by Nicky Roth
A sharp hiss escaped his lips, but he nodded once again.
Shit, it was trickier than she had thought to get at the key without touching his... - Well, you know what.
And it was even trickier not to stare at his... - well, the same fucking thing.
Oh, and perhaps she should hurry up. He looked as if he needed to wee. Urgently at that. Not exactly a morning glory, rather a shortly past midnight one, but yeah, she got the message. No time to waste, just grab it and be done with it. The key, that was.
'Right, I got it. I'll untie you now, okay?'
'Please,' Darcy whispered in a strained voice.
Yes, just a moment longer and off to the loo... She got it, a full bladder could be very uncomfortable.
Scrambling up and leaning over to unlock the handcuffs she had to fumble quite a bit. Shoot, even they had been awkwardly placed.
'Sorry, Will, but I will have to lean over to get at the lock.'
Argh... - Damn, she really couldn't bend her wrists that way. How the heck had they been placed in the first place? Okay, then it had been irrelevant where the lock was, they only needed to click shut and done. Yet, it felt a little as if it had been done on purpose.
'Lizzy, please...'
'Yes, I try and do my best. You'll be free to go to the toilet in a moment.'
'Toilet?'
'Hold still, Will. I know this is uncomfortable, but I can't help it. The whole thing is basically backwards. I can't get it in the hole. - The key. I meant the key. And the keyhole.'
Why did everything sound like a double entendre all of a sudden? Or was that just her dirty mind playing tricks?
'I know what you meant,' Will sighed, before gasping: 'Shit, why do you have to look so incredibly beautiful?'
What?! Okay, never mind. She needed to get a move on.
Had this man any idea what being so close to him did to her? No, of course not. Ah, at last! Well, at least one of the things was off. And no sooner was his arm free, than it was around her, pulling her down and into his chest. It was the alcohol, surely. Just that he appeared to be completely sober now.
'You, woman, drive me insane!'
She was driving him insane? It was clearly the other way around, Mr!
'I beg to differ, but you drive me insane, Will. And now hold still, I am almost there.'
Ha, released! Oops, trapped...
Darcy's other arm had followed suit holding her tightly.
'Please tell me to stop. I have no willpower left in me to do so of my own accord,' he muttered into the crook of her neck, before nuzzling it gently, pulling her ever so much closer. 'Not after this day at any rate, and it has been pretty weak, to begin with. - Ever since I first saw you, actually.'
Wait, what?
'I missed you so very much these past weeks, Lizzy, I could not stop thinking about you. Your smile, your wit, everything. And damn, how can you be so very beautiful and yet seemingly so little aware of it?'
His lips had moved down a notch, trailing her neckline.
'You think I'm beautiful?'
He looked up startled: 'Yes, of course. Who could not? And not just that, you are caring, intelligent, have a great sense of humour, and it is a joy talking to you. You always make my day so much brighter. I've never met anyone like you. - Hey, what's wrong?'
'That is just the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me,' Elizabeth sobbed.
Bloody hell, what was wrong with her? He had just paid her the nicest compliment she'd ever received and she started crying. Idiot!
'Shhhh...'
Kissing her tears away, for a while he only held her, gently caressing her back before finally claiming her mouth with renewed passion.
'Perhaps I should thank my cousin after all,' Darcy mused sleepily, as the both snuggled together a good two and a half hours later.
'Hm, or we could pretend we are thoroughly upset with him.'
'He would certainly deserve it. Okay, we first roast him a little and then thank him. So, how did your style consultation go?'
'Style consultation? Ah, yes, I forgot that that is what it was supposed to be. Well, first we fought three dragons until they took flight, then we saved a damsel in distress, and after that, we picked out wedding gowns. Nothing out of the ordinary, really. And you?'
'Dragons? I presume that the two girls from dinner joined you... - Well, I went to kindergarten and learned how not to make a speech. - By the way, your cousin is here.'
'Penny?'
'I didn't know you had any other cousins.'
