Ok, so this chapter is probably T rating. Let me know if you think D is doing a good job. oh, and ive uploaded 24 already this am.
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Chapter 25
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Once the house was quieter again, her guests departed, Elizabeth had time to think. She thought through all of her talks with Jane, Eleanor and Sam. Her time with Darcy. The knowledge of the married ladies of her circle of friends.
The conclusion that she drew was that everyone was different, and likely very little of what was spoken was the truth. One could not judge one's own marriage as compared to another. The only person she could speak to, honestly and openly, was Darcy. She frowned, she called him Mr Darcy in public, as was proper. But seemed to refer to him as Darcy in private. That would not do either.
With some way of starting she gathered her courage.
...
"Come in." The voice answered her knock.
As she entered Darcy stood hurriedly, coming around the desk "Elizabeth." He smiled, clearly pleased she had sought him out.
"What should I call you?"
The question was abrupt and Darcy frowned in confusion.
"I beg your pardon?"
Elizabeth paced, her skirts swirling "You call me Elizabeth, but I call you Mr Darcy, or Darcy. Neither seem correct."
Darcy just looked at her, a bemused expression on his face.
"You wish us to be more " she gestured at the space between them "close. Yet I cannot call you by your surname, by my surname. It does not feel close."
His face relaxed "all my friends call me Darcy, Georgiana calls me brother. I have no other names."
"You must." Elizabeth exclaimed "I cannot call you Fitzwilliam, 'twould be too confusing!"
"My mother called me William," Darcy shrugged.
Elizabeth stopped pacing, her features relaxing in to a smile "William."
Darcy's nostrils flared and his eyes darkened, he liked the sound of that.
Elizabeth noted the look. "I need to know, William, that I will not receive the same censure you seemed to bestow upon me in the first few months of our marriage." Her courage wavered and she looked away, settling herself in a seat. "I am so afraid," she whispered and he moved closer to her "I am afraid of disappointing you, of losing your good opinion, of behaving in a manner not fitting for the mistress of pemberley."
He knelt in front of her, gathering her hands in his and bowing his head over her. "You will always be the mistress of Pemberley. Nothing you say or do will make you less worth of that name. I am so sorry, Elizabeth, for making you feel less. I was a fool and I deserve to pay for that."
He looked up in to her eyes and she saw the unshod tears in his.
"Nothing you can say or do will make me disappointed in you. What I ask is for you to allow what I crushed to regrow. Your passion, before our marriage, was a delight. Your curiosity was enchanting. You are enchanting. Between you and I there is nothing you cannot say, nothing we are not allowed to do. No thought is wanton or unladylike, as long as they are directed at me!" He teased with a small smile.
He was rewarded with a small smile in return.
"I love you, Elizabeth Darcy, and I will happily accept any small scraps of affection you wish to throw my way."
She raised an eyebrow "now you are likening yourself to a dog at the table?"
He nodded solemnly "if you wish it."
"I cannot say I enjoy the marriage bed, I do not think I welcome intimacies of that nature."
"Please" Darcy whispered, burying his head in her skirts, still kneeling at her feet "let me show you how much better it can be."
She stroked his hair, impressed by how much he was humbling himself for her.
"If you wish."
He looked up and she expected triumph but there was only concern "only if you wish it, dearest loveliest Elizabeth."
"I... I think I would like to find out." Her voice was soft, uncertain but his smile was radiant.
...
"Well" he stood. I suppose there is no time like the present.
She gasped, hand to her mouth. "Now?" She looked out of the window. The sun was high in the sky, the house was a buzz with activity and she could hear the notes of Georgiana and Kitty practicing the pianoforte.
He cupped her face "although I am amenable to any time of day, I would not be so coarse to suggest we move from barely touching to a mid day tryst."
Her eyes flared, both from his nearness and his words. "What then?"
He smiled, lifting the side of his mouth.
"A start."
He lowered his face to hers, moving slowly, allowing her to move away if she wished. She held still, the familiar tingle in her lips springing to life. The touch was gentle at first, she marvelled at how soft his mouth felt on hers, was it always this soft? He brushed across her mouth, breath tickling her and she stood still, hands clasped in front of her.
When she made no move to pull away Darcy stepped closer, an arm coming around her waist, the other still cupping her cheek and he was rewarded with her hands moving up and settling on his chest.
He stayed that way, lips still brushing feather light kisses across hers, making sure she did not push him away. When he was certain she was not going to; he moved his lips, slowly and carefully along her jawline, planting soft kisses along the angle of her jaw and then in that sweet spot behind her ear, the one that smelled so good. He inhaled deeply. Letting the scent of her fill him for the first time in too long. She had always smelled amazing to him and today was no exception. His kisses turned in to something more, using his tongue to taste the spot and he was rewarded with a stifled gasp. He moved away and grinned down at her.
"A start" He said again, placing one more soft kiss on her lips before drawing away.
Elizabeth was flushed, her lips were still tingling but it had spread to her fingers and toes. She had tried to stifle the gasp but had not succeeded. When he stepped away she was equal parts relief and regret.
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The rest of that day was spent in an odd kind of anticipation. There was still plenty of work to be done and Elizabeth was grateful for the focus it required. However Darcy, William, seemed determined to disrupt her thoughts at every opportunity.
