Mr Darcy's Fight for Love, page 14
In the carriage that took them to Mr Darcy’s house, Mr Bennet had all the time in the world to gaze at his favourite daughter. She was still scared and worried but her face was also full of expectations. He did not understand how she came to love Mr Darcy but he had to admit his future son-in-law was a man of character and he loved his Lizzy. In that extended family he was sure that Kitty would find her way, closely watched by Elizabeth and Mary…and in the end even Lydia might begin a new life near her sisters.
He finally smiled; all the turmoil vanished in the cold winter air and he agreed with his wife they had to make sure that their three daughters would all marry in the next month.
Chapter 27
Darcy’s parlour was full of people. Lying on a sofa, he looked in disbelief at his family. It seemed everyone wanted to be near him, to see him and be sure he was out of danger.
He had some pain and the doctor assured him this was normal as he probably had a broken rib. “The one that saved you, sir!”
He could hardly imagine only a day ago that he would have Elizabeth’s hand in his and nobody seemed to care. He even suspected it was Mrs Bennet to encourage her to stay on a chair near him.
But when breakfast was ready, the doctor forbade him to attend. He looked at Elizabeth for help, “My Lady, please make him go to bed. It is not a very dangerous wound, but at any minute he could bleed again from the effort; he must stay in bed for at least three days.”
“And he will stay, sir!” Elizabeth decided and looked at him the way she would probably look at their children.
“Come, my dear,” she said, “your butler will help you to your bedroom.”
Led by Georgiana, his guests went to the dining room. It was after all a celebration even if Darcy was absent.
Around the table, they did not observe that Elizabeth was also missing. Or simply they considered Darcy and Elizabeth had the right to celebrate by themselves.
The day was indeed special, with Darcy slightly wounded and well cared by Elizabeth and the Duke of Sommershire at their table, they felt they were a family.
“Tell us all, cousin!” Georgiana exclaimed with much anticipation, but it was the wish of everybody.
“I need a huge brandy first,” the colonel’s voice was again like thunder. And his joy for living was also back.
Lord Montrose sipped from his brandy and looked at Sophie who, near him, was keeping his hand prisoner.
“How shall I eat, marchioness? he kindly whispered to his betrothed.
“Lady Sommerville,” she said.
“For how long?”
“Maybe a month but today you will go to Mr Bennet and ask for me in marriage.”
“I will, my dear, but still, how shall I eat if you have my hand?”
“You will not, you will only look at me!”
“So, Colonel Fitzwilliam,” the duke said, “we are waiting for the story, and do not bypass any details.”
“It was the most difficult endeavour of my whole life!” the colonel said and Lord Montrose concurred. “In mine too!”
“We arrived on the duel field before dawn and as the duellists were preparing—face to face with the pistols in their hands, ready to shoot—we heard a noise coming from the wood that was on one side. In no time we perceived through the trees twelve soldiers and their officer. They came to Battersea Fields to arrest the duellists.”
“My God!” Georgiana cried. “How was it possible?”
The colonel had a suspicion. He smiled and said, “Someone at this table informed the Regent about the duel!”
They looked around the table, but besides the Duke of Sommershire, nobody had access to the Regent. Obviously, it was he.
“Good work, Lord Sommershire!” Mr Bennet exclaimed.
“Well sir, I do not know how good it was, for in the end, Mr Darcy was wounded.”
“True,” the colonel answered, “but his wound is not serious, and he will be on his feet in no time! But…” he made a pause for effect, “what this scheme solves forever is the viscount problem. He is arrested for good, and he will be judged for a horrible crime: shooting against an unarmed gentleman. He will go to prison and his reputation is shattered forever.”
They all breathed in relief.
“Thank you, sir! Mrs Bennet said, addressing the duke with tears in her eyes.
“How many time do we have to tell you, dear Mrs Bennet, that I must be addressed by my name— Thomas!” He was so nice and playful, jokingly scolding Mrs Bennet that everybody burst into laughter.
“Maybe after the marriage, Lord Sommershire,” Mrs Bennet replied.
∞∞∞
In the end, Elizabeth succeeded in convincing Darcy to rest. She made sure he had everything he needed, including a brandy…
“But you have to eat first!” she said still very severe.
“You heard the doctor, my dear, I have pain, I can drink without eating just to ease my pain!”
But Elizabeth was relentless, “When was the last time you ate?” she asked.
“Come and sit near me, my love,” Darcy said, “there is time for everything, only our love cannot wait.”
Elizabeth remembered the doctor saying just as they arrived in the room, “Your husband has to protect the wound for some days, madam.”
She wanted to protest, but Darcy took her hand and said, “My wife, sir, is very strict with me!”
“Splendid, in this way, she will ensure you will heal in no time.”
There was such a difference between their last meeting and this one. Back then she had an empty heart, now her future husband was safe, the viscount arrested and they could think about their future.
“What do you want now?” Elizabeth asked like a wife—she was thinking to help him eat or give him another pillow.
“Do you really want to know what I want?”
