"Once.To ensure the maids had cleaned it properly."He'd moved close enough that she could see the gold flecks in his dark eyes, feel each exhale against the exposed skin of her neck.His presence filled all the empty spaces the room had left, warm and solid and overwhelmingly real."My mother's chambers connected to my father's through that door."His hand appeared in her peripheral vision, gesturing toward the far wall."They never spent a night apart in three decades.I suppose I hoped—expected—the same."
Elizabeth turned in the circle of his arms, tilting her head back to study him properly.This close, she could see the faint shadows beneath his eyes, the way his cravat had been loosened by her hand then re-tied with less than his usual precision—small imperfections that made him infinitely more dear.
"Thirty years," she repeated, fingers finding the edge of his waistcoat, tracing the line of buttons."And you expected—hoped—for the same?"
Pink crept up from his collar.The great Mr.Darcy of Pemberley, pink.
"Elizabeth—"
She rose onto her toes, lips barely grazing his jaw."Were you planning to whisk me from bed every night?"
His hands found her waist, fingers spanning the silk."You're mocking me."
"I'm adoring you."The confession slipped out before she could catch it.She watched it land, watched his pupils dilate, his grip tighten."I adore you."
Now that she had said such a ridiculous thing of the proud, stern Mr.Darcy, she wanted to say it again.Elizabeth traced the sharp line of his jaw, feeling muscle jump beneath her fingertips.
"I adore you."She pressed closer, silk whispering against wool."I adore your steadfastness.I adore your fierce loyalty to those you love.I adore that you loved me even when I was blind and cruel to you."
"You were not cruel," he murmured.His forehead dropped to rest against hers, eyes squeezed shut, his breathing gone shallow and quick against her lips."Never cruel."
Darcy captured her lips then, swallowing whatever foolish confession would have followed.This kiss held none of the carriage's playful exploration—this was sensual, wanting, his tongue sweeping past her lips while his hands dragged her flush against him.Elizabeth met him with equal fervor, fingers tangling in his hair, ruining whatever remained of his careful grooming.
When they broke apart, both gasping, Darcy's eyes had gone nearly black.
"Do you wish to see my chambers now?"
"Need you ask?"
He didn't wait, simply swept her through the connecting door into a room that smelled entirely of him—dark chocolate and autumn leaves soaked into every surface.Unlike her pristine quarters, this space bore evidence of living: books scattered across surfaces, a newspaper still folded on the bedside table, the warm scent of him in the air.
The bed dominated the room—carved mahogany posts thick as tree trunks, burgundy curtains that would block out the world.Elizabeth's fingers found the counterpane, testing its softness while Darcy watched from the doorway like a man calculating angles of approach.
She sat on the edge, sinking into goose down.
"This feels familiar."
"But better, I hope."He crossed to her in three strides, kneeling between her parted knees.His hands found her ankles, sliding up beneath her skirts to grip her calves."Here, you can nest to your heart's content."
Heat pooled low in her belly.His thumbs pressed circles into the sensitive skin behind her knees, and Elizabeth's breath hitched.
"The servants—"
"Have strict instructions not to disturb us until tomorrow."Higher now, fingers spanning her thighs while silk bunched around his wrists."Mrs.Carroll has managed this household for years.She knows what newly married couples require.And if she does not, then she can learn."
Elizabeth's fingers gripped the counterpane as Darcy's hands traveled higher, pushing silk and muslin up her thighs with maddening slowness.
"Tell me what you need for your nest," he said conversationally, as if he weren't currently untying the ribbon at her knee."More pillows?Specific fabrics?"
The ribbon loosened.His fingers hooked beneath her stocking, rolling it down with excruciating care.Each inch of exposed skin prickled in the cool air, then warmed under his gaze.
"I—" Elizabeth's voice cracked as he pressed his lips to the inside of her knee, barely a touch."Darcy—"
"Softer blankets perhaps?"He moved to her other leg, fingers finding the second ribbon."Cashmere?Velvet?"The bow came undone with one practiced pull."Did you ever try to nest at Netherfield?"
Heat flooded her cheeks at the memory—her desperate attempt at comfort while her body burned for him.Now his hands mapped the curve of her calf as he peeled away the second stocking, thumbs pressing into muscle just firmly enough to make her gasp.
"No," she whispered."It wasn't… nothing was right."
