By Force of Instinct (37 page)

He continued, “He seems to have the idea in his head that I was
forcing
my attentions on you.”

“oh!” said elizabeth in surprise. “Wherever did he come upon such an idea?”

“I cannot even venture a guess. I am sorry to say that he angered me sufficiently with the accusation that I simply denied it and walked out,” he said with a grimace.

“I can imagine!” she said feelingly.

He looked down at their joined hands. “Are you sure that I cannot convince you to come away with me, Lizzy?” he asked almost plaintively.

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she reached up on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his. “tempting as that sounds, I know that I would regret not attempting to see if this can be resolved,” she said.

Darcy glanced over at the house as if doubting this possibility and, as he did so, noticed Mr. Bennet at the library window looking in their direction. With a certain savage pleasure he turned back to elizabeth and kissed her again, starting gently, but gradually deepening the kiss until she slipped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. He did not hurry the occasion, taking the time to enjoy the pleasures of her mouth and her slender form in his arms, reminding himself that she was his, even if he did have to wait for her, even if he did have to deal with her difficult father before he could take her to Pemberley as his bride. He defied even Mr. Bennet to say that elizabeth was unwilling after this display!

The depth of his passion was tempting elizabeth more than he could know. she wanted desperately to leave conflict behind and to be only with him, and knowing that she only need say so was an enticement hard to resist. It was so simple to avoid the question by losing herself in the pleasure of his touch and his kisses, and she did not wish to think about self-discipline or consequences but simply to forget everything but him.

Her lack of restraint communicated itself to Darcy through the small movements of her body and her gasps as his hands explored her curves. He was intoxicated by it; and, in a need to do something more, he began to press tempting kisses across her face and down her neck. He could feel her body melting into his, and the desire not to stop was almost insurmount-able when faced with her passionate responsiveness, but he knew their position to be quite untenable. It was almost a relief to his senses when she froze in his arms in a reaction of clear distress. He drew back to look at her in concern, only to see her looking with horror over his shoulder.

“your point is taken, Mr. Darcy,” said Mr. Bennet in a tight voice. “It is time for you to come into the house now, Lizzy.”

Mortally embarrassed, she looked first to Darcy, who looked remarkably untroubled by the situation. He nodded, and she took his hand more for support than anything else as they silently followed a retreating Mr.

Bennet into the house.

There was very little that Mr. Bennet liked less than the idea of his Lizzy moving far from him and of her transferring her allegiances to another 225

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man, but among that very little was a strong dislike of being found out to be in the wrong. It could be seen that he would not be in good spirits on an occasion such as this, and having to prove himself greater than his errors required that he be cordial to a man whom he still detested. It was no mean feat, then, that he managed a modicum of civility in the presence of his family and Mr. Darcy; but, then again, he was a man quite practiced in disguising his feelings and intentions. elizabeth, waiting for the retribution certain to come for her untoward behaviour as well as for her disappearance that morning, kept glancing at her father nervously; and Darcy, by her side, was careful to keep on a face of complete neutrality despite some distinctly self-satisfied sentiments regarding his disproof of Mr.

Bennet’s earlier slights to his character.

somehow the three managed to maintain a calm demeanour throughout dinner, the first Darcy had taken at Longbourn since his arrival. Afterwards, when elizabeth had bid Darcy a tender adieu in the privacy of the front portico, she went with some trepidation past her father’s library on her way to the sitting room. she was not surprised to hear him call her in, but she awaited his anger with a significant degree of anxiety as he sat silently for a moment looking at her, reminding herself that he was not the only one with a cause for resentment.

“Well, Lizzy,” he said finally, “I withdraw my objections to your engagement.”

This was so far from what she had expected to hear that for a moment she could not think. At last she managed to say, “I am glad to hear it.” she found this startling reversal difficult to comprehend.

“That is all, my dear; off you go, now,” he said dismissively.

she lingered a moment, and then looked at him and said, as if hoping to convince him, “He is a very good man and is perfectly amiable.”

“yes, yes; well, think whatever you like,” he said dryly.

