Darcy & Elizabeth: A Season of Courtship (Darcy Saga Prequel Duo) (4 page)

“What did Mr. Darcy tell you?” she
asked, rather than answering.

“Only that he spoke in a manner
unbefitting a gentleman and with words he was too ashamed to repeat. He refused
to divulge further. Despite his persuasive articulation of remorse and
assurances that his attitude is altogether changed, I am not happy at the idea
of my daughter marrying a man who once insulted her character.”

“What Mr. Darcy left out, I am
guessing, is that I insulted his character equally as much if not worse.”

She went on to tell him of her
misunderstanding and Mr. Darcy’s regret over his influence with Mr. Bingley.
Then she spoke of Wickham’s unsavory relationship with the family. In that, she
said only that Mr. Wickham had attempted to “seduce a member of Mr. Darcy’s
family as retaliation,” the timely rescue saving the young woman from the fate
Lydia nearly fell victim to—if it had not been for Mr. Darcy’s
intervention—and contributing to why Wickham spread lies of Mr. Darcy’s
character across Hertfordshire.

“We all fell prey to deception in
regards to Mr. Darcy, Papa, but none as severely as me. He is too kind and too
generous to lay conviction at my feet, yet there it should be laid as harshly
as any directed toward him. You must understand that we are not purposely
keeping secrets from you. Rather it is that these are private matters between
us.” Mr. Bennet’s lips crunched together until not the thinnest line of pink
flesh was visible, the tension lessening when she pressed a warm palm over his
hand and continued in a teasing tone, “If we can forgive each other for painful
words, mature in our understanding as a result, and fall in love, is this not a
positive sign for the rigors of marriage?”

The conclusion was Mr. Bennet granting
his permission to the match, albeit reluctantly and with professed reservations
of their compatibility. Lizzy squealed with glee as she rushed to embrace her
father.

“Erase your fears, Papa. We are
perfectly matched, I assure you, and you will soon see how wonderful Mr. Darcy
is and his abiding affection for me.”

“I will be watching, my Lizzy. I
could not bear to lose you to anyone less worthy.”

She kissed his forehead. “In that,
I do believe Mr. Darcy would agree!”

Sprinting from the room with her
father’s chuckle following behind, she dashed into the empty corridor and then
into the parlor. Suddenly frantic over the barrage the poor man had probably
been subjected to, she stopped short when her rapid scan of the room revealed
only her mother and three sisters.

“What have you done to him?” she
blurted.

“Oh, Lizzy! Mr. Darcy? Are you
certain of what you are choosing? What pin money and fine carriages you will
have—and a house in Town too! Quite wonderful, and a saving boon for us
all, but he is so disagreeable and…”

Mrs. Bennet was atwitter, clutching
at Lizzy’s hand and gasping as she went on about Mr. Darcy’s wealth and
negative qualities in running sentences. Not wasting time to reply to any of
her mother’s ramblings, Lizzy glanced to Jane, who inclined her head toward the
garden. Mrs. Bennet’s voice followed behind as Lizzy flew down the steps and
the well-trod path to the garden. She slowed when she saw him, her heart
skipping several beats and butterflies dancing in her stomach.

He sat on a stone bench, hunched
over with his elbows on his knees, and nervously twisted a mutilated flower
between his fingers. He looked up and then lurched rapidly to his feet. For a
moment she thought he was going to leap toward her, but instead he stood
frozen, staring at her with a panicked question.

“It is official. I am yours.”

The expressions that crossed his
countenance would have been vastly humorous if she did not feel his turmoil.
She laughed gaily, and swiftly reduced the gap between them until they were standing
less than a foot apart. He enveloped her petite hands with a steadfast grip,
face jubilant and awash with liberation, and placed their entwined hands against
his throbbing heart. At the same time, he bent and settled his forehead on
hers, releasing a mighty sigh.

As delightful as the sensations
were, a giggle escaped her smiling lips.

“Are you laughing at me?”

