*This story is Copyright protected.
At precisely seven o'clock that morning, Mr Darcy knocked upon her door as promised and escorted her down to breakfast without so much as a 'good morning'. Once they were seated, Elizabeth beside William who was sitting at the head of the table, a maid served her tea, whilst a footman served Mr Darcy his coffee.
She surveyed him over the rim of her teacup, tilting her head slightly to one side as he stood once more, his hand outstretched towards her, waiting.
"Would you like me to fetch you something from the sideboard?" he asked, inclining his head to the heart spread laid out, somewhat impatiently after waiting a minute or so.
The food looked and smelled delicious; coddled eggs, ham, bacon, sausages and fruit, with toast a preserve's before them on the table. However, Mr Darcy's plan to gain some distance between them had backfired. Abandoning Elizabeth, had made her angry and she was not about to let him think he could treat her thus, without explaining himself!
"I shall be fine with some toast," she said, looking away from him and helping herself to a slice and spreading liberal amounts of butter and marmalade on it.
Elizabeth hid her smile at the look of shock that passed across his features, before he dropped his hand and moved to get himself a plate. Placing a napkin upon her lap so that she did not mark her pale blue day dress, she burned a hole into her husband's strong back as she watched him help himself to some food… a lot of food, goodness me, he must be hungry after last night's exertions! Her stomach grumbled loudly. She tried to mask it by clearing her throat and taking a large bite of toast to feed the beast within.
He resumed his seat, with his large plate, the delicate china groaning under the weight of the hearty breakfast that had been heaped onto it. She saw him smirk at her as her stomach grumbled once more and he opened his newspaper to the side of him, cutting into what she was sure was a the most succulent ham and eggs, he hardly applied his knife to it before it carved.
The toast tasted held no taste when confronted with the smell of breakfast meats. Elizabeth could not look away, her mouth-watering as he went to work on one of the sausages, she looked up and caught him staring at her with laughter in his eyes as he slid the plate across the table towards her.
"Come, I got a bit of everything as I was unsure what was to your liking." he said, pulling a slide plate towards himself and buttering some toast. "You must discuss the menu's with Mrs Reynolds, if there is anything you do not like or would like to see served at mealtimes inform her and she will see to it."
William maintained watching her until she finally gave in and cut herself some the ham, he chuckled and turned his attention back to his newspaper.
More confused than ever Elizabeth continued to watch him as she ate, how could he be so warm and kind one moment and then so distant the next? She pondered quietly. Well, she would not find out by remaining silent and so taking a deep breath she addressed the issue they were both skirting around…
"Is there something amiss, William?" she asked.
He paused in the process of helping himself to more coffee, looking pointedly at the staff in the room, effectively dismissing them. Waiting until they were gone, he finally turned to her.
"Why would you think that something was wrong?" he replied stiffly.
"It is our honeymoon and you could not wait until we arose at a suitable time, before fleeing to your study!"
"I think you are being a touch sensitive, Elizabeth."
"I beg your pardon!" she exclaimed crossly. "I am being sensitive? Well, after welcoming you into my bed you, feel it is acceptable to become cold and distant as soon as you have taken from me what you needed?"
"I am not in the mood for hysterics, Elizabeth." he moved to stand, but she placed her hand over his to stop him.
"Stop running away from me…"
He stood then, and she followed suit, coming to stand before him, "I am not running away; I apologise if you felt hurt by my leaving you this morning. And I most certainly did not take my pleasure without a thought to yours, and then leave!" he said crossly, planting one hand upon his hip.
"Can you not see the pattern you have with me? You are all warmth and comfort one minute and then you simply disappear. Can you tell me why? Why you made me feel little better than something you own."
"You forget yourself, by the laws of this country, you are mine!" he said, placing his hands upon her waist and walking her backwards until her bottom connected with the edge of the table just past where she had been breaking her fast. "If I wanted to, I could take you here and now, however I want."
To prove his point, he lifter her to sit her on the edge of the table. Elizabeth's hands flew to his chest as she looked up into his face, a shocked gasp escaped her lips. William bent his legs slightly and his large hands circled her ankles, before slowly trailing up her calves to rest at the hollow behind her knees, tracing lazy circles, her skirts lifting to sit atop her knees. She felt her arousal roar through her, causing her breath to come out unevenly as she instinctively parted her legs, to accommodate him, her body betraying her as he inched her skirts higher still.
"I could simply lift your skirts and take you as hard and fast as I would like, to my own satisfaction and leave you hear, wanting, for questioning me!" William warned.
Elizabeth, knew she should be outraged, but she could not deny how excited she was at the prospect, "But the staff are just outside…" she uttered, huskily.
