“No need,” Darcy answered. “She already knows it as there is nothing modest about Mrs. Bradshaw, but we shall thank everyone when we get to Pemberley.”
The mention of Pemberley was Jane’s cue to suggest that the newlyweds remain at Netherfield until the day after Christmas. “It will be so much fun. We shall all sing Christmas carols and have punch and light the Yule log. Besides, after all of the busyness of today, you will be so very tired,” Jane said, addressing her sister, and Charles nodded in agreement.
Darcy said nothing. Instead, he looked to Elizabeth.
“Jane, thank you for your offer, but we must adhere to our original plan.”
When Jane started to protest, Georgiana interrupted. “Mrs. Bingley, I am the reason we must depart tomorrow morning. At my request, there is a certain person who has been invited to Ashton Hall by my aunt Marguerite, and he will be there on the day after Christmas.” She looked at William in such a way that it gave the impression that Georgiana had tried to put something over on her brother. Jane, not wishing to cause trouble between the siblings, said no more, and an uncomfortable silence followed until Jane said that she wished to retire.
Lizzy walked with her sister to the staircase and kissed her on the cheek. “Jane, do not be upset with me, please. I promise I shall be here for the baby, if not sooner.”
“I am not upset with you, Lizzy. It is just that you have not even left, and I am already missing you. But you are as tired as I am. Would you like for me to help you take your hair down?”
“Thank you, but that will not be necessary.”
“Is Mrs. Brotherton to help you undress?”
“No, I can manage.”
“Lizzy, don’t be silly. You cannot unbutton your own dress. I shall send Mrs. Grover to you.”
“No, thank you, Jane. I really can manage.”
“Oh, I see,” Jane said, blushing, now realizing that Mr. Darcy was to provide that service. “Well, you always were braver than I, so I shall say good night.”
It was not a matter of her being brave. It was a matter of trust, and Lizzy trusted Fitzwilliam Darcy.
***
While Darcy brushed her hair, Lizzy told her husband of the embarrassing conversation she had had with Jane.
“I am sure I shocked her by not having a lady’s maid help me to undress.”
“But why should you be some quaking creature hiding under the covers? It is so different in the wild. When I was in North America, I lived very close to a pack of wolves, and the mating pairs would have a splendid courtship of nuzzling and nibbling and sleeping side by side, and before they performed the act, they whipped their tails at each other and jumped all about. It was a joyous experience, not something to be got through.”
“Are you going to whip your tail at me?” Lizzy asked. Darcy immediately put down the brush. After helping Lizzy out of her dress, he tried to untie her stays, but they were knotted.
“Who tied your stays?” Darcy asked.
“My mother laced me up.”
“Oh, I see. Your mother hopes to delay the inevitable.”
“Don’t be silly. I am sure it was unconsciously done.”
“Hmmm.” Darcy tried to unknot the laces, but the stays stayed on. “I am going to have to cut the ties.”
“Oh no, you are not. These are the only stays I have with me.”
“Then borrow another from Jane tomorrow.”
“How am I supposed to explain that? My husband could not wait and cut right through my ties?” Lizzy started to laugh, which only made the chore more difficult.
Finally, he walked with her to the bed and told her to bend over.
“Sir?”
“By bending over, you will round your back, and it will be easier that way.” Finally the knot came undone, and Lizzy was left standing in her chemise.
“I have a very pretty nightgown,” she said, looking down at her plain cotton gown.
“You are going to get out of this nightgown to put another one on?” Darcy asked confused.
“Well, it is silk and very pretty. I bought it in London.”
“Do what you want, but it seems redundant to me.”
“Will, you are not being romantic at all. This is not how I pictured my wedding night.”
“So you have been thinking about our wedding night?” he asked, slipping his hands around her waist. “So have I.”
“I am sure my thoughts were quite different from yours.”
“Really?” Darcy asked as he ran his hand along her neck, exposing her shoulder.
“Yes, really.”
“Lizzy, be honest.” But his wife said nothing, refusing to confirm the obvious. “After you remove your stockings, why don’t we get in bed?”
“Can I not leave them on? My feet are cold.” Her feet were the only part of her body that was.
“I shall warm them up for you.” He reached up under her nightgown and rolled down the first stocking and then the second. After doing so, Darcy quickly shed his boots, breeches, and blouse before climbing into bed with his wife. When they were both under the covers, Darcy ran his hand down her body before reaching under her nightgown.
“You said you were going to warm my feet first,” she said, whispering in his ear.
“They will be warm in a minute. I promise,” and he pulled the covers over their heads.
Chapter 33
Darcy traced the outline of Lizzy’s face with the back of his hand. He hated to disturb her at such an early hour, especially since they had so little sleep. He would have preferred to wake her up by making love to her again, but they had to get started on the first leg of their journey. It had been a mistake to agree to the December 24th date for their wedding. It would have been better if he had insisted that they wait until after his transformation, and he should have allowed more time to get to Pemberley. He had wanted their first nightfall together as husband and wife to go smoothly, without any hiccups, but here he was trying to rouse his wife from her sleep when they should have been lying in each other’s arms.
