Page 21 of Suddenly Married

After a week at Pemberley, the newlyweds had established a routine.

They breakfasted with Georgiana; Mr. Darcy then went to work, while Elizabeth spent time with her sister-in-law and with her dog.

She also devoted hours to Mrs. Reynolds, learning more about Pemberley and her duties as its mistress.

In the evenings, they dined together, after which Georgiana and Elizabeth played the piano and sang.

Afterwards, they retired to their rooms—though Mr. Darcy had not slept in his own bed since returning as a married man.

They made love, and he remained with her for the rest of the night.

All of Pemberley's staff had noticed the change in their master; he had always been generous, yet reserved.

Now, however, he conversed more and smiled often, particularly when he was seen walking in the garden with his wife.

After nearly two weeks at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy was working in his study.

He needed to read certain contracts that required his signature and dispatch to London when he was interrupted by his butler.

"Sir, here is your correspondence. These letters are for Mrs. Darcy.

Shall I leave them with the others, or deliver them to her personally?

" Mr. Darcy hesitated for a few moments before answering, "Leave them with the other correspondence and allow Mrs. Darcy to collect them herself.

" When the butler left the room, he rose and went to examine the letters.

There were four—three from her sisters and one from Mrs. Gardiner.

Suddenly, he heard Elizabeth approaching.

He returned to his chair and pretended to be occupied with papers when she entered.

Elizabeth said nothing, unwilling to disturb him.

She merely approached the table where the correspondence lay, and her face brightened with joy when she saw the four letters.

She had been troubled since leaving Longbourn, knowing nothing of her family, especially her mother, who had been so ill.

She took the letters, slipped them quickly into the pocket of her pelisse, and made for the door.

"What do you plan to do this morning, Elizabeth?

" Mr. Darcy asked before she left. "I am going to walk in the park with Dante.

The day is lovely," she replied. "Dante?

" "Your wedding gift," she answered with a smile.

"Dante, the dog? Why did you give him that name?

" he asked curiously. "Because…" Elizabeth paused, then said, "I like the name.

Now I shall leave you to your work. Good day, Mr. Darcy.

" For some reason, he felt wounded. There was something in Elizabeth's manner that, at times, he could not comprehend.

Although she did not always notice, he spent much time observing her.

Even when they made love, he had found her somewhat reserved.

The previous night, after dinner, she had sung a mournful song, and later, after they had been together, she had wept in his arms. He admired his wife for never complaining, yet he would almost have preferred that she did, so he might comfort her as he had when Mr. Bennet died.

He had done his utmost to please her: showing her all the jewels belonging to Mrs. Darcy, summoning the Lambton dressmaker to make new mourning dresses, and assigning her generous pin money.

Yet none of that had lit her countenance as had those letters a few minutes before.

Mr. Darcy looked out of the window and saw her running with her dog towards the park.

She seemed so happy—like a young girl with a new toy.

He watched until she vanished from sight, then returned to his work, unsettled without knowing why.

Elizabeth felt blissful and wished only to savour each letter.

Upon leaving the house, the first thing she did was call Dante, who came at once.

Fortunately, he had recovered and now walked with ease.

Together they ran into the park, where Elizabeth discovered a spot that would become her favourite in all of Pemberley—a small bench beneath a tree near the lake that separated the house from the park.

She first opened Kitty's letter. Kitty sent Lydia's love, explaining that she had not written because she had been a little unwell.

She shared trivial news of herself and the family and wrote that she was content.

Elizabeth then opened Jane's letter, and as she read it, she was astonished.

"Dante, Jane is going to be married," she said in surprise to her dog, who looked at her with curiosity.

Elizabeth could not help but worry, yet she could tell her sister was happy, and her future husband appeared to be a good man.

"Dante, I am sorry for my sister. I wish she might at least marry for love.

But you know, life has been difficult since my father died.

He loved to read, and one of his favourite books wasThe Divine Comedy—that is why you are named Dante.

" The next letter was from Mary, who described in detail Mrs. Bennet's recovery, explaining that Mrs. Carter had decided to remain with them to care for her.

Thanks to that, she was recovering well.

"Dante, my mother is better—you remember I told you she was ill.

But she is recovering, and you cannot imagine how happy I am to know it," Elizabeth said, shedding a few tears of joy.

Mary also recounted Jane's engagement dinner and how kind Mr. Clark had been to the family, even carrying Mrs. Bennet in his arms so that she might dine with everyone in the dining room.

"Dante, I think I shall like my new brother very much.

" Finally, she read the letter from her aunt Gardiner, who gave more details about Mr. Clark and reminded her that she had met him two years earlier, when he had attended a literary gathering at her house and had read a poem most impressively.

"Dante, my new brother has one of the finest voices I have ever heard.

