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Conversations of the Heart
A Journey of Love

Chapter 11 ~ Their UC Getaway Winds Down ~

On Monday morning they awoke early so they could pack their suitcases, in addition, Lucas wanted to run a couple of errands when the shops opened. They ordered up a continental breakfast of pastry, juice, and coffee; then began their packing. Lucas finished quickly and told Elizabeth that he needed to attend to something. She asked him where he was going, but he replied, "can't a man keep some things a secret."

"You are now a husband so I think not," countered Elizabeth.

"What about surprises? Am I allowed to keep those a secret?" Lucas replied.

"Well now, that is different. You know how I like surprises, especially your kind."

"Okay, then I need to go out to arrange for some surprises." He gave her a teasing smile and a kiss on the cheek and off he went leaving her to attend to her "girl time" and packing.

Lucas walked the short distance to Mr. Darcy's bookstore. He entered and walked to the counter where he was quickly joined by Darcy who had heard the bell on the door. "Good day, Lucas. I am glad to see you again. I have the box of books set aside for you so you can retrieve the ones you placed on top that you wanted. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Lucas looked a little sheepish but was determined to buy the two "educational novels" that he had found on one of the shelves that he and Elizabeth had browsed. "Well, there were a couple of books on one of the shelves that I was interested in buying. I will go and retrieve them." He soon returned with the volumes and handed them to Darcy in a casual manner.

Mr. Darcy looked at the books so he could mark his inventory and write down the price. He looked at Lucas with a knowing smile which had Lucas instantly blushing. But he didn't say anything and waited for Lucas to get the rare books he wanted as well. "Am I shipping all of these for you?"

"Just the rare books," Lucas said not meeting Mr. Darcy's gaze.

"I will total this for you on two bills as well." He handed Lucas the bills and Lucas paid him and added enough for shipping. "Thank you for bringing your new bride with you. I don't get many visitors so it was lovely to have tea and chat. I hope that you will both be back soon."

"We certainly will. We are planning to return in late March for a play so we will be seeing you then. We will bring our son on that visit as well. I see you have enlarged your children's selection, so we will let him browse when he visits."

"I look forward to it. Safe travels, Lucas, and again, my best wishes on your marriage." He stepped forward for a hug and then Lucas was on his way carrying the two volumes in a box that disguised the nature of the contents.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth enjoyed a bath that the maid prepared for her. It was becoming a luxury that she certainly had learned to enjoy. She relaxed in the warm sudsy water and daydreamed about yesterday. It had been just another perfect day, both the weather and the company. They had enjoyed passion, laughter, and companionship.

They had spent part of their morning completing the shopping for gifts for those who had helped with the wedding. They ended up with some clothes for Jack who was growing like a weed, and Lucas did some clothes shopping as well. Not his usual suits as those he had specially tailored, but for more casual clothing suitable for playing with Jack and working around the house and garden. He was determined to look the part of Papa and domesticated husband. One had to have a special wardrobe for that, or at least you did if you were Mr. Bouchard. One needed to look very in vogue even when dressed casually. "She giggled at the thought of Lucas shoveling dirt to plant flowers."

They had gone to an art gallery and bought their first furnishing as a couple. It was a gorgeous landscape of a mountain meadow of wildflowers in an impressionist style. It was quite lovely and they had both been drawn to it. They also purchased a few other household items for the row house. She and Lucas were discussing building a home but for now, Lucas was fine with moving to the row house. This had been his son's only home and he didn't want to transplant him until their permanent home was built. They agreed that they would buy a few things to give it an ambiance that reflected both of them. Lucas would keep a suite at the Queen so that the two of them had a place to rest or stay as well as a spare bed for Jack if he should need to nap or spend the night there. There was also a large sofa if Laura or Robert were babysitting.

They had dinner at a bistro across town that turned out to be quite good. The menu was primarily French cuisine but there were a few other selections as well including some New Orleans Cajun and Creole recipes that Lucas was familiar with. Lucas had ordered blackened fish, dirty rice, and okra while Elizabeth had ordered the shrimp etouffee and a light salad. They had talked a little about their immediate plans for the weeks ahead including getting Lucas settled in. He would keep some of his business and formal wear at the hotel. That would allow him the flexibility to go into work in casual clothes and bath and change there if he chose to. He would adapt the plan as he got a manager in place to free his evenings. They had already ordered a new bed to accommodate Lucas' height. It was delivered the week before the wedding. Mike was arranging to have it brought to the house while they were in UC. The old bed was being donated to charity and had already been spoken for. Rosie was going to make the bed up with new linens they had received as a wedding gift so that they wouldn't have to worry about it when they arrived home.

