Chapter 30 #2
Before he could continue, Darcy finally erupted, his words in a near growl.
“Cease spouting your nonsense at once, Mr. Collins. As my uncle has already said, I was never engaged to my cousin. Neither her father nor my parents, nor she nor I wished for the connection, despite what my aunt attempts to claim. My aunt has proclaimed her nonsense to all and sundry for years, and the family and most of the ton have always known she was spouting lies. If you do not cease speaking, I will have you physically removed from the house.”
Mr. Collins could only splutter in reply. “But, Mr. Darcy, your aunt, she…”
Lord Matlock stepped up to put an end to any further argument.
He took his sister by the elbow and spoke in a commanding tone.
“You have done enough damage here and will be departing Pemberley this minute. For you to have arrived so quickly, I have little doubt that both your men and your horses are in need of rest, so I suggest you make for Lambton and arrange to take a room there. You will depart for Kent tomorrow, and I will accompany you now to ensure that is exactly what you do.”
Though still angry, Lady Catherine was unable to do anything other than what her brother commanded, boarding the carriage and allowing him to return her to the inn in Lambton.
Shortly after Lady Catherine departed, the Darcys left for a brief wedding trip at a cottage in the Peak District, about twenty miles from Pemberley.
Despite its short duration, Elizabeth had become comfortable with the touches her husband-to-be had exposed her to during their courtship.
They had kissed as often as they could, and some of those kisses had been rather passionate in nature, though their hands had generally remained in what society would have viewed as appropriate locations.
However, the first part of their journey, Elizabeth employed every lesson the man who was now her husband had taught her as she attempted to soothe his anger and frustration at their wedding day being marred by his aunt’s visit.
Before too long, they were lost to the newfound freedom they were discovering in their solitude and married state.
Elizabeth began by closing the curtains in the carriage and encouraging her husband to sit by her side, instead of across from her as propriety dictated.
She began placing tender kisses along his jawline and exposed places of his neck, and soon, Darcy surrendered to his wife’s influence.
Before long, the kisses she granted him were not enough, and he pulled her into his lap.
His hands began caressing her body over her clothing, causing Elizabeth to writhe in his lap, adding to the urgency Darcy felt.
A large bump caused them both to startle and separate a bit, though Elizabeth remained where she sat.
“Liz, we must stop,” Darcy whispered after several moments. “I should not … your first time should be in a bed, not a carriage. I have allowed my desire for you to override my sense. It is just … I adore kissing you, but now that we are wed … well, it is best we cease this for now.”
She pressed her forehead against his chest. When she recovered her breath, she looked at him, a sparkle of mirth in her eyes. “I have noticed in our, um, more passionate moments”—she paused to grin at him—“you have twice now called me Liz. Why is that?”
He chuckled, and Elizabeth, enjoying the sound, decided to elicit it from him often, especially when in his lap.
“Would you think me terrible if I told you I am not overly fond of the nickname ‘Lizzy’?”
She laughed, having not expected that response. “Why is that?”
“It sounds childish, and, well, everyone else calls you by that name. I prefer Elizabeth to Lizzy and when it takes too much time to say, I prefer to use Liz. Is that alright?”
She squeezed his waist a little. “I like that you have a name for me that no one else uses. I like it when you call me Elizabeth, and I have adored the moments when you called me Liz.”
Several moments later, they parted again, both breathing heavily. “Dearest, perhaps you should return to your own seat for the rest of our trip.”
Reluctantly, Elizabeth moved from her comfortable spot on Darcy’s lap. “As long as I might still snuggle close, William,” she whispered, leaning against him with her head on his shoulder, her hand held tightly in his.
Neither spoke for a short time as they merely enjoyed being in one another’s company. Before long, they both drifted off to sleep.
They slept through the change of horses and only awoke when they arrived at the cottage Darcy had borrowed for them to stay in.
It was a lovely home, though slightly larger than the cottage conjured in Elizabeth’s mind.
The house had a small staff, and Elizabeth and Darcy’s personal servants had left before the couple to prepare for the newlyweds’ arrival.
Before long, they were ensconced inside their chambers, where they finished what they started in the carriage.
Though they intended to spend some time exploring around the house during their stay, they did little more than thoroughly explore each other.