Chapter 3.28 #2
“Your husband is a wise man. As wise as he is honourable. My brother Gardiner told us about the situation with this little girl. It is hard to believe, Lizzy.”
“Papa, we shall speak more of this later. If you are staying for a full month, we are in no hurry.”
She kissed her father again, then turned to the others.
“Please sit—we were enjoying a late breakfast. And tell me everything! When did you arrive in London? How are you? I can see you are all well! And Mr. and Mrs. Bingley—I am so glad to see you!”
Overwhelmed by emotions, Elizabeth had temporarily borrowed her mother’s bubbliness, glancing around the room at those so dear to her. They sat, while more food and drinks were brought, without Elizabeth even ringing for them, confirming one more time that Mrs. Talbot knew her duties very well.
Barely seen from behind the table, placed between Georgiana and Mary Bennet, Emily was looking around in astonishment.
Strangely, the Bennets’ noisiness frightened the girl only for a moment; soon enough, she felt at ease in their lively company, even more so as nobody treated her in any peculiar way.
She had already been assimilated into the family.
“Oh, we arrived today! We only had time to visit our house briefly, had a cup of tea and came here. We intended to travel yesterday and to stay at my house overnight, but…” Bingley began to explain.
“I had Lady Lucas, Mrs. Long and my sister Phillips coming for tea yesterday afternoon!” Mrs. Bennet interjected.
“They were curious to hear about our trip—you know how nosy they are, Lizzy! So I could not disappoint them. But the roads were very good and we arrived quickly and safely. Upon my word, I believe it was the easiest journey to London I have ever made!”
Mrs. Bennet stopped in panic, gazing at Darcy.
“Oh, my dear Mr. Darcy, do not fear I have betrayed your secret! I explicitly told them not to tell anyone! Besides, Lizzy was far away; she could not possibly have heard of your surprise! Oh, you have such a beautiful house! But then again, I did not expect less from you!”
“Do not worry, ma’am. I am glad you are all here, safely,” Darcy answered conciliatorily.
“I shall ask Mrs. Talbot to have your rooms prepared,” Elizabeth said.
“Mrs. Darcy, do not worry, the rooms are already ready! I heard Mrs. Talbot saying so!” Emily explained joyfully, then quickly panicked and covered her mouth with her palm. It was unclear to her what was still secret and what could be told, and she feared she had upset the master.
Darcy began to laugh and turned to his wife. “My dear wife, since all is in the open now, I can tell you that everything is taken care of. I debated with Bingley who should host our guests, and he has allowed us this honour. After all, he has been close to them these two months in Hertfordshire.”
Elizabeth rewarded them with an adoring and thankful gaze.
“I am sure Bingley is not too upset to leave us to you,” Mr. Bennet interjected. “I suspect he has had enough of us, and he would welcome a month of peace and privacy with his wife.”
Jane blushed violently, Bingley mumbled an opposition, but Mr. Bennet dismissed their explanation with a gesture, sipping from his drink.
“What I would like most is to see Mr. Darcy’s library. I have heard so much about it that I am eager to judge it for myself.”
“Of course, sir. If you wish, Elizabeth and I would gladly offer you a tour of the house, and then you may each decide what you wish to do,” Darcy suggested.
“A tour of the house? How lovely! Of course, we want to!” Mrs. Bennet readily accepted.
“But Mama, we have not finished eating yet!” Kitty said.
“Oh shush, girl! Who cares about your breakfast! Stay and eat. I want to see the house!”
“Emily and I will stay with Kitty and Mary. I will show them the house later,” Georgiana offered kindly.
“You see? Miss Darcy will show you the house! You may eat as much as you want, child!” Mrs. Bennet concluded.
“Upon my word, Kitty and Lydia used to eat all the time! I hope Kitty does not share other inclinations with Lydia too! I must take care of her, she is related to Mr. Darcy now! She has to mend her behaviour!”
For the next half an hour, the party was split in two. The younger set remained in the dining room, while the others toured the house, then the gentlemen retired to the library, to enjoy some drinks by themselves.
Elizabeth showed her mother the chamber that had been prepared for her. The luggage was already waiting, and a maid was allocated to her. Mrs. Bennet almost fainted, flattered from such consideration.
“My dear Lizzy, this is more than a mother could ever dream,” the lady said.
“Your husband is the best of men, truly! Mr. Bingley is an excellent man too, Jane, do not worry. But we already expected him to be so caring. Mr. Darcy, however—so rich, so arrogant, so proud! I disliked him so much in the beginning! And he refused to dance with Lizzy! And now—just look at what he is doing! I wake up sometimes, thinking this is all a dream!”
“It is not a dream, Mama—I assure you,” Elizabeth smiled. “We have been blessed, truly blessed!”
“Oh Lizzy, and your father told me what Mr. Darcy did for poor Lydia! Should I thank him, do you think?”
“No, Mama. He wishes that his involvement would never be mentioned again. All that matters is that Lydia is happy. Let us not talk about this again.”
