Imperative: Volume 2, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (53 page)

“It is a hazard of my sex and proximity to you.”

“Even while sleeping?”

“When else are we so close and so private?”  Darcy touched her face when she blushed.  “I do not know what it is, but . . . leaving Scotland behind was . . . I could practically feel the weight and the tension falling away as the miles between us and Sommerwald increased.  By the time that we reached the first inn it was all I could do to set one foot before the other.”

“Lead was in your boots?”

“I think so.  I have not felt so free, I suppose, in so long.”  He watched her nodding and caressed back a stubborn curl.  “It has taken you longer to relax, I think.”

“I suppose that I could not do so until I knew you were.”  She blushed when Darcy’s eyes warmed.  “Please do not do that.”

“What am I doing?”

“Looking so handsome and . . . kissable.” 

“I would not object to being kissed, Lizzy.  I thought that you and I would be rather exhausted from constant lovemaking and here we have not coupled once since we departed.  What is wrong with us?  Are we tired of each other?”

Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open.  “Tired!

Laughing, Darcy reached out with both hands and pulled her to his chest.  “I knew that would inspire a response from you.” 

She glared.  “I am not in the least tired of you.”

“Good.” 

“I was, am . . . was . . . just . . .”

“Tired,” he kissed her gently, brushing his mouth over her cheek and whispering, “Are you tired now?” 

She closed her eyes and rested her head over his heart, “I think that we need to simply rest, Will.   I have never been so exhausted, and I lived this nightmare only half as long as you.  I wish with all of my heart I had been with you the entire time.  Your strength overwhelms me.”  She felt his arms tighten and they stood silently embraced for some time.  When she felt his kiss upon her brow, she let go and touched his cheek.  “Besides, the walls were very thin in those inns.  I did not wish us to entertain the other guests.  They were busy enough entertaining us.”  Her smile graduated to a grin.  “Last night, oh my, the grunting and creaking from our neighbours!”

Darcy’s eyes widened and he nodded, “You heard that?  What were they doing, do you think?  It went on for hours . . .  I was trying to imagine the scene.  His lady seemed to enjoy . . .”

“Fitzwilliam Darcy!”   Elizabeth gasped.

“They woke me and I could not sleep!” 

“It went on for five minutes.  I assure you, his lady was not as satisfied as he.”  She said sternly. 

“It seemed like hours.”  He muttered.

Elizabeth laughed and poked her finger in his chest.  “That is because you were wishing it for yourself.”

“I certainly was.”   His voice was a low growl. 

“I could just imagine him . . .”

“Elizabeth Darcy!”  

Her mouth dropped open, “
You
could imagine, but
I
could not?  Hypocrite!” 

“What did you imagine?”  He demanded.  “What he looked like?  How handsome he was?  How . . . ?” His hand waved in the general vicinity of his breeches.

“Look at you!  Becoming jealous of an invisible man!  He is not even a statue to stare at and fondle!  Which reminds me, I do need to visit the gallery.”

“The gallery is off limits to you.”

“Oh, do not tempt me, sir!” 

“Lizzy . . .” 

“Did you not just ask me what I thought they were doing in their chamber?”

“Yes, but that was before I remembered that your imagination is quite vivid.”  He shot her a look.  “As is mine.” 

“What do you imagine we would be doing to elicit such sounds?”  She smiled wickedly. 

A slow smile crept over his face.  “I would like to find out.”  Elizabeth giggled when he added proudly, “And it would last longer than five minutes.” Darcy hugged her tightly when she nodded in agreement.  “I have missed this so much, love.  Playing and arguing, about anything at all, just talking about nothing.”  He looked down at her, “talking about anything.  I cannot express how happy I am to be home.” 

“I feel the same.  I cannot wait to truly begin.”  She looked around contentedly.  “At last.”

They had reached the spot on the drive where the trees opened up and Pemberley House was laying at their feet.  Elizabeth stopped and he looked at the view, and then back to the woman at his side.  The teasing sparkle in her eyes was warm with happiness.  Peace suffused her face and he felt the same emotions filling up his heart. 

“Do you know how beautiful you are?”  He whispered and drew her back against his chest. 

“Hush.”

He smiled as she blushed anew.  “What are you thinking?”

