by Ola Wegner
“What is it like there?” she asked after a moment.
Darcy smiled. “You will love it. I know you will. I would prefer to stay the whole year there, but I know you will want to come here often, missing your family.”
“Let us not talk about this now.” She reached for the buttons of his waistcoat. “No one will hear us here,” she whispered into his ear, giving him shivers. “No one ever comes over here. Jane will tell the others that you have a headache and that you needed a refreshing walk before dinner. We have at least an hour.”
Darcy looked at her with surprise painted on his handsome face. From the moment she had brought him here, it had not crossed his mind that it was for that very reason.
“Are you recovered from your indisposition?” he asked in a soft voice against her neck, referring to the monthly bleeding that started just the second day of their stay at Longbourn.
In the years to come, he would learn that it was wise not to entirely believe what his wife would say to him a day or two before this time of the month. She tended to see everything in the darkest colours during those days.
She blushed. “You have noticed,” she whispered.
He nodded. “I noticed the blood on the sheets that morning before your maid managed to change them,” he admitted. At first, before he had realized what must have happened, he had been truly terrified when he saw the stains. They were large, and much darker in colour than the ones he had noticed after their first time together.
“It ended two days ago,” she said, still avoiding his eyes.
For a moment he wanted to tease her about her shyness around him, but he contained himself. It was all still very new to her, sharing such intimate things with a man.
Darcy took a quick look around the room. It was hardly a place where he wanted to make love to his wife. It was situated partially below the ground, and there was only one window with a view over the lawn and a flowerbed. The bed was small and very ancient, though there was a fresh looking clean sheet on it. The furniture itself looked very fragile, and he was afraid that it would simply crack under their weight. He could not wait for their first night in the Master bedroom at Pemberley, where they would have all the comfort and privacy they deserved. He wanted to have more than an hour with her. Two more weeks, he reminded himself. They were to leave just after Jane and Bingley’s wedding.
“I need you so, darling.” He pushed the short sleeves of her simple cotton dress down her arms, his right hand moved to the small buttons at the back of her gown.
When he opened her dress completely and pushed it down to her waist, she rose from his lap and removed the gown carefully. She laid it over the old threadbare sofa, which stood in the corner. Soon her petticoats followed and she remained in just a short chemise and stockings. She wore no stays that day.
Darcy’s eyes were on her as she walked past him to the bed and stretched herself comfortably on it, one leg bent, which left him the clear view of the dark sweet place between her thighs.
Her dark, huge eyes fixed on his face and then moved slowly down his body.
He did not remember having undressed so quickly in his entire life. His clothes, one by one, were thrown over her dress.
“Remove your stockings,” he ordered hoarsely in his old haughty voice. He loved to caress her bare feet.
Elizabeth raised one eyebrow, smiled, and began to slowly remove the thin, silky things, her eyes focused on him all the time.
Darcy, already bared to his waist, tugged on the opening of his breeches. He sat back on the chair and tried to remove his tall riding boots. During their stay at Longbourn, he went on rides every day to relive some of the tension from his body and mind.
“Leave them.” Elizabeth said as she opened her legs slightly wider, her arms thrown above her head. “It will take a lot of time to remove them without the help of your valet, then nearly as long to put them back.”
Darcy nodded with his mouth half open as he stared at her.
“I am not sure whether this old bed will bear it.” she laughed when he dropped heavily onto her a moment later.
He did not waste any time talking. From her face, his lips moved down to her neck and after pushing back the straps of her chemise, to her bosom. He felt her small hand tugging his breeches down. He helped her and pushed them down around his knees before he returned his attention to her breasts. He kissed them for a long moment, just the way she liked it, concentrating on the soft undersides.
Darcy lifted himself from her and knelt between her legs. He took one pretty foot into his hand and brought it to his lips.
She giggled.
He kissed the smooth, pink sole.
She giggled again and tried to retrieve her foot from his grasp.
He did not let it go and blew a noisy raspberry into the soft pads of her toes, which evoked a new wave of prolonged giggling on her part.
Darcy kissed the path from her foot down her leg, ending on the warm, smooth inside of her thigh.
“William.” He heard her unsure voice and felt a gentle tug on his hair. “You are not…”
He interrupted her. “Lizzy, let me this time,” he murmured as he kissed the top of the mound, just above the line of her curls.
“William,” she tugged at his hair again, this time stronger. “I…am not sure.”
He looked up into her uncertain, embarrassed eyes. “Just this one time,” he murmured. “I will stop if you do not enjoy it. I promise.”
She bit her lower lip. “Perhaps another time… when I am clean after my bath…”
“You are always perfect and very clean,” he said earnestly before he lowered his head between their thighs.
Elizabeth sighed deeply, but she did not try to stop him any longer.
Darcy felt her body to be tense at first, but then she gradually relaxed. He knew himself to be on the right path when her bottom moved uncontrollably a few times and her breath caught in her throat.