'I have. Three of them, actually. But they are only little. The oldest is four, the youngest six months.'
'I dare say they would have done a better job teaching rhetoric lessons.'
'Oh, no! Don't tell me he actually taught the class.'
The thought was preposterous. Silence erupted, minutes ticked by and still no reply from Darcy. Odd.
'Will? Are you asleep?'
Right, as if anybody would ever answer in the affirmative...
'Well, you told me not to tell you that your cousin taught us. I merely complied.'
She could literally hear the laughter in his voice. But bugger me, he couldn't be serious, right?
'He did?'
'Yep. Why do you think the lot of us got pissdrunk?'
'Okay, good point,' she yawned. 'Your class must have been ultimately worse than mine, at last mine had a happy ending.'
'Well, mine, too, as a matter of fact. Completely sober I would never have dared to make the first move. And now I have you in my arms and all is well.'
It was late, or early, depending on the point of view - and breakfast was at eight. What an ungodly hour when one had three rounds of blissful, unrestricted, unpro...
Uh-oh! Oh, fuck!
Chapter 39:
Fucking stupid
Sleepily Darcy snuggled up to Elizabeth feeling thoroughly content. Ah, life was beautiful and he was a lucky man indeed, holding the woman he loved right there in his arms. - That was, until the moment he felt her gasp and tense, then sit up slightly and turn away from him and almost out of his reach. So not good! Or perhaps she just didn't like sleeping all cuddled up. That might be it. But then the first sob reached his ears and he more felt than saw her hugging herself. Shit! She could not have regrets already, could she? She seemed to have enjoyed it, too. Yes, okay, he was a bit out of practice, but surely not all that much.
'Lizzy, hey, what's the matter?' he asked groggily, reaching out his hand to touch the small of her back in what he hoped was a comforting manner.
At least she didn't shy away, that was something. But something was decidedly wrong.
'We are fucking stupid, Will. Literally. That is the matter. We completely lost our heads just now,' was her puzzling answer, that held a tad of panic.
The latter statement was indisputable, they had lost their heads, but hey, why not? But what did she mean by they were fucking stupid?
His brain was on sleeping mode already, only slowly waking up again and somehow her words didn't seem to make much sense. It had been a heck of a long day, and it had ended in the most perfect way it possibly could have, as far as he was concerned. They had made mad passionate love at first, screwing each other silly with sheer need. This had been followed by more tender sex, yet no less daring as they got to know each other's bodies better. And their third round had ended up being a close encounter between half-consciousness and sleep just enjoying the closeness of one another until both had come so close that passion had prevailed once again for a short moment and they had come together, an achievement he was particularly proud of. Truthfully, he had always thought it to be a myth written in silly romance novels, and then Lizzy had come along, literally. Ha!
Right, now was perhaps not the right moment to ponder on these things, and even less to pat one's own shoulder.
After a hearty yawn Darcy, at last, managed to form a full sentence: 'I fear I can't quite follow your train of thought, my love. Please tell me wha
t's wrong.'
'What is wrong? Will, we didn't use the bloody condoms, that is what's wrong.'
'Condoms?'
Okay, Fitz had stuffed some into his pocket earlier after dinner, but his clothes were gone and so were the condoms, surely.
'The ones that were left in the drawer of your bedside table.'
'Oops...'
He should have known. Of course, Fitz had rightly assumed that before looking underneath the cushion, Lizzy would search the room and stumble across them. Well, shit happened. But truth be told, Elizabeth didn't seem the type sleeping around, and neither was he, so what were the chances of STDs? Pretty slim to non-existent.
'Yes, oops!' she almost screeched by now. 'You didn't pull out either. - Not that it is a safe method in any shape or form...'
Oh, bugger... - that was what she was on about. Now, that was a venereal disease she might very well have contracted tonight by the sound of it.
'You are not on the pill.'
It was not a question, and most certainly not an accusation, it was nothing but a statement, but, oh goodness!