She held his hands, watching a family of geese travelling like tiny white dots over the distant lake, then looking to the house, spotted the window to their chambers and below, seeing for the first time the sparkle of water from the fountain in the courtyard.  “This is home.”  A breeze blew and all around them the leaves seemed to be applauding their arrival.

“Yes.”  Darcy took in everything and drew a full and painless breath.  He kissed her ear.  “It was before . . .”

“It was, but not quite.   Before it was a . . . background, a . . . setting for some great production put on in Drury Lane.  We were on a stage.  We were never ourselves, not completely.”  She looked up to see if he understood.

Darcy murmured, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players . . .”

“It was a stage because we were living a lie.”

“My loving you was never a lie, Elizabeth.”  Darcy turned her around and caressed her cheek.  “I wanted you here.  Even before I thought of that colossal impossible scheme to save Georgiana, I . . . I wanted you.  Here.  I can imagine no other woman here.”

“You said that before, when we were walking.  The day that we found the cabin and we were going to love each other . . .” She looked into the walnut grove and just made out the lines of the cabin. 

“There are no more lies, dearest.  No more pretending, no more worries that somehow everything will be discovered.  We are coming home to finally be . . . whatever fate decides we shall be.” Darcy kissed her and closed his eyes, murmuring over her mouth before kissing her again.  “My God, I love you.”

“Will . . .”

“I think that you have it precisely right.  Pemberley had become a stage and if I had been left to manage Georgiana alone . . .”   He shook that thought from his head.  “I fear that Pemberley would remain a place of secrecy forever.  How lonely that would have been.” 

She went to work fixing his crushed neck cloth.  “I would have saved you.”   

“Would you?”  He smiled.  “And how would you do that? What if I had been stubborn and resisted you after all?”

“I would have given you a second chance.”

“A second chance?  After I botched the first at Netherfield?  How could that be?  Where would I ever have met you again?”

“Aunt and Uncle Gardiner were to bring me with them on their trip to the Peaks this summer.  They were to visit friends in Lambton, and we would visit all of the places of interest on our travels, surely Pemberley is on a list of places to be seen . . .”

“And you would have run into me?  Would you have come to my study and knocked on the door?  Or perhaps leapt upon a horse and found me in a field?”  He smiled as she became increasingly annoyed.

“I think that fate was determined that we would meet, no matter the circumstance.  And thus we have our second chance.” 

“I love hearing that theory, as impossible as it seems.”

“It is only impossible if you refuse to open your imagination.”  She finished with his tie and  stood on her toes to kiss him. 

“Imagination . . . You were awake with me if you heard our neighbours.  Why did you not turn to me? You know I would respond.” 

“Because I want our baby to be conceived at Pemberley.”   Darcy’s mouth dropped open.  “
There
you big selfish beast! 
That
is why you only received kisses and peace at night!”  Blushing furiously, she spun away and began walking rapidly down the drive. 

Recovering his composure, he quickly caught up to her and grabbed her hand.  “I am
not
selfish!”

“All you wanted was to assuage your desire.”

“I wanted to address yours, as well.”  Elizabeth looked at him sideways and saw that he was beaming.  Darcy swung their hands and taking a great breath, looked forward.  “Well now, you have certainly set a great task before us.  Where shall we begin?  Let us see . . .”

“What have I done?”  Elizabeth laughed and leaned on his shoulder.  Darcy wrapped his arm around her and they walked together down the drive.  They passed the spot where the carriage went over the side and did not spare it a glance.  She was too busy laughing as he waved his hand and expounded on places where he wanted to take her and explore nature in its rawest form. 

“What do you think?”  He grinned.

“I think that you have been considering this for quite some time!”

“The Darcy seed must be planted!  It is growing season!”  

“Oh heavens!  Do you hear yourself?  Who would recognize you?”  She covered her mouth and laughed harder.  

“Nobody, absolutely nobody in the world would recognize me but you.  Is that not wonderful?” 

Hugging her to him he looked out over the view.  Free of the trees, all of Pemberley was laid out before them as they began the final descent towards the manor.  Activity was everywhere.  Men and boys worked in the garden, towards the stables he could see the carriage had arrived.  Far in the distance he could just discern the fields of the home farm and by his side was the person who meant everything to him.  Pride welled up in his chest.

