Chapter 18 Romantic Interludes

Note: Graphic, explicit, detailed scenes of marital relations ahead. The scenes are marked at the beginning with ### instead of my usual *** between scenes. I was uncertain if I should add the scenes that are more descriptive than what I usually write but I ended up with this solution. Giving the reader a choice...

Darcy had rarely been so elated by the sight of Pemberley coming into view. Distance did make the heart grow fonder, he thought as the carriage pulled up the last few hundred yards to the house.

Mrs Reynolds came out on the portico with a brilliant smile and a warm welcome for the long-absent master and mistress. Elizabeth had brought her a present from Kaupanger that made the housekeeper teary-eyed. She blinked ferociously while guiding them inside.

Footmen were put to work to unload all their belongings from the two carriages they had brought. The Darcys were settling in for a long sojourn at Pemberley, starting with sorting through their correspondence.

###

They had spent so little time at Pemberley. Darcy felt it was time for Elizabeth to get familiar with more than the house and the formal gardens.

He had ordered the horses saddled for an extended exploration of the land. A basket of victuals was delivered from the kitchen and the two set out in a leisurely pace towards the wilderness of his estate. The formal grounds had been covered previously. Darcy wanted to show her the favourite spots from his childhood's adventures. They rode through dense forest before the landscape opened up towards a hill with much less foliage. A stream clucked beside the trail.

Mr Darcy pulled up at the creek with a waterfall if one could even call it that with trickling water falling shy of ten feet. A small pool gather beneath it with water reaching below the knee with the exception of a small spot in the middle where the water was almost waist-deep. A big flat rock protruded over the surface, blocking the path of the brook, forcing it to dig in front and on the sides to create its own pathway.

Darcy dismounted, strode to Elizabeth's side and stretched his arms to catch her on her descent. He let her slide down his body and did not release her when her feet touched the ground but whispered in her ear.

"Hungry, dear?"

"Famished..."

Elizabeth felt bereft when his arms left her person and went to tie off the horses and fetch the basket of edibles.

He put a throw on the ground for them to sit and unpacked their food.

"My father took me here as a child. I was afraid of water but he thought it was important for a boy to learn how to swim. He brought me here to this secluded spot, far away from prying eyes, to familiarise myself with the water where it was not too deep."

"He sounds like a sensible man and a loving father."

"He was, perhaps a little too soft-hearted at times..."

"Wickham?"

"Yes."

They ate in silence, the memories of that man, who had gone off to fight for his country, were not pleasant.

Elizabeth was still chewing on her last morsel when Darcy undressed himself. Elizabeth wondered if he was going to love her but he did not approach her. Instead, he waded into the creek.

"Come," Darcy stretched his hand towards her.

"It is too cold, it is September..."

"These shallow waters are not so cold. Come."

Elizabeth reluctantly shed her garments unaided as she had foregone her stays when she knew she was going out for a ride. She left her shift on, it would be no trouble keeping it dry in the shallow creek.

She waded to her knees and unabashedly let her gaze travel over her husband's body. A stallion, she had once called him... Remembering that it would make her the broodmare. Not quite as dignified as a moniker.

"Too cold?" Darcy asked. He stood with the water at the top of his thighs in the middle of the creek.

"Not too bad but I am not tempted to go further. I am satisfied with wading in the shallows."

"I could carry you..."

"And accidentally let me slip into the waters. I think not..."

Darcy clutched his chest. "I am mortally wounded, have you so little faith in me?"

Elizabeth smirked. "Perhaps it is me you should be fearful off..." Elizabeth bunched up her shift in one hand while she dipped the other into water and splashed water on her bare husband. She relied on the slippery rocks at the bottom of the creek to keep her husband at bay until she was safely on dry land herself, it did not...

She was hauled back by strong arms who lifted her up in the air and turned her, mid-air, to face him. Fortunately, she still had her shift in her hand, freeing her legs to unencumbered, wrap around her husband's torso. She let go of her shift and clutched her arms around his neck, holding on for dear life.

