Please Note: Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are the creation of the amazing Jane Austen. I am simply borrowing her beloved characters to play a little. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Mr. Darcy was greatly agitated. After having burst into the sitting room where Elizabeth had been startled from writing her letter to her sister Jane and informing Mr. Darcy that he found her alone as Mr. and Mrs. Collins had just gone to the village, she now sat demurely with her hands in her lap while her eyes followed Mr. Darcy's restless movements from one end of the room to the other. If she might not have discovered from Colonel Fitzwilliam earlier that morning of Mr. Darcy's role in separating Jane from the man her sister loved, she might have found more pleasure in the nervous disposition that Mr. Darcy was currently exhibiting. As it was, she was suffering at the moment not only from the migraine the news of Darcy's perfidity had wrought, but from the simmering anger that had been brewing within her in his presence ever since he had uttered the words, "not handsome enough to tempt me" to Mr. Bingly months ago at the Meryton assembly.
Unsure of how to start the conversation that had driven him to Elizabeth's side after he learned from Mrs. Collins that Miss Elizabeth would not be joining them for dinner that evening as she was not feeling well, he nervously moved from one end of the room to the other until his heart seemed to bypass his brain as he blurted out, "Miss Elizabeth, in vain I have struggled, doing my utmost to repress my feelings for you, but this will not do! Despite everything that tells me that I must not do so, you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. Please, consent to be my wife." He said the last few words, in a tone that clearly showed his relief in finally having said the word love. He had been struggling to keep it from spilling out of his lips every day since he had met her, but to have it out in the open now was liberating for him.
Elizabeth, meanwhile, was in shock. Had he really said that he loved her? Despite the immediate kneejerk reaction of distaste that came from knowing that a man who had caused her sister pain had said this to her, her body had the complete opposite reaction at having incited such passionate words from Mr. Darcy, who she had always known to be extremely handsome despite his horrid social skills. Perhaps, it was the unexpected pleasurable reaction that her body had to the words admire and love spilling from his mouth that made her shiver in appreciation that she, who had once not been tempting enough, had now brought this handsome and powerful man to beg for her hand in marriage.
Looking into his eyes, she could see his anguish and knew he spoke the truth. He was a man in love and she, despite her body's yearning for him, was a woman conflicted. Her mind would not let go of her sister's nor Wickham's plight. And, had Mr. Darcy not said anything anymore, she might have taken longer to consider his offer, but alas Mr. Darcy in that moment decided to embellish his request by telling Elizabeth, "I know that such an alliance between you and I must be considered a reprehensible connection by society at large, considering my rank and status in comparison to yours. But, despite this, I cannot help myself in seeking your hand. I ask that you relieve my anxiety and say yes to my proposal."
Elizabeth's eyes widened in incredulity and sharpened by Mr. Darcy's sting, whether he realized the effect of his words or not, she was unsure. "I thank you for the honor of your proposal, Mr. Darcy. I never meant to cause you pain, but I hope that the concerns which you mentioned that impede a connection between us will aid you in overcoming it."
Now, it was Mr. Darcy whose eyes widened by the blow of her response. Shocked, he answered questioningly, "Are you laughing at me, Elizabeth? Are you rejecting me"? He was incredulous at the sudden turn of events.
Elizabeth gasped at the overly familiar use of her Christian name as it rolled off his lips for the first time. She felt as if just by saying her name, he had reached out to hold her arms with strong, invisible hands. Meanwhile, the gravelly tenor of his voice sparked a longing deep within her. She had to put an end to this attraction. She knew that she must instead retreat into her righteous anger.
"No, sir, I am not laughing at you. But, I cannot marry you," she stated.
Hearing the finality of that statement made something within Darcy snap. It could not be. He must marry Elizabeth. He loved her!
"Might I ask why with so little endeavor at civility I am thus rejected," he bitterly asked.
At this, Elizabeth rose up in indignation, and her hurt emotions flowed through in her speech. "And, I might inquire why you chose to offend and insult me by telling me you love me despite yourself and the reprehensible connection it would result in to be married to me. Are your words not uncivil and therefore enough to tempt me into incivility? But, there are other reasons that you know well enough that would lead me to reject you. Even if I had not previously decided against you, do you think I could ever be tempted to marry the man who has ruined the happiness of a most beloved sister"?
After hearing Elizabeth mention her sister, he suddenly paused and he felt overly warm. The slight feeling of guilt crept into his gaze for a moment before he turned slightly away and continued to listen.
