Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice Sequel Bundle: 3 Reader Favorites (195 page)

With renewed vigor, Darcy was on top of Orman in a millisecond, knee pressed painfully into his abdomen and left hand choking his throat while the sword point punctured the skin over his erratically pounding heart. Orman’s shrieks were cut short by a sharp clench of Darcy’s fingers, and he met his victor’s blazing eyes with raw fear. The spectators had drawn near.

“Shall I render mercy, Orman?” Darcy inquired frigidly as if merely asking the time of day, “Or should I kill as justice demands? Tell me the truth, swine, and be swift as I judge you have precious minutes before you bleed to death. Did you lay hands on my wife?”

“Yes, but…”

“Did you assault her with the design of enforcing intimacy?” Darcy’s sword penetrated through the skin, grazing a rib. Orman writhed but Darcy strengthened the pressure to his belly, twisted the sword minutely, and repeated, “Did you?”

“Yes! I—” gasp “—never meant her harm! Forgive me! Mercy, please!”

Placing the edge of the blade against Orman’s throat, Darcy leaned down until he was virtually nose to nose. In a deadly voice he pronounced, “Marquis of Orman, you have been vanquished in a test of honor and have confessed before these witnesses. By tomorrow all of Derbyshire, and then beyond, will know your transgressions. The choice is yours. To live, maimed and a coward, and forsake this region for the rest of your natural life, or to die by my sword. Which will it be?”

“Live,” he whispered.

“So be it. Remember your choice, Orman, for I swear that I will offer no mercy in the future.”

Lizzy woke that morning some two hours after dawn to an empty bed and fear clutching her heart.

Darcy had effectively evaded her queries the previous night by touching and kissing in all the places and ways that drove her wild with passion. Their lovemaking had been as rapturous and blissful as always, leaving her satiated and sleepy. She fell into a deep slumber immediately with her head on his chest and body nestled snuggly in his arms. If for Darcy their union had been tinged with a vague trepidation and mild nostalgia elicited by the potential for a negative outcome at the duel, it was offset by the exhilaration and overwhelming love he felt for her and the certainty that righteousness was on his side.

Now she sat in their sitting room, attempting unsuccessfully to eat some toast. Nausea and anxiety warred for dominance rendering her appetite nil. Samuel had assisted Marguerite in walking Elizabeth, but all he knew was that his master had left at dawn with Col. Fitzwilliam. It was logical to assume they were simply riding, yet she felt otherwise.

By nine-thirty when Richard knocked at the door, Elizabeth was in a near panic. She stood without thinking, swaying at the sudden pressure to her ankle. He was by her side in an instant.

“Richard! Where is William?”

“Calm down, Elizabeth; he is fine. Here, sit…”

“No! Take me to him now!” She clutched his arm tighter and took a step toward the door.

“Elizabeth, are you insane? If I allow you to walk all the way to the study, your husband will skin me alive. He sent me to assure you he is well and will be up as soon as he…”

“Listen to me, Richard Fitzwilliam,” she said in a voice of steel, glaring through narrowed eyes, “I am certain you two were up to no good today. I do not know what, although I imagine it has something to do with Orman. You
will
take me to him this second.”

Richard laughed and shook his head. “You two are quite a pair. Never have I seen two more stubborn people.”

“Richard!”

“Alright, I concede. I fear you must submit to my carrying you, cousin. I am not brave enough to face the wrath of two Darcys in one morning.”

When Lizzy entered her husband’s study, it was to find him sitting shirtless on his desk, grimacing and smeared with blood, the physician bent over his right side. He glanced up in surprise at the sight of his wife in his cousin’s arms.

Lizzy squealed and struggled frantically, Richard almost dropping her. She tottered to Darcy and he steadied her with a bandaged left hand. “Elizabeth, you are not supposed to be walking!”

“We can discuss that, Mr. Darcy, after you explain all this!” Richard burst out laughing, and even the doctor coughed a suppressed snicker.

Darcy was pale and weary but otherwise in quite good humor, so he too smiled at his wife. “Gentlemen, may we have some privacy?” When they left, he cupped her aggravated, teary face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

She succumbed for a moment and then yanked away angrily. “Fitzwilliam, you will not evade again with kisses!”

He smiled slyly, drawing her gently toward his lips once again, intoning huskily, “Oh, I do believe I could, beloved.” He brushed her mouth lightly. “But I shall reveal all first.”

He told her everything, dramatizing only moderately, as she examined his wounds. All were superficial except for the stab to his side that luckily had cleanly pierced the flesh, missing all vital organs. He had a nasty bruise between his shoulder blades and a painful bruise on his left instep.

“Are you in pain?”

“Nothing a whiskey and some tender female soothing will not alleviate.”

She snorted. “I should spank you rather than succor you!”

He grinned roguishly, “As you deem just, my love. However, we should wait until the physician completes stitching me up.”

She laughed, “Impossible!” She hobbled to the side bar and poured him a drink. She studied him as he drank deeply, hand shaking slightly. She ran her fingers through his hair, caressed his face and then kissed his cheek. “You are my hero, Fitzwilliam. I am so proud of you! I wish I could have witnessed Orman’s defeat and your chivalry in action.” Darcy smiled shyly and mumbled deprecatingly, humbly averting his eyes.

“Nevertheless, a sword duel is rather medieval and fraught with danger. Perhaps, dearest, in the future when you feel the urge to flex your muscles, you can choose a less deadly competition, for my sake and the sake of our child?”

“I shall faithfully endeavor to comply, Mrs. Darcy.”

