Page 45 of The Sole Love

Mrs Gardiner just shrugged. “Is it very far from here?”

“Our house? No—usually Mama let us run from here, but my brother probably wants to walk. We can continue on and wait for them in front of the house.”

Elizabeth and Darcy never saw the carriage leave, so intent were they on admiring the view. It was more than Elizabeth had ever imagined. The delightful prospect displayed the edifice in all its splendour, surrounded by woods and meadows. The lake she perceived in the distance made her heart race as she imagined playing with their barefoot children near the water’s edge.

The thought of children startled her. Yet the image was so fixed in her mind that she could not dismiss it. Instinctively, she put her hand over her midriff as though understanding for the first time in her life that a man—the man beside her—would give her children.

One by one, the other carriages passed without stopping. Staying behind, he put his arms around her and murmured in the most tender voice, “Do you, Elizabeth Bennet, want to be the mistress of Pemberley?”

But instead of the special moment for which he had hoped, the she-devil he madly loved turned in his arms and burst into laughter.

“No, absolutely not!”

He looked at her in disbelief; she had just refused his proposal again! At least, this time, she was laughing as he tightly imprisoned her in his arms and his lips met hers in a fierce kiss. Provoked by her answer, he triumphantly opened her lips, making her grasp him tightly.

She wanted the closeness as much as he did, but his kiss was strange, and she moaned, struggling at first. He seemed to take possession of her body, seizing her and obliging her to accept him, but then pleasure overwhelmed her, and she let him teach her the way of a lover’s kiss. He let her regain her breath briefly before his lips were on hers again, only this time Elizabeth, though still tentative, did not oppose his mouth exploring hers.

“You shrew…” he murmured at her ear, making her shiver. “You refused me again.”

Elizabeth freed herself from his arms, laughing again. “Of course—first, you struggled in vain and asked me to be your wife when your feelings would not be repressed, and now you want me to be your housekeeper? Mr Darcy, you are definitely unschooled in proposing marriage. And now we do not even have a carriage to take us home.”

The last word on her lips was all he wanted to hear. He smiled and said, “Home, Miss Elizabeth?”

She bit her lip, betraying her true feelings. She longed to be Pemberley’s mistress and the wife of the only man whose lips had ever touched hers in that way.

He gently touched her mouth. “Those lips may only be bitten…or their depths explored…by me.”

She blushed as he slipped his hands beneath her pelisse and caressed her body over the thin silk of her gown while their luxurious kiss brought them to the verge of folly.

“Come,” he said, “let us walk home.”

“Walk…?” Elizabeth sighed as, at that instant, she wanted to be on the steps of Pemberley House.

“What? I thought you were accustomed to crossing fields. Are you afraid you might soil your petticoat with mud?” he asked teasingly.

“You…dreadful man!” she cried, walking away from him, but when his long strides caught up with her, there was only love on her face.

She took his arm as he tenderly asked, “Do you think we shall fight all our lives?”

“Undoubtedly!” she replied, waving to the people who awaited them in front of the manor.

Georgiana fulfilled the role of hostess with pride. She let her guests admire the house and the park while they tried not to look too closely at Elizabeth and Darcy as they approached.

With every step they took, Elizabeth felt more confused. She was excited and enchanted by the house but a little frightened by its dimensions and luxury. She had wondered some days ago whether they would all be comfortably accommodated, but it was evident that Pemberley could hold five times the number of guests in her family.

From that blissful reception, only one thing was missing, and her heart stopped in pain. Where was Mr Bingley?

Every time she had imagined their arrival at Pemberley, Mr Bingley had always been there waiting for them.

“Where is Mr Bingley…?” she whispered, trying not to be heard by the others.

“He has not come,” Darcy said, and Elizabeth froze.

“What are you saying?”

“But he will,” Darcy added in haste. “He will be here in the next few days, I am sure.”

But he was not there yet, and that fact distressed all who knew the secret. As they spoke, Mr Bennet approached and discreetly took Elizabeth’s arm, moving away from the group.