Elizabeth tried to remove the pins from her hair with one hand while holding the blanket securely with the other. Seeing her struggle, William stayed her hand.
“Stop, Elizabeth. You are only tangling your hair. Let me remove the pins.”
Suddenly, he was close—so close she could smell sandalwood and soap. And while his fingertips made soft impressions in her hair, Elizabeth closed her eyes at the sheer pleasure of his touch. Unbidden, a deep sigh slipped from her throat. If William heard, he did not react, and soon afterward all the pins were on the bed. Then grabbing the nearest towel, he began to squeeze sections of her hair with it.
“One of Georgiana’s governesses said that hair should be blotted dry, never rubbed. She contended that rubbing the hair breaks the strands.”
“So I could have avoided all these curls simply by drying it differently?” Elizabeth teased.
“You mistake my meaning. Your hair is very curly. No amount of blotting will cause it to be less so. This will just keep it from breaking.”
“Then I suppose I am to be burdened with this wild hair forever.”
William stopped what he was doing, his mien sombre. “Your hair is lovely just as it is. Never change it.” Handing her the towel, he walked out of the room.
Not sure if she had angered him, Elizabeth continued to dry her hair the way he had instructed. Presently he returned with one of the dining room chairs, which he set in front of the fire.
“Since your clothes are occupying that chair, I thought that you might want to sit in this one to dry your hair.”
Elizabeth did as he proposed and William disappeared. For a time, the sounds of pots and pans being moved about in the kitchen made her wonder what he was up to. But just when she had decided to go look, William appeared with a single cup of tea.
“There was a small amount of tea left in the cupboard and I made this for you. I fear there are no biscuits, other than a few that have seen better days.”
“I am not that hungry, truly. I took a biscuit at the Beckers before we left. In hindsight, perhaps I should have taken more.” Seeing that there was only one cup of tea, she added, “Is there only enough for one?”
“Yes, but I found half a bottle of brandy, so I drank a glass of that.”
“Still, the tea would warm you. Can we not share?”
“I assure you that the brandy has warmed me enough. Please drink your tea before it gets cold.”
Resigned, Elizabeth took a sip of the hot liquid. “This is so comforting,” she said. “Thank you.” Closing her eyes with the next sip, she was surprised upon opening them to find that he had not moved and was watching her.
Upon being discovered, William quickly busied himself by seeing to the fire. Then stepping back to survey the room, his gaze fell on Elizabeth’s bare feet. Kneeling before her on the rug, he took one of her feet in his hands.
“My Lord, Elizabeth, your feet are freezing.”
As he massaged one foot and then the other, her breath hitched with each stroke of his talented hands. Totally unaware of her predicament, William finished his ministrations and walked over to the bed. There he pulled the counterpane and sheet back before fluffing the pillows and placing them against the headboard.
“The room should stay warm enough now. You should get into bed.”
Not wishing to argue, Elizabeth walked to where he stood, regarded the bed, and then looked innocently up at William as she dropped the blanket. That her deed had the desired effect was evidenced by his loud intake of breath.
“Please, Elizabeth! Do not make this any harder than it is.” He went past her toward the door.
She went after him, clad only in her thin chemise. “Do you intend to punish me forever for my foolishness?”
Already at the door, he stopped dead still, gripping both sides of the doorframe. “Is that what you think this is all about?”
“How can I think any differently?”
He turned to face her then, his eyes sadder than she had ever seen them. “It has never been about punishing you. Though I confess that I think true punishment is to be forced to pretend feelings for someone you loathe. I appreciate that you are willing to do your duty, even if your heart is untouched, but I would rather wait in the hope that, with time, you might come to care for me just a little. Otherwise, it would mean no more to me than a tryst with a complete stranger.”
“You are so mistaken, William. I am not trying to do my duty.” Her voice broke as she continued, “I truly want to be your wife, but only because I love you.”
