by C. P. Odom
“Don’t worry. He’s not marrying the sister of his best friend.”
Georgiana flushed a little at having revealed the source of her concern, and it took no little time for her to collect herself. “To whom will he be married, then?”
“To a certain Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
“Oh, I know her! I know Miss Bennet!” After a few moments, her smile spread into one of true delight. “In fact, I remember recommending to William he should marry exactly that young lady!”
“I remember it well. And you might mention the fact often and rather loudly. A little humility wouldn’t do Darcy any harm at all.”
“Oh, I will, I will! Seven days, you said? Is it not rather sudden?”
“Sudden, in my experience, would have been this afternoon. But you Brits have some strange laws about marriage. I suppose I shouldn’t feel so superior. America has some strange laws of her own. With a week before the wedding, there’s no need for a speedy departure. We can leave tomorrow after you and Mrs. Sturdivant have had your trunks packed.”
Georgiana nodded in acknowledgment, and McDunn went on. “After your brother and Miss Bennet are married, we’ll have to come back here. The newlyweds will be remaining at Netherfield for at least a week, I’m told. Evidently, seven days is the usual period for a newly married couple of the wealthier classes to…ah, explore the intimacies of wedded bliss.”
Georgiana looked at him with interest at his comment.
I’m not going to be the one to explain the birds and the bees. It’s a topic best left to the discretion of Georgiana’s new sister, he thought. Another area that’s none of my business.
He looked at Mrs. Sturdivant, who seemed to be trying to hide a smile, and he gave her a friendly nod. Obviously, she was thinking of much the same topics as he was, but she said nothing as her attention returned to her sewing.
Georgiana had no idea what was running through McDunn’s mind, and she chattered away about how delightful it was going to be to have a sister as amiable as Miss Bennet.
Chapter 25
Everyone says that love hurts. But that’s not true. Loneliness hurts, rejection hurts, losing someone hurts. Everyone confuses these with love, but in reality love is the only thing in this world that covers up all the pain and makes us feel wonderful again.
— Unknown
Wednesday, September 23, 1812
Netherfield, Hertfordshire
During the short journey to Netherfield in Mr. Bennet’s carriage, Darcy held Elizabeth close while she nestled against him, holding onto his coat firmly. He had become accustomed to her desire, her need, for closeness in the past week. At every opportunity, she wanted to be as close to him as possible. It was not considered proper as her mother had told them several times as they sat together on the sofa in the front parlor, but Elizabeth simply looked at her wordlessly until her mother left the room.
That rather saddened Darcy, but he knew how furious Elizabeth remained with her mother, and he could hardly blame her. During the past week, Elizabeth had gradually explained details of what her mother had done in the months after the Netherfield ball, including, he was horrified to learn, how her mother had so often been the architect of her miseries on other occasions besides her boasts during the disastrous evening at Netherfield. He did not know how long it would take Elizabeth to forgive her mother though he knew she would do so eventually. She was not made to cling to her anger as were some, but she could not pardon her mother at the present time. It was too soon. Her wounds were too raw. She needed time and other, happier experiences before she could begin to bury her ghosts.
They had few moments completely alone, even on their walks, because they were accompanied by either Lydia or Kitty and sometimes both. Mrs. Bennet, it appeared, had accepted the supposed improprieties when it was convenient to do so, but she wanted no more examples to inspire comment among her friends.
While he and Elizabeth usually laughed at her mother’s antics, her behavior was wearying, and Elizabeth had grumbled a time or two about wishing Darcy had ravished her in the fire-warmed cave. That way, she had said, they would at least have something about which to feel guilty. But he brought her reverie to an end by reminding her of the discomforts of the cave, which would have made any amorous activities simply absurd.
Now, after the brief ceremony in the morning and the wedding breakfast following, Mr. Bennet’s carriage was nearing Netherfield. Darcy’s larger coach was needed to return Georgiana and Mrs. Sturdivant to London, while McDunn rode beside it on his favorite horse.
I am sure his magical pistol will be under his coat, thought Darcy. McDunn does take his self-appointed role as Georgiana’s protector seriously—every jot as much as Brown, who will be in his usual position behind the coach. It is quite pleasing to see how McDunn has developed quite a fancy for riding despite his initial reluctance.
As the carriage turned onto the drive to the house, Elizabeth sat up and looked at him seriously.
“I still sometimes feel as though everything that has happened between us has been a dream, William. I have been terrified to go to sleep this last week. I longed to be beside you. I could not sleep at all last night.”
His voice deepened and he lowered his lips to her ear. “You may sleep as much as you please during the next week, my dear—after I have my way with you.”
Mischief sparkled in her eyes. “I am not totally ignorant of what to expect, but I shall require some tutoring.
“And I will be your most devoted teacher, Elizabeth,” he said, leaning down to kiss her temple.
“I am all nerves right now. May we go to our rooms as soon as we arrive? I will require Sara’s help.”
Darcy quickly put her at her ease. “Certainly, but I do not believe you need the aid of a maid. I have already seen you unclothed, my love, and I think I can manage your clothing. If need be, I will simply cut it off.”