Lizzy placed her hand on her husband’s and kissed it and waited for him to return her kiss, but when she opened her eyes, she saw that he was dressed and ready to leave. She quickly sat up and looked up into his beautiful green eyes.
“I shall get ready quickly, Will.” After hugging her, he said that he would be back in fifteen minutes to take her overnight bag downstairs. Lizzy went to the mirror and grimaced at what she saw. Because her hair was so curly, she braided it every night except, of course, last night. As a result, she looked as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. “He must really love me or he would have run away,” Lizzy said, smiling.
A very sleepy Jane and Charles were waiting for them in the breakfast room. As requested, only tea, coffee, and porridge had been prepared for the travelers, and Georgiana, who was known to sleep half the morning away, looked as if she might fall face first into her bowl.
Despite it being Christmas morning, Jane had a long face on her, and because his wife was sad, Charles looked equally forlorn. In order to avoid tearful good-byes, Lizzy made quick work of breakfast, and after kissing Jane and hugging Charles, she walked straight out the door and into the carriage. Darcy lingered a little longer, but if they were to arrive at Mr. Gowland’s house before dark, they needed to leave now.
Mrs. Brotherton and Georgiana barely managed to remain awake for the twelve miles to the inn where they changed carriages. There was nothing pretty or comfortable about their new conveyance, but it would get them where they needed to go and quickly. As expected, Mercer had everything ready, and after a brief respite, the four travelers got into their coach with Mercer driving and Metcalf remaining behind with the Darcy carriage and horses.
The motion of the carriage soon rocked Georgiana and her lady’s maid to sleep, and with no one to see them, Lizzy
slid over so that she might cuddle with Darcy. After she had unbuttoned one of his buttons, she slipped her hand inside her husband’s coat. Yes, after last night he was definitely her husband, and the memory of their wedding night brought a smile to her face.
As soon as they had gotten into bed, they had immediately begun to make love. Not wishing to cause his wife any pain, Darcy had entered her slowly, but that was the only slow thing they did. Not having anything to compare it to, he was afraid things were going too fast. But when Lizzy wrapped her legs around his and pulled him deeper inside her, he realized that she needed this as much as he did, and he surrendered.
Lizzy had rested her head on his chest, and in the silence, she could hear his heartbeat. She could also hear the change in his breathing, letting her know that he had fallen asleep, and she had dozed off as well. But neither had slept for long, and she soon felt his weight upon her once again.
As the night wore on, with the fire nothing more than glowing embers, the room had grown cold, and Lizzy moved next to her husband for warmth; he pulled her closely to him so that their bodies took the same shape. That was all it took, and since they were only half awake, their lovemaking had a dreamlike quality to it, and it was slower and sweeter, and he was beginning to know how best to please her. Everything she did pleased him.
As the carriage continued to rumble toward the Gowlands’ residence, Darcy and Elizabeth spoke of their wedding day. He told her how beautiful she had looked, and she returned the compliment. They spoke of the children they would have, but not before their first anniversary. Lizzy was in agreement with her husband on this because she had seen the effect Jane’s pregnancy had on her marriage. Now, all talk was about their little bundle, and as she had grown bigger, Jane tired easily. Lizzy did not want that—not yet.
When Darcy shared with Elizabeth that Antony had known of his other incarnation for eight years, she wasn’t all that surprised. “When he visited Aunt Gardiner, I had the impression that he was not there just because he was being nosy, which he most definitely is, but because he wanted to take my measure. Now I know why. He was trying to protect you.”
“Not just me. He wanted to be sure that you knew I was a werewolf, and he came away believing that you did because you were so protective of me.”
“Yes, I was,” she said and kissed him. “Did you see him flirting with Lady Lucas? He had bitten into an apple, and he said as delicious as it was, his preference was for fully ripened fruit. She was so shocked that she dribbled punch down her dress, and then she started to laugh. After providing amusement for Lady Lucas, he took up with my aunt Gardiner exactly where he had left off in town, and he had her giggling once again.”
“Yes, he certainly can be charming.”
“And my goodness, Colonel Fitzwilliam could barely move for all the young ladies clustered about him.”
“To which he made no objection, I might add. He is as big a flirt as his brother, but when it comes time to marry, he will marry money as he has expensive tastes. Because of that, I feel sorry for him; his chances are slim that he will love his wife.” He kissed the top of Lizzy’s head.
By the time the coach pulled into the Gowlands’ yard, the sun had already set, and darkness was upon them. It had taken them longer than expected because, unlike the light dusting of snow at Longbourn, a few inches had fallen farther north.
The coach was met by Mr. Gowland, who immediately pulled Mr. Darcy aside, and from his expression, it was obvious that he was being told something he did not like. Instead of helping the ladies out of the carriage, he climbed back in.
“There is a stranger inside who sought refuge because of the weather, and it would have been wrong for Mr. Gowland to turn him away. I do not think there is anything to be alarmed about, but I would ask that you not speak, or if you must, please do so in French. Just as a precaution, I shall ask that our meals be served in our rooms.”
