* * * * *
DARCY LED ELIZABETH THROUGH THE whole house. Their tour finished in the library.
“How do you like your new home? It is truly yours now, and I must congratulate myself. So far I have kept my promise that we should never be apart, and now we will never spend another night alone.”
“You cannot imagine how happy you have made me.”
“Was it just last night that we slept in each other’s arms on this sofa?”
“Yes, it was. It seems like a lifetime ago. I feel as though I am a new person now. I feel like I am beginning my life.”
Darcy interrupted her with a kiss that she gratefully returned. “We are at the beginning of our new life together.”
Elizabeth stood next to him, brushed his hair off his forehead and caressed his face. “I am so happy that you are mine. You cannot know the joy you have brought to my life.”
Darcy traced her necklace with his finger.
“But I do know it, my beloved. I know it very well.”
* * * * *
AFTER SITTING THROUGH A LIGHT dinner that neither of them tasted, Darcy escorted Elizabeth to her bedchamber. Standing in front of the door, Elizabeth embraced him and held herself close against his chest. He returned her embrace, taking pleasure in the closeness of her body.
“Fitzwilliam, I will be changed forever after tonight.”
“Are you afraid?”
Of course, how could she not be nervous? He kissed her hair and awaited her answer.
“I trust you.”
Releasing herself from his embrace, she opened the door to her room, took one step inside, and then turned to face Darcy with a look of expectation on her face.
“When shall I come to you, Elizabeth?”
“In a half-hour.”
“A half-hour it is, then. Is there anything I can do or provide for your present comfort? I am at your service.”
“Yes, there is something. Is there a clock in this room? I would like to know when a half-hour has passed.”
“I do not recall, but here, take my watch.” He lifted his watch out of his pocket and detached the chain from his coat.
“If you give me your watch, I shall never return it,” laughed Elizabeth as she opened her hand to receive it.
Just as she was folding her fingers around it, Darcy pulled it away.
“Never?”
“Well,” smiled Elizabeth, “I will return it on one condition.”
Darcy pulled the watch away from her as she tried again to take it.
“No, no, no, Elizabeth. Not until you tell me how to get it back. This is my favorite watch, you know.”
“I will return it if you promise to change one part of our wedding vow.”
“What? Are you a little heretic and I never knew it?” he said laughing.
“I just want to add a little part, just a little something about . . . ” She paused and eyed the watch. “We must add a part about you honoring and obeying me, as well!”
He laughed. “You drive a hard bargain, Mrs. Darcy.”
“Yes, I do, but if your watch is that important to you, of course, you will agree to it!”
“Come here,” he said, putting the watch in her hand.
She stepped up next to him and put her arms around his neck.
“Mrs. Darcy,” he said, with his lips pressed against her cheek, “I promise to honor and obey you all the days of my life, but I want you to keep the watch.”
“You are too good to me, Fitzwilliam.”
In a hushed voice, he made a request of her. “Please do not let down your hair tonight.” He kissed her lips, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.
“Very well.”
Darcy released her, and she stepped back, holding out her hand to him. After he kissed her fingers, she withdrew into the room and shut the door.
* * * * *
A HALF-HOUR, DARCY THOUGHT AS he entered his room. A half-hour and I will make her mine. How I have longed for this moment! How I suffered when I thought it could never be!
Darcy stepped out of his clothes and into the black dressing gown he wore the previous night when he encountered Elizabeth in the library. Stepping to the fire, he stirred new life into the fading embers and sat down. Looking into the flames, he inhaled deeply, and by closing his eyes, could imagine Elizabeth standing before him.
The vision began to move, and in an instant, the image of his father appeared behind Elizabeth. He walked slowly up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She offered him her cheek, which he gently kissed. With an expression on his face that spoke of pride and admiration, old Mr. Darcy took Elizabeth’s hand and offered it to Darcy. Just as he reached out to take her hand from his father, the vision faded, and he fell back against the sofa.
