In the morning, when they met again in the breakfast room, Elizabeth and Richard had to force themselves to act normally, no matter how they desperately wanted to show their newfound emotions from the night before. Elizabeth could not even look at Richard, fearing that her face would show what she felt. She said, as normally as she could, "Good morning, William, Richard." They returned her greetings as she filled her plate. She was extra hungry this morning; she wondered if her exertions from the previous night were the cause. Even just thinking of this made her blush. She hoped that her husband would not notice.
Darcy acted completely normal, as if he had no idea that they had been together the previous night. In fact, he had no clue about the heights of passion that they had experienced with each other as he had never felt this himself and was barely aware that women could feel this as well as men. After they had eaten, they went about their normal routine. Richard was amazed that Darcy treated him as he always had. He could not believe that, if the circumstances were reversed, he could be as complacent about such a situation. He again questioned the depth of Darcy's affection for his wife. He simply could not fathom how any man would not appreciate such a wonderful woman. He again wished that he had met her first. Very briefly, he thought about running Darcy through to leave Elizabeth a widow, but he knew he could never do this. However, if Darcy were not his cousin….?
In the servants' hall, Jones, Richard's former batman and now valet, was talking to Emma, Elizabeth's lady's maid. "My master is certainly in a good mood this morning. I have no idea what made him so happy. He was actually singing! This is certainly not how he normally is first thing in the morning."
"Strange that you should say that. Mrs. Darcy was also in a very good mood this morning. She seemed to be happier than I have ever seen her."
Jones had been with Colonel Fitzwilliam for a number of years before leaving the army to continue to serve him as his valet. Even though neither of them was still in the army, he still thought of his master as the Colonel. He thought out loud, "The only other times I have seen the Colonel so happy was when he was with a lady friend with whom he was particularly fond."
They looked at each other, eyes wide open. "You do not suppose…?" Jones asked.
"Is it possible? Surely you do not suspect…?"
"He has been depressed ever since Mrs. Fitzwilliam died, and suddenly he is not. You noticed that Mrs. Darcy is also happy this morning. Has she ever been like this before?"
"No. I, as well as many others of the staff, suspect that her marriage is not very pleasing for either of them. I began being her maid right after their marriage and have always thought that neither of them was very happy. Do you really think that they found happiness with each other? What about Mr. Darcy? Do believe that he would not be suspicious if they were together last night? How could he not know? Surely he would not condone such behaviour from his wife and cousin? I do not understand."
Jones decided that he would voice his suspicions to Emma. "I have heard rumours that the illness that Mr. Darcy suffered last year hit him really hard and affects him to this very day. I have heard that he has not visited his wife since his illness. If this is what is making the Colonel happy, I will do whatever I can to help them. I owe my life to the Colonel as he saved me in a perilous situation when we were in the peninsula fighting the French. Tonight, I will listen at the servants' door to his room after he retires. If you do the same, we will know if this is what is going on. If they do get together, we can try to protect them. I know my master deserves to find happiness."
Emma agreed to do the same. Late that night, while listening at the servants' door, Emma heard Mrs. Darcy's bedroom hall door open and close, then nothing. After waiting for a while, she crept along the servants' hallway to the door to the master's suite where Jones was listening. She put her head next to his and heard plenty. There was no doubt what was happening or that there was a lot of pleasure being found in that room. Just listening to those sounds of joy made both of them excited. Emma did not object when Jones put his arms around her while they stood there; nor did she object when he kissed her.
Elizabeth went to Richard's room every night and they continued to reach the heights of passion at least twice every night. Even though Elizabeth vowed not to fall asleep while in his arms, she did just that after one particularly energetic session. Early in the morning, Richard was awakened by Jones shaking his shoulder.
"Colonel, she has to get back to her own room before anyone else is up." Jones then slipped out the servants' door. Richard realized that Elizabeth was asleep in his arms. He almost kept her there as she looked so lovely. He knew that she had to get up and go. "Elizabeth, my love, wake up. We fell asleep and it is almost morning."
She opened her eyes and looked directly at him in a confused manner; at first seemingly not aware of where she was. Then she realized that it was getting light and she was still with him. She jumped out of bed, found her nightgown in a heap on the floor and put it and her robe on. Richard just lay there, smiling at her, watching her gyrations. She gave him a quick kiss, unlocked and opened the door to make sure no one was visible, and left.
