His Uncle's Favorite (44 page)

With each word, her tears turned into bright twinkles, and joy returned to her eyes. Her fingers entwined with his in their joined hands.

“It seems impossible to decide which of us is the greater fool, Mr. Darcy. We are hopeless.”

“So it seems…” he admitted, while slowly leaning towards her as his lips captured hers with gentle determination. Unexpectedly, she broke the kiss a few moments later.

“William, I hope you know you have no reason to be jealous of Mr. Wickham or anyone else. My feelings have never been of such a nature with any other man. I have never—”

“I know.” He silenced her with a brief kiss, looking at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I noticed your…lack of experience when I first kissed you.”

She stared, surprised by his words, then paled. He continued, his fingers caressing a lock of her hair.

“That made me exceedingly happy, my dearest, loveliest Elizabeth, and it made me even happier to be gifted with your tender passion…and to witness firsthand your extraordinary improvement.” He laughed, and his lips joined hers again.

She quickly broke the kiss. “I am quite surprised by your words, Mr. Darcy. I did not expect that my lack of experience would be so easy to recognise. I imagine you need extensive practice for such performances,” she said sharply. He laughed again, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

“I am also quite surprised by your earlier statement, Miss Bennet. I would not expect that a lady with so little experience could possess extensive knowledge of the reasons a woman might enter a man’s bedchamber in the middle of the night.”

Her face coloured instantly, and she stared at him, open-mouthed, unable to form a reply, attempting to understand whether he wished a serious answer or was only speaking in jest. She was lying against the pillows, and his face was inches from hers.

“I would presume that your knowledge is due to your extensive reading,” he concluded, his voice low and insinuating, keeping a serious countenance, his lips almost touching her skin as he spoke. “After all, it is well known that you are a great reader and prefer reading to cards; that must be an advantage in this peculiar situation.”

His amused countenance defeated her embarrassment, and though she was still flustered and self-conscious, she began to laugh, too. “It is fortunate that you admire women who improve their minds through extensive reading, Mr. Darcy.”

Her teasing laughter was instantly subdued by an unexpected kiss. His lips were neither patient nor gentle, and his released passion left her breathless; the shock of his tongue testing her lips shattered her body, and she let out a moan that seemed to increase his overwhelming eagerness. Then he stopped again.

“We must go to sleep this instant. I shall not delay a moment longer,” he declared and rose abruptly, then returned and sat near her again. He kissed her hands and stared deeply into her eyes with perfect seriousness.

“Good night, my dearest Elizabeth. And thank you for spending this night with me.”

“Good night…my love,” she whispered, blushing from the strength of words she had never said before, averting her eyes from his burning stare.

He rose and slowly moved from the bed. When he had almost reached the door, she called his name again. He stopped and turned to her; her eyes captured his, and the power of her feelings defeated her shyness.

“Good night, my love,” she repeated.

***

A few hours of sleep were enough for Darcy to wake up rested and in excellent spirits. The hours spent with Elizabeth filled his heart with joy, and he found himself smiling continuously. The recollection of their improper discussion still made him laugh. How was it possible that he spoke of such things with her? And how was it possible that he dared to take so many liberties with her—to kiss her as he did—when their engagement was not even publicly acknowledged, and how was it possible that she accepted his improper liberties so willingly? He congratulated himself on the wisdom of returning to his room while he was still able to control his desires; however, it was clear that a long engagement was not acceptable.

He briefly looked at Miles, who was preparing his clothes. The valet seemed preoccupied and less talkative than usual, but Darcy found that beneficial. He was not in the mood for easy conversation at that time of the morning, though he usually enjoyed Miles’s company.

He did not inquire about the previous night and Lady Sinclair’s supposed visit; it was too ridiculous. Besides, he knew Miles would inform him if anything unusual had happened.

When Darcy was finally prepared for breakfast, Miles asked for the privilege of a few moments of his time. The request worried Darcy, and for the first time that morning, he looked at his valet with interest.

