Ashford’s eyes filled with love.“Miss Bennet.” His voice was laced with desire. “It will be a very long wait until I may call you my own.”
“I feel likewise, Sir.” Kitty looked about nervously, knowing the conversation turned more intimate.
Ashford cleared his throat. “Miss Bennet, I have something to tell you about our children’s futures, but I must ask your forbearance and not to become too excited until it happens.”
Kitty seemed confused.“Yes, Clayton?”
“When I sought another position away from Pemberley, I contacted several family members. In my correspondence, I learned a small estate in Bedfordshire is entailed upon me—upon our family in the future.” Ashford’s voice came soft and comforting.
Kitty’s eyes flashed with surprise.“Clayton, this cannot be true.”
“I am afraid, Miss Bennet, it is not in my nature to exaggerate the truth. It may be many years before the property becomes mine; you must be patient.Your father prefers to tell your mother upon their return to Longbourn. Therefore, I must ask you to keep this to yourself this evening.”
Kitty started to giggle. “You are sincere, Sir?” Ashford nodded in affirmation.“May I not tell anyone?”
“Tonight you must tell only your dreams. Tomorrow you may speak the words out loud.”
“How large? I mean, how large an estate?” Kitty could not hide her excitement.
Ashford looked pleased. “From what I know of it, I understand it to be a little larger than your home at Longbourn. My father’s uncle is a respected man in the community, and we shall assume his place upon his passing, although I do not wish any harm to the man.”
Kitty checked her enthusiasm, not wishing to sound greedy, but the thought of assuming the position of mistress of even a small estate thrilled her. At one time she thought marrying Clayton Ashford was “settling”; now, all her dreams came true. She learned to love him, and now he would give her a position in society. It was the best of both worlds. Kitty realized she would not have the life Elizabeth or Jane did, but she had been right to follow their examples. Kitty would do everything she could to make Ashford a good wife and to make a valued life. Automatically, Kitty thought how jealous Lydia would be of her good fortune. Finally, she redirected her attention to Mr. Ashford. “We will administer to those surrounding Pemberley until our time comes to be elsewhere. Possibly, if we are successful with the village school here, Clayton, we might replicate it in Bedfordshire.You will know how it might be done; it will not be new.”
“You speak my ideas out loud, Miss Bennet.”
“In the meantime, I hope, Sir, you will see your way to give me permission to pursue any connections my sister may provide me. I will not advertise, but I would like to prove my worth to you, to my family, and to myself. I never felt myself worthy of anyone; Clayton, it is important to me.” Kitty’s eyes beseeched his.
“I wish we were alone, Miss Bennet,” Ashford whispered, “so I could show you your worth to me. I can no longer imagine my life without you in it. If decorating rooms makes you happy, my sweetest Katherine, then I will be satisfied to have you happy.”
Kitty looked about mischievously before speaking.“Let the husband render unto his wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.”6
Ashford chuckled. “The first bond of society is marriage; the next, our children; then the whole family and all things in common.”7 He spoke the words seductively, and Kitty giggled nervously.
In revenge, Kitty pursed her lips, letting Ashford know she would meet his challenge. “Hail, wedded love, mysterious law; true source of human offspring.”8
Ashford nodded in agreement. “I see, Miss Bennet, you learned your lessons well.Yet, may I add Plutarch’s advice to a bride, ‘A good wife should be as a looking glass to represent her husband’s face and passion; if he be pleasant, she should be merry; if he laugh, she should smile; if he look sad, she should participate of his sorrow.’”9
Kitty found this verbal exchange with Clayton Ashford stimulating. She used to observe Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy fence verbally, but she never understood the allure until now. She stood and looked down enticingly at Ashford before saying, “You forget, my dear Mr. Ashford, the old proverb says, ‘If you want peace in the house, do what your wife wants.’”
The man laughed out loud. He stood and offered Kitty his arm.“I could never refuse you, Miss Bennet,” he said invitingly into her ear as he led her back to her family.
