A thought caught him. He threw back his head and laughed. “And, of course, my cousin pretending to be me and writing to ask that a bride be selected for me!”
Elizabeth smiled. “He was, of course, concerned that you should not marry Anne.” She became serious. “I am so happy that he has felt able to declare for her. She already looks much happier.”
“I should be very angry at his actions,” Darcy shrugged, “but I cannot be, because it has given me the wife I know now I needed, but did not know then.”
Elizabeth blushed and looked down.
He watched her affectionately. “I hope you will agree that we take our coffee in our apartments before we retire.”
Her hand went to her bosom, and she swallowed.
“Don’t be afraid, Elizabeth. There is nothing to fear.”
Now she was on his arm as they ascended the stairs, and he took her into the private sitting room that lay between his chamber and hers, as the mistress of Darcy House.
She looked round in awe. “This house is so big, William. Did you ever use this room before?”
He nodded. “It is a good place to work undisturbed. But from now, it will be our private place.” He took her hand and drew her closer to him.
Her face was looking up at him, her lips parted slightly, and he groaned. He had waited so long for this moment.
“Elizabeth,” he whispered and his arm curved round her and drew her closer. He could feel her heart fluttering against his chest, her nearness sending a shock of heat through his body.
He traced her lips with a fingertip. “Elizabeth, I have waited so long to make you mine.”
Amusement danced in her eyes. “We have not known each other very many weeks, Mr. Darcy!”
“You tease me, Elizabeth,” he growled and gave into the temptation to taste her lips on his.
Her gasp as his lips descended heightened his desire. All he wanted was to make her happy and keep her close to him. She swayed in his arms and he tightened his grasp.
He lifted his head. “We must take our coffee, Elizabeth,” he said thickly. “Then we may retire.”
He dismissed his valet, and crossed his chamber to the connecting door. Through the sitting room, and he hesitated outside the door to her chamber. Would she have finished her preparations and dismissed her maid?
He knocked softly and turned the handle. She was alone, and standing by the window. The soft moonlight glowed round her slender form. His heart pounded and his passion rose. He crossed the room and lifted her hand to his lips.
“You are most beautiful, dearest Elizabeth.”
She smiled tremulously up at him. “Everything is so new to me. I hope I don’t disappoint you, William.”
He buried his face against her throat, feeling her hair tumbling over his, the scent of lavender rising round him. “You can never disappoint me, loveliest of all ladies.” He picked her up and carried her to the bed.
Elizabeth woke in the night, curled in his embrace. The room was lit only by the faint glow from the embers of the fire. Her heart was full of the deepest contentment, and she knew that his musky scent, sage and old leather, would soon be as familiar to her as her own.
The side of her face leaned against his chest, and his steady heartbeat sounded safety and security. She felt her lips curve as she remembered odd moments of the day — her mother fawning over him, and his stoic good humour — Aunt Gardiner whispering in her ear of her delight in Elizabeth’s happiness — the first moments alone in the coach for the first time. And, of course, his gentle hands and rising passion as they shared the marital bed on this, their wedding night.
His arm tightened round her, drawing her closer. “You’re awake, Elizabeth. I hope you have been able to get some rest.”
She looked up at his features, the angle of his jaw is the dimness. “I am very comfortable. I hope I haven’t prevented your repose, lying so close.”
“Assuredly not, Elizabeth.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Every time I have woken, I have been reminded of my good fortune at securing your hand in marriage.”
She sighed happily. Now nothing could make her anxious. She smiled, thinking back to her childhood conversations with Jane, wishing only that the good marriage she needed to secure could be accompanied by love. And she knew she had her heart’s desire.
Of course, they hadn’t known each other very long, and they undoubtedly had much to learn. But she was assured that his cold and distant exterior was not the real man.
His readiness to apologise for errors of judgement and his acceptance of who she was and her family, had made her even more certain that she had made the right choice.
“What are you thinking, Elizabeth?” His voice was lazily amused. “You have very expressive features, so I hope you don’t think you can keep anything from me.”
She laughed softly. “I would not dream of it, William. I am thinking how lucky I am — and how much we still have to learn of each other.”
He drew her closer. “Indeed. We have a lifetime to learn how to please each other.” His hands tangled in her hair. “Time alone where we can enjoy the other’s company.” His voice was husky, and her lips parted with anticipation as she saw his face dip to hers.
The heat of his body as he pressed against her made her heart race and she murmured incoherently. She was finally where she belonged.
Afterword
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– http://smarturl.it/Proudly-Darcy
“It is a truth universally acknowledged,” the bustling lady guardian told her young charges, over the clatter of the stagecoach and the thunder of the horses' hooves, “that a young man in possession of a good parcel of land must be in want of a fresh young bride.”
As the weekly stagecoach heads into Pemberdale, Wyoming, it carries on board the hopes of the men of Meryton. All the way from Saint Louis, shaken and weary from many days of travel, the five Bennet sisters are about to embark on a tumultuous sequence of adventure and mishap that will take their reputations and their futures into perils that no-one would have predicted.
From a ridge, high on his gray Arabian, Fitzwilliam Darcy watches the arrival of the stage with mixed feelings. He wishes the best for the fortunes of the townsfolk, and for his friend Charles Bingley, but he holds no such optimistic hope of the stage bringing a suitable bride for himself.
But as a tall and slender, dark-haired young woman descends from the coach and glances up, Mr. Darcy’s heart pounds and he feels the hand of fate touch his shoulder.
Romance and love beckon, and in many guises, but who will answer the calls call?
This Mail Order Brides and Prejudice novella is a sweet and clean Pride and Prejudice variation. Vividly conjuring the ways that the characters from Jane Austen’s classic novel might fare, transplanted into the pioneering West of 1870, this re-imagining is a fast read. Thirty-six thousand words have been lovingly crafted to delight enthusiasts of the romantic canon and newcomers alike.
This complete, standalone story is a romantic refreshment like no other. Read it today!
http://smarturl.it/Forever-Darcy
Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. But not when Miss Bingley is involved.
Darcy knows he must marry, and very soon.
But what sort of lady would agree to marry a man at first meeting?
Elizabeth Bennet is struggling to support her family at a time when governess situations are hard to keep and harder to find.
A way out is offered.
But what sort of man is willing to make an offer of marriage to a lady chosen by his family — especially to a lady whose sister has ruined them all?
And can love ever bloom fr
om mere expediency?
Forever, Darcy is a sweet and clean quick read Regency novella of around 32,000 words
And,
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Fitzwilliam Darcy is maddened by the insupportable position where he finds himself ensnared.
But the law is the law — he must comply, or risk losing everything he holds most dear, and the person closest to his heart.
He must marry, and soon. A delicate watercolor portrait captures his imagination.
A young lady on the far side of the country. He must have her — and solve his problem as well.
But how to win her through the written word? Then, once she arrives, the spoken word seems just as vexing.
Elizabeth Bennet navigated thousands of miles of coastal ocean. Why should she believe what she hears from the brooding, darkly handsome man, whose portrait she keeps sealed within her purse?
Confusion, lies, and secrets. Caroline Bingley and George Wickham.
Can Elizabeth and Darcy ever disentangle the situation and find a path through to their own happy ending?
This Mail Order Brides and Prejudice novella is a sweet and clean Pride and Prejudice variation. Vividly conjuring the ways that the characters from Jane Austen’s classic novel might fare, transplanted into the pioneering West of 1870, this re-imagining is a fast read. Thirty-eight thousand words have been lovingly crafted to delight enthusiasts of the romantic canon and newcomers alike.
This complete, standalone story is a romantic refreshment like no other. Read it today!
Impatiently, Darcy Page 13