Chapter 2.6
Elizabeth related to her husband the sharp argument she had the previous night with the two ladies.
She kept a humorous tone and chose her words carefully, omitting the cruel reference to his mother and sister’s health.
Regardless, Darcy was upset at the offense bestowed upon Elizabeth, but her laughter and tender kisses dissipated part of his distress.
Both of them were aware that their marriage was not readily accepted. And while they gave little importance to malicious gossips, Darcy could not easily ignore anything that harmed Elizabeth. Her spirit, however, would not allow anything to ruin her felicity or to shadow the light in her eyes.
The incident at the theatre, however, made her sad on Lady Matlock’s behalf.
To have her only daughter-in-law speak of Elizabeth so bitterly, so offensively, must have been painful for the lady whom Elizabeth so admired.
It also explained Colonel Fitzwilliam’s sharp remarks and his disapproval of his sister-in-law.
Elizabeth could only hope that things would improve in time and the family would find the peace and harmony they deserved.
The next couple of days, the Darcys balanced their privacy with visiting their relatives again.
Further, Elizabeth attended the modiste with Lady Matlock and Mrs Gardiner.
She ordered several new gowns for herself as well as two new dresses and two elegant nightgowns for the soon-to-be-married Jane.
They had agreed that Georgiana would stay another two weeks with the Matlocks then return home.
However, Lady Matlock argued that, since the couple would shortly return to Hertfordshire for Jane and Bingley’s wedding, Georgiana should remain with them until after this event.
Miss Darcy saw the wisdom in that suggestion and accepted it.
Elizabeth and Darcy were truly missing Georgiana, but they did not insist on her earlier return.
The Matlocks invited the Darcys and the Gardiners for tea one day, and for dinner two days later.
With the colonel’s departure from Town—and the tense relationship with their eldest son and daughter-in-law—Lord Matlock found Mr Gardiner’s presence a welcome addition.
As proof, the earl invited the gentleman to keep him company at his exclusive club, an honour to which neither the Gardiners nor Elizabeth remained unaffected.
Lady Matlock had undoubtedly grown attached to the Gardiner girls; both her ladyship and Georgiana were also pleased with Mrs Gardiner’s company. On her side, Elizabeth’s aunt was as surprised as she was grateful for the attention bestowed upon her by one of the most illustrious members of the ton.
Elizabeth could not have been happier with the Matlocks’ treatment of her uncle and aunt from Cheapside or more proud of the way Mr and Mrs Gardiner adapted to such exquisite company.
Although they were pleased to spend time with their relatives, the Darcys declined any other invitations to dinner. They preferred to return to their home and their apartments, which were the sanctuary of their love.
Almost a fortnight after their marriage, their desire for each other was relentless.
It was not just their lovemaking but also every touch, kiss, glance, and smile meant for their loved one.
Their feelings grew and intensified as their mutual passion was enhanced by the slow discovery of each other’s most secret wishes.
Both were content to have the other’s company and nothing else. They were sufficient for each other—completed each other. It was never just him and her but them together.
He offered her fresh roses, knowledge of politics, art, and business and stories about his childhood, his parents, and Pemberley. And passionate love.
She gave him joy, liveliness, laughter, and decided opinions. And passionate love.
He bought a small piano for their apartment, and she played for him any time he wished.
When he spent time with his business papers, she kept him company, reading by his side.
Their passion knew no day or night; they shared love and desire whenever they wished, just as they shared everything else.
The only rule with which Darcy was even more preoccupied than Elizabeth was to ensure their perfect privacy and always to avoid being caught in uncomfortable situations.
He still remembered Caroline Bingley barging into the library and finding him kissing Elizabeth most passionately—an image that Caroline likely had not quickly forgotten.
Consequently, the library—the room where they spent most of the time outside their suites—often had a locked door.
However, the servants never bothered them except Miles, Molly, or Mrs Hamilton and only when urgency required it, so any impromptu disturbance was entirely avoided.
Their two-week anniversary matched the beginning of March with warmer weather and a bright sun. Spring was slowly melting winter away.
