220Well, here it is guys-the final installment! Sorry it took so long, but I didn't want to post anything until I had tied up all loose ends. Enjoy!
It was with great pride and pleasure that Darcy was able to put his mother's diamond ring on Elizabeth's finger upon his return to Rosings, though she could not wear it in company until they were a safe distance from Lady Catherine's wrath. The couple suffered through their final week at Rosings with the sole consolation of being able to steal away for precious time alone together without arousing suspicion. Darcy had wisely learnt to choose locations for their amorous encounters far out of sight of any and all paths and roads, a consideration Elizabeth, as well as Richard, greatly appreciated.
Elizabeth's virtue was still in tact by the end of the week, though this was not accomplished without a great deal of difficulty. Though Darcy often took to begging to receive his compensation early, Elizabeth held her ground. She had said he would receive it on their wedding night, and on their wedding night it would be. Not that she would have minded, but there was a part of Elizabeth that delighted in seeing him beg, and she was not yet ready to give up the pleasure.
Once back at Longbourn, the couple, along with Elizabeth's family, decided that the wedding would take place in just under a month's time. Both Darcy and Elizabeth would have preferred sooner, but it was impossible to insist without revealing details of their relationship neither wanted to explain to Mr. Bennet. So, it was with a great deal of mental fortitude, and a great deal of brandy on Darcy's part, that the pair kept their amorous interactions to a minimum during their engagement period. They were often forced to employ their lips in the less pleasurable, though vastly more acceptable, occupation of conversing. Elizabeth had often been tempted to ask Darcy about his parents again, but thought better of it. He would tell her the sordid details of his past when he was ready to.
Mr. Bingley returned to Meryton about a week after Darcy and Elizabeth arrived, much to the delight of all the Bennets. He had been angry with Darcy at first, but was unable to remain so for long. This was especially fortunate for Darcy who was beginning to feel the effects of sleeping, or rather not sleeping, in a chamber just a few doors down from Elizabeth's. Bingley wasted no time in securing Jane's hand, though they decided to wait to announce their engagement until after Elizabeth and Darcy's wedding.
There was never a moment's peace at Longbourn in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Mrs. Bennet, though elated that her second daughter had somehow secured such an excellent match for herself, was forever in a fit of nerves over the brevity of the amount of time she had to be excessive with decorations and other such fripperies. She was convinced that the wedding would be a total failure were she not able to secure a sufficient amount of imported lace. Elizabeth stayed out of doors, preferably engaged in more pleasing diversions with her fiance, as much as possible. She feared that her mother's excessive nerves might be infections, and would not wish her dear William to be burdened with her flutterings and spasms on their wedding day.
Jane threw herself wholeheartedly into the preparations for her dear sister's wedding, though she too found it necessary to escape the house to be in company with her fiance from time to time. Kitty and Lydia were also delighted with the prospect of the wedding, especially since fine new gowns were involved, though Lydia was briefly disappointed to have to forgo a trip to Brighton with the Forsters. Mary applied herself to learning several new pieces of music to play at the wedding breakfast, and Mr. Bennet quickly began to wish the couple had eloped.
It was in the midst of this hubbub that Lady Catherine de Burgh arrived at Longbourn, insisting rudely to speak with Elizabeth. The great lady was none too shocked to be greeted, not by Elizabeth, but by her very angry nephew. Her visit was, fortunately, of short duration.
Georgiana arrived two days before the ceremony, escorted by Colonel Fitzwilliam, who had recovered admirably from his ordeal at Rosings, though Elizabeth blushed profusely each and every time she met his eyes. This amused Richard greatly. Georgiana was thrilled to see her beloved brother so happy, and quickly became fast friends with her soon-to-be sister. She also formed a friendship with Jane Bennet, who invited her to stay on at Longbourn for a week after the wedding. The invitation was readily and enthusiastically accepted. Georgiana was excited by the prospect of forming an intimate acquaintance with the Bennet sisters, and Richard found the prospect of seeing more of Miss Jane Bennet an extremely appealing one. Such an opportunity was not to be neglected.