“Miles, is everything well? You do not seem your usual self.”

“No, sir, nothing is well—quite the contrary. I know it is not the way to compensate for all the trouble my betrayal will cause, but please believe that I would gladly give you my life to protect your reputation if my life is worth anything at all.”

Darcy looked at him with intense curiosity and complete miscomprehension. Miles was a tall, handsome man, with an impressive figure, who was now behaving like a schoolboy awaiting punishment.

“Miles, what on earth are you talking about? Have you taken leave of your senses? Why are you being so dramatic?”

“Mr. Darcy, please allow me to take advantage of your generosity for the last time. I only need you to listen to me for a few moments, and you shall decide what you wish to do with me. Though I know too well no punishment—”

“For heaven’s sake—explain yourself, man! I apologise for speaking so bluntly, but you seem drunk. If so, I would recommend you sleep a couple of hours; we can speak later.”

“I am not drunk, sir, though guilt has affected my reason. Sir, I… Mr. Darcy, last night I was waiting for you to retire for the night as usual. It was past midnight, and you had not returned; I dared not go to my room without your approval.”

“I am sorry, Miles; I forgot to inform you I would be late.”

“Sir, please do not apologise. I do not deserve such consideration. As I said, I was waiting for you, and I employed my time reading from your book. I was sitting in the armchair near your desk, and I must have fallen asleep because I do not quite remember what happened. I woke up, but the room was completely dark. My guess is the wind blew out the candles. I remember hearing the rain and…”

The servant paused and looked at Darcy, his countenance pale, betraying the deepest distress and shame. Darcy looked at him, puzzled, waiting for the story to continue, still convinced that his man had enjoyed too much of his brandy.

“I was awakened by… In the darkness I felt… I was assaulted by a woman and…I could not see who she was, but her insistence… I mean…please forgive me, sir. I cannot say what… I swear on my father’s memory that at first I tried to stop her, but she did not allow me to speak at all, and then her seduction was… I had too little strength to stop her, and my weakness overcame my reason, and I could not help myself. I ceased saying anything and allowed myself to take advantage of the situation, though I knew it was a mistake. The lady did not know who I was. She believed me to be you, and I cannot pretend to have any excuse. I behaved in a most dishonourable manner and… At the end, I took advantage of the darkness and left the room silently. I did not know what I should do…and then I heard the door, and I imagined she had left and… All I could think was what you would say if you returned, and I hurried to change the sheets and. Sir, I know my words are worth nothing; I only wish you to know that—”

“Miles, stop, STOP!” The valet frowned in silence. “My God, Miles, my head is spinning. For heaven’s sake, speak to the point and clearly. Did I hear you properly? You allowed yourself to be seduced by a woman in my room?”

“Yes!” Miles did not dare to breathe.

Darcy paced the room in distress, reluctant to inquire further. “Miles, do you know who the woman was? Did you recognise her?”

“I did, sir. It was Lady Sinclair.” The valet only voiced what Darcy had guessed.

“Damn it, Miles!” Darcy was unable to control his fury. “Have you lost all sense? Should Lord Sinclair ever discover this, I cannot guarantee your life!”

“Sir, my life does not worry me, as it is not worth much. My concern is for your honour and safety, sir. I would gladly give my life to protect yours. If Lord Sinclair discovers this, you could be in danger, sir. That is what worries me!”

“Miles, be quiet! Not a word, do you understand me? Not a single word to any breathing creature! And you shall forget we ever had this conversation! Go now!”

Pale, his shoulders stooped and his eyes on the ground, Miles silently left the room while Darcy stared as the door closed behind him, his mind in turmoil at the madness he had discovered; he quickly poured himself a glass of brandy. As he paced the room, he started to laugh, thinking of his conversation with Elizabeth and admitting she was right to be worried.

