“I have not the least idea,” he replied. “They say this is how it is done, and that appears to be all the answer we will get. Miss de Bourgh, I fear your Great Lawn has become a sacred place to the fay, and you arelikely to find them there frequently. I expect mages will also wish to visit the Great Spell.”
Anne shrugged. “They are welcome. We almost never had guests at Rosings until my mother left, and now there are always people coming and going. I like it.”
“If you continue to encourage your cook to put out food for the fay, there will be even more,” said Eversleigh.
“Good. Aelfric says mortal food is what gives them vitality, but only if it is given to them voluntarily. I am willing to provide that.”
“You might wish to consider replanting the lawn as a garden,” said Elizabeth. “I suspect it has the most fertile soil in England now, and your gardeners may tire of having to cut the grass every day.”
Anne appeared to consider this. “I would like a new garden.”
Elizabeth felt a touch on the inside of her elbow that sent a trickle of heat through her. She did not even need to look to see who it was.
“I have arranged to have our dinner served in my room.” Darcy’s warm breath tickled her ear as he spoke quietly. “I have been sharing you with everyone all day. I want to have you to myself.”
She looked up at him through her eyelashes with a teasing smile. “I hope that means we can go there now.”
His eyes darkened with desire, sending a pleasurable fluttering through her insides.
AT LONG LAST, THEYwere alone together. Darcy looked across the small table at Elizabeth’s fine eyes. His wife, hiseliarinn, his Elizabeth. His for the night and forever, here in his bedroom.
He was determined to act as a gentleman tonight, wooing Elizabeth over dinner, even if every instinct insisted on making passionate love to her immediately. He would do this properly if it killed him. Hewould not think about sliding the blue muslin of her dress off her shoulder, revealing the flesh he had dreamed of for countless frustrated nights, nor what it would be like to feel her lithe body moving under his, her dark curls spread across his pillow as he made her his. No, he would not think about that. Not yet. He would show Elizabeth he could restrain himself.
Elizabeth picked up her wine glass and studied it, appearing engrossed in the reflection of the candle flame on the curved surface. She bit her lip.
He took her hand in his. Even that slight touch raised his desire to near-painful levels. “Is something troubling you?” he asked. “We do not need to hurry this if you do not feel ready.” Of course, he might burst into flames if he had to wait much longer, but Elizabeth’s comfort tonight was paramount. The tastes of her passion he had already experienced were intoxicating, and he would not allow a bad experience to taint her desire.
Her face cleared, and she smiled. “Oh, it is nothing like that! I am just thinking about what will likely happen after tonight. Did you feel all the magic pouring over us at our wedding?” She reached out and ran her finger along his cheekbone.
God, but her touch was a heady thing! He could feel the heat of it spread through his body. “It would have been hard to miss, but I could not tell what it was doing. It did not feel malicious.” How could he think about magic when all his attention was on retaining his sanity for the next hour until he could decently take Elizabeth to his bed?
“It was fertility magic. A very great deal of it.” She tilted her head with a teasing look.
Fertility magic? That was what the fay usually did in the mortal world, was it not? Then it hit him. “You mean the magic was for you and me?”
“Yes. We will not know for certain for some time, but it seemsvery likely that tonight you will not only make me your wife, but also the mother of your child.” She seemed to be watching him with some anxiety. “I hope you do not mind it happening so quickly.”
Elizabeth, carrying his child. He could practically feel his blood rushing through him. By morning his seed could be growing inside her. They would be bound together in every way. If he had been aroused by her before this, it was nothing compared to the desire now pounding through him.
“Mind it?” he somehow managed to say. “Quite the opposite.”
How could he restrain himself now? The Sidhe believed in acting on their urges immediately, and he was bound to Elizabeth by Sidhe blood and magic. Perhaps it was time to do honor to that tradition instead of proper society manners. If the fay wanted Elizabeth to bear his child, he would oblige them. Immediately.
He stood behind her chair, plucked her wineglass out of her hand, and set it down. His finger trembled as it traced her soft skin just above the fabric of her dress.
“Mmm.” She pressed against his touch like a cat.
Good God, how many buttons could fit on the back of one bodice? Tiny buttons that kept slipping through his fingers as he tried to undo them, but now the hidden flesh above her shift was beginning to appear. He could not keep himself from pressing his lips against each inch of newly-exposed skin.
Elizabeth gave a soft moan at his caress. “The fertility magic seems to be working already,” she said, her voice husky.
He bent to nibble her earlobe and whispered, “If the fay want you carrying my child, would it not be rude to let anything stand in the way?”
“Terribly rude,” she said with a breathy laugh, and rose. “I will assume I need not call for a maid to help me undress.”
“Absolutely not.” There were even more buttons than he had thought. Oh, to be a Sidhe who could wave his hand and make her dressvanish completely! There was only one thing to be done if he wanted to preserve his sanity. He grasped each side of the dress and yanked until the buttons gave way, revealing her shift and stays. One less layer to go.
She turned and wound her arms around his neck, her eyes smoky with desire. “I have been wondering how long it would take you to do that,eliarinn. You are not the only one who is impatient.” She brushed her mouth against his.