After they had finished their dinner, Lucas had ordered a brandy and they had shared Bananas Foster for dessert. It had been a lovely early dinner. They had arrived by horse-drawn carriage and another was expected to pick them up to take them to the theatre that also hosted the ballet and opera, where they would be attending a performance of La Boehme. Lucas was a big fan of the opera and was excited to be able to bring Elizabeth to this one. Elizabeth had attended concerts, ballet, and plays in Hamilton but never an opera. She had listened to it in Lucas' office on the Victrola and was anxious to be able to attend a live performance. It had been just as beautiful as she had imagined in her mind. They had both thoroughly enjoyed it and had talked about it for a long while after they had retired last night.

Elizabeth shook herself out of her daydream as she heard Lucas calling to her. He found her in the "boudoir", as they now called it, still in her bath. The water was starting to cool down so she needed to get out. "Elizabeth you are shivering, I think you need to get out now," as he tested the cool water. He brought her some warm water to rinse with and left her to finish up. "I will stoke the fire in our suite and wait for you to come and warm up. With that, he left her. She rinsed and dried and wrapped one of the large fluffy towels around herself and went to warm by the fire which was now burning brightly again. He moved an armchair in close to the fire and had her settle there. He went and retrieved her brush so he could smooth out her hair. She had braided it before bed but it hadn't taken him long to undo the braid so he could spread it over her pillow and marvel at how lovely she looked that way.

When he had it brushed to a glossy smooth finish, he kissed her on her shoulder and pulled her to her feet. "So, my sweet, are you going to get dressed? Or am I going to draw from another chapter in that novel I showed you? He pretended that he was going to undo the towel fastener she had fashioned. His reference to the book had her blushing already and his gesture had her widen her eyes. Lucas looked at her and said, "Elizabeth I am your husband, but even so, I would not expose you in that way without your explicit permission or at least giving you the chance to refuse my advances. You are my soulmate, not just my mate. I want what you want. Do you understand?"

She nodded; she was learning new things about this man every day. He had a profoundly noble core that permeated all aspects of him, even the most basic of instincts would not override his moral code. She gave him a shy smile, "but you are all dressed up and ready for our journey home."

"What I have in mind is intended for one of us that is not dressed," he teased which of course just deepened the blush. He touched his forehead to hers and nuzzled her nose with his. "Come, over by the fire with me." Even though she was blushing, or perhaps because she was blushing, he knew that he had captured her attention. He took her by the hand and she followed him as he led her back to the armchair and had her sit. He let her clutch her towel for now. He sat on the fur rug that lay in front of the fireplace and took one of her feet in his hands and began to massage it and then the other. She moaned and her hands instinctively grabbed onto the arms of the chairs. He kissed the inside of one of her ankles and then proceeded to replay another chapter in the book.

He gathered her into his arms and sat in the chair keeping his arms around her as she sat curled in his lap with her head resting on his chest. They sat like that for a while, until her breathing was calm. "I love you, Elizabeth. I am so lucky to have found you and even luckier that you found me too." She looked up at him and was immediately pulled in by the intensity of his gaze. He kissed her softly on the mouth. He could tell that she wanted to say something and he knew her well enough to guess what she was thinking. "Your pleasure is my pleasure, my love. To have you trust me, to be vulnerable to me, this is a gift you give me. It was what I wanted from you. We have all the time in the world to explore this new connection. Know that I felt physical desire, but I wanted this more. Does that make sense my love?"

"In a way that only you could make this make sense. I love you Lucas, and wherever you want to take me, I will follow, but you must give me that gift as well. Understood?" He nodded and tightened his hold on her. "As much as I would love to stay right here for eternity, I suppose it is time that I dressed. I have finished all my packing and have my clothes laid out on the bed so it shouldn't take me too long to get ready." With that, he released her from his hold and she made her way to the other room. Lucas remained in the chair to wait for her. He closed his eyes with a contented smile on his face. He needed to go to freshen up but for now, he wanted to just savor the moment. He had dreamed what this part of their life would be like; he knew to expect something very pleasant but this was more than that. This was an extension of their love that was deeply fulfilling. Being vulnerable to one's spouse, to let them love you without condition or judgment. This was the most special bond.

He heard her coming up behind him so he got up and headed to wash up and to call for the bell boy to assist them with their luggage. He put on his coat and retrieved Elizabeth's from the rack. He held it for her and helped her into it. No matter how many times he did this he never tired of it. He remembered one special time when he had helped her with her coat, it was at Clara and Jesse's rehearsal dinner. He had watched them leave and made a comment about love to which she had said that he had sounded like a hopeless romantic. Be that as it may, there was only one woman for him and he had answered: "more like a hopeful one." They had come a long way since then, but all that they had gone through had led to this moment. He was helping the woman of his dreams with her coat and now, she was his wife as she would be from this moment on. He sighed in his contentment. She turned to look up at him wondering what the sigh was for but what she saw kept her silent. Love…. This man loved her with all his being and she could see it in his eyes. She looked into his deeply with her own special smile and then reached up and cupped the side of his face. "Take us home, Mr. Bouchard." And with that, they were on their way.