Bingley laughed and reached out to pat her hand. “I have learned not to expect the impossible, Mrs. Darcy. But I would be honoured to stay.”
Chapter 41
“Must you tease me in front of strangers, madam?”
Elizabeth saw the playfulness in her husband’s dark eyes. Even after an exhausting morning settling their guests into their rooms, Darcy was full of mischievous energy. Feigning the same icy formality as he, Elizabeth sipped her tea before she deigned to answer. They only had a few stolen moments together before duties would call them once more, but that did not mean she did not have time to tease her husband.
“Mr. Bingley is not a stranger, Mr. Darcy. You have been good friends with him for many years. Cambridge must have been perilously boring if you are this determined to erase it from your mind!”
“It was rather tedious.” Darcy admitted with a smile, then tried again: “He is a stranger toyou,Mrs. Darcy.”
“Not anymore, sir. I believe that I have promised to dance with him at the summer ball. One does not promise dances to strangers, you know.”
“Are you going to dance with me?”
“I have not decided. Are you likely to ask me, sir?”
“I may.” he returned, just as breezily. Abandoning his sardonic act, he smiled approvingly at his wife. “I am glad that you like Bingley.”
“I think everyone must like him! I have never met a more genial man in all my life.”
“What about me?”
“You? You are an aggravating creature, and I love you dearly.” this was said with a beautiful smile, as she suspended him between insult and adoration. Then she raised an eyebrow humorously, “I may find you less aggravating, sir, if you do ask me to dance. Since it is my own ball, sir, I ought not stand up with my sister.”
“She is already promised to Mr. Bingley, I imagine.”
“Lucky Jane! To have such a charming partner, when I have none.”
Darcy sighed dramatically, “Of course we will dance, Elizabeth.”
“You still have notaskedme!” Elizabeth stood up straight. There was a challenging light in her eyes that Darcy did not recognise. “You told me, sir, that when my sister was safe, I could choose how you and I are to be. Well, I have decided. I want to dance with you, sir. I want you to take my hand in front of your friends and show them how much you care for me. I want you to take my hand andnot let me go.I want to dance with you, sir, almost as much as I want to… to be taken into your bed.”
Darcy could barely breathe. What had begun as their normal, comfortable teasing had taken a rather abrupt turn.
They had both thought about it, of course, in their frequent and frustrating intimacies. It was easy to gosofar, but to go no further gave everything an uneasy veil. Elizabeth’s ‘rule’ ofending their courtship on midsummer day was both exciting and nerve-wracking. Neither of them had any real notion of how to bridge that final gap.
Elizabeth was still naive enough to imagine that a coupling was a simple, businesslike matter. Like many women she had been raised with the sure knowledge that sex was something one did, to a greater or lesser degree of discomfort, when called upon. While she was eagerly learning otherwise from Darcy’sexceedinglythorough instruction, she still saw it as something quite simply accomplished.
Darcy was quite the opposite. He had struggled with so many complicated ideas and worries that he suspected he was more likely to face an aneurism than an orgasm. He was rather hoping that Elizabeth would change her mind, if only to take the pressure away from that one damnable night. It would be better if things happened naturally, in their own time, like… like flowers budding in a field, or… something to do with bees… or something.
If they could do ittomorrow,then everything would be perfect. Why on earth had he agreed to adeadline?
Darcy had assumed that his wife was feeling just as awkward as he, so it was a revelation to hear her making such overtures. Ofcourseshe had arranged the ball to coincide with that day. It was exactly how her quick, creative mind worked.
Two birds with one stone, is it angel?He thought, amused.
Elizabeth looked at him, blushing and laughing. The pinkness in her cheeks was irresistible. Darcy caught her hands, kissed one lightly, the other mischievously, and then looked into her eyes.
“Mrs. Darcy, would you do the great honour of dancing with me?”
She nodded and then leaned closer to kiss his cheek. A wicked chuckle followed her next few words:
“What would you have done if I’d said ‘no’, sir?”
“Called you a liar.” he breathed back, kissing her cheek in return. She sighed and her head tilted back a little, giving him the chance to run his lips along her neck. “I know how much you want this, my love.”
“This?” she laughed shakily and drew back, running her fingers through his hair. “No, Darcy. I wantyou.Now that you’ve asked me, you can have me, too.”
