Georgiana smiled and nodded at her brother for his most fatherly display.
Darcy turned before she could see the tears coming to his eyes.
Darcy and Elizabeth walked out to the waiting carriage amongst the hugs and salutations of all their well-wishers. As it pulled away slowly, they turned toward the window and waved one final farewell to everyone.
When they were at last out of sight, Darcy turned back to Elizabeth with a look of anticipation.
“May I ask just what you are thinking, my dearest husband?”
He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, placing several kisses on it. He held it there as he spoke, and she could feel the warmth of his breath and the light touch of his lips brush against it. “My dearest, loveliest, Elizabeth. I am thinking that this day, which I have so long awaited, is finally here. I fear even to turn my head from you, lest I look back and find you gone and that this blessed day has only been a dream.”
“It is not a dream, William.”
The sight of her seated next to him, her eyes sparkling with love, her lips so inviting, parted in a smile that seemed to call out to him; her fragrance, permeating his senses… He slowly turned and kissed the open palm of her hand and then took her face in both of his.
“I love you, Elizabeth. You are my love, my life.” He drew closer to her and kissed her; warmly at first and then allowed it to deepen passionately. At length, he reluctantly pulled away, knowing they had a long ride ahead of them.
Elizabeth took in a deep breath in an attempt to recover from the feelings her husband’s kiss had evoked. She nestled against her husband and he encased her with his arms as they settled in for a leisurely—but occasionally passionate—ride to London.
As the carriage reached London and ambled through town, Elizabeth curiously looked out the window and then back to her husband. “Did you not tell me your townhouse is near St. James Park?”
Darcy nodded, “Indeed, I did.”
She kept her eyes on the buildings passing by. “Is it not, then, on the other side of town? Are we not travelling in the opposite direction?”
“Yes, it is on the other side of town, and yes, we are travelling in the opposite direction.”
“But why?” She asked this question as Darcy made an attempt to smother the smile that was forming on his lips.
“There is something I would like us to see one last time.”
Elizabeth eyed him suspiciously. He seemed intent to be silent, although he finally lost in his effort to keep a broad smile from gracing his face.
At length, she realized they were nearing the harbour, and the carriage slowed as they passed several ships. Elizabeth’s heart pounded as she kept her eyes open for the one ship that would be all too familiar. The carriage soon pulled to a stop and Elizabeth looked out at the grand sailing ship, Pemberley’s Promise.
She looked at Darcy with delight. “You did not tell me we would be coming to the ship.”
“I wanted to keep it a surprise. Come, Elizabeth. I believe we are expected.”
As they walked toward the ship, Darcy took her hand and told her that he was in the process of selling the great vessel and wanted to take one last look at it with her.
“Selling it? But why?”
Darcy brought her hand to his lips. “It was a profitable investment when I purchased it, and it did well. But my trust in the seaworthiness of this vessel rode heavily on Captain Wendell’s excellent reputation as its captain. As he is getting on in years, he has decided he would like to captain something that perhaps only makes the crossing of the Channel to the continent and back or up and down the coast of England.” He looked over at Elizabeth, whose eyes were misting over. “You are not sad it is for sale, are you?”
“I admit I am. After all, this is where we were married.”
“That is why I brought you down here. Look, there is Captain Wendell now.”
They walked onto the ship, and Elizabeth looked around her, remembering their time together on board this vesseclass="underline" their walks, their misunderstandings, and her walking off that last day, believing she would never see him again.
“Mr. and Mrs. Darcy! I am exceedingly pleased to have you back onboard! And may I offer my sincere congratulations and deepest satisfaction that you not only found each other, but found one another to be of the same mind in regards to your marriage.”
“Thank you, Wendell,” Darcy answered.
“Thank you, Captain,” replied Elizabeth.
The captain looked at Darcy. “If you will follow me, sir, everything is prepared for you.”
Wendell turned and Darcy took Elizabeth’s arm, smiling at her inquisitive glance. “Come, dearest Elizabeth.”
They walked slowly behind the captain, and Elizabeth quickly realized he was leading them to the room that had been theirs the month they had been on the ship. He opened the door and stepped back.
“If you have need of anything, I shall be in my quarters. Your meal will be brought to you in approximately an hour.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Darcy nodded at the gentleman and watched him turn and walk away.
Elizabeth began to take a step into the small room, but Darcy stopped her. “There is one thing I must attend to first, before we walk in,” he told her. Without pausing, he reached down and easily lifted her up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder.
“Do you remember this is how I first brought you into this room?”
A wide smile passed Elizabeth’s face as she recollected his having to carry her because she had sprained her ankle. “I may have been ill at the time and suffering from a painfully sore ankle, but yes, I do remember.” She looked at his face and gently caressed it with her hand. “Even back then, I enjoyed the feel of being held in your arms.”
Darcy smiled. “Is that a fact?” He stepped into the room and continued to hold her as their eyes were locked together, one to another. “If I had known that,” he said softly, “I would have done it more often!”
They both laughed, suddenly feeling as though they stepped back in time. As they glanced around them, they both had to catch their breath. The little table was covered with a crisp linen tablecloth and scattered rose petals. A shallow crystal dish also held rose petals floating in water. Candles were lit just above the table in wall sconces, and there was a bottle of wine and two goblets set out for them.
“William! How beautiful! Was this your idea?”
“I cannot take credit for all of it. I asked Wendell to make the room look nice as I wanted to bring you back to it. I asked him to have the chef prepare something special and to make the table presentable for our wedding day meal.”
Elizabeth giggled. “I do believe if you had brought me to your room that afternoon and it was in this state, I should never have wanted to leave!”
Darcy, still holding her, walked over to the bed that Elizabeth had slept in, sitting down so she was now seated in his lap. Leaning in to her, he gently kissed her. “You have no idea how much I wanted to kiss you that morning I comforted you and held you like this when Mrs. Trimble passed on. You were so beautiful, even in your distress.”
Elizabeth sighed. She had to admit that her feelings toward Darcy had truly altered after that day. She felt that he sincerely cared for her as she grieved for Mrs. Trimble. He had held her, consoled her, and let her cry against him. Then later that day, they sat at the table and talked about themselves.
The two found themselves gently swaying along with the rhythm of the boat’s rocking. Darcy looked over at the other bed, which had been his on their voyage, and suddenly recalled waking each morning and looking directly over to the sheet that had given Elizabeth her privacy. It was hard for him to believe that this night they would sleep in the same bed and there would be no need for ever hanging another sheet. An involuntary sigh escaped him.