“Only days ago, you said that you loathed the very sight of me. In truth, from the very beginning of our marriage, you made it clear that you despised my company though I refused to see it. I find it inconceivable that upon coming to Pemberley you suddenly realised that I was not a degenerate and fell madly in love with me.”
She dropped her head. “I deserve that, for God knows that you have no idea why I acted as I did. You may not even believe me if I tell you. I can hardly believe it myself.”
“Suppose you let me be the judge of that.”
She met his questioning eyes, swallowing hard. “The truth is that I never hated you. I had convinced myself that I did, but after Colonel Fitzwilliam pulled the veil from my eyes regarding Andrew, the truth stared me in the face.”
“And what truth is that?” he ventured guardedly.
“The truth that I fell under your spell from almost the minute we met.” She strangled a fierce tide of feeling that welled up within her to continue. “Is it so hard to believe that I fell in love with you? Is it so inconceivable that I found you handsome and desired your good opinion from the start?”
“Hmmm.” That he did not believe her was obvious.
“But you stayed true to your upbringing and soon dashed my hopes. You even stopped joining my conversations with Mr. Bingley and debating your point of view, though you sat close enough to listen to my every word. I assumed you were afraid that you might have raised my expectations. You were not the first man of your sphere to slight me. And your slight was no worse than the others, except that, with you, I had allowed myself a ray of hope.” She forced a smile. “In order to nurse my wounded pride, I began finding fault with you and listening to Andrew’s lies. It was easy enough to imagine that you were the villain.”
“I confess that I intended to regard you as any other woman not of my circle— someone to avoid.” Unwittingly, William took a step forward. “Except that from the beginning, I felt a bond with you that I had never felt with any woman before—a pull on my heart, if you will. You were so lively and intelligent, as well as beautiful, that I was drawn like the proverbial moth to a flame. It was after I realised that I might be falling in love with you that I began to refrain from engaging you in conversation.”
“No doubt by then Miss Bingley had regaled you with descriptions of my family and the fact that I had no connections and no dowry.”
William’s expression became contrite as he moved even closer. “Unfortunately, you are correct. To be honest, it was only after I returned to Netherfield that I concluded that your character was far more significant than your family, your connections or your dowry.”
“Lack of a dowry, you mean,” Elizabeth murmured.
“Your dowry is your character, Elizabeth,” he said solemnly. “And that is worth more than gold.” He reached out to take her hands. “But if you want the complete truth, what kept me from offering for you was my fear that marriage to me would ruin your life. You seemed so very joyful just as you were, and given the burden of my responsibilities, my family’s wishes and the expectations of society, I looked upon an offer from me as a fate worse than death for someone like you. It was only after Andrew’s compromise that I felt that might not be the case.”
As tears rolled down her face, Elizabeth brought their hands to her heart. “How odd that you should say that, for in these past few weeks, I have learned that not being your wife is what I consider a fate worse than death.�
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All restraint crumbled. William stepped forward and tenderly cradled the face of the woman who was the embodiment of all that he had ever desired.
“Oh, my beautiful Elizabeth, what a muddle we both have made by trying to guess what the other was thinking!”
“Then let there be no more guessing. Let us open our hearts to each other.”
His mouth captured hers in a fierce kiss as strong arms crushed her to his body. A low groan escaped him as his hands moved down her back to clasp her hips and press them close against the evidence of his desire.
William began teasing Elizabeth’s lips to part with his tongue and they did. With each kiss that followed, he plunged her deeper under his spell. In a daze, she barely noticed as his hand slid down her body until it reached the edge of her thin chemise near her thighs. Grasping it, he brought it up and over her head in one smooth motion, breaking their kiss to accomplish the task.
Then breathing heavily, he stepped back to admire her, his eyes ablaze with desire and need. Under his examination, Elizabeth felt vulnerable but refused to shy away, for she wished to fulfil his every fantasy. Suddenly, William was kissing her hungrily once more and, picking her up effortlessly, he carried her to the bed. He broke their kiss to stare into her eyes, then kissed her tenderly and laid her on the mattress. Next, he sat on the edge of the bed and began to undress.
