A Pemberley Medley (A Pride & Prejudice Variation) (18 page)

“It belonged to my mother. Most of her jewels are Georgiana's, but she left me this to give to my wife. It matches the ring I gave you,” he said somewhat shyly.

She looked up at him, thinking of how much he enjoyed giving Georgiana gifts, and recognizing he likely would derive the same enjoyment with her. “Thank you, William,” she said, feeling words were inadequate. “I shall be proud to wear it.”

He lifted it out of its case, and placed it around her neck, then stepped back to admire the sight. He had long pictured her wearing it; since he associated it so strongly with the woman he would marry, it was almost a badge of possession in his mind. He smiled, thinking of her wearing it after they were married, when he would have the right to have her always beside him.

Seeing the warmth of his look, Elizabeth slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him, a gesture which he returned and deepened. She sighed happily as he clasped her to him, and set to enjoy the taste of his lips, stirred by feeling his strong body against hers. When they paused for breath, she said, “I do love you so.”

Deeply aroused, he murmured, “My dearest Elizabeth,” as his hands began to explore the curves of her back. One day suddenly seemed a very long time to wait before making her his, and he could not resist taking advantage of her obvious response to press kisses down her neck in the way that he knew to stimulate her.

His sudden passion and evocative touch left her feeling weak, and she impulsively slipped her hands inside his tailcoat, enjoying feeling the warmth of his chest and shoulders. Her act provoked a clear reaction in him, and he pressed against her while seeking her mouth demandingly. “William, love,” she whispered against his lips, feeling her entire body craving more of him.

Darcy was struggling to convince himself to stop with kisses when such a tempting range of delights was before him, and eventually found the strength to call a halt to his demands of her. He leaned his forehead against hers, and said huskily, “You are the only woman in the world for me, my love.”

His words touched her deeply, and as she worked to calm herself, the thought came to her that the next time this occurred, there would be no need to stop. This reflection was at the same time gratifying and anxiety-provoking, and she sought to push it from her mind as quickly as possible.

“Your father will have yet one more item to hold against me if I do not return you to him soon,” said Darcy, who was beginning to question his ability to restrain himself if she remained in his arms any longer.

She released him and stepped back with a smile. “We cannot have that, can we?”

He stroked a finger down her cheek lightly. “Tomorrow, Elizabeth,” he said, his words a promise.

She tried to swallow the morsel of fear that came to her. “Tomorrow,” she echoed, gazing into his eyes.

“You and Mr. Darcy seem to be developing an interesting relationship,” said Elizabeth to Mr. Bennet as they were travelling back to Gracechurch Street.

“Hmm. By that I take it that you mean that we quarrel quite readily, Lizzy,” said Mr. Bennet mildly.

Elizabeth considered this. “No more than two cornered tomcats, but yes, you do seem to have your moments.”

“He is a very serious fellow, your Mr. Darcy.”

“Until he knows you well, that is perhaps true.”

“He is very easy to provoke, especially on the subject of you, Lizzy.”

“And you delight in provoking him, do you not?” she challenged him.

“He is taking my last chance for intelligent conversation far away from Longbourn and leaving me to the mercies of your mother, Mary, and Kitty,” he said. “The least he deserves for that is a little provocation, I would say. I could wish that you had found yourself a young man a little closer to home, Lizzy.”

“I hope that you will visit us at Pemberley often. We will be happy to provide sensible conversation, at least if you and Mr. Darcy can manage to keep the peace for more than a few minutes at a time.”

Mr. Bennet patted her hand. “Never fear, Lizzy, I am sure that we will manage somehow. It is never easy for a father to admit that another man has won his daughter's allegiance, and I do not doubt that it is hard for Mr. Darcy to accept that you owe allegiance to anyone but him.”

Elizabeth smiled at this characterization of her admittedly possessive fiancé. “You object to him harbouring strong feelings for me?” she asked pointedly.

“Enough, Lizzy! I shall endeavour to be kind to your Mr. Darcy, if it will earn me peace!”

Elizabeth laughed, well pleased with this resolution.

Elizabeth slept fitfully that night and awoke early, her thoughts immediately flying to the day ahead. She found herself surprisingly anxious, and she dearly wished that Jane were with her, or at least her aunt. Jane would be able to reassure her, to remind her that Darcy loved her, and that this was what she herself wanted, even if the circumstances were somewhat lacking. She fidgeted until the maid arrived to help her dress.

In the breakfast room she found that none of the foods appealed, but forced herself to choose something to fortify herself for what was to come. Her father joined her, looking to be in far from the best of spirits himself; Elizabeth had to remind herself that his mind was also very much preoccupied with Lydia's situation, and that her wedding was not his only priority. He roused himself sufficiently to tease her about Darcy, but her usual sense of the ridiculous seemed to have deserted her for once, and she felt only mild irritation.

