Apprehension and Desire: A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (36 page)

“What effect?” she asked innocently.

“I can admire her like a pleasant painting of a beautiful woman, but it never crossed my mind to… you know.”

“And you wanted that … with me?”

“Are you blind, woman?” he cried loudly, tugging her on top of him. “Did you forget how I pinned you to the wall in that dark corridor at Longbourn?”

Elizabeth moved to sit on his stomach, straddling him. “And now?” She removed her nightgown, threw it behind and shook her curls.

He grinned. “I am in a lazy mood tonight, I am afraid. It has been a long, exhausting day.” he said, his expression turning into a pained one, but his eyes were already devouring her breasts, hands reaching to her hips.

She pouted. “You want me to do all the work then?”

He nodded eagerly, grinning again, his mouth stretched impossibly wide.

“Well…,” Elizabeth leaned forward to place a kiss on his shoulder. “I think that I shall manage.”

***

“She is so beautiful, Lizzy,” Jane cried softly as she stroked Star’s soft mane.

The sisters were in the stables, where they wandered after Elizabeth had shown Jane around the gardens.

“A present from William,” Elizabeth explained.

“Do you ride her? I remembered Papa giving you lessons last summer.”

“Yes, I do ride,” Elizabeth announced proudly. “She is so docile that I am not afraid. Georgiana is so kind to bear with my snail's pace as we take a turn around the park every few days, though I know that she likes to ride fast, even riskily, very much like her brother.”

They kept talking to the  mare in soft voices, giving her carrots and sugar.

“Here you are, ladies,” they heard a thick, male voice behind them.

Elizabeth turned, seeing her husband, dressed in his riding outfit, tall boots and beige breeches. Her heartbeat accelerated; he looked so handsome.

“I was showing Jane my mare,” she explained shyly.

Darcy strode into the stall and first narrowed his eyes at the horse’s pleased expression, before his gaze turned back to Elizabeth’s hand full of white cubes of sugar.

“You will spoil her, Elizabeth, giving her so much sugar every day,” he scolded gently, his voice patient. “Her teeth will get rotten and she will gain too much weight to run.”

Elizabeth gave Jane an embarrassed look. She knew that horses were expensive. She felt instantly guilty for not taking proper care of the one she had been given. “I did not know that it was harmful for her. She is always so happy when she sees me.”

“No wonder,” he snorted. “She knows you will bring her sugar.”

Darcy stepped to the animal, taking a long look at the mare’s legs, and later checking her teeth.

He turned to look at Jane. “Now, I think it is high time to find a mount for Miss Bennet.”

“Oh, it is not necessary, sir,” Jane assured quickly.

“Do not take offense, Miss Jane, but I saw you riding once back in Hertfordshire.” Darcy shot the tall blonde a pointed look. Darcy interchangeably referred to Jane as Miss Bennet and Miss Jane, as if he could not decide which was more appropriate. “I dare say that you and my wife share the same riding style.” His smiling yet mischievous eyes locked on Elizabeth for a moment. “I would never forgive myself if you broke your neck riding Georgiana’s, or heaven forbid, one of my horses.”

“I intended to visit Cowlishaw anyway,” he continued. “If you have no special plans for today, we can go in half an hour.”

“Mr. Cowlishaw is our neighbour.” Elizabeth explained. “He breeds horses. Star is from him.”

“I am sure you will choose something for yourself, Miss Bennet.” Darcy said.

Jane shook her head vehemently. “It is not necessary. That is too much trouble. I…”

“I was about to buy a new mare for the stables anyway.” Darcy interrupted in a calm, sure voice, but Elizabeth could see that he said that just to ease Jane’s guilt over buying a new horse especially for her use.

Jane bit on the corner of her lip, looking at her sister.

“I will show you around the park another day.” Elizabeth smiled encouragingly.

“It is settled then,” Darcy exclaimed with energy. “I will await you in front of the house in half an hour.”

