Sorry for so long between updates. Real life has been a bit crazy. On a personal note: Happy Birthday to me.
I hope you all enjoy the Elizabeth/Mr. Darcy interaction.
Upon gaining the upper floor, Mr. Darcy carried his new bride to the Mistress's chambers. As they entered, he carried her to the bed.
"Do you wish me to call your maid so you may change?" he asked, placing her down on the bed. "I want you to be comfortable while you rest."
"I am quite comfortable, I assure you." Elizabeth said moving over slightly on the bed.
She tucked her feet under the skirt of her dress. Her hand slipped under as well to remove her slippers without exposing her feet to his view. The slippers were dropped off the far side of the bed.
"I detest shoes on the bed." she remarked settling herself against the pillows.
"I will call for tea." Mr. Darcy said moving to the bell cord.
A maid was quick to arrive. Mr. Darcy requested tea to be brought up. The woman curtsied and hurried off. Mr. Darcy moved to a chair and sat down.
"Will you not join me, husband?" Elizabeth asked curiously.
"You stated you detest shoes on the bed. I presumed that extends to mine as well." he remarked. "I would not wish to gain the ire of my wife so soon after our vows."
He reached down to loosen then remove his boots. Once finished he set them aside and rose.
"I hope you do not mind my shedding my coat to be more comfortable."
"Pray, do make yourself comfortable."
He smiled and removed his coat and laid it on the chair. A knock at the door heralded the arrival of their tea. Mr. Darcy collected the tray from the maid with thanks. Once the door was shut, Mr. Darcy placed the tray on the small table near the wall. He readied Elizabeth's cup then brought it to her.
"I thought it was my duty to serve you, sir."
"Not today." he replied, returning for his own cup.
Once seated on the bed, a silence settled over them. Elizabeth sipped her tea and gave a hum of relief as the warmth traveled down her throat.
"Are you well, Elizabeth?"
"Yes, William, no need to worry."
He turned to her and studied her for a moment.
"You called me 'William'."
She nodded, "Do you wish me not to?"
"No, I prefer 'William' to my given name. I merely thought it would take you longer to adjust to calling me such."
"In truth, you have been William to me for more than a week."
He looked surprised.
"Since when?" he asked curiously.
"The Tuesday after you left Kent." Elizabeth replied taking another sip of tea. "Anne was quite insistent that I think of you as 'William' rather than 'Mr. Darcy'."
"Why?"
"She believed it would help me see you differently."
"Did it?"
"It helped, as did other things."
"Such as?"
"Your cousin's desire to thoroughly examine every interaction we have had over the whole course of our acquaintance."
"Every interaction?"
"Indeed." Elizabeth replied. A curious look crossed her face. "Did you truly wish to dance with me at Netherfield when Jane was ill?"
"I did."
"My belief in my judgment of people is shattered. I thought myself a great studier of character. Such a fool I am."
"You are not a fool, dearest."
"I am. Your cousin being told about the occasion, for my perspective, which I admit was not the most impartial, understood your intentions better than I who was present."
"You did not think my intentions were kind towards you then though. I certainly tried to hide my growing feelings as well. Anne knew before hearing of the occasion that I had feelings for you."
"True." Elizabeth conceded.
They were quiet for a few moments as they sipped their tea and ordered their thoughts.
"Did Anne read my letter?" Mr. Darcy asked, breaking the silence.
"No, I told her some of its contents but not the whole of it." Elizabeth said. "I told her your reasons for separating Jane and Mr. Bingley and that you explained your history in regards to him. I did not say anything about Ramsgate."
"What was her opinion of my interference?"
"She believed you should not have meddled." He nodded and was silent. "She also used that to show me how much we are alike."
"How do you mean?"
"She asked me what I would have done if our positions were reversed. If it was I who saw my dearest friend in love and detected unequal sentiment."
"What was your reply?"
