Chapter 1.19 #2
His voice was almost lost, and he cleared his throat to be able to speak further as his eyes moistened.
He took her face in his hands, gazing deeply into her eyes, and she put her own hands on top of his.
Without knowing what she was doing and only wanting to assure him of her love and devotion, she turned her face so that her lips kissed his palms, first one and then the other.
He smiled with mixed sadness and happiness, full of gratitude at this unusual but heartfelt display of tenderness.
“My heart never rejoiced until I met you, Elizabeth. And when it finally did, I was fool enough to try to silence its glee until that day when I came to understand that my heart was no longer mine. It was yours, and all I could do was to hope that you would not break it, and you did not. You treasured my heart and filled it with joy and with your generous love. So, this is my first present for you.”
He wiped her tears with little kisses, trying to stem his own, and then opened the box.
Elizabeth gasped, covering her mouth with her hands in a childish gesture of utter amazement.
It was a set of jewellery in gold and rubies—necklace, earrings, bracelet and ring—so beautiful that she did not dare breathe, much less touch them.
“Nobody has touched these since my mother’s death. After she gave me the box, she held me near her, very close, kissing my head and telling me how much she loved me. We talked until I fell asleep, and I think my father took me to my room. That night she died…
“My housekeeper, Mrs Reynolds, told me years later that she knew her end was near, and she demanded to be dressed and arranged so she could speak with me for the last time. She wanted me to remember her like that, not lying in her sickbed.”
He rose suddenly from the settee, almost dropping the box, and went straight to the table. He poured himself a glass of brandy and swallowed it violently, trying to regain his composure and hide his tears from her. Nobody had seen him cry since he was six years old.
He was startled to feel her behind him. Her hands encircled his waist and, with all her strength, she embraced him and leaned her head against his back.
“William…please, do not run from me, and do not hide from me. I want to share your love, your joy, and your sadness. I want you to keep me so close that we feel the same things, the same emotions. Please, my love…”
He turned slowly in her embrace until he could face her.
Her cheeks were wet with tears, her eyes gazing at him from behind long lashes.
He pulled her into his arms and held her so tightly that she could not breathe, but they could feel each other’s heartbeat.
He rested his chin atop her head, placing countless kisses in her hair.
“This is the first time I have spoken of my mother since my father died. I never felt anyone as close to my soul as I feel you are, Elizabeth.” No answer was needed. She placed a little kiss on his chest, where his heart was beating, a kiss so warm that he could feel its heat through his clothes.
Closely embraced, they returned to the settee, and he picked up the velvet box, taking her hand and brushing their entwined fingers over the glowing jewels, barely touching them, caressing them.
She could not subdue her emotions enough to whisper a single word, her heart aching as she tried to imagine the grief of a mother who knew she would leave forever her son and her baby girl.
“Elizabeth, I wanted so much for this to be a happy moment for us, and I only saddened you. Please forgive me. I am truly sorry.”
“Do not say that! Never say that you are sorry for kissing me, for holding me, or for allowing me to see the sadness in your soul, because if you indeed regret doing all these things, I must have misjudged you and your feelings. And if you do not regret them, never apologise out of civility. I do not want you to be polite with me.”
He was a little surprised at her reaction. In an attempt to lighten the mood, she continued, “Rest assured, Mr Darcy, that if you do offend me or I consider that you need to apologise, I shall let you know without any doubt.”
She bit her lower lip, looking at him with a flirtatious grin that succeeded in making him smile.
“Then I shall depend upon you to censure me whenever it is needed, Miss Elizabeth. But I spoke the truth when I said I wanted this moment to be one of utter happiness for us.”
“And it is, my love, or at least it will be. Now that you have shared your sadness with me, I have taken half of it, and it will be easier for you to bear. I am grateful to you for telling me about your mother. I do not know whether I am indeed worthy of this gift, but I do know that I love you as she wanted you to be loved.”
Her words almost made his heart stop, and all he could do was kiss both her hands and whisper, “Thank you.”
Several long moments of silence passed until he could speak again coherently.
“Elizabeth, do you like the jewels? I mean…do you like rubies?”