His failure to take her words with due seriousness vexed her. “He
is
,” she said forcefully. “you have never allowed me to tell you of my feelings for him.”

He looked as if the last thing he wished for in the world was to hear about her affection for Darcy, but with obvious reluctance he invited her to do just that. she explained the gradual change which her estimation of him had undergone, relating her absolute certainty that his affection was 226

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not the work of a day, but had stood the test of many months’ suspense.

“Well, my dear,” said he when she ceased speaking. “you have given me a good deal to think about. And now I
will
bid you good night.”

she accepted her dismissal this time, wishing him a subdued good night before going up to her room to think on her own about all that had occurred that day.

Darcy gave considerable thought to the matter of Mr. Bennet. He was still angered by Mr. Bennet’s failure to protect elizabeth from Lady catherine, not to mention the direct insult that had been levelled at him regarding the nature of his relationship with elizabeth. Under normal circumstances, this would constitute more than he could forgive, but this was elizabeth’s father, and for some reason she still retained a fondness for him.

As such, he considered that he had a responsibility to make every reasonable attempt to appease the man, little as he liked the idea.

on his arrival at Longbourn the following morning he therefore asked for Mr. Bennet instead of elizabeth—
duty before pleasure
, he thought gloomily. Mr. Bennet seemed quite surprised to see him but offered him a seat quite civilly.

“This should only take a moment,” said Darcy, hoping rather grimly that this estimate was accurate. “I wished to apologize for becoming intemperate yesterday. Given the misapprehension you were under, your attitude was quite understandable. I hope that now we both have a better understanding of the situation.” If Mr. Bennet did not accept this peace offering, Darcy could hardly be blamed.

“Thank you, Mr. Darcy,” said Mr. Bennet in a perfectly amiable manner.

“I must apologize as well for having reached an unwarranted conclusion.”

They had now exchanged several civil sentences, which Darcy considered a success and more than adequate to the occasion. He therefore limited himself to acknowledging Mr. Bennet’s apology and, with a bow, turned to leave.

“Just a moment, Mr. Darcy,” Mr. Bennet said, his manner indecipherable.

“Do I take it, then, that you do
not
intend to apologize for endangering my daughter’s reputation at the bottom of my garden yesterday?”

Darcy turned and looked at him levelly for a moment. “That is correct, sir; I do not.”

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“you do not,” repeated Mr. Bennet in a voice suggesting a certain degree of disbelief.

“no,” repeated Darcy evenly. “I do not. If you wish, however, I am willing to marry her immediately in order to protect her reputation.”
Wil ing
and eager!
he thought to himself.

Mr. Bennet laughed. “oh, no, Mr. Darcy,” he said, a flash of amusement in his eyes. “I have no intention of giving my Lizzy to you a moment before I have to.”

Darcy raised an eyebrow. “As long as you intend to do it then, we need have no disagreement.”

“As long as there is no more behaviour like that in the garden, we do not,”

Mr. Bennet retorted dryly.

clearly the rules of his relationship with Mr. Bennet had changed, and he knew a challenge when he heard one. Darcy looked him in the eye. “I have noted your opinion,” he said. “Good day, Mr. Bennet.”

As Darcy left, Mr. Bennet sat back in his chair, thinking that since it appeared he had to tolerate the man, it was just as well that he could provide a source of amusement.

two nights later, elizabeth waited until well after the household was abed to find her way out of the dark house. This was the hardest part; once she was outside, the light of the nearly full moon allowed her to see the road clearly, though the cold made her shiver. Her heart lifted as she approached the church, and she smiled when she saw Darcy’s familiar shape emerge from the shadows, a frisson of desire running through her at the thought of what was to come. Although she could not see his face clearly, she could feel the pleasure radiating from him at her presence.

He kissed her hand as he greeted her. They did not speak much after their initial greetings, more out of a fullness of feeling than out of any fear of discovery. Walking hand in hand as they had never been permitted to in the light of day, elizabeth felt a deep contentment. Finally she said quietly, as though not to disturb the silence of the night, “I have been wondering where you are planning to take me, my love.”

