Chapter 3.10
The sound of a soft knock on the window and the bright light woke Darcy. The sun was up but the wind was blowing. He had slept little but restfully, as he had every night he spent with Elizabeth by his side, and in his bed.
They had been married for a whole week, and he wondered how he had lived without her for the last eight and twenty years. For that, he had no answer, but he was certain his life would have no meaning without her from that day on.
Darcy slowly removed himself from the bed and walked towards the window, careful not to awaken Elizabeth.
But his gaze returned to her. She was sleeping, smiling in a secret dream that remained unknown to him.
Her soft body, however, hidden from his eyes under the sheets, he knew too well, inch by inch.
She allowed – she invited him - to explore it, she matched his ardent passion with hers and palliated his long turmoil by offering herself to him completely; her mind, her heart, her entire being.
He had lost his heart to her a year ago and she had generously returned the missing piece of his soul, of his life, completing him, teaching him the meaning of happiness.
He had heard people talking about marital bliss, but until his betrothal to Elizabeth, he had been certain it was only a vain expression. She had proved him wrong, once again.
His eyes lingered on her, mesmerised. Her hair was falling over her back, while her hands rested on the pillow, each side of her head. She sighed, and he wondered what she was dreaming of, hoping he had a place in her thoughts.
Since she had become his wife, Elizabeth had filled his life, his house, his heart until there was no room left for anything else.
He was frightened of the power of his feelings for her, overwhelmed by the desire that stirred his senses every moment, by his insatiable hunger for her, and his need to simply be with her, in every possible way.
And he knew she was happy too and that she was sharing everything with him: love, tenderness, passion, desire. Life itself.
They made no calls, paid no visits, wished and needed nothing else but each other.
Even Georgiana had not returned home yet, allowing them their well-deserved privacy.
Darcy was grateful to his sister and his aunt for their consideration, as he had no time for and no interest in anyone except his wife.
During the infrequent times they had left their bed, he had slowly introduced her to the house, to his duties, to the household.
With amusement, he listened to Mrs. Talbot – the housekeeper - praising Mrs. Darcy several times a day.
He knew that the arrival of a new mistress in a house was always a frightening moment for the staff; he was certain that his servants were almost as pleased with his choice of a wife as he was. Almost, he smiled to himself.
With her wit and wisdom, Elizabeth quickly understood she could not demand immediate respect and obedience from those who had served the Darcys for so many years.
Instead, she tried to win it. And she easily succeeded, with kindness, joy and unpretentiousness, becoming the staff’s favourite.
Her amiable manners, genuine smile and gracious nature were enough rewards to make everyone willing to please her.
And that included him – whose greatest satisfaction was to enchant her.
Darcy sat near Elizabeth and caressed her hair; she sighed and smiled but did not wake up at first. As his gaze explored her skin, revealed from under the sheets, she seemed to feel it.
She moaned and turned to him, and the sheets fell from around her, leaving her covered with nothing but her hair.
When she finally met his smiling eyes, she allowed herself to be spoiled by his adoring, passionate glance.
“Good morning, Mr. Darcy,” she whispered. Her lips were red and slightly swollen by his kisses and by her own bites when the pleasure of their lovemaking overwhelmed her. His fingers brushed over them, and then he placed his mouth on her bare shoulder.
“It is a pleasure to see you, Mrs. Darcy. In my bed. And in my life.”
She laughed, touched by his tenderness and her arms encircled his neck.
“Have you been awake long? I cannot believe how lazy I have become since I married. I have never slept so late in the morning ever before.”
“But you have never slept so little during the night, Mrs. Darcy. You are not lazy at all, it is I who should be blamed for your change of habits.”
“I could not blame you for anything, Mr. Darcy. You might not have been a man without faults, but are surely a flawless husband. At least to me.”
“Only to you, my beloved wife.” He kissed her lips but only for a moment. Then, to her surprise, he pulled her up to stand.
“We must remember that you have engagements today. We must take Georgiana and call on the Gardiners. Also, my aunt will expect you to have at least a cup of tea with her.”
“I have not forgotten,” she answered. “Lady Matlock has fixed me an appointment at the modiste tomorrow, for the dresses we ordered three days ago. She is quite excited about the reopening of the Theatre Royal. Apparently, it will be a grand evening for the entire ton.”
“Yes, so it seems. Are you nervous?”
“A little. I know everybody will scrutinise and judge me, and most likely disapprove of me. They will try to understand how I managed to trap you into this marriage, how I succeeded where others failed. Oh, and I am worried that Lady Catherine might do something to embarrass Georgiana and you…”
“Come now, my love. You are brave and bright and will bear everything gracefully. The first appearance will be more difficult; then they will slowly become accustomed to our marriage. I will be here to protect you. I will always keep you in my arms.”
“I know, my love. This is why I would like to stay a little longer before we begin our day. For our marriage and for you, I would gladly bear any criticism and disapproval. I am still not certain that my happiness is real. That you trusted me to be the mistress of all this after I so abominably abused you.”
“Come now, Mrs. Darcy. Did you not say that we should not worry about the past, since our present is so blissful? You should follow your own advice.”