“You would not dare!” Elizabeth said, laughing in delight.
“Though I do look forward to seeing you without the somewhat off-putting tinge of blue you wore when we spent the night in the cave.”
She laughed softly at his jest before looking up at him. “I do think it would be best if we prepared for bed in the usual manner. I am a bit uncertain about managing your clothing, and I am certain you would have great difficulty managing mine. I will come to you as soon as I can.”
Darcy leaned over and whispered a suggestion into Elizabeth’s ear. She looked somewhat startled but certainly not offended, and he was amused to see a wicked gleam come to her eye.
“Coming to you wearing no clothing whatever does sound…interesting, and I am not opposed, but the simple approach might be best after this very complicated courtship,” Elizabeth said as the carriage stopped with a jerk. She checked her bonnet instinctively before turning to him.
“We seem to have arrived, sir,” she said, her voice calm. “I forgot to mention: my father sent Sarah to Netherfield earlier to be my personal maid if you do not mind. He admitted you must have an entirely adequate staff, but the servants at Netherfield are only temporary. He thought someone with whom I was familiar would be a comfort since he seemed to think we might be…otherwise occupied.”
“Your father does have moments of insight.”
At seeing the look of distaste on Elizabeth’s face, he instantly interpreted it. “You shall have to forgive him, Elizabeth—and your mother too. I know you are upset now and for good reason, but I also know it is not in your nature to hold a grievance forever. Remember, your life is changed from this day. This morning you awakened as Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn. Now you are Elizabeth Darcy, and we will face the trials of life together.
“I know, I know,” she said with a sigh, “but I will have to apply some effort. Now, shall we go inside?”
***
When Elizabeth and Darcy enter
ed Netherfield, she would have preferred to climb the stairs to their bedrooms immediately. However, as she suspected, the staff was lined up to greet them. She knew the necessity of acknowledgements could not be avoided. She had a new and unaccustomed role to perform, that of the wife of this wealthy and important man, so she tried to respond graciously.
She was rather surprised to find her fears were not as severe as she had expected. Much of the reason for it was the man at her side who seemed to know exactly what to say as they went down the line, leaving her only to nod her head at each introduction.
When the staff was dismissed to their duties, Elizabeth was ready to mount the stairs, but she never got the chance since the world suddenly revolved about her as Darcy swung her up in his arms effortlessly.
“William!” she cried in a muffled voice, surprise mingling with delight. She had never imagined the stiff, haughty Mr. Darcy of Pemberley would do anything so impulsive.
She kept her head tucked into Darcy’s neck as he carried her up the stairs in much the same way he had carried her back to Longbourn a week earlier. As soon as Darcy set her on her feet outside her bedroom, he leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“Do not take too long, my darling.” There was a dark edge to his voice but a warm smile on his face.
“No longer than necessary,” she whispered back. “You shall not find a shy, reluctant maiden here. Maiden I may still be, but I am as eager as you!”
With that, she disappeared through the doorway into her bedroom where she found Sarah already awaiting her in the dressing room. The girl she had known for years had little difficulty managing the intricacies of Elizabeth’s clothing, though they would have surely confounded Darcy if not baffled him entirely. Since she had bathed in the morning, Sarah had laid out the simple but elegant nightgown her Aunt Gardiner had brought from town as a gift.
Taking down her hair was a bit of a chore since her mother had instructed the maid to use a multitude of pins for fear a single strand might come loose. But it was soon accomplished under Sarah’s trained hands, after which she brushed her mistress’s long, dark hair until it cascaded down her shoulders.
“Thank you, Sarah,” Elizabeth said, standing up. “You are dismissed for the evening.”
Then she stepped to the connecting door to Darcy’s room, gave a quick knock, and entered.
***
Darcy was clad in his dressing gown, a loose, knee-length garment made of cotton rather than the more usual satin, velvet, or silk damask. Elizabeth’s nightgown, made of light, pale-colored silk, was far more fashionable than the more usual garments designed for warmth at night.
Darcy stepped toward her, a compliment on his lips, but she rushed forward and embraced him with an intensity unlike anything she had previously shown. He found himself startled that such a diminutive body could possess so much strength.
Once she was in his arms, he felt her shoulders heaving in sobs, and though he tried to hold her at arm’s length to see why she cried, she absolutely refused to allow him to break their embrace and just shook her head against his chest.
“What is troubling you, Elizabeth? Tell me.”
Keeping her face firmly pressed against his chest, her voice was choked with emotion. “I never believed this time would come, even after Reverend Palmer completed the ceremony and we signed our names! I was going mad with every little delay my mother or anyone else suggested when all I wanted was to be here with you. Alone.”
“It did seem as though everything took a very long time,” he whispered. “But you are worth the wait. You are enticing, Elizabeth. Bewitching.”
His compliment drew a smile, and he wiped the tears of joy from her face.
“Aunt Gardiner brought this gown to me when she came. It appears she had it made for me weeks ago. She just smiled mysteriously when I tried to press her further.”
“A very insightful woman. I like both your aunt and uncle very much.”
