Page 98 of The Widower of Pemberley

Darcy offered, “How about you play obedient baby lion who gets an additional lemon tart with breakfast while waiting for her parents? Going with Rose will be part of the game.”

To Elizabeth’s mild surprise, this transparent suggestion worked, and Emily turned giggling to Rose, who still bravely looked down and away from them. “I’m the obedient baby lion! Roar! Take me to breakfast! I’m going to eat an antelope! Roar!”

As soon as they left the room, Darcy stood with the sheet still wrapped around him and locked the concealed servant’s door that his daughter and her nurse had used to enter.

He said as he did so, “I had not expected that to convince her.”

“It must have been the notion of being a baby lion.” Elizabeth yawned.

“Did you sleep well?” Darcy asked as he returned to her side and sat back on the bed next to her.

“Exceedingly.” She smiled warmly at him, wishing to give him every possible encouragement to remain in bed with her in the future.

He looked down a little and asked in a shy manner that was so different from his usual confident way of speaking, “Did you truly like to have me in your bed?”

Elizabeth sat up.

She blushed hotly as she let the sheet fall away from her to expose her breasts to her husband in better light than he had seen them before. “Very much so.”

The passion and desire in him as he looked at her, first studying her eyes and then hungrily enjoying the view of her body, gaveElizabeth a level of confidence and safety she had not found before.

“Then we must play husband and wife together more often,” Darcy replied.

Elizabeth giggled. “I think we do more than play.”

“I like the notion that our true life is a form of play,” he replied. “And I told Emily that we are going to play husband and wife some more.”

He kissed her passionately, his warm hand gliding over her skin.

Later, as she dressed, Elizabeth thought that there was a pleasant and delightful difference in joining together when the light was clear enough that they could easily see each other, rather than in dim candlelight.

She would not have expected that.

Emily bounced about in the breakfast room, no doubt from too much pastry.

Darcy took the girl in his arms and swung her in wide circles.

“Papa, can we play husband and wife?” Emily enthused as soon as she was put down. “And Mama Lizzy can be the child, and we can put her to bed again.”

The expression on Darcy’s face showed that he knew he should have expected this request.

After some contemplation, he offered, “I only play ‘husband and wife’ with Elizabeth, but the next time she wants to take a nap, she can be the child whom we put to bed—that is if she is willing to play.”

“Mama Lizzy! Mama Lizzy! Do you want to take a nap?”

“Not now, my dear.”

“But I want to put you to bed! Pleeeease. Oh, please! Oh, please, please. Can’t we play put you to bed?”

“How about we take a nice walk after we eat breakfast?” Elizabeth offered.

Georgiana entered the room. “Yes, I would like that as well. The snow is beautiful from the window.”

“But I want to put Mama Lizzy to bed right now!”

“Sometimes, my love,” Darcy said, “one must wait for a pleasant thing. This is such a case.”

Darcy’s serious way of speaking convinced Emily that further begging was no use, so she sighed and dejectedly said, “Oh, very well, if we must. Georgie, Papa was in Mama Lizzy’sbed! They were playing husband and wife.”