Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation (28 page)

“Yes.” The thought of Elizabeth made him
smile.

“Very well, then. I hope you will bring
her to meet us.”

Darcy gave a slow, disbelieving shake of
his head. “That is all? No storms? No threats of disowning me or annulment?”

The earl leaned back in his chair and
folded his hands behind his head. “Darcy, I would have accepted almost any
woman you wished to marry. I had given up hope you would ever find one you
could trust enough to give your name. Mind you, I understand you have reasons
for distrust, but it will not serve to put up a wall against all womankind
simply because your father chose a bad one. So if you are married, I am
pleased.”

“But you wanted me to marry Anne!”

His uncle sighed. “I thought it was my
best chance of getting you married, as you were more likely to accept arguments
about saving Anne than about the need for an heir. Well, all is well that ends
well. You do like your new wife well enough to produce an heir, I hope?”

Darcy smiled. “That will not be a problem.
She is unlike any other woman I have ever met, but she is perfect for me.”

“Well, then, shall we drink to the new
Mrs. Darcy?”

They clinked glasses. But one thing remained
unresolved. If his uncle was not angry about his marriage, he would not disown
Richard, who would be trapped in the army by his duty. “There is one other
matter.”

The earl narrowed his eyes. “What now?”

“It is about Richard. The army is destroying him.”

“So I have gathered. But why does he say nothing?”

Darcy gave him an incredulous look. “Because you
wanted him to join the army, and he wants to do his duty towards you –
even if it kills him.”

Lord Matlock shook his head in disbelief. “Do children
ever grow up? Tell him to speak to me about it.”

He had never seen his uncle accept opposition so
calmly. Perhaps Anne was not the only relative he did not truly know.

***

Darcy was so impatient to reach Elizabeth that he
practically leapt from the carriage when it reached Darcy House. Who could have
known that consummating their marriage would make it even more painful to be separated
from her, even for part of a day? It was too bad he would have to share her
with Georgiana for a few hours until bedtime, but at least he could be in her
presence.

He strode inside and stripped off his gloves. Handing
his hat to the butler, he said, “Where is Mrs. Darcy?” Why waste time hunting
for her?

“In the drawing room, sir.”

But even as he said it, Elizabeth emerged
from the drawing room to meet him. It was not at
all
proper, and he
could not be happier about it. Willing the servants to disappear, he caught her
around the waist and twirled her in the air, then set her down and kissed her.
Slowly. Passionately. And hoping Georgiana would not come into the entryway.

Breathless, Elizabeth broke away long enough to say,
“The servants…”

“The servants had damned well better accustom
themselves to it!” And he kissed her again. If only he could take her straight
upstairs! But no, they would have to be proper, then sit through a long dinner
with Georgiana and listen to her perform on the pianoforte before he could have
Elizabeth to himself. These kisses would have to tide him over until then. God,
but it was good to have her in his arms!

Reluctantly he released her, but could not resist
caressing her cheek. “I am sorry to have left you here for so long. I hope
there have been no difficulties.”

Elizabeth’s dimples made an appearance. “No
difficulties at all, though it was a trifle odd to suddenly become mistress of
a house I did not know! I had not been here an hour before the housekeeper came
to consult with me about dinner. I was going to tell her to do whatever she
would usually do, but Mrs. Dawley came to my rescue and asked me if I would
like her to take care of it for me. I was quite happy to allow her to do so,
though I did not predict what she would do.”

Foreboding filled him. “What happened?”

“Nothing like that!” She took his hand and led him
into the drawing room where Mrs. Dawley and Georgiana rose at his approach.
“She told the housekeeper we had not had a proper wedding night yet, so they
put their heads together and made a plan.”

Mrs. Dawley chuckled. “The two of you will be dining
alone in your rooms tonight. Georgiana will be accompanying me to dinner at my
hotel so you will have some privacy. We were just about to leave, were we not,
my dear?”

