Chapter Twenty-One #3
After that, Darcy took the book, and sitting next to Elizabeth in the wide bed, with Emily curled up on his other side, he read in his strong voice the next few tales in the old collection of stories that his mother had read to him when he was a child.
Elizabeth rested her head at his side, and after a while she closed her eyes, and then as he finished yet another story, a familiar small snore told him that she was asleep.
Darcy carefully disentangled himself, placing a finger over his lips to tell Emily to be quiet. He closed the curtains firmly, then the two of them tiptoed from the room.
“We put Mama Lizzy to sleep!” Emily exclaimed as soon as the door was shut.
Darcy winced, not at all confident that the noise would not wake Elizabeth.
He picked up the girl and carried her down the hall, tickling her as he went. “Let us go to the breakfast room and see if Georgiana is awake yet.”
Darcy’s sister was in fact awake, having gone up to bed at about the same time Elizabeth had, but she seemed a little surprised to see them. “Where is Lizzy?”
“I read her to sleep!” Emily cheered. “She is really tired.”
“Oh.” Georgiana smiled. “I have been a little concerned—she seemed to not be having enough rest.”
“We must,” Darcy agreed, “make some effort to keep her from overexerting herself. Emily, you must sometimes give Mama Lizzy time to herself.”
“But she always plays with me. She promised.”
“Emily, do you not sometimes want to play on your own? Mama Lizzy is like that. Sometimes she wants to play with you, and sometimes she wants to play alone, or with me and Georgiana.”
“Oh, very well,” Emily said with a put-upon groan. “If such is required, I shall do it.”
Georgiana giggled. “She sounds just like you when she says that.”
“Let us take a walk around the gallery,” Darcy said. “Emily, we must wait for you to be fully well before we go out again.”
There had been a great fall of snow several days before that was still present on the ground. It made a lovely view from all the windows.
Emily sighed and begged to be able to go out and run about in the snow; however, as she still regularly coughed and then mournfully moaned “ill” after each cough, Darcy thought that permitting her the freedom of the out of doors was still ill advised.
As they walked about, Darcy was mostly filled with contemplation of Elizabeth.
He had not really been paying attention to her because he had feared that all he would see was a dislike of himself.
And in that he had failed in his duty to care for her.
She had received scant guidance from him on how they should all live together.
When they returned to the lower floor, Darcy found Elizabeth awake and seated in the breakfast room, sipping black coffee while nibbling on one of the tarts.
She had a piece of paper before her on which she was writing a letter.
Elizabeth immediately pushed it aside and rose as Darcy entered with Emily and Georgiana. “And what are our plans for Christmas?” she asked with a smile.
“My first plan is that you will have the leisure to finish your letter,” Darcy replied.
With a flush, Elizabeth asked, “Are you certain? I do not wish to disrupt any plans.”
“Most certain. In any case, we have always kept Christmas Day itself quiet. We shall attend services at Kympton in the evening, but otherwise games and reading and music together is the usual course.”
“A pleasant plan. We always played snapdragon on Christmas Eve—might we do that? Though carefully. Lydia once burnt her hand rather badly.”
“Oh yes! That sounds like great fun!” Georgiana exclaimed.
Darcy agreed to making that part of the plan after they had returned from the church.
Without dressing up further, the whole group went to the drawing room, and Elizabeth sat at a desk and wrote steadily for the next hour while Darcy and Georgiana distracted Emily.
After this, Elizabeth stood and shook out her hand. “I am somewhat less behind in my correspondence now.”
“Your family and friends are most important to you,” Darcy said. “You must find the time to write your letters to them.”
“Is that an order?” she asked, her eyes bright.
“If that will make it easier to attend to a task that I know will bring you joy.”
Elizabeth pressed her hand against her lips. She nodded furiously. “Thank you—I might write another letter later, then. Before church.”
That night they retired early as Darcy wanted to give Elizabeth every chance to catch up on her sleep.
As soon as the two of them entered their private sitting room, to Darcy’s surprise, Elizabeth kissed him passionately.
The next half an hour went by in a happy glow that would frequently recur in Darcy’s memories and thoughts over the years.
But when he went to leave her bed that night, Elizabeth clutched at him and said, “Please stay tonight.”
“You must prefer to be alone.”
“I feel happier when you are with me,” she replied.
Her response shot through Darcy like a lightning bolt.
Surely she could not really mean it?
He lay down with her and held her close. She fell asleep within a few minutes with her head on his chest. Darcy concentrated his mind on the tickle of her hair over his bare chest, the sound of her slight snore, and the way that his whole side felt warm from her body heat.
He slowly fell asleep next to Elizabeth.