Page 36 of Love Drunk for Mr Darcy

The movement left her half turned in his arms, one of his hands spread across her back while the other had caught her at the curve of her hip. Elizabeth could feel the warmth of his palm through her gown and the hard rise of his chest beneath the hand she had planted there. She looked up and found him staring at her mouth. For one foolish second she thought he must kiss her. Darcy's thumb moved once against her hip, then stopped. His jaw tightened and he drew in a slow breath before easing her upright again, keeping one hand at her waist until he was certain she had her balance.

"There. Safe and sound," he murmured.

Elizabeth looked down at the stones and tried not to feel cheated. Darcy stepped onto firmer ground and held out his hand again. This time Elizabeth took it without hesitation, and Darcy led her around the pool without releasing her hand until they reached the bank. They stayed beside the water for some time after that. Darcy showed her the broad flat stone where his mother had often spread a blanket for summer picnics and pointed out a twisted beech where Georgiana had sincerely believed the fairies slept in her younger years. Elizabeth laughed and asked whether he had encouraged such fancifulness. Darcy admitted that he had; Georgiana had been only eight and so delighted by the idea that he had no wish to spoil it.

By the time they began the walk back to the house, she had stopped trying to make sense of her feelings. It was pleasant simply to walk beside Darcy while he talked, his voice low and easy. He occasionally stopped to show her a pretty view or to point out a shorter path through the trees, but still did not offer his arm.

He kept close beside her on the walk back, so close that their sleeves brushed now and then. After a few minutes Elizabeth slipped her hand through his arm almost without thinking. Darcy glanced down at her hand, then at her. The dimple appeared again and Elizabeth looked away before he could catch her smiling.

They were nearly back at the house when the sound of wheels carried across the drive. Darcy glanced towards the break in the trees and Elizabeth followed his gaze as a carriage came to a halt beneath the portico. "Were you expecting anyone?"

"No." His brow creased as he squinted towards the crest on the door. A footman was already hurrying forwards, but Elizabeth had stopped looking at the carriage itself. She knew the bonnet that came into view as the door opened.

"Jane?"

She released Darcy's arm and hurried across the gravel just as Jane stepped down from the carriage with Bingley's hand beneath hers. Her cheeks were pink from the journey, a few fair curls had worked loose beneath her bonnet and she was laughing at something he had said. Elizabeth could not remember the last time she had seen her sister look so completely carefree.

Then Jane saw her and her whole face lit up. "Lizzy!"

Elizabeth caught her in a fierce embrace. "Jane! What are you doing here?"

Jane drew back, still smiling, as Bingley came to stand beside her. He looked absurdly pleased with himself, while Darcy, arriving a moment later, gave his friend a long, questioning look. "Bingley?"

"Darcy." Bingley's grin widened.

Elizabeth looked from one to the other before turning back to Jane. "What has happened?"

Jane glanced at Bingley and the look they exchanged made Elizabeth's heart jump. Then her sister took his hand and said, with a brightness Elizabeth had never seen in her before, "We are married. Just a few days ago!"

For once, Elizabeth had absolutely nothing to say. Jane laughed at her expression. "Charles obtained a special licence and we were married in London. We meant to write, but then we heard you had already left for Pemberley and Charles decided we ought to come and tell you ourselves. And congratulate the two of you, of course! It is so wonderful that we are all family."

"We had already wasted enough time," Bingley said, squeezing Jane's hand.

Jane looked up at Bingley and smiled widely, her heart so plainly in her eyes that Elizabeth could only stare. She had never seen her usually serene sister display her emotions so openly. She appeared transformed and blissfully happy.

Darcy found his voice first. He stepped forwards, took Jane's hand and bowed over it with a smile. "Welcome to Pemberley, Mrs Bingley."

Chapter Fourteen

The group had scarcely crossed the threshold before Georgiana came hurrying into the hall, drawn by the unfamiliar carriage and the sound of voices. She stopped when she saw Bingley and her face brightened immediately. "Bingley!"

"Hullo, little Georgie."

Georgiana laughed and went straight to him, allowing him to take both her hands before her eyes settled on the elegant young woman standing at his side. She smiled shyly at Jane, who returned the gesture with a smile of her own.

Darcy stepped forwards. "Georgiana, may I present Mrs Bingley."

Georgiana's mouth fell open. "Mrs Bingley?"

Bingley smiled so broadly that Darcy thought his face may split in two. He grabbed his wife’s hand and kissed it noisily. "Am I not the luckiest man who ever drew breath?"

Before Georgiana could recover from that, Elizabeth came to stand beside Jane and slipped an arm through hers. "And she is my sister." That produced an even greater reaction. Georgiana looked from Jane to Elizabeth and back again, then clapped her hands together. "Your sister? Oh, this is wonderful. You are both sisters and now we are all..." She stopped, overwhelmed by the number of new connections she was attempting to calculate. "Well, nearly everything."

Jane laughed. "I think family will do."

"Yes, family." Georgiana beamed at her. "How lovely. And you have only just married? You must tell me everything. Was it terribly romantic?"

Bingley agreed. "It was extremely romantic," he said enthusiastically. "I think we might have given Romeo and Juliet a run for their money.