“If you are trying to distract me,” he said, “it is working only too well.” He pulled her gently into his arms and settled his lips on hers.
After a satisfying interval, he sat up. “Wait. Do ogres have claws?”
“I would suppose so. I have never seen one. Except for you, naturally.”
“Naturally,” he replied. “I am thankful you did not tell me at the time. It would have been such a blow to my pride, I mightnever have decided to ask you to marry me. I have been called many things, but not that.”
“Really? I cannot imagine anyone would have had the courage to call you anything.”
“Because I am such an ogre?”
“Precisely.”
As they approached Pemberley, Elizabeth began to show obvious signs of agitation.
Darcy, sensitive to the change in her mood, asked her what was wrong.
“What if the servants remember what happened, and are insolent towards me?”
“Hush,” said Darcy, putting a finger to her lips. “I do not want to hear another word about that unfortunate incident. The servants will like you because they cannot help it. They will quickly fall under your charm, just like I did.”
“I know you feel that way, but with servants, respect is more important than liking.”
“You are my wife. If you have any trouble, I will deal with it.”
“I prefer to handle it on my own. You cannot force their loyalty.”
“Then I will speak to Mrs. Reynolds, and I will explain everything to her, just in case. But remember, she knows Georgiana very well, and she knows Georgiana is attached to you – everyone in the household knew it, since Georgiana made it abundantly clear. Everyone saw how morose my sister became when I sent you away. Mrs. Reynolds practically raised my sister. She is well aware Georgiana does not give her affection easily.”
Darcy ran his finger along the edge of her jaw down to the delicate slant of the throat. “Besides, I married you and brought you here. I do not think anyone will seriously entertain the idea that you were trying to steal the china, especially now that you pointed out how improbable it would have been.”
Elizabeth laughed. “I suppose I am being foolish, but it is only to be expected that I would be nervous when I am moving into my new home. Especially since it is Pemberley.”
“I have no doubt you will be more than equal to the task,” said Darcy, “you have a magic touch. Look how you managed with my sister.”
“I suppose so. Iamlooking forward to having your sister join us soon. It will be nice for all of us to be together.”
“Much as I would like to agree with everything you say, I have to admit, I would rather have you to myself for a while.”
They arrived in Pemberley, and he introduced Elizabeth to the servants, keeping an eye out for any signs of discontent, but he found none. As far as he could tell, they all seemed pleased to meet their new mistress, and delighted at his marriage.
Elizabeth was kind, and gracious, and listened intently to all their names. She would soon have them eating out of her hand. He had no doubt about it.
“I have a wedding gift for you. It is in our bedchamber. At least, I hope it has arrived by now.”
As they stepped in, there was no missing it. It was there, in a large chest, in the middle of the room.
“Go on, open it,” he encouraged.
He watched as she dug through the straw and found the object he had bought for her. Her expression as she found it was priceless, and everything he had hoped for.
“It is a Ming Dynasty vase. I thought it might be a good match with the one you tried to steal.”
Elizabeth sputtered. “I did not—”
“Really, Elizabeth! Have you forgotten how to laugh? Have you become starchy after you acquired the Darcy name?”
She carefully put the vase back into the chest. “Are you calling me starchy, Mr. Darcy? It seems I will have to prove to you I am not.”