“That is enough talk about my relations, husband,” Elizabeth said sternly. “Is it not time to take me to your bed?”
“In a moment, Mrs. Darcy.”
As she untied the belt of his dressing gown and worked it off his shoulders, he took in the swell of her soft breasts as they swayed with the movement of her fingers and arms. He had become aroused, and it was quite visible, even before his dressing gown fell to the floor.
Elizabeth’s laughter was soft and alluring. “It seems you do not find me too unpleasant to look upon.”
She ran her hands over his bare chest in exploration. “I was not aware men and women’s bodies were so different, but I like the distinctions. I hope I do not seem brazen, and I assure you I will attempt to be more proper at other times but not tonight. I first knew I loved you at Netherfield, but I desired you long before that! Here. Like this. Tonight I want to be your lover. Your wife.
“But come, sir! You have not upheld your part! Here I have removed your dressing gown so you stand completely unclothed, and you have not even taken me to your bed!”
They laughed as Elizabeth tugged on his hand, pulling him toward the bed while he pretended reluctance, but she gave a sudden squeal of delight as he suddenly pulled her nightgown over her head and cast it aside.
“Lesson one in tutoring my new wife,” he said, holding her at arm’s length and turning her around. “Lose no time in removing her clothing. It will only get in the way.”
Elizabeth gave another cry as he swung her into the air again. “You are exquisite, Elizabeth, but you are even more desirable than you were in our cave because now you are mine.”
Darcy pulled her to him, and they kissed with an urgency that would not be denied. Her arms clasped strongly around his waist while his hands caressed the fine planes of her back. They gloried in the feel of their bare flesh touching without impediment.
Elizabeth gasped as he took hold of her bottom and easily lifted her until her face was level with his. He brought his mouth to her ear and whispered words of passion meant to send waves of desire through her.
She wound her legs about his waist to support herself as he walked over to the bed and climbed onto it. Then she released her hold and nestled herself next to him as he lay down. Their lips again met, and Elizabeth gasped with shock and pleasure as Darcy licked the seam between her lips and touched her tongue with his. She responded feverishly and their tongues danced together.
Pulling back, Darcy looked down at her seriously. “You may say you need tutoring from a man with more worldly experience, but do not think I am put off by your declaration that you desired me before you loved me. I could not be more pleased than to find myself married to a woman with passion in her soul.”
Her voice was taken away as his mouth moved lightly from the nape of her neck down toward her breasts. His hands explored their velvety softness, and he rolled her hard nipples between finger and thumb, giving rise to a shudder of pleasure he felt beneath his hands.
Darcy gave a groan as her hands moved to his manhood, gripping it with a soft laugh of satisfaction.
“I look forward to furthering my education.”
“You must release me and quickly, else I will not be able to continue your lesson without a pause to recover,” Darcy said with some difficulty.
“Very well,” she said, doing so reluctantly. In recompense, his lips were busy, moving from her cheek to her ear, as he used the soft pressure of his teeth on her earlobe.
“Please, let me—” she moaned, trying to sit up, but he only laughed softly and guided her back down on the bed.
“Slowly, Elizabeth, slowly,” he whispered. “It will be much better for you.” He touched her with intimacy, as though he had done it a hundred times before.
“But I am still a girl,” she said her hand moving downward. “I want you to make me your woman.”
“You
will be my woman soon enough,” he said softly. “Let me lead you. But deliberately, my love.”
She was reluctant at first, but his fingers and his lips moved over her bare body, finding places to caress he knew would be pleasurable.
“Soon, I think,” he said while his fingers moved down to the juncture of her legs. She eagerly opened her legs to his touch, moaning deep in her throat as his fingers slid over her sex and then dipped inside.
“I believe you are ready now, my Elizabeth. Surrender to me,” he whispered, as he lowered his hips to hers, gently guiding his manhood to her moist femininity.
Elizabeth cried as he moved inside of her and gently probed deeper.
“Am I hurting you?” Darcy asked in sudden concern.
“Do not stop!” she cried again, her hands on his buttocks and urging him deeper. “It matters not! Oh, God, I love you so much, William! Please, please, go on!” She threw her head back and gasped.
He slowed his movements, and it was soon evident the pain of losing her virginity had either been diminished or had been replaced by other feelings. Her cries and her burning hands drove him on as she instinctively matched his rhythm with her own.
***
When Darcy awoke in the early hours before morning, he found further evidence of his new wife’s fervent attachment since she slept with her chest mostly resting on top of him as he lay on his back, her arms and legs wound about him. When he tried to look down at her in the dim light before dawn, she gripped him more firmly until she finally came partly awake and opened her eyes.
“I am just looking at you, my love. You are so very beautiful, you know.”
She gave a soft sound of assent, moving herself about until she found a comfortable position with her arms and legs again entwined about him. Her breathing deepened, and she again slept.
Darcy looked down at her dark, tousled hair as she lay with her face on his chest, and he felt a rush of love and protectiveness surge within him. He had not been altogether sure what to expect when he wed this lively, intelligent woman. He smiled as he remembered the intensity of their lovemaking during the night and her cries as he took her to her peak