Elizabeth watched the Master of Pemberley’s gaze sharpen and imagined all that was swimming through his mind as he looked over his domain.  Her eyes turned to the manor.  It was as if he read her thoughts when he looked back down to her.

“It is rather wonderful to be mistress of all this, is it not?”  Darcy smiled to see her surprise.  “What do you admire more, our beautiful home or me?”

“What a question!” 

He nodded at the house.  “Most would say our home.  It is the bricks and mortar that matter, the size of the purse, our name . . .”

“Well . . . most have not seen you in your bath.”  Her eyes sparkled when he blushed and dropped his arm from her shoulder to take up her hand again.   “Did I say something . . . ?”

“A little less conversation is in order, I think.”  He said roughly as his pace increased. 

Elizabeth protested as he nearly ran, “Will!” 

He stopped long enough to give her a thoroughly heart-stopping kiss, then grabbing her hand again; he grinned with satisfaction at the dazed look in her eyes.  “Welcome home, Mrs. Darcy!”   

“HOW WAS THE HONEYMOON?”  Mr. Evans asked Parker when the senior staff finished dinner.  “From the looks of them they are still on it.”

“I daresay the Darcys have only just begun their honeymoon.”  Parker smiled and looked to Judy who was seated across from him.  “What do you think?”

“I agree.  They are happier now than they have ever been.”  She held his eyes for a moment and returned to her plate.  “I believe that all of us will be seeing frequent displays of . . . camaraderie.”

Evans laughed and set down his napkin.  “Now that is a word I would not have used.  But then, you and Parker are excellent at what you do.  I suppose that it is useless to try and pry out any details of the trip from you?”

“Go on and try.”  Parker smiled and took a sip of his ale.  “We are only closed-mouthed about the master and mistress.”

“How was that Mrs. Shaw?”  Mrs. Reynolds asked with bright curious eyes.  “Was she still after you?”

The cook pushed back in her chair and folded her hands over her ample lap.  “After him?  I heard from Mrs. Duncan that she was delighted you would be coming.  Well?  Did she succeed?”

“Perhaps I should amend my statement; I will be closed-mouthed about my business as well.”

“She did not succeed at anything!”  Judy cried and seeing the eyes of the table upon her, she glanced at Parker before looking to Mrs. Reynolds.  “Mrs. Shaw felt more loyalty for the tenants than the master.” 

“No!”  Mrs. Reynolds gasped.  “How can she do that?  Mr. Darcy is the kindest, most generous master!”

“Obviously Mrs. Shaw disagreed.”  Evans said dryly.

Parker smiled at Judy and looked to his companions.  “That she was not dismissed was Mrs. Darcy’s doing.  Mr. Darcy spoke to me of her, he was most displeased.  Mrs. Darcy convinced him to give her a chance.  He was furious when he heard that the Walkers acted as if they owned the estate.”

“No!” 

“Take some wine, Mrs. Reynolds.  I fear your heart will be fluttering quite madly tonight with all of this scandal you are hearing.”  Mr. Evans poured her out a glass from the bottle leftover from the Darcys’ meal.  “So, the tenants . . . what becomes of them?”

“Out on their ears, so I’ve heard.” 

“Good for the master!”  Mrs. Reynolds said heatedly.

“You exchange letters with Mrs. Duncan, Mrs. Johns?”  Judy asked casually.

“Certainly, when I knew the Darcys were going to Sommerwald, I asked Mrs. Reynolds for the address.  I thought that the cook there should know the master’s preferences.  After all, he should not have to suffer through meals he dislikes in his own home.”

“Mrs. Darcy could have told her.”

“Mrs. Darcy was on her honeymoon, she had other tasks to address.”  Mrs. Johns’s chin lifted.  “Why they took Miss Darcy with them . . .”

“She will return in a fortnight, I believe.”  Parker interrupted, “I think that you will be glad to see the return of the sweet girl of years past.”

“Thank heavens.  I did not like the way she upset the master or Mrs. Darcy.  Did you notice that she was becoming quite plump, too?”  Mrs. Reynolds took another swallow of her wine.  Parker and Judy looked at each other.  The wine was loosening the housekeeper’s tongue.

Judy spoke up.  “Remember, Mrs. Darcy dismissed her maid for saying as much?  She was not plump, it . . . you will see that she has become quite the young lady.”