AUTHOR'S NOTE: Some of the description in this chapter may be too spicy for the most sensitive readers. Reader discretion is advised.
The next day the sun finally came out and the snow sparkled with thousands of reflected points of light from the ice crystals embedded within it. Elizabeth thought that she might see Mary and Charlotte that day if the drifts were not too big for a carriage to make it through, but then she realized that it would not be likely. However, early in the afternoon they heard the tinkle of bells outside. When they went to the windows, they saw not a carriage but an open sleigh drawn by two horses that were adorned with bells on their harnesses. Elizabeth could see that the sleigh was being driven by Mr. Carlyle and two ladies were waving at her. She was pleased to see a groom run out to hold the horses even though this arrival was completely unexpected.
As soon as the three visitors entered the house, they were smiling with rosy cheeks from the cold. Elizabeth stepped up to greet them and Mr. Carlyle bowed his greetings to her. She could see that Charlotte was uncharacteristically joyful. She sported the biggest smile that Elizabeth had ever seen on her face.
"Lizzy, you will never believe my news." Just then, she noticed the two additional people standing behind Elizabeth. "Mr. Darcy! What are you doing here? I did not realize that you would be coming." She looked at him, then at Elizabeth, then back at him, then at the young lady standing beside him.
"Charlotte, we obviously have lots to talk about, so why do you not take off your coats and come in for some nice hot tea."
Darcy stepped forward, "Good day to you, Miss Lucas, Miss Mary, Carlyle. May I introduce my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy? Georgiana, this is Miss Charlotte Lucas and Lady Elizabeth's sister, Miss Mary Bennet."
He then looked at Carlyle and bowed to him. "Carlyle, I believe you have not met my sister, either." He made the introductions.
Footmen and maids soon had their outerwear and Lady Elizabeth led them all into the drawing room. She ordered tea from a footman. She saw that Charlotte sat next to Mr. Carlyle and they were both blushing. "Charlotte, please tell me your news. I can see that it is something important you want to tell us."
Charlotte took Carlyle's hand into her own, "Mr. Carlyle asked me to marry him and I said yes."
Elizabeth could not stop herself but ran to her and gave her a hug. "Charlotte, I am so happy for you. That is wonderful news! When will you marry?"
Carlyle looked at Charlotte and responded, "We have not yet decided on a date, but I would like it to be as soon as possible. With this unpredictable weather, it could cause serious problems if we have to wait. I would like to marry right away, here in Hinckley as travel is such a potential problem now. I can get a common license from the bishop in Hinckley. With my sleigh, I have no problem getting through the snow."
He turned back to Charlotte, "My dear, if you are agreeable, I can go there today to see him. Then we can marry this week in the parish church here. Or would you rather wait to marry from your home?"
"I do not need my father's permission as I am of age. While I would prefer to receive his blessing, we can ask for that when we go to see him. I always thought that I would marry from my home in Meryton, but I understand the danger of waiting with the weather as uncertain as it is. I am certainly agreeable to marrying here this week. We can go to Hertfordshire as soon as the weather is better. I will write to my parents to tell them our news and ask my mother to have my things sent here."
Mr. Carlyle was obviously pleased. "Then it is settled; this week it is. I know that we both would be pleased if you all will attend."
Everyone agreed to attend, then Charlotte looked at the Darcys and said, "Now, please tell me about your guests." Elizabeth, knowing Charlotte very well, saw that there was more to the story of her engagement than they had been told. Charlotte had the strangest look about her that Lizzy had never seen before; there was a strange hint of excitement in her eyes. Elizabeth did not think that it was just because she was finally to be married. She could not understand why they wanted to marry in such a hurry. She thought that she would get the details out of Charlotte this very night.
Elizabeth explained how the Darcys arrived and how their carriage was still stuck in the lane. Darcy said that they hoped to be able to get it out in the next day or two.
As soon as Carlyle finished his tea, he left for Hinckley. He said that he would speak to the local parson and set the date for the ceremony as soon as he had the license.
