Darcy kissed the crown of her head and held her gently. Elizabeth felt a great weight lift from her shoulders. She had not even realised it was there. Guilt, regret, fear - none of it mattered here. She was being held by the man who loved her, and they were safe.
Safe… and warm… and…
The hand against her belly moved. Elizabeth felt her curls being brushed away from her cheek.
“Elizabeth, it’s time to wake up.”
“Just a few more minutes…” she sighed.
Surely, their soft, dark dawn was only a few seconds gone. Elizabeth had no idea that she had fallen back asleep, or that time had passed. Now, the room was flooded with morning sunlight, making her sleepy eyes water. Of course, she had forgotten to close the curtains. With a groan, Elizabeth sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“Good morning.” her husband said, idly twisting one of her long strands of hair between his fingers. Elizabeth yawned and swatted him off with a teasing smile.
“Good morning to you, too, Mr. Darcy! If I must get up, sir, then I certainly shall not permityouto keep lazing around in my bed!”
“If I had time to stay in bed with you, Mrs. Darcy, then I would hardly spend it ‘lazing around’.” he waited for her to blush and then added, “I confess that I was tempted to wake you up sooner. Now, I fear, we must make haste.”
“What pressing engagement could possibly force us to get up before noon, sir?”
“Oh, that awful cousin that you invited here wants to meet you. I said that we will walk with him to the river straight after breakfast. After that, we can all go to see Georgiana together.”
“All things that require me to be dressed,” Lizzie summarised, adding wickedly: “And not weak at the knees.”
“Ideally.” Darcy smiled serenely, not rising to her teasing at all. He stroked her cheek, tapped the end of her nose playfully, and then stood up and bowed. “I shall see you at breakfast, madam.”
Elizabeth caught her breath when the adjoining door swung shut behind him. She had been all butpanting!At silly words and fleeting touches. He hadn’t even kissed her, and she felt like she was aflame!
Growling with genuine irritation, Elizabeth stood up to ring for her maid. Changing her mind at the last minute, she instead marched into her husband’s room. The sound of the door snapping closed behind her made her marvel at her own daring; the laughing delight on Darcy’s face when she threw herself into his arms made the rest of the world fade away completely.
Their lips met in a heartbeat, first playful, then hungry. Elizabeth felt her feet being lifted from the ground, then thehard press of the door against her back as Darcy held her against it. Gasping, she instinctively wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his shoulders, seeking his lips with greedy delight, pulling him closer until she could feel his heart racing against her own. Then, laughing, Darcy’s arms relaxed and he carefully set her down.
“You do not seem surprised to see me, sir.” Elizabeth teased breathlessly. “Should I have knocked?”
“I was rather hoping you would follow me, angel.” he murmured, running his fingertips along her jaw. A wicked smile crossed his lips. “You looked furious when I left.”
“Then you admit you did it on purpose, to vex me!”
“Not at all. I was just curious to see if youwould.You didn’t come to me out of duty, or obedience, or even affection - you followed me because you wanted to be kissed.”
“You make me sound so…” she blushed scarlet. Darcy shook his head and kissed her fiercely.
“It is not an insult, my angel.”
“It is hardlyangelic.”
“The best things often aren’t.” he lifted her up again with a suddenness that made her gasp and carried her to his bed.
This time their kiss was not playful; Elizabeth felt his hand pushing her nightgown up and then searching, stroking and teasing with slow, burning command. When she whimpered, he slipped his hand between her thighs, caressing and then pressing his thumb against and into her most intimate part, demanding pleasure until she choked out a cry and collapsed weakly against him.
“Dear God, Elizabeth,” he breathed, kissing her as she gasped and shivered, “How could that possibly be an insult?”
“You…” she could not catch her breath, but clutched at his arms as if he was the only thing stopping her from drowning, “You want me to be like that? To be… immodest?”
“Do you fault me for wanting you?” Darcy smiled when she mutely shook his head, “What difference is there between us, then, that makes you ashamed of the very same thing you accept in me? Do you think thatIwill be ashamed of you, because you like to be touched? When you are married must all your pleasures be at the whims of your husband? Must food lose its flavour, and perfume its aroma? Of course not. It is ridiculous to think that any of your senses should be ignored.”
“Yes, but… when I smell perfume, I do not… make such noises!”
“What a shame. They are lovely noises.”
