Chapter 3 Invigorating Interaction #5
He handed the folded paper to her, maintaining his hold and bending closer.
“Besides, if I really want to know your foot measurements,” he whispered, the reference to a tease from Kitty regarding Lizzy’s not-so-tiny feet that had embarrassed her profoundly, “I would simply ask your mother.” Briefly glancing down at the slippered toes she rapidly tucked behind the hem of her dress, he added, “I am sure Mrs. Bennet has a wealth of fascinating minutiae about her spirited child and would not hesitate to enlighten me. Luckily for you, my love, I prefer the adventure of self-discovery.” And with that, he winked.
She was so surprised at the atypical gesture that she missed responding to the soft kiss he delivered to the tip of her nose and nearly dropped Mrs. Reynolds’s letter when he let go of it.
“My,” she stammered, “you are quite the imp today.”
“Being diverted pleasantly from dull paperwork and columns of mathematics is a surefire way to improve my temper.”
“Here I thought you lived for paperwork and excelled at mathematics. Shocking.”
“I am brilliant at mathematics,” he declared pompously, “but that does not mean I enjoy them. Frankly, they give me a headache. At any rate, passing the time with you is far superior to anything else. That unquestionably clarified,”—he extended his hand—“I must reluctantly return you to my sister. Suffering her verbal irritation for stealing away her guest will also give me a headache.”
Lizzy took his hand, standing as she asked, “You will walk with us for a while? Or must you return to your ledger?”
“A stroll about the garden sounds utterly delightful, and it gives me an opportunity to remain in your company. I am far too selfish to give Georgiana all the joy, especially since I shan’t see you again until late tomorrow.”
He linked her arm with his and steered them toward the library door. “Thank you again, Elizabeth, for understanding why I cannot dine with you tonight.”
“Well, it is unfathomable that you have friends beyond me and those in Hertfordshire. Who would have thought?”
Darcy smiled at her tease. “Once we are married you will socialize with more of my friends and acquaintances than you will probably want to. Even then, anguishing through an evening with a couple dozen men smoking smelly cigars and talking of nothing but horses will never intrude upon your pleasanter agenda.”
“Thank the Maker! I would either fall asleep from boredom or faint from the fumes. No, you have your fun at the Jockey Club, William. Besides, in light of my big reveal to Lord and Lady Matlock, a night of rest and quiet may prove beneficial. I am joking!” she laughed when he lifted his brows.
“A lady needs her beauty sleep, to be sure. Nevertheless, whether I sleep deeply or fitfully, I promise to be presentable by tomorrow evening. If it takes me all day to erase the horrid sight of droopy eyes, tangled hair, and pillow creases on my face, it shall be done.”
Darcy had paused by the door and was staring at her with an odd expression as he slowly shook his head.
“Horrid? I must disagree. The vision of you upon waking in the morning is one I constantly dream of and long to see with my own eyes, pillow creases included. I can think of nothing more beautiful.”
So enraptured was she by his face that the intimacy of his declaration did not even raise a blush to her cheeks.
Later, she would marvel at how rapidly his countenance could shift into smoky desire, and how the obscurest reference to an insignificant thing could arouse his ardency.
Not for several weeks into their marriage would she fully comprehend the depth of his hunger for her, and that she would fully reciprocate.
For the present, she ceased to think, giving in to the thrill of his burning gaze sweeping across her face and lush lips slowly parting as he bent his head toward her.
With one hand, he warmly caressed the right side of her face, tenderly drawing her closer, while his right hand slid over her hip until it rested on the small of her back.
Then, as the gap narrowed till their lips were inches apart, both of his hands tightened and he pulled her forcefully against his body. She barely managed a swift inhale before the blissful invasion of lips and tongue consumed her.
God, what is happening to me?
The thought screamed through her mind, yet not as a plea for help but rather as an exalting declaration.
Indeed, there was no fear or confusion in her reaction to William’s touch.
Quite the opposite. She felt vibrantly alive—as if every moment of her life, prior to the day her betrothed kissed her for the first time had been drab and blurry.
Now her vision was crisp, the colors vivid. In truth, all of her senses enhanced.
More remarkable than sensations being in sharper focus than ever before was the recognition of a purpose to her existence. A vital importance infused her being, an explicit reason to rise in the morning and anticipate the weeks, months, and years ahead with a previously unimaginable joy.
Joy.
Such a small word to encapsulate such a profound message.
And, as astounding as it seemed, the embodiment of her joy was the man in her arms. A man she had once believed was the last man in the world she would ever marry.
Those harshly spoken words were now incomprehensible to her, and if not for delirious distraction of his ongoing kiss and the resulting rapture infusing her head to toes, she would have laughed aloud.
Time completely lost all meaning. Fused together from lips down, she never wanted this embrace to end.
Later that evening, when alone in her bedchamber reliving the experience, Lizzy admitted that if William had returned to the sofa and taken their wild passion to the ultimate conclusion, she would not have fought him.
In fact, every fiber of her soul longed for him to make love to her right then, consequences and rules be damned.
Even if not rationally understood in the heat of the moment, her desire was so intense that she moaned in despair when he loosened his grip and withdrew from her lips.
Resting his forehead on hers, he said nothing and kept his eyes closed for a very long time.
Finally, although still breathing in harsh gasps, he spoke.
“I hope you do not want an apology Elizabeth because I cannot in honesty give one. I…” He paused to gulp, only then opening his eyes.
“I want you…immensely. As we established previously, if I am to retain my sanity between now and our wedding night, these interludes are essential.”
The seriousness of his claim was without argument, yet there was a trace of humor to his tone that brought a soft smile to her lips. “I shall risk being branded as a wanton woman and assure you, my love, that I echo your sentiments with equal fervor.”
It was an admission delivered honestly, albeit in a somewhat halting, embarrassed mumble. Warmth rose to her face, and she struggled not to look away from his eyes. It didn’t help that a significant portion of her mind was stuck on the vivid picture of their bodies entwined on the nearby sofa.
As if reading her mind, Darcy flicked his eyes to the cushioned surface steps away, the action so swift she almost missed it.
Then, he slipped the hand still resting on her back down lower until it was splayed over her rear, pressing her firmly against his pelvis.
For a second—an exquisite, rousing second—Lizzy held her breath in anticipation.
“Those words I shall remember and cherish forever,” he pledged. Releasing his adamant grip on her body, he grinned in a way that could only be described as smugly satisfied. “And now I must delay no longer in returning you to the others, ere they send in the hounds.”