"Do you deny it, sir, that you separated my sister from your friend, causing him to leave her behind confused and hurt by his sudden disappearance? Do you deny having a hand in separating a couple who loved each other, leaving them both vulnerable to the censure of society; She derided for her disappointed hopes, he censured for his caprice and instability and involving them both in misery of the acutest kind?"
"Do you deny it, sir?" she asked more adamantly.
Staring at her, Darcy answered, "I do not deny that I did what I could to separate my friend from your sister, or that I was happy that I succeeded. Towards him, I have been kinder than I have been to myself."
Elizabeth felt the sting of his words once more. So, she thought, had he been kind to himself, he would never paid his addresses to her. The bitterness of that thought carried through in her next words to him, "And, what about Mr. Wickham?"
The name of the blackguard Wickham falling from his Elizabeth's lips struck Darcy more strongly than he cared to admit and his eyes took on a hard glint even as his posture became more rigid and imposing.
"Long before I came to know you, my opinion of you took shape when Mr. Wickham informed me of your dealings with him," she stated.
Darcy gritted his teeth, took a deep breath and then uttered accusingly, "You take an eager interest in that gentleman's concerns." Angered and frustrated, he wondered, 'How had Wickham wormed his way into Elizabeth's good graces?' He took a step towards her even as a jealous thought raced through his mind: 'No, he cannot have her. She must believe me, not him!'
"Who could not take an interest, having heard his tale", she responded.
"What did he tell you, Elizabeth?" Darcy asked, once again forgetting propriety by using her Christian name.
Again, Elizabeth's body reacted with a shiver to his voice as he said her name and stepped closer to her.
"How did that man poison your mind against me? Tell me, Elizabeth!"
The continued familiarity of Mr. Darcy's address towards her was causing her to blush and her body to react in a feverish way, even as she struggled to hold onto her anger towards him.
"You know the particulars, Mr. Darcy", she stuttered as he closed the distance between them in three strides and she had to look up to meet his gaze as he towered over her.
"I know he has perfected the practice of deception and he preys upon any who will believe his tales of woe."
Elizabeth shook her head in incredulity; No, she thought, Mr. Wickham could not be a liar, could he? His manner and address was pleasing and amiable. He could not be what Mr. Darcy painted him out to be…yet her mind wondered, 'could he'? But, then again, she had also never known Mr. Darcy to be anything but forthright and truthful in all he said, even painfully so at times, if she thought back to his initial comments about her at the assembly. It was at that moment that Elizabeth realized someone was lying. It was either Mr. Wickham or Mr. Darcy, and despite Mr. Wickham's happy manners, and as much as she thought she might hate Mr. Darcy, she could not in any way entertain the notion of labeling Mr. Darcy a liar; it would be entirely against his nature. Of that much, Elizabeth was sure.
Mr. Darcy could see the confusion in her eyes. He could tell she was wondering if she had been deceived, even as her mouth tightened in a stubborn, defiant way. Moving closer to her, Darcy was beginning to invade her space. As he neared her, his voice lowered and his gaze dropped to her mouth. "What did he say, Elizabeth. What lies did he tell you?"
Elizabeth's breath caught in a soft gasp as she was suddenly overwhelmed by Darcy's nearness. Her name, as he had just said it, sounded like a whispered caress that time, she thought and a warm, unexpected thrill raced through her body. The space around them seemed charged and tense, like they were both locked within a tight bubble where nothing else existed. In this state, she stuttered quietly, "He said you took away the living he was supposed to have had and by denying him what your father left for him in his will, you left him penniless and having to find another way to support himself without what was due to him."
Darcy's eyes hardened with the hurt her words caused and were colored by incredulity. "And you believed him?" Darcy asked. "You believed I would do something so dishonorable?"
Of its own volition, her head seemed to shake as if to say no as her eyes closed. Her mind was in tatters.
"No…but I…I didn't know what to think, Mr. Darcy. All I know of you is what I have observed. And, what I have seen, has not entirely painted you in a good light", she managed to say.
Mr. Darcy blinked rapidly and swallowed hard, startled by her words.
"What do you mean, Elizabeth", he whispered, half afraid to hear her answer.