She found it hard to settle herself after breakfast, and was glad when it came time to dress for the wedding. The maid helped her into the one formal gown she had brought on the journey to Derbyshire for the contingency of calling on Lord and Lady Matlock; she had hardly thought to marry in it. She found herself again wishing for Jane to share these moments with her - it was hard to feel celebratory all alone. The maid was just finishing her hair when Mrs. Harper, the housekeeper, made an entrance.

Elizabeth greeted her with a smile. Over the years that she had visited with the Gardiners, Mrs. Harper had been a motherly presence who always had a few moments to spoil the young Jane and Elizabeth. She gave Elizabeth her best wishes on the day, and shooed the maid out.

She handed Elizabeth her bonnet and gloves. “You have quite a day ahead of you, Miss Elizabeth,” she said.

Grateful for any companionship at this juncture, Elizabeth agreed, thanking her for her wishes.

“It happened to occur to me,” said Mrs. Harper as she helped to smooth the new gloves on Elizabeth's arm, “that it happens that neither your aunt nor your mother are here with you today, and that, since you weren't to be expecting this to take place, it might be that neither of them had talked to you about it yet.”

“Only in generalities.” Elizabeth wondered at the housekeeper's intent.

“It also happened to occur to me - and begging your pardon, Miss Elizabeth - that Mrs. Gardiner would never forgive me if I were to let you go to your marriage bed as ignorant as the day you were born. She doesn't hold with such notions, no indeed.”

Elizabeth smiled even as the colour rose in her cheeks. Yes, her aunt would indeed not hold with such notions, she knew, but what she would have thought of Elizabeth learning the facts from the housekeeper was more of a question. She certainly did not want to admit to Mrs. Harper that she had discovered a bit more of it than she was supposed to have done, but, in fact, the question of what was to come had been on her mind. She thanked Mrs. Harper for her consideration, and listened carefully if somewhat nervously to her explanations.

The housekeeper concluded by saying, “If your man is a kind one, and he cares for you, it should be a happy experience for you. If he cares only for his own pleasure, then perhaps not.” She hooked the sapphire necklace around Elizabeth's neck, and looked her over from head to foot. “There. You will do very nicely, Miss Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth devoutly hoped she was correct.

Colonel Fitzwilliam was waiting in the portico of the church for the bride's party to arrive when an elegant carriage pulled up and disgorged his brother and his wife. The newcomer advanced on the Colonel with a displeased look in his eyes, and said, “What am I to make of this, Richard?
'Meet me at St. George's, eleven o'clock tomorrow, bring family, urgent?’
What game is this?”

“It is a pleasure to see you, too, Edward,” replied the Colonel amiably. “I thought that you might want to see Darcy wed, so I invited you.”

“Darcy? Married? He is not even engaged!” snapped the Viscount irritably.

Colonel Fitzwilliam held up his hands. “I am not to blame if he chooses not to tell you these things!”

“Are you
quite
serious, Colonel?” asked Lady Langley.

“
Quite
serious,” he assured her.

“Then perhaps we should go in,” she suggested to her husband, who acquiesced with a scowl.

Mr. Bennet, Mr. Gardiner, and Elizabeth were next to arrive, and Colonel Fitzwilliam was able to explain the arrangements for the service to them without further ado. He was about to return inside to Darcy when he noticed the strained look on Elizabeth's face. He took a moment to go to her side and said quietly, “Miss Bennet, you are about to marry a good man who loves you more than life itself. There is no cause for worry.”

She smiled at him, grateful for his concern for her feelings. “I do know that, sir. It is just that it is quite a change for me,” she said.
And I, like a lost child, am frantically wishing that my family were here,
she thought. It was an unusual day indeed that found her missing her mother.

“All will be well,” he said warmly. “I shall see you inside.”

A few minutes later, Elizabeth felt a profound sense of unreality as she walked down the aisle of the unfamiliar church on her father's arm. The sense that she was leaving her world to move into Darcy's was an alarming one. It felt an impossibly long way to the altar, and her heart pounded as she walked. When she finally stood beside Darcy at the altar she took a deep breath to quell her dizziness, then looked up at him. The look of warmth in his dark eyes comforted her as the minister began to speak.

Darcy, who had been waiting eagerly to see Elizabeth, was immediately concerned by her pallor, and felt half an impulse to stop the service to see if she needed assistance. His first thought, that she did not want to marry him, he recognized to be an unreasonable fear; the way she looked at him told him that it was not true, and it occurred to him that he was not sure that he had ever seen Elizabeth frightened in the time he had known her. He wished that he could take her in his arms and restore the roses to her cheeks. He realized with a shock that he had not been paying the slightest attention to the minister's words, and that he was reaching a point where his response was required.

“Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?” the minister recited.

Darcy looked at Elizabeth, willing her to meet his eyes as he responded, “I will.” He was relieved to see her normal colour returning, and he kept his gaze locked with hers as the service continued.

“Wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honour, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”