At last, the morning of the wedding arrived, bringing with it a profound sense of relief for both Darcy and Elizabeth. The wait was at last at an end. Elizabeth blushingly donned her gown, after enduring a rather embarrassing lecture from her mother about her "marital duties". Elizabeth had learned enough from her encounters with Darcy to realize that she had nothing to fear and everything to anticipate, but she could not seem to shake the image of her mother lying still and...well, sufficient to say it was not a pleasant image. The sight of her handsome William waiting for her at the alter drove all such unfortunate musings from her head for good. The look of heartfelt delight on his face was all Elizabeth could have wished for.
The recitation of their vows was sincere and touching. Darcy blushed profusely when Elizabeth winked at him as he recited "with my body I thee worship," and he hoped fervently that nobody noticed. The wedding breakfast was also a great success, though that did nothing to make the newly wedded couple desire to remain for longer than absolutely necessary. They made good their escape as soon as possible, using the drive to London as their excuse.
Once finally deliciously alone in their carriage, Darcy wasted no time in insinuating himself beneath his new wife's skirts and pleasuring her with his tongue until she could no longer stop herself from crying out, causing the driver to stop the carriage to ascertain that nothing was amiss. This incident aside, the journey to London passed without difficulty, and soon Darcy was able to carry his new bride upstairs to their bedchamber. He dismissed her maid and his valet for the night, and ordered their supper to be brought up directly to their private sitting room.
After a few minutes of picking at her supper, Elizabeth began to remove the pins from her hair, shaking it loose around her shoulders. Darcy quickly lost interest in his food when he saw his wife reach beneath her skirt to remove her shoes and stockings, leaving them on the sitting room floor. With an eloquent look at her new husband, Elizabeth stood and began slowly making her way towards Darcy's bedchamber door, unbuttoning her dress as she went. Darcy quickly divested himself of his jacket, waistcoat, and cravat. He kicked off his shoes as he strode towards Elizabeth, reaching her just as her dress drifted to the floor.
Elizabeth took his hand and led him to the bed, glancing over her shoulder to see her husband admiring her form, now clad in only her chemise and stays. She stopped in front of the bed, placing her hands on it and leaning slightly forward, looking back at Darcy with an inviting smile.
"Will you help me with my stays?" she asked.
Darcy was only too glad to oblige, though he was momentarily distracted by the sight of her bending over his bed in such a way. He fought off the urge to take her then and there, determined to receive his full compensation first. His fingers tore at the lacings of her corset, pulling it open and tossing it over his shoulder. Elizabeth started to turn towards him, but Darcy put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from turning. He pressed his body into hers from behind, forcing her to bend slightly more forward. Finding the hem of her chemise, he drew it upward, pausing to admire her shapely backside, which appeared to advantage in her forward-leaning position. Darcy made a mental note of this position for future perusal.
When the chemise joined the corset on the floor, Darcy gently tangled his fingers in her soft hair, then traced the curve of her figure from behind.
"You're skin is so unbelievable soft," he whispered reverently. He turned her slowly to face him, his eyes taking in every inch of newly revealed skin.
"So, lovely, Elizabeth," he breathed. "You are everything I could ever want." Darcy wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her to him, kissing her gently while fondling her breast with his free hand. Elizabeth eagerly returned his kiss, but soon broke from it to remove his shirt and breeches. Darcy pulled her to him again, and they both moaned at the first beautiful contact of their overheated skin.
Elizabeth pressed her hips against his arousal and wrapped one leg around his hips, pulling him with her as she crawled back onto the bed. Darcy's fingers quickly moved between her thighs, stimulating her core while his mouth moved to pleasure her nipples. He hoped that, by bringing her to pleasure first, he could minimize the pain she would experience when they finally joined. Elizabeth, however, was long past being satisfied with only his fingers on her.
