Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge (40 page)

Mary Bennet was somewhat bashful at first; but between Balthasar's comical antics on the slippery surface and the cordiality of Miranda and her fine-looking brother, the ice was almost immediately broken; and those three youths skated circles around the others. Randall Candel was quite smitten with Anna Darcy and tried to be of assistance every time she took a tumble; however, the lad realized he was skating on thin ice when gimlet-eyed Darcy scowled at such actions. Elizabeth gracefully glided over to her husband and said, "Fitzwilliam, you could be a good brother and a-sist-her too; the poor fellow is rather taken with Anna and in some way reminds me of a certain cork-brained mooncalf with whom I was once acquainted. In your own words, you were a blushing, stammering schoolboy with a crush. My dear, the young man obviously wishes to embrace your sister. But, as I am sure you agree, no one could ever hold a Candel to a Darcy!" She giggled and skated away just as Darcy's feet flew out from beneath him.

Fitzwilliam tried to catch his lovely, teasing wife; but similar to his sister, Northumbrella's master was not a great proficient on blades. He had already taken more than a few spills and was somewhat irked his graceful spouse had no difficulty keeping her feet under good regulation. His mood was not improved when he tumbled yet again; and Lizzy skated in close proximity to inquire, "Are you not tired of sitting down, Fitzwilliam?" The next time he lost his balance, Darcy landed hard on his backside and hoped his wife had not noticed; however, she was, of course, instantly there to offer invaluable assistance. "Would you like some
ice
for that, sir?" Elizabeth did lend a hand so he could regain his feet and his pride, and she spent the remainder of the afternoon skating arm-in-arm with her unbalanced husband.

When they all had an adequate amount of fresh air, exercise, tired ankles, sore backsides, and teasing, the chilled skaters returned to the house for an assortment of favourite brews. Lizzy ordered a variety of sweets and pastries, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, mulled cider, and Mrs. Cringlewood's delicious wassail of ale, sugar, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. As soon as the fire and hot drinks had warmed one and all, Mrs. Darcy suggested they gather around the pianoforte to sing Christmas carols; and after Miss Candel, Miss Darcy, and Miss Bennet had all taken turns performing, Fitzwilliam asked Elizabeth to play next. Lizzy merrily agreed but insisted her husband join her for a duet; and since she was the apple of his eye, he mulled it over and sat down be-cider.

The guests had planned to depart before darkness fell but were having such an enjoyable time that daylight had diminished swiftly without anyone's notice. When servants entered the drawing room to light gas lanterns, Mrs. Candel exclaimed upon the lateness of the hour.

"Mrs. Darcy, we had not intended to encroach on your evening for such an extent. Thank you, my dear, for your splendid hospitality. It was a pleasure to meet you and your charming sister, but we really must be on our way home. Roman, where is that parcel?" Her husband passed her a peculiarly-shaped package wrapped in paper, and Mrs. Candel handed it to her hostess. "Here is a modest gift from our house to yours, Mrs. Darcy. Merry Christmas, and welcome to the neighbourhood."

Lizzy was at a loss to identify the mysterious glass object she had unwrapped but did not want to appear unappreciative. Initially she thought it was a decanter, but it had a hole in both the top of the slender neck and in the rounded bottom as well. "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Candel. It is exquisite, and I am positive we will utilize it regularly ... whatever its function."

"Oh, my dear Mrs. Darcy, you are delightful! It is a toddy lifter made by a talented craftsman in Erethistle."

Mr. Roman Candel then continued the explanation, "You see, it works similar to a siphon. You simply immerse the bulbous end into the bowl of hot toddy, and the liquid is drawn inside. Once you place your thumb over the hole on top, you can transfer the drink into your glass by releasing your thumb."

Lizzy had grabbed a lit candlestick and positioned it close to the gentleman as he described the procedure. Mr. Candel then searched the wrapping paper for a small card with written instructions about the toddy lifter. In the process, the flame made contact with the man's disorderly mop of dark russet curls. The stench of burnt, sizzling, frizzling hair alerted Elizabeth to the predicament, and she hastily withdrew the candle before it caused a conflagration on Mr. Candel's head. Unfortunately, the tall tallow taper toppled out of its holder and hot wax dripped onto the poor fellow's foot. Fortuitously, his foot was encased in a sturdy boot; and there was no damage done other than a few singed strands of hairs and an unsightly splotch of wax on brown leather. Mrs. Darcy apologized profusely and summoned a servant to remove the globule, but Mr. Candel waved away both her distress and the maid.

