2.
The next morning Jane's fever had broke and her appetite returned. When I awake, the maid is helping her into her dress and doing her hair for breakfast. I rush through my toilette feeling like throwing up the entire time. I look pale but my body is still buzzing from my escapade with Mr. Darcy. Excitement and remorse are coursing through my veins. He likes me. More than a little bit. I wonder what that means. Will he make me an offer? Thinking about him, his face, his body, his lips, it makes me want never to be without him. When I look respectable, we head downstairs.
Mr. Darcy was conspicuously missing from the breakfast room. The Netherfield party coos and congratulates Jane on her health and we all sit down to a large breakfast of scones, fruit, eggs, bacon and potatoes. I nibble on a slice of bread and drink copious amounts of tea.
"Where is Mr. Darcy this fine day?" Caroline giggles and pours Jane another cup of tea.
Bingley, beaming at Jane, can barely remember who Darcy is. "Oh, yes. Darcy. I do not know. He has been stewing about something ever since we got here. Maybe he is just nervous about his upcoming nuptials."
"Upcoming nuptials! Charles, what can you mean? Is Darcy betrothed and no one knows it? You are just being ridiculous." Caroline was so used to being teased by her brother she barely believed a word he said.
"No. On my honor, Caroline, I speak the truth. Darcy has been betrothed to his cousin Anne de Bourg since they were babies. She comes of age this year and all of the family is expecting their wedding. Darcy could never disappoint his family. It is not like this is coming as a surprise to him."
"It's coming as a surprise to me!" Miss Bingley is disappointed. And me.
"All of society has known of this arrangement…but then again…you don't read the papers."
I make a mental note...Note to self: read the papers.
"Speaking of papers, Mr. Bingley, do you happen to have one on hand now?" I asked him quietly.
"Why yes I do, Miss Elizabeth, the Times are in my study. I give you explicit permission to go there now. It is on my desk. See Caroline, Miss Elizabeth will take my advice."
Mr. Bingley's study is magnificent. Row after row of mahogany bookshelves line the walls, a fire blazes and Mr. Bingley's old gray cat is curled atop a large desk overloaded with messy stacks of paper. I pick up the purring fur ball and continue to search for the illusive London Times.
"Sweet Panger, I fear this is like trying to find a needle in a haystack."
"I doubt you will find any sewing needles in here, Miss Elizabeth." I knew that powerful bass voice. It had been whispering sweet nothings to me not 5 hours earlier. Mr. Darcy sat in a quiet corner at a small writing table. He stands with his arms crossed accusingly, "Pray tell, do you have permission to be snooping around Mr. Bingley's paper mountain?"
"Yes. He told me I could read the Times and he gave me EXPLICIT permission to find it in here." I faced down my opponent with spirited defiance.
He spies the newspaper on his desk and tucks it into the inside pocket of his coat. "You can search over there if you wish but I might have moved it."
I walk slowly over to where he stands. His legs are parted and his hands are on his hips, waiting for me. His breeches were tighter than I remember them being. I boldly stalk him, walking back and forth in front of him surveying every inch, every ripple of his well hung body. He's getting excited. I stop in front of him. His chest is hard and I can feel his muscles flinch as my hand slides behind his lapel to take the news from his pocket. He takes my hand away from his body and caresses it softly. He puts it up to his lips pulling me so close our bodies touch. My heart races. He rubs my hand against his freshly shaved cheek and presses a kiss onto my palm and then to my fingers. I am getting weak.
He should not be doing this to me. He is betrothed. But…he is not married yet. Still, should not he behave in a more gentleman like manner? With my other hand I snatch the paper from inside his coat. I can feel the heat of his body as I claim it. A letter unexpectedly falls out onto the floor. It is addressed to M. LeTourneau in France. He can see my surprise as our eyes lock.
"There is not a moment to waste, Elizabeth. If you are serious about wanting to secure a good position, you must begin your studies immediately." He speaks with conviction as he reaches down to pick it up where it fell by my foot, his eyes lingering on every inch of me from my feet to my face. It is as if he is memorizing me for some lonely night when, after he was long married, he would pull this memory from his mind and play with it.
His demeanor changes, and is no longer the strong Darcy. His breath quickens and his expression seems pained. "I am leaving for London this afternoon and I did not want to forget to post this."
"You are leaving so soon?" My heart feels heavy and my stomach squeezed.
He smiles sadly, "I have been here a fortnight, Miss Elizabeth Bennet. That is quite long enough to traipse on Mr. Bingley's hospitality. Besides, there is a certain young lady who will be occupying his attention in the near future. "
Did he mean Jane? I hope he meant Jane!
"I so enjoyed our time together." I said bravely. "I imagine there will be very little opportunity for us to meet in the future."
"In that case, I will need a kiss by which to remember you. May I?"
"You may."
Our lips linger as we inhale each other's essence. His hand touches my neck and chin while his other hand pulls me into his body. I feel his excitement. His tongue slowly enters my mouth and pulls from me my soul. It is his now. I will never get it back.