“Oh,” she whispered. Darcy wanted to write everything that happened while it was still fresh in his mind, and he wanted to have an account in case anything happened to him. She hoped that Markle had not made it to Gravesend and talked with Kirby yet.
“Your husband seems a considerate man,” Mrs Skillman led. “He was as concerned for your meal and bath as he was for making sure he had enough paper.”
“Yes, Mr Gardiner is so thoughtful.” She paused, thinking on all she felt for Darcy. “I think he is the best man I have ever known.”
The door opened, and Elizabeth started, giving a little shriek of surprise and, although she was behind the privacy screen, she folded herself as small as she could.
“Oh!” She recognised Darcy’s voice instantly. “I—I thought you would be finished—I can leave. I will walk in the yard.”
And be seen immediately if Markle or Steamer arrived? “That is foolish,” she said through the screen. “You will want to shave and eat. I am almost done.”
She heard slow footsteps move from the door. What could Darcy see now that he was past the screen? Her back, and likely a little lower given how shallow the bath was. With her hand on the tall side of the bath, leaning slightly forward, Darcy would see the side of her breast as soon as he turned his head.
Now that he was in the room, she realised that she did not mind if he saw her naked. Not only did she not mind, she liked the idea very much.
“Did you want to bathe, sir?” Mrs Skillman asked.
It sounded as though Darcy tried to speak, but only managed to make a rough sound at the back of his throat.Is he looking at me?She refused to look over her shoulder to see for herself.
“Yes, he would,” she answered for him.
She would look to the wall and stay to the side of the screen when he did. Simply because she would be happy to have Darcy admire her wearing no clothes did not mean he felt the same.
The landlady nodded to her. “And you can help him, then?”
So much for not seeing him unclothed. She made some indeterminate sound of agreement and turned enough to look at Darcy. If he looked absolutely mortified, if he seemed incapable of saying this distressed him, she would make his excuses.
The intensity of his eyes when he looked at her made her breath catch. He held her gaze as best he could, it seemed, but his eyes darted here and there across her body. A delighted thrill shot through her.
“Have you been married long, ma’am?”
Darcy went pink and started, and turned to the shaving stand. She heard water splashing and a deep sigh.
“We met last autumn,” she said by way of answer.
Mrs Skillman poured water over her one last time to rinse the last of the soap. Elizabeth took her hand to step out of the bath and onto a towel, and wrapped another one around her. Darcy was still at the slim shaving stand in the corner, gazing at the tilted-up mirror.
She could still feel the press of his thighs against hers, the warm sweep of his tongue, his palm stroking her breast. Did Darcy feel the same tension between them that she did? Did he want to relieve it the same way she did? Whatever he felt, there was no way to address it with the landlady in the room.
“Thank you for your help,” she said. “I can manage the rest myself.”
After the door closed behind Mrs Skillman, Elizabeth finished drying. She heard a final quick scraping sound of a razor and then water splashing. She watched Darcy run a hand over his now-smooth jaw as he turned from the mirror.
She had liked him with whiskers, but he looked handsome freshly shaven too. Their eyes met and the sound of laboured breathing filled the room.
“Did, did you want to dress?” His voice sounded deeper than normal. “Do you need help?”
“Not yet; my clothes are so dirty. I will wait.” His eyes moved from the top of her towel down to the bottom. “Unless, unless this bothers you?”
He gave a despairing little laugh that was devoid of humour. “There is no way in the world for me to answer that and still be a gentleman.”
She felt her cheeks get hot even as she smiled. He could insist that she dress, and be thought to disapprove of what he had already seen, or he could say that he did not mind at all and be thought a complete cad.
“Your turn,” she said, gesturing to the hip bath.
He swallowed so hard she could hear it. Darcy took off his coat and kicked off his shoes. While watching her, he removed his pocket watch and unfastened his waistcoat buttons. She felt the tension between them build to a heretofore unknown height.
Elizabeth turned away before she saw any more. As eager as she was to explore whatever Darcy was willing to do, watching him strip off his clothes piece by piece was too much to handle. She combed out her hair and brushed her teeth, and ignored every fluttering sound of Darcy’s clothes being tossed to the floor. When she heard splashing, she felt brave enough to turn.