Dinner that night was merry. They did not separate after eating as Darcy was the only gentleman. Instead, they went to the room with the piano and Georgiana entertained them all with some wonderful music. Elizabeth was pleased to see Mary staying close to Miss Darcy all evening; they even sat together on the piano bench while they took turns playing. Elizabeth saw that Charlotte's smiles did not leave her face all evening. There was something interesting about her engagement for sure.
When they went up, the three ladies calmly left Darcy and Elizabeth to follow them up. As he had done each evening since he had felt almost back to normal, Darcy accompanied Elizabeth to the door of her room. He took her bare hand and kissed it, saying, "My Lady, when we first arrived here and you came to my room to see how I was doing, you mentioned that my sorry condition made you realize that you were affected more than you had expected. You said that we would have to talk. I believe that I understand what you felt."
When he saw that she wanted to say something, he put his finger gently against her lips. "Please hear me out." The tender way he touched her affected her more than she thought it would. "When we are able to leave here, you will be going to town for part of the season. You may not realize it, but you will be one of the most sought-after ladies there with your beauty, your title, and your estate. You cannot miss this experience; it will create memories for you that will last your lifetime. You will meet many people, some memorable and some not so much. I am sure that we will be seeing each other quite often at different events.
"Might I suggest that just before you leave town to return here, we talk openly and frankly? I truly believe that will be for the best."
She was watching him closely and saw that he was having trouble making this suggestion that they wait before they talk. She thought that he would have preferred to speak sooner, but she could only nod while she took his hand and kissed it once again to indicate her acceptance of this plan. He smiled at her and went to his own room. She almost wished that he had kissed her before he left.
She watched him as he entered his room. Instead of going into her own room, she turned and went to Charlotte's. After receiving an invitation to enter, she went in. She was still in a daze, but turned to her friend. "Now, Charlotte, tell me all the details. How did it happen?"
"Oh, Lizzy, you will never believe what I am going to tell you. I can barely believe it myself.
"That first night we were there, Mary and I were both quite tired and were ready to go up. Henry" (Elizabeth noticed her use of his first name) "held me back and we sat together on the sofa. There were no servants around, but I was glad of that. I was not afraid of him or our inappropriate situation; I was excited with anticipation.
"Do you remember when I spoke about how Jane should encourage Mr. Bingley by showing even more affection than she felt? Well, I meant it.
"I had to force myself to be brave, bolder than I have ever been. I took his hand and smiled at him, my most encouraging smile. The next thing I knew, his hand was cradling my face. I smiled some more at him and tilted my face up to him. Suddenly he was kissing me, oh so, so gently. I could not stop myself but put my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. I did not even think about doing that, I just did it. It happened so naturally.
"Lizzy, his kisses were making me feel things I have never felt before. I was warm all over. I did not want him to stop. I did not have to pretend to like what he was doing. He had his arms around me and pulled me close to him while he was rubbing my back. Then he began to kiss my face, my neck, my front. It felt so good that I lifted my chin so he could kiss more of me.
"My first kisses ever and they were marvelous, so wonderful! I was tingling all over. He lifted his head and kissed my lips again. He kissed me more passionately and I knew that I did not want him to stop, no matter what he did." Elizabeth did not realize that her breathing had speeded up. She was captivated by what she was hearing and could not wait to hear what happened next. She noticed that Charlotte's face was quite red, but she could not tell if that was from excitement or embarrassment at what she was confessing.
"Then he pulled away just a bit and asked me to marry him. What could I say but 'yes, yes, yes'? I felt so incredible that I knew that I could deny him nothing, nothing at all."
Elizabeth began to anticipate what she would hear next. She could hardly breathe.
"Lizzy, I cannot believe I am telling you this, but I have to tell someone. He kissed me again and again and began to touch me, all over. That felt so good! He said that he wanted me; he needed me. He asked me if he could have me as his wife. He said that he could not wait.
"Lizzy, please believe me that I had no intention of doing anything so improper, but I could not say no. At that point, I seemed to be a completely different person. I thought that as we were going to be married that it would be all right.
"What could I do but say 'yes'? Lizzy, I wanted him, too. Only a very small part of me thought that it was wrong; most of me just wanted to find out what it was like to be a wife. The next thing I knew, he picked me up and carried me up to his room."
"Charlotte! Did you really? Did you let him?"
