Chapter Twenty-Three
Elizabeth awakened to find herself spooned against William, one large hand cupping her breast while he nuzzled her neck. Soon the nuzzling turned to soft kisses and the evidence of his growing arousal made itself known against her buttocks.
“Are you finally awake, sweetheart?” he whispered between kisses.
“Mm hmmm,” she answered with a languorous stretch and flipped over to face him.
He surprised her by kissing her fully on the mouth. Without warning, shouts were heard in the hallway and the bedchamber door was flung open by none other than the colonel. William sat up and grabbed the counterpane, tossing it over Elizabeth to hide her nakedness.
“Darcy! Elizabeth is gone!” Richard cried out, advancing further in the room, clearly not seeing her, huddled beneath the cover.
“Calm yourself, Richard,” William began.
“Calm! Your wife is not in her bedchamber! We must mount a search, immediately!”
“My wife is not lost, she is here. With me.”
Elizabeth sat up, partially lowered the cover, and smiled at her cousin.
“Good morning, Colonel,” she said as Richard stood open-mouthed.
“Ye, gods. I think I aged at least ten years.” He quickly strode to the door, calling out into the hall.
“Stand down. I have found Mrs. Darcy.” He then came back into the room and stopped cold when William frowned and challenged his continuing presence.
She could see when Richard realized, truly, what had occurred.
“Oh… ahh… I have… I will see myself out.”
Sporting an adorable shade of red on his cheeks, he executed a smart military pivot and stepped out of the room, barking orders for everyone to carry on. Mr. and Mrs. Darcy would come down when they were ready.
She averted her eyes when William quit the bed to make sure the door was locked.
Although they had made love a few times before falling asleep, she was not used to seeing her husband’s bare form.
He stopped to pick up her nightgown and handed it to her before he entered the adjoining wardrobe.
He soon reappeared wearing a silk banyan and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Good morning,” he said and kissed her yet again. She could get used to this. “Can I help you get dressed?”
“I will never see the light of day if I agreed to let you near me again.”
“I see no problem with that scenario.”
“I do. I have a wedding to attend and must show up wearing a proper dress.”
“Elizabeth, you could show up in sackcloth and ashes and I would find you utterly desirable.”
She melted. She absolutely melted. Any morning frost that dared cling to the foundation of Longbourn would have melted away from the heat generated in his gaze.
Oh, how she wished they could stay in bed all day, but this was not Darcy House, it was Longbourn and they were not here for carnal pleasure but for Charlotte’s wedding.
“Turn around please, Mr. Darcy,” she said in a brisk voice.
“Are we back to Mr. Darcy again?”
If she didn’t know better, she was sure he was behaving like a child who had their favorite toy taken from them.
“We are until I am dressed.”
“Then,” he stood and her eyes widened when he let his robe fall to the floor, “I shall have to keep you undressed all day.”
He slid back into bed and proceeded gently – because she was a little tender – to show her how much he loved her. It was only when Danvers knocked and called through the closed door her bathwater was ready, that they both reluctantly removed themselves from the bed.
All too soon, she was waving goodbye with the rest of the guests as Charlotte and Mr. Collins left immediately from the steps of Meryton’s church.
Even though the bride and groom had to leave to make good time, Sir William and Lady Lucas invited everyone to return to Lucas Lodge for the wedding breakfast.
No one, other than Uncle Thomas, herself, Mr. Darcy, and Richard knew they had given Mr. Collins a pouch full of money and advised him to take a month-long wedding trip to the Lake District and cautioned him to stop by Darcy House before he returned to Kent.
They did not want him accidentally disclosing anything to their aunt about how well-protected Elizabeth was.
Mr. Collins, to his credit, kept his thanks to a minimum and said repeatedly he had such a high regard for his cousin Elizabeth, that he would do anything to protect her reputation as well as her physical being.
Her husband came alongside and stood near as friends and neighbors came to congratulate her on her marriage and give them both good wishes for a happy life.
“Thank you, Mrs. Goulding,” Darcy said, surprising Elizabeth with the fact he had remembered the lady’s name. “Elizabeth and I are very glad to be here for her good friend’s wedding.”