He was so powerfully built, so firm and muscular, that Elizabeth could not look away until he began removing his breeches. With a flick of the sheets, he was in bed with her, pulling her closer and, in one smooth movement, he positioned himself above her. The feel of his hard body pressed into hers was incredibly arousing and the passion inside that had burned so many days unrequited turned into a blaze.
William’s lips brushed softly from her mouth to the sensitive spot just below her ear before continuing down her neck. Reaching her shoulder, he nuzzled the soft skin there before placing kisses along her collarbone to her bosom. Elizabeth’s breath was becoming as laboured as his, and she moaned aloud when one hand cradled a generous breast, palming it gently before capturing it with his mouth. The centre hardened and he gently nipped it. Writhing with desire, Elizabeth ran her hands into his hair to pull him closer.
“Love me, Will,” she said breathlessly.
“Are you ready to be mine for all eternity?”
“Truly, I am. I love you so much.”
Within minutes they were joined, the two becoming one flesh in a dance as old as time. The slight flinch of pain that Elizabeth experienced was swiftly forgotten in the bliss of being one with the man she loved with all her heart. Encouraged by her words of love, William kept up a steady cadence and soon the first waves of ecstasy began to wash over her. They had waited for this moment for so long that it took little effort to reach the pinnacle of satisfaction and, as she cried out his name, William was unable to hold back a second longer and joined her in paradise.
Lying in her arms as his breath returned to normal, William lifted his head to look into her eyes. Stunned to find tears rolling down her cheeks, he began apologising. “Forgive me. I never meant to hurt you.”
She cupped his face. “No, Will! You did not hurt me.” Lifting her head from the pillow to kiss him softly, she then lay back down. “It is just that I have never experienced such joy before.”
His concern quickly dissipated, and he smiled crookedly. “I have never been this happy before, Elizabeth. But are you certain that I did not hurt you? Can I fetch you a bit of brandy? You have only to ask.”
“I am very certain. I need nothing except for you to recover so we may do that again.” She smiled cheekily. “After all, how shall we become proficient without ample practice?”
Now giddy with joy, William tried not to chuckle as he looked at her adoringly. “What makes you think that I need time to recover?”
“I was told that once a man is spent, once he... you know. Then he will most likely return to his room in order to recover. And I heard that most men do not visit their wife more than once a night, some even less frequently.”
“I believe, my love, that you have been misinformed—at least in regards to me. For one thing, I intend to share your bed and, more often than not, I will want you more than once a night... every night. Of that you may be certain.”
“You will hear no objections from me, Will Darcy. I have wanted you far too long to ever turn you away from my bed.” She brought his mouth to hers in a fierce kiss.
William’s passion was reawakened and his voice was hoarse as he pulled back to say, “Should you ever desire me, Elizabeth, you have only to say so.”
“I desire you,” she murmured.
She did not have to say it twice. And this time as they made love, they took their time for, having discovered the pleasures of being married, they wished to savour the benefits for as long as possible.
THE NEXT MORNING
A loud thumping on the front door brought William out of a deep slumber. Abruptly sitting up, where he was and what had transpired the night before came rushing to mind and he grinned ridiculously. Elizabeth, too, was starting to rouse, but he kissed her and slipped out of the bed and into his breeches, fastening the buttons as he stumbled toward the bedroom door. Before opening it, he looked back at her. She was now sitting up, rubbing her eyes, and oblivious to the fact that she was naked. He pursed his lips to keep from smiling.
Suddenly aware, Elizabeth blushed as she pulled the sheet up to cover herself. “What is happening?” she asked sleepily.
“Someone is at the door. Stay in bed and keep warm. I shall see who it is and then put more wood on the fire.” She nodded and lay back down as he closed the door.