"Please, William, make me yours. I cannot bear it any longer!" She pulled his hand away from her, then scooted her hips down to bring them closer to his. Darcy moved himself into position, pausing with his tip teasing her entrance, and looked into her eyes. They were full of passion and desire. There was not a trace of fear anywhere on her lovely face.
"Elizabeth, I promise I will be gentle. This will hurt at first, but I will stop if you need me to..."
"I don't care if it hurts, William! I don't want you to be gentle. I want you to be just as passionate as you were the night you offered me your hand, when you pinned me under you on the sofa and pleasured me mercilessly." She grasped two handfuls of his hair and gave it a sharp tug for emphases.
Unable to resist any longer, Darcy gave in with a primal growl. Pinning her under him with one hand on her hip and one on her shoulder, he entered her forcibly in one swift motion. Elizabeth cried out and buried her face in his neck. It did hurt, but it was pain that she craved. She gave him a quick bite on the neck and lifted her hips, encouraging him to keep going. They made love roughly, passionately, savoring each other's moans and cries of contentment. The pain did not fade for Elizabeth, but the intense pleasure that she was experiencing mingled with the pain until she could no longer tell one from the other.
They continued at a fevered pace until they found release together. Darcy nuzzled his face into his wife's neck, breathing deeply of the scent of her sweat. She was so passionate. He could hardly credit his good fortune. Elizabeth buried her face in Darcy's dampened hair, basking in the languid afterglow of completion. She loved the feel of his heavy body pressing hers into the bed. It was a feeling she knew she would never get enough of.
When Darcy finally withdrew from his wife's body, he was stunned by the radiant glow eminating from her flushed skin and bright eyes. She smiled widely at him, earning a radiant smile in return. Noticing a small amount of blood on her thigh, Darcy picked up his discarded shirt and handed it to her, suggesting that she use it to clean herself.
"William, I will not ruin a perfectly good shirt. I fear I have already ruined the bed covering," Elizabeth replied indignantly.
"Shall I call for a bath, then?" he asked.
"Yes, that would be lovely," she answered, " if you would join me, husband." She raised an eyebrow and bestowed upon him her most mischievous grin.
Darcy grinned back. "You read my mind, Mrs. Darcy."
Elizabeth admired her husband's shapely backside as he strode to his dressing room to find a robe, once again thanking her lucky stars that he had not allowed her to refuse him. He had opened her eyes to a new world, one kept carefully hidden from maiden eyes and ears. Her eyes drifted back to the crimson stain on the counterpane. She was certainly a maiden no longer. Elizabeth pulled the soiled article from the bed and tossed it into a corner, then turned down the bed and arranged the pillows against the headboard. She wanted no delays after they returned from their bath.
Darcy returned to the bedchamber while their bath was being drawn in his dressing room. The sight that greeted him was more breathtaking than anything previously dreamed of or imagined. Elizabeth was on her hands and knees on the bed, deliciously and unashamedly naked, fluffing and arranging the pillows against the headboard. He was surprised to find himself becoming aroused again so soon. A door opening and closing in the next room signaled to him that their bath was ready. He strode towards Elizabeth on the bed, smiling when she looked up at him after positioning the final pillow.
"Come, Mrs. Darcy. Our bath awaits."
Elizabeth crawled to the edge of the bed, wrapping her arms and legs around him as he lifted her into his arms, and allowed him to carry her to the bath tub. With the relaxing influence of the warm water, their subsequent lovemaking was much less hurried and much more heartfelt. Elizabeth gloried in her husband's whispered words of love and adoration as he loved her gently, slowly, and completely.
It was well after noon the following day when the happy couple finally emerged from their bedchamber. Darcy was to give his new bride a tour of her new home as a means of stretching their legs before returning to bed for another night of unbridled passion. Elizabeth was thrilled with her new home in every way, but most especially with the luscious man it came with.