It was not until she was safely back in her own bed that she remembered hearing the words 'my love' from him. This is what he had feared—that his discussion of trust at the highest level would come to pass and their love-making might result in deep emotions in spite of their best intentions. At first, she thought that what she was feeling for him was only physical; she was not sure if lust was even possible for ladies. For the first time in her life she now appreciated how strong this physical need could be. Now she was not sure what she was feeling. Was she just wanton? Was this normal for women, especially ladies who were gently-born? When they first began to get together, she had not believed that their physical activity would result in deeper emotions, but he had hinted at this very possibility. However, as their nights of passion continued, she knew that her feelings for him were growing until they were much stronger than what she felt for her husband, which was certainly not romantic love. She knew that her duty was to her husband, but her heart was Richard's. She knew that her marriage was forever, so she realized that they would face heartbreak at some point in time. At the moment, she did not care as she was having the most exciting time of her life. Nothing but the most serious situation would force her to give him up until she no longer had a choice. She hoped she never had to choose between her husband and Richard as she was not sure what choice she would make. She had never imagined that she would be so conflicted. Oh, but it was so wonderful!
Richard knew that he had to speak to Jones. When he rang the bell for him to help him dress, he asked, "Jonesy, tell me honestly, were you surprised to find Mrs. Darcy with me this morning?"
"No, sir. You should know there are no secrets between a master and his valet. I have known from the beginning. So has her lady's maid. We were both so pleased that you two were finding happiness that we vowed to do whatever we could to help you. Do not worry, your secrets are safe with us." Jones did not mention that their enthusiastic love-making that the two of them had heard had also resulted in joy for them as well.
Near the end of the second week since Darcy had first taken his wife to Richard's room, he asked her, "Elizabeth, have you been going to Richard every night?"
"Yes. Is this not what you wanted?" She was a bit worried that he might be having second thoughts. She certainly was not prepared to give him any details of their love-making.
"Yes, it was. Please tell me if you have had your monthly courses since then? That is important as this will tell us if our plans are working."
"Not yet, but they are not due for another week. Then I will know. How long were you planning to remain here before we go back to town?"
"I need to go back very soon as my man of business sent me a letter saying there are some problems with one of my investments. I really should go back tomorrow. Would you like to stay until you know something for sure?"
Elizabeth did not dare show how much she wanted to remain with Richard. "I probably should stay here; it would be best if our plans worked out as soon as possible. In any case, his baby is so young that he is still at a very dangerous state." She was getting excited just thinking of what they could do if her husband was not with them.
"That is what we will do then. Come to town in a week or two when you know something for sure. If the news is negative, I will ask Richard to come to join us for a few weeks at Darcy House or Pemberley."
Darcy left for town the next morning. Those next weeks were heaven for the two lovers, even though they had had to force themselves to appear to be nonchalant at being left alone before Darcy departed. Every night they retired early, with Emma guiding Elizabeth through the servants' halls to Richard's room. She stayed there the whole night making love again and again, then waking in his arms to even more ecstasy. They never seemed to tire of each other. Elizabeth wondered how she could not be with child after all their exertions. Jones and Emma just smiled as they continued to listen in to their sounds of joy before going to make the same sounds themselves.
At the end of the first week alone with him, Elizabeth kept watching for her courses, but they did not appear. She hoped that they were not just late, which would be unusual as she had always been quite regular. Even though she desperately wanted another baby, she also knew that if she was indeed with child, her sessions with Richard would come to an end. She delayed her departure for another full week, but could not extend her stay any longer. Her last night with Richard was particularly poignant as they did not know when they might be able to get together again. They almost wore each other out with their shared passion.
When she rejoined her husband at Darcy House, he looked at her expectantly. She replied, "I believe that our scheme worked. I hope it is a son." In her heart, she hoped it was a daughter so they would have to try for a son again. These weeks had been the most wonderful in her whole life. She had expected that her husband would treat her differently somehow, but he was the same as ever. She certainly felt very different now that she knew what pleasures marital relations could produce. She began to regret that his physical condition was such that he was not able to satisfy her. He was her husband, after all.