"I had to acknowledge my actions would have been similar. In fact, I did act similarly with Charlotte. She was not seeking a love match, but I tried to dissuade her from marrying Mr. Collins because I knew he did not care for her as she deserved."
"He did seem to shift his attentions quickly. I heard he proposed to you as well."
"He did. I had tried to avoid it but my mother was certain it was a good match. My father and I disagreed."
Mr. Darcy nodded then sipped his tea.
"Your father mentioned you had received other proposals prior to Mr. Collins."
"Did he?"
"He said you and Miss Bennet had both refused two proposals while you were town a few years past."
"He said Jane refused two proposals?"
"Did she not?"
"I do not know if the term 'refused' qualifies in the situation." Elizabeth said with a chuckle.
"She was proposed to?" he asked. Elizabeth nodded. "And she did not agree to marry either." She shook her head. "If you do not qualify it as a refusal, what do you qualify it as?"
"A mortified retreat while the gentlemen were otherwise occupied." she replied, trying to hold in her laughter.
"Occupied how?"
"Tripping one another in the pond."
"In the pond?" he asked surprised. Elizabeth nodded grinning. "That sounds like an intriguing story. Will you share it?"
Elizabeth was thoughtful for a moment.
"You must promise not to tell Jane you know though. She still cannot think on it without turning red."
"You have my word."
"You must understand the beginning so I shall begin there." Elizabeth said finishing her tea. She set the cup on the night table. "We met Jane's potential suitors at a small ball held by one of our aunt's friends. They are cousins and we were introduced to them by their mutual uncle. This uncle has no children of his own and it was said one of the cousins was to inherit his estate."
"Did you know which was to inherit?"
"No, neither did they. Such was the problem. It caused a terrible rivalry between the two. It was their belief though that marrying someone their uncle approved of would help settle who would inherit." Elizabeth explained. "At some point during our acquaintance with them, the uncle mentioned his general approval of Jane and our relations."
"So they both proposed?"
Elizabeth nodded.
"The first gentleman arrived to invite Jane for a walk. I went along as a chaperone. The second had discovered the plan of the first to propose. He came hoping to make his own proposal first. He saw us walk into the park near the Gardiners' home and joined us."
"Did Miss Bennet care for either of them?"
"She felt they were nice but that they did not wish to truly know her. They admired her beauty and sweet disposition, nothing more."
"What happened at the park?"
"The men vied for her attention with empty compliments until we reached the pond. Their attention made Jane uncomfortable so I suggested we return. Suddenly the first gentleman told Jane she was the most beautiful creature he ever beheld and she must agree to marry him. Before she could reply, his cousin made the same claim. They began to talk over one another which led to one shoving the other. That turned into a tussle that disturbed both of us enough to back away. They tripped and end up in the pond. Their dousing did not stop their argument. They continued to grapple and trip one another every time one of them made for the shore. Jane grabbed my arm and did not release it until we were back at the Gardiners. I have never seen her walk so fast before or since. At the time we were both quite shocked but looking back the situation was very amusing."
"Poor Miss Bennet." Mr. Darcy remarked, trying to suppress a grin. "I agree with your phrasing. A retreat is certainly the best way to explain it."
Elizabeth nodded.
"What of your other suitors? Were they so easily disposed of?"
"Do you truly wish to know?"
"I do."
"The first came the day before the pond incident. We had met at a dinner party and spent some time together in the weeks since. He was intelligent and seemed kind and responsible but had told me only the evening before that he did not believe a lady should read as much I did and certainly not the subjects I did. His proposal included the phrase 'if you can restrict your reading to that of a proper lady'. I stopped him and assured him I could not restrict myself nor did I want to."
"What did he consider so improper for a lady to read?"
"History, philosophy, agricultural subjects, political articles in the paper,..."
"And what pray tell did he consider proper?"
"Ladies magazines, the social announcements, and lady's deportment books."
"That is all?" Elizabeth nodded. "Were you heartbroken over him?"