Elizabeth was especially delighted with the library, which contained such a collection of volumes that would satisfy even her voracious appetite for the written word. While scanning the shelves upon shelves of books, her eyes alighted on a pair of paintings, one depicting a man, the other a woman. Both were dress in the gaudy and sumptuous fashion of a bygone era. There was nothing very remarkable about the man. He had a reasonably handsome face with lively green eyes, and wore a powdered wig. The woman, however, was striking. Elizabeth was unsure if she had ever seen a more beautiful woman in her life, apart from Jane of course. But Jane's beauty was an altogether different sort. This woman's appeal was dark and sensual. Her ample bosom was pushed high by her fitted bodice, and her sumptuous black curls, which were piled high on her head, contrasted beautifully with her light olive skin. Most notably, the expression in her stunning black eyes seemed oddly familiar to Elizabeth. She suddenly realized who's portraits she must be looking at.
"Will, are these your parents?" she asked somewhat timidly.
"They are," Darcy replied with a sigh.
"You are very like your mother," Elizabeth commented.
Darcy exhaled audibly. There was a moment's pause before he replied, "Yes. My father never forgave me for that."
Elizabeth was surprised by the bitterness in his voice. "Whatever do you mean, William?"
Darcy hesitated, deliberating in his mind if now was the time for him to open up to Elizabeth about his childhood. He knew her curiosity would now be insatiable, so this must be as good a time as any. He led her to the chaise in front of the fire and they both settled upon it. Darcy pulled his bride into his arms, drawing strength from her closeness as he began his difficult tale.
"My parents' marriage was never a happy one, from the very beginning. My father was quite taken with my mother, infatuated even. She, on the other hand, was said to have been in love with an officer, whom, of course, she was not permitted to marry. She took my father purely for his money and position. They did not get on at all. The only times I remember seeing them together as a child, they were either arguing or ignoring each other entirely. I rarely saw them, however.
After my father's death, I convinced Mrs. Reynolds to confide in me what she knew of my parent's relationship. Apparently my father's resentment of her began on the first night they were wed. It can never be proven, of course, but Mrs. Reynolds believed that he had found her not to have been a maid on their wedding night, and was thoroughly heartbroken by the discovery. Mrs. Reynolds said that she believed he had a difficult time...behaving paternally towards me because of my resemblance of my mother. And it was not merely before their marriage that she was said to have been unfaithful to him. I myself remember seeing one man in particular, a young stable hand who worked for us, go into her bedchamber and not emerge for several hours. I was but a child, but I knew enough to know that something was very wrong.
When my father discovered that my mother was again with child , he removed to a chamber in the guest wing and refused to even see her. It was clear that the child she carried was not his. When Georgiana was born, father wanted nothing to do with her. He acknowledged her publicly, and gave her his name, but privately he never allowed her to be in his presence. My mother never recovered from the birth, and died very shortly after. I was twelve years of age at the time. One day, I was passing the nursery door, and I heard little Georgie crying. Out of sheer curiosity, I entered, and the nurse allowed me to hold her. I will never forget how her little fingers wrapped securely around an errant lock of my hair and pulled quite soundly. When the little darling began to laugh at my exclamation of pain, I was smitten. From that day on, it was just Georgie and me. We became all each other had."
Elizabeth was awed by the affectionate smile that graced her husband's features as he spoke of his sister. She was shocked to learn that Georgiana was only William's half sister, but looking again to the portraits of their parents, she could clearly see that blond-haired, blue-eyed Georgiana resembled neither of them. It made Elizabeth terribly sad to think that her William, sweet, wonderful child that he must have been, had never been loved or cherished by his parents. Suddenly, much about William's character and behavior made sense to her. This was why he was so sullen and hesitant to allow anybody to get close to him. This was why he had been so desperate for her love. Looking back on their earlier acquaintance, her heart ached to think that the man she saw as proud and arrogant was truly just a hurting young boy, longing for love and acceptance. She climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, holding him close.
"Did your parents never tell you they loved you, Will?" she asked compassionately.
