Chapter 27 #2
The night they had spent together on the beach—their night—was a celebration of concealed love and long restrained passion. It was a moment of pure bliss and utter madness stolen from an uncertain future. It was equal joy and pain, happiness and remorse.
As he said, it could not compare with the ardent love, complete and unrestrained, desperately seeking fulfilment between husband and wife united in body as they had been in mind and soul.
An entire night was not enough to soothe their hunger, and their passion was only defeated by physical exhaustion. When dawn found them tightly entwined, carrying the scent of fulfilled bliss on their skin, there was no him or her any longer, but them, with nothing to keep them apart.
And they admired this sunrise with joy and hope, so different from the devastating grief and sorrow of two years ago. The night was over, and their lives had just begun.
∞∞∞
A fortnight of bliss kept the newly wedded Darcys in London.
During that time, they enjoyed little else but each other, interrupted only by short visits from their closest relatives.
In June, it was settled for the entire party to move to Pemberley for the summer.
Bingley, Jane, their son, and Mr and Mrs Bennet would come from Hertfordshire, and all the others—Kitty, Mary, Lydia with her young son, the Gardiners, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Anne, their daughter, as well as Georgiana and Lady Kendal, would travel from London.
Darcy had made all the travel arrangements—a daunting task considering the two night and three day journey with such a large party.
Three days before their departure date, all the plans were settled and all the luggage packed. Before breakfast, Darcy embraced his wife with a mischievous smile that had become quite familiar to her since they married.
“You have a secret, Mr Darcy. Another one? Or a surprise?” she asked, cuddling into his chest and sighing with pleasure.
“I confess I have. Would you join me on a short trip before we leave for Pemberley?
She looked at him in complete puzzlement, doubting his seriousness.
“Another trip? Where?” she asked, knowing too well she would go with him any time, anywhere.
“To Brighton,” he said. His eyes told her more than his short reply. She felt chills running down her spine as she nodded.
“When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow morning. I have informed Richard and your uncle. We have accommodation at an inn in Brighton and will return the next morning. If this is convenient for you.”
“Anything is convenient for me if we are together,” she answered.
She suspected the purpose of the additional trip and she was surprised by how deeply it affected her.
She knew he would take her back to that place—their place—and her emotions ran high.
She intended to mention that they could sleep at Lady Kendal’s cottage, but he had surely considered it and decided differently. And she could easily imagine why.
∞∞∞
The waves crashed on the seashore, and the pebbles tickled her bare feet. It had rained, and the ground was cool but enjoyable. She had taken off her shoes, as she had done when she had first discovered that place, without even knowing Darcy was there too.
She gazed at the sea, while her husband embraced her from behind. She leant her head against his torso and felt him slowly removing the pins from her hair.
“I knew you would bring me here,” she whispered. “I wished to return to this place more than I dared to admit. But I feared…I dreaded it as much as I longed for it.”
“Are you displeased that we have come?”
“No, not at all. Sadly, it is too cold to sea bathe.” She smiled at him.
“It is too cold and we have no time for such enjoyment,” he replied, then slowly turned her to him and claimed her lips.
“But there is more,” he continued, when they finally stopped and tried to catch their breath.
Brighton has been close to my heart since I used to visit with my mother as a child.
I imagine we shall come often, and I know Lady Kendal’s cottage is comfortable enough for the entire family, but I feel uneasy staying in the house that belonged to Philip. I hope you understand.”
“I do…and I agree. But there are also houses to rent near Lady Kendal’s.”
“There are, indeed. But I would like to have a place of our own. So…”
He watched her with a gleam in his dark eyes, enjoying her curiosity.
“So…?” she enquired impatiently.
“Come with me, Mrs Darcy,” he invited her, putting her shoes back on and taking her hand. Puzzled, she followed him, amused by his boyish excitement.
He guided her along the path that led towards the main road, through a grove filled with trees. Then he stopped. Bewildered, she spotted a small wooden cabin in a poor state, and her curiosity increased.
“I have purchased all this ground for us—you may see that it is already fenced. This is all I could do since it took me four months to complete the business. We have an unrestricted view of the sea and are perfectly situated close to the beach. By the end of the summer, all this ground will be cleared, and a small cottage will be built here, just as you want it. I hope you will love it as much as I already do.”
“I love everything that I have had the privilege of building with you, Mr Darcy,” she replied tearfully, barely finding her words.
“The cottage will be small, at least at the beginning. For us only. I am not ready to share it with anyone else yet. If you approve of it, I would like to return here at the end of August.”
“I would be happy to. Very happy,” she confessed, sharing another embrace and a passionate kiss.
Eventually, they decided to leave, as the carriage was waiting. But the power of the place was too strong, and drew them back towards the sea, to the small cave that had witnessed their passion two years ago.
There, he sat on a rock and held her in his lap.
“It is overwhelming. Heart-melting…” she whispered, her arms encircled around his neck. “Everything is the same: the beach, the sea, the waves, the cave…only we are different.”
“I do not believe so, my love,” he contradicted her. “I think that, in essentials, we are just as we were that night. Only more.”
“You are right,” she agreed, cupping his handsome face in her small hands. “And our love is just as ardent. Only stronger.”
“And consumed,” he added, kissing her palms. “Fulfilled. With nothing to restrain us or to keep us apart anymore, Mrs Darcy,” he whispered just before his lips covered her face with tantalising kisses.
Under the cool breeze and the sound of waves, Elizabeth started to count the days until they would return there.
The sea would be warm, and the cottage would be ready to shelter them.
She only had to wait three more months, a time of utter felicity spent at home, at Pemberley, mostly in her husband’s arms.