Page 111 of Midnight at Pemberley

“And what if the child is a boy?”

She came to stand before him. “We teach him how to meet what Fate gives him in the same manner we would teach him how to meet blindness or some other deformity. In every generation the tendency for vampirism would become weaker, for the human part would be more dominant.”

Darcy moved a loose curl behind her ear. “And what if I infect you?”

“I am not certain I would mind. It is quite daunting to consider how I will grow older, and you will essentially stay the same. Every one of those we fought fundamentally never aged a day from the time he was infected. Did you never consider that fact?”

“Truthfully, I did not.” Darcy’s interest piqued.

“Did your parents not age?” she asked.

“It goes without saying, we look upon our parents through a child’s eyes. They remain the same until one day we look upon them, and the lines of aging are prevalent.”

“Perhaps aging occurs, but at a slower pace,” Elizabeth reasoned.

“Obviously, I aged,” he thought aloud.

“Because you never used your abilities previously,” she asserted. “What of now? Now that you have tapped into your powers? Am I to watch you remain a virile man when I am turning grey?”

She asked questions to which Darcy held no answers. “This is all new to me. I possess no idea what the curse means to my private life. Now I regret refusing to speak to my father about his struggles. I do not even know if he possessed some power beyond the strength of a vampire. Although I respected him as the Master of Pemberley, we both pretended I did not resent the infamy he practiced on my mother.”

“But she loved him, William. Think upon it. Lady Anne bore him a second child in our sweet Georgiana.”

Again, Darcy knew surprise. He spoke in revelation. “I knew of my parents’ affection prior to their marriage. Many on both sides of the family speak of it. But as I learned more of intimacies as a young man, I imagined how my father had seduced the innocent Lady Anne. In truth, I felt repugnance for the man who could not place his desires aside. Do you believe it is possible that my mother encouraged him?”

“I know nothing of the man other than his reputation as a kind and generous master, but I do know the man his son became, and I cannot imagine your father taught you the qualities of empathy, responsibility, benevolence, tenderness, and caring without possessing them himself. The earl and Edward speak of your mother’s great capacity to love and her streak of independence.”

Her husband was not quite ready to abandon his former thinking. Therefore, he argued, “With such logic, am I to believe you will claim your mother’s renowned ‘nerves’?”

“You are to believe my mother’s hysterics are those of a woman doing all she can to ensure her five daughters are well situated because society denies them what should be theirs. Will I move heaven and earth to protect my children? I warrant it, Mr. Darcy. Lady Anne could have left your father, and under the circumstances, the former Mr. Darcy would have permitted her abandonment, but she chose to keep his secret and nurture the relationship. Can I envision a woman giving her body and soul to the man she loves? The answer is a resounding yes.”

Darcy’s gaze studied her. “Then you want this?” His voice told of shame and desire and hope.

“Yes, William. With all my heart, I want whatever Fate brings us. I cannot imagine anything worse than what we have already faced.” Her chin rose in defiance. “I never agreed to be a part of your life because I desired your position in society or your wealth. I would love Fitzwilliam Darcy even if he were a simple cottager.”

A curious spasm of guilt flexed his jaw line, and Elizabeth watched silently as he clenched and unclenched his right fist. “What if I do not agree? What then? Will you leave me? You must know, I am not of the nature to be coerced.”

“Neither am I, William,” she warned, “so please make no ultimatums we will both later regret.”

“Then tell me what are my options, Elizabeth. How is being married to one of the richest men in England a deterrent? Obviously, Pemberley is superior to your situation at Longbourn. Why is that not enough?”

“Do … do not,” she stammered, “do not twist this into a fight over position and social standing. I love you,” she asserted. “I chose you over my family. Does that particular fact not prove my depth of affection? Yet it is not a competition to see who loves whom more. It is not a matter of sacrificing ourselves for our union.”

Again, a long silence wafted over them. “I will abandon my powers and not practice them ever again.”

“And how will that change things between us?” she demanded.

“If I do not use my powers, then age differences are not an issue.” He appeared satisfied with his reasoning.

Elizabeth’s frustration exploded. She snatched up her reticule from the bed. “You may be only one of the many rich men in England, William, but you wear the crown as the most infuriating and stubborn one!” She stormed from the room.

Thirty minutes later, Darcy discovered her having tea in one of the corners of the hotel’s sitting room. As the hours for supper service were well under way, Darcy was uncertain how to approach her. “Elizabeth,” he said as he came up behind her, “may I escort you to the dining room?”

She stood and accepted his proffered arm. “Thank you, William.”

The difference between the woman who offered him strong condemnations less than an hour earlier and the amiable woman seated beside him now kept Darcy on edge. He expected, at any moment, Elizabeth would return to the subject of their argument, but he erred. Instead, they talked of books they had read and changes for Pemberley. It reminded Darcy of the late-night stolen hours at Netherfield.

“Thank you, Elizabeth,” he leaned close to whisper.