As he whispered her name, it felt like another caress and she shivered. 'Why must he be so familiar and continue to call me by my Christian name', she thought. She gathered her frustration and stuttered: "From the moment I met you, I found your manners to be laced with arrogance, conceit and a selfish disdain for the feelings of others. I along with others could easily see these faults in your interactions with those around you." She saw a flash of pain cross Mr. Darcy's face at her words. Then Lizzy was emboldened even more as she said, "The night of the Meryton Assembly, you refused to dance with anyone outside your party, even though there were many ladies present without a partner. You even went so far as to insult me."
At hearing the last, Darcy's head snapped up. "I would never! How?"
Lizzy's eyes searched his to see how he responded to her barb. "Do not worry, Mr. Darcy. Though at the assembly I had been slighted by other men, specifically by you, for being only tolerable in looks in comparison to my beautiful sister Jane and thus forced to sit out some of the dances, I never truly expected to be a temptation to anyone, least of all to you."
Darcy was floored! She had heard him when he spoke so rashly to Bingly! 'No wonder she hates me', the thought flashed through Darcy's mind.
Elizabeth had been watching Darcy's face carefully as the full impact of her words settled in. She had seen his eyes grow big in surprise, then in shock, and finally she saw a cloud of shame overtake his expression before he closed his eyes in mortification.
Elizabeth expected to see his surprise and even shock at being caught for saying such ungentlemanly, hurtful words, but she became confused when his countenance became colored by shame. Has he not always made it obviously clear that she was never worthy of his notice? He has always been a haughty, prideful man, has he not? Why would his looks now reveal that he feels shame then, she wondered.
Mr. Darcy forced himself to open his eyes and look at the woman who had single-handedly captured and crushed his heart. "Elizabeth, I cannot tell you how sorry I am that I uttered those blasphemous words, especially now knowing that they had reached your ears." He felt defeated and tired from the stress and weight of his emotions. He no longer wished to hide anything from her, especially if his being open might yet help Elizabeth see him in a better light and improve her opinion of him. His voice quieted, but he continued, "That particular evening, I was in a terrible mood before I even arrived at the Meryton Assembly. My mind was full of anguish over having recently needing to save my young and impressionable sister from the mercenary machinations of…Mr. Wickham."
Elizabeth gasped loudly. "No! Not Miss Darcy!" she exclaimed, and then in her next breath she whispered "Thank God you were there to save her." Despite not knowing Miss Darcy, she quickly sympathized with her as she imagined how she would feel if one of her sisters fell prey to a mercenary. Her mind was immediately flooded with concern for Mr. Darcy's sister at the same time as she was confused and angered by Mr. Wickham's role in attempting to harm her.
Mr. Darcy saw Elizabeth's reaction and hearing her words in support of his sister was encouraged to continue in more detail, not wanting her to be taken in by Wickham in any way. "Last summer, Elizabeth, my sister Georgiana was persuaded to leave school with Mrs. Younge, in whose reputation as a reliable companion we were sorely deceived. She took her to Ramsgate where she met Mr. Wickham who had declared his love to her and persuaded her to elope with him. Miraculously, despite Mr. Wickham and Mrs. Younge discouraging her from contacting me, I received a letter from my sister she had posted while Mrs. Young was occupied elsewhere. She did not want to disappoint me, her loving brother, by marrying without me knowing. Shocked as I was upon receiving her letter, I raced to Ramsgate and arrived there in time to see her walking about town with Mr. Wickham. I cannot tell you how relieved I was that they had not yet married. When I confronted him, Wickham declared he was in love with Georgiana and that they would be married. But, when I told him that he would not be receiving any of Georgiana's dowry, which is 30,000 pounds, the mask of love he had shown to Georgiana immediately fell from his face only to be replaced by a look of frustration and anger at having been thwarted from his real goal – the money. Georgiana saw how quickly Wickham's regard for her evaporated at the mention of receiving no dowry as well as how quickly he left without even taking leave of her and she was heartbroken. She was but fifteen years old and already her heart had been crushed by a blackguard!" Mr. Darcy exclaimed with lingering anger and frustration.