“Good. Later, in our bedchamber, I will administer that spanking so you will not forget.” She smiled coquettishly, patting his rosy cheek, before calling the waiting men back in.

H
ERE WE ARE, BELOVED
. That was not too awful, now was it?” Darcy asked with a smile, as he spanned his wife’s waist with strong hands and lifted her from the horse’s back. She was a wee bit shaky in the knees, so he held her securely, taking the opportunity to bestow moist kisses along her neck.

“Dearest, if your desire is for me to regain stability, kissing me will only hinder the outcome.” She laced her fingers into his hair, tugging his head away from her neck, but claiming his mouth with her own for an enjoyable minute. “Show me your grotto, my love,” she whispered huskily.

He took her hand and guided her cautiously up the slope around the backside of the Greek Temple. He had insisted she ride a horse on the long trek from Pemberley, not Parsifal thankfully, but one of the placid, curricle-pulling mares Lizzy had acquainted herself with. Her ankle twinged only slightly on occasion, but was not healed adequately to tackle the uneven grasslands, and she had discovered a heightened photosensitivity that sporadically induced minor headaches.

There remained vast areas of Pemberley’s extensive grounds that Lizzy had yet to visit. Sadly, between her extended recuperation and the endless spring rains that consumed most of April, there simply had not been the opportunity. May had ushered in the traditional lovely Derbyshire weather and the last of the clouds had been swept away. The result was a profusion of blooms, greenery,
tweeting birds, butterflies, and raging rivers. The ducks had returned to the small pond, placidly paddling amongst the minnows and tadpoles.

Lizzy had regained her strength and mobility by strolling along the array of garden paths closest to the house, sometimes with Darcy but usually with Georgiana as her husband’s time was consumed by the demands of planting season and the annual cattle market in early May. There was a tremendous amount of work for him to conclude as next week they would be departing for Hertfordshire and then on to London for six weeks.

Lizzy was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing her family, especially Jane. Yet she could not deny a sense of sadness and homesickness already touching her at the notion of leaving Pemberley. Therefore, she had begged Darcy to devote a day, if possible, to acquainting her with his hidden sanctuary. He was delighted and had made all the arrangements. If riding a horse had not entered her consideration as part of the itinerary, it was worth it to be completely alone with the man she loved more than life.

The forest loomed to the rear of the temple as a seemingly impenetrable wall. Darcy unerringly skirted around the stone wall to a concealed break in the trees. The path was narrow and faint, shrouded by thick brush and overhanging branches so low that several times it was necessary to crouch. Unexpectedly, the tunnel-like path opened onto a glade carpeted in grasses and moss.

Thick trees and flowering shrubs of numerous varieties ringed the entire dell. Scattered glimpses of the pasturelands beyond could be seen through minor gaps in the leaves, but one felt utterly isolated from the outside world. A circle of the azure sky with cottony white clouds and radiant sun opened directly overhead. The pond was calm, transparent, and roughly thirty feet in diameter.

Lizzy halted at Darcy’s side, her eyes sweeping the area with increasing enchantment. She looked up at her smiling husband. “William, it is breathtaking! Considerably larger than I imagined, yet every bit as beautiful and tranquil as you described. It is no wonder you sought and found peace here.”

He led her to a level area before the pond. “I am not the first to exploit the serene influences inherent here. Darcys for untold generations have retreated to this sanctuary. It is a family secret that I now share with you, my lovely wife, and we will share with our children.” He gently rubbed her abdomen and kissed her forehead as he hugged her. “Now, relax and I will return with the blankets and pillows.” He kissed her again then left.

Lizzy sighed contentedly, breathing deeply of the clean, fragrant air. She sat on a flat rock and removed her shoes and stockings, worming bare toes into the soft grass and damp earth. Without hesitation, she unbuttoned her dress and stripped to her chemise. The cool air with lightly dappled sunshine contacted her bare skin, raising tiny bumps of tactile bliss. She stepped to the edge of the pool, testing the water with one toe and finding it surprisingly tepid.

Standing with the lukewarm fluid gently lapping about her shins, she released her hair, braiding it loosely in back. Tiny minnows swirled by her ankles, testing her toes for edibility and tickling her in the process. She wiggled her toes and teased with her fingers on the surface, frightening the little fishes momentarily, although they rapidly returned for fresh nibbles, filling her with mirth.

Darcy reentered the grove to find his wife cavorting like a child, practically naked, and belly laughing. He paused unheeded and observed her antics, filled to bursting with an overwhelming sensation of love mingled with felicity and youthful vivacity. No one in all his life, even when he was young, had evoked such a well of joy and unadulterated verve as she did. She sensed his silent presence and turned, eyes vibrant and sparkling, and smile radiant. There was not a moment in Darcy’s day, awake or asleep, when her existence in his life was not a cause of awe and thankfulness. Yet, there were those odd moments, such as now, when he nearly fainted from the rapture that washed through his body at the reality that was Elizabeth.

“Remove your boots, my love, and join me. The fish are hungry and your toes are bigger,” she teased. He did as she requested, adding his jacket to the pile. A fresh swarm of minnows attacked his feet with relish. “Is the water always so warm?” she asked, “I was surprised. We could bathe! Did you bathe here when you were young?”

“Frequently, yes. The pool is not deep so the water heats quickly. It is rocky though, so tread cautiously, beloved.”

Lizzy splashed her way along the shallows, randomly selecting stones. “Oh, look William, this one has red and green swirls! It is lovely.” He trailed her happily, taking the collection of unusual rocks for safekeeping. Once his hands were full, she drew close and firmly clasped her wet hands about this neck. He gasped and she giggled, skittering away.