Bella Darcy, the Runaway Heiress

Chapter One

Elizabeth Darcy idly ran her fingers over the planes of her husband's chest and down to his stomach before repeating the motion in reverse.

After more than twenty years of marriage, the dark hairs were now sprinkled with grey and he was a little thicker around his middle, but he was still a fine, strong man and she felt the same pull to him as she had in the early years of their relationship.

He was staring up at the canopy, one arm around her and one hand pulling at the bed linen, clearly lost in thought.

She snuggled closer to him and could hear his heart thumping hard beneath his chest.

"My darling William, as much as I would like to think my mere presence would cause your heart to beat faster, I suspect that is not the case this evening."

He turned his head and buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply.

"Dearest Elizabeth, you know that being close to you causes such flutterings and tremblings.

" He slipped into a high falsetto in an affectation of her dear, departed mamma at the end of the sentence. It was a well-worn joke between them.

Elizabeth laughed and propped herself up on her elbows. "Do not think you can distract me, you dear man. You should know that I am like a hound on the scent. What took you so far away and caused you such agitation?"

He pulled her back to him and tucked her in close. "I was thinking on Bella. She failed to attend her lessons with Samuels and me to review the estate accounts today. I found her sitting under the oak tree in the eastern woods. She was reading The Pirate. Again."

"Scott? Well, that's hardly a surprise. He is one of her favourites."

"Yes, but she was avoiding her responsibilities. It is the third time this week. I spend half of her lessons searching the estate for her. And when she does attend, it feels as though she is there in body rather than mind."

"I know the responsibility of the estate does not come easily to her. But she is a good, bright girl and still full young. She just needs a little time."

"Elizabeth, I was master of this estate when I was not three years older than she is now. And I am a man."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he rushed on.

"I do not mean that makes her any less capable.

I know, indeed, that she has much more intelligence than many men of my acquaintance.

But it does mean she will have to work harder to prove herself, as unfair as that is, and that she shall be seen as a target.

What if I were to contract a fever or fall from my horse? "

"Fitzwilliam Edward Darcy." Elizabeth pulled away from him, once again propping herself on her elbows and regarding him fiercely. "Do not speak of such a thing. You are hale and hearty."

He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "I am, my dear, but these things occasionally prey on my mind. Would you talk to her? Sometimes she reminds me so much of you."

"You say that like it is a bad thing, William!" Elizabeth said, smiling against his hand.

"Never," he said. "But you were always so free, striding around the wilds of Hertfordshire, so certain of your place in the world. You were certainly able to put me in my place, and I fear she has inherited your skill in that regard."

"She loves you very much, you know," she said gently.

"And so I love her beyond all measure." He sighed deeply.

"It seems not two minutes since she had me on my hands and knees in the parlour, acting the part of her trusted steed as we conquered Camelot.

How do we have three daughters almost fully grown, Elizabeth?

And how am I to guide them as they take their place in the world when I so often feel unsure of the right path? "

"They are wonderful girls, and that is in great part because they have had you for a father.

You must remember that my own Papa spent most of his time in his book room, content to let us muddle through without him.

You have never done that, William. You have always known your daughters, known what delights them and what troubles them, and they have never once had cause to doubt how very much they are loved. "

Elizabeth settled her head back against his shoulder.

"And Bella is hardly the only daughter capable of giving you grey hairs.

" Kate, at least, rarely troubled him. She had always been the quietest of the three, happiest when buried in some scientific volume and blessed with a steadiness Elizabeth could only suppose had come from her father.

Mina was another matter entirely. Their youngest had been indulged by all of them from the moment she first opened her eyes and now spent much of her time with a sketchbook in hand, dreaming of one day seeing her work hung in some great London gallery.

Bella had always been different again. She wanted some adventure she could not quite put into words, only that it lay somewhere beyond Pemberley and all the expectations waiting for her there.

She leaned closer. "Now, enough maudlin thoughts. All will be well." She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew his face to hers. "Come here. Let your devoted wife discover just how fast she can cause your heart to beat."