"Do not dear to drop me into the water!" Elizabeth had noticed they were now at the deepest point of the creek.

"I have no intention too. I am, however, a little cold and I am of a mind to let you warm me..."

"Certainly!" Elizabeth replied relieved and chaffed his back with her hands. She noticed his hands were headed in a much lower direction. She gasped as his fingers gently brushed her pearl and she went pliable in his embrace as his fingers reached deeper.

He wriggled her upwards and she felt him at her crevice. Slowly, he lowered her down onto him.

"Ah, as I thought... I am no longer cold but warm and salubrious."

"Salubrious?"

"Exactly, beneficial for one's health and happiness. I am quite certain."

Darcy walked them to the flat rock in the middle, sat down and gently lay Elizabeth down on his long legs. Her head surpassed his knees and dipped into the water, her hair floating in a halo around her head.

He kept mostly still, only gently nudging her excruciatingly slow outwards and inwards.

Elizabeth lifted her head out of the water to see what he was doing. He was completely absorbed by the sight of their joining. Elizabeth wondered if he even noticed she was there, apart from the object of his fascination.

"I wish I could see what you are seeing...

What is it with you and the water though?"

"It is not the water... It is you, naked in broad daylight." He pushed the shift completely off her and threw it onto the bank. Leaving her naked and exposed but it did not spur him on. He kept his steadfast, unhurried pace until Elizabeth could bear it no longer.

She hauled herself up, pushed Darcy back on the rock and braised her knees on either side of her husband.

"I once called you my stallion, I am taking you for a ride..."

There was nothing lazy over the pace she set. A wild gallop over vast fields culminated in utter bliss for both horse and rider. Utterly spent, Elizabeth lay draped over her husband until he stirred and carried them both onto dry land.

They stretched out on the throw to dry while Darcy drew lazy circles with his fingers on her belly.

Suddenly his action froze, he covered her stomach with the palm of his hand and gently probed.

Elizabeth was astonished he had found a new area on her that utterly fascinated him so soon, she did, however, understand why...

After careful examination, his head turned towards her. She could not contain her smile.

"You have a small bump here," Darcy pointed out the area in question.

"I know..."

Darcy searched her eyes for confirmation. She gave it.

"About three and a half months."

"Have you felt the quickening?"

"Not yet, it is too soon."

"I love you," he whispered before he seized her lips and kissed her deeply. She was pulled into a fierce embrace, enveloped in her husband's being.

"Happy birthday, my love," Elizabeth whispered to the nape of her husband's neck.

Darcy chuckled.

"So that is why you have kept this vital information from me for so long. I noticed you had stopped bleeding, I was waiting for you to tell me."

"I was afraid I would jinx it if I spoke it out loud but had you not noticed, I would have told you today. It was never my intention to keep it from you. I could not think of any better present than the heir to Pemberley..."

"Thank you, my beautiful, vibrant, enchanting wife."

"I thought we had agreed upon Goddess Divine on special occasions?"

"Minx.."

"Enjoy it while you can. Soon I will be stranded at Pemberley, wallowing in self-pity because of the state of my figure and the tightness of my gowns."

"I will gladly buy you new gowns."

"I know, it is kind of embarrassing though. I have just had an entire new wardrobe made and now I will have to order another set of gowns to accommodate my growing belly."

"Do not fret, my dear. I plan to have you often in this condition, it will not be wasted..."

Elizabeth swatted his arm, it hit his naked flesh with a slap. Darcy immediately moved to hover on top of her and pin her hands over her head.

Elizabeth expected to be tickled but the indignation melted away from his blue eyes and she ended up being thoroughly kissed instead.

On their way back to Pemberley, they met a mature, silver haired lady on horseback.

"Aunt Eudora," Darcy greeted with obvious affection.

"It is high time I met your wife, Fitzwilliam."

"It is but we have not been here much since we wed. I am expecting we will stay more at home from now on. Elizabeth, this my aunt Eudora Darcy. Aunt Eudora, meet my wife, Elizabeth Darcy."

