Dearest Friends

by Pamela Lynne

  “I need you,” he whispered before he resumed his attentions to her lips. Darcy’s voice and movements held a desperation Elizabeth did not recognize, but she wanted more than anything to bring him comfort, even if she did not understand his need.

  He pulled her onto his lap and trailed kisses down her neck while his hand inched up her torso. He pulled back slightly to look in her eyes as his hand continued upward, finally cupping her breast. He held her gaze as he leaned in to bring her bottom lip between his own, sucking gently while kneading the soft mound that fit perfectly in his hand.

  Elizabeth closed her eyes and enjoyed these new sensations Darcy was eliciting from her body. She previously admitted that she had never been indifferent to him. Even when trying to convince herself of her dislike of him, her body betrayed her. She longed for his touch even then, and when he finally took her hand in his at the ball, the feeling was so intense that she had to summon all her courage and righteous indignation to begin an argument with him in order to hide her reaction. She was not hiding anything from him now, and when his thumb grazed her nipple, she moaned and leaned in for more.

  Darcy’s mouth once again found its way to her neck and then her shoulder and back again as his hand left her breast and landed on her ankle. His desire to move up her leg was unbearable. He needed her so desperately. He needed to know that she was the one self-respecting woman who wanted him. If Elizabeth wanted him, then he could not be all those things Anne said he was.

  He reluctantly removed his hand from her ankle. As much as he wanted to move further up her skirts to the paradise that was waiting for him, he knew if he actually felt the warmth and sweetness of her core, he would lose all control and take her there in her uncle’s drawing room.

  “Fitzwilliam, I am enjoying your touch in ways I never thought possible, but…” Elizabeth said as she tried to calm her breathing.

  He raised his eyebrows in question.

  She brought her hands to his face and caressed him lovingly. “What is the matter?”

  Darcy sighed heavily and rested his forehead on her chest. She stroked his dark curls and waited for him to speak.

  “Elizabeth, do you find me arrogant and conceited? Do I ever display a selfish disdain for the feelings of others?”

  “Yes to all those things,” she stated bluntly. “Why do you ask?”

  Darcy searched her face for a sign of humor and finding none, removed her from his lap. He hastily recited everything that happened with Anne then stood and paced the room.

  “How long have you believed me to possess such faults, Elizabeth?”

  “From the first moment of our acquaintance.”

  He stopped for a moment and looked at her incredulously. He resumed pacing and asked, “What did I do to support these beliefs?” Elizabeth could hear the hurt and anger in his voice, but she would be honest.

  “I believe one scene from the night we met will be sufficient in showing you.” Her voice was loving but firm. She stood and stretched as tall as she could in order to give her best Bingley impression.

  “‘Darcy, you must dance.’”

  She then gave her best Darcy impression, with hands behind her back and nose in the air.

  “‘At an assembly such as this, it would be insupportable.’

  “Nonsense, Darcy. Look, there is Miss Bennet’s sister. She is lovely. Ask her to dance.’”

  Darcy’s face paled, knowing what came next.

  “‘She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me. I am in no mood to give consequence to ladies who were slighted by other men.’”

  She sat and lowered her gaze to her lap. She would not try to mask her pain for, though she laughed at the time, those words had hurt her terribly.

  “If that does not display arrogance, conceit, and a selfish disdain for the feelings of others, then perhaps I do not know the correct meanings of the words.”

  Darcy ran his hand through his hair and exhaled loudly. He sat beside her and took her hands.

  “Elizabeth, you must know I meant none of those things. I was in a bad mood, having just left Georgie and traveled with Caroline. I was only trying to get Bingley to leave me alone.”

  “That further proves my point, Fitzwilliam. You were so concerned about your own situation that you could not be bothered to be polite. You spoke those hurtful words to serve your own purpose, regardless as to how I, or any other unfortunate girl who may have occupied that chair, might have felt.”