“Of course,” she said sure about his desires.
“Then I would like you to come near me and kiss me.”
“Sir!” she exclaimed shocked. “You are ill; the doctor said you are not to make any effort.”
“Exactly, I will stay still and you will kiss me…no effort, maybe my right hand will caress you, but the wound is on the left.”
“Impossible,” Elizabeth said and blushed, she was no longer the wife but the girl who enjoyed being kissed. “Even being here is forbidden.”
“By whom?” Darcy wanted to know.
She had no answer, so she just looked at him.
“Do I have to remind you that yesterday you were ready to be mine?”
Elizabeth’s gaze was clouded by her own desire to be near him. He extended his right hand and she came closer, but then he made her lie near him.
“We are not going to…” she said vaguely scared but not by him but by the idea that her parents and sisters and friends were one floor below.
“No, love, not now, as I told you we are going to wait the three weeks. Now I want just to caress you.”
Epilogue
Mr Darcy was looking at his wife as she approached. Elizabeth was the mistress of Pemberley for almost five years and still…he looked at her the same way he had that distant night in Sommershire Palace when he arrived so close to asking her in marriage. Mrs Darcy knew too well that glace and looked at him rather severe but only on the surface. She was in love with him as on the first day.
On that beautiful summer morning, the little James Darcy was close to his first riding lesson. He was about to ride a tinny horse his father had brought from a distant convent in Ireland where monks bred ponies no bigger than the Irish wolfdog.
James was so excited that his nanny hardly could retain him in her arms, he was calling for his father and then, seeing his mother, he turned to her. Elizabeth hardly could resist any of his wishes, but that morning Elizabeth had a letter on her hand and all her attention went to her husband,
“What is it, Elizabeth?” Darcy asked. “I hope it is good news.”
“In fact, it is,” she answered, cheerfully. “The letter is from Mary. You would not believe what the last idea of her husband is.”
Indeed, since they got married, Thomas of Sommershire had decided to recover every one of the years he had lost in grieve and was continually inventing plans and activities for all their big family. And they had a big family as Mr and Mrs Bennet accepted delighted to be the parents of seven daughters—Georgiana and Sophie included.
The only upsetting news for Mrs Bennet was Lydia’s departure in India to follow her husband. But as Mr Bennet said, “Lydia has to find her way in life, and finally it seemed she and Mr Wickham like each other,” it was not, in the end, a sad event.
Darcy helped by a man from the stable mounted James in the tinny saddle, and all of the sudden the agitated infant calmed down and a happy smile appeared on his face. He was a natural horse rider.
“This is not your child Elizabeth Darcy!” he exclaimed astonished as it was well known that Elizabeth still did not ride.
His wife delicately hit him with the letter from her hand.
“So?” Darcy asked, “what is he expecting from us this time?”
Elizabeth could not quit from her eyes the little cavalier…he was so sure in the saddle that his father took his arms off and the child walked in a steady rhythm while the stable boy just kept the bridles.
She gave him the letter and heard her husband laugh while he read. “He wants us to arrive in haste at Sommershire as he built a swimming pool like the Roman baths in Bath…”
“Yes, and he wants the children to learn to swim…”
“And some of the mothers!” Darcy joked, as nor did she know how to swim.
“I will never go close to a swimming pool!” Elizabeth exclaimed rather sure.
“Even if we were just the two of us” her husband whispered at her ear, “naked?”
END
By Florence Gold
A STRUGGLE FOR LOVE
A Pride and Prejudice Variation
Kindle Edition
Just weeks before his wedding to Elizabeth, Darcy departs for London to attend some urgent business. After three painful days, neither Georgiana nor Elizabeth has received any news from him. Has he run away, suddenly fearing married life or have more somber circumstances occurred? A Struggle for Love is a Regency Pride and Prejudice Variation, with an original touch of mystery that triggers angst and passion in a plot that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the long-awaited happy ending.
EXCERPT
At the end of their meal Mr Bennet forced himself to ask a question he profoundly disliked, but knew it was necessary to find an answer. “Dear Georgiana, please forgive me, but I have to ask you a question.” The girl looked at the man in front of her in total confidence; she understood that there might be many doubts regarding her brother's disappearance. With a frank look, she invited him to continue.
“Is it possible that Darcy simply wanted to escape his future marriage and just went abroad or far away in the country?” Mr Bennet was flushed from the effort he made, while Elizabeth looked absolutely devastated. For a moment Georgiana hid her eyes in the cup in front of her not sure she was capable of answering. It was at that very moment that Parker made a step towards the table, addressing only Mr Bennet, “If you may permit me, Mr Bennet, sir, to speak.”
The butler's words miraculously eased the atmosphere, as someone else was to carry the burden of an answer. They all looked at Parker, waiting for his words, confident that his butler was the man to give them an honest answer.