And later on, at Lucas Lodge, she heard him say to Sir William, “You are correct. I am a lucky man indeed to have captured the jewel of Hertfordshire, although I believe I have the better end of that deal. She must live with me.”
The hearty laugh of Sir William was heard by everyone and she continued to be amazed at how light and friendly her husband was.
If he had behaved in this manner when he first arrived in Meryton, she would have fallen in love with him back in October.
She stopped with a cup of tea halfway to her mouth.
She loved him.
Astonished by this personal epiphany, she dared glance in the direction of her husband and at that same moment he looked at her.
Their eyes locked and she wondered if her discovery was lit upon her face because a slight frown creased his forehead before it smoothed and his face was wreathed in a smile so wide, that both dimples appeared on his cheeks.
Mercy. How had she never realized how handsome he truly was? Afraid she would spill her tea; she placed her teacup and saucer on the table and pressed suddenly clammy hands against the sides of her dress.
“Elizabeth, are you well?”
She looked up to find that her husband had crossed the room and now stood by her side, his achingly handsome face showing concern.
“Yes, I am, thank you.”
“You went so pale; I worried you were thinking about our trip home tomorrow.”
“It has been much on my mind,” she said, thankful to grasp any line of conversation that would not entail her blurting out her discovery.
It was too new. Too raw for words. “I meant to ask earlier, but we had much on our mind,” – here she blushed because her husband gave her a provocative look – “how is it that your cousin was here so early in the morning? I thought he had gone to London.”
“Firstly, we did not rise early from our bed, as you well know, and secondly, Richard left London before dawn. He reasoned he should be here for the wedding in case Lady Catherine has someone in town who reports the coming and going of guests and such. It is known he came with us and if he suddenly disappeared, she would know the game was afoot.”
“I cannot think of who would write your aunt.”
“No? Do you not think Sir William, in all of his jovial goodness, would not send a note thanking her for giving his new son time off to marry and in the process tell her of their more illustrious guests? He would not do it out of spite, but out of happiness and a little bit of pride.”
“That is true. He would never knowingly hurt a soul.”
“Besides, Richard cannot bear to be parted from your cousin for longer than a day.”
“That is also true. His regard is returned ten-fold, I assure you.”
“I could not ask for Richard to find happiness with a more deserving woman.”
Impulsively, Elizabeth tilted up on her toes and kissed William’s cheek.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked, his tone bemused.
“For seeing the worth of my cousin and for not thinking yours could do better.”
“Your cousin is a saint among women and will need all of that goodness to deal with my reprobate of a cousin. You should be worrying about her.”
“Janey has a core of iron beneath that soft exterior. She will make an excellent officer’s wife.”
“Richard has hinted he will sell his commission. He has an estate, which he only saw fit to tell me of the same night he disclosed his courtship with your cousin.”
“Such happy news,” she sighed. “Jane will be pleased.”
“And you? Will you be pleased?”
He looped her arm through his and began to lead her to where her aunt and uncle stood talking to Lady Lucas.
“Very much so. I have a handsome husband and a cousin in love. What more could a girl ask?”
“You find me handsome?”
She was saved from having to answer his flirtatious question because they had reached her family.
“Ah, Lizzy. Mr. Darcy. So glad you joined us,” her uncle said in a jovial voice, although Elizabeth detected an undertone of tension threaded in his words.
“Sir William has been telling us Lady Catherine sent her regrets. She had planned on attending the wedding but was detained in town for business. She did send her best wishes and a lovely silver soup tureen for the bride and groom. It is tucked away in their luggage. I guess she forgot she could give it to them when they arrived home.”
“We are so very grateful for Lady Catherine’s thoughtfulness and the gift was much admired before we had to pack it away in Charlotte’s trunk,” Sir William said as he rocked on his heels. “Lady Catherine wrote it was only proper, as she was my new son’s patroness.”
“My aunt is well known for paying particular attention to all things proper.”
“Was that all Lady Catherine wrote? Did she say if she planned on staying in town long?” Elizabeth asked, keeping her voice calm and warm. “Mr. Darcy and I are traveling home soon and if she condescends to pay our humble abode a visit, I wish to be prepared.”
With a pistol, and at least three guards were left unsaid.