He smiled to himself. She usually kept very quiet when he made love to her, or at least she tried to stay silent. He found great pleasure and satisfaction when he managed to make her produce some louder gasp or even a moan. He wanted to laugh out loud with joy at such moments.
He moved up from her, pushed the chemise up a bit and took a good look at her flushed, swollen flesh.
He took himself in one hand, and pushed himself easily into her. She was still very tight, but it was easier for him to enter her than those first few times in London.
He started moving inside her, mindful to bring her as much pleasure as he was able to. All too soon, he felt the need to finish. In his earlier encounters with women, he had been able to control himself longer. However, with Elizabeth he felt too overwhelmed with the experience of making love to her and was usually so excited by the time he got into her that it was over much too soon. This time, as well, he was not entirely sure whether she had her pleasure, though she seemed to be close enough.
They lay together for some time afterwards. She was curled by his side, her leg draped over his midsection, her eyes closed.
“We must be going back soon,” she whispered lazily, not opening her eyes.
“No.” He pulled her tighter to him.
“We must. Otherwise Mama will send a search party to find her favourite son-in-law.”
“You wanted to say her only son-in-law so far,” he reminded her dryly.
Elizabeth lifted onto her elbow to look into his face. “She is nice to you in her own way. The cook prepares all your favourites every day.”
“Yes, I know.” He smoothed her hair. “The food is good,” he agreed.
“And Papa seems to like you now.”
“I think that like is too strong a word. I took you from him, and he cannot forgive me this. I can understand that. I agree, though, that he seems to accept me in a way.”
“Come. We must dress.” She lifted from him and reached for her stockings. “We have to look our very best when we leave this room. Nobody should sus
pect anything amiss.”
Darcy sighed, but he did as he was told. They helped each other to put their clothes back on, checking each other’s appearance before they left the room.
When they came back to the sitting room, it turned out that during their absence Aunt Phillips had visited shortly. Clearly, she could not wait till the next day to share with the Bennets the news she had heard earlier that day from her husband. Mr. Brooke did not intend to return to Meryton in the future. All the servants from Purvis Lodge were released, and the estate was to be sold.
Elizabeth and Darcy were silent and did not voice their opinion. Mrs. Bennet returned to the subject numerous times, trying to guess what stood behind this sudden decision of Elizabeth’s former admirer. By the end of dinner, she came to the conclusion that it was because Mr. Brooke was heartbroken because of Elizabeth’s marriage to another, so he decided to leave the place forever, so as not to remind himself about the pain of rejection.
Only after the Darcys retired to the privacy of their bedroom, did they talk about what they had learned about Brooke and his plans.
“Do you think he is gone forever?” Elizabeth asked as she snuggled trustingly into her husband’s body in bed.
“I do hope so,” he said, combing his fingers absently through her hair. “But I do not trust him.”
“I am glad that he is gone, and I do not have to see him,” she murmured.
He kissed the top of her head. “I am here, so you have nothing to fear.”
“I know,” she whispered before closing her eyes.
Darcy woke a few hours later at the loud banging upon the door. Elizabeth slept soundly in his arms, thus far undisturbed by the noise.
“I am coming,” he cried loud enough to be heard.
Gently, he moved from his wife and lit the candle on the bedside. Then he quickly pulled on his robe and walked to the door.
On opening it, he saw his father-in-law in his nightclothes and another figure standing in the shadows behind him.
“What is the matter?” he asked in whisper.
The other man moved forward, and Darcy instantly recognized one of his footmen from Pemberley.
“Master.” The tired looking servant with dirt on his face bowed. “I came as soon as I could. There was a fire.”
“At Pemberley?” Darcy’s eyes widened. “Where exactly? How did it happen?”
“It started in the stables. I do not know the reason. When I was leaving, they still could not put it down. We were afraid it would spread to the manor…”
Darcy was about to ask more questions when Elizabeth’s soft voice was heard. “William? Has something happened?”
He turned back to look at his wife, who sat wide awake in the bed, the bed covers clutched in her hands up to her chin.
“It is all right, darling. Go back to sleep,” he whispered, momentarily changing his voice from harsh and demanding to soft and gentle.
When he turned to the intruders, his father-in-law looked at him with strange expression on his face, which he had no patience to read now. The footman looked to the side; he knew better than to attend Master’s personal life.
“I will take your man to the kitchens. He must be tired and hungry,” Mr. Bennet said, already walking away from the door, indicating to the servant to follow him.
Darcy nodded. “Give me ten minutes,” he said as he closed the door.
***
Elizabeth looked out of the window of the carriage. She could not stop admiring how different the countryside looked the further north they travelled. Gone were the gentle hills and flat planes she had been used to all her life. Here, the nature was so much more wild and unrestrained.
“We are almost there,” Georgiana said, twisting her slim gloved fingers. “The grounds should start soon,” she sighed. “I only pray that the house survived.”
