed me.

  44

  I awake to a pair of strong hands caressing my face. I opened my eyes, still bleary with lack of sleep. Darcy’s face was very close to mine. He lay on his side, watching me as his hand ran along my cheek.

  “You are here. In my bed.” His voice was awed as though it filled him with wonder.

  “I am.” I put out a hand to feel his forehead, noticing with a blush that his shirt was still undone. “You are much better. Your temperature feels normal.”

  “What happened? I have been having the most unusual dreams.”

  I leaned up on one elbow, so I was above him. “You have been ill,” I said. “Do you recall? You rescued a little boy from the river and nearly got swept away yourself. You had to be pulled from the water, and you caught a fever. You have been ill for two days.”

  “Have you been here with me all that time?”

  “I was. Where else would I be?”

  Darcy smiled.

  “Do you truly feel better?” I asked. I touched his face again. He caught my hand and pressed his lips to the palm.

  “Truly,” he murmured, his lips still against my skin. My breath caught at the sensations his lips aroused in me. “I have never felt better in all my life.”

  His hand reached up to catch the back of my head, and I found my lips on his. I resisted for only a moment out of sheer surprise, but the sensations he aroused in me combined with my joy at his recovery when I had been so sure I was to lose him were too much for me. I responded joyfully to his touch, lying on him as he kissed me deeper with a deep growl in his throat. He flipped me over so I was beneath him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and this time, he did not stop.

  Darcy smiled down at me afterwards as he caressed my face.

  “Are you happy?” he asked.

  “Very happy.” I smiled and nestled closer to him, still filled with wonder from the intimacy we had just shared. “And you?”

  “You cannot begin to understand how happy I am. I have wanted to be with you properly as husband and wife for the longest time.”

  “I suppose we are properly married now.”

  “Oh, have no doubt about that, wife,” he said in a low voice that made me shiver. He caught my hand again and pressed a kiss there. “You are mine now, and I am yours. Let no man put us asunder and all that.”

  “I suppose there can also be no doubt of your recovery.” I glanced up at him shyly. “While I know little about it, I am confident a sick man could not behave as you have just done.”

  “I am sure a dying man could do so with such temptation in his arms. But I have never felt better in all my life. It is not unusual for a fever to pass and leave the person with a renewed energy. For example, right now, I feel a ravenous hunger and not just for you. I feel as though I could eat a banquet.”

  “Well, I am sorry to say that is quite out of the question. The physician said you must eat slowly once you were recovered and you must rest easily.”

  Darcy looked down at the rumpled bedsheets then caught me beneath him once again.

  “Well, as we have already disobeyed that rule, we might as well do so again.”

  Mrs Reynolds stared at Darcy with joy when she arrived at the room. She had almost walked in on us, but we had sprung apart and made ourselves decent. Fortunately, no one expected us to look respectable.

  “Oh, sir, you look so well,” she cried. “You have all but recovered. Your wife is an excellent nurse, you know. Whatever she has been doing to you, I recommend you receive much more of it.”

  “I shall hold her to that, Mrs Reynolds,” said Darcy. His tone was grave, then he turned and winked at me behind her back. I looked away to hide my smile.

  We had to argue with him to persuade him he could not eat as much as he liked. It was as though all the life that had drained out of Darcy over his illness had come roaring back to him, and he could not get enough. He made a face when we united in refusing him anything but plain toast and boiled eggs.

  “This is barbaric,” he said. “I shall never recover at this rate. Do I not need food to build up my strength?”

  “Of course you do, sir,” I replied. “And that is precisely what we are giving you. Do you think these are clothes?” I gestured towards the plate. Darcy gave me a mock glare then obediently ate his food.

  “But if I am to eat such poor fare, I insist you sit beside me as I do. That is all the tonic I need. No, not on that chair. What sort of wife are you? No, I want you here beside me where I can put my other arm around you.” Darcy caught my hand and pulled me down beside him. I giggled as he settled me beside him with our backs against the pillow. He insisted on a kiss and then another before he would eat and I was happy to oblige.

  Well, if he required it before he would eat, I would have been a poor wife to refuse him, would I not?

  45

  The next day, the physician deemed Darcy well enough to dress and come downstairs. Both he and I felt some mixed blessings at that. As long as he remained in bed, it gave us a chance to indulge in our newfound delight in one another. As his strength returned and my shyness disappeared, I discovered more pleasure than I realised it was possible for me. I had not known marriage would contain anything like this. My mother had given me a rather cursory explanation of my duties before my wedding, but she had made it sound as though it were a terrible burden I would have to endure if I ever wanted to have children and please my husband. I did not realise the joys that came from a husband and wife truly in sync with one another, and I was eager to learn all I could.