"And? They will not question my authority."
She moved her hands to grip his forearms needing an anchor as he pushed his hands beneath her bottom, lifting her, Elizabeth let out a small squeal of excitement at the feel of his bulging muscles contracting as he held her aloft, before pulling her to straddle him as he stood. He bore her weight with ease, giving her pert buttocks a firm squeeze, pleased to find she was naked under her chemise.
Elizabeth felt wanton at his discovery, but it was a hot day to be wearing so many layers! She also felt a smug satisfaction at the evidence of his growing arousal pressing against her, proving that he was as affected as she was. William, stepped forward to rest her atop the table once more, moving out of her embrace causing a small whimper in protest from Elizabeth. He took his time to gently smooth her skirts down to cover her legs once more.
"But, contrary to what you think of me, you are my wife, Elizabeth. I will not simply use that way."
It took a moment for the sensual haze to clear and for Elizabeth to register his words... her ire came flooding back! "Was that all a game, to prove your superiority to me?" she demanded, feeling as though she had just been doused in ice cold water.
"No, I was trying to show you I am being as considerate as I know how. Give me at least some credit, Elizabeth. I am trying!"
"As am I! And I have the added pressures of coming into a world I have never sought to be a part of, with a husband I do not understand."
"Perhaps, had you not been so curious, you would not have gotten yourself so far out of your depth." he snapped, his patience at its end.
She stood there seething, her anger emanating from her in waves.
"I can admit that, perhaps my initial arguments, came out wrong when I mentioned them. You have not been ungenerous with me, but it feels as though it is all on your terms, emotionally you are mistreating me, William."
"Very well, madam. I have heard your complaints and I believe it will be best if I do not muddy the waters, or your delicate sensibilities. I have been working to be the kind of husband you would want, as you have mentioned it is not easy for me to let someone in -"
"No, William, do not be that way. You are taking offence and getting your back up. You are telling me you have let me in... but cannot see that in actual fact you have not." she said, standing her ground.
He let out a humourless laugh, "You may not see it, you and most other people take for granted those small intimacies you exchange, such as smiles and small touches, do not come easily to someone like me," he raised his hand to prevent her interruption, "now I believe Mrs Reynolds will be waiting to start showing the way in which Pemberley runs." he gave a small bow and departed, leaving her standing open mouthed. He still ended the conversation on his terms! the thought causing her ire to override her thoughts, she vowed her husband would not get away with this so easily. She would deal with him this evening.
A few hours later, Elizabeth was being led by Mrs Reynolds through the main gallery. It was a large space stretching the entire length of the house, with portraits of various sizes adorning the walls and a plush blue runner placed in the middle of the polished oak wood flooring. The walls were a brilliant white colour allowing the beauty of the artwork displayed to shine. There were a few busts about the room of the Darcy ancestors', but mostly sculptures of family pets. Mrs Reynolds informed her with a chuckle that it was a new tradition and desire from the younger Darcy siblings, that the current master had indulged. It appeared that on the left-hand side of the room there were a number of paintings of the current Darcy's with space along the walls for when they married and had children, and on the right were there ancestors depicted in one picture with their spouses and children.
She wondered when it was decided that all these would go into storage to make way for the next generation and who decided which pictures stayed to adorn the left side which was already halfway to being covered.
They came to an abrupt halt as; Elizabeth's attention was caught by a portrait they had been passing.
"Is that, William?" she asked, looking at the young boy, with a mischievous smile, peering down at her, as though he was trying to be serious but failing miserably.
"Oh, yes. You could see even then that he would be a handsome man. He was, but seven years of age there." said Mrs Reynolds, gazing at it beside her, a small tear in her eye. "The artist captured him perfectly, he was always laughing and playing, but to his mother and father's credit, he was never a nuisance."
The next image was of William, sitting before his parents with a dog bigger than he was beside him. Mr and Mrs Darcy had one of the twins each, sitting upon their laps. All of them laughing happily, they looked to be the ideal family. She could see they all got their startling azure eyes and chocolatey hair colour from their father, apart from Georgiana, she seemed to favour her mother more as she had her mother's blonde hair. William was the image of his father, but he seemed to be the only of the siblings to have inherited Anne Darcy's dimples, the others all looked more like their mother.
"Mrs Darcy was loved by all and her husband doted on her. I have only ever heard of a love such as their depicted in novels and poetry…" she sighed wistfully. "It was never the same here, after she went on to her rewards."
"What happened to her?" Elizabeth asked gently.