Elizabeth reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
William had left Longbourn at first light the same night the servant from Pemberley had come. When they had said their goodbyes that morning, he had assured her that she and Georgiana should stay in Longbourn till Jane and Bingley’s wedding and that he would send servants and a carriage for them at that time.
She knew better. Though she could do little to help with rebuilding the estate after the fire, the Mistress’ place was there. Her mother had proclaimed herself ill and gone to bed when she heard that Elizabeth was adamant about joining her husband as soon as it was possible, before her eldest sister’s wedding.
Mr. Bennet had supported his second daughter’s decision though, and Mr. Bingley had graciously offered to escort both ladies to Derbyshire in one of his carriages. First, he had to understandably give his word of honour to his future mother-in-law that he would indeed return for his own wedding in two weeks.
They drove into the park, which was peaceful, beautiful and very well kept. There was no sign of any kind of disorder or damage.
Elizabeth thought that the park would never end when Georgiana exclaimed. “Stop the carriage.”
As soon as they came to a halt, Georgiana, without any kind of assistance, opened the door and jumped out of it on the road.
Elizabeth followed her soon.
The manor was magnificent, situated on the edge of a large lake. Only after a moment did Elizabeth notice that the left corner of it was partially destroyed. There was no roof, and there were dark holes instead of windows.
Georgiana stared at the house, and the tears ran down her cheeks.
Elizabeth walked to her and wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “It will be built up soon, and become ever more beautiful than before.”
“I know.” Georgiana sniffed. “It is only so hard to look at it in such a state.”
They walked slowly back to the carriage, and Mr. Bingley handed them in.
When they arrived at the front of the main house, nobody was waiting for them. They walked inside the house, and Georgiana rushed through the assembly of rooms to the part of the house which suffered during the fire. Elizabeth followed her, her eyes widened at the beauty and refined elegance of the interiors.
Finally Georgiana pushed at the last door, and they walked into the burnt rooms.
There were people everywhere, occupied with cleaning the area from the soot and black dust. No furniture could be seen, no glass in the windows, no curtains, and no ceiling or roof. The bright sun was looking into the place. The only proof that it was once a room was the rest of the yellowish wallpapers on the burnt walls.
Georgiana left her side and ran to one of the workers, whom after only a moment, Elizabeth recognized her own husband. He looked tired and was dirty from work, no less than the other men.
“Brother!” Georgiana tried to touch him, but he stopped her.
“What are you doing here?” He looked over Georgiana’s head at his wife.
“Mr. Bingley has brought us,” the girl explained.
Elizabeth walked to them. “I am so sorry,” she said as she looked with concern at him.
Darcy made a move as if he wanted to touch her but only smiled at her. “It is not so bad. All of the paintings and some of the furniture were rescued.” He looked at his sister. “Including your pianoforte.”
“It must have been a beautiful room,” Elizabeth noted sadly.
“And it will be again,” Darcy assured firmly. “Next week the architect from London will come to see to the rebuilding. The new ceiling and the roof must be laid. Then we need to put in the floors and windows anew.”
“How can we help?” Elizabeth asked shyly.
His eyes smiled at her. “You can start to think what fabrics and colours to choose for the walls and curtains. This is the first room you will design all by yourself, Mrs. Darcy.”
“Good God, Darcy.” Mr. Bingley’s voice was heard as he stepped inside. “It does not look good. I trust that nobody was killed.”
Darcy shook his friend’s hand. “Thank you, God, not.”
“Has something el
se suffered?”
Darcy sighed. “The stables are completely burned down,” he acknowledged sadly. “Some animals died in the flames, some escaped. We have not found two mares yet. They had to run in the woods.”
Bingley shook his head. “Such fine horses.”
“Thankfully most of them survived,” Darcy said as he put a hand on Bingley’s shoulder. “I must thank you for bringing my family, my friend.”
Bingley produced a toothy smile. “I had no other choice. Your lovely wife was very much determined to go, the same as your sister. My Jane would be beside herself with worry if they travelled all alone.”
“Thank you,” Darcy repeated seriously.
Bingley shrugged. “We are brothers now. You would do the same for me if something happened to Jane and me. And speaking of my lovely bride, I must go back tomorrow morning to be on time for the wedding.”
Darcy frowned. “The wedding is in ten days. You must be tired after the journey. Stay a day or two.”
Bingley shook his head. “No, I had better go tomorrow.” He leaned forward and added quietly. “I promised Mrs. Bennet not to delay my return.”
Darcy looked at his friend with understanding. “I see.” He cleared his throat. “My dears, you must be tired and hungry.” He looked upon his wife and sister. “We shall find Mrs. Reynolds to take care of you.”
The company left the burnt part of the house, walking back to the main hall, Mr. Bingley and Georgiana first, Elizabeth and Darcy a few steps behind.
At one moment, Elizabeth took a decided hold of her husband’s hand and pulled him inside one of the smaller rooms. Before he managed to say something, she raised herself on her toes, threw her hands around his neck and clung to him.