Half an hour later, Darcy appeared for breakfast. The meal progressed with a discussion of the previous night’s storm and plans for the last few days of their stay at Matlock Manor. Elizabeth was seated between Georgiana and Jane, across the table from Darcy. They exchanged a few glances and smiles, but each of them was content to speak with their table neighbours.

After breakfast, Lady Selina and Mrs. Gardiner joined their children on the back lawn, and the gentlemen retired to make plans in the library while the ladies discussed the opportunities to employ their time for the day.

Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Jane decided to spend some time in the music room. As they departed, Darcy followed them and asked to speak to Elizabeth. Georgiana and Jane walked ahead, allowing them a bit of privacy as they moved through the large hall.

Darcy had succeeded only in inquiring whether she slept well when they were interrupted by Lady Sinclair’s voice, calling his name. They stopped and turned to her. Lady Sinclair approached, a charming smile lighting her face, addressing Darcy while completely ignoring Elizabeth.

“Mr. Darcy, I would like a moment with you, sir.”

“May I help you in any way, Lady Sinclair?”

“Not exactly, sir. I wished to speak to you alone. Miss Elizabeth, please excuse us,” she demanded without even favouring Elizabeth with a glance.

“Miss Elizabeth and I were on our way to the music room. You may join us if you wish.”

“I really do not wish; as I said, I would like to speak to you alone. I believe you owe me at least such a courtesy.”

Elizabeth glanced at Darcy briefly and decided to put an end to the awkward situation.

“I think Georgiana and Jane expect me. I hope I shall see you both later.” She left them, though she felt her heart uneasy, wondering what Lady Sinclair wished to tell him.

Darcy turned to his companion. “How may I help you, Lady Sinclair?”

“I do not need your help, Mr. Darcy,” she said, moving closer and placing her hand on his arm. He only looked at her, waiting. “I was wondering…did you sleep well last night?”

“Quite well, thank you.”

“Really? I did not sleep well at all…”

“I am sorry to hear that. You had better rest then.”

“I do not need rest, thank you. You are very considerate, but that is not a surprise. However, it was an enormous surprise to discover how passionate you are,” she said, her gaze as insinuating as her voice. “Passionate and generous and tender; it was worth my effort after all.”

“I am afraid I do not understand what you mean, Lady Sinclair.”

“Of course you know…and I am disappointed to discover that you attempt to deny it—as I was disappointed at your sudden disappearance from your room last night. Why did you run from your own room? Did I scare you, Mr. Darcy?”

He took a step back and removed her hand from his arm then replied sternly.

“Lady Sinclair, if you are joking, and I shall try to be amused, but I cannot possibly imagine what you mean when you say you frightened me and I ran from my own room. Surely, you cannot mean that you were in my room last night.”

“I see… So you prefer to deny the truth and play at ignorance. Be it as you wish, sir, but you cannot expect me to join you in this disappointing game. I expected more from you, Mr. Darcy. You are less a man than I believed you to be.”

“Lady Sinclair!” he interrupted her unceremoniously, and she looked at him impatiently.

“Lady Sinclair, listen to me carefully as it is the only time I shall tell you this; after that, I shall forget this conversation and all the facts behind it. Last night I did not return to my room until nearly dawn. Miles, my valet, was there—alone—waiting for me. Miles was there,” he repeated, looking at her pointedly.

At first, she held his gaze incredulously, showing nothing but daring and disdain for his presumed weakness; then the truth became clear and anger utterly changed her handsome features. She began to tremble with helpless fury, her eyes betraying only hate and rage. She turned without a word, and her steps retreated at a quick pace until she disappeared around the corner.

Darcy looked after her, telling himself that he should feel sorry for her. The situation was deeply disturbing; to know that she ended by seducing his servant must be something she could not easily bear, and he briefly wondered how she would be able to face him again—or to bear the shame. But everything that happened was of her own fault and recklessness. She selfishly and carelessly played the game of seduction with him on a whim with no consideration for the distress she might cause to others, and now she had to face the result of her own behaviour. He should feel sorry for her—but he could not.