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“And a few nameless ladies.”
“Those were not relationships.”
“No? What would you call them then?”
“Relief,” sighed Darcy.
“Are all young men so cavalier and casual?”
“I am grateful to Almeria for sparing me the indignity of frequenting such places. You would be hard-pressed to find any man of money less encumbered than myself.”
“Perhaps a few clergyman?” suggested Lizzy. “But no, that has made me think of my cousin, which will not do. Do you suppose he....?”
“Be quiet,” whispered Darcy, silencing her with his lips.
Lizzy allowed herself to be pushed back into the pillows, enjoying the feeling of Darcy’s weight upon her. She slid her hand under the collar of his dressing gown to caress his bull neck. Closing her eyes, Elizabeth felt herself succumbing to something she had never experienced before. It was difficult to describe and as Darcy kissed her, she felt almost too lazy to attempt it. In the dimness of the room, it seemed as though she was falling backwards very slowly. Something like that, she decided, before giving into a feeling of euphoria that began to bubble up inside her.
“Turn over,” he urged, “so I can undo your stays. Are they laced?”
“Yes,” she managed, guiding his hand to the bow at the bottom.
After untying the knots and plucking at the laces, Darcy managed to loose the stays sufficiently for Lizzy to wriggle out of them and toss them aside.
“Oh!” he gasped, clutching at her breast through the thin material of her chemise. The feeling of her unconfined flesh was exquisite. “Know that you, Elizabeth Bennet, are the only one I have ever loved, to the point of madness. I have thought about touching you like this so frequently and intensely that I could not think of anything else. I really do not know how verbally sparring with someone could lead to something so pervasive. Just one dance, one brief period holding you in my arms was all it took.”
Rolling onto his back, Darcy pulled her on top of him and let out a contented sigh. “The further I got away from you, the more intensely I wanted you—inversely proportional. I felt so lonely waiting for your return tonight.”
“I would have stayed with you if you had asked.”
“No, I do not want you to give up your life for me. You are young and there is so much for you to see and experience. I want you to enjoy what is left of the season and the next one with Georgie.”
“Now you are talking like an old man.”
“I feel like an old man. But having been given my life back, I have no intention of wasting it. You have brought me back from the brink, Elizabeth. I see it now. I do not know how long I would have lasted if you had not given me new hope.”
“And my uncle’s machine... Do you think it is working?”
“I am sure it is. I pushed the chair around the room today, only lightly resting my fingertips on it for balance—a big improvement from my first attempts. Dr Gordon thinks I might even try it without the braces soon. He asked me to try walking up and down the library steps as a different exercise. He also suggested building a plunge pool in the coal cellar, similar to something built by Sir John Soane. Mr Trevor is going to inspect the space tomorrow, to see if it is feasible.”
“I will help! There is nothing I like more than a new project! That is why I had to leave Longbourn. Once I held the reins totally in my hands, I finally understood my father’s despair and frustration. The estate is too small. The income is only sufficient to maintain it, not improve it. I do not envy Charlotte.”
“Soon you will see Pemberley. I long to be there again but I will not cut Georgie’s first season short to do so. It is important that she have her chances too.”
“You are a good brother.”
“Well, if I am to be a good husband I think there are still some pins in your hair and some jewellery that I need to remove to make you more comfortable.”
Chapter 49: Knights and dragons
Lizzy woke the next day to a feeling of calm and contentment that she realised she had not experienced for some time—not since her father had died. It was a quiet feeling of inner joy that all was right with the world, a feeling that the fresh air of Hertfordshire had blessed her with every morning until that fateful day of her father’s passing. Conscious of having regained something lost, something she had never expected to find again, Lizzy stretched like a cat. That was when she became aware of the hot protrusion in her back—the curling iron and the blood pudding. Turning over, she saw that Darcy was still asleep with an enigmatic smile on his lips. Thinking she might wake him if she kissed him, Lizzy returned to her original position and, snuggling back towards the warmth of his chest, dozed off once more.
When she woke again sometime later, Fitzwilliam was stroking her hip. Feeling her waking movements, Darcy began to nuzzle and kiss her nape, pulling down the neckline of her chemise to trail light kisses onto her bare shoulder.
“Are you looking forward to Richard and Brunhilda’s wedding today?” he murmured. “You must give me your report on the ceremony. I will come over briefly to the reception.”
“Fitzwilliam,” said Lizzy, turning round in his arms, “I do not think I should go to the wedding. I know Georgie was hoping for my company, but she will have Jane.”
“Do not stay behind on my account. I would not spoil your pleasure.”