Darcy struggled to find a way to make the day special. He knew she needed nothing, nor did she want any particular gift. She had repeatedly told him so, and he had no reason for disbelief.
“My love, I have done something that might upset you,” he informed her solemnly during their late breakfast.
Her eyebrow rose in surprise. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I have purchased a horse for you…for Longbourn. A mare. It will be delivered in a couple of days. I already sent an express to Mr Bennet.”
Her surprise opened her eyes wide. “A mare? At Longbourn? What for?”
“Since we will spend some time in Hertfordshire for the wedding, I thought you might enjoy taking riding lessons. I selfishly hope you will allow me to teach you. And I remember that, when Jane came to Netherfield, she said your father had only one riding horse, which was also used on the farm. So it might be useful for them too. I hope you do not disapprove.”
She looked at him in wonder. “I cannot believe you still remember what Jane said four months ago.”
He moved near her, embraced her, and then caressed her face. “I never forget anything even remotely connected to you. So—shall we ride through the Hertfordshire woods together?”
“We shall—but most likely at a very slow pace. You will have to temper your horse, sir.”
“The pace does not matter, only the pleasure of sharing the enjoyment with you. I vividly recollect that time we rode together—on my horse.”
He whispered between light kisses spread over her face. “On second thought, perhaps improving your riding skills might not be such a good idea.”
She laughed and turned to meet his lips. “It was an excellent idea; as Lady Ellen implied, it is one of my duties as I cannot see Pemberley by foot. However, that feeling of riding in your arms through Longbourn Grove I will never forget, and I will gladly enjoy it again anytime.”
∞∞∞
In the afternoon, the sky suddenly darkened, and it began to rain steadily. Elizabeth was reading on the couch while Darcy studied some papers from Pemberley’s steward.
She put the book away to listen to the rain then moved toward the window, looking outside through the thick curtain of drops falling rapidly to the ground.
“Elizabeth? Is anything wrong?”
She turned to him with a bright smile and sparkling eyes.
“No. I was just thinking of the rain…Not this one but that on the 23rd of November. How angry and distressed I was to meet you and to be forced to spend time alone with you. My feelings were so bitter and my opinion of you so poor…I was such a simpleton! Do you know that, when I took off my wet clothes, for a little while I was worried that you might take advantage of the situation? Of me?”
He put his arms around her.
“I am glad it was only for a moment. Despite your poor opinion of me, you must have known I could not harm you,” he teased her.
She laughed and caressed his face. “It crossed my mind that you did not seem to need to ensure ladies’ attention by attacking them. Besides, I knew you found me not tolerable enough to dance with, let alone to have other improper thoughts.”
His laugh matched hers as his embrace tightened.
“In that, you were very wrong. I found you more than tolerable. In fact, I found you the most attractive woman I had ever met, and I had to struggle mightily to control my urge to kiss you. It is fortunate I am a man of great self-control. Those few hours spent alone with you were the first steps toward this complete bliss.”
“True…and it gave me the chance to see you in such a different light. By the time we left the cottage, my opinion of you had already started to change. And when you held my hand for the first time…I cannot describe what I felt. I was so disappointed when you let go…”
“Nor can I describe what I felt when I touched your hand for the first time. Such overwhelming delight could not compare with anything else in my life before you. My heart and my mind were already full of you when we met on that rainy day. But I changed, too, once I realised your true opinion of me and that my future felicity was tightly bound to you.”
“I agree so much what you just said: ‘my life before you.’ I can also split my life into before and after I met you. My heart and my mind are ‘now’ full of you, my love, and have been from the day we spent in the cottage—even before I realised it.”
She leant closer and rose on her toes to reach his ear; then she whispered, her lips touching his skin, “My soul and my body are yearning for you…every inch of my skin craves your touch, your kiss, your scent, your strength, your tenderness, your passion known only by me…”
His silent stare betrayed the depth of his reaction to her powerful profession of love. It was not that he did not know it; it was not that she had never confessed her love to him before. But every time, her words revealed new meanings just as their affection grew in different ways every day.