“Please, Mr Parker, continue!” said Elizabeth in her father's place. “My master is a gentleman, a genuine one, not just in name but in spirit and mind; if he had decided not to marry, I assure you that he would have found a way not to hurt Miss Bennet’s reputation. Absolutely not, neither would he leave Miss Georgiana with no notice from him. He is the most attentive and responsible brother; he is even attentive to me. He tells me when to go to sleep and not wait for him, for all years I have been in his service. No, I am sorry to say this, but something had happened to him.”
MR DARCY’S LEGACY
A Pride and Prejudice Variation
Kindle Edition
Paperback Edition
Mr Darcy is eagerly awaiting his wedding to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the young woman he considered to be the mistress of his heart. Unfortunately, his family and mostly Lady Catherine and Lord Matlock are against this union. While their love grows stronger and their future seems it will be filled with connubial bliss, a letter from Darcy’s past shatters their present, making him question everything he has known his entire life. Is he prepared to open his heart and his mind to such a tormenting revelation? Is London’s Ton ready to accept such a disclosure, or will it turn it into a new subject for more disturbing rumours? Will a gentleman such as Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, who takes pride in his family’s past, accept that his legacy is not what he believed it to be?
EXCERPT
Darcy smiled for the first time that morning, and kissing Elizabeth’s hand, he looked around the table. In the past he harboured a secret displeasure thinking he would be associated with Wickham as brother-in-law, but Mr Bennet dispelled his worries by his unconditional and unselfish support.
The breakfast continued in a more serene atmosphere; the ladies engaged in quiet talk about the dresses and weddings while the gentlemen discussed horses and hunting when Darcy’s butler made an entrance with the silver tray for correspondence and whispered some words in his master’s ear. It was obviously something important, Georgiana knew instantly. Parker had perfect manners and he never would disturb her brother in the middle of a meal unless…
Darcy coloured and took the letter in an evident state of emotion.
“I beg your pardon!” he said. “I have to read this letter; the coach is waiting for my answer.”
He hesitated a moment with the letter in his hand, unsure of sharing the identity of the sender with the whole party, but then he said rather determinedly, “The letter is from the Duke of Blandford!”
An exclamation of astonishment circled the table; Charles and Georgiana were astounded, the others just curious but Darcy understood it was too late to conceal the contents from them, so he read in a somewhat uncertain voice:
Mr Darcy,
It was such a pleasure to meet you at the Opera and get acquainted with your lovely lady. Please oblige me by joining me on Wednesday at the Club to discuss important matters. I will be present at early hours, till 1 o’clock. Please attend me in that period.
FitzRoy William, Duke of Blandford
WEEDING AT PEMBERLEY
A Pride and Prejudice Variation
Kindle Edition
Following an unexpected encounter in London, two months after Hunsford, love grows tentatively, then turns into passion when Elizabeth and Darcy are reunited in Derbyshire.
Eager to marry as soon as possible, they find in their way to happiness despite opposition and unexpected obstacles.
Love, hate, elopement, an unexpected turn of events; enemies and friends - all lead to a long-awaited happy ending at Pemberley!
Florence Gold offers once again her receipt for a Pride and Prejudice Variation where our beloved characters take a path filled with adventure, romance and suspense.
EXCERPT
The following morning, Elizabeth woke up very early and dressed without any help from the maid. It was a sunny day, and the sound of birds animated the silent manor. She felt too much joy to stay inside – so what she did not dare do in the middle of the night, seemed allowed in the full daylight.
Therefore, she hurried downstairs and—with a little guidance from a servant—she found the main door and exited the house. She found herself in an inner yard, paved with stone. Through a large arch, she arrived in front of the house, just at the edge of the lake. On her left, there were impressive stairs, leading to a path between the lake and the colourful gardens.
She closed her eyes, breathing the air of Pemberley deeply inside her so she could take it with her upon leaving.
“Miss Bennet?”
She startled and looked around, taken aback. Darcy was approaching her, wearing a broad and warm smile.
“Are you well?”
He wanted to believe he had seen on her face a hint of enjoyment at his sight.
“Very well, thank you,” she responded surprised yet very happy.
“I hope you found your room comfortable?”
“Very much so,” she smiled. “But I believe that a room—as comfortable as it is—is not worthy of staying inside when you are at Pemberley.”
He approved with a nod. “I agree.”
During a momentarily awkward silence, both glanced around. One could say that the same question was in each of their minds, a question about love that could shatter the incertitude they were living in. He wanted to dare take her on a stroll, far away from other eyes; she wanted to spend with him as much time as was possible.
“Would you like to take a stroll before breakfast?” he eventually asked, his heart beating at the rate of his emotion.
“Yes, that was my intention.”
“Would you… rather be alone?” he continued, yet he was far from intending to leave her alone on Pemberley’s lawn.
“Some company would be lovely,” she whispered.
They started to walk, trying hard not to look at each other.
“Pemberley is even more beautiful than I was told,” Elizabeth declared with a voice that was desperately trying to sound normal, remembering the conversations they used to have when both were self-assured and unconstrained by a sentiment so complicated as love.
“I am glad you enjoy it. There is so much more of it to see.
Soon to be published