Since his decision to return to Netherfield and regain Elizabeth’s love, Darcy had never doubted his intentions or questioned his motives. If she would have him, he was going to marry her. His satisfaction with having done so was now heightened by what was to him the acknowledgement of his father’s approval.
Darcy glanced up at the clock on the mantelpiece. There yet remained a quarter-hour. His anticipation grew. Last night he had taken great pleasure in being with Elizabeth and holding her through the night. Soon, he would find great delight in her love and tenderness.
* * * * *
ELIZABETH SAT IN FRONT OF a dressing table and set Darcy’s watch down near a brush and comb. The face of the watch was white with gold numerals that marked the hour. When she closed the lid, she noticed that the Darcy crest had been engraved on the cover. This was no ordinary watch, but rather an emblem of the traditions of the Darcy family. By satisfying her desire to keep the watch, he had symbolically given her all that he had, and thus, she became an heiress to wealth, honor and kinship.
She opened the watch again and saw the second hand trace an arc around the numbers. Moments in time blurred into seconds, and seconds grew into minutes before she caught herself dreaming about Darcy and his proposal to her by the stream. Was it really only three days ago? The emotion she felt on his appearance there had been so intense. He had come contritely, blanketed in uncertainty in an attempt to change the past in such a way that he might enjoy a future with her.
She had to confess that there was once a part of her that had difficulty accepting his explanation for abandoning her, but there was no question of her forgiveness. Despite his imperfections, she was fully prepared to give herself to him. The instant he took her in his arms and kissed her, all her pain was overcome by the happiness of being desired by him.
Him, she thought to herself . . . Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley. Soon that man, her husband, would be coming to her. Coming for her, truly, to claim her as his own.
She looked at the watch. There were ten minutes remaining until he came. She eyed the door that joined their rooms and wondered what her husband was feeling.
* * * * *
DARCY’S COMPOSURE FAILED HIM, AND he was now pacing the floor near the fire, his mind and eyes never dwelling long on any object but focusing inward on the image he had created in his mind of how Elizabeth would look when he first saw her.
He recalled the first sight he had of her in her room at Netherfield after her fall. She was resting peacefully, her hands at her side outside the blanket and her face surrounded by a pool of curls that tumbled below her shoulders. Her pale skin appeared so white in contrast to the dark color of her hair. He remembered another occasion when he was looking at her while she was asleep. He had been attracted to the fullness of her lips and the hint of a smile that graced them. All he felt for her, everything for which he yearned, he expressed in three words — Please, come back!
She had come back and had brought him the love and acceptance he had sought all his life. Now she was his wife, and the happiness he would derive from his relationship with her would be unbounded. There could be nothing greater.
Darcy looked at the clock. Five more minutes.
* *
* * *
THE NIGHTGOWN THAT JANE HAD chosen as her gift for Elizabeth was soft and delicate, and Jane assured her it was very becoming. Elizabeth felt beautiful in it. It was a simple white silk design that was edged with lace. Her feet were bare. She had prepared herself to receive him in the simplicity of her love.
Elizabeth rose when she heard his knock. She glanced at the watch and smiled. It had been exactly a half-hour.
* * * * *
“COME IN, FITZWILLIAM.”
Darcy took a deep breath and slowly entered the room. He stepped aside to shut the door, then turned to face Elizabeth and raised his eyes.
“Elizabeth!” A vision of arresting beauty stood before him. She was perfect.
She answered with a smile and a gesture of her hand that invited him to come near her.
“You cannot know, you have no idea . . . you are so beautiful! Oh, my love, I —”
“Thank you, Fitzwilliam,” she interrupted with a shy smile.
He closed the distance between them and took hold of her hand. He opened his mouth to speak again, but she put a finger against his lips and hushed him into silence. “You may tell me how beautiful I am as many times as you wish, but I want you to know how much I adore you, and I am proud, so very proud, to be your wife.”