It took another hour before the family was finally settled and calm. Elizabeth’s soul was full of joy and gratitude, but she found not a single moment to speak to her husband privately. They exchanged a few glances, and she knew he understood her. But still, she wished to tell him more.
In the late afternoon, the Bingleys departed for their own home, with the promise of returning again later for dinner. With Jane, Elizabeth also had little time to speak, but a few moments were enough for the sisters to assure each other of their mutual happiness.
∞∞∞
Three hours after the Bennets’ arrival, the house regained some of its usual tranquility.
Mrs. Bennet was resting in her own chamber, Mr. Bennet had found a book and settled himself in the library—the room of his dreams. Georgiana, Kitty and Mary, followed by Emily, moved to the music room, amusing themselves.
Elizabeth attempted to speak to Mrs. Talbot about the new dinner arrangements but she found that everything was already arranged.
Her husband’s surprise had been completely planned down to the last detail, so she found there was nothing else to do but return to her apartment, meditating once again on her utter happiness.
Having her family around was the last piece to complete the picture of her bliss.
It had been eight months since the disastrous marriage proposal in Kent—for which she blamed herself more than she blamed Darcy.
Four months had passed since Lydia eloped, throwing the entire family into despair and ruin.
And then Darcy had saved them all, offering her the gift of his everlasting love.
“Elizabeth?” she heard Darcy’s voice calling for her.
She turned to meet his eyes, and stepped towards him, throwing her arms around him.
He sat in the armchair by the fire, surprised by her impromptu embrace, and she placed herself on his lap, encased in his arms.
“Everyone is well and resting. Later on…” He tried to explain, but she silenced him with a kiss that made words useless.
“I know you solved everything. I have nothing else to do, except love you…” she replied against their joined lips.
It was full daylight, they had a house full of people, yet her intentions were clear.
“We should lock the door,” he said, with the last of his wit.
She quickly rose and turned the key, then returned to his lap. Before he had time to breathe, she eagerly resumed the kiss.
He hastily took off his waistcoat, then pulled her dress up and sat her astride him.
Darcy’s desire grew stronger as he witnessed her instigating the delicious encounter.
He lowered the dress from her shoulders, exposing her bare skin to his touch.
The red heart on her neck was shining, and he kissed her throat.
She gasped as the position aroused burning sensations inside her.
He kept whispering to her while he removed his trousers and ripped off her undergarments.
She bit his lips to stop a cry as their naked lower bodies touched.
His large hands were resting on her hips, guiding her to move against his lap and she bit his shoulder when she felt him enter her—gentle and strong, deeper, warmer and more gratifying than ever before.
“Am I hurting you?” he whispered, and she forced herself to say no. Since she could not speak, her lips met his in another kiss, while she continued to move of her own will.
His hands burned her skin with long strokes, then cupped her breasts tenderly. His thumbs tantalised her nipples, which hardened under his touch. She moaned, and her body arched towards him.
He pulled her closer again, and her breasts brushed against his torso. Their moves grew faster and deeper; her moans which she tried to keep silent, betrayed her growing pleasure and fed his own.
“This is not enough,” he murmured, and suddenly stood with her in his arms.
Their bodies were still joined, and her legs tightened around his waist. He lowered them both onto the bed together, and she struggled to regain her breathing.
He stopped, watching her carefully for any sign of discomfort, which was not present, then kissed her again, his yearning still unsatiated.
With hasty moves, he threw off the rest of their clothes, stroking and tasting each bare spot of skin, and her own desire quickly matched his.
The moves became stronger, more profound and hastier, rushing toward the ending they were both eager for, while their moans were crushed within their joined lips.
When they finally rested in exhaustion, both became aware of the impropriety of their situation and smiled at each other with embarrassment as they looked at their clothes littering the floor. But their mutual happiness fought against shame and remorse.
“If this is my reward for every surprise I prepare for you, you should expect to be surprised quite frequently, Mrs. Darcy.”
She laughed cheekily. “There is no need for surprises, Mr. Darcy. And it was certainly no more reward for you than it was for me!”
He kissed her face, and she chuckled at being tickled.
Then he suddenly stopped and said. “There is something else I must confess. I have arranged a dinner party too—the Matlocks and the Gardiners should arrive soon.”
“Mr Darcy!” Elizabeth scolded him after a moment of complete shock.
She jumped off the bed, still looking at him disapprovingly, and rang for Sarah even before she had time to gather all the clothes from the carpet and put on her robe.
She threw her husband a reproachful look, while he kissed her in haste again and retired to his apartment.
At the door, Sarah attempted to enter, but the door was locked.
She knocked and waited patiently, until the mistress opened it, blushing and very worried about not being ready for dinner on time.
However, half an hour later, Mrs. Darcy’s concerns proved to be unfounded. With a new dress but the same red heart on her neck, she descended the stairs just in time to greet the rest of her guests, arm in arm with her husband.
Surrounded by their family, in the middle of the din of voices and laughter, while performing their duties, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy still felt vividly the traces of their recent passion in their bodies and hearts.