She had been sat at her desk, writing a letter to Lady Matlock, when he had next found her.
"Do not get up, my dear." He had said, prowling round her room like a wild animal in a cage. After a short perusal he turned to her, leaning nonchalantly against her desk. She looked up at him with a quizzical expression.
"Are you pleased with this room?"
"I do like it, yes."
He nodded, he had wondered if she could be persuaded to move her desk in to his study. But perhaps now was not the time.
"You have done it up very nicely." He said and she thanked him, still uncertain as to his purpose in coming hither.
"Do you need me for something! Mr Darcy?" She asked.
His eyes, which had been looking at the art on the wall over her shoulder, moved at once to hers.
"Are we back in to formality so soon, Mrs Darcy?"
"William." She spoke immediately and with confidence and his eyes warmed.
"Much better" He said, playfully tapping her nose. "I did need you for something."
She made to put away her letter but he stopped her. "I don't need much of your time." He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. Her gaze became suspicious and a little wary. He turned it over and kissed her palm then skimmed his nose down to her wrist, inhaling as he went. More kisses were placed on the inside of her wrist and she felt herself warm. Fiery tingles shot up her arm. Darcy's eyes, which had drifted shut, opened and watched the fire play in her aura. There was nothing uncontrolled and he chided himself for not watching more closely before.
He continued his course, kissing up her arm and she shivered under his touch. When he reached the curve of her shoulder he allowed a finger to hook under the line of her dress, teasing the skin just out of view. His lips followed the finger as it drew along the line of the dress, skirting over her collar bone and dipping in to the little hollow below it. He stopped there, not wishing to go further, well wishing to but not willing to push his luck.
Elizabeth was sat very still, sensations assaulting her. Her eyes fluttered shut as Darcy began to follow the line of her dress and a breathy moan escaped her. The hand moved to cup her cheek and his lips changed course heading up her neck again. With one hand swirling ticklish circles on one side of her jaw and his mouth placing little kisses on the other she felt lost in a sea of flutterings. Her head tilted to the side, allowing his mouth closer access to her neck and he groaned in approval. His mouth opened and his kisses became hotter and wetter moving excruciatingly slowly up her neck and along her jaw.
It only took another minute for her to lose patience and turn her head so that his mouth landed on hers. A grunt of surprise and appreciation and his lips were pressed urgently against hers, nipping and pressing, urging her to open her mouth.
She gasped at the feel of his tongue slipping in between her lips. His groan of pleasure enough to tell her this was expected. Darcy, despite his rising desire, did not kiss her for too long. Partly to allow her time to react and partly rein himself in. The taste of her was enough to drive him to bedlam, but he could not become carried away. He slowed his kisses and then pressed his lips to hers softly once, then twice, before he drew back.
"That was all." He said to a slightly dazed Elizabeth. She blinked up at him a small smile playing on her now swollen lips.
"I see."
He leaned over and pressed a single chaste kiss to her tempting lips and then stood. "I shall leave you to your correspondence."
Elizabeth spent a few minutes staring at the door, her fingers brushing her lips, before she shook herself and refocused on her letter.
Well, she thought, this was certainly an interesting day.
...
He caught her on two other occasions that day. Once in the dining room, Kitty and Georgiana had just left and Darcy caught her hand, whirling her around and closing the door.
"What.." her question trailed off and he pressed her back against the now closed door, being careful to make no noise.
His lips were on hers and she found herself responding very quickly. Her arms came up around him and her fingers ran through his hair as she opened her mouth and welcomed his deep and sensual kisses.
"You are a quick study" He panted between kisses, pressing his body more thoroughly against hers and eliciting a gasp of pleasure from her.
She smiled coyly at him "I find myself most interested in these lessons, sir!"
His eyes flared and his lips were back on hers. His hand, which had been cradling her neck, started a soft stroking movement down her neck, over her shoulder and round her arm to rest on the swell of her breast. He squeezed her through the silky material of her day dress and she broke the kiss as she jolted slightly, looking at him with wide eyes. He looked straight in her eyes as he gently but deliberately swiped his thumb across her nipple. He felt it respond through the fabric and he heard her sharp intake of breath, but she did not look away. He smiled slightly as he rubbed again and he began to press kisses along the sensitive part of her jaw, working down towards where his hand was resting.
A little mew of desire escaped Elizabeth as he kissed the swell of her breast, his thumb still steadily rubbing across her nipple sending little jolts of pleasure through her. He kissed her through her silky dress, rubbing and pressing against her breast. The pleasure was like little jolts of fire magic and she jumped and shivered with his ministrations.
He stepped away. "I had been wanting to do that during the whole of luncheon."
"Never!" Elizabeth gasped, shocked by his admission. Her body still thrumming from his touches.
He smiled a wicked smile "my dear Elizabeth." He leaned in and kissed her just at the corner of her mouth. "You could safely assume, that at any point in the day, I would rather be touching you than whatever else I am doing."
Elizabeth lifted her hand to cover her mouth and let out a little giggle. "You, sir, are scurrilous!"
"I am now!" He said before stepping back, tucking a curl behind her ear and offering his arm "shall we join the ladies?"
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