Upon reaching the entrance, he looked through one of the side panels to see his uncle pacing on the portico and his groundskeeper, Mr. Farrow, still astride a horse behind him.
I should have known they would look for us this morning.
Looking thoroughly dishevelled, he turned the key, unlocking the door, and swung it wide open.
“Here you are,” Joseph Fitzwilliam said, smiling to himself at his nephew’s appearance. “Livy said you might be here.”
“How would—”
“Elizabeth told her about this place.” William nodded absently. “Are you going to leave me standing out here?”
Stepping aside, William watched as his uncle picked up two baskets at his feet and walked past him. At the closed bedroom door, Joseph smiled before turning to go into the kitchen. There, he placed the baskets on the table.
“Mrs. Reynolds sent food and wine for fear that you had not eaten. The other basket contains clean clothes, lest you were soaked in the storm.”
“That woman is a saint,” William said sombrely. Then his face became quizzical. “What on earth possessed you to come out so early? It is barely light.”
“I wanted to thwart Georgiana, for it was her intention to see if this is where you spent the night.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Let us just say that she was livid when you did not return last night. She tried to blame Elizabeth—said that she was the reason you were caught in the storm and that she had only brought you bad luck since your marriage—that kind of balderdash.”
“That is preposterous!”
“Of course, it is. When no one agreed with her, Georgiana tried to organise a group to search for you. Mrs. Reynolds did not want to send anyone out in a storm of that magnitude. She was of the opinion that you would not appreciate her doing so, and that you were clever enough to find shelter somewhere on your own estate.
“When I sided with Mrs. Reynolds, Georgiana became angrier. Seeing that she was out-numbered, she agreed to wait until morning. When we assembled at dawn, Olivia mentioned this cottage as a possible safe-haven, saying that Elizabeth had spoken of it. That caused a new round of Georgiana’s railings, saying that this was her mother’s cottage and Elizabeth had no right to be here.”
William sighed heavily. “I shall sp
eak to her. I will not have her talking about Elizabeth in that manner.”
“I did not think you would appreciate her attack on your wife. That is why I would not allow her to ride with us. Two footmen went to check with the Beckers, to see if you were still there, and Mr. Farrow and I came here. I had a strange feeling that we would find you here, and I did not want anyone invading your privacy.” Joseph chuckled. “Or I should say anyone but me.”
William smiled as he glanced to the bedroom door. “You are not invading our privacy.”
“Then Elizabeth is here as well. Thank God! Olivia and I prayed that it would be so.”
William could not stop smiling as he recounted what had happened. “We were trapped here by the storm. Being thrown together forced us to confront all of the misunderstandings that have plagued our marriage. We were honest and forthright about our feelings and have reconciled.”
“Have you considered that the storm was sent by God’s design?”
William considered the possibility. “It could very well have been His hand at work. Mother always believed that coincidences were merely miracles in disguise.”
“Your mother was right, Fitzwilliam.” Joseph stood. “It is time that I leave you two alone.” Then he winked at William. “I shall let everyone know that you and Elizabeth are alive and well and have no need of company.”
William smiled unabashedly and stood up. When he did, Joseph glanced down at his nephew’s well-worn breeches. “I suggest that you wake your wife and enjoy the repast Mrs. Reynolds has provided as well as the rest of the morning. For you will need to return to Pemberley by early afternoon in order to prepare.”
“Prepare for what?”
“Have you been so preoccupied that you have forgotten the Creighton’s ball?”
William groaned, “Good Lord, I have! Not only do I despise balls, but I would have liked nothing more than to spend tonight with my wife—alone.”
“Well, you shall just have to endure it, my boy, for half of Derbyshire will be there to see the new Mrs. Darcy. You would not want to cancel and have them think you are ashamed of her, now would you?”
Darcy and Elizabeth--A Most Unlikely Couple Page 48