Imperative: Volume 1, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (93 page)

“Good God.”  Darcy swallowed and buried his face in her hair. 

“It must be done, Will.  We cannot possibly carry out this charade in Scotland without the help of some staff.  I trust Judy; I imagine that she and Parker have shared things about us already, which is only natural as our closest servants.  But this is not Longbourn.  There is no earthly reason for the mistress to share her maid with her sister, not here.  We must bring in another.” 

“And will this girl blackmail us afterwards?”  He said bitterly. 

“That is why I will ask Judy her opinion.”  Elizabeth said quietly.  “Georgiana’s behaviour has been so erratic of late, it would probably not raise too many eyebrows to have her take a sudden dislike to the girl and replace her with someone else, if necessary, but I hope that . . .”

“Elizabeth . . . the staff is yours.  You are expert at reading character . . .”

“So if she does turn on us it is my failure?” 

His head lifted.  “I did not say that!”

“I know.”  She smiled and caressed his blushing cheek, and his eyes closed again.  “It comes to this, Will.  Either we trust a few close servants here, or we pack up our things and move to Scotland without them for the next six months.”

“Or I just let my ruined sister face the consequences of her failure and give birth to her child here for all of the world to know.  We will not be able to hide the truth from whoever wishes to marry her one day.  The evidence will remain with her always.”

“How do you know?”   Elizabeth’s head tilted.

He searched for a way to avoid answering but knew it was of no use.  “I . . . I asked.   I asked Mr. Gardiner what to expect after . . . birth.  I . . . took advantage of his . . . offer of . . . information and I am sure that he was laughing at the foolish bridegroom who was supposedly enjoying the . . . pleasure of . . . experiencing his . . . newly . . .”  He cursed his tongue and his hand began to wave as his face took on a deep red blush, “. . . indoctrinated wife.”  He let out a great breath and could feel her stare even through his closed eyelids.  “Lizzy . . .”

“What changes?”

“Lizzy, please . . .”

“I imagine that my hips will widen and surely my breasts would grow as they fill with milk to feed the baby.  I hope that I will resume a semblance of my figure.  I would hate to have to purchase an entirely new wardrobe.  I must be sure to walk as much as possible during the pregnancy and afterwards.”  Darcy’s eyes opened.  “What else will change in me . . . one day . . . when you and I are parents?”

“When
we
are parents?”  He breathed.  “Us?”

“Who do you think I was talking about?” 

“I surely do not know.” 

“There is one part of me that I pray will remain the same, although it probably is a hopeless wish.  Aunt Gardiner told me that there are things I might do, exercises she discovered on her own that seemed to help . . .”

“Exercises?”  Fascinated, Darcy lifted her chin.  “What sort of exercises?  To what purpose?”

“Oh.”  Elizabeth blushed and looked down.  “I should not speak of such things before you, forgive me.”

“Lizzy . . .”

“I . . . I only know that you seem to enjoy . . . how snugly we fit together and I know that I surely enjoy how . . . incredibly . . .
full
I feel when you . . .”  Darcy’s mouth crushed down on hers and she was kissed hard and thoroughly.  “Oh my!”

“Come.”  He let go and clasped her hand tightly in his.

“Where are we going?”   Elizabeth demanded as he started walking.

“This way.”  He tossed back to her and kept going.  “And before you say a word, do not.  I will not answer you.”

“Why?” 

Darcy just raised his brows and she spoke in an undertone to herself.  He laughed softly as he caught a few words, and they wended their way through the house, down the stairs, past the music room and library, on and on.  Hearing Mrs. Reynolds’ voice asking someone for them, Darcy put a finger to his lips.  His eyes twinkled with mischief and he squeezed her hand tightly as they began walking very fast, nearly running as he pulled her behind him.  Elizabeth put her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter and eventually they arrived at the misty glass doors to the conservatory.  Darcy opened them and a rush of sweet humid air flowed out.

“Here we are at last.” 

“It is beautiful!”  Elizabeth looked up to see icicles hanging from the eaves outside and breathed in the fragrant scent of the warm damp earth.  Darcy carefully closed the doors and locked them.  “I wondered if we would ever . . .”  Her voice was silenced when he suddenly wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her.  “Oh.” 

“Oh, indeed.”  He spoke against her mouth.  “I have wanted to kiss you for days.” 