While Elizabeth stared into Mr. Darcy's eyes as he told his painful tale, tears were flowing down her face. She was deeply affected and caught by both Mr. Darcy's words and his pained gaze. She felt his pain acutely and could not stop her tears from falling. Darcy tentatively lifted his hands and then held Elizabeth's face, lightly brushing away her tears with his fingers. Darcy's voice deepened with his remorse, "Though it does not excuse my behavior nor my hurtful words on the night of the Meryton Assembly, I was still harboring the guilt of not having protected my sister better and I was in no mood to be at a public gathering, much less dancing as Bingly was trying to force me to do. I simply wanted to be alone when I said those words, Elizabeth", he implored. "I had not even really looked to see properly who Bingly was speaking of when I spoke. I said whatever I thought might make him leave me alone with my thoughts. And, to be honest, Elizabeth, any time I have attended any public event, it rapidly becomes clear to me how quickly I am sought out once the rumors of my wealth have been whispered and bandied about the room. Too often, I have seen the mercenary and calculating glint in a woman's eyes before they have even met me. I had had enough of mercenary machinations and that evening, I simply wanted to be left alone. But, had I taken a proper look at you when Bingly singled you out, I would never have said those blasphemous words, Elizabeth", he implored once again. "Every day since the day we met, I have struggled with my feelings for you. I couldn't understand the hold you had over me, as no woman has ever affected me as you have."
Elizabeth gasped. His words and proximity had entirely overwhelmed her. Her heart was racing and she felt flushed with the pleasure his honest words had just incited in her heart. His head, inclined as it was towards her, seemed to come closer, and she could not seem to stop gravitating toward him as well. She felt pulled by some invisible force to him and before she knew what was happening, her lips were touching his lightly. She felt electrified in that moment by that light, intimate touch of their lips. His lips that always had seemed so stern and imposing, in that moment had become impossibly soft and yielding.
Mr. Darcy, meanwhile, was in heaven. He had not expected Elizabeth to lean toward him in that moment, but he could do nothing else but reciprocate and lean into her until their lips touched so sweetly. That light touch of her lips was his undoing, however, as he also felt electrified in that moment and was inspired to move even closer and take her into his arms.
Surrounded by Darcy, Elizabeth's arms lifted of their own accord and her hands drifted up his strong back and neck, burrowing into Darcy's hair. It was too much for Darcy and he moaned, opening Elizabeth's mouth with his lips. Then, they kissed in earnest. His tongue sought hers and she, never one to be frightened, caressed his tongue with hers as well. They both moaned in pleasure.
Elizabeth's body trembled with the experience of her first kiss and her body and heart was fluttering in pleasured excitement. Mr. Darcy, meanwhile, was lost in the heated kiss his Elizabeth was so enthusiastically engaging with him in. His earlier stressful tension had now been replaced with a more delicious, lustful tension. Holding her tightly to his body, Elizabeth felt something quite hard and big brush against her apex. When she realized that it was Mr. Darcy's manhood, she felt a heated blush creep up her neck even as she felt an undeniable rush of wetness coat her core. She moaned and he grunted as his hardness brushed against her softness. He wanted her more in that moment than he had ever wanted anything in his life. But, he was brought up as a gentleman, and despite the fact that he wanted to take her and make her his in that moment, he summoned every ounce of restraint he had and softly broke the kiss with his love, causing her to whimper softly.
"Elizabeth", Darcy whispered against her lips. "I love you. I have loved you from the moment that we first met and I will love you till I draw my last breath. I cannot live without you. Please, Elizabeth, marry me."
Elizabeth could only see the sincerity of every word Mr. Darcy had just said in his eyes. It made her want to cry. No one had ever looked so deeply into her soul as Mr. Darcy did at that moment. "Yes, Mr. Darcy, I will marry you," she whispered back.
'She said yes', was all that Darcy could think as his heart filled with a joy he had never known. Then, Mr. Darcy smiled, truly smiled as if he had felt the kiss of the sunlight on his face for the first time. "Please, Elizabeth, call me William", Mr. Darcy whispered to Elizabeth in his dazed happiness. Staggered by the sight of his genuine smile, Elizabeth whispered back in desire, "Yes, William. Yes."
When his Christian name fell from her lips with such longing, his desire flamed hotter than before. Pulling her hips towards his and then wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her again and lost himself in the sweetness of her heat and her kiss. Elizabeth moaned even louder into his mouth when she pressed herself against him, seeking somehow to quench an ache that came from deep within her. Darcy seemed to want to quench it for her, as he spun her around and he managed to press her against the wall with his body, encasing her in his arms.
