“You are teasing me, I think.”
“And you have your breath back. Can you sit up, my love? I want to speak to you.”
She did, pulling her nightdress down over her legs with a blush but, for the first time, refusing to avoid his gaze. Darcy kissed the end of her nose and then pulled her into his lap. There was a strange, uncertain expression in his eyes that somehow managed to be both worried and amused. When he finally spoke his mind, it was baffling:
“Fitzwilliam is a dreadful gallant.” he said. “He flirts shamefully with every woman he meets.”
Elizabeth’s hands went suddenly limp on his shoulders. Her eyes grew wide. “I told you - Ipromiseyou - in our letters, we never…”
“Of course you did not.” Darcy soothed her at once with a smile. “And Fitzwilliam would never dream of making advances towards you. He is a man of honour, he is just a fool. He cannot see a woman without trying to turn her head. It is like a game to him, finding out the perfect compliment for every lady he meets. I am sure that he will behave just as strangely here. He will becharming.”
Darcy spat out this last word as if it were truly grotesque. Elizabeth hid a smile.
“Are you jealous, my love? Even if he is charming, he shall not have any effect on me.”
“I have no doubt of that. You are a woman of sense. But if you are to be flirted with…” he looked sidelong at her, at her innocent blushes and hungry eyes. She was irresistible.
Darcy ran his knuckles lightly down her neck. It tickled enough to make her laugh, and he captured her parted lips with playful nips. This was not the frantic, fiery kissing that Elizabeth knew. Darcy took his time, teasing and tasting her and slowly lowering her back onto the bed until she lay beneath him.
Then Darcy deepened the kiss, holding her cheek firmly and swallowing her soft mewling cries. His other hand slowly moved up her body, finding the swell of her breasts and then impatiently pulling the neck of her nightdress away. When he lowered his head to kiss the sweet rosebuds on her chest, she cried out and arched under him so exquisitely that he groaned.
When he reluctantly drew away, Elizabeth was pink and warm in his arms. Her eyes, always so beautiful, were lost and pleading.
“Now, angel, listen to me.” Darcy murmured, “We shall not sleep alone again. Tonight you will come to my bed, and we shall lock the door. Say yes.”
She nodded at once, mute and trembling. Darcy smiled and kissed the end of her nose.
“I shall keep my promise to you, Elizabeth. But when the door is locked there are many other ways I would like to please you. Do you agree?”
“Will they please you, too?”
“Most assuredly.”
“Then I agree. Of course I agree.” she breathed and caught his cheek with her hand. “I do believe I would agree to anything you say. But you must solve one mystery for me, my love. What on Earth does this have to do with your cousin being a flirt?”
Darcy let out a dark chuckle and kissed her neck. His lips lingered, she felt the heat of his breath and then heard his voice filled with such commanding desire that her heart raced.
“Because I am going to show you what happens when the door is locked, my love. I want you to think of that, and of me, and our locked door, until there is no room in your mind for anything else.”
“Not even your charming cousin’s wonderful compliments, sir?” Elizabeth teased.
It was hard to put any strength into her voice. It came out in a low, breathy croak. Her whole body felt electrified, like the tingling air in a thunderstorm. She had no idea what he was planning, so why did her body understand every word?
“Do you consent?” Darcy murmured, trailing his lips from her neck down to her shoulders.
“Yes,” she whispered, drawing him up to press her lips to his. “Show me.”
Chapter 56
Breakfast was a chaotic affair. Generally, when a large group of ladies and gentlemen gather, activities are chosen to encourage as much mingling as possible. Pemberley was quite different. Everybody in the assembled crowd had their own plans for the day ahead and cared not if half of the party were excluded. Of the nine people in the house, only three had any inclination to spend time with Fitzwilliam at all, and two of them were late!
Fitzwilliam’s estimation of ‘shockingly late’ amusingly transformed itself into ‘scandalously late’ when the Darcys finally arrived. Everyone knew that they’d had a furious argument the day before, but it did not seem to have had any lasting effects. Mrs. Darcy looked rather flustered, it was true, but by the swollen pout of her lower lip and the curls that had been hastily swept over a mark on her shoulder, Fitzwilliam suspected that the couple had thoroughly resolved their differences.
Elizabeth only made eye contact with her sister Jane when she sat down and was rather clumsy with her teacup. Darcy was much more collected and greeted everyone in good humour. He introduced Fitzwilliam to his wife with a casual aside, promising that they could become more properly acquainted in the relativeprivacy of their walk. Mrs. Darcy flicked her eyes up twice - once at her husband, once at Fitzwilliam, and made a polite greeting. Then she looked back down at her plate, blushing, and pushed her food around without appetite.
The party discussed their dinner of the night before, which had been unremarkable but pleasant for all involved apart from Miss Bingley, who had left early. Bingley apologised easily for his sister’s absence.
“We shall not see her for a few days now.” he finished with a slight smile, “She has gone into Chesterfield with her maid and told me not to expect her back before the end of the week.”