"I was disappointed that he thought such things but I heart was never engaged. There had been other comments over the course of our acquaintance that made me realize before his proposal our futures would never align."
Mr. Darcy nodded in understanding.
"What of your other suitor?"
"To be completely fair, the second gentleman did not truly propose to me." Elizabeth said. "His mother did."
"His mother?" Elizabeth nodded. "He sent his mother to make his addresses."
"He came along as well."
"Did he know his mother was going to speak to you?"
"Indeed. She explained it quite thoroughly. They had discussed it a great deal and decided I was the best choice from the available ladies they knew."
"Where was the man during this conversation?"
"Sitting beside her. He was quite content to allow his mother to make the offer."
"Did he add anything to the conversation?"
"He did tell me that the deciding factor was that I knew how to knit. The other lady they were considering could not. Apparently the ability to knit is a serious consideration in a wife."
He chuckled and she joined him.
"I thanked them for their kind offer but said that I must decline. His mother said it was a shame but it was likely the other lady could be taught to knit. They said their goodbyes and departed."
"Of all the traits I have considered in a wife, I must say the ability to knit never entered into my mind."
"Really, I had been led to believe it is a most crucial consideration." Elizabeth replied with a teasing smile.
"I am quite lucky in my bride then." he stated with a smile.
"Indeed, you shall never be lacking scarves."
Cups were returned to the tea tray by Mr. Darcy. Once he settled back on the bed, he turned to face Elizabeth. Her eyes were on the window. A large tree could be seen, birds flitting among the branches.
"You will be able to go out soon." he remarked.
She turned to him and smiled, "I apologize now if my impatience gets the best of me."
"I know you are anxious to return to your normal activities..."
"I am resigned to the fact that I need to give myself time to completely recover." Elizabeth replied. "I would not risk being confined longer by rushing and causing myself more trouble."
"Truly?"
"You doubt my conviction?"
"No, I believe you could do whatever you set your mind to."
"Then what?"
"I believe you just won me a bottle of brandy."
Elizabeth gave him a confused look and he explained the discussion with his cousin.
"You made a bet about disagreeing with your wife?"
"Not I, Fitzwilliam." Mr. Darcy replied. "I said I would not have such a disagreement."
She chuckled, "Well as your wife, I suppose it is my duty to ensure you win."
He gave her a broad smile.
"So we shall have to find something else to disagree about first."
"Did you not say you were resigned to taking your time to recover?"
"Yes, but I am also a terrible patient."
"From all accounts I received you were an excellent patient."
"That is because I could not get up on my own. I shall own my flaws in this for I am well aware of them. I am a terrible patient who is very difficult to keep in bed when I believe I am well enough to be out of it. It is likely there will be a time when I will try to do something that you do not believe I am well enough for." she replied. "So what shall we disagree about?"
He was thoughtful for a moment then shook his head.
"I cannot think of a single thing to be disagreeable about at present."
Elizabeth chuckled, "I can hardly believe I once thought you to be the most disagreeable man of my acquaintance."
He studied her for a moment, "When did you change your mind about me?"
"It was not a sudden thing. Your letter made me realize how prejudiced, how blind, I had been toward you." she stated. "It made me more willing to listen when Anne and I began talking. She helped me see my feelings for you were much stronger than I realized, that I was half in love with you already. I am sure I would have reached the same conclusion in time but by then it might have been too late for us. Without all the misunderstandings between us, I found it was very easy to fall in love with you."
"You love me?" he asked slowly.
"Of course, I do. I would not have married you if I did not." Elizabeth replied. "Did you truly think I did not?"
"You seemed to be pleased with my attentions and I believed you held some affection for me. I hoped you would grow to love me as I do you in time."
Elizabeth gave him a soft smile and raised her hand to his face.
"I love you, William. You have my heart."
He closed the distance between them and they were soon lost in each other.
Fade to Black. :)
I plan to have another chapter up by the weekend, if all goes well. Thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited, read, and reviewed.