  Darcy reflected on that night and knew Elizabeth was right. Further, he recollected how he had treated Anne during his visits to Rosings and his actions following Georgie’s mistake at Ramsgate. In each instance, he allowed his feelings to shadow all else as if he were the only one of importance. Elizabeth saw his concentration, so she squeezed his hand and continued.

  “Your heart is so big, and you are devoted to the people you love. I am beyond happy to be the recipient of such ardent devotion, but I have also been on the receiving end of your indifference, and it was not pretty. It seems you tend to care so much for those close to you that when you are disappointed, your hurt consumes you as much as your love does, so much so that it is all you can think about.”

  Darcy nodded, allowing the truth of her words to wash over him. He contemplated what she said for a few minutes before he replied, “I have been a selfish creature all my life. I was given good principles but was left to follow them in pride and conceit and to care very little of the world beyond our family.” He sighed and pulled Elizabeth back onto his lap.

  “But I am a man now and cannot respond to every disappointment as a petulant child. I may need your help, dearest.” He kissed her softly and ran his hand over her hair. He looked in her eyes and was overcome with what he saw there. “You knew all those things about me, saw them close up, and you accepted me anyway.”

  “Yes, just as you accepted me in spite of my lack of accomplishments and my tendency to unfairly judge others. That is what you do when you love someone. You take the good with the bad and help each other be better. I love you, Will.”

  He wrapped her in a tight embrace. Never in his life had he felt so loved and accepted. “I love you, too, Elizabeth.” They sat there for some time enjoying the closeness, until Darcy smiled down upon her.

  “What?”

  “When do you call me Will?” She shook her head and smiled.

  He buried his face in her neck and kissed his way to her ear. “My obstinate, headstrong girl,” he whispered seductively, “I will continue trying to convince you to tell me, using some very persuasive methods.”

  As he said that, his hand made its way up her leg, tracing her outline through the thin fabric of her dress, stopping just short of his greatest temptation. His thumb stroked the line where her thigh met her torso and, looking in her eyes, he made a promise.

  “Eventually, Elizabeth, I will discover all your secrets.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  * * *

  Darcy returned to the townhouse with a lighter heart than when he left but was still apprehensive about the situation with his aunt and cousin. Talking to Elizabeth helped him see how his actions could affect people. He never intended to hurt anyone, but it seemed that he gave offense everywhere he went.

  He worried that his aunt would continue to push for the marriage even after Anne’s declaration. At least now, he knew why she was so adamant in her resolve, and he believed he could allay her fears about Anne’s care. He cringed when he thought about his accusations. He knew he had to apologize but was unsure of his reception. He inquired as to his aunt’s whereabouts and, hearing she was with Anne in a guest room, made his way upstairs.

  ********

  Anne pushed herself up against the headboard of the bed and looked over to her mother. She seemed deep in thought, not noticing that Anne had awoken, and was no doubt going over the events of the afternoon. Anne had seen this look many times as her mother was trying to solve some estate issue. Anne knew she was trying to work out a
solution that would best benefit her, the same way she always did. Knowing she had the best of intentions, Anne tried not to become annoyed, but enough was enough.

  “Mother, it is time to cease your endeavors. Darcy and I will not marry.”

  Lady Catherin turned to her daughter and sighed. “After your outburst this afternoon, I am afraid you are correct. I could have handled him, Anne. You did not have to come to my defense, especially since the argument tired you so.”

  “Handled it to what end, Mother? Did you not hear what I said to Darcy? I will not marry him.”

  “Have you not heard me talk to you repeatedly about the stipulations of your father’s will? If you do not marry, then Rosings will revert to the de Bourghs upon your death. When I go, they will come in and run roughshod over you. Anne, you have not seen a de Bourgh with his sights set on a fortune. They are not like your papa. It takes a great deal of strength to deal with that family, and you nearly collapsed after one confrontation with Darcy.”

  “If all that it requires is marriage, why must it be to him?”