Georgiana nodded, blushing. “You do not mind, do you?”

Did he mind being alone with Elizabeth? “Not at all.”

His sister wrung her hands together. “Mrs… my mother
would like me to pay her a visit in Devon so I can meet her sons.” She took a
deep breath. “My younger brothers.”

An unexpected pang struck deep in Darcy’s chest. For
all these years, he had been Georgiana’s only immediate family, and now he
would have to share her with her mother and two new brothers. Would he lose her
to them?

Georgiana must have seen something in his face, for
she said hurriedly, “There is no need to decide now. Perhaps we can discuss it
another time.”

He felt Elizabeth’s hand in his, reminding him he
would not be alone without his sister. His family had expanded to include Elizabeth,
and it did not mean he loved Georgiana any less. “If you would like to go to
Devon, I cannot see why you should not. I was merely taken aback by the idea of
you having
other
brothers!”

She giggled. “I cannot quite believe it either!”

To his surprise, Mrs. Dawley put her hand to his cheek
for a moment. “I thank you from the depth of my heart, my dear boy. I cannot
tell you what it would mean to me. Perhaps some day you would like to meet them
also.”

“Of course I would like to meet Georgiana’s other
brothers,” he said, somewhat surprised to realize it was true.

A radiant smile lit up Mrs. Dawley’s face. “Nothing
could make me happier! But I imagine nothing could make
you
happier than
to be alone with your lovely bride, so we will take our leave of you now.”

Elizabeth curtsied. “I hope you have a pleasant
evening, and I look forward to seeing you again.”

Darcy watched with amusement as Mrs. Dawley
efficiently bundled Georgiana out of the house.

Elizabeth said archly, “I hope you do not disapprove
of her plans for us.”

A slow smile grew on his lips. “Disapprove of being
alone with you? Far from it! In fact, I believe we should go to our rooms
immediately lest we miss our dinner.”

She laughed as he led her up the stairs to their
rooms, then gasped when he opened the door to his private sitting room –
now
their
private sitting room. There were flowers everywhere, spring
flowers and exotic hot house specimens, and even several bunches of roses.
Their fragrance was everywhere, like spring in a garden. In the room beyond,
even the four-poster bed was sprinkled with rose petals.

Elizabeth touched one of the velvety roses. “How could
she possibly have arranged for this so quickly? I thought the room was
beautiful before, but now it is beyond even that!”

“At the moment, I could find it in my heart to forgive
my stepmother a great deal.” He put his arms around Elizabeth from behind and
caressed the side of her neck with his lips. “You are beyond beautiful.”

A maid appeared in the doorway. “Mrs. Darcy,” she said
respectfully, “Is there anything that you will be requiring?”

“Perhaps some tea would be welcome.”

“No, Mrs. Darcy has no need of anything at the
moment,” said Darcy authoritatively, never removing his eyes from Elizabeth.
She could almost see the banked embers of desire beginning to flare to life in
him.

The maid glanced back and forth between the two, then
said, “Yes, sir,” and withdrew with a curtsey.

He closed the door behind her. In response to her
raised eyebrow, he said, “I wanted to be alone with you.”

Elizabeth coloured, her body involuntarily responding
the look in his eyes. “What will she think?”

Putting his hand to her cheek, he kissed her
lingeringly. “She will undoubtedly think I am behaving like a newlywed man with
a beautiful wife.” He traced his finger lightly along her collarbone, then
moved behind her and began to remove her hairpins, alternating his efforts with
light kisses to her neck which rapidly undermined her desire to maintain
propriety.

“But it is still afternoon!” she exclaimed as her hair
fell loose about her shoulders, his tantalizing kisses sending seductive
currents of excitement through her.

He ran his hands down her sides possessively, making
her ache for more of his touch. “Observant as always, my love,” he murmured.
“Now, if you would be so kind as to stand still for a moment....” He turned his
attention to the closures of her gown, and, sliding his fingers inside, began
to undo them one by one as his lips explored the exposed skin of her shoulders.
When he reached the last one, he pushed the gown down her arms until it fell to
the floor.