Darcy raised both hands to her face and kissed her. It was a delicate, tender kiss that confirmed the emotions they felt for each other. He broke the kiss just in time to see her open her eyes. Her smile melted his heart. He took her hand, led her to the bed, and sat next to her. They turned to face each other, holding hands and rejoicing in the intimacy of the occasion.
“I never dared hope that this day would come until I received your note.”
“I wished with all my heart that you would come back.”
“I remember coming upon you by the stream. You had let your hair down, and it was flowing across your back, tossed around by the breeze. Your head was tilted, revealing your lovely throat. I have never seen such an enticing image as you appeared to me at that moment.”
“I did not know you were watching me, Fitzwilliam. It is not very gentlemanly to spy, you know!” The teasing look in her eye spoke of the humor she felt as she recalled the incident.
“I wish I could have been there when you let down your hair.” He reached up and cupped her cheek, then slid his hand around the nape of her neck to the knot of hair on the top of her head.
“I wish I could have witnessed this,” he said as he pulled out a hairpin. A lock of hair fell free. “And this.” He pulled out another pin.
She looked up at him with growing desire. Her hair was loosened and she shook it free around her shoulders.
“You are so beautiful.” He pulled her close and combed his fingers through her hair. “Since that time by the stream, I have wanted to do this.”
She felt a shiver run down her spine as he brushed her hair to one side and slowly trailed kisses down her neck.
“Fitzwilliam . . . ”
Elizabeth’s words were lost when his lips claimed hers with fierce intensity. Words could no longer describe their love or express the passionate feelings in their hearts. As Darcy untied the fastenings of her nightgown, and it pooled at her waist, he knew that she was not the only one who would be forever changed that night.
* * * * *
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING. The air was fresh and clean and the sun warm and bright, and most importantly, Elizabeth was not alone. “Fitzwilliam,” she whispered, “are you awake?”
Darcy’s happiness knew no bounds. His dreams had come true. He would be quite content to spend the rest of the day holding her. He had been careful not to move, not wanting to wake her, but when he heard her voice, he gently caressed her hair and shoulders. “Yes. Good morning, my love.”
“How long have you been awake?”
“For a little while. I have been lying here thinking of last night.”
“I do hope they were agreeable thoughts.”
“They were exceedingly pleasant, I assure you.”
“It was my pleasure, sir. I have never been happier!”
“My love, you cannot imagine how I feel when you say such things.”
But she could imagine, and did, as his hands slid across the silken curves of her body and his lips devoured hers.
Chapter 23
“ELIZABETH,” DARCY AND HIS BRIDE were sitting in the drawing room later that morning. “I have made a little change in our plans. I hope you do not mind.”
Elizabeth was looking at a display of elegant glass figurines over the chimney-piece. “I am sure I shall not. What change did you make?”
“I have instructed everyone in the household and asked all who attended our wedding to keep our marriage a secret. No one is to know. I want you all to myself for as long as possible.”
“Does that mean that there will be no callers offering their congratulations and that I shall have you all to myself? Will I not be required to share your time and attention?” She slowly walked towards him.
“No one knows we are here. We will be entirely left alone.”
“Then I thank you very much for that change in plan,” she said softly, “because having you all to myself is my only wish.”
She was close enough for him to reach her. He quickly took her hand and pulled her onto his lap. She threw her arms around his neck with a laugh.
* * * * *
MRS. JAMISON THOUGHT THAT MR. and Mrs. Darcy might enjoy some tea, and she was just approaching the drawing room when she heard the sound of laughter that forestalled her progress.
With a smile, Mrs. Jamison silently retreated to the kitchen. The Darcys would not require tea that afternoon.
* * * * *
THE PLEASANT WEATHER ON THE following day was similar to that of the day Darcy received Elizabeth’s letter containing her ribbon. He wanted to tell her about that day, and the present moment seemed particularly suited to the occasion.