  “Because he will take care of you. There is no one else I could trust to see to your well-being.”

  “Trust me, Mother,” Anne implored. “How will I know my abilities if never given the opportunity to test them?”

  Lady Catherine let out a long sigh and took her daughter’s hand. “I will have dinner with Darcy tonight. It seems he and I have some things to discuss. Perhaps he can see a solution I have not.”

  Anne smiled. “Thank you, Mother. I suppose I should apologize to him.” She ended the statement with a petulant pout.

  “Yes, you should. Most of what you said was correct, my dear, but you were also unfair in some areas. I will leave it to the two of you to resolve. Get some more rest. I will have dinner brought to you.”

  Catherine kissed her on the head and left the room, immediately coming upon Darcy in the hall.

  “Aunt, I was just coming to look for you. Will you please come join me in my study?”

  He held out his arm for her. She took it reluctantly but looked him straight in the eye. He could not maintain the gaze and lowered his head sheepishly. As they walked down the stairs, Darcy put his hand over hers and looked at her with his head tilted to the side then diverted his eyes downward. Lady Catherine rolled her eyes. He had a look of contrition about him. It reminded her of the time she caught him in the garden at Rosings pretending to be “stone angel,” standing in a fountain and urinating into the water. She could not stay angry with him now any more than she could then. They reached the study, and she began speaking.

  “For goodness sake, Darcy, do not look so guilty. All you did was put me in my place. You got the worst of it by being the recipient of Anne’s first-ever set down.”

  “I should not have spoken to you that way, Aunt. My only defense is that I was hurt that you would treat me as all the mamas of society do. I should have known that, for you, it was all about protecting Anne.”

  Lady Catherine reached over and patted his back comfortingly. “How could you have known? We were not communicating these last years. Will you not consider her, Darcy? She is frail, but she has a kind heart and apparently a spirited character as well.”

  “I am sorry, Aunt. I want what my parents had, what you and Uncle Lewis had. Friendship and passion and partnership. Anne deserves those things as well. Whatever your intentions, you were wrong to try to force this upon us. Did you know Anne was against it?”

  She sighed. “No, not really. I stated it as fact and did not allow any room for argument. I have to manage life like that. It is not easy for a woman to run an estate like Rosings. Oh, I am fully capable of it, but men do not typically like being subordinates.”

  “Neither do Fitzwilliams, be they male or female. I recently had to talk to Georgiana about how to manage her Fitzwilliam tendencies. It would appear Anne has some of her own. Or is she as docile as Uncle Lewis, and I just bring out the worst in her?”

  “As I said, this was the first time I have seen her display such a temper. I suppose there are other things I do not know about her. My sole focus with Anne has been to keep her well. You have no idea what it is like, Darcy, and I hope you never do, to see your child so close to death. It is too much to ask to allow her go out into the world and hope for the best. She asked me just now to trust her to manage her life. I do not believe I can.”

  Tears were streaming down her face, and Darcy handed her his handkerchief. He had never seen her so discomposed.

  “You know she will never be alone. If she accepts my friendship, she has it along with my loyalty. I know the same can be said of Georgie, Richard, and Elizabeth as well.”

  Catherine’s eyebrows went up. “Elizabeth?”

  “Yes, Elizabeth.” Darcy smiled the way he always did at the mention of her name.

  His face was bright and youthful, and Catherine thought he had never before looked so much like George Darcy in his youth, when he had first fallen in love with her sister.

  “I am engaged to be married, Aunt.”

  “Oh, I see.” Her heart suddenly felt dense. There was no hope for Anne and Darcy. She could continue to push, to try to convince him, but the look on his face told her it was pointless. Someone had captured his heart. Anne was right; it was time to let this go.

  “Well, tell me about her.”

  Darcy told her about Elizabeth, leaving out no detail except the situation with her father.