At least now he got why she sounded so panicky. It did take some moments before he himself could make use of his vocal chords again.
'Lizzy, I didn't know about the condoms....'
'And now it is all my fault?!' she interrupted him, flaring up even more.
'No, of course not! I didn't say that.'
He tried to pull her into his arms, but Elizabeth only wriggled further away from him.
'But you thought it!'
'No, I didn't. I merely stated a fact.'
'Yes, and since I knew about them and you didn't, it is my fault for not saying anything.'
'Nonsense, Lizzy! If anything, it's both our fault, though I refuse to see it as one. - And...'
'Well, for you it is easy to stay so calm. If the shit hits the fan, you can just walk away.'
Okay, enough was enough! Calm was all nice and well, but it didn't help when dealing with a person in near hysterics.
Reaching for shoulders he turned her around, even though the lights were still off and he started with a much firmer voice: 'Will you stop wilfully misunderstanding me? - And let me finish my sentences?! Thank you! We are both rational people...'
'Rational? Yeah, right!'
'Yes, rational. And intelligent, too, even though we can do stupid things on occasion, just as every other person on this planet.'
'There you are bloody damn right.'
'Lizzy, I get why you are panicking. But first of all, I am not a man to just walk away, I actually thought I made that abundantly clear, as well as what I feel for you. And secondly, there are ways to prevent pregnancy even now. We will have to act quickly, meaning within the next couple of hours, but for now, I suggest we sleep a little, and sneak out early and go over to Westerham, to get you a morning-after-pill. That is, if that's what you want, if not, that's fine with me, too. Anyway, there is a surgery there that is open 24/7 after they closed the small hospital down.'
Finally she relaxed and leaned back in bed, and Elizabeth didn't resist as he pulled her closer again until she rested in his arms once more.
'Will?'
'Hm?'
'Thank you. I really was panicking. I didn't even consider that there are still things that can be done. However, I hope that I fare better with the morning-after-pill and won't throw it up again. The reason I'm not on the pill is because I can't stomach it. It is worth a try, though.'
Right... - Ah well, never mind. It was not as if her mother hadn't everything prepared for a grandchild ten times over already anyway. And thinking about it, Pemberley's nursery only needed a little dusting and perhaps a lick of fresh paint and...
'But what if I do throw it up again?'
… and the cradle that had been in his family for aeons was a lovely one. Shame it had stood unused for so long now. There even was all the old linen to go with it, lace inserts and all. And last but not least there was the old Victorian pram his mother had restored to all its former glory when he had been on the way...
'Lizzy, we will see. There is little point in worrying about what might or might not happen. Let us sleep. - And Lizzy?'
'Hm?'
'I love you!'
'I love you, too, Will.'
If Darcy had thought that his natural alarm clock was working properly after such a night, he had been wrong. And though he knew that Lizzy was also an early riser, she didn't stir either. It was only when someone knocked frantically on their door that he managed to crack an eye open, while Elizabeth only mumbled something along the line of 'just five more minutes' and then turned around again.
'Darcy, for fuck's sake, get up- Breakfast is almost over,' Fitz shouted, emphasising his statement with yet another tirade of bangs on the poor innocent door that had done little to deserve such treatment. 'I've got your bags with me. You better open up now, before the first people return to their rooms and catch a glimpse of you in all your glory.'
Okay, that was some inducement. He had no wish to flash in front of anyone save the lovely woman sleeping soundly in the bed next to him. Wrapping a towel around his hips, he trudged over to open and reclaim what was theirs anyway.
'So, what do you say to my cunning plan?' Fitz grinned broadly at him. 'Did it work?'
'Shut up, Baldrick!' Darcy only grumbled in return and taking the bags without further ado he all but shut the door in his cousin's face.
Today, it appeared, he was not a morning person.
