Chapter 2.24 #6
One cold night, as Elizabeth was sleeping deeply and peacefully in her husband’s arms, covered in warm blankets, she found herself abruptly awakened. She opened her eyes, disconcerted, looking at the fire burning warmly and listening to the wind blowing.
“Lizzy, wake up my love,” he said hastily, and she moaned and smiled. She adored hearing him call her Lizzy. She glanced at him, wondering why he hurried to the window and pulled open the curtains.
“Look Lizzy—this is our first snow at Pemberley,” he said, and she immediately rose from the warmth of the bed, the cold of the room shivering her skin. She stepped in front of the window, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck.
“Oh, William, this is so beautiful,” she whispered.
“We should return to bed; it is cold,” he said caringly, but she begged him to stay a little longer.
He could not possibly refuse her, so he hurried to push the settee close to the window, throwing a few pillows and a blanket on it.
Then he took her in his arms, and they lay together on the couch, wrapped in each other’s arms and covered with the blanket, warming their bodies and hearts as they admired their first Pemberley snowfall.
The next morning, everything was white, and Elizabeth, Georgiana, Kitty and Mary spent a couple of hours before breakfast walking in the garden through the snow while Darcy watched them from the library window.
The snow continued to fall the entire morning then stopped, and the wind demanded its share of time.
Later in the evening, however, after dinner, while Elizabeth and Darcy prepared for the night, it started to snow again, steadily, peacefully.
On the balcony, Elizabeth forgot to breathe under the spell of such beauty.
“Mrs Darcy, I will meet you downstairs in a quarter of an hour. Dress yourself warmly; it is freezing outside,” her husband said abruptly, putting more wood on the fire.
He was gone before she had time to reply or to attempt to guess what he planned to do. She had long ceased trying to anticipate the meaning of his words or his intentions, but she did not need to know more as she trusted him completely.
A quarter of an hour later, the butler opened the main door and invited her out.
In front of the entrance, her husband was waiting beside a huge sleigh pulled by Thunder and another black horse.
Her face turned crimson from her own emotion and the chilling breeze as the snowflakes caressed her cheeks and rested in her hair.
He took her arm and directed her into the sleigh; then he settled himself beside her and took the reins. The horses impatiently started to move, and soon the sleigh was flying over the white ground.
Elizabeth closed her eyes as she breathed the cold, fresh air. She nestled to her husband’s chest while her heart seemed afraid to beat from overwhelming happiness.
Darcy’s arms gently encircled her shoulders while his other hand covered them both with a smooth wool blanket.
Her own hand slid around his waist. He secured the reins, and the horses instantly slowed the pace; his free hand gently stroked her face and then lowered to her neck, brushing tenderly along her skin.
His lips captured hers in a kiss, at first tender and then more passionate, to which she happily surrendered.
One arm travelled along her spine, while the other continued its journey from her neck lower…
then tried to find its way inside her coat.
She laughed against his mouth and shivered as his fingers tried to unbutton her spencer but were caught between it and her dress.
His kiss became more daring, while his fingers became more eager and less skilful in their attempt to reach the softness of her skin.
The snowfall increased, and so did his impatience. Her face was freezing while his lips were burning and her body seemed on fire…
“Mrs Darcy, tomorrow night, please indulge me and dress yourself less diligently. A single coat over your dress would suffice, I think, and one with very few buttons would be a perfect choice.” She laughed, her fingers hurrying to help his in their daunting task.
“But sir, you said I would freeze if I did not dress securely”
“Well, my love, this outside activity in full winter is very new for me, too, so I am learning from experience. However, I think I may safely promise you that you will not freeze. In fact, I dare say you will be quite warm…quite warm indeed,” he whispered, and his strong hands placed her astride his lap.
She encircled his neck with her arms, allowing her lips to be captured by his.
Covered in blankets—with the horses moving at a slow pace and the snow falling on their hair, their faces and their skin—they subdued the frozen air with the warmth inside them on their first sleigh ride alone together—only them, their love and the winter covering Pemberley in frozen whiteness.
Nine months later, in the middle of August, young William Darcy, a beautiful, healthy boy, claimed his place in the world and in the hearts of his parents.