Mr. Darcy's Bride

Chapter 20

Sleep came slowly for Elizabeth that night. For Darcy, it did not come at all. He had expected her to be confused and possibly upset. He had not planned on her kissing him. He thought back to the way her soft lips felt pressed against his and he groaned as he tossed in his bed. It had taken every ounce of strength he possessed to refuse her when she had spoken of consummating the marriage. He had meant what he said. When it happened, he wanted their feelings and desires to be in concert. But to actually look into her beautiful eyes and deny her? He had not known if he had the strength to do so until the words were already out of his mouth.

He was unsure precisely what came next. Even a welcome change is a change, and he did not know what his next move ought to be. He did know that he would have to be particularly conscious and in control of his temper. One more outburst could permanently damage their relationship, and he had not gotten this far only to lose her now.

As much as it pained him, he realized that the best thing to do would be to hold back and follow Elizabeth's lead. Now that he had made it clear he did not want to rush her, he hoped that she would only move at the speed that was comfortable for her, and if he did the same, their relationship had its best chance to move forward.

***

The following morning, both Elizabeth and Darcy took their breakfast in the dining room, the grand table back in its rightful place. Georgiana had elected to have breakfast in her room, and knowing the young lady's tact, Elizabeth could not believe Georgiana's absence a coincidence. Elizabeth felt a bit shy, especially when she remembered how forward she had been in kissing Darcy. Darcy certainly did not seem to begrudge her that forwardness, however. Every time she glanced at him, he was looking right at her with a gentle smile on his lips.

Darcy finally broke the long silence.

"Do you have plans today?"

"Georgiana and I have a project that we have been working on," said Elizabeth, failing to mention that the project was actually two of the servants. "We had planned to speak about that this morning."

Darcy nodded. He did not know what the two of them had planned, but he pitied anyone who might get in their way. He knew each of the women, alone, to be formidable. Working together, he had no doubt of their success.

"Perhaps we can take a stroll around the grounds later," he suggested.

"That would be lovely," she said. "Maybe Georgiana would like to join us."

He agreed, although her request worried him just a bit. Was she concerned about being alone with him? Was Georgiana to be their chaperone?

Elizabeth saw the concern in his face. "I only suggest including her so that she does not feel neglected," she said. "I would hate for the growth of our relationship to make her feel like she does not belong."

Darcy smiled, his fears assuaged. Of course; he was delighted that Elizabeth was so conscientious of Georgiana's feelings. "Certainly, we should invite her," he said.

"I shall see you after lunch, then," Elizabeth said.

As she left the dining room, she stopped and put a gentle hand to Darcy's cheek. He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm, enjoying her sigh at the touch of his lips.

"I will count the moments," he said.

Elizabeth smiled on her way out of the room, feeling his kiss on her skin for quite some time afterwards.

***

Georgiana was unable to get much out of Elizabeth about dinner the previous night. Her sister-in-law responded to most questions with a smile, but without many details. However, based on Elizabeth's mood, Georgiana suspected that the previous evening had been successful. Georgiana was also delighted to hear of the planned walk later that day, although she privately intended to keep a distance from her brother and Elizabeth so that whatever seed had been planted could continue to grow.