The Candel family departed almost immediately following the unpleasant incident but with no hard feelings toward Northumbrella's agreeable new Mistress. As the door closed behind them, Elizabeth flung herself into Fitzwilliam's arms and wailed, "Mama often warned me about burning a Candel at both ends!"

Darcy acknowledged his wife was, without a doubt, keeping relatively late hours. Her commitment as Mistress of the household was taken very seriously, and Elizabeth especially wanted their first holiday season together to be as perfect as possible. As her husband, Darcy had also been responsible for her missing out on a fair amount of sleep, not that she had ever complained about that aspect of her wifely duties.

Darcy kissed Lizzy's crown while he held her in his loving arms and suggested a rest would be beneficial prior to dressing for dinner. Yet when the newlyweds arrived at their chambers, he promptly forgot, or simply ignored, his own recommendation. Although they were soon abed, the couple did not sleep. Later, as they prepared to meet their sisters for the Christmas feast, Darcy made a decision.
Since there is no time like the present, I do believe it is time to present my present.
He fetched the wrapped gift from its hiding place and rapped on her dressing room door. When it opened, he stared in rapt admiration at his beautiful wife while Ann Cillary bobbed a curt curtsey and hastily left the couple alone.

Elizabeth Darcy was garbed in an elegant cranberry velvet gown; and her curls were swept up, exposing the entire elegant column of her creamy white neck. Her abigail had woven a crimson ribbon throughout her lady's locks and also tucked a few sprigs of holly and ivy into the creation. Lizzy's face still glowed from their previous activity, her eyes sparkled, and she dazzled her husband with her brilliant smile. In Darcy's estimation, she was the most breathtaking woman that ever lived; and he stood, rooted to the spot, and gaped at her in silent adoration.

"Fitzwilliam, are you unwell?" Lizzy rushed to stand in front of her statuesque spouse, soothingly stroked his clean-shaven cheek, and brushed several rebellious curls off his brow.

Darcy roused himself and said, "I am in perfect health, dearest, but can scarcely believe you chose to dress in that particular shade this evening."

Elizabeth's hand flew to the base of her throat; she frowned and fleetingly trapped her lower lip between her teeth. "Oh, Fitzwilliam, I am sorry you do not approve of this colour. Mama, Jane, and I thought it looked rather festive when we chose the fabric at Mrs. Lovelace's establishment. If we had more time, I would change into something more appropriate; but as we are already behind schedule meeting our sisters, I am afraid you will just have to tolerate my appearance tonight."

Darcy ardently caught Elizabeth around the waist, pulled her into a tight embrace, and spoke huskily next to her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "You are bewitching this evening, Lizzy; and I burn for you yet again."

"Oh! I thought you disapproved."

"Quite the contrary, my dear. I was merely remarking on the coincidence you are wearing that particular shade of deep red, which looks absolutely ravishing on you, by the way."

"Coincidence? What could be the coincidence?"

"Close your eyes, sweetheart."

Darcy draped the delicate ruby necklace around her throat and placed a gentle kiss on her nape as he fastened the clasp. "Now open those fine eyes of yours, look in the mirror, and behold splendour."

Elizabeth gasped at the vibrant jewels that encircled her neck. "Oh, Fitzwilliam, I have never seen anything quite so beautiful!"

Her husband stood behind her with his hands upon her shoulders and admired the reflection of her perfection. "I am of the same opinion. The gems are tolerably pretty as well, are they not?"

"I was speaking of the jewels. What did you ... oh!" Lizzy blushed as she realized his connotation, and she turned around to face him once more. "Thank you, for both the gift and the compliment. I am gem-uinely awestruck. I never imagined I would own anything quite so ... exquisite. Thank you, my wonderful husband." She stood on tiptoes and placed a soft, sweet kiss upon his lips.

"It is my pleasure, Lizzy. It may not be as dazzling as the nine-hundred-and-fifty diamonds in the tiara Boney gave to his Empress this year; nonetheless, I suspect you would be disgusted by such a vulgar display of wealth. I purchased this bauble the same day I was granted permission to court you, the same day of the ball, and the same day you later made me the happiest man in the world by accepting my proposal. I had intended to present the necklace to you that very night, but it was in my guest room at Matlock Manor. If you recall, we were locked in the library, next my mother barged in, after that it was time for the waltz, and subsequently all other thoughts were forgotten except having you in my arms and knowing you would soon be my wife."