He made a move as if he was about to walk out of the stall, but then he must have changed his mind, because he stepped back to Elizabeth, wound his arm around her and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

When he was gone, both sisters blushed deeply, Jane, because she had involuntarily witnessed the tender moment between the couple, and Elizabeth, because the longer she was married, the harder she found it to resist her husband’s ways.

***

Before taking the direct road to the Cowlishaw’s farm, Elizabeth insisted on stopping by the store in Lambton, where she wanted to buy small trinkets for the girls. Together with Jane, they decided on the bright ribbons for the two eldest girls and a doll for the youngest.

Jane was very curious about the orphaned girls, and she asked a lot of questions about them during the few mile drive. Elizabeth answered the best she could, describing her last visit, when she had met the girls.

The day was almost sunny and rather warm, so despite it being the middle of January, they took an open carriage so that Jane could see more of the countryside. Darcy drove himself and stopped the carriage in front of the house first, but when it appeared to be quiet, with no sight of the host or his daughters, he drove right to the stables.

Darcy handed the women down and went to look for Mr. Cowlishaw. Before he managed that, three little red haired girls ran out of the stable, gathering around Elizabeth and Jane. Elizabeth introduced Jane to them and distributed the presents.

“They are so sweet.” Jane whispered to her sister as the girls were occupied with admiring their ribbons. The youngest one, Mary, tugged on Jane’s skirt and lifted her small arms to her. Without hesitation, Jane picked her up.

The child watched her with wide green eyes before placing her head on Jane’s shoulder.

“Papa!” Becky, the middle girl cried, and together with her elder sister they ran to their father approaching at a fast pace.

The girls tried to show their father their gifts, but he seemed to ignore them, his eyes drawn to Jane, still holding Mary in her arms.

“Mr. Cowlishaw thinks he has something appropriate for us,” Darcy said as he reached Elizabeth.

“Pray forgive us this unannounced visit, sir,” Elizabeth said with smile.

Cowlishaw, however, did not answer the Darcys’ enquiries.  His full attention was on Jane, who held his gaze boldly.

Elizabeth looked up at Darcy, who answered her with a frown of his own.

“This is my sister-in-law I told you about, Cowlishaw, Miss Bennet,” he said formally. “ We would like to buy a horse for her stay here.”

Cowlishaw bowed at last. “Tis a great honour to meet you, Miss Bennet.”

Jane smiled sweetly, showing the row of perfectly even, snow white teeth and two dimples in rosy cheeks.

“Sir.” She curtseyed with much politeness.

“I see that my youngest has already claimed you,” he spoke as he took his daughter from Jane’s arms. Mary tucked her head on his chest, wrapping around him like a little monkey. “Forgive her. She is very clingy.”

Jane smiled gently. “She was not a burden. On the contrary, I like children.”

“We were to see the horse,” Darcy reminded, his voice matter of fact.

Cowlishaw acknowledged Darcy with a short glance before his eyes returned to Jane. “What kind of horse would you prefer, Miss Bennet?” he asked, his voice almost soft in tone.

“A gentle mare. I am not much of a horsewoman, very much like my sister.” Jane acknowledged, all blushes.

“Let us go then.” Darcy grunted.

In the spacious stables, Jane followed her brother-in-law, who pointed to a brown mare with gentle eyes. It was bigger than Elizabeth’s Star, but as Jane was much taller than her sister, it seemed appropriate for her. The animal was brought outside, so Darcy could see how it walked.

“Would you like to try her, Miss Bennet?” Cowlishaw asked, as he stepped behind Jane, when she stroked the horse’s black mane.

Jane’s eyelashes fluttered. “Yes.”

Cowlishaw cried to bring the tack. When the horse was saddled, Jane looked around. “There is no mounting block.”

Darcy moved forward, ready to help Jane, but their host was quicker. “Allow me,” he said, and without further asking, put his gloved hands around Jane’s waist and lifted her on the horse without much visible effort.