As his hands began to discover the curves of her waist
through her chemise, Elizabeth gave up any remaining pretext of resistance. She
leaned back against him with a moan, allowing him the freedom to caress her
through the thin fabric. His satisfied smile as she shivered at the touch was
just the beginning.

The manservant who opened the door at the
Gardiners’ house looked surprised to see Elizabeth, as well he might, since normally
she would walk in without knocking. But it seemed unfair to spring Mr. Darcy
upon them unawares.

“Miss Elizabeth, your sister is in the
sitting room.”

“Thank you.” Elizabeth took a deep breath,
then marched forward.

Jane’s face drained of color when she saw
Elizabeth. She hurried forward and took both of her sister’s hands. “Oh, Lizzy,
pray tell me it is not our father! Who is it?”

Elizabeth stared at her in confusion. Of
course it was not their father with her!

Fortunately Darcy’s wits were working more
clearly than her own. “Miss Bennet, your family is in good health. Elizabeth is
wearing mourning for my aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.” He touched his own
black crepe armband.

Jane’s head swiveled from one to the
other. “Mr. Darcy! Pray forgive me for failing to notice you. It was merely the
shock.”

“Perfectly understandable, Miss Bennet.”

“But Lizzy, why are
you
in mourning
for
Mr. Darcy’s
aunt?” Then her eyes widened as she examined Elizabeth’s
left hand and touched the ring on her finger. “Are you…are you..?”

“Married?” Elizabeth wrapped her fingers
around Jane’s hand. “Two days ago, in a very quiet ceremony in Folkestone.”

As Jane opened her mouth, Darcy
forestalled the next rush of questions. “It happened quite precipitously owing
to our circumstances. Might I inquire if Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner are available?
It might be simpler to tell the tale once.”

“It is quite a long and circuitous story,”
added Elizabeth.

Darcy took Elizabeth’s free hand and
raised it to his lips. “The outcome is most satisfactory.”

As heat rose in Elizabeth’s cheeks, Jane
said hurriedly, “Allow me but a moment to find my aunt and uncle. I will return
shortly.” She practically fled from the room.

“I do believe you frightened her away,”
said Elizabeth with a laugh.

“Good. It has been hours since I have
kissed you.” He took immediate action to remedy that situation.

A cough from outside the door made them
spring apart, but Darcy somehow managed to retain hold of Elizabeth’s hand. She
smiled at him, amused by his continuing need to remain in contact with her.

Mr. Gardiner was looking hard at Darcy.
“Why, this is certainly a surprise. Mr. Darcy, may I present my wife? Jane
tells me you have something to tell us.”

Darcy bowed to Mrs. Gardiner. “I do
indeed; or perhaps I should say
Mrs. Darcy
and I have an announcement to
make.”

***

“That is quite a saga,” said Mr. Gardiner
after hearing the entire story. “Mr. Darcy, I must once again apologize
profusely for the part I played in keeping you apart.”

“There is no need for an apology when you
were acting in what you thought was Elizabeth’s best interests. I am the
guardian of a much younger sister, and I likely would have made a similar
decision, knowing only what you did.”

Elizabeth said, “I hope Mr. Hartshorne
will not be too disappointed.”

“He will recover; although he might have
preferred a different outcome for himself, he always felt it was unfair to you.
I know he will be pleased for your sake. And I did promote him to a position of
more responsibility, so he has gained something.”

“Pray tell him I will never forget his
generosity in offering me a safe haven.”

Darcy had heard quite enough about this
saintly Mr. Hartshorne who had dared to look at
his
Elizabeth.

Mrs. Gardiner asked, “Lizzy, have your
parents been told of your marriage?”

Elizabeth glanced at Darcy. “Not yet. We
wish to give them the news in person.”

