Chapter Twenty-Three
“Till this moment I never knew myself.”
IT WAS ANOTHER FOUR AND TWENTY HOURS BEFORE DARCY EMERGED from the room.
Elizabeth was alert and desired a meal. “I lay awake beside her for hours, Georgiana, just watching the breath slide in and out of Elizabeth’s body,” he told his sister when she came to his room to inquire about her sister in marriage.
“I made a pact with God: Give me Elizabeth, and He could have everything else. The money—the house: It all means nothing without her.”
“God wants you and Elizabeth together, brother. He has plans for you,” she said cryptically.
Later that same day, he gently carried Elizabeth to his tub and bathed her more thoroughly than he had while still wrapped in the counterpane of his bed.
She winced as the hot water seeped into the many cuts and scratches on her arms and legs, and he cautiously touched her sensitive skin.
Elizabeth was so filled with life, he had never thought of her as a woman in need of his protection.
In fact, he viewed her often as his protector from the grief he experienced over the last decade.
He had come close to losing her, and he worried about continued affection.
What if she turns from me? What if my pride has pushed her away?
She had presented him with her whole heart, and he had nearly destroyed her.
Miserable, he dutifully washed the curves of her body, thinking she was vulnerable only to his censure.
His pride would hurt her no more. Finishing, he assisted her to dress and carried her to her bed.
“If you are not careful, Mr. Darcy,” she teased, “you will replace Hannah as my handmaid.” Her arms embraced his neck, and she rested her head on his shoulder.
“I would gladly spend the rest of my days tending to you, Lizzy.” Darcy kissed her cheek as she again buried her face into his chest. When he placed her on the pillows, she pulled him to her and kissed him tenderly. “Please, William.”
“Elizabeth, I cannot bear to injure you again.”
“In this bed, you have never harmed me. I must know you still love me.”
“Elizabeth, do as you please. I never meant to question you. I built up an image of a perfect house—a perfect marriage—a perfect wife. Thinking my father’s ardor and dedication for Lady Anne Darcy was the mark I must achieve.
” She cradled his head to her abdomen. “I planned everything, but I did not plan your enthusiasm. I have difficulty permitting another his due. You did not deserve my wrath. Can you love me as you did before?”
“A few foolish words cannot destroy us. Do you know what I thought as I rested on that ledge? I thought: William loves me. He will come for me. That is all I kept thinking. Despite what I said when I stormed from this house, I knew we would be together. Please come to me in our bed, William.”
He kissed her stomach and then moved up her body. By the time Darcy reached her lips, Elizabeth’s body rose to meet his. “I love you, Lizzy.”
Darcy was from the house when Mr. Spencer called. Propped up on the pillows of her bed, Elizabeth happily greeted the surgeon.
“Mrs. Darcy, your husband would make an excellent nurse. His care for your well-being was exactly what you required.”
Elizabeth remembered Darcy’s passionate kiss, but she had another more pressing question for the doctor. “Mr. Spencer, did the fall harm the baby?”
“So, you did realize you were with child? These great men are concerned with their heirs, and when Mr. Darcy did not ask of the child when I was here the other day, I realized he did not know, but you could not confide in me if you had knowledge of it. I did not inform your husband, for he was too distraught over your health. He would allow no one else to tend you, Mrs. Darcy.”
“When I realized I was falling, I attempted to protect the child. I grabbed at every rock and branch to slow down my descent. Please tell me I have not executed harm upon the child.”
“The three days we waited for you to move about should be enough time for the child to show distress if the fall caused harm, but I would suggest that we wait at least a fortnight before we can declare all is well with any certainty. These types of injuries are sometimes slow to surface.”
“I do not want Mr. Darcy to know until we are confident, Mr. Spencer. If there is a chance I will lose this child as a result of my fall, I wish to spare him the knowledge of wanting the babe and then losing it. It would be best if he had no time to dream of the child’s life at Pemberley.
You must recognize that his nature is not one to forgive his part in my accident.
” The doctor nodded his head in affirmation.
“My husband plans a New Year’s celebration with family and friends.
I wish to tell him then. We will be married two months by that time.
Counting from my last catamenia, I suspect the child came from our first few nights together. Is that possible, Mr. Spencer?”
“It is quite common, Mrs. Darcy, especially for young, healthy girls. You missed your last troubles, I assume.”
“Yes, sir,” she said with a blush.
He chuckled at her embarrassment. “Would you permit me to examine you now, Mrs. Darcy?”
“Could we pretend you must examine my injuries again in two weeks, Mr. Spencer?” She asked in a conspiratorial tone.
“Under my direction, the midwife delivered both Mr. Darcy and his sister, and that was the last of the joy this house has seen. After Lady Anne’s death, a veil spread over Pemberley.
Both husband and son loved her too well to permit joy into their lives.
I will assist you with your secret, Mrs. Darcy, if you promise to limit your walks to the flat land for the time being. ”
“Gladly, Mr. Spencer.” After the surgeon departed, Elizabeth wondered at his words.
Obviously, what she once thought to be Darcy’s contempt for others was, actually, his sorrow at having no one to whom to turn.
Georgiana had been too young to understand the loss of her mother, and Mr. George Darcy had grieved for his wife.
No one tended William’s pain. As she lay across the bed, she rued the day she thought him to have improper pride.
She would do all she could do so he never felt alone again.
From the day Elizabeth swore Mr. Spencer to secrecy, a week passed.
In the meantime, everything turned snowy and white at Pemberley, and life returned to its halls.
She walked carefully, avoiding slippery paths.
Darcy guarded every move she made, but she enjoyed the extra attention and permitted him to indulge his concerns.
Eleven days remained until the celebration she and Georgiana planned, and many little details required her oversight.
She was at the desk in Darcy’s study when Mrs. Reynolds entered.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Darcy, a Mr. Chadwick Harrison is asking for Mr. Darcy.” The housekeeper handed Elizabeth the gentleman’s calling card.
Elizabeth frowned with the interruption, but she examined the card. The name was not one she recognized, but Darcy would expect her to be an excellent hostess. “Show him in, Mrs. Reynolds.”
Within a few minutes, Mrs. Reynolds showed the gentleman in.
“Mrs. Darcy, thank you for agreeing to receive me.” He made the obligatory bow.
Elizabeth automatically sized him up: proper gentleman in dress—too young to look so serious—pleasant countenance otherwise—a bit unsure of his welcome at Pemberley—old money but new ideas.
“Mr. Harrison, you must pardon my manners. I experienced a nasty fall last week, and my ankle will not support my weight for more than a few minutes at a time. I returned to the house only a few minutes prior from a short walk, and my ankle will not tolerate my rising to my feet again so soon.”
“That is quite understandable, Mrs. Darcy.” He nodded his understanding.
“Please have a seat, Mr. Harrison. My husband will return shortly. May I be of service to you in the meantime?”
He made himself comfortable. “I heard Mr. Darcy recently married. May I offer my congratulations?”
“Thank you, Mr. Harrison. Do you know my husband well?” she asked curiously. She began to wonder if she should have accepted the man into Darcy’s study.
“In reality, I have not seen Mr. Darcy since I was thirteen years of age. The younger Mr. Darcy was of university age then. My late father owned an estate in Dove Dale. I recently returned from the Americas to assume my rightful position as his heir.”
Her interest piqued. “Were you in the Americas for an extended time, Mr. Harrison?”
“For a little over a year,” he explained. “We had property in sugar cane, but my family and I objected to the conditions of the workers. I sold the property to small farmers to break up the slave trade.”
Speaking his political stance to a perfect stranger shocked Elizabeth, but before she had an opportunity to respond, Georgiana entered the room. “Elizabeth, the baskets for the meals have arrived.” Her sister stopped short when she observed the stranger in Darcy’s study.
Georgiana blushed, and her beauty froze Mr. Harrison in place. With great interest, Elizabeth observed their first impressions before she made the proper introductions. “Mr. Harrison, may I present my husband’s sister, Miss Darcy.”
Harrison’s eyes never left Georgiana’s countenance. Elizabeth found it all very amusing. “Miss Darcy, it is a great pleasure to see you again,” he said in bemusement.
“I am afraid, Mr. Harrison, you have the advantage. I do not recall our meeting before today.”
Harrison chuckled. “I do not doubt it, Miss Darcy. You were a precocious child of seven or eight years when I last came to Pemberley with my parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Harrison.” Elizabeth noted Harrison’s sensual awareness as he looked upon Georgiana.
The man could not force his eyes from her sister’s countenance.