The Darcy party finally arrived at his London townhouse. Traveling with the twins presented their own challenges.They came to London from Hertfordshire, having stayed a few extra days at Netherfield following Kitty and Mr.Ashford’s wedding. This allowed the newlyweds the opportunity to use Kensington Place for their first few nights of marital bliss. Lady Haverty would meet Kitty tomorrow in the afternoon to choose fabric and furnishings for the rooms at her Ladyship’s estate, which Kitty would redesign.
“Mrs. Darcy, we are pleased to see you again.” The butler took their outer garments.
“Mr. Thacker, we apologize for bringing you a house full to which to attend.” Elizabeth shot a quick glance at Darcy; they had not been in London together since the initial days of their marriage.
“The staff is ready to serve you, Madam, and we are thrilled to finally be able to see Mr. Darcy’s children for ourselves. We arranged the nursery per your instructions.” Darcy noted the ease with which his staff addressed his wife.
Elizabeth smiled with the reference to the twins. She became accustomed to the reverence with which the Derbyshire community treated her children, but she had not anticipated how the same feelings would, naturally, permeate the London staff. “Is my sister about, Mr. Thacker?” Elizabeth looked around expecting Kitty to greet her.
“Mrs.Ashford is in the drawing room along with the young vicar. They have been quite pleasant guests, Mrs. Darcy. The staff enjoyed serving them.”
“Thank you again, Mr. Thacker. May we have some light refreshments brought to the drawing room?” Elizabeth offered the man a smile and a light touch to his arm to let him know she was glad to see him again.
“I anticipated your needs, Madam.They will be there momentarily.” He made a quick bow and exited toward the kitchen.
Darcy leaned in to speak to Elizabeth privately. “It appears, Mrs. Darcy, you won over my London staff as well.” He smiled down at her.
“My Husband, what I know of interacting with your staff, I learned from observing you, Sir. I profess no real knowledge of any of this.” Elizabeth gestured to their surroundings.“Prior to my marriage to you, I held no point of reference to this lifestyle. If I am successful, it is a compliment to your patience and understanding. I cannot imagine how you must have felt assuming all this on your own; I am thankful for the model and guidance you gave me this past year.”
Many of Darcy’s memories returned, but Elizabeth adopted the habit of acknowledging what all Darcy went through when he first became the Master of Pemberley. Her sentiments seemed to provide a transition between Darcy’s former life and the one they shared. “I am pleased you find contentment in these duties, Mrs. Darcy.” He continued to whisper to her as he led Elizabeth through the main hallway.
“Fitzwilliam,” she confided, “I find contentment in being your wife. I would be content to be in a tenant’s cottage if you were there. The house means little without you. Some day I hope you will believe those words; I never fell in love with the wealth—I fell in love with an honorable man.”
Darcy paused, allowing the others to enter the room ahead of him.“Elizabeth, I served you poorly as a husband in this past year; yet, you continually accept me back into your loving heart. I do not deserve your regard, but I thank God you still wish to share my life, my home, and my bed.”
“Your bed, Mr. Darcy?” Her eyebrow shot up with a teasing gesture.
“Your bed or my bed or our bed,” Darcy picked up on her tone,“as long as we are there together.”
&nb
sp; Elizabeth touched his jaw line.“As long as we are together.”
Darcy stood at the door to Elizabeth’s dressing room; his wife luxuriated in her bath, unaware of how closely he watched her. His affection for Elizabeth Darcy continued to grow; he allowed himself to respond to her both emotionally and physically, and Darcy often found himself thinking of her when he should be attending to other issues. Today, memories of the passion they shared repeatedly in his Kensington Place townhouse flooded Darcy’s sensibilities. He excused her maid, and now Darcy patiently waited for his wife to finish her ablutions.
“Hannah, I am ready,” Elizabeth called without looking around. She rested against the back of the tub, eyes closed, letting the water seep around her body.
Darcy paused before answering her, amused by the delight she took in everything she did. Finally, his resonant voice responded,“I sent Hannah away, Lizzy.”
Elizabeth rolled on her side and peered over the lip of the tub. A smile overspread her face. “Mr. Darcy,” she teased, “has the Master of Pemberley chosen to take on the position as my handmaid?”