“In a few days,” said Darcy firmly. “After
all that has happened, I have an urge to stay in the same place for several
days running.”

***

Three days later, Darcy grasped Elizabeth’s
hand as the carriage turned into the lane to Longbourn House. “Courage, my
love.”

“I know it will not be so difficult, but
part of me still dislikes disappointing my father. I hope we can persuade him
to reconsider his opinion of you.”

“He may not do so today, but perhaps as he
sees us together over time, his views may shift.

“I hope so.” She smoothed her skirt with
her free hand. After Jane’s reaction to her mourning garb, she had elected to
wear her lavender dress to Longbourn. Of course, the full mourning had been
necessary to impress the Earl of Matlock with her propriety and respect for his
family, but no one at Longbourn was likely to care about Lady Catherine’s
death.

Darcy kissed her lightly as they drew to a
halt at the front steps.

The maid seemed startled to see her. “Miss
Lizzy, I had not heard you were returning!”

“It is a surprise. Is my father in the
library?”

“Yes, miss.”

Elizabeth squared her shoulders before
knocking on the library door. Opening it in response to her father’s call, she
was enveloped by the familiar dry scent of old books. In the past, she had
always associated it with safety.

Mr. Bennet was seated in his favorite
large leather chair by the window. Setting his book aside, he removed his
spectacles. “Lizzy, this is a surprise. Or perhaps I should say it is
two
surprises.”

Darcy placed his hand on the back of
Elizabeth’s waist. “There is a third surprise as well. Your daughter and I are
married.”

The older man, halfway to a standing
position, froze with his hands still on the armrests, then straightened slowly,
like a man two decades older. “That was quick work.”

“Circumstances necessitated haste, as you
must be aware.”

Mr. Bennet’s lips tightened into a thin
line as he turned to his daughter. “Nothing to say for yourself, Lizzy, or does
he already speak for you?”

Having breathed a little easier after
Darcy’s announcement relieved her of the necessity of confronting her father
with the news, Elizabeth’s resentment now took hold of her. “I would like to
know why you lied to me. You never saw him in London, you never gave him my
letter, and you did not tell me when he came to see you.”

Slowly he pulled out a handkerchief and
began to polish the lenses of his spectacles. “I do not deny opposing the
match, and doing what I could to prevent it. But what is done is done, and all
I can do is to hope my concerns proved unfounded.”

Elizabeth licked her dry lips. “Precisely
what were those concerns?”

“What is the point? You are already aware
of my sentiments on unequal marriages and the resentment of a man forced into a
leg-shackle. I wanted you to have a husband who respected you, not one who was
marrying you because he had no other choice. You will forever owe him a debt
for rescuing your reputation, and he will never allow you to forget it.”

Darcy stiffened. “Sir, you mistake the
matter. If there is any sort of debt, it is mine. Elizabeth saved my life, and
if our wedding restored her reputation, it also served my own purposes. If
Elizabeth has difficulties owing to her change in station, it is
my
responsibility to ease them, to instruct her in anything she needs to know and
to protect her from situations which could prove embarrassing until she has had
the opportunity to learn what she needs. With her cleverness and wit, I have no
doubt she will soon be as comfortable in those situations as anyone born to
them.”

Elizabeth stared at Darcy. His unusual
fluency on the subject told her he had thought this through in advance, and his
sharp tone showed his anger. Could he be correct, that her mother’s
embarrassing behavior might have been different, had her father spent more
effort in helping her adapt to her new circumstances? But the answer to that
was already before her; it would have taken effort on his part, and her father
disliked putting forth any effort which could possibly be avoided. Instead, he
had found amusement in watching his wife’s struggles.

“That is very easy to say, young man. I
hope you find it as easy to do it.”

“I have no doubts about
your daughter’s
abilities.”

