Page 50 of The Sole Love

Elizabeth hesitated briefly, but again her instincts told her it was better not to share that story with her future husband. She hoped that, in one way or another, everything would be resolved and he would never need to know.

“I want Jane to be happy. You have seen her…she was the only one who retired early.”

Darcy nodded in the dark. “I know you do. I feel guilty for my role in separating them. I want everybody to be happy as we are.”

“Are we happy?” she asked, a bit playfully.

His response was so sweet that she moaned in his arms when his lips moved from her neck to her mouth. She already knew what was coming from his kiss, the strange yet incredible new sensation, her blood running like a path of fire from head to toe. But then something happened that she had not imagined. Her secret parts responded with sensations she had never felt or even imagined before. Her body, still innocent, responded to his with confidence and curiosity.

But it did not last long. As before, he was the first to recover and pull away from her.

“Why?” she whispered, trying not to let him see her disappointment that their kiss had not lasted longer.

“Because, my beautiful one, a man is not like a woman, and if I continue kissing you, I may take you to my bedroom, which is not far from here.”

Elizabeth blushed in the darkness, but it was not too dark for him to see the delicious trouble his words produced on her face.

“Now, we should go to sleep because tomorrow we have much to do,” he said and kissed the tip of her nose. He led her to the door of her chamber and kissed her hand, murmuring, “Sweet dreams, my sweet lady!”

Alone in her bedroom, Elizabeth was happier than she remembered ever being. And yet she could not forget Jane.

Mr Bingley’s arrival would remove a massive burden from her shoulders. She hoped he would try to win Jane back, and Darcy had told her he had good reason to believe his friend was still in love; unfortunately, Elizabeth was no longer certain that Jane would be happy to see him.

Chapter 21

Elizabeth woke very early, before any movement could be heard on the floor where the family was staying. Her happiness was almost overwhelming, and her impatience to see the house was too great to let her sleep. She looked around with delight, rediscovering every detail of the room, admiring the elegance of the furniture, the harmony of the colours, and, not least, the good taste with which every work of art, every painting and vase of flowers had been chosen.

She still wondered whether this would truly be her home, and although her heart knew the answer, she could not rid herself of a few remaining worries. Jane came first, but there was also the thought that so many things could still happen before she walked out of the church as Mrs Darcy. Such an attitude was not characteristic of her, but everything that had happened had taken away something of the courage with which she had always faced life. Mrs Gardiner would probably have said that some of that courage had been reckless and that a little change was beneficial. Still, somehow Elizabeth wished to remain the same Elizabeth Bennet she had always been. Was that even possible?

“Would you like me to change?” she asked Darcy as they walked along the paths around the house before breakfast.

“Change in what way?” he asked, immediately suspicious.

“I am not entirely sure. Jane reproached me for appearing at Netherfield with my hem covered in mud, and even you admitted that you were not particularly pleased.”

“I do not believe I used those words. You were gloriously beautiful, like Diana returning from the hunt. I think I was more frightened because I was already falling in love with you—”

“And I was not exactly the appropriate choice,” she interrupted. Yet her tone was teasing, without any trace of anger or concern.

Darcy did not want to discuss the past. “No, I would not want you to change. Now, finally, I love you exactly as you are, and I hope that you—”

He stopped abruptly, both speaking and walking. “I keep making declarations, but you have never told me what your feelings are for me.”

“Warm,” she teased.

“Warm or hot?” he asked, immediately adopting her playful tone.

“Mr Darcy!” she exclaimed. “It is impossible to have a serious conversation with you.”

“I would prefer that we stopped talking altogether. And there is only one way to achieve that.”

“I hope you do not intend to kiss me where everyone can see us,” she said, quickening her pace and discreetly indicating the Gardiners and Mr Bennet, who were talking on the ground-floor terrace.

All three glanced towards the main drive whenever a carriage approached; in a great house like Pemberley, many carriages came and went, and Elizabeth could almost feel their disappointment every time it was not Mr Bingley getting down.

“Why do I have the impression that all of you are rather tense?” Darcy asked. His serious tone made it clear that their conversation had moved in another direction.

Elizabeth sighed softly. “They are worried about Jane.”