And I remember that he is as tall as Mr. Darcy.

" Elizabeth remained with her dog for several hours, reading and rereading each letter.

Time passed so quickly that she did not realise it was almost time for dinner.

The sun was setting, its fractured light shining upon the lake.

Elizabeth paused to admire the view, then ran back towards the house.

Before entering, she embraced her dog. "Thank you for your company, Dante.

I shall see you tomorrow, my dear friend.

" From the drawing-room window, Mr. Darcy saw her, impeccably dressed for dinner.

A few minutes later, she entered, apologising for her tardiness.

"I know it is no excuse, but the park is so beautiful that I lost track of time," she told Mr. Darcy and Georgiana cheerfully.

"At Pemberley, we are very respectful of time.

I hope you will take that into account, Elizabeth, and manage your time more carefully.

I do not like waiting," he replied curtly.

Georgiana spoke to Elizabeth to dispel the awkwardness.

Mr. Darcy barely spoke during dinner, but Elizabeth did not notice.

She was in too good a humour, smiling and conversing animatedly with Georgiana.

Knowing that her mother was better and that Jane had met a good man who loved her had lifted much of the weight from her heart.

After dinner, they went to the music room.

Georgiana played a piece and excused herself; she disliked remaining when her brother was in such a temper.

Elizabeth continued at the piano, singing brightly until her husband told her it was time to retire.

"I have had much work today, Elizabeth. I wish to go to my chambers and rest." "Of course, I have noticed you have been working hard, and it is only natural that you are tired.

" Elizabeth, still elated, wished to share her joy with someone.

She had no desire to sleep yet, so she told her maid, Clair, that she needed no assistance that evening.

She let down her hair and waited for her husband to come to her—but he did not.

Mr. Darcy was on the balcony of his room, drinking brandy.

He did not know precisely why he was so angry.

That night, he resolved not to go to his wife; she did not seem to need him to be content.

He understood that she was in mourning, yet it hurt him that she had never spoken a word of love to him and that nothing he did appeared to please her.

'Tonight, I shall not sleep with you, Elizabeth.

It is plain you do not need me to be pleased.

' When he finished his second glass of brandy, he decided to sleep alone, though he knew he would not sleep.

He had removed his robe and was in his nightshirt when he heard a soft knock at the door.

"May I come in, Fitzwilliam?" Elizabeth did not wish to sleep alone that night.

She knew she could not speak of her family or share the happy news about Jane and her mother with her husband, but she could at least share her joy physically, by being close to him.

She had no one else, and her husband had become increasingly important to her.

He was so tender, and she felt loved whenever he embraced her in sleep.

"Come in," he replied with authority. Elizabeth wore only a nightgown, her hair loose about her shoulders.

She looked beautiful. He regarded her for a few seconds, then averted his eyes.

Elizabeth approached him shyly, sensing he was still displeased at her lateness to dinner.

"I just wanted to apologise again and tell you it will not happen again.

" "Very well, I accept your apology. Excuse me, but I am fatigued and wish to sleep," Mr. Darcy said, still avoiding her gaze.

"Good night, Fitzwilliam." Elizabeth kissed him lightly on the cheek, but her husband remained cold and distant.

Elizabeth felt wounded by his rejection, yet she resigned herself and returned to her room.

Before she could lie down, her husband appeared and embraced her.

She turned and began to kiss him with intensity and passion.

"I am sorry, my love. I know I can be inflexible at times, but—" "I should not have been late and kept you waiting.

" Mr. Darcy told his wife repeatedly how much he loved her, and she kissed and caressed his face.

They made love more than once that night, and Elizabeth fell asleep in her husband's arms, happy and content.

"I love you, Elizabeth," said Mr. Darcy once again, receiving no reply—but he did not mind this time.

◆◆◆

"No, Charles, you are not going to Netherfield," Caroline said, enraged with her brother.

"Mr. Bennet has died, Caroline. The least I can do is offer my condolences and assistance to his family.

" "Have you not considered what Mr. Darcy will say?

" asked Caroline. "No, I have not considered it, and I am not interested in his opinion on the matter," Mr. Bingley replied, firm in his resolve.

Unwilling to waste another moment arguing with his sister, he left the room.

After learning what had occurred in Hertfordshire, he could not remain indifferent and wished, in some way, to offer his assistance to the Bennet family—most especially to his beloved angel.

Caroline watched him leave with a mixture of frustration and disbelief.

She could not comprehend how her brother, usually so pliable to her counsel, would now defy her so openly.

The thought of him associating with the Bennet family, particularly at such a delicate time, was intolerable to her.

Yet Charles, once outside the room, felt only relief at having ended the dispute.

He would not allow his sister's prejudices or Mr. Darcy's possible disapproval to deter him from doing what he believed honourable.