They did not stay in London long as they both wanted to go to Pemberley for the summer before the heat made the city unbearable. As Georgiana had been staying with their aunt while they were at Rosings, and even when Darcy came back to town before his wife, they brought her back to Darcy House as soon as Elizabeth and baby Anne were settled there. Georgiana was full of excitement at the outings she had attended with her Fitzwilliam relatives. While she had not been looking forward to her coming out, she now felt better as Amanda told her about all the balls and dinners that she had been to. She made them sound like fun and not something to be dreaded. Amanda had even told her about the suitors who had pursued her and how she had toyed with their affections. That also sounded like it would be fun.
They all went back to Pemberley and settled into their normal routine. Darcy was usually busy with estate matters, so Elizabeth and Georgiana were together much of the time. They spent a lot of time with baby Anne who, at seven months, was just beginning to crawl. Elizabeth resumed her own estate duties, managing the house and staff and looking in on the tenants. In the evenings, after dinner they usually gathered near the piano and either Georgiana or Elizabeth played and sang. They had talked about having Elizabeth's sisters come to visit, so Darcy sent a carriage to Hertfordshire to bring them to Pemberley. Again, only Kitty and Lydia came, and they spent a full month there before they went back home. Darcy did not mind having them come to visit as they both had matured a lot since he had first met them when he was at Netherfield.
The only disruption of this idyllic summer occurred when Elizabeth and Darcy went to be with Jane for her delivery. Jane suffered longer than Elizabeth, but finally produced a son. Bingley was so excited that Darcy almost could not bear to be with him. They stayed there for two weeks until they were sure that everything was going well for both mother and son.
Summer was nearing its end, so, one evening when they had gathered in the sitting room, Darcy said, "We have to decide what we will do this autumn and winter. Georgie, you will be coming out this season, but your Aunt Grace will take most of the responsibility for sponsoring you as she knows just about everyone to whom you will need to be introduced. She will also arrange for your presentation to the Queen and help you learn to do your curtsy in your ugly court dress. We will need to be in town later this autumn for you to prepare for all this. I would like to be back here for Christmas.
"Elizabeth, what would you like to do? You are due at the beginning of March, so you will be getting big by Christmas."
"Yes, I will. I would not mind going to town for a month or so in the autumn, then coming back here in December. Then I will have to stay here until I deliver. What will you do?"
"I would like to be with Georgie for part of the season, but I will come back in time for your delivery. I will go back to town for the end of the season to bring Georgie back home. Who would you like to have with you for your lying-in?"
"Last time, I had Aunt Grace and Jane, but Aunt will be busy with Georgie. Just Jane will be fine. Jane and her baby should be able to travel by then."
"I do not like to leave you here alone. Will you be all right by yourself?"
"I am not worried about that. I trust Mrs. Reynolds completely and the same midwife is still available. I will have Anne to keep me busy."
When they went up, instead of Darcy leaving her at the door to her room, he followed her in. "Elizabeth, when we are in town, would you like me to ask Richard to come to stay with us?"
This question astonished her. While she would love to see Richard and get together with him, she knew that she had to downplay her eagerness to her husband. "Richard? Why? We do not need him; he accomplished what we wanted. However, he is always good company and I would not mind to see how his son is growing, but it is not that important. Even if he will be in town when we are, would he not stay with his parents? Surely they would want to be with their grandson." She then began to worry about the reason for her husband's question. Was he suspicious that their relationship was different from what it had been before?
"William, please tell me why you asked me this." She was worried that he only wanted to see if she had developed feelings for his cousin.
"Elizabeth, of course, his services are not needed at the moment, but I know that he is always very good company for you. If you would like to see him just for his friendship, I would not object. There is another reason as well. In the past, Richard always seemed to have a lady friend, so he must need a woman for his physical relief. I do not want him to find someone else for this as we may need his services again if this child is not a boy." In his mind, he decided that he should invite Richard to come to stay with them at Darcy House while they were in town. At Rosings, he found that his knowing that they were getting together every night had not bothered him, even though in the back of his mind he knew that it should; she was his wife, after all. He knew that Elizabeth would be big by then, and he could not imagine her being of interest to any man while she was in this condition. However, if Richard needed her for his physical relief and did not find her repulsive, he would not mind. He needed a son.