"Well, sir, I am sorry to begin our lives together with a threat, but I believe I will be forced to strike you again if--"
"If what?"
Mischief danced in her fine eyes. "If you do
not
kiss me."
He took a deep breath to still his suddenly pounding heart. "You intend to strike me if I do
not
kiss you?"
"I shall be sorely tempted, I fear."
"Here, in the middle of Moorsfield?"
"That did not stop you last time, sir, but if you insist, I will permit you to take me home before you kiss me, but my threat stands."
He laughed. "Take you home--I like the sound of that. And although I cannot fear you, I will, on this occasion, accede to your demands." He took advantage of the darkness to lean towards her, gently brushing his lips against hers.
She shivered as the heat of it raced through her. It was not enough. She wanted to forget the sorrow of Moorsfield and think only of him. He drew a deep breath at her look, and his eyes darkened as he drew her close and kissed her again, his warm lips clinging to hers as though near desperate.
All too soon, he drew away and straightened his shoulders. "Elizabeth?"
"Yes?"
"On this particular subject, you may feel free to threaten me at any point."
"You do not, then, dislike the exercise?"
He leaned closer until his lips touched her ear, pressing a feathery kiss against the lobe. He whispered, "Elizabeth, with my body I thee worship. On that you may depend."
Chapter 22
Colonel Fitzwilliam shook the snow from his coat before handing it to the hovering footman. "Is Darcy at home?"
"Yes, sir. You are expected?" The man sounded unexpectedly dubious. Usually the servants at Pemberley were better trained.
"This is a surprise visit."
The man cast a glance out the window, clearly wondering at the sanity of anyone who took on a long ride in the midst of a snowstorm, even if it was starting to lighten. "Perhaps you would like to wait in the parlour while I inform Mr. Darcy you are here."
"Very well." He strode down the hall, expecting the parlour to be empty. Instead, he was met by three snarling dogs and took an automatic step backwards.
"Frejya! Frigg!" A girl's melodic voice spoke sternly. "Odin, I will thank you to sit, sir!" Instantly two of the dogs draped themselves by the feet of a lovely girl with blond hair, while the largest of the three sat erect by her side, his teeth still slightly bared as he eyed the colonel.
Richard extended a hand to the dog to sniff. The hound's hackles slowly went down, and the colonel reached back to scratch the canine's ears with a practised hand. The dog preened with pleasure. "Odin, you old softie." The colonel laughed. "All bark and no bite."
"He would bite you soon enough if I told him to, young man!"
He turned to see Darcy's aunt regarding him with satisfaction. He bowed. "I have no doubt of it, Lady Seaton. I am sure he is well trained to the scent of Fitzwilliam blood," he said dryly.
Lady Seaton smirked. "They have learned to subdue that particular instinct of late."
He bowed once more. "On behalf of my entire family, I thank you. But I do not believe I have met this charming young lady whom your lapdogs are so eager to protect."
"Lapdogs, ha! Colonel, allow me to introduce Miss Mary Seaton, my newly adopted daughter. Mary, this is Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, your... well, one of your not-so-distant relations. But do not worry; he takes after his mother."
Mary rose to her feet. She curtsied gracefully and glanced at Lady Seaton, who gave her a slight nod of encouragement.
Richard tilted his head to one side. "A relation?"
"A very close one, in fact," Lady Seaton said with definite smugness.
His puzzled look gave way to surprise, and then he threw back his head and laughed until tears came to his eyes. When he finally could keep something remotely resembling a sober mien, he said, "Ah, Lady Seaton, I hope to have the pleasure of being in a distant country when my father hears this news."
"Odd, I am looking forward to seeing his face myself," Lady Seaton said, snapping her fingers. One of the hounds padded to her side.
Richard chuckled. "I am sure. Have you thought of training a few extra dogs for the occasion? A little additional protection might not go amiss." He bowed again to Mary. "I beg your pardon, Miss Seaton. Pray forgive my unseemly mirth."
"You are forgiven, Colonel," Mary said in a quiet voice.
Lady Seaton said, "Chin up, girl. How many times must I tell you? Look them in the eyes. And do not fret, Mary, this particular Fitzwilliam whelp does not bite, unlike his sire."
The girl obediently, if timidly, raised china-blue eyes to him, and he smiled encouragingly. "Indeed, I am quite a tame hound. But how shall we categorize our new acquaintance? Perhaps since you are now my cousin's cousin, you could call me Cousin Richard."