He approached her, sauntering over to where Elizabeth laid in the water. “A handmaid,” he taunted, “would help you get dressed, Mrs. Darcy.That was not what I considered as my duties as the Master of Pemberley.”
Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.“And what, pray tell, would you consider to be one of your duties as the Master of Pemberley?”
Darcy took a large towel from the shelf. He held it open to her, bidding her with his eyes to step out of the tub. She did as he suggested, and Darcy encircled her wet body with the towel, while lightly kissing her forehead. He whispered in her ear as he trailed kisses down the dampness of her neck,“As the Master of Pemberley, I consider it my pleasure, never a duty, to love you as a husband should, Mrs. Darcy.”
“Then I may depend on you, Mr. Darcy, to keep the chill away.” Elizabeth went up on her toes to nibble on Darcy’s lower lip.
“I guarantee you will not feel a chill, my Dearest One.” Darcy kissed along Elizabeth’s neck and collarbone. She lolled her head back to allow him easier access; Elizabeth moaned as Darcy pressed his need. “Lizzy,” he whispered seductively, “I must have you. I thought of nothing else today.” Darcy kissed her, quickly deepening the kiss. Finally, he cupped her chin and looked deep into Elizabeth’s eyes. “I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is not that strange?”10
Elizabeth laughed lightly. They spoke lines from Benedick and Beatrice before. It was a favorite play of Darcy’s. “As strange as the thing I know not. It were as possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you, but believe me not, and yet I lie not, I confess nothing, nor I deny nothing.”
Darcy pulled her closer to him, needing to feel the softness of her skin along her back and hips. Her response made him smile, and before he spoke again, he partook of another kiss.“I swear by it that you love me, and I will make him eat it that says I love not you.”
“You have stayed me in a happy hour. I was about to protest I loved you.” Elizabeth snaked her arms around his neck and pulled Darcy’s mouth to hers once again.
Even with the closeness and the return of Elizabeth’s desire for him, Darcy wondered if she forgave him for all the pain of this first year. “And do it with all thy heart?” he asked the question through the play, not willing to sacrifice his feelings to her in any other way. The memory of his prejudice still haunted him.
Elizabeth knew exactly what he needed at that moment. He needed her pledge that they would survive. “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.”
Darcy swallowed hard as she arched toward him. “Come bid me do anything for thee.”
Elizabeth pulled his head down to hers once again, kissing him with all the passion she felt whenever in Darcy’s arms.“Make me yours, Fitzwilliam; I want to be your wife in every way.”
He picked her up in his arms and carried Elizabeth to her bed.“Elizabeth, I will spend my life trying to make you happy.” He laid her back on the pillows and began to kiss lightly down her arms and torso.
“I am happy in your arms, Fitzwilliam.” Elizabeth kissed behind his ear and along his chin line. “I am happy right this moment because I see the man with whom I fell in love; my life is complete with you and the twins.”
“I will live in thy heart,” he spoke softly as he set to proving his desire. Elizabeth smiled at Darcy’s unexpected vulnerability. He wondered for a moment if he would ever deserve her love. Then he allowed himself the pleasure of enjoying the warm fragrance of Elizabeth’s skin. Elizabeth arched against him, and Darcy lost himself to her.“Lizzy,” he moaned.
Darcy led Elizabeth and the rest of his party to the private box for the theatre production. Mr. Harrison and Georgiana sat together; initially, they would live at Kensington Place when they were in London. Darcy reasoned it would be more comfortable for his sister to be in her “home” while learning her duties as Mr. Harrison’s wife with all his new responsibilities. Kensington Place already had a trained staff capable of handling the type of entertaining the Harrisons would need in those early days of their marriage. Eventually, Harrison would take his own place for the two of them. It would be another two months until their wedding. Georgiana insisted on coming to London with Mr. Harrison after the first of the year. Darcy insisted she spend the Festive Season at Pemberley.