"When is the babe due?"

Elizabeth was stunned, how could the lady know?

"March, Miss Darcy."

"Aunt Eudora..."

"Thank you, you may call me Elizabeth."

So this was Mr Darcy's aunt, his father's eccentric sister who had never married by her own choice. She was living in a cottage on the outskirts of the Pemberley estate.

"You should hold a hunt soon Fitzwilliam, it has been ages since the last."

"You are right aunt, we definitely should."

"I will let you get on with it then, you both look knackered. Goodbye."

Eudora Darcy rode off to her own home while the Darcys approached theirs. She left their company but not their minds. Elizabeth liked the old lady. She was perhaps a little abrupt but refreshingly honest.

It was late afternoon when they arrived home. Supper was still a few hours away and the Darcys chose to retreat to the study to get some work done. Darcy at his desk, Elizabeth curled up in chair beside him with an account book in her lap.

The harvest festival was two days away. The full moon nearest to the autumn equinox falling on the 10th of September this year.

It had not been part of their plan to attend because of the expected Bingley babe but the turn of events had lead them home.

Elizabeth read through Mrs Reynolds plans, not necessarily to see if there was anything amiss but to educate herself on the workings Pemberley.

###

It was early morning, the sun had just risen above the horizon. Elizabeth was in not inclined to wake up but something was tickling her under her nose. She swatted at the offending thing but the, whatever it was, proved persistent. She forced open one eye to espy her husband armed with a feather.

"You look adorable when you are crossed..."

Elizabeth huffed and turned on her side, facing away from the obnoxiously morning fresh countenance of her husband and pulled the cover over her head. A blatant demonstration her husband could not misinterpret.

"If you do not want see... It is understandable, I will have to amuse myself..."

"See what?" Elizabeth mumbled under the covers.

"I have rearranged the furniture in the mistress chambers."

Elizabeth was suddenly wide awake and sat up, scowling at her infuriating spouse.

"I thought that might wake you up. Do not worry, it is not a permanent solution. I look at it as an experiment. Put on your robe and come with me."

"I do not need to dress?"

"I should say not. Besides, I have dismissed Grey and Linney."

Elizabeth frowned but curiosity won out. She rose, pulled her robe around her person and padded after her husband to the adjoining mistress chamber. The first thing she noticed was that the fire was blazing in the hearth, making the room balmy.

The next ridiculous sight that met her eyes, made her chuckle derisively.

Her mahogany cabinet had been moved awkwardly to the middle of the room, a wingback chair was placed in front of it.

The furniture with the full-size mirror was a beautiful piece but perhaps not practical as a focal point in the middle of the floor. Very convenient to stumble upon when you needed the necessary in the middle of the night. Not that the chamber was ever in use but she supposed she might have to sleep there when the babe was born.

"Inventive but not very convenient," Elizabeth remarked dryly.

"It is not a permanent solution, it is for research purposes. I will have it moved back to the dressing room when our explorations are finished."

"Enlighten me."

"I prefer to show you."

Darcy shed his robe to reveal his bare body. He sat down in the chair before the vanity and beckoned her closer. Elizabeth approached reluctantly. She appreciated her husband's body without needing the double dose in the reflective glass...

Darcy caught her hand tugged her in front of him. He untied the sash of her robe and pushed it off her shoulders. Turned her around and lifted her onto his lap.

Elizabeth lay her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Darcy kissed her exposed neck, let his hands run down her thighs, pushed his hands under her knees and lifted her feet to the armrests of the chair.

"You wanted to see what I could but you could not," he whispered in her ear. Letting his hands travel upwards to the swell of her breasts. His fingers circling lightly around the pale globes. "Look," he insisted. She opened her eyes, Darcy was paying attention and immediately let his thumbs brush her peaks. They tightened and darkened by his touch but most striking was the change in her own expression. She had not known. The change in her eyes alone made it abundantly clear why her husband read her so well. Her emotions were written expressively on her countenance.