“And what was that display I enjoyed this morning?”  She giggled as he nibbled.  “Will!”

“That was legal, sanctioned, approved kisses in the privacy of our rooms.”  He drew back and pecked her nose.  “Not nearly the same.”

“But you imply that you want us to be caught.”  Standing on her toes, she whispered against his ear, “This may come as a surprise, dear, but you locked the door.”

“Ohhhh, so I did.”  He glanced back at it and smiled.  “What shall we do in this private Eden, then?”

“Kiss?”

“Without a doubt, I love kissing you.  I love tasting and smelling you.”  His hand lifted to play with a curl.  “What else?”  Darcy’s fingers trailed down her throat to the front of her gown, his eyes followed the movement and he pressed his palm over her chest.  “Your heart is pounding.  I can feel it against my hand.”  His little smile appeared, and his head tilted.  “What else do you want of me dearest?”

“I . . .”  She blushed.  “Will, I . . .”  Again her voice was swallowed with a kiss and her hands snaked around his neck.  Darcy’s lips stroked over hers and his hands wound around her waist, pulling her tightly to his body.  He groaned, and with a fluid movement, lifted her up from the ground.  “Fitzwilliam!”  She squealed and was rewarded with his soft laugh. 

“Relax.”  He set her on a flat stone.  “Are you comfortable?”  Darcy whispered and smiled directly into her eyes.  “Now you do not have to stand on your toes to kiss me.” 

“And you do not have to bend your neck?”  She laughed and he nodded.  “This is what you imagined at Netherfield.” 

“Yes.”  His eyes moved to her lips and he spoke to them.  “I want you in a garden, I think on it constantly.  I want you on a blanket, nestled amongst the tall grass, hidden from anyone who might pass . . .” His mouth found hers again and they clung together, his lips pressing, demanding that she match his desire.  “I want you drunk with passion, and flowers in your hair, and naked as the day you were born.” 

“Will!”  Elizabeth gasped and laughed. 

“I want the sun to shine down on your skin, and I want to watch it brown.”

“Fitzwilliam Darcy . . . oh . . . most unfashionable, sir!” 

“Not on you, my wood nymph.”  He nipped at her ear.  “My love is not one to hide from the sun.”

“And will you be the same?”  She whispered against his lips. 

“I would love to be lying in the grass with you.  I would love to be lying on you, filling you.”  He murmured before capturing her mouth again.  Darcy’s hands moved up and down her back as their tongues slid together.  “Lizzy . . .”

“Do you know that I dream of you, too?” 

“Tell me, dearest.”  Darcy tugged and pulled at the buttons on her gown, and groaned with frustration as they refused to give way.

“I dream of you wet, like the day that you rode to Longbourn.”  His frenzied movement stopped and he stared at her with a growing smile.  “Your hair is wet and you are dressed . . .” She blushed and looked down.  Darcy took hold of her chin and lifted her head up. 

“Tell me.” 

“In nothing but those terrible breeches I made.”

“No shirt?”

“No.”

His eyes lit up.  “Shoes?”

“No.”  She looked down and again he raised her chin.  “And you are,” her palms pressed on his chest and glided down to his hips and over the fall of his breeches, “as you are now.”  He looked down to her hands caressing over the prominent arousal and back up to her face.  “I love looking at you Fitzwilliam.”

Deftly, he unbuttoned his breeches and withdrew his erection.  “This?” 

“Yesss.”  She breathed and reaching to caress over him with both of her hands, hardly realized that as he drew her closer, her legs parted so that he stood between them.  “Fitzwilliam . . .”  Her eyes widened.  “How did you . . .?”  She looked down, completely surprised to find her skirt bunched around her waist.  “Are you a magician?”

“No, no, a master.”  The small smile was on his lips, and he stroked his hand over her hip.  “Do you want me, dearest?  Please say yes.”

“Here?”  Elizabeth blushed and she rested her head against his chest, listening to the strong steady beat of his heart.  She looked to the glass doors, opaque from the warmth of the smudge pots burning throughout the room, and back up to his warm, loving eyes.  “Yes.” 

Her eyes closed and her breathing became shallow while Darcy rocked his hips and watched as inch by inch, they slowly joined.  “You are so tight, Lizzy!”  He groaned. When she had all of him, they began to move faster.  Elizabeth’s gasps of pleasure matched the rhythm of his pounding heart. 