Lizzy entered a large room with a long table that served as kitchen and dining area, and at the end of a bench sat the unexpected visitor. He immediately jumped up, bowed to the visitors, and introduced himself as Jacob Linley, who had been recently appointed to serve as curate in a parish near Watford. Upon hearing this, Lizzy relaxed, as he definitely had the look of a clergyman about him. When he spoke to her, she pretended not to understand him, and to discourage any further attempts at conversation, Mrs. Gowland quickly led the ladies upstairs.
The bedroom was simply furnished with a bed, washbasin, and small table with two chairs. Because the wood had been dampened by the snow, the fire was producing little heat. Georgiana and Mrs. Brotherton’s room was a little better, and so they decided to have their meal in there. The three ladies were seated in front of the fire when Lizzy heard Mr. Darcy’s heavy footfall on the stairs, and he came in the room and closed the door behind him.
“I am going to join Mr. Linley for supper to make sure he is who he says he is, but your meals will be sent up shortly. Even though I find nothing alarming about the gentleman, I do not like the idea of someone who is not in the community staying in a Council house. Because of that, we shall leave earlier in the morning than expected,” he said and went downstairs.
“Do not worry, Elizabeth. My brother is a very cautious man,” Georgiana explained as soon as her brother had departed. “I can assure you that if he thought anything was amiss, we would not stay here tonight.”
Lizzy agreed, but it was a rapid initiation into a world where anyone who did not belong to the “community” was considered suspect until proved otherwise.
After their meal, and with her coat still on, Lizzy went back to her room to see if she could do something to get the fire to give off more heat. She was making some progress when Darcy came into the room carrying some sticks and twigs, and he immediately took the poker from her. After deftly moving the logs about, he threw some of the kindling on the fire and flames shot up.
“I learned how to make a good fire when I was in Hudson Bay because you did not dare let it die out or you would die.” He brought one of the chairs close to the hearth. After his wife sat down and after tucking her coat between her legs and away from the fire, he apologized for the poor accommodations. “The only other time that I have been here, I was alone. It was fine for me, but I must admit it is quite primitive for a lady. With our early departure, I forgot to wish you a happy Christmas.” After looking around the room, he added, “Not the cheeriest of places to spend our first Christmas.”
“It is fine, and since this will be the first full day of my being Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, I am having the happiest Christmas of my life. Besides, it is only for the one night.”
“Not even that. I want to leave before Mr. Linley gets up. Metcalf has arrived, and he will remain behind until the curate leaves to make sure that he heads south toward Watford. Both Mercer and Metcalf are sleeping downstairs, so Mr. Linley cannot go anywhere without one or the other knowing of it.”
“For someone who isn’t concerned about the curate, you are certainly taking a lot of precautions.”
“I am always on the lookout for someone who is not where he belongs. It is instinctive; I cannot act in any other way.”
The thought of a life lived looking over one’s shoulder sent a shiver down her spine, but she, too, would have to learn to recognize when someone did not belong.
“You are shivering. I am sorry it is not warmer in here.”
Lizzy stood up and put her arms around her husband’s neck and pulled his face to hers. “Why don’t you warm me up the same way you did last night?”
Chapter 34
The trip from the Gowland house to Aunt Marguerite’s was uneventful, and with Mercer perched outside on the driver’s seat, no one complained about the chilly interior. As soon as the house came into view, Lizzy looked out the window to the top of the turret, and once she saw the pale orange flag flying, she felt a sense of relief. Even if something unexpect
ed happened and Mr. Darcy had to transform here, he would be safe.
Darcy’s aunt was waiting for them at the door and ushered all of them into the library, where a blazing fire awaited them, and after making arrangements for Mercer to be served a hot meal, Marguerite followed her guests inside.
“Make yourself at home. We are all alone here, Jeanne and her… Jeanne and her… I never can get it out,” she said, shaking her head. “The pair of them is in town. I have ordered some hot soup to be served right away, and then we shall have a nice supper. But first, tell me all about the wedding.”
After getting the nod from her sister-in-law, Georgiana described everything the bride had worn, right down to the tiny pearls on her satin slippers, and then provided descriptions for Jane’s dress as well as her own and spared no details for her brother’s attire, even noting his expertly tied neckcloth, which caused Darcy to chuckle. He would have to tell Charles that if he ever found himself in financial difficulties, he could hire himself out as a manservant. While his sister recreated the wedding breakfast for her aunt, Darcy smiled at his wife, thinking how gracious she was to allow Georgiana to provide the details of the most important day of her own life.
After supper, they all returned to the library, the warmest room in the house, but shortly thereafter, Darcy asked that the entire party be excused as they had had very little sleep since the wedding. Aunt Marguerite indicated that was fine for her niece and nephew but gestured for Elizabeth to sit beside her on the sofa because there were a few things she wished to discuss with the new Mrs. Darcy. When Darcy tried to protest, his aunt cut him off.
“Did you and Elizabeth share the same room last night?” she asked.
Darcy looked confused. They had only been married two days; of course they had shared a room. “Yes, we stayed at a Council house.”
“All right then. That should hold you for a while. Off you go. I want to talk to your bride.”
Knowing his aunt to be a mule and that he would not win any argument with her, Darcy departed, but he was not happy about it. What could she possibly have to say to Elizabeth that he could not hear?
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