Her eyes darkened further when she felt him twitch between her thighs. She was hoisted a little higher while Darcy took hold of himself and let his manhood slide between her folds. It was the most erotic picture Elizabeth had ever seen and she could not stop her self from pushing towards him. Her hips lifted by their own volition. Darcy took advantage of her elevated height to enter her core. As she lowered herself down his shaft, a guttural sound escaped her lips that did not sound like herself, still, there was no doubt it was she.

Her gaze lifted from their juncture to Fitzwilliam's familiar expression, it was her own that was completely foreign to her.

Fitzwilliams hands stroked up her sides and lifted her arms in the air.

"Grab my shoulders," Fitzwilliam urged. Elizabeth did as requested, braising herself for the an onslaught of thrusts. Fitzwilliam had the look on his countenance that told her all restraint would soon dissipate.

He held on to the last slither of constraint and let his hands glide down her arms to her sides, letting his thumbs brush past her breasts without touching. They continued their exploration down her hips but detoured below to take hold of her thighs and spread her wide open. Elizabeth gyrated in a circular motion. She leaned back and bit lightly on his earlobe. Testing the limit of his control...

He retaliated by pinching her nipples, pulling lightly in the way he knew would drive her wild and wanton.

She realised that he spurred her on for her to make the move.

She tightened her grip on his shoulders and used her legs to shove herself up and down. Mesmerised of the reflection they created, she came down harder. Relishing the feeling of being completely filled.

Her legs started to shake by the exertion. Fitzwilliam noticed, grabbed her hips and thrust fervently. Elizabeth moved her hands to the armrests and held on. Her feet slid off the chair and she leaned forward. The different angle created a whole new sensation that shattered her world. Darcy clutched her to his chest, still thrusting. Her blissful state continued to wash over her in wave after wave until Fitzwilliam roared her name. She met his eyes in the reflection glass, he stiffened and shuddered beneath her. Warmth filled her core while her muscles faded away, leaving her in a boneless heap on her husband's lap.

Elizabeth would blush for months, every time she sat down in front of a mirror, to have her hair done...

End of October

Elizabeth was sewing tiny little garments for the heir of Pemberley. Her secret was out in more ways than one. It had become obvious that every servant knew with the renewed attention she was subjected to. It seemed like a footman or maid was on duty at every given moment should the need of anything arise.

She sat by the window in Darcy's study to utilise the daylight while her husband was toiling over his correspondence.

"There are several here for you, Elizabeth." Darcy handed her a stack of letters, her sewing temporarily forgotten.

"Mama and Papa have arrived at Bellevue..." Elizabeth shut her mouth forcefully. The loud crack of her teeth made Darcy look up from his letter.

"It is natural, Elizabeth, to call the parents you have known all your life for exactly that."

Elizabeth nodded.

"I feel bad for not inviting them for Christmas..."

"Then you should invite them."

"Really?"

"Yes," Darcy expressed firmly and ducked into his own work.

Elizabeth folded the letter and put it in her pile that needed an answer.

The next one she grabbed, she dreaded. How much would Lydia want this time?

Elizabeth read only a few lines before guilt overruled any other sensation. A gasp alerted Darcy that not all was as it should.

Elizabeth sat with her hand over her mouth, reading wide-eyed.

"Distressing news, dearest?"

"Wickham has fallen at Leipzig in Saxony. The battle that broke out between the 16th and 19th. Remember we read about it in the news sheet?"

"Yes. Is there to be a funeral?"

"No, he was buried on the battlefield."

"You may invite her here if you like?"

"Thank you, Fitzwilliam."

On her way to get the writing supplies she turned by her husband and embraced him fiercely from behind.

"I am so grateful you are a gentleman, not a soldier."

"So am I, Elizabeth."

After replying to her letters, the next on Elizabeth's agenda was informing her sisters of the event.

She went in search of Georgiana and Kitty and found one in the music room, sitting by the piano.