  But both of us were also growing tired of the same four walls. Neither of us was the sort of person who was content with unchanging scenery, and we reasoned we would enjoy our reunion later from going without it. Darcy grumbled as a
footman came to help him walk down the stairs. I stood at a distance and teased him, something I knew he would make me pay for later, and I would enjoy every moment. We sat in the drawing-room as the physician had forbidden Darcy the garden. We had not been there long when a visitor was announced.

  “Mr Sudeley to see you, sir,” the butler announced. I glanced at Darcy curiously. Though some neighbours had visited us since we arrived, Mr Sudeley had been called away from home. I was surprised to see Darcy pale at the butler’s words as he nodded for him to enter. I turned to the door, interested to see Amelia’s father. Now she was at such a distance and considering the intimacy between Darcy and me, I decided my fears of her were misplaced.

  Mr Sudeley was a tall man well into his middle years. He bowed to Darcy and bent his head over my hand as he was introduced to me.

  “I wanted to come much earlier,” he said. “You cannot imagine how relieved we were when we heard you had recovered. I was heartsick to think you had been injured while performing such a service for my family. I want to thank you, Darcy. On behalf of myself and my wife and daughter. And on behalf of my grandson too, of course.”

  “That is alright,” said Darcy in a brusque tone. “Anyone might have done the same.”

  “How is the little boy?” I asked. “Darcy never told me his age or his name.”

  Mr Sudeley gave me a politely confused smile. “I thought you had already met my grandson, ma’am. William is six years old.”

  I stiffened as the blood roared in my ears. “Of course,” I said vaguely. “Forgive me. I did not know they had arrived in Derbyshire.”

  “It was rather sudden,” he replied. “My daughter wrote to me and asked that they return home, so I went to take them here. Perhaps you know that my daughter had a falling out with her family but… well, we shall say no more about that. She is home now, and we are managing as best we can.”

  “Give my best wishes to the family,” said Darcy. He still looked subdued. I was afraid to discover the reason.

  “Of course. But I want you to know how grateful I am to you, Darcy. I cannot thank you enough. If there is ever anything I can do for you, I hope you will ask it of me, and it will be done.”

  Darcy waved away his thanks with an embarrassed mutter and assured him it was unnecessary.

  “I believe it is. My family owes you a great debt. Though I have not known my grandson long, I find I am enamoured of the little fellow and heartily regret all the years I did not know him. None of us could have endured it if we lost him.” Sudeley sighed. “You are tired. I did not mean to take up much of your time. I could not allow another day to go by without expressing my heartfelt gratitude. God bless you, sir. I shall leave you to your rest.” Mr Sudeley bowed and left.

  After he left, I looked at Darcy. “You did not tell me Amelia had come home, and it was her son you rescued.”

  “I heard something of her being back in Derbyshire, but I did not think too much of it. I was happy she had come to terms with her family, at least for the boy’s sake. But when I discovered it was William who had disappeared, I could not be happy without going myself. You do not blame me for it?”

  “No,” I murmured. “What else could you have done?”

  But the old pain rose in me once again. It could not be a coincidence that Amelia returned to Derbyshire just as we arrived.

  Later that night, Amelia called to the house. William clutched her hand, but he let go when he saw Darcy and ran to him.

  “Thank you, sir,” he said with a charming little bow. “Mama told me I would have died if it were not for you.”

  “William,” said Amelia with an embarrassed laugh. “Do not speak such untruths. I said no such thing.”

  “But you did, Mama,” said William. His little face was screwed up with confusion. “You told me Mr Darcy had done me a great service, but it was no more than he owed…”

  “That is enough, William. How many times must I scold you for the way you prattle on? Come, sit by me, or we shall have to leave at once.”

  “I did not know you intended to come to Derbyshire,” I said in as polite a voice as I could muster. “You made no mention of it when we told you we were coming here.”

  An embarrassed look crossed Amelia’s face, but she covered it up with a laugh.

  “Oh, I always intended to come home for a few months. I hope you do not feel I am intruding on you by being here?” Her pretty face was bright with anxiety as she looked between us.

  Darcy shook his head. “This is your home. I hope all is well between you and your family?”

  A closed look crossed Amelia’s face. “Quite well. Things are still a little uncomfortable, as I am sure you can understand. But we are managing. I am sure they will finally forgive me for marrying the wrong man. It is just rather hard to have been through all I have and not have the comfort of a husband. I felt it would improve my peace of mind if I could at least have the consolation of my family.” She glanced at the ground then looked at Darcy shyly from under her eyelashes. “Winning your friendship once again reminded me of the joy that old connections can bring. I could not be without it after losing Jacques.” Her face took on a tragic aspect that irritated me greatly.