"Never. The only people who have ever said they loved me are yourself and Georgiana. Well, Richard did once, but I'm not sure that he counts."
Elizabeth's musical laugh lifted Darcy out of the melancholy he had slipped into while reliving his painful past. He had her now. He was loved by this wonderful woman. And, in time, they would have children of their own to love. Darcy vowed to bestow upon his children all the love and acceptance his parents never gave him. Theirs would be a happy home.
Elizabeth took his handsome face in her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes.
"William," she began softly, "have I ever told you how ardently I admire...and love you?"
His smile at her use of his own words was brilliant and and heartfelt.
"I shall require you to tell me so often, dear Mrs. Darcy. I love and admire you very ardently, as well."
Elizabeth shifted to straddle his waist, kissing him deeply and thoroughly. And there, under the cold gazes of his long passed parents' portraits, she proceeded to show him, in the most meaningful way she knew how, just how ardent her love and admiration were.
Meanwhile, back at Longbourn...
Jane Bennet quietly slipped from the house just after dawn, and made haste towards the high stone wall on the far side of Longbourn's somewhat neglected gardens, eager to be in her dear Charles' arms again. She knew what they had been up to of late was terribly naughty and improper, but the tender affections and loving caresses her beloved bestowed upon her were the greatest gifts she could ever receive. The way he had smiled widely as she kissed and caressed his bare chest had been all the inducement she needed to continue throwing propriety to the wind in favor of giving joy to her darling fiance.
When she reached the spot they had agreed upon, Jane saw her beloved Mr. Bingley was already there waiting for her. Oh, how handsome he looked this morning in his tan jacket and green breeches! Jane felt her heart constrict when his brilliant blue eyes lit up at the sight of her jogging towards him. She didn't stop until she had thrown herself into his arms, tangling her fingers in his unruly strawberry-blonde hair, and eagerly sought his lips for a deep and consuming kiss.
Bingley's hands immediately went to work removing her bonnet and pelisse, dropping them haphazardly on the dewey grass. He eagerly cupped her breasts in his hands, thrilling in her plaintive moan as she leaned harder against him. It didn't take long for her busy little fingers to divest him of his cravat, coat and waistcoat. Arranging their discarded clothing on the ground for a makeshift bed, Bingley lowered his beloved onto her back, resting his body along side hers as he continued to kiss and caress her face, neck, and bosom. Jane boldly tugged his shirt from his waistband, and assisted him in pulling it over his head.
Her eyes feasted upon his beautifully chiseled chest and abdomen. He was so beautiful, every part of him. Her fingers traced over his smooth skin greedily, and her lips soon followed. Bingley gripped her waist, pulling her astride his hips as he shifted onto his back. Lowering the front of her bodice, he began to tantalize her breasts with his lips and tongue, earning a blissful little cry from his beautiful angel.
"Oh, Charles!"she gasped as his hands found their way under her skirt, possessively caressing the smooth skin of her thighs and bottom. Instinctually, Jane began to press her most sensitive area against his evident arousal, slowly rocking her hips against him in a desperate attempt to meld closer. Bingley lifted his hips to meet hers, reveling in the stolen pleasure she was giving him. Their lips once again connected, and Jane hungrily edged her tongue into his mouth, seeking out his with a vigor that never failed to surprise Bingley. Surely he was the most fortunate of men!
Jane's head shot up when the sudden crunch of leaves was heard to their left.
"Bloody hell, not again!" Richard exclaimed.
Bingley opened his eyes just in time to catch a glimpse of Colonel Fitzwilliam's quickly retreating back. Jane jumped up and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction, leaving poor Bingley lying alone, half-naked on the ground.
"Damn you, Richard!" was Bingley's stunned reply.
The End
Well, there you have it! A happy ending for everybody... except Richard, and Mr. Bingley's "evident arousal". ;) Thanks for going on this fun little romp with me, everyone, and for letting me indulge my naughty side! Thanks in advance for all the wonderful, glowing reviews that you are going to leave. *wink wink*