“I had no idea of doing any such thing.”
“I doubt that.”
“It is true that I was aware of your preference, but I just wanted you to be as unhappy as I was at our dismal prospects, but certainly not tormented.”
“Ah, I see the difference.”
“Besides, with all my curls, I have difficulty keeping them from popping out, and sometimes, especially in rainy weather, it is easier to wear my hair down, tied with a ribbon.”
“Then let us hope for rain.”
Darcy took Lizzy by the hand and led her to the bed. He turned her around and undid the buttons of her dress, and she felt her corset loosen as he undid the stays. But then he stopped, and Lizzy turned to look at him.
“I think you will be able to manage the rest on your own.”
“But in your letter, you wrote…”
“I know what I wrote. But one thing at a time. Now, my clothes are in the next room, which has no heat at all. So if you would get ready for bed as quickly as possible, I would appreciate it.”
With the room so chilly, there would be no dawdling, no time to think about what was about to happen, and she quickly went about her toilette. After one final look in the mirror, she knocked on the door to let Mr. Darcy know that she was ready. Will entered the room to find her perched on the edge of the bed.
“I did not know which side of the bed you wanted to sleep on,” she explained.
“I always sleep in the middle,” and then he smiled, pulled back the cover, and gestured for her to get in. As soon as they had settled in, Will pulled her to him, and she rested her head on his shoulder and placed her hand over his heart.
“It beats for you, Elizabeth.”
“And mine for you.”
“Was everything to your satisfaction today?” Darcy asked.
“I can’t say. The day is not over yet,” and Darcy burst out laughing, and Lizzy placed her fingers upon his lips. “Your sister will hear us. And, yes, it was a perfectly lovely day. You looked very handsome.”
“And you were positively radiant,” Darcy said as he pulled his wife to him.
“Just think, if you had not insulted me, there would have been no need for an apology. You might just as well have gone back to London, and nothing would have come of it.”
“And so let me say it again, Mrs. Darcy, you are more than tolerable and definitely handsome enough to tempt me,” and he kissed her deeply and ran his hands along her body. After lifting her gown and helping her out of it, she felt his warm hands caressing every part of her, and she yielded to his every movement. He shifted his weight so that his leg was between hers, and he moved against her, listening to her soft moans as she lay beneath him. After hesitating for a brief moment to tell her that he loved her, he entered her, and she wrapped her legs around his, pulling him deeper into her. She continued to move with his rhythm, and when she felt his final thrust, she ran her hands up and down his back until his breathing grew quiet.
“Are you all right, Elizabeth? I have heard that sometimes…”
“You did not hurt me,” she said, kissing him. “What you did was to make us one, inseparable and complete,” and she lay in his arms until he fell off to sleep.
While Will slept soundly beside her, Lizzy could not sleep at all. His lips and hands had given her more pleasure than she could have ever imagined. Eventually, with this sweet memory, she too fell off to sleep, but sometime during the night, she rolled over and put her arm around his waist. Although barely awake, Will began again, and when first light came, Will could think of no better way to start their day than by making love, and in this, Elizabeth was in complete agreement.
Chapter 59
As soon as the carriage entered the long drive to Pemberley, Lizzy pressed her nose against the window, and with a hard frost covering the lawn and with the sun sitting low on the horizon, everything had a silver glow to it.
“This is now your home, Elizabeth,” Georgiana said. “Welcome to Pemberley.”
When Mr. Jackson opened the double doors, Lizzy saw that the foyer and double wrought-iron staircase were all hung with Christmas greens and red ribbons. Assembled in the entrance hall, in two lines, was the entire staff of Pemberley in their spotless uniforms, shined shoes, and freshly pressed caps. Mrs. Darcy smiled at every servant and tried to commit their names to memory, but there were so many, and there would be more in the summer. At the end of the line were Mrs. Bradshaw, Mrs. Reynolds, and Lizzy’s lady’s maid, Ellie.
After quickly squeezing Ellie’s hand, she addressed the housekeeper. “Mrs. Reynolds, how good it is to see you again.”
“And you, ma’am. Welcome to your new home. May I remind you of the time when I took you on the tour of the house? I said that I did not know who was good enough to be the wife of my master, but now I know.”
Mr. Jackson then introduced Mrs. Bradshaw, Pemberley’s iron-willed cook. By her very posture, Lizzy could see that she was a woman who was used to being obeyed, and so Lizzy would follow Will’s suggestion and agree to everything she said.
Elizabeth thanked the staff for their warm welcome and told them she was grateful for their service. In his role as lord of the manor, Mr. Darcy stated that Pemberley was very much like a family and that all must work together so that everything ran smoothly. The thought occurred to her that some members of the family worked a lot harder than others.
After Georgiana dismissed the servants, Lizzy realized that Christmas was in two days, and she had done nothing for them.
“I have seen to it,” Georgiana reassured her, “my last duty as mistress of Pemberley, and I gladly turn the keys over to you.”
Lizzy had butterflies in her stomach just thinking about all these people looking to her for direction. She only hoped that her husband was right when he said that the servants ran Pemberley.
Will directed Lizzy to the staircase leading to the first floor and told his wife that unless there were guests in the house, the public rooms were used infrequently in the winter. “We have a sitting room upstairs, and that is where we spend most of our time, especially on a day like today.”
Georgiana led Lizzy to her apartment. “This was our mother’s room. I think it will give you an idea of what she was like, and of course, she had the best view of the gardens.”
The canopy over the bed, the draperies, bed covers, and upholstery were decorated with fabric with soft green colors with tiny white flowers and gave the room a warm feeling, and the picture frame paneling, embellished with Classical Greek designs in each panel, created an aura of elegance. Will, who was standing by the door, looked to her for her approval, and she nodded enthusiastically.
“In the morning, after breakfast, we shall bring in the Yule log because it will be Christmas Eve,” Georgiana said, “and I shall acquaint you with our traditional holiday supper with our servants. It is held below stairs in the servants’ quarters, and it is great fun. But you have had a long journey, and so I shall say good night and sleep well.”
When Georgiana left, Lizzy put her arms around Will’s neck, and standing on her toes, she kissed him and thanked him for loving her and for bringing her to Pemberley. He picked her up and carried her to the bed and lay beside her.
“Will, you have your boots on.”
“They are not on the bed.”
“But still…”
“Very well. How quickly you have taken to being a wife, but if you insist that I remove my boots, I am going to remove everything else and get ready for bed. Pemberley is warmer than Wick Manor, but it is chilly enough.”
“Shall I send for Ellie?” Lizzy asked.
“I will be happy to perform the same duties that I did last night.”
“Then I shall not ask her to come in. It will be easier tonight. Fewer pins.”
“Don’t move. I will be right back,” and Darcy went to his room, realizing that when provided with the proper motivation, preparing for bed could go very quickly, and he hurried Mercer along.