“I am fine, love. Just thinking.”
“Come back to bed. I need you.”
Lizzy joined him under the quilted counterpane, their arms embracing naturally and hands caressing. Darcy nestled his head onto her right chest, cheek pillowed by her bosom with warm breath wafting over her sensitive skin, humming in cat-like satisfaction.
“I love you, Mrs. Darcy,” he mumbled in a thick sleepy voice.
“I love you more, Mr. Darcy,” she retorted with the standard playful response, feeling Darcy’s amused smile against the soft flesh of her breast.
“How long do I have you all to myself before your mother and sister descend upon Netherfield?”
“They will be here mid-morning, before noon. Charles and Jane should arrive shortly thereafter.”
“Yes, and that reminds me. Do you mind terribly if Bingley and I desert you all this evening and spend some time at the Meryton billiard hall? Mr. Bennet has informed the men of our visit and although I am sure they are more delighted at the prospect of Bingley’s presence than mