Chapter 20 #2
William was having similar thoughts of his parents as he hugged his wife close.
She rested her head on his shoulder, and it was not long before he heard a change in her breathing as she fell asleep.
As he watched his beloved wife sleep, he wished his parents could have lived to meet this woman he loved so ardently.
William had not known it was possible to love with the depth of feeling he felt for his sleeping wife.
He would never regret the day she launched the apple at him; it would be an amusing story to tell their future children and grandchildren.
With pleasant thoughts of his new wife in his head, William, too, succumbed to sleep.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The plan was to sail from London on the morrow.
Though it made the trip to Ireland longer, it saved them three or four days travel to Liverpool and allowed for a night in the comfort of Darcy House.
In addition to being comfortable for the night rather than at an inn, Elizabeth would be able to see one of their homes in town.
She would be able to see Derbyshire House when they returned to London for the season.
Both were still asleep when a footman opened the carriage door at Darcy House and coughed politely.
After the footman woke them, he closed the door and waited until his master rapped on it once, before opening it again.
It took the couple a minute to wake and put themselves to rights.
The Duke stepped out, then turned and handed his Duchess down.
The Killions, the housekeeper and butler at Darcy House, were waiting for the Duke and Duchess on the top step. “Welcome home, Your Graces,” the Butler intoned with a deep bow, as the housekeeper curtsied.
“Our butler and housekeeper, Mr. and Mrs. Killion,” William told his wife.
The housekeeper smiled broadly. Even the normally stoic Killion’s lips curved up when the Duke swept his bride up in his arms and carried her over the threshold.
The servants, who were in three lines, waiting to greet their master and new mistress to their home, smiled at the playful display by their normally proper master.
William put his wife down gently, then turned to the servants, “I introduce you to Her Grace, Lady Elizabeth Darcy. From this day forward, your mistress.” He grinned down at her, and there was a rousing cheer from the servants.
“It may take me longer than I would prefer to learn all of your names, but that will be my aim in short order. I thank you for taking the time to welcome me and His Grace home on this happiest of days in our lives. Please, carry on,” the new Duchess dismissed the servants.
“As you do not have a lady’s maid, your Grace, I have assigned Barker to you. She is fully trained in that role. Please let me know if, and when, you would like to interview permanent candidates if she is not your choice while in residence,” Mrs. Killion informed her new mistress.
“I am sure she will fill the role well, Mrs. Killion. I will let you know if I need to make a change,” the Duchess replied.
“She is waiting for you in your chambers, your Grace,” Mrs. Killion returned.
William gave his wife a tour of the public rooms on the entrance level, which included a large ballroom, three dining parlours, two drawing rooms, a music room, and three parlours.
Elizabeth was impressed at the understated elegance of the décor and furniture in the rooms they viewed.
It seemed from what she saw that her husband was more interested in comfort than show which pleased her no end.
William led Elizabeth up the grand marble staircase to the first floor—the family floor. To the right, the doors to the mistress and master’s studies and the library were pointed out before they turned to the left and William led her to three doors.
“The left door leads to my bedchamber; the middle door is to our private sitting room. This door,” he pointed to the righthand door, “is your bedchamber. It was last decorated over thirty years ago. You are free to redecorate it and any other room, in this or any of our other houses.” With that, William led his wife into their sitting room.
“So far there is nothing I would care to change, William. I will not make changes because I am able to, but only if they are needed,” Elizabeth stated.
“Enough about décor,” William growled as he captured his wife’s lips. It seemed as if their hearts were beating together, as kiss followed kiss, and their hands explored the other’s body through their clothes. “How much time do you need, Elizabeth?” William asked, his voice gruff with passion.
“Half an hour,” she answered, almost lightheaded from the surge of passion she felt.
With one more toe-curling kiss, the couple separated and made for their own chambers.
The Duke dismissed his valet as soon as he gained his chambers, removing everything except his breeches and lawn shirt, which he untucked.
When Elizabeth entered her chambers, she was met by her new lady’s maid. “You must be Barker?” the Duchess enquired, and the maid curtsied in reply. “I would like to change into the yellow nightgown and matching robe.”
The nightgown and robe had been a wedding gift from Aunt Maddy.
Once she donned it, with her maid’s assistance, Elizabeth looked at her image in the full-length mirror.
The nightgown was as sheer as could be, revealing all her womanly assets.
Seeing herself thus and knowing William would soon be looking at her caused her pulse to race in excitement.
Barker held the robe open for her and Elizabeth slipped her arms into it, tying the bow loosely as she dismissed her maid, telling her she would ring when needed.
Only seconds after her requested half-hour, there was a knock on her bedchamber door. When she called “enter,” William walked in. She had always thought him handsome, but she was not prepared for how good he looked dressed only in his shirt and breeches.
Her breath hitched and her heart raced after she scanned her handsome husband from head to foot. His shirt was open halfway down his torso, revealing a thin covering of black hair on his muscular chest.
William could not believe the vision that was his wife.
She was clad in a yellow robe over what seemed, from the little of it he could see, a sheer yellow nightgown.
He felt his appendage start to become tumescent as he drank in the beauty before him.
Wordlessly, he reached his hand out to her; Elizabeth took it without question, and he led her through the sitting room into his bedchamber.
Elizabeth discovered his rooms were exactly as she had imagined them, very masculine and tastefully decorated. His bed was the most enormous one she had ever beheld. As William stood transfixed, she untied her robe and dropped it, allowing it to pool on the floor behind her.
If William had been aroused before, the vision of her body, from her well-rounded breasts with the pert nipples to the dark triangle of hair between her legs, brought him to the brink of release.
Their eyes speaking volumes, William lifted his lawn shirt over his head and flung it away. Seeing his whole well-muscled torso caused Elizabeth to suck in air as her heart skipped a beat, then started to race.
Their eyes met as he opened his breeches and peeled them off as Elizabeth slid the straps of her nightgown off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor around her feet.
She reached out her hand and their fingers intertwined as he led her to the bed.
Given their depth of need, their first joining was over before either would have liked, but it was not long before William was aroused once more.
This second time he was able to go more slowly, allowing them to savour the pleasures they were discovering longer.
By their third or fourth time joining, William was starting to learn what to do to bring Elizabeth to her release before his.
They both ascribed to the theory that in order to be proficient, one needed to practice prodigiously.
It was dark when they rang for baths and requested trays of food in their sitting room, and it was after one in the morning before they finally allowed sleep to claim them, intertwined in one another’s arms.