"Dearest?" said the duke in concern as he approached Oakham Mount for their morning rendezvous as his Elizabeth sat there visibly upset and he could see that she had been crying so he immediately gathered her in his arms. "My love, what ever is the matter?" he asked as he gently rubbed her back.
"My father has forbidden me to be in your presence" Elizabeth said between sobs.
"What? Why? What has happened?" he asked in confusion.
"I know not except apparently my mother and sister spoke to him while we were out riding about my behavior in your presence and he feels he needs to save me from being crossed in love when you leave me."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Tis all so confusing but he would not give me an explanation besides forbidding me to see you and he has restricted my outings as they were before."
"Come" the duke said abruptly as he started to lead her down the Mount.
"Where are we going?" Elizabeth asked in alarm.
"To see your father" he said as if it was obvious.
"Have we not discussed this before, Fitzwilliam? He shall never consent, especially not now."
"I care not for I will have you whether he likes it or not, but I cannot in good conscience take his daughter from him without at least giving him the chance to consent."
"But…"
"No buts. Come, dearest" he said as he led her to the old mare she had ridden in Jupiter's stead and helped her mount before mounting his own horse.
"Fitzwilliam" she tried again once they had reached Longbourn and he helped her dismount.
"Please, dearest. We have to, you must see that" he said as she finally agreed and led him to her father.
"Lizzy told me to expect your call though I must admit I did not expect you after my talk with my daughter yesterday" Mr. Bennet said after he was introduced to the duke and they were both seated in front of him.
"Thank you for agreeing to see me, sir" the duke started. "I gather from Miss Bennet that you are aware of my feelings for her and I am indeed here to request permission for a courtship."
"A courtship?" he said in genuine surprise. "From my daughter's behavior last night and the looks you two shared as you entered, I expected to be advised that you had made my daughter an offer" said the perceptive man, making Elizabeth gasp in surprise, confirming his suspicions. "So I take it I am correct?" he sighed in disappointment.
"You are. Sir, I love your daughter very much and I have since the moment I met her at the assembly upon my arrival" said the duke.
"So your mother's accusations were true, Lizzy? I must say I am surprised. You are not one to dissemble so" said her father.
"I did not father. I was not standing next to His Grace for two hours trying to attract his notice. We conversed for no more than a quarter hour before I left the ball" explained Elizabeth.
"So it only took you a quarter of an hour to fall in love with my daughter, Your Grace?" her father asked sarcastically.
"I did not need the full fifteen minutes, sir" the duke answered truthfully, catching the other man off guard.
"I see" said the shocked father. "And you Lizzy? How long did it take you?"
"I was in love before we even spoke, papa" she said as she gave her beloved a smile that he could only return.
He saw in that moment, as hard as it was to fathom, these two were in love. Violently. After so short a time. It was as if he was reliving the way he fell in love with his own Elizabeth as she walked into that ball and he was devastated. He would not allow it of course. He would not let the man take his daughter away from him when she was his only joy and he needed her to run the estate. That is why he let Fanny carry on with her nonsense all these years. Her restrictions kept his Lizzy at home and close to him. She would not be taken from him as her mother was.
"I regret to inform you I cannot grant a courtship and most certainly will not allow an engagement. You know nothing about my daughter and nor she you. I am sure you have many women of your ilk waiting on your return from your little foray into our part of the country and it is best that you get back to them, Your Grace. I will not allow you to trifle with my daughter."
"I beg your pardon?" said the outraged duke, never having his honor called into question so. "I have never trifled with any woman in my life sir and most assuredly am not trifling with your daughter! Men do not propose to women they want to trifle with, sir" he said, trying to rein in his temper at the outrageous accusation.
"Be that as it may…" Mr. Bennet waved him off.
"Papa" interrupted Elizabeth as she laid a hand on the duke's arm to calm him down. "Will you not give His Grace your real reason for refusing?"
"I do not take your meaning, daughter" he said angrily.
"His Grace is sincere in his affections as you well know" she said in frustration. "He came to you as he should have with an honest request and you can at least give him an honest answer. We both know you do not believe he is trifling with me and it is cowardly to use such an excuse especially as it calls his honor into question."
"How dare you!" said her now outraged father, upset that his intelligent daughter had saw through him so quickly and called him out on it.
"How dare you, sir?" she asked just as angry. "You dare to sit here and all but call His Grace a rake when he is nothing of the sort. I am sure one such as he is not use to putting up with such insults and I will not allow you to insult him so when his only crime is having the audacity to love me. You have every right to your denial sir, but at least be man enough to state the real reason and not defame him so."