“Do I like them? Oh, they are beautiful beyond my imagination! How could I dare to touch them? How could I dare to wear them?”
“How could you not, Elizabeth? Do you not feel they belong to you? As much as you belong to me…”
He took the necklace and leaned back a little so he could gently put it around her neck. Her skin shivered under the cold touch of the necklace and the hot, lingering touch of his hands resting at each side of her neck.
“How…how does it look?” She found the words difficult to express.
“It looks exquisite,” he whispered softly, caressing the necklace and her bare skin with the tips of his long fingers.
“This gown is not at all…suited for such beautiful jewellery.”
He was sitting behind her, resting his chin at the junction of her neck and her right shoulder, their faces touching, his every word warming her with his hot breath.
“I do not know about the gown…but your neck is perfectly suited…and so are your fingers…your ears…and your wrist…” As he placed small kisses at each mentioned part, she leaned back against him, surrendering completely to the pleasure of his attentions.
He gently turned her head to him and touched her soft lips with his, lovingly and tenderly, without any urgency or haste.
It was not long before she turned towards him, her hands encircling his neck, both lost in a breathtaking embrace while passion enveloped them, eclipsing every rational thought. Their lips were hungrily joined in a deep, wild kiss, and every sense was aware only of their intimacy.
∞∞∞
It was no wonder, therefore, that neither Mr Darcy nor Elizabeth heard the tumult of voices from the other side of the library door, and never noticed Caroline Bingley officiously entering the room, pushing Miles, who wisely decided to remain outside the door, out of the way.
As it was, their kiss lasted several moments after Caroline wailed in a voice close to hysteria, “Mr Darcy! I demand to be informed why I am being treated in this outrageous manner. I am a close friend of this family, and I must be allowed to—”
She was close to the settee by now, and to her horror, she saw Eliza Bennet wantonly kissing the master of Pemberley without being in the least disturbed by her presence. Her eyes and mouth gaped in astonishment.
“Mr Darcy! What are you doing? How can you allow yourself to be trapped in the underhanded schemes of this woman?”
Only days before, had anyone entered unannounced to disturb him, the unpleasant event would have had severe consequences—both for the intruder and for the servant responsible for such a breach of propriety.
This time, however, fully preoccupied with nothing but Elizabeth’s presence—and realising it was only Caroline Bingley who came upon them—he felt merely annoyed by the interruption, vaguely asking himself how she dared to come into his house uninvited after everything she had done.
Reluctantly, he withdrew from his intended and, with perfect courtesy and the most polite tone possible, acknowledged the third person in the room.
“Miss Bingley…to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure? May I be of any help to you?”
“No indeed, it is I who must help you before this country girl induces you into a forced marriage! You must throw her out immediately before your sister finds out about—”
He looked quickly at Elizabeth, and his happiness turned his annoyance into wicked glee, which made him turn to the visitor with the most innocent expression.
“Oh, that cannot be, Miss Bingley; you must be wrong. I am sure Miss Elizabeth has no intention of forcing me to marry her.”
“No intention? Mr Darcy, how can you say that? She placed you in this scandalous situation, insinuating herself upon your person! Of course she intended to trap you; even a child would understand that—”
“Well, Miss Bingley, to avoid any uncertainty, let us ask her. Miss Elizabeth, do you intend to force me to marry you?”
He was so serious that Elizabeth had to bite her lip so as not to burst out laughing, and she forced herself to answer with no less gravity. “No, sir, I have no such intention, I assure you!”
“You see, Miss Bingley? There is no cause for concern. May I help you with anything else?”
She was staring at him in shock, incapable of moving her feet.
“Well then, if you will excuse us, I would like to resume our previous activities. I hope you can find your way out. If not, ask Miles to show you. Have a pleasant day, Miss Bingley.”
He turned his back to her and began to speak in whispers with Elizabeth.
Caroline Bingley did not recover from the extraordinary shock until the moment Miles handed her into her carriage and the horses began to move. She was unaware that another surprise was awaiting her.
∞∞∞
Charles Bingley was savouring a glass of port in his library, curtains drawn. He had no intention of reading—rather, he wished only to enjoy a few moments of solitude. He was very pleased with his day.