Chapter 18
Elizabeth
The morning after the shooting party, Darcy and Elizabeth walked up the trail to the top of Oakham Mount more quickly than ever before, having stoked the fires of their longing for one another so assiduously the evening before.
Without even bothering to eat or drink a single thing, they fell upon each other with pent-up passion and managed to express their adoration of one another quite convincingly.
Elizabeth actually saw Darcy’s member, quite by accident. He had come so close to spending in his breeches that he had grabbed a handkerchief and swiftly unbuttoned and—well, there it was.
It was her first glimpse, and though she had felt the extent of it, it made more of an impact to see its size.
Darcy was without a doubt a tall man, but it still surprised her to see the…
extent of this part of his anatomy. Once the soiled handkerchief was bundled away and his clothing re-buttoned and tidied up—and her appearance was restored as well—he looked at her with some concern.
“Lizzy, you usually scold me if I apologise for showing you my love, but you look to be…anxious, perhaps? So I do feel very sorry if I have made you fearful, and I would—”
“I am just surprised, now that I have seen it. William—Darcy—that thing will definitely not fit inside me!” she told him.
“It will; you will see in less than a week.”
She still looked sceptical and shook her head.
“Remember, Elizabeth—or should I say Mrs Darcy, because we are already married in our hearts and our souls—remember that this part of your body can stretch to allow the passage of a baby. And I may be endowed with respectable length and girth, but I am very far from lugging around twenty inches!”
Elizabeth blushed but also laughed; she was embarrassed to have made such a silly mistake, but she delighted in her own foibles as well as those of other people.
“So….” Darcy still looked concerned. “You are not frightened?”
“I am very well, my love. I am looking forward to our wedding night.”
“It does not have to be night, you know. Just as we enjoy kissing in the morning, when we are wed we can partake of all manner of intimacies in the morning, at noontime, in the afternoon, as well as when the sun goes down.”
“Oh, yes, I suppose that is true.” Elizabeth laughed again, and she watched as one of Darcy’s fondest smiles carved dimples in his cheeks. She said, “I seem to be full of rather witless mistakes this morning.”
“Witless? Never! You have a bit of innocence still clinging to you, despite my repeated forays, but you, my dear, are clever and witty and ever so pretty.”
“Oh, my, Darcy—that little couplet shall not go unpunished!”
“We are back to punishment, are we?” He chuckled. “As you wish, woman; do your worst.”
And Elizabeth kissed him soundly.
They ate the food they had brought as they walked down the hill. Sharing the bottle of cider at the bottom of the hill, Darcy waited until Rogers made his pre-arranged appearance, and then he said, “I will see you at Netherfield, soon, dearest.”
Elizabeth watched him mount Gulltoppr and ride away, and then she met Rogers’s eyes and said, “I am ready.” They hurried off to Longbourn.
Well into the morning, Elizabeth’s mother was wailing over the wedding cake not being large enough, and Elizabeth reminded her yet again that her intended had ordered an additional cake from the Meryton bakery.
“And how we can hope to compete against one of Mrs Clark’s productions, I know not. Cook has some skill with sugar work, but not to Mrs Clark’s level!”
“Remember, Mr Darcy said he did not wish to upstage our cake, so he ordered it with just white icing. He suggested we could use flowers from the Netherfield gardens and conservatory to decorate it.”
“He is a good boy,” her mother said, mollified for the moment. Elizabeth watched as her mother scurried off, apparently determined to find something else she could panic over.
“I must get out of here!” Elizabeth said to Jane.
Her sister comforted her in typical Jane fashion: “Oh, Lizzy, you know that Mama actually enjoys fretting over every detail of the wedding breakfast! As for leaving, we will be at Netherfield for almost the entirety of the day, arriving soon after luncheon, so that goal is well in hand.”
After checking carefully to ensure they would not be overheard, Elizabeth said softly, “Jane, I have been meaning to tell you that I so admire how you have handled the disappointment of what Mr Bingley turned out to be. But I am hoping you are enjoying learning about Lord Wessex, and that you are not rushing to replace Mr Bingley, but nor are you closing off your heart because one man was so very reprehensible.”
“I am less disappointed than I would have thought, which makes me realise that I did not truly love Mr Bingley, though I thought I did. As for Lord Wessex, I enjoy his company but have no expectations of him. I shall maintain my awareness of my own self-worth; therefore, you should not entertain any worries on my behalf.”
Elizabeth agreed that she should not worry about Jane, but she also knew that she would, nevertheless, persist in doing so. But she promised herself not to intercede, not even in the gentle manner she had utilised during the time she thought Mr Bingley to be great brother material.
The next few days unfolded in an enjoyable but predictable manner.
Elizabeth and Darcy loved their early-morning picnics; the rest of each morning was devoted to future-oriented activities such as trying on each new gown or other garment for Elizabeth’s trousseau, or placating her mother about her choices for the wedding breakfast’s menu or flowers, or sewing together the hundreds of satin roses they had made to make decorative chains.
The afternoons and evenings were spent in Netherfield, enjoying the steady company of Wessex and the dry wit of Miss Williams, especially, but also the company of Georgiana, the Hursts, and Mr Williams, and even—to some extent—Mr Banfield and his cousins.
Of course, Elizabeth most particularly enjoyed the company of her beloved.
Four days before the wedding, Mr Banfield and the two Misses Barnes left.
The next day, the Williams siblings departed as well.
They had never planned to attend the wedding breakfast because of an important event within their own family; they had been delighted to attend the house party as a substitute.
Once their carriage was packed up and everyone was farewelling the two on the front steps, Mr Williams complimented the Hursts’ hospitality and told Jane that they had enjoyed meeting her and her family.
Then he held Elizabeth’s hand almost reverently as he gave a heartfelt speech about what a wonderful pair she and Darcy were, and how much he wished to find their brand of felicity.
He equally praised Elizabeth’s warmth and “sparkle” and Darcy’s wisdom in recognising such a gem among womankind.
Elizabeth hugged Miss Williams, who asked if they could correspond. They also, upon leave-taking, discovered that they wished to use each other’s Christian names. Thus Miss Williams became Anna.
Speaking of Christian names, as soon as the Williams’ carriage pulled away from Netherfield, Georgiana took Elizabeth’s hand and, squeezing it, said, “Now I may call my brother William again!”
“I shall, as well.” Elizabeth smiled and said, “And in less than three days, I may call you Sister!”