"It was a terrible, terrible accident. That poor young boy being there too. He never forgave himself, but he was only a wee boy and he did the best he could. All those injuries he had, such a brave boy, I don't think a grown man would have fared any better. We were terrified he would not survive it; the doctor was sure he would be blind!"
"He was there? but what happened?" she gasped.
"Aye, he was, but no one really knows what happened, apart from his father, I believe the only other person who knows is Lord Matlock, as it was he and George Darcy that found the master and his mother. No boy should have to see his mother in that way -" she broke off, dashing away a tear.
Elizabeth reached out to comfort her without thinking but only served to make the housekeeper realise her breach in propriety.
"Forgive me, Mrs Darcy, I seem to have forgotten myself." she said, she knew the master would never lose his temper with her. She had known him his whole life and had yet to receive a cross word from him. But she knew he would be saddened at her speaking of it so openly.
"Do not worry, I am not a gossip, but your insight has been most helpful." Elizabeth was glad she had replied with those exact words, as she saw Mrs Reynolds relax.
Smiling gently, Mrs Reynolds led them further on, she began to point out other prominent relatives, she had to admit that they were all an attractive bunch, although in her opinion, William was by far the most handsome.
Elizabeth noticed that there seemed to be a vast gap between portraits of, William. It seemed he had just the one as a boy, whereas the other siblings had two or three from their youths. She had been about to ask Mrs Reynolds when her attention was arrested by a painting of what appeared to be William and his father.
His father was so changed in this image to the previous one including his wife, his eyes held no emotion and he looked a little bloated in this image. The artist seemed not to have used his creative license to the subject's favour and had painted them true to life. William, even though his expression was hard to read, Elizabeth realised they were not cold as she had always perceived, she now realised that when he seemed to retreat within himself, he was guarded, on edge and uncomfortable. He looked very stiff sitting with his father slightly behind him, resting his hand upon his shoulder, as if preparing for a sudden attack. The scar over his eye, had been captured perfectly, the artist had even included the slight adjustments in colour where the scar ran through his eye…
Adjacent to it there was a painting of all the siblings and their father. Hugo and Ella were seated at a pianoforte with Mr Darcy stood behind them and William and Georgiana stood at the other end.
It was odd to see the twins looking so young. William's features were a little softer in this painting, Georgiana had one had reaching behind her clasping Williams finger, whilst Hugo appeared to be playing the keys. Ella sat beside him, hands demurely placed in her lap and her lips quirked into a small smile, but even through the painting Elizabeth could see the relationships were strained, their posture's all slightly awkward and expressions strained, which was astonishing, as they were all so close as sibling's, but not with their father…
"Both of these portraits were taken a year or so before the master's passing. Mr Darcy would have been nine and ten years of age, the twins, three and ten and little Georgiana would have been eight. It was one of a handful of times they would have all been together, even then they treated young Mr Darcy as more of a father figure." She paused a moment stepping back so that she could observe both paintings, before continuing.
"I remember coming upon them when Hugo had become bored and Ella and he were bickering, it shocked me to see the way Mr Darcy had blamed the young Master William, when they would not listen to his authority. Later that evening Mr Darcy, was in his cups, when I accidentally happened upon them arguing and he tried to strike the young Master, but being a young man, he caught the blow easily." Mrs Reynolds said, distractedly fiddling with the keys attached to her belt. Seeming to forget Elizabeth was there. Elizabeth stood as still as she possibly could, desperate to learn as much as possible, before the older woman collected herself.
Was this perhaps the reason, William didn't tend to drink very often? thought Elizabeth
"I had never seen such rage, as when he had caught me standing there, I fear if not for his son placing himself between us, he might have forgotten himself and hit me instead. He didn't even look like the man he had been all those years before, when his wife was still alive. When she had first died, he had kept up appearances and been present at mealtimes. Gradually over the years he started to only make an appearance at dinner, and then he ceased leaving his apartments altogether, the exception was for these portraits… a year later he was gone…"
Elizabeth was shocked at such a revealing speech… she must have made some sort of sound as Mrs Reynolds turned to face her, but instead of how she had previously tried to apologise and appeared anxious, she realised Mrs Reynolds was telling her this for a reason.
"You are very fond of my husband and his siblings; I can tell that all of his praise was deserved and not in the slightest exaggerated." she said, kindly.
Mrs Reynolds, smiled warmly, "I am very fond, I believe if I should have been blessed enough to have children of my own, I should have liked them to be just like them. I am glad you are here Mrs Darcy, if I may be so bold as to say so."
"I am glad, to be here too…" she said, looking up at the young visage of her husband. She had barely scratched the surface of his past, but from what she had learned of his youth thus far… she was in awe of the man he had become against the odds he had faced.