His head dropped and he groaned loudly with each stroke, “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”   Elizabeth grabbed his face and kissed him until he broke away and began suckling her neck while caressing his hands over her back.  His fingers entwined in her hair, pulling her head backwards, exposing more skin for him to taste and she gasped when his tongue traced down her throat.

He pressed his nose to the valley and breathed in.  “Oh Lord . . .”  He tasted the softness as one hand moved from her back to stroke over the fabric that covered her breast.  “I want you naked.”  He growled. 

“I just want you deep inside of me, as far as you can go.”  She begged, and clutching his coat, leaned backwards.

Darcy groaned, leaning with her, pressing his weight onto her until she lay back on the stone.  He cradled one hand beneath her head, and lifting her leg up to his shoulder, started thrusting faster and harder. 

“Oh, Will . . .  ohhhh . . .” 

Elizabeth’s breath came in pants, she took his face in her hands and suckled his lips.  He groaned and moved deeper than he ever had before.  Somehow he became aware of Elizabeth’s fingers digging into his shoulders, her breathing came faster and faster, her eyes closed and he swore he could see her pulse pounding in her throat.  Without a doubt he felt the impulse of her body clutching him, squeezing him in rapid succession and felt her suddenly become limp in his arms. 

“Oh, Lord. . .” he gasped and squeezing his eyes tightly shut, he bellowed his release as wave after delicious wave washed over him.  Opening his eyes, he found Elizabeth staring up at him with a sleepy, glorious smile.  He swallowed and tried to breathe normally, but it was impossible.  “What did you feel?”

“I cannot describe it, a rush of . . . warm love.”  She laughed and brushed back his damp hair.  “You are all wet.”

“You wanted me wet, remember?”  He turned his head to kiss her palm, and reached to brush back her damp curls.  “I want you wet, too.”

“I think that you succeeded in that.”  She giggled and he looked down to where they were still joined and back up to her with a happy grin.

“So I did.”  Laughing, he slowly let down her leg, withdrew and settled on top of her.  “I love you.”

“I love you, Will.”

Darcy kissed her and rubbed his nose to hers.  “It smells like us in here.  Our passion.”

“Quite pleasant.”  She caressed his face and kissed him.

“mmmmmmmm.  Imagine wearing that scent, you would have men following you everywhere.” 

“Would you want that?”

“No, but it will make me so proud to show them the beautiful woman I love.”  He kissed her.  “Who I alone may love.” 

“And do you think that I feel any differently about you?”  Darcy’s eyes lit up and she laughed, caressing his hair.  “Dear man.” 

“What shall we do now, love?  I am afraid that I am unsure of the proper behaviour following an episode of quick copulation in a room other than our chambers.”

“You are asking me this?  The woman you wished to remain ignorant of all things . . . copulation related?”

“Not all things.  I want you to learn them with me.”  Darcy licked her lips and at last pulling her upwards, sat beside her while she adjusted her skirts.  When finished, he embraced her and they closed their eyes, resting together.  “I think, my love, that we must experiment frequently with this.  Rapid lovemaking in convenient places throughout the day; then followed by . . .”

“Long, lingering lovemaking in our rooms?”  She giggled and he grinned.  “How will we ever manage to accomplish anything?”

“Oh, we will manage.”  Darcy kissed her nose, and looking down, watched her busy hand tuck up his breeches and button the fall.  “Well done.” 

“Thank you.  It is one of my many skills.”  She raised her brow as a chuckle rumbled through his chest.  “Undoubtedly I have many more yet to be identified.” 

“Undoubtedly.”   Kissing her again, he looked down to their entwined fingers and rubbed his thumb over her ring.  “I cannot wait to help in this journey of discovery.”

Elizabeth watched his thumb and held out her palm to take his left hand in hers.  She touched his ring and looked up to see his soft eyes upon her.  “I think it is about time that we began.”

Chapter 29

“S
ir?”  Evans appeared with a salver.  “The post has arrived, oh and Mr. Barnes asked me to remind you of the pointing, sir?  He will be by in an hour if you have the time.”

“Ah yes, of course.”  Darcy rubbed his hand over his face.  The problems of Pemberley were not limited to his sister.   There were also the never-ending requirements to keep a centuries old house upright, and he had not been home to give it his complete attention in a very long time.    He held out his hand expectantly.  “Is there anything for Mrs. Darcy?”