“It is an old cottage, now unused—quite rustic, I am afraid, but warm and comfortable enough.” He stopped and turned to her, taking both her hands in his, and said, “you need not feel that you are obligated to … any-228

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thing; just the chance to be alone with you without interruption and to hold you will be enough, if that is what you want.”

she reached up to kiss him. “
You
need not worry so much! I know quite well what I am about.”

His kiss in return was rather deeper. “Well, then,” he said, his voice full of warm satisfaction.

He led her along the back lanes until they reached a small cottage. When she entered, elizabeth, who knew that it had been abandoned some years earlier, expected to find the signs of long disuse, but discovered instead that it was clean, with a low fire burning in the fireplace. A few neat, if simple, furnishings were in place. The bed, out of keeping with the rest of the room, was covered with elegant bedclothes.

she turned to Darcy with a look of amusement. “you have been busy, sir!” she said.

Darcy looked slightly uncomfortable. “It is not much; it is far less than I would wish to offer you. I had thought to give you Pemberley, yet here we are in a simple labourer’s cottage.”

she embraced him impulsively. “It does not matter where we are as long as I am with you; you do not need a fine estate or beautiful gifts to win my heart.”

He held her close to him, moved by her statement and knowing it to be the truth: that he had won her with himself, not with his fortune or position. It was a gift more priceless than any he could give her.

“you have done remarkably well here, though, I must say,” she added playfully.

“It is not completely my doing, I must confess; I have a valet who is both talented and extremely discreet—I believe he looked on this as something of a personal challenge.”

she could see by the intent look in his dark eyes that his thoughts were far from their conversation. she laced her arms around his neck and kissed him. Her heart fluttered as she felt his hard body against hers, knowing what was to come, and feeling her need for him building.

While her kiss fed his rising passion, Darcy could not help but note how cold her arms were under her shawl. When they paused for breath, he said,

“come over to the fire, my heart, and warm yourself; I will not have you taking a chill,” He drew up a chair for her and settled her in it; then, to her 229

Abigail Reynolds

surprise, he sat on the floor by her feet, his head resting against her leg.

Unable to resist, elizabeth ran her fingers through his thick dark hair.

He caught her hand and placed a light kiss in it. she was puzzled by his behaviour; she had expected, given his anticipation of this meeting, that he would lose no time in taking her to bed, yet he seemed completely unhurried and content just to be with her.

Had she been able to read Darcy’s thoughts, she would have found a different picture. His desire for her was quite undiminished, yet he had discovered that there was a delightful excitement that lay in knowing that he would soon be making her his, and he was not ready to give up this anticipatory pleasure quite yet. enjoying the relaxing sensation of her hand stroking his hair, he began to imagine the delights of her body, and he slipped his hand under her skirts and curled it around her ankle.

elizabeth felt a flash of desire rush through her at his unexpected action, and her hand paused for a moment in his hair. A trace of a smile crossed Darcy’s face, and he began to gently stroke her leg, taking time to al ow his fingers to explore. she was astonished by how much sensation such a light touch could bring, and she felt a throbbing building deep inside her. That these were such forbidden explorations only enhanced her excitement. she was starting to wonder how much more of this delicate torture she could tolerate before being reduced to quivering when he turned to unlacing her halfboots.

After tugging them off, he returned to his explorations, his hand drifting gradually up to her knee. elizabeth could no longer prevent herself from a slight gasp as he moved slowly and tantalizingly to encircle her garter.

Darcy was experiencing a deep enjoyment in taking possession of elizabeth’s body one inch at a time. He felt her fingers clenching in his hair, and his desire rose in response to hers. Very deliberately he hooked his finger inside her garter and turned to look up at her. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes smoky with passion; and, despite the simplicity of dress and hairstyle which her midnight escape had required, he had never seen her look more beautiful. It occurred to him that they were totally alone in a way that he was quite unaccustomed to—there were no family, no friends, no servants anywhere to be found, just the two of them. It was never possible to be completely alone in a house such as Pemberley or netherfield, and he had no doubt that, with four sisters, it was the same for her. only out of doors could they be alone, and then there was no privacy.