Mr. Darcy's Love
Page 5
Once she reached the last person in the line, who was hired as her personal maid and was brand-new to the staff, Elizabeth addressed the group as a whole.
“Thank you, all of you, for your warm welcome. It will take time for me to learn all of your names, so please, do not be shy about correcting me if I call you the wrong one,” she said with a wink. The group laughed in response.
Darcy nodded to Mrs. Butler, who dismissed her staff back to their duties. She informed the Master and Mistress that bathwater was warmed for them and that dinner would be served in two hours. Upon receiving their acknowledgment, she curtsied and returned to her own duties, leaving the couple alone.
“Shall we, my dear?” asked Darcy, gesturing to the staircase.
“Yes, darling, I believe we shall. I look forward to washing the dust of the road off and exchanging this gown for something clean.”
Smiling happily at each other, the couple ascended the staircase. Elizabeth was shown her chambers first, and she exclaimed over the beauty of the room and the fine taste of her predecessor. Darcy’s mother had been the previous occupant, and he explained that she had redecorated the year before she had Georgiana. The room had not been opened since his mother’s death, and if Elizabeth desired to make changes, she was welcome to.
“Oh, no, Fitzwilliam! They are perfect as they are. Your mother had exquisite taste! It matches mine so well. I admit to being a little surprised at that.”
“My mother had simple tastes, for all she was the daughter of an earl. She preferred quiet elegance to gaudy opulence. Lady Catherine is the opposite, as you will see when we eventually visit her. She favors gilt and glitter. The more ostentatious, the better, in her opinion.”
Elizabeth shuddered at the mental image his words produced. “Happily for you, my sweet William, I am not inclined to either spend money without need or to fill my home with gilded vases and picture frames. I am perfectly happy with the colors and fabrics I see in this room, and have no desire at present to make changes.”
Darcy smiled. “I am happy to hear your reassurances.” He reached for her, wrapping his arms about her waist and drawing her close. “If you ever change your mind, there are funds set aside in the household accounts for such things. You do not need to ask my permission to use them.” He bent his head to capture her lips in a slow, sensual kiss. As it ended and he released her lips, her words made him smile.
“Mmmm, my love, that was delicious.” She squeezed his middle, then released him, saying, “Why do you not go to your room and freshen up, and I will do the same? If we stay here like this much longer, we will never get downstairs, and I am hungry.” When he just stood there, grinning at her words, she turned him around and pushed him toward the door. “Go, you insatiable man. I promise to kiss you again later.”
Laughing, he walked to the door that connected their rooms. Hand on the frame of the door, he looked over his shoulder at her to say, “I shall hold you to that, oh goddess mine.” Then he winked and was gone.
Later that evening, after dinner and an hour playing the pianoforte together, the pair walked back up the stairs, holding hands and whispering to each other. They entered Elizabeth’s rooms and were not seen again until noon the next day, when they appeared in the breakfast room. They ate their meal quickly, staring at each other and touching as often as they could manage. Afterwards, they ran back up the stairs, the Master chasing the Mistress, for another afternoon of bedroom games and togetherness. So began a wonderful life full of love and laughter.
~~~***~~~
In due time, Bingley fulfilled all of Mrs. Bennet’s predictions by asking Jane for her hand in marriage on Christmas Eve. Though generally compliant, Jane refused to budge on her wedding date, which she insisted be no more than four weeks distant. Her mother eventually gave up the fight, vowing for all to hear that the next daughter to marry would be forced into a longer engagement.
Elizabeth and Darcy stood up for their friend and sister. Their attention was less on the wedding currently taking place and more on each other and the memory of their special day.
The new Mr. and Mrs. Bingley settled quickly into Netherfield, but only stayed there a year. Eventually, the unannounced and unexpected visits of Mrs. Bennet strained even Bingley’s good humor. With Darcy’s help, they found an estate to purchase within half a day’s journey of Pemberley. The two families remained closely-knit for the rest of their lives.
The End
About the Author
Zoe Burton first fell in love with Jane Austen’s books in 2010, after seeing the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice on television. While making her purchases of Miss Austen’s novels, she discovered Jane Austen Fan Fiction; soon after that she discovered websites full of JAFF. Her life has never been the same. She began writing her own stories when she ran out of new ones to read.
Zoe lives in the snow-belt of Ohio. She is a Special Education Teacher in an online school, and has a passion for romance in general, Pride and Prejudice in particular, and NASCAR
Connect with Zoe Burton
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More by Zoe Burton
I Promise To…
Lilacs & Lavender
Promises Kept
Bits of Ribbon and Lace
Decisions & Consequences
The Essence of Love
Matches Made at Netherfield
Darcy’s Wife Search
Lady Catherine Impedes
Forced to Wed
Darcy’s Adventures
Darcy’s Race to Love
Promises: A Pride & Prejudice Series
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