“Only a little. Did my frightening
father scare you after all, Mr. Darcy?”

“He can be rather intimidating when
he wishes it, Miss Elizabeth. I relinquished my pride and bared my soul. I
confess that I never recognized how deep his love for you. Of course, this
emotion, while of a different nature, placed us on equal footing to a degree.
Nevertheless, he put me on the defensive and refused to completely grant
permission for our engagement until he spoke with you. Under the circumstances,
I could not fault him that, but as he held my entire future happiness in his
hands, I am not ashamed to confess being overcome with tremendous fear.”

“I shall have to tell him. I doubt Papa
has frightened anyone in his entire life! He will be amused.”

“How pleased I am to be a fount of
amusement for the Bennet household. I believe I have also adequately supplied
the daily portion of entertainment for your mother and sisters.”

She burst out laughing. “Poor
William! Mr. Darcy, who hates to be teased, has received his allotment today.”

Releasing one hand to smooth the
loose strands of hair away from her eyes, he smiled unabashedly and replied, “I
suppose I should be chagrined, but I find that teasing does not annoy me as
much as it once did. Levity appears to have entered my existence along with
you, dear Elizabeth, and it heals me.”

“So, are you better now? Your heart
continues to pound.”

“I judge my heart shall forever
pound when near you.” His voice deepened, and tender fingers traced over her
features, darkened eyes following. “Elizabeth, you are incredibly beautiful. I so
love and adore you. I am the happiest of men.”

Once again Lizzy was breathless and
mesmerized, captured by his eyes and the renewed thrills racing through her
body at his touch. His eyes and fingertips reached her parted lips, feathering them
lightly.

“Elizabeth, please, may I kiss you?”

Unable to speak, she nodded
faintly. As if in a dream of exquisite beauty, he lowered his head slowly while
cupping her face with his strong yet tender hands. Instinctively, her eyes slid
shut with the first gentle pressure of his mouth brushing against hers.

His kisses were restrained, pure,
and delicate; yet the sensations flowing through her body were torrential,
dynamic, and astonishing. Simultaneously they shivered, matching sighs of
pleasure escaping their lips.

“Is it supposed to feel so…incredible?”

He laughed softly and shook his
head. “I would not know, but I believe it should.”

Without another word, he claimed
her mouth again. His kisses were temperate, and his hands traveled to her neck
for soothing strokes. Of their own volition, her hands tentatively explored the
muscular contours of his chest and shoulders, and then moved up to encircle his
bare neck, her fingers entwining in his hair.

Reflexively, Lizzy parted her lips.
The delicious pressure of his mouth was glorious yet inexplicably increased her
yearning for more. Precisely what the
more
was that she craved Lizzy did
not consciously imagine—until he skimmed the tip of his tongue over her
bottom lip. Not sparing a particle of a second to analyze why this simple act
felt unfathomably fantastic and spiraled her senses, she gave in to impulse. A
faint sigh escaped when she opened her mouth farther and hesitantly touched her
tongue to his.

Fire ignited! Sheer ecstasy!

Darcy groaned. The sound and vibration
woke something buried inside Lizzy’s body that had lain dormant. When he
followed with a penetrating invasion of his tongue, that unnamed something
roared to crazed life. This manner of kissing’s warmth and intimacy was beyond
her wildest imaginings. Oddly, rather than being overwhelmed or fearful, she
yearned for even
more
.

Abruptly he left her mouth and
planted kisses all about her face. He pressed his face into her hair and
inhaled deeply, and then proceeded to rain soft nibbles down to the sensitive
flesh behind her ear. He moaned her name before gently drawing her earlobe
between his lips. Ceaselessly he caressed her arms and back, pulling her closer
to his chest. Ardently, as if starved, he returned to her receptive mouth,
giving her a taste of the
more
she craved.