  “I am sure things will be easier now they have accepted you back,” I said a little tartly and with less sympathy than I am sure Amelia hoped to garner. I glanced at Darcy to see how he took her speech. He was glancing at William with that softness in his eyes I so often saw there.

  “I hope so. I am doing it for my little boy more than anything. For his sake, I will dare even my father’s displeasure and my mother’s coldness.” She grasped William to her and pulled him against her chest over his muffled protest. She caressed his curls, almost ferociously. I felt a great pang of sympathy for the sweet child.

  I declined to praise her as she was no doubt expecting.

  “Your parents are not unkind to you?” Darcy asked.

  “Oh… no. No, not precisely,” said Amelia in a tentative tone that suggested she wished us to believe the opposite. Darcy’s face creased in consternation. He shook his head, but he did not say more.

  When Darcy excused himself from the room to see the physician who had promised to call on his way home from his other rounds, Amelia turned to me with a thin smile.

  “And how do you like Derbyshire, Mrs Darcy? Is it as splendid as you expected?”

  “It is very beautiful. Darcy was more than right when he spoke of its beauties.”

  “And have you had many visitors while you were here?”

  “A few. We have not been here many days, and I have been occupied with learning the running of the house, as well as spending time with my husband, but most of the neighbours have been kind enough to call.”

  Amelia’s smile stretched. “There are few women of our age in the area, I am afraid to say,” she said. “You and I shall have to become good friends. We shall have to be allies to one another against all these men and older people. What do you say, Mrs Darcy? Shall you and I form an alliance?”

  I could think of nothing that would give me less pleasure, but I could not think how to frame it without being churlish. Surely she would not stay here for long, anyway? A woman who ran away to France would not be content to hide away in her parents’ house when she could live in London. I could lose nothing by smiling and nodding.

  “Excellent!” Amelia clapped her hands as though nothing gave her more pleasure. “Then will you be good enough to accompany me to Lambton tomorrow? I understand you have not been there yet.”

  “No, I have not.” I was so surprised at such a sudden invitation that I was caught off-guard. I wracked my brains for an excuse. “I shall not wish to be away from Pemberley until Darcy is fully recovered. It has not been many days since the…” I glanced at William, who was playing with a little wooden soldier Darcy had presented to him. “… since the incident,” I finished carefully.

  “And what of that?” exclaimed Amelia. She looked up as the door opened and Darc
y returned to the room. “Your wife is too good, Mr Darcy. I have invited her to come to Lambton tomorrow, but she does not wish to leave you alone while you are ill. Are you so incapable of surviving without her?”

  Darcy looked at me with an eyebrow raised. He shook his head.

  “My wife is free to go or stay as she pleases. I am quite well alone, but it is entirely up to her.”

  I had been careful never to allow Darcy to see my dislike for Amelia, and now it came back to haunt me. Still, I would not allow this woman the satisfaction of thinking she threatened me. Before I could respond, William spoke up.

  “Do come with us, Mrs Darcy,” he said in his French accent. His bright eyes were eager. “I shall like it if you are there.”

  “I… well, then,” I said, hopelessly charmed by the engaging little boy as always. “I cannot say no to that.”

  Amelia beamed. “So, it is settled. I have a gig. I shall call for you at ten o’clock tomorrow.”

  “I can hardly wait.”

  46

  It was with little grace that I tied my bonnet the following morning. Surely it was not too late for me to write a note and tell my eager new friend that I would not be at home? But if I did, she was sure to call to the house later. I looked at my reflection with a sigh of resignation then turned as I heard the trot of hooves approaching the front door. I was dismayed to see Amelia alone in the gig. She beamed at me as I climbed in.

  “Where is William? I thought he was coming with us?”

  “Oh, he shall stay home with his Grandpapa today.” She nudged me playfully. “Besides, how often will we be alone together? We cannot become dear friends if a small boy trails behind us, can we?”

  “No, we cannot,” I said in a flat voice.

  The journey to Lambton was tense. Amelia chatted away, and I summoned just enough manners to respond as pleasantly as I could, but the road felt endless. I rejoiced when I saw the spire of a church as we rounded down a little lane. I even found I could endure Amelia pointing out the various sights where she and Darcy had walked and played together. To hear her tell it, the entire Derbyshire countryside was a shrine to their friendship. I would not have cared if Lambton was an outdoor Bedlam as long as it allowed me to escape the gig.