"Yes, for some reason, I do seem to remember the sequence of events from that particular night as well. I assure you I had already crossed the Rubi-con, and there was no turning back; nevertheless, did you intend to entice me with rubies to accept your proposal?"

"Madam! I may be a barbarian, yet even I would not stoop that low. I realize you are teasing me; despite that, I must confess I would have done everything in my power to win your hand. However, if you were the sort of female to be swayed by such a strata-gem, you would not be the Lizzy I know and love. Ergo, it was never my intention to use a bribe to attract a bride. Now, could I entice you to kiss me one more time before we find Mary and Anna?"

"You could." He did. A few minutes later Elizabeth said, "Still and all, Fitzwilliam, please do not suppose I shall be expecting any further lavish trinkets. I am definitely not the kind of wife who would say, 'Husband, you are very rich and handsome; now hand-some over.'" Elizabeth ran her fingers up his chest and then into his hair. Whilst gazing into his dark eyes, she whispered, "Husband, you are a very, very handsome barbarian; now lavish me with kisses again." He performed as requested; and soon after, as they hastily straightened their appearances and rushed down the staircase, Elizabeth light-heartedly admonished, "Fitzwilliam, I am reasonably certain I said
lavish
me with kisses."

"Absolutely not, my darling wife; I distinctly heard you say
ravish
."

They found their sisters waiting good-naturedly in the music salon; and the four proceeded to the dining room where they feasted on an exemplary roast goose and vegetables, followed by Christmas pudding. While the others made their way to the drawing room, Lizzy dashed upstairs to fetch her gifts for Fitzwilliam, Anna, and Mary.

With Balthasar, Romulus, and Remus settled by his feet, the gentleman insisted he be the first to distribute presents to the ladies. Anna received a lovely cameo brooch as well as a recently published three-volume novel,
Sense and Sensibility
by A Lady. Mary thanked him for a mother-of-pearl needlework etui with stiletto, bodkin, thimble, scissors, and needle case. Lizzy was presented with ruby earrings to match her necklace, three packages of pretty personalized writing paper so she could keep in touch with her loved ones so far away, and a book on paint and pigmentation, The Paint Ingredient, by Lindsey Doyle.

Elizabeth gifted her husband with a rare 1766 volume of the skillfully-illustrated
The Anatomy of the Horse
by George Stubbs. "My love, how ever did you acquire this book? I have tried to procure it for years. Thank you. Do you remember how I raved about Stubbs' artwork when we were at the Royal Academy exhibition? His paintings of horses are positively brilliant."

"Yes, I did remember. My uncle and Papa searched for that first edition for months. It is advantageous, you know, to have a relation in the import/export trade; and Uncle Gardiner does have many valuable connections." She next rather bashfully handed him another gift, which she had wrapped in a handkerchief painstakingly embroidered with his family crest.

Darcy admired her needlecraft and quoted Voltaire. "Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination." He untied the ribbon, and a silver pocket watch was revealed. As he turned it over, the light caught the engraving on the reverse, "For my HB ~ with all my love ~ E." Fitzwilliam smiled uncertainly at his wife and said, "This is an exceptionally fine watch, Lizzy; however, I am alarmingly jealous. My initials are FD. Was this intended for some other man? It cannot be your father since his initials are TB. Does HB, perchance, symbolize husband?"

Anna tittered, thereby raising her brother's suspicion. "Oooh no! Please do not tell me it represents ... what I think it represents. I will not be able to pull this out of my waistcoat pocket. What if someone questions the engraving?"

Lizzy's eyes sparkled and her sassy smile taunted. "You could always bestow one of your flinty, imperious glares and say HB stands for ... um, Huffing Buffoon? Hot-headed Bonehead? Hokey Bloke? Huggable Bugbear? No? Well, you shall simply have to acknowledge it is from your wife to her Handsome Bar ... "

"No! Do not say it aloud." He glanced at Lizzy's sister, who was desperately attempting to stifle her giggles. "Mary ... you
know
? You
do
know! Elizabeth! How could you?"