  “She challenges me as no one ever has before. After Richard had taken Anne upstairs, I left to go see her, expecting comfort and, quite frankly, for her to be angered by the things Anne said.”

  “She was not?”

  He shook his head. “Quite the opposite. She agreed with Anne. I can be selfish and arrogant, or at least appear that way to others.”

  “Then why does she want to marry you?”

  “Because she loves me.”

  “Or because she loves your money and status.”

  “No, Aunt. You know I would not pay her any attention if I thought she was another fortune hunter.”

  “I suppose I will have to trust your judgment, seeing you are your own man. She will care for Anne?”

  “I have no doubt.”

  “Have you set a date?”

  Darcy frowned and looked at the floor. “No, but it will be in April, I think.”

  “Why do you look so forlorn? That is not such a long time to wait, Nephew.”

  Darcy stood and walked to the fire. “Why does everyone say that? I feel as if I have waited long enough.”

  Catherine could sympathize. She felt she had waited long enough to be with her dear Lewis as well. She studied her nephew. There was something in his expression that bothered her.

  “What are you not telling me, Darcy?”

  He walked back and sat beside her. “We will not be free to marry until she comes of age. Her father has promised her to someone else.”

  Catherine was confused and a bit defensive. “Who is this young lady, exactly? She must be highly connected if her father prefers another suitor to you. This other gentleman, is he a viscount or lord? Does he have a great fortune?”

  Dryly, Darcy stated, “He is your parson.”

  “My parson?”

  “Yes. Her father’s estate, Longbourn in Hertfordshire, is entailed to him, as I believe you are aware. You were the one who sent him there in search of a wife.”

  Catherine stared for a while in disbelief then burst forth a fit of laughter. Darcy was mortified for the second time in as many days. Richard had the same reaction. He stood again and walked to the window.

  “I am glad I can amuse you, Aunt.”

  “Come, Darcy, you must see the humor in this. To prefer William Collins over you? Mr. Bennet, that is his name, correct, has gone mad!”

  Darcy looked at her gravely.

  “Has he gone mad?”

  “Elizabeth’s uncle believes this is something more than wanting her to have Longbourn. He said he seem
ed desperate. He is concerned enough to provide protection for her when she is away from him or me.”

  “So you have the uncle’s approval?”

  “Yes, we have become quite good friends, actually. There is more you should know about him, but we can discuss it at another time.”

  “I would usually say the young lady should do her duty to her family, but having spent a great deal of time with Collins, I must applaud her good sense. Are you prepared to deal with a scandal in case this all gets out?”

  “It has become known in town that we are betrothed. I would like to think no one would believe she had an understanding with Collins.”

  “I assume you will whisk her away if her father comes to claim her?”

  “In a heartbeat.”

  She nodded. “Well, we must present a united front. There must be no speculation that we disapprove your choice. Have you told Henry? Susan will be especially displeased with being connected to the lower classes.” This thought made her smile. It was always great sport to annoy her sister-in-law.

  “I have dealt with the Fitzwilliams. They will not be a problem.”

  “When will you next see Miss Bennet?”

  “Not until Monday evening. Her uncle is hosting an important dinner, and her aunt needs her assistance to prepare. They will all be coming here for dinner on Tuesday along with the Fitzwilliams.”

  “I should like to meet her before then. Georgiana and I will call on her Monday morning.”

  “Her uncle lives in Cheapside.” Darcy braced himself for her reaction.

  Catherine started. “Really, Darcy, a tradesman? Lower gentry is one thing. Are you sure this girl is worth such low connections?”

  Darcy moved back to sit beside her. “I am serious in this, Aunt Catherine,” Darcy said sternly, “I do not consider Elizabeth or her Cheapside relations to be inferior in any way. I will not have them treated as such.”

  “My father was an earl, Darcy; I am not going to traipse into Cheapside as if it were the fashion. It is not to be born. I will receive them here. If they do not have time Monday morning, then I suppose I will have to wait until Tuesday.”