Miss Seaton looked rather as if she thought it would be a hanging offense to do anything of the sort, but she said, "As you wish."
Lady Seaton said, "Just a warning, colonel. Mary does bite."
Miss Seaton turned pale and looked away at Lady Seaton's word.
Richard took pity on the girl and said gently, "So I have heard, but I believe it is only in the very best of causes."
It was at this point that Darcy came upon them. "Welcome to Pemberley, cousin. What brings you out today? The fine weather, perhaps?" he said.
Richard looked down ruefully at his soaked boots. "I am here for congratulations."
"Bingley will be glad of it. He should be down soon, though he may need to re-tie his cravat a dozen times first," Darcy said dryly.
"Bingley is here?" Richard asked. "I had not realized."
"But you said you wanted to congratulate him. Or perhaps you meant to offer your belated congratulations to Mrs. Darcy and me."
"No, although I am happy to offer those as well. I was asking for
your
congratulations."
"For what?" Half of Darcy's attention was on the hallway, where he hoped Elizabeth would soon appear.
"I am engaged to be married."
It was the last thing Darcy had expected, and it finally drew his full attention to his cousin. "
You
are engaged? Who is the lady unfortunate enough to have fallen for your charms?"
Richard's grin broadened. "Lady Mary Howard. It will be in the papers next week."
"Lady Mary?" Darcy's voice rose in disbelief. "I know she is fond of you, and I do not doubt your sterling qualities, but how will you win her father's consent? He would have considered me marginally suitable for his daughter, and you are a second son."
Richard's face grew sober. "Then you have not heard?"
For a shocked moment, Darcy thought that Henry's illness must have ended his life, but then he realized Richard would be in black if that were the case, and certainly not sounding so cheerful. "Heard what? We receive little news here."
"My father has changed his will. My future is brighter than I ever dreamed, although I am sorry to say it is at my brother's expense."
"He disinherited Henry?" Darcy heard a gasp from Mary's direction. "I knew he was angry, but I never thought he would go so far."
Richard shrugged. "It could not be helped, or, as Henry put it, it was God's will. His mind is rather addled, in my opinion. He has not been the same since his illness."
"Still, worse men have remained as their father's heir."
"Yes, but
they
did not tell my father that they were determined to go into the church. Henry has declared his intention of taking orders."
"Henry? A
clergyman
? Wickham would be better suited to the role!"
"I could hardly believe it myself, but he would not be moved from it, even when Father threatened to disinherit him. Henry said the riches of the world mattered nothing to him. He seems to have taken over your role as the family Puritan with a vengeance. We are all sinners, by Henry's new standards."
"He must indeed be addled. Either that or possessed," Darcy said, half to himself.
"And, to make matters worse, in love, but I imagine you are well aware of
that
."
Elizabeth appeared in the doorway, a vision of loveliness in one of the new dresses he had ordered for her, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright. She seemed to bring sunlight with her, even when there was nothing but snow and grey skies outside. The soft look she gave him made him wish he could take her in his arms. He had to tear his attention away from her. "Elizabeth, do you recall my cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam?"
"Of course. We met at Rosings Park. You are welcome to Pemberley, colonel." She held out her hand to Richard, who bowed over it.
"You are most gracious. I hope that you will call me Richard, especially since I have sold my commission."
"Indeed?" Elizabeth said. "I hope that means we will have the pleasure of your company more often in the future."
Darcy struggled not to feel annoyed that his wife's attention was turned to any man but him. After all, he had not seen her for hours! "So, who is the lady who has captivated Henry's black heart?" he said gruffly.
Richard shifted from one foot to the other, glancing sideways at Elizabeth. "I thought you would have heard."
"I would not have asked if I had known," Darcy said.
"It is Mrs. Darcy's sister, Katherine."
"Kitty?" Elizabeth said in astonishment.
"Never!" Darcy said firmly. "I will not permit it."
Richard chuckled. "Best of luck to you, my friend! Henry is posturing like a distraught Romeo deprived of his Juliet. He speaks only of Miss Bennet's innocence, purity, and nobility of character. He claims she is an angel sent by God to rescue him during the darkest night of his soul. Apparently she nursed him during his convalescence at your mother-in-law's house in Hertfordshire. He swears he will not be parted from her. That was the final straw for Father. He ordered Henry out of his sight and called for his solicitor."