Sensing her husband’s increasing
agitation, Elizabeth broke in before he could say anything further. “Father, we
came here to share our news with you. I hope over time you will be able to see
Mr. Darcy for the man I know him to be. In the meantime, we must be back in
London tonight, and it is up to you whether I should break the news to my
mother or whether you would prefer to do so yourself.” She almost hoped he
would choose the latter, as it would protect Mr. Darcy from what might prove to
be embarrassing raptures.

Mr. Bennet’s lips twisted into something
which might have been a smile. “I will never hear the end of it should your
mother be deprived of the opportunity to learn all those details she will glory
in relating to her friends. Only spare me from any discussion of lace and
fripperies!”

It was as close to an apology as she could
hope to get. “Very well, though I can assure you lace was the least of my
concerns at our wedding. I wore a borrowed dress.”

“In that case, I wish I might have been
there! But you would be wise to imagine at least a small amount of lace, lest
your mother insist you go through it all again in a proper manner.”

“Heaven forfend!” said Darcy. “Once was
quite enough.”

***

Elizabeth placed her hand on Darcy’s arm.
“Is there time for a short visit to the barn?”

The barn? Darcy’s mind immediately jumped
to piles of hay, but that could not be what she had in mind, not with her
parents standing right behind them. “Of course.”

Mrs. Bennet said, “Oh, Lizzy, you cannot
take Mr. Darcy to the barn!”

“I assure you, Mrs. Bennet, I have seen
the inside of a barn before,” Darcy said sternly.

The older woman waved her handkerchief.
“Well, if you must…”

“I must,” said Elizabeth firmly. She led
him past the house, through the gardens, to a small outbuilding.

“What is inside?” he asked.

“It is a surprise.” She opened the door
and peered inside, then went in.

Darcy trailed behind her, his eyes slowly
adjusting to the dim light. The grassy scent of hay was everywhere.  He
followed her into a back corner.

She looked from side to side. “Snowball?
Are you here? I hope she is not out catching mice; I would be sorry to miss
her.”

Something tugged on Darcy’s trouser leg.
He looked down to see the familiar fluffy white cat. Crouching down beside her,
he stroked her fur as she rubbed against him, purring loudly. “Hello,
Snowball.”

“See, Snowball, I brought you your
favorite person in the entire world!” said Elizabeth.

Snowball deigned to allow Elizabeth to pet
her, then returned to courting Darcy. He said, “She has filled out quite a
bit.”

Elizabeth laughed. “I used to bring her
food, and then I would sit with her and think of you. She heard quite a few of
my thoughts for a time! I missed her when I went to London.” Her voice was
wistful.

He had forgotten how appealing the little
creature was. “Would you like to bring her with us?”

“Oh, may I?”

“Of course you may. You are Mrs. Darcy
now, and can do as you wish – as long as you continue to love me.”

“Then I am in no danger!” Their lips met
and clung.

At least they would be alone together
after they left Longbourn! He was tired of sharing Elizabeth with other people.

A short time later, Snowball was ensconced
in the carriage with them. Elizabeth had brought Snowball’s favorite basket,
but the cat seemed to prefer Darcy’s lap, clearly unwilling to let go of him
now she had found him again.

Elizabeth nested against Darcy’s side in
the carriage. “You were very brave in facing my mother’s excesses.”

“For you I would do far more.”

“At least she is so in awe of you as to
provide some restraint!”

“And your father appeared more cheerful by
the end. I hope it was not too distressing for you.”

“Not distressing enough to make me
reconsider my decision! I know he was trying to protect me in his own way, but
I wish he had allowed me to make my own choice, or at least told me the truth.
But he is still my father, and I will try to forgive him. I hope someday you
will be able to do so as well.”

“I will forgive him for your sake, my
love, but only because his schemes failed to prevent our marriage in the end.”

“I refuse to even consider that
possibility. Instead, I intend to think only of the past as it brings me
pleasure.”

He responded in the only possible way, but
their kiss was interrupted when the carriage came to a halt.

“Why are we stopping?” she asked.