So, they compromised. Georgiana and Mr. Harrison would marry in mid-November. They would spend the Festive Season at Pemberley, helping Elizabeth with the tenant celebration. Although not married, Harrison, with Georgiana at his side, would offer his tenants a similar gathering for All Hallows Eve. Elizabeth and Darcy would serve as their mentors in this matter. The Bishop at Matlock would marry Georgiana. The wedding breakfast would take place at her uncle’s estate; the Matlocks planned an elaborate affair for her. Matlock would be closer to London, but Darcy felt she should be at Pemberley, although the small church could not hold the anticipated throng who would attend.
Lady Haverty, still chattering on to Kitty and Mr. Ashford, joined the Darcys as a revered personage.The seven of them sat comfortably in Darcy’s box. Lady Haverty became a staple at Pemberley over the last few months. Initially, when she came to the estate, she showed Darcy her disdain for his choice of a wife, but Elizabeth made inroads into her Ladyship’s regard that first day, although, in reality, Elizabeth cared not for the woman’s manners. Then she reasoned Darcy lost his mother and his Aunt Catherine; if she could build a relationship with Lady Anne’s childhood friend, then maybe Darcy would see his wife differently.
That was when Darcy had no memory of Elizabeth, but even with the return of his husbandly attentions to his wife, Elizabeth continued to cultivate a positive relationship with Lady Haverty. The woman, lonely for her own family, happily embraced the young couple, listening to the opinions of Lord and Lady Pennington and the Matlocks rather than Lady Catherine. Now, Lady Haverty deemed it her responsibility to Lady Anne’s memory to serve as a “sage” to the young Mistress of Pemberley. Elizabeth listened to the venerable older woman and then did what she deemed best for her family; yet, Lady Haverty never considered Elizabeth’s independent mind a slight to her Ladyship’s position in society. Instead, the woman learned to enjoy the new life springing from Pemberley. Now, her Ladyship thought helping Kitty Ashford to be the perfect way to enjoy the Darcys’ company while building herself a reputation for innovation in her home—a friend of young designers.
“You will love the performance,” Lady Haverty invoked as she took one of the lower seats in the box.
Kitty gushed, “This is magnificent! Look at the chandelier, Clayton.” She pointed out the obvious with her eyes and the tilt of her chin.
Darcy, Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Chadwick Harrison took the seats behind them. Although not raised in a life of opulence, Elizabeth knew what was expected of her:The constant gazes of others who came to the theatre to be seen and those who came to the theatre to look at the
rich and the famous were to be ignored. Polite indifference was the rule, and Elizabeth lightly touched Kitty’s shoulder to reel in her sister’s enthusiasm.
Watching the stage with polite attention, Elizabeth realized many of the stares were directed toward her. She turned to look at Darcy; his handsome profile brought a smile to her face. Instinctively, she rested her hand in the crook of his arm. Darcy looked down at her hand, took it in his, brought it to his lips, and returned it to his arm. Elizabeth gave him the slightest purse of her lips, and Darcy’s eyebrow shot up with the provocation.
A hard stare brought Elizabeth’s attention back toward the stage and the audience. An attractive woman sat with a small party in a private box across the way. Elizabeth became acutely aware of the scrutiny in which she found herself. “Fitzwilliam,” she whispered as she leaned close to him so as not to disturb the performance, “who is the striking lady in the box on the right?”
Darcy dreaded the question; he hoped Elizabeth did not notice.They spent two exquisite days at Kensington Place rekindling their love, and now his response could destroy those moments. “No one of any consequence.” He tried to avoid the inevitable.
Elizabeth felt his body stiffen under her light touch and noticed how Georgiana shifted her weight away from where Elizabeth sat. She raised her eyes once more to the woman, and she knew even without her husband’s confirmation; Elizabeth looked into the steady gaze of Cecelia McFarland. Her eyes misted over, as she fought back the tears. She looked at Darcy again, silently demanding he acknowledge her question. Darcy took her hand into his lap and began to stroke her inner wrist with his fingertips. He dropped his chin and mumbled softly,“I am sorry, Elizabeth, for hurting you. Please know I love you more than life.”
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