"So Henry is cast out completely?"
"Father would have liked that, but the title and the original Derby estate--that old ruin in the North--are crown grants, so they must go to the eldest son. Everything else goes to me. All the land the family has acquired in the last three hundred years, the new estate, and more importantly--to Lady Mary's father, that is--everything in the Derby coffers. I do not delight in my brother's misfortune, but I cannot but rejoice that now I can marry the woman I despaired of."
"It seems you have much to celebrate," Elizabeth said warmly. "It is a day of celebration here already. May I hope you will remain through the festivities?"
Richard bowed. "It would be my pleasure, Mrs. Darcy, although I do not know what festivities you refer to."
Elizabeth glanced at Darcy. "Why, the wedding. My eldest sister is to marry today. We will be leaving for the church as soon as the weather permits."
Bingley swooped into the room, fiddling with his cuffs. "There you are, Darcy. Do you think it is time? I do not wish to keep anyone waiting. Oh, pardon me, Colonel Fitzwilliam. I did not see you."
Elizabeth hid a smile at the idea that anyone could be more impatient for the event than Mr. Bingley. The colonel gave her an enquiring look, and she said, "Mr. Bingley will soon be my brother."
"This is indeed a day of surprises!" Richard shook Bingley's hand heartily and offered his congratulations.
A half hour later, the snow had stopped enough to make the short journey to the church feasible. Darcy took a fur-lined cloak from the footman and wrapped it tenderly around Elizabeth's shoulder, pausing to appreciate her scent of lavender. He followed her through the open door to the sleigh with its battered red trim. He had given orders for the new sleigh to be used for the bride and groom.
A few lazy flakes of snow drifted down onto Elizabeth's hood. He knew from her mischievous glance that if she had been alone with him, she would have tried to catch a snowflake on her tongue. Elizabeth seemed endlessly delighted by the deep snows of Derbyshire.
Colonel Fitzwilliam and Georgiana were already ensconced in the sleigh's facing seat. Darcy silently thanked his sister for taking the unaccustomed seat so that he could be beside Elizabeth. He handed his wife in, settled himself on the cushion beside her, and spread a thick blanket across their laps. The hot bricks at his feet added welcome warmth, but not as much as the knowledge that Elizabeth was by his side.
The driver clucked to the horses and snapped his whip. One of the greys tossed his head, his harness jingling, but set off obediently beside his mate, first at a walk and then a trot as they cleared the vicinity of the house. Snow puffed up around the rapidly moving hooves.
"It seems a small party for a wedding," Colonel Fitzwilliam said. "Is this one of Bingley's sudden whims?"
Darcy shook his head. "It is a very private affair, because Jane has been a widow but four months, and Bingley did not wish to wait a full year to wed. Under the circumstances, it seemed best to proceed quietly."
Colonel Fitzwilliam whistled. "Four months? That is quick, even for Bingley!"
Darcy glanced at Elizabeth. "Their attachment is long-standing. It is only the wedding that is quick."
Elizabeth said with a smile, "Quick, small weddings seem to be quite the fashion in my family of late."
"So I hear. I was sorry to miss your wedding, though I gather my family was over-represented as it was. Someday I hope you will tell me the entire story. I have heard only bits and pieces, and I imagine some of the highlights were left out of the telling."
Darcy laughed. "That may be for the best. It was a most unusual wedding. Unforgettable, one might say."
"One would hope our wedding would be unforgettable even if nothing untoward had occurred," Elizabeth said tartly. "But it is true, today's ceremony risks seeming dull by comparison, but then again, Jane has always been more proper and sedate than I."
Darcy leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, "You are perfection itself, my love." Once again he found himself caught by her fine eyes, and he had no desire to look away.
Colonel Fitzwilliam cleared his throat. "Speaking of proper and sedate, I had not realized your aunt had taken a new member into her family. Dare I ask how that came to pass? Was it your idea?"
Darcy shook his head. "Hardly. Aunt Augusta took Georgiana to Bath after our wedding, with Mary along as a servant. They arrived here a fortnight ago with Mary transformed into a proper young lady and her adopted daughter. No doubt she imagined it would annoy your father more than anything else in her power. We have given out here that Mary is a distant connection on the Fitzwilliam side."