He gazed at her adoringly, then lay down by her side again and she cuddled up to his chest.
“We shall stay as long as you like. Our day begins when you decide.”
She stretched and pressed her lips upon his. She was already so well accustomed to him, that there was no restraint and no shame left, even if she was completely undressed in the daylight.
“But we cannot stay long; breakfast must be ready soon,” she whispered.
“Are you hungry?” he whispered back, his lips against hers.
“Not so much…But I do not dare to imagine what the servants are thinking about a mistress that is always late.”
“They must be thinking that I am very selfish and keep you to myself. I believe they mostly wonder how you can spend so much time with such a haughty, disagreeable man.”
She laughed. “It is hard for me, indeed, but I am struggling to accomplish my duty.”
“You are doing a wonderful job, Mrs. Darcy. Just as I expected and more.”
Both adored such teasing. Elizabeth was still unaccustomed to this side of the aloof and ever so proper Mr. Darcy: his teasing, his flirting, his improper small gestures and whispers that made her blush, the passion that she aroused in him when they were together.
Ardent, just as he had declared eight months ago, in Kent.
And she could not help worrying about how close she had been to losing such happiness before even knowing it.
What man would have proposed a second time to a woman who rejected him so harshly and so unnervingly?
That man, who was lying near her and held her in his arms, loving her in every way a man could love a woman. That man! Her man.
“I know I have told you before, but I never imagined I could love anyone as much as I do you,” she whispered.
His arms closed around her even tighter, and she felt crushed to his chest.
“Neither did I. Last April when I first proposed to you, I believed I loved you ardently. But I was wrong. Or perhaps I was right, but now I must find a word stronger than ardent, to express how I feel. You are in my mind, in my body, in my heart, and I cannot imagine what my life would have been without you.”
Elizabeth answered, her lips, her eyes, and her heart smiling at him. “How fortunate that we will never have to find out.”
“Indeed…”
They ceased speaking, as their lips became otherwise engaged. His hands encircled her back, caressing her spine, her neck, her shoulders, then glided into her hair.
“We should stop now, or else we will be late. Very late,” he said, breathless.
“Yes,” she whispered, without separating from him a single inch.
She was lying atop him, and as she moved against him, he moaned with growing desire.
As Elizabeth showed no sign of willingness to stop him, his hands turned eager and gently caressed her thighs, her hips, then up along her arms. She abandoned herself to his tender caress, while her bare body brushed over his and their lips joined in a deep, passionate kiss.
His hands continued to explore her tenderly, then suddenly he turned her onto her back, leaning over her.
“Should we stop?” he enquired, his eyes locked with hers.
“No,” she whispered, struggling for air, amazed to realise that, after making love the previous night, her desire was still as strong as his.
He placed countless kisses in her hair, upon her shoulders, her neck, her ears; she chuckled as his lips tickled her but he silenced her with a kiss, while his caresses never ceased.
Her skin shivered from his touches then she gasped when his hands cupped her breasts. Their soft roundness fitted perfectly in his palms; he fondled them tenderly, his thumbs tantalising her nipples, which hardened from the pleasure. Her moans of delight enchanted him more than his own pleasure.
Trapped under his warm weight, her mouth possessed by his, her body sweetly tortured by his caresses, Elizabeth cried his name, begging him.
She trembled as she felt his fingers between her thighs, burning her with his strokes then daringly gliding inside her. Her back arched as she cried his name again.
“I wish so much to be inside you…So much that it hurts me…But I fear it is too soon and I might hurt you. Are you in any pain?” he moaned against her ear.
“No,” she murmured, barely understanding his words. “The pain has long gone …”
Her legs encircled him and she pulled him closer to her.
The obvious invitation broke his last restraint.
He watched her closely, their faces almost touching.
Her hands snaked around his waist; his legs parted hers even more, while he tenderly kissed her lips.
He tried to be patient and gentle, as he entered her slowly, smoothly, moaning in the deepest pleasure.
“My love, you are so sweet … and warm…” he said, moving slowly, with long, deep strokes, while their moans, their bodies, their caresses, their lips were all joined together. His thrusts became stronger, harder, deeper when their passion was unleashed until they shattered in pleasant fulfilment.
Breathless, they remained united, gazing at each other. He brushed her hair from her forehead, and then his fingers gently touched her bitten lips.
After a while they reluctantly separated, smiling at each other.
“Sarah and Stevens must be pleased they are not needed early in the morning,” Darcy said. “They must find their assignment quiet relaxing.”
“Were you a harsh master before you married?”
“Well, only with Stevens, perhaps. With the rest of the staff, Mrs. Talbot is in charge here and Mrs. Reynolds at Pemberley. I only interact with them when someone has a certain need, when there is a dispute that I need to solve or when we hire new help.”
“I was teasing you about being harsh. It is common knowledge that you are the best master and the best landlord. Mrs. Reynolds said so to everyone, and we cannot contradict her, since she has known you since you were four!”
The mischievous smile and the sparkle of joy in her eyes made Darcy pull her to him and silence her with another deep kiss, from which she quickly withdrew, calling for her maid.