"Yes, I could not have stopped him even if I wanted to, which I did not. Lizzy, you will never believe what it feels like to be kissed like that, to be held so closely, to be touched all over.
"He was so slow and gentle, so caring, so loving. I felt such an incredible feeling of joy and pleasure. Lizzy, I was soaring out of my body. I had no idea it would be like that."
"Did it hurt?"
"Only a bit, and only the first time."
"Only the first time! What are you saying? You did it more than once?"
"Lizzy, after the first time, we were lying there together, so close we were touching all over; I was in a daze. It was euphoric. I ran my hands all over him and noticed that he was ready and wanted me again. The second time was even better as I knew what to expect. He did not disappoint me. From how he responded, it was obvious that I was making him happy, very happy indeed. He even called out my name at the end. I knew I wanted to hear that again and again."
"You touched him all over?"'
"Yes. I did not feel the slightest bit embarrassed touching him. I wanted to know his body. All of it. He is magnificent! So manly. Just thinking about him makes me tingle all over."
"Then I went to sleep in his arms. I know that I slept with a smile on my face. We slept together like that all night. Whenever I woke a bit, I reached over and felt him there beside me. I loved the touch of his bare skin against me almost as much as his touching me with his hands. When we woke in the morning, he was ready again. Lizzy, there is no doubt knowing when a man is ready for you. When I felt him like that, it made me want him again. He did not disappoint me, and I know from his reaction that I did not disappoint him."
Elizabeth could see a dreamy, faraway look in her friend's eyes. She had never seen such a look in anyone's eyes before. She had never heard anything about what happened in a marital bed before; Charlotte's description convinced her that marriage could be very enjoyable, indeed.
"I could barely stop myself from touching him all the next day. Only the presence of Mary, the servants, and the children stopped me. I could see from the way he looked at me that he wanted me, too.
"Mary was so excited when I told her we were betrothed."
"Surely you did not tell her what you just told me!"
"No, of course not. She would be horrified. You and I are different; we have been best friends forever with no secrets between us." Charlotte could see that her friend had a strange look on her face.
Elizabeth then realized that her friend had not said the word 'love,' so was it some other emotion she had felt? "Do you love him?"
"I am not sure if it is love that I feel, but whatever it is, it is enough. Lizzy, do not judge me. Wait until you find your man. Find a good man and trust him. Just give yourself to him completely. You will not be disappointed.
"Lizzy, there is something else that I never expected. When Henry told the children that I would be their new mother, they both came to me and climbed up onto my lap. I could not stop my tears when they first called me 'Mama.' Sitting there with them in my arms was one of the best feelings in the world; well, perhaps the second best." She just whispered this last phrase. "I feel like a real mother to them already. They are my children; I love them with all my heart."
She could only whisper the following. "Henry came to me every night. Every time it was amazing; I hope it never ends. Now you know why we want to marry as soon as possible."
Elizabeth, for perhaps the very first time in her life, could not find words to express how she felt. She was not sure if she was horrified or thrilled; most likely both. She could only say, "Charlotte, I am happy for you. I am so glad that you found a good man. I can only wish you the best. It sounds as if you are suited for each other. The only real concern I have is that you have not known Mr. Carlyle for very long. Are you sure you will be happy with him?"
"I asked him why he proposed to me after such a short acquaintance. He said that he had been searching for a wife and was interested in me as soon as he met me. He said that what decided him was his children. When they took to me so quickly, he knew I was the one."
Elizabeth hoped that was true and it was not only their actions in the bedroom that had decided him.
"Lizzy, this is the best chance I have ever had for happiness. I will do whatever it takes to make our marriage work. I just could not pass up this chance."
"Charlotte, I can only wish you the best. However, will you be able to convince your parents that your rushed marriage did not result from a compromise? I suppose you will not tell them about being stranded at his estate."
"I hope I can convince them. I would not want to lose their good opinion, but in the end, it is only Henry's opinion that matters."
Elizabeth went back to her own room, where Emma was patiently waiting. Her dreams that night were different from those she had ever had before. All night, a tall, dark-haired man bedeviled her sleep. Several times she reached over in the bed but he was not there.