Lizzy was dizzy from the sensations
yet wholly aware of the bliss coursing through her veins. She matched each of
his motions and responded with greater boldness. She was intoxicated, and
wildly abandoned to the sensations he roused within. With a husky groan, she
clutched his back and head, and fused herself to the entire surface of his
body. She reveled in how the unyielding muscles of his chest crushed her
breasts and, innocent though she was in many respects, thrilled at the rigid
length jammed into her belly.

Despite that obvious indication of
Mr. Darcy’s enjoyment of their interlude, or most likely because of it, he
harshly clasped on to her shoulders and frantically shoved her away. Staring at
the ground, he hoarsely stammered between ragged pants, “Elizabeth…Miss
Elizabeth, I beg your forgiveness! My behavior is… ungentlemanly and
unforgivable! Please…accept my heartfelt apology.”

Lost in a daze, her heart fluttered
so alarmingly she thought she might well faint! Feeling bereft at the sudden
abandonment of his warmth, she stuttered, “I…I am so sorry…I thought you wanted
to…I should not have…” Shy and insecure for the first time that day, tears
welled in her eyes, and she joined his serious contemplation of the ground.

For several agonizing moments, they
stood apart, breathing heavily and collecting their befuddled thoughts.

“What you must think of me—”
she muttered.

“Can you forgive me, my love?” he
blurted at the same instant.

“Forgive you…what?” Wide-eyed, she
looked upward and met his confused gaze.

His question tumbled over hers. “Whatever
do you mean?”

“I behaved so wantonly—”

“I lost control of myself—”

Naturally, it was Lizzy who first
saw the humor, smiling and laughing while he watched her in perplexity.

Gradually, his lips lifted in
amusement. “You are laughing at me again.”

“On the contrary, I am laughing at
us. Mr. Darcy, let me see if I understand this. You are apologizing for
enjoying kissing me, your betrothed, while I am apologizing for responding to
said kisses?” He nodded, flushing brighter. “Therefore, in effect, we are
apologizing for being in love?”

He opened his mouth and then
snapped it closed, glancing away from her teasing face. “It does seem rather
ludicrous when you state it thusly.” His countenance turned serious. Clasping
her hands, he spoke in a calm, reasonable tone. “Elizabeth, you surely
understand that it is not merely the enjoyment of our love that concerns me but
the appropriateness of it’s expression before we are wed. It is shockingly
improper for us to even discuss these matters, let alone experience them!”

“William, I appreciate your
concern, although I submit that little about our relationship has been proper
or appropriate, and yet here we are. You are correct, of course, in maintaining
decorum until we are married.”

“Elizabeth, please, I—”

“Mr. Darcy, I will not apologize
for communicating openly with you! Nor will I hide my love for you. We have
done far too much of both, nearly losing each other in our stupidity,
misconceptions, and pride.”

He stared at her silently as an
expression of stunned happiness washed over his face. “You are amazing,
Elizabeth, and I love you ardently. It remains a welcome shock that you love me
at all, let alone feel the same… passion…” He sighed and ran one hand over his
face. “It will take some getting used to, I suppose.”

Before she could respond, he
embraced her comfortingly and kissed her lips lightly. After another tender
kiss, Darcy pulled away. “I shall leave you now, dearest Elizabeth. Extend my
apologies to your mother, but I am not presentable, and frankly, my heightened
emotions render me unfit for polite company. I will return this evening with
Mr. Bingley.”

He took a step to leave, but Lizzy
gripped his hand to halt him. In a burst of enthusiasm, she wrapped her free
hand around his neck, pulled him toward her as she lifted on her tiptoes, and
kissed him soundly.

“From here on, I promise to behave
as I should and not tempt fate. So, remember these kisses, Fitzwilliam Darcy,
and do not doubt my love for you.”

He nodded, his grin wide and eyes
smoldering. Intent on holding to her promise, she propelled him out of the
garden. They parted with formal salutations and proper hand kisses, Lizzy
watching until he passed through the gate and turned for a breezy wave. She
waved in return, laughed giddily, and performed a twirling dance of glee before
skipping up the steps to the door.