“Elizabeth, would you like to take a walk in the park?”
“I would like that very much.”
Elizabeth slipped her arm through his as they crossed the busy street. They entered the park and turned down a path with which Darcy was quite familiar.
“My love, I came to this park, to this very spot, after I received your letter.”
“You came here?”
“Yes. I could hardly contain myself. I came and nearly ran down the walks out of sheer joy. That ribbon had meant too much for me to mistake your meaning. I saw it as an invitation to love you again. The darkness that had weighed on me was suddenly lifted, and I felt free and alive for the first time since . . . ” He hesitated and then paused as painful memories intruded.
“I knew when you wrote your letter to Mr. Bingley that you were writing to me.”
“I was, as much as I dared. Bingley’s letter taught me to hope.”
“I was very nervous about sending the ribbon, but Jane said I needed to let you know how I felt.”
“Here it is.” Darcy took the ribbon out of his pocket. Elizabeth stopped walking and leaned into him and he put his arm around her. “I carry it with me wherever I go. I lace it through my fingers and let my mind run away with thoughts of you. I fell in love with you while you were still asleep. I have never been able to confide in anyone until I met you. It was such a relief to unburden my heart to you that day. When I am with you, I am filled with feelings of happiness and joy which I have never experienced.”
“Thank you for telling me that. I was very much in love with you from almost the first moment I saw you. I recognized your voice and the touch of your hand. I know you must have spent many hours with me while I was asleep.”
Darcy took a quick look around them, and determining that they were unobserved, he kissed her. Elizabeth caressed his face as he held her against him. All her feelings of love swelled in her breast as she realized once again how truly she loved him.
After a kiss that seemed all too short, he pulled back from her and wi
th a smile, led her down another walk.
* * * * *
TOWARDS THE END OF THE Darcys’ first week of marriage, Mrs. Jamison found Elizabeth sitting alone in the library behind her husband’s desk. Mr. Darcy had stepped out, but he was expected back at any moment. “Mrs. Darcy, I am sorry to disturb you, ma’am, but there are two people who wish to call on you.”
“They asked to see me?”
“Yes, ma’am. The people who are here to see you are Mr. Tilden and his daughter, Miss Tilden. I do not know how they even knew you were here. Mr. Darcy’s instructions were that the servants tell no one, and I am certain we have not.”
Mrs. Jamison knew Mr. Darcy and Mr. Tilden had disagreed, and she knew very well that it concerned Miss Tilden.
“Please lead the way, Mrs. Jamison. I will do the best I can.”
* * * * *
MR. TILDEN HAD HEARD THROUGH obscure channels that Mr. Darcy had married. Apparently, his suspicions regarding Darcy were well founded. He had been attached to someone else, and that is why he refused his daughter. “Who was she?” and “Did he regret it?” were questions that he wished to settle for himself. He was offended on his daughter’s behalf at Darcy’s refusal, and he knew he would find satisfaction in demonstrating to the lady herself the superiority of his daughter. It was convenient that Mr. Darcy was not home.
Elizabeth followed Mrs. Jamison to the drawing room. The Tildens rose at her entrance.
Mr. Tilden walked over to her and bowed. “Mrs. Darcy, thank you for seeing us. It is a pleasure to meet you. We have been eager to become acquainted with Mr. Darcy’s wife.”
“Thank you, Mr. Tilden, though I was not aware that my marriage was generally known.” Elizabeth gave him a sidelong glance. “I apologize for Mr. Darcy’s absence. He has been called away on business, but I expect him very shortly.”
“Mrs. Darcy, please allow me to introduce you to my daughter, Miss Clara Tilden.”
Miss Tilden curtseyed, and Elizabeth invited them both to sit, eyeing Miss Tilden with interest. She was a pretty, young woman.
Elizabeth took a chair opposite the sofa she had offered to the Tildens. From her vantage point, she was able to see the entrance to the room and was expecting her husband to enter momentarily.
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