Page 15 of Winter of Passion (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

D inner was as tiresome as Darcy had anticipated. He was seated next to Georgiana, and Elizabeth was on the opposite side of the table and some distance away. Her seat was to Mrs Bingley’s left, and next to her was Colonel Fitzwilliam. Opposite her were Lady Laura and Colonel Rutley.

He had found no chance to talk to her since he had given her the book.

It had been a desperate gesture, but he could not help himself.

He had seen the necklace in a shop and bought it on impulse, even though he had many exquisite jewels to offer his wife.

But that one was special, and he was curious what her response had been when she saw it.

His eyes met hers several times, and he could read her gaze well enough; he knew they belonged to each other, but still, he was bothered by a silly jealousy towards everyone who sat near her and talked to her.

She did not seem bothered to be in the midst of many strangers, of whom at least half had tried to offend her or her sister. She acted as if she was superior to them — and indeed she was, in every single way.

After dinner, Bingley invited the gentlemen to the library, and Darcy was worried for Georgiana, who looked tired and pale.

“Brother, if you do not mind, Mrs Annesley and I shall retire.”

“Of course, my dear. Would you like me to escort you?”

“Oh no, not at all. Mrs Annesley is with me, and all is well.”

She left, and Darcy joined the others in the library. By the time they entered the drawing room, Elizabeth was on a sofa with Mrs Bingley and Lady Laura, while the other ladies were spread around the room.

It was nearly midnight when the party came to an end, and everyone withdrew to their chambers in a din of voices and footsteps. Finally, a welcome silence fell over the library, where Darcy, Bingley, and Colonel Fitzwilliam were having a last drink.

“Upon my word, I must have lost my mind that I let myself be convinced by Caroline to host this craziness. No offence to you, Colonel.”

“None taken, Bingley. I admit I wondered about it. Why on Earth did you need to do it when you are newly married to a beautiful woman?”

“Caroline and Louisa kept telling me that I needed to do something… Jane seemed to agree… I had no notion of what it would involve. I might lose my mind completely by the end of it.”

“You must be stronger and not give in to your sisters’ demands, Bingley,” Darcy said. “And be more severe on their manners towards your wife. They are still rude and disrespectful of the mistress of this house, though perhaps in a less obvious manner.”

“I shall. I plan to leave for London next month and spend the rest of the winter there, only with Jane.”

“Excellent plan,” Darcy agreed.

“The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that I wish to purchase an estate. One no bigger than Netherfield but farther away. I would love Derbyshire, but I am sure Jane would not want to be such a distance from Elizabeth.”

Darcy sipped from his glass to cover his smile.

“I am sure you could find a good estate in Derbyshire. There is one for sale only twenty miles from Pemberley. You could come to view it in the summer. Who knows? Your wife might not oppose it by then.”

“I confess I look forward to being away from Hertfordshire and not seeing so much of Jane’s family or mine. Or the people of Meryton. I am exhausted by them all. Except for Elizabeth, who is a true comfort to Jane. And, unlike the others, she always knows when to speak and when to be silent.”

“Miss Elizabeth is one of the most delightful creatures I have ever met,” the colonel replied. “If I could afford it, I would certainly pursue her, though I fear she is a bit too spirited for me. I favour more obedient ladies.”

The colonel spoke in jest, but Darcy felt an unpleasant tightness in his chest.

“I love Elizabeth,” Bingley said, “and I am proud she is my sister, but I think she is too spirited for most men. And too clever and outspoken. I am happy and relieved that she and Darcy have become good friends lately. In the past, every time they began to argue over something, I was scared one of them would be offended and a scandal would arise.”

“Miss Bennet and I had many disagreements in the past, but none was anywhere close to a scandal, Bingley,” Darcy responded.

“And I thank God for that!” Bingley sighed, causing the colonel to laugh and Darcy to smile.

“So, you and Miss Bennet have become friends?” the colonel continued. “I am glad to hear that too. It must be the brandy speaking, but although you two teased and disagreed every time you saw each other, I always had the strange feeling that you admired her.”

“It is not the brandy,” Darcy admitted. “I mean, not only the brandy, though we have all had too much. I did admire Miss Bennet, even though we were not always in agreement.”

“Good. I look forward to meeting the rest of her family. Will you introduce me to them tomorrow?”

“Of course, Colonel!”

“If the Gardiners arrive tomorrow, I wish to greet them too,” Darcy said. “I might convince Georgiana to join us. It would be better for her to meet the Bennets with the comfort of the Gardiners and without all the madness of your other guests.”

“Then it is done! We shall go tomorrow. Jane will be thrilled!”

“Bingley, I am sorry to tell you, but you and Mrs Bingley cannot leave your guests so soon after their arrival,” Darcy said, and Bingley looked bewildered.

“You mean…I have to be with them all the time?”

“I am afraid so. I shall take my cousin and Georgiana to Longbourn. Miss Bennet may come with us if she wishes to.”

Bingley stared at him for a moment, then gulped a few times and finally repeated, “I shall lose my mind completely by the end of this.”

After more jokes from the colonel, they separated for the night.

Darcy and his cousin walked together, as their rooms were in close proximity.

As he approached Elizabeth’s chamber, still talking, Darcy’s heart raced with anticipation, and he smiled to himself at his silly response.

“Shall we have another drink?” the colonel asked.

“Forgive me but no,” Darcy replied. “I have drunk too much already, and I barely slept last night.”

“Very well, then. Good night.”

Darcy waited for his cousin to enter his room, then he did the same. He was indeed tired and dizzy, and he took off his coat and waistcoat, then his shoes.

