His Uncle's Favorite (74 page)
Read His Uncle's Favorite Online
Authors: Lory Lilian
The next morning, everything was white, and Elizabeth, Georgiana, Kitty and Mary spent a couple of hours before breakfast walking in the garden through the snow while Darcy watched them from the library window.
The snow continued to fall the entire morning then stopped, and the wind demanded its share of time. Later in the evening, however, after dinner, while Elizabeth and Darcy prepared for the night, it started to snow again, steadily, peacefully. On the balcony, Elizabeth forgot to breathe under the spell of such beauty.
“Mrs. Darcy, I will meet you downstairs in a quarter of an hour. Dress yourself warmly; it is freezing outside,” her husband said abruptly, putting more wood on the fire.
He was gone before she had time to reply or to attempt to guess what he planned to do. She had long ceased trying to anticipate the meaning of his words or his intentions, but she did not need to know more as she trusted him completely.
A quarter of an hour later, the butler opened the main door and invited her out. In front of the entrance, her husband was waiting beside a huge sleigh pulled by Thunder and another black horse. Her face turned crimson from her own emotion and the chilling breeze as the snowflakes caressed her cheeks and rested in her hair.
He took her arm and directed her into the sleigh; then he settled himself beside her and took the reins. The horses impatiently started to move, and soon the sleigh was flying over the white ground.
Elizabeth closed her eyes as she breathed the cold, fresh air. She nestled to her husband’s chest while her heart seemed afraid to beat from overwhelming happiness.
Darcy’s arms gently encircled her shoulders while his other hand covered them both with a smooth wool blanket. Her own hand slid around his waist. He secured the reins, and the horses instantly slowed the pace; his free hand gently stroked her face and then lowered to her neck, brushing tenderly along her skin. His lips captured hers in a kiss, at first tender and then more passionate, to which she happily surrendered. One arm travelled along her spine, while the other continued its journey from her neck lower…then tried to find its way inside her coat. She laughed against his mouth and shivered as his fingers tried to unbutton her spencer but were caught between it and her dress. His kiss became more daring, while his fingers became more eager and less skilful in their attempt to reach the softness of her skin.
The snowfall increased, and so did his impatience. Her face was freezing while his lips were burning and her body seemed on fire…
“Mrs. Darcy, tomorrow night, please indulge me and dress yourself less diligently. A single coat over your dress would suffice, I think, and one with very few buttons would be a perfect choice.” She laughed, her fingers hurrying to help his in their daunting task.
“But sir, you said I would freeze if I did not dress securely”
“Well, my love, this outside activity in full winter is very new for me, too, so I am learning from experience. However, I think I may safely promise you that you will not freeze. In fact, I dare say you will be quite warm…quite warm indeed,” he whispered, and his strong hands placed her astride his lap.
She encircled his neck with her arms, allowing her lips to be captured by his. Covered in blankets—with the horses moving at a slow pace and the snow falling on their hair, their faces and their skin—they subdued the frozen air with the warmth inside them on their first sleigh ride alone together—only them, their love and the winter covering Pemberley in frozen whiteness.
Nine months later, in the middle of August, young William Darcy, a beautiful, healthy boy, claimed his place in the world and in the hearts of his parents.
Epilogue
Five years happily passed after Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley wedded Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
Mr. and Mrs. Bingley, blessed with two daughters as beautiful as their mother, remained as kind and gentle as they had been when they first met. Their proximity to Pemberley allowed the two families to meet often and spend as much time together as they wished. Under Darcy’s wise supervision, Mr. Bingley’s estate became as profitable as it was beautiful, adding further to Mr. Bingley’s good name.
Mrs. Bennet could hardly bear the happiness of seeing Lydia and Kitty married—three years after her eldest daughters—to two officers about ten years older, handsome enough for the girls to be charmed and wise enough for Mr. Bennet to trust them. Even more fortunately, Mary developed a strong affection for Mr. Thornton, the parson who was offered the living at Kympton village, and she married him when she turned one and twenty.
Miss Georgiana Darcy had come out when she was seventeen, and since then, she had been greatly admired and courted by many eligible, London bachelors. However, she was in no haste to marry quickly as she set her mind and heart to accept nothing less than the love and happiness she witnessed in her brother’s marriage.
Two years after the Darcy’s wedding, the London
ton
was stunned by the announcement of Lord Matlock’s marriage to Mrs. Madeleine Gardiner. Though Mrs. Gardiner’s character and elegance were praised by anyone who knew her, her low situation by birth—as well as the fact that her father had owned a small shop in a village—were reason enough to raise gossip and speculation, which ended several months later when other subjects required the interest of the
ton
. Their unexpected marriage was shockingly blessed with a beautiful baby girl born a year later. Together with Mrs. Gardiner’s other children, she gave Lord Matlock the joy of a second youth. It was strange, however, that Lord Matlock’s
daughter
was a year younger than his
granddaughter
—the daughter of Colonel Fitzwilliam and Anne. And so, as he had long wished and prayed for, Lord Matlock, who always complained of not having enough beauty in his family, was gifted with a daughter and granddaughter to fill his life.
The young master William Darcy was followed by his brother, Robert—two years his junior—and his sister, Elizabeth Anne—born two years after Robert. The children brought blessed joy to their family, each of them taking particular traits from their parents, so they were much alike, yet completely different. However, they all had one thing in common—the unconditional love of their parents.
Five years and three small children did not change or diminish Elizabeth and Darcy’s love and passion for each other. Their bond only grew stronger, and their knowledge of each other’s heart and mind became so complete that they rarely needed words to express their wishes. For everyone who had the chance to meet them or see them together, it became a truth universally acknowledged that Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley and his wife—née Miss Elizabeth Bennet—were perfect for each other, and as Mrs. Reynolds told anyone within her hearing, they were indeed the happiest couple in the world.
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