Elizabeth was in heaven! William was a tall man and she felt entirely surrounded by him. He seemed to want to crawl into her as much as he could and she wanted to let him! She had never felt like this before and was overwhelmed by this craving that had set her body on fire. All she knew was that William was the answer. "Yes, William", she whispered in pleasured agony when he pressed into her again. Hearing his name dripping with such pleasure from her lips snapped a need in Darcy to hear her say it like that again, so he pressed his length against her core repeatedly as he continued to kiss her until Elizabeth gasped aloud and her eyes snapped open to Darcy's. While her head leaned back against the wall, her mouth opened in astonishment as she felt a deep, needy pull within her body before it seemed to snap as soon as William next pressed himself against her. Suddenly, her core began to convulse in waves that seemed to her would never end. She heard breathy but clear moans ring out, realizing moments later that it was she who had made those erotic sounds when her brain seemed to catch up with her body. As she came for the first time, her body wanted William's badly, and she eagerly pushed herself even more against his hardness.
Meanwhile, Darcy, shocked that they had gone this far, was suddenly, entirely enraptured by the stunning sight of his Elizabeth in the throes of her first orgasm! He wanted so badly in that moment to connect with her fully, but he wouldn't do that to her. He would marry her quickly, because now that he had had a small taste of this delicious fruit, he would ensure it would not stay forbidden to him for much longer. Darcy watched entranced as Elizabeth's face was overcome with shocked pleasure and he treasured every sound that she made in the throes of her passion. As her orgasm ebbed, she pressed her core hard against his length one last time and it proved too much for Darcy, overwhelmed by everything he and Elizabeth had just shared. He stiffened impossibly more as his head fell forward. Still gazing into her pleasure-filled eyes, he moaned low and grunted as he imagined how it would feel to be encased in her as she came. The thought undid him, his breath caught and moaning through gritted teeth, he was shocked as he spent his seed within his trousers and shuddered in bliss.
Elizabeth watched William as his pleasure overtook him and was so aroused and enraptured by it that her body came with pleasure once more, though with less intensity.
What had just happened? They both were breathing heavily as their ardor cooled and their bodies calmed. Elizabeth flushed with embarrassment and looked away. 'What must he think of me', wondered Elizabeth. Darcy saw his love look away from him and guessed that she might be embarrassed or confused by what had just transpired.
He lifted his hand to her cheek and as he softly stroked it, he gently pulled her gaze back upon him. "Don't look away, Elizabeth", he whispered. "That was the most wonderful moment I've ever shared with anyone and I love you. You are my heart and I cannot wait until we are married."
Elizabeth shed a tear at his loving words. She could not believe they were now engaged to each other, but having just gone through this experience with him, she knew that married life with him would be extremely pleasurable indeed! Though Elizabeth's emotions had been through the extremes since Mr. Darcy had arrived, she could no longer deny what she felt for him anymore. "I love you, too, William. I also cannot wait until we are married, but you will need to get my father's permission first, and I daresay that it will be a difficult task, especially as he thinks I loathe you".
Darcy's eyes dropped in shame. His regret for the way he acted momentarily kept him from realizing that Elizabeth had just told him she loved him. If he had acted differently, acted more like a gentleman should upon meeting and interacting with the people he met, he probably would not now have to deal with her father who would surely doubt the veracity and strength of his love for his favorite daughter. He knew he was going to have a difficult time convincing him and certainly that Mr. Bennet would enjoy sporting with his attempt to ask for Elizabeth's hand in marriage.
But, Darcy felt Elizabeth's hand on his cheek as she lifted his gaze to meet hers. "Don't worry, my love", Elizabeth whispered, "I'll be there beside you and speak with him as well".
'My love'? Elizabeth called me her love, Darcy finally realized. "You love me?" he whispered incredulously.
Elizabeth shyly nodded. "From the moment I first laid my eyes upon you, I daresay. There was a reason your words from the assembly wounded me so. If any other man had said them, I would have laughed and forgotten about it. But you had already taken my heart from my first glance of you, and the knowledge that I was not worthy enough for even your notice cut me more than I care to admit."
"I will forever regret those words, Elizabeth, because not only were they untrue, but they hurt the woman I love above anyone else. I will spend my life finding ways to tell and show you just how much you do mean to me." Darcy leaned in and caressed her face as overwhelmed by his feelings, he sweetly stuttered, "I love…I love…I love you. And, I always shall." Bending his head to Elizabeth's, he captured her lips once more. 'I am the luckiest man in the world,' he realized as he envisioned Elizabeth by his side and in his arms as his wife until his last breath. His would be a love match, like that of his parents, and that was a blessing he never expected to have. In that moment his kiss became a prayer and a vow to God, that he would do everything in his power to make Elizabeth the happiest of women, especially as she had just made him the happiest of men.