Pulling aside the curtains Darcy was greeted by a glum rainy day and uncomfortable gusts of wind whirling the first fallen leaves across the ground. Hurray, autumn was here. He actually liked autumn if only the weather would not be so uncomfortable most of the time. In Kent, it was mainly alright, aside from the occasional rainy day but in Derbyshire, this time of year was often accompanied by strong gales sweeping through the steep valleys and a never ceasing drizzly.
Then again, at last everything quieted down after the busy madness that was late summer, and eventually towards winter the work on the farm boiled down to nothing more than taking care of the animals and maintaining the machines.
Yes, there was still the hotel and the holiday homes, but the latter were closed down until April come November and the hotel was usually very quiet as well apart from a few weeks around Christmas. Time for the family at last. - Well, talking about family...
'Lizzy, it's time to get up,' Darcy smiled as he watched her slowly regain consciousness.
'What time is it?'
'Almost half past eight. Breakfast is almost over and lessons start in about half an hour. If we want to make our escape, we better hurry and eat on the way before my aunt manages to track us down. I am actually surprised she hasn't come looking for us already.'
'Hm, I presume climbing out of the window isn't an option? Just in case?'
'Only recently I tried to use a downpipe as substitute stairs. Didn't work all that well. - The rosebush underneath wasn't very thrilled either.'
'Right... - I have to admit, that comment raises a couple of questions, but you can tell me all about it in the car.'
'Sure, if only to underline my statement from last night that even fairly intelligent people are prone to do the odd idiotic thing.'
It perhaps was not such a wise idea to take their shower together to save time, but while Elizabeth was already drying herself off, Darcy turned the water to icy cold and five minutes later they sneaked down the stairs and out of the house through one of the side entrances. And astonishingly enough, all went well.
Until they reached the car park that was.
'Huhu, Lizzy! What are you doing here? - Oh, are you with Mr Darcy?'
'Hello, William. How are you?'
Of course, they had to run into Penny. Sod's law. And there he had thought that after the débâcle that man had called a lesson, Mr Collins would have left Rosings in shame straight away never to return. Obviously, he had been wrong there. That man was like a l
iving tumbler-toy. Nothing could keep him down, at least not for long. When “Tubthumping” was written he must have been the very person Chumbawamba had in mind.
'Oh, I'm fine. I taught last night's rhetoric class, you know? Well, Mr Darcy has presumably told you all about it. I have to say, I was surprised how well it went. So, when are you getting married? I am surprised I haven't heard of it yet. Or is it still a secret?'
There was a slightly accusatory undertone as if he wanted to say: “How can you not invite your favourite cousin?”
Slowly but surely the rain increased, leading every sensible person to the conclusion that now was not the time for a small-talk in the middle of a car park. It was just that even with stretching the truth, it would still be rather preposterous to call Mr Collins such.
'Well, we are not getting married, William. We are just here for the dance course, truth be told,' Elizabeth answered with a forced smile.
'Oh, really? Of course. Well, then you better hurry for it starts in about fifteen minutes. I take it, you've forgotten something in the car. Happens to me all of the time. Only yesterday, when I packed for Rosings, I found a yoghurt in the boot that had gone out of date twelve weeks ago. No idea where it came from, but it was stuck between the warning triangle and the jack somehow. Odd. By the way, I have to say, Mr Darcy, your aunt's seminars are always such a thought through thing, they are bound to be a success!' Mr Collins prattled on and on, while Elizabeth looked increasingly uncomfortable and Darcy thought desperately of anything that he had in his car that they might possibly need so they could make their escape.
There was his toolbox, the shovel he always had in there, his wellies, the work gloves, the mac, a camping stool, a roll of barbed wire...
'And I was so flattered when her Ladyship asked me to actually teach here. Mr Henderson, you see, who was supposed to supervise that class, fell ill on short notice and I was more than happy to fill in. Such a compliment, from your noble aunt, Mr Darcy! I am still speechless for all the honour I thus received.'
Yeah, right.
… a blanket, some yards of rope, half a bucket of oats, a torch – in short, all the stuff he frequently needed when on his land. Hm, thinking about it, he could make it look like a suicide.