"Georgiana, have you finished your practice?"

"Yes, I was just wool-gathering..."

Elizabeth moved over and sat down beside Georgiana. Letting her fingers run over a few keys before she addressed the matter at hand.

"I have had news from Newcastle." Elizabeth felt Georgiana stiffen beside her. Wickham's name always brought back unpleasant memories, even though it had not been mentioned. Georgiana knew well who resided in Newcastle.

"Yes?"

"As you know, Wickham was in the fifth battalion who was sent to Saxony. There was a battle from the 16th to the 19th of October in Leipzig. I am sorry to say that Wickham is reported as one of the fallen soldiers from the first day of that battle."

"Your sister must be despondent."

"Well, Lydia seems determined to rally but I cannot help but to believe that she is somehow in denial. I would like her to be here, amongst family when reality sets in. I wondered at your thoughts on the matter though. I would not want to put you in a difficult position, Georgiana. If having Lydia around would injure you, I will inquire if Jane could invite her to Bellevue..."

"Do not distress yourself on my account, Elizabeth. I will not mind at all if Lydia comes to Pemberley. She may stay as long as she likes. While I would not have been comfortable around Mr Wickham, mostly because it is embarrassing. I am heartily ashamed that I was so easily fooled. That I let myself be talked into something I knew in my heart to be wrong but most of all, I am embarrassed that it took me so long to overcome my meagre difficulties."

"I am not sure I understand your meaning, Georgiana."

"You see, Elizabeth. After listening to Mr Willoughby's grave misfortunes, I understood that my hardship was nothing in comparison."

"You have not lost a husband nor child but that does not mean that your concerns are inconsequential."

"No, but neither are they grave. It was a lesson hard-learned but I have not lost the love of my life nor my beautiful child. Mr Willoughby described his daughter as a cherubic babe to me. She was a tiny little angel with golden locks, a heart-shaped mouth and blue eyes."

Elizabeth felt her eyes water at the picture Georgiana painted in her mind. She was right, of course.

"I cannot imagine Mr Willoughby's pain. Losing the love of his life and his precious daughter within a few weeks. He must be devastated..."

"Well, he lost the love of his life a year before. He was very honest with me, Elizabeth. I guess he felt guilty for marrying his wife for mercenary reasons. He was in love with Miss Marianne, ready to propose but Lady Allenham threatened to disinherit him. He had asked to call on her with the intention of proposing, instead he had to tell her that he had to leave. She had not understood the gravity of their parting and when they reunited in town, she created a scene at a ball which he did not handle well. He was with his fiancée, Miss Sophia Grey, at the time. She, Miss Marianne left London, stopping at his neighbour's at Combe Magna. She went out into the rain to look upon his home. Fell ill and nearly died of fever. He went there to see her but her sister denied him entrance."

"I guess he is free now, to pursue his heart's intended."

"He is too late for that. Miss Marianne married a few months later to a retired Colonel."

Vague memories entered Elizabeth's mind, could it be?

"Do you know the name of the Colonel?"

"Yes, it was a Colonel Brandon of Delaford in Dorsetshire. He is a friend of cousin Richard, I have met him. He must be much older than Miss Marianne..."

"I dare say he is. I met them both at the Matlocks twelfth night ball but I also noticed that they seemed very happy together."

Georgiana did not look convinced, it was clear that she would have preferred Marianne to pine for Willoughby but Elizabeth did not believe that to be true. Georgiana still had the heart of a romantic although she had matured considerably over the last year. Elizabeth surmised that credit was due in some part of that growth to Mr Willoughby and his woes.

"I know what you are thinking, Elizabeth ."

"I doubt it..."

"You are concerned that Mr Willoughby is another Mr Wickham. I can assure, he is not but it felt good to be of service to Mr Willoughby. To be able to give some consolation to someone prostrate with grief."

"I trust your judgement, Georgiana. I was not worried, I was contemplating how you have matured over the last year."

"Oh..."