As he paced the room, he was stunned to find a piece of paper near the door that he had missed. He picked it up and read it with delicious surprise.

My heart is smiling with joy and gratitude looking at the ruby heart. It might have taken me longer to give you my heart, but now it is forever yours. I could not speak to you directly, but I wished you to know it tonight.

He smiled at the note and at her boldness.

For a few moments, he stared into the fire, then he opened and closed his door with infinite care. In a few steps, he was outside Elizabeth’s room. He turned the handle and slipped inside.

It was not as dark as he expected; the fire was strong, and there was a candle lit on the small table. He looked at the bed, and his eyes feasted on her; she was smiling at him.

“May I come in? Only for a little while.”

“Of course. I have been waiting for you.”

He locked the door, and only then did he approach and sit on the bed.

Her hands stretched out to him, and he climbed onto the bed, embracing her, while her arms closed around his neck.

“Why are you not asleep yet?”

“I have been waiting for you. I knew you would come, eventually…”

“I have been starving for you the entire day, my love,” he whispered, then he rolled her against the pillows and leant over her, capturing her lips.

They opened for him, and as he felt her pulling him closer, he cast aside any caution and unleashed his hunger that could only be satiated by her lips.

Only the need for air broke the kiss, but his mouth travelled lower until it reached the roundness of her breasts.

There, his hunger only increased, fuelled by her moans of delight, and his hand quickly slid down between her warm, soft thighs.

She released a small cry, and her body arched towards him.

“Please…” she whispered, and he understood her plea.

He kissed her again, briefly, then he moved over her and spread her legs around him.

He was now completely upon her, and his entire body was aroused, stirred, yearning.

She seemed surprised and moaned when he began moving atop her.

He was still wearing his trousers, but the motion was delightful, nevertheless, so much so that it made him even dizzier.

He felt her breasts moving under his chest and dipped his head to taste them again, then again pressed his body into hers.

He allowed his hand to resume the exploration between her thighs when he heard her whispering his name.

“Fitzwilliam, please stop.”

He instantly obeyed, breaking the kiss and looking at her closely.

“Elizabeth, I am so sorry, my love… I forgot myself.”

He tried to move away, but her legs and arms held him still.

“Do not apologise.” She smiled, struggling for air. “It is just that…I cannot breathe,” she said, blushing.

“Oh, please forgive me. I did not think that it might be uncomfortable for you…”

“I have never been so comfortable in my life,” she teased him, her eyes sparkling, her lips red, swollen, and moist. “I just needed a little space. You were a little too heavy.”

“I have lost myself…”

“So have I. I have dreamt of this moment all day…and I must say I was jealous of all the attention the other ladies gave you.”

“You call it attention — I call it annoyance,” he replied, and she laughed. “My vanity is flattered that you feel jealous, but surely you know there is no reason for that.”

He gazed at her, and a wave of joy spread through him.

“You are wearing the ruby heart!”

“I am…only for tonight. I must find an explanation for it. I must think of a little lie to tell Jane and my family before I can wear it in the daylight.”

“I am glad I am the only one to see it on your skin,” he responded, and he leant down to place a kiss on the jewel and on her neck. “We must marry soon,” he said breathlessly, and she laughed as his mouth finally captured hers.

He allowed a little distance between their bodies — enough for her to not be burdened by his weight and for his insatiable hands to explore and caress with tender passion. When he brushed over her breasts and cupped them possessively, she shuddered and cried against his mouth.

He now knew how to delight her, and his hand easily found the warmth of her inner thighs.

Never before had he felt so much joy as when he saw — and felt — Elizabeth taking her pleasure, which made her eyes sparkle as never before.

He allowed his fingers to gently glide inside her, rejoicing in her moan crushed within their kiss.

The sensation of feeling the inside of her body, though only with a gentle touch, was maddening, and it shook his body while intoxicating his mind.

To him, it was torture to not be able to release his own pleasure, but torture so sweet that he willingly accepted it.

Her wishes were more important than his, her pleasure more important than his.

He abandoned her mouth and traced a line of kisses down her throat, over her breasts, and lower to her belly, then to her thighs, then between them — inside them.

After a while, he felt her body quivering with pleasure and heard her deep moans and sighs of exhausted fulfilment, and he returned to look at her face. Her eyes opened slowly, as if her eyelashes were too heavy, and she smiled at him, then her hand cupped his face.

“Fitzwilliam…”

“Yes?”

“You must teach me… You give me so much pleasure and…I wish to do the same for you.”

He caressed her face too and briefly kissed her one more time.

“I thank you for thinking of me, my love. There is nothing to teach, as I wish nothing else from you but to do as you want, as you feel.”

“But you know…it is not new to you…you have certainly done that before…” she said, lowering her eyes.

“My love, I shall not deny having been in intimate situations with women before. But what we have shared these two nights, I have never done before — I have never felt before. I never imagined that I could feel so much desire, so much passion, that I could find so much pleasure in giving you pleasure. All this is new to me.”

She smiled at him, and he caressed her face again.

“Since the moment I fell in love with you, everything has been new to me. All the feelings you aroused inside my body were unknown, frightening, and overwhelming.”

“That I can well understand,” she replied. “It frightens me to realise how much and how ardently I love you too, my beloved Mr Darcy.”

“I must leave now…I have already taken too many risks, but it was all worth it.”

She nodded, and he left the bed, carefully arranging his clothes. He wanted another kiss, but he fought against the urge. He needed to leave.

Surprisingly, she rose and walked towards him, barefoot, and it was she who reached for another kiss. Then he opened the door a crack, peeked out, and since all was dark and silent, he left her bed-chamber.