A small gasp escaped the lady’s lips as she took the hold of the reins. She kicked the mare gently with her heel, and the animal obediently went into a slow trot.

Cowlishaw followed the horse and the rider, leaving the Darcys behind.

“What is he thinking?” Darcy muttered furiously, puffing. “Staring at her like that. Taking liberties, when lifting her on the horse. It is unacceptable.”

“If I remember correctly, you did exactly the same for the first weeks of our acquaintance. You constantly stared at me.” Elizabeth reminded him sweetly.

Darcy gave her his worst scowl. “You cannot compare those two situations. He is a farmer.”

Elizabeth shrugged. “You are a farmer too, strictly speaking.”

He shot her an outraged look. “You know very well what I mean,” he insisted. “It is not his business to look like that at a gentlewoman and closely related to Darcys too.”

“You admitted yourself that Jane was a beautiful woman. Can you blame that a man can admire my sister?”

“Elizabeth, do not try my patience, pretending you do not take my meaning…” he started, but she interrupted him.

“Hush. They are coming back. Besides, you do exaggerate. He was only looking.”

***

The rest of January passed peacefully at Pemberley. Jane was so quiet and unassuming, that Darcy most of the time barely noticed her presence and soon treated her as another family member. Elizabeth seemed most happy with having her beloved sister so close, and Darcy thought about asking Jane to stay with them permanently. Knowing his mother-in-law, the poor girl had no home to go back to, after she had rejected Bingley. More importantly, it would make Elizabeth happy to have her beloved sister so close. Darcy also thought that in time he would find Jane a suitable husband so she could settle nearby.

By the end of the month, a letter came from Viscount Cranborne. Edward shared the happy news that his father had reconciled himself completely with the thought of his son getting a divorce from his current wife. The earl had accepted both little James and his mother, calling her his daughter. The Matlocks planned to go together to London to start the legal procedure as soon as could be. Lady Matlock was about to join them as well, to show her support for the matter of her son’s divorce and use her influence in the town’s social circles to draw the public opinion to their side. The viscount asked in his letter whether Amy and the baby could not stay for a few months with the Darcys, as he dreaded to leave her in an empty house for so long.

The answer to the letter from Pemberley was promptly sent back, inviting Edward’s family for a prolonged stay. To Elizabeth, Jane, and Georgiana’s joy, Amy and the baby were expected in the first days of February to stay till the summer.

"Amy, he is so adorable!” Jane exclaimed, as his picked up little James Fitzwilliam from the floor just as the baby tried to crawl busily across the room to the pianoforte where Georgiana was playing a merry melody especially for him.

“Can you imagine that he is already trying to lift himself up and constantly attempts to get out of his crib?” Amy announced proudly. “And he is only eight months old.”

“A brave boy. Brave boy.” Jane bounced the baby in her arms, lifting him up higher and higher till James squeaked in joy, his legs kicking in the air, his blue eyes widening.

The first days of the boy’s stay at Pemberley, when he had been shy of the new surroundings and people, clinging to his mother and often crying, had passed slowly. Now he felt more than comfortable with all the attention he was given daily by the four women in the house, his mother, Elizabeth, Georgiana and Jane. There were always awaiting arms ready to carry him around, bring him toys and play with him.

Darcy tried to interject, suggesting that the baby would become impossibly spoiled with all that attention, but he was mostly ignored.  Elizabeth left the boy on his lap a few times, and the child seemed to accept his company and did not cry, but only stared at him, unblinking. All Darcy knew was that once the boy was carried into the room, he, the Master of the place, was instantly forgotten.

***

“Lizzy, who is the gentleman Jane is talking to?” Amy asked, adjusting the cap around James’s head so he would not get cold. They were taking their walk with the baby as they had every day. The boy was well bundled against the cold, so that only part of his face was uncovered.

Elizabeth turned her head in the pointed direction to see her sister on the other side of the gulley, talking with a well built, bulky man.