"Elizabeth Rose Bennet!" Mr. Bennet said in anger. "You will not sit here and speak to me so. I will not have it. My answer is no. I need not give an explanation and my answer shall not change. You had better remember your manners young lady!" he shouted.
Elizabeth sat in shock at her father's unprecedented anger and his unreasonable refusal to such a match. What in the world made him protest their match so vehemently? The duke sat in a state of shock himself for the very same reason. Not believing what he had heard.
Without another word to her father he took her by the hand and pulled her from the room, her father's shouts following them. He led her outside and turned to face her. She seemed to be in a state of shock. She was looking at him but he could tell she could not see him. She stood still and pale with her mouth slack causing him no little panic.
"Dearest?" he said to no avail. "Dearest, are you well?" he asked giving her a little shake.
"Yes, or I will be" she said still in shock at her father's violent reaction.
"Unfortunately you were correct about your father's reaction" he said in frustration. "But he shall not keep us apart."
"I would like to have a chance to ask my uncle to try and intervene. If he still refuses to see reason, start planning our trip to Scotland. I think you should keep any plans from the Bingleys because I am sure your Miss Bingley will not be happy with the union and if she knows of our plans and my father is alerted…"
"You do not have to worry about sharing what is dearest to my heart with that one, though Bingley can be trusted to keep our secret. When shall we depart?" he asked anxiously.
"I would like to discuss that with my aunt. I am sure she will have some suggestions. Fear not! She will not try to deter us from our path. She will support me in this because she, unlike the rest of my family, only wants to see me happy" she reassured him.
They spoke a little longer about when they would next see each other, what she would do if she was confined to the house, and their upcoming trip to Scotland. They were soon interrupted by the housekeeper that had been sent to fetch her.
"Elizabeth, though I shall not change my mind I do want to apologize for not being able give my approval" said her father, not sounding apologetic at all causing her to barely be able to rein in her temper.
"May I not know the reason for you to deny me such a marriage?"
"My reasons are my own" he said harshly.
"And I have no right to know why I am being refused a life of happiness with the only man I could ever love?" she cried out making her father flinch at the familiar words.
"You may have a right to know but it will not compel me to divulge my reasons. I am sorry to have caused you pain. You are excused" he said without emotion and picked up his book as she fled from the room in tears.
He closed his eyes fighting back tears of his own. He knew that this was for the best and that she would soon get over it, though he did not like to see her thus. She would soon be able to make her own decisions and he was thankful that it was almost a year away. If she had her choice she would have married the duke, not only leaving him alone, but also bringing her to the notice of her grandparents.
There is no way a marriage to one such as he would go unknown in society and as soon as the duke's marriage to an Elizabeth Bennet was announced, her grandparents were sure to make the connection. His hate for her grandfather had not diminished and he vowed to keep his Lizzy away from them, just as they had kept their Elizabeth away from him.
S***************************S
"Unfortunately there is nothing for it unless you want to wait until your majority to marry though I can hardly fathom your father's reaction" said Madelaine Gardiner later that day.
She was happy about Elizabeth's astounding engagement to none other than the Duke of Derbyshire. She could not be happier for the girl she loved like a daughter and would let no one ruin this for her. Especially her selfish father! She expected to have to deal with Fanny Bennet's ridiculous restrictions on Lizzy that would prevent the match, never dreaming her father would be foolish enough to deny his consent though they had always believed he wanted to keep her home in order to care for the estate.
She was happy to hear how her niece had stood up to her stepmother, rendering the woman powerless to intervene. The only power she ever held over Elizabeth was the power that the girl had given her. Now that Lizzy no longer felt the need to follow her ridiculous dictates, she could do nothing to force her to. As for Thomas Bennet! Was he out of his senses? This was not to be borne and she knew she had to come up with a plan to undermine the unreasonable man.
She hated to see her favorite niece have to all but elope to find happiness but she would do anything she could to help her attain it. The girl suffered through years of abuse from a mean stepmother and shrewish sister, she deserved any happiness she could find. She could still hardly fathom the elusive duke falling in love with a country nobody so fast and so violently but knowing the amazing woman Lizzy was she could not fault his choice.
"So how do you suggest I achieve that? Sneak away in the middle of the night and ride off into the moonlight? I doubt if I am even allowed to see him again after that disastrous audience" said the saddened Elizabeth.
"No of course not. You can leave for Scotland from town" said her aunt.
"But how?" Elizabeth asked in confusion.
"You will of course be leaving at first light with your uncle and I after he receives the express about an issue with his business calling for our immediate need to return. I will of course need your assistance to help me look after the household while I assist him" Mrs. Gardiner said smugly.
"Will my father believe that, aunt?"
"Of course. Especially after your uncle and I lament over a possible issue with one of his warehouses over dinner. The express shall confirm what we had been afraid of before coming here."
"And we shall have Fitzwilliam follow?"
"No, your duke needs to finish his obligation to his friend while giving the impression that he could not be less interested in your whereabouts. Though I know you will be loathed to part so soon, especially since you need to spend time getting to know each other" she said with raised brows at the rapidity of the engagement.
"Oh Aunt!" laughed Elizabeth.
"It will make your father less suspicious than it would if he left the area immediately following your sudden trip to town. We can use that time to plan the trip and shop for your trousseau. If he had only committed to a fortnight before meeting you and changing his life so spectacularly he can come up with a reason his sister's visit to be canceled as he said he would and no longer needing to extend the visit. You will be reunited in town in a little over a sen'night" she concluded.
***Warning: Some explicit sexual content depicted!***
"Though I am loath to part with you for even a day, I agree with your aunt" her fiancé said the next morning as they met at Oakham Mount after she snuck out of the house before dawn.
"Yes I have come to realize that this is the best way" she sighed and laid her head on his shoulder in misery at the thought of being parted from him.
"It shan't be for long dearest as my obligation to Bingley is almost fulfilled. I shall make sure to attend some soirees having nary a thought for the missing Miss Bennet and even allow your sister to flirt with me more than I normally would to make sure they do not suspect anything."
"Oh Fitzwilliam tis not fair" she cried, devastated they had to part.
"I know, my love, but we shall be reunited soon and then never to part" he said as he gently kissed her beautiful lips.
She buried her fingers in his hair and desperately returned his kiss as if she would never kiss him again. He groaned into her mouth as his ardor quickly rose as it always did when she was near.
"Let me please you, my love" she said breathlessly as she tore her lips from his, wanting to make him feel as good as he made her when he gave her such pleasures during their mornings though she could not believe she actually voiced her wish.
"What do you mean, dearest? You are pleasing me" he said as he continued their kiss and stroked her thigh.
"Let me make you feel like you make me feel. I know you cannot be satisfied with just kisses. You have given me such pleasure and I want to give you the same."
"I assure you that is not necessary" said the duke even as his erection impossibly hardened further at her words.
"But I want to Fitzwilliam, please teach me how" she said as she returned her fingers to his hair and kissed him with a passion he could not resist.
He returned her kisses as she loosened her bodice and exposed her breast that he could not get enough of and that filled his dreams. He took a soft mound in his mouth making her moan as he used his other hand to release himself from his breeches, hardly believing she had made the request and powerless to deny her.
He was dying for her touch.
He gently guided her hand to his shaft as he lavished attention on her other breast causing her to gasp in shock. He wrapped his hand around hers and showed her the rhythm to bring him release. Elizabeth followed his lead in awe as her hand wrapped around his hard but silky feeling manhood hardly fathoming she was actually touching him so intimately.
He moaned in pleasure as she quickly learned the rhythm and removed his hands from hers as she gave him more pleasure than he had ever experienced before as her soft hands worked to bring him to climax. He kissed her passionately as his fingers found her core and rubbed her pearl to her great joy as she arched her body into his fingers and moaned in pleasure as she moved her hand up and down his shaft making him also moan into her mouth.
He sped up the motion of his fingers as his hips rose and fell frantically to match her movements, quickly driving him to the brink. He took a breast into his mouth and sucked it as hard as he dared bringing her to completion as she tightened around his invading finger. He tore his mouth away from her and used his hand to cover the tip of his shaft to catch his seed as she brought to him to ecstasy.
"Oh Elizabeth" he cried as he had the best orgasm in his life, never did his own ministrations come close to fulfilling him so. "Oh my love" he said as he kissed her tenderly, thankful for the gift she had just given him.
He slowed their kisses as they both panted in exertion. He took his handkerchief and cleaned their hands and righted their attire. He sat back against the tree in pure bliss as she snuggled into him with a satisfied sigh.
Good Lord he would miss his Elizabeth!