Chapter 24 #2
The morning of the third day, Elizabeth awoke to find she had begun her courses, a very inconvenient thing to have happen while traveling such a long distance.
She grumbled at her ill luck and lamented the absence of her maid, who had gone on ahead of her to prepare the cottage where they would be staying.
Grateful it had at least begun while she was at an inn and not on the road where she would have had to ask her husband to stop and the whole thing could have been mortifying, she gathered what she needed and prepared to leave.
She asked the maid at the inn for some sleeping powders, knowing it would all be so much simpler if she could rest through it, then stepped outside to await her husband.
Darcy collected his wife and led her to the carriage, happy to be on the way and that much closer to their destination.
Today would be their last day of hard travel.
He was enjoying being in Elizabeth’s constant company, but he missed spending nights with her.
They could not share a bed in an inn; it was unseemly.
It would be especially awkward for Elizabeth who was so new to such activities and still very shy with him.
The last week had taught them much about each other and acclimated them somewhat to the marriage bed, but it was all still quite novel.
After the first day, he no longer came to her during the day.
He limited such things to the evenings after his complete mortification at witnessing her examining herself for injuries at his hand—well, at his something.
He had barely been able to restrain himself, but the anticipation made the nights that much sweeter.
Now, he was denied even that. She had sat next to him the day before and laid her head on his shoulder while she slept, which had been sweet torture to him.
He had stroked her hair and stolen a few kisses, but nothing more.
This was to be their last day in such close confines where he was able only to look and barely touch.
The distractions of the next few days seeing the sights should help occupy his mind, and he imagined there would be plenty of places to steal a kiss or two and hopefully more.
The first night of the journey, they had both been exhausted and knew they had an early morning, so he had kissed her goodnight and left it at that.
The second night, he had hoped for a little affection before retiring, but she had practically fallen asleep at the table and he could not bring himself to demand anything of her when she clearly needed to rest.
Now, he was beginning to think his notions about showing affection in a carriage were a bit silly.
So what if it wasn’t entirely proper? He was quite sure people did all sorts of improper things all the time.
He’d been very improper prior to their wedding.
But since they had wed and he had full access to her person each night, it seemed greedy somehow, selfish, to demand affection from her every hour of the day, and there was something in Elizabeth’s demeanor, some intuition that made him stop, but he tried not to think about that.
Perhaps he was overly concerned and she wouldn’t be as scandalized as he had feared. This was Elizabeth after all.
The ride started easily enough. They discussed the books they had been reading and whether the night had been comfortable at the last inn.
At the first stop to change horses, Elizabeth refreshed herself—not an easy thing to do in a busy inn—and stretched her legs, walking slowly around a small herb garden behind the main building.
She mindlessly watched a maid gathering vegetables into a basket while she rubbed her lower back slowly, trying to ease the tension.
Traveling was rigorous enough on the body without the added trouble of courses.
Darcy asked if she wanted tea and she said no; the sooner they reached their destination the sooner she could get a hot brick and lie down. She had hoped they would be at the cottage before this started, but clearly it was not to be.
“Are you ready to depart? The carriage is awaiting us,” came Darcy’s voice from behind her.
She sighed and removed her hands from her back, lifting her face to catch a few rays of the sun before returning to the covered carriage.
“Yes, I am ready.”
Darcy followed her into the carriage, sitting beside her instead of across. She didn’t worry about the change. She had just taken a sleeping powder at the inn and thought she would drift off soon. Her husband would make an admirable pillow.
“May I rest my head on your shoulder? I should like to sleep,” she said.
Surprised, he said yes and she curled up next to him and he wrapped an arm around her, his hand resting on her lower back.
Suddenly having an idea, she asked him, “Fitzwilliam, would you mind placing your hand just here?” She moved his hand to cover the sore spot on her back.
“The heat of your hand eases my soreness.”
“Of course. I didn’t realize you were in pain. We could have stopped longer at the inn,” he said kindly.
“No, it isn’t necessary. A little rest will help immensely. I will feel much better when we reach the inn tonight and I can have a hot brick.”
He nodded, wondering what the problem was.
She had been fine the day before. She was tired, certainly, but traveling had that effect on everyone and she had not gotten as much sleep as usual the last week.
Another thing I am responsible for, he chastised himself.
I must take better care of her. But this was not merely fatigue; she had said she was sore.
Was it the carriage? He thought it was very well-sprung, though not as well as the larger one.
Had he made a mistake in choosing this conveyance?
Just as he was working himself up into a fit of worry over his wife, she made a slight noise and burrowed her head into his chest. She was asleep already.
He leaned himself back into the corner and pulled her so that her head was on his chest and her body between his and the backrest of the carriage.
He kept his hand pressed into her back as she’d asked and placed a kiss on her head before closing his eyes and joining her in slumber.
Sleep is a much better idea than fretting like an old biddy.
Several hours later, Elizabeth was still asleep but Darcy was awake.
He’d opened a book and held it in one hand while the other gently stroked his wife’s back.
He was surprised she was sleeping so long, but if it brought her relief, he supposed he should be glad.
The sun was dipping toward the horizon and it would be full dark in less than two hours.
They wouldn’t be driving much farther. Would she be able to sleep this night?
Suddenly a smile broke across his face before he even realized what he was smiling about.
Elizabeth would be very well rested when they reached the inn this evening.
Surely after sleeping half the day in the carriage, she would be able to stay awake later into the evening.
Why hadn’t he thought of it before? It was the perfect solution!
Sleep in the carriage, remain awake at the inn.
What a stupid man he was! But in his defense, he had never taken a long carriage ride, or any carriage ride for that matter, with a woman he was in love with or even mildly interested in.
With this new solution in mind, and happy thoughts of being alone with his wife occupying his attention, he continued reading contentedly, not understanding more than one word in five.
Elizabeth was groggy. Her mouth felt a bit sticky and there was motion around her.
She was pressed against something warm but slightly scratchy and it was…
. Moving? Where was she? Ah, I am in the carriage with Fitzwilliam on the way to The Lakes.
She stiffly tried to sit up and touched one hand to her head.
“Are you well?” Darcy asked.
“Yes, I just felt dizzy for a moment. Probably from all the motion,” she said.
“And you haven’t eaten much all day. There are some biscuits here. Would you like some?”
“Yes, please.”
She nibbled on the biscuit she’d chosen from the tin and looked out the window.
“It’s nearly dark. Will we be stopping soon?” she asked.
“Less than a mile now,” he replied.
They pulled into the drive of a rustic looking inn.
There were roses to the left of the entry and she breathed in the fragrant scent gratefully.
It was comforting after so many hours in the carriage.
They had been driving with the windows closed to keep out the dust. Once they slowed their pace, they would be able to open them, but for now, she was happy for a bit of fresh air.
They were shown to a suite of rooms including a sitting room where Darcy ordered their supper be served as soon as it was available. Elizabeth walked to the large window overlooking the back garden and threw open the sash.
“A servant can do that. You needn’t bother yourself,” said Darcy.
“It’s no bother. I need the air.”
She leaned slightly out the window and took several deep breaths, willing her headache to recede and her aches to subside.
She excused herself to freshen up and went into her room, once more lamenting the absence of a maid.
Luckily the owner had sent someone up to help her change out of her traveling clothes.
Wearing a light day dress and having the chance to bathe quickly from a basin did much to liven her spirits and she rejoined her husband with more energy than he had seen from her all day.
The meal was quite good for an inn and she ate the roast beef and vegetables with relish. The bread was particularly welcome as it had just come out of the oven. Darcy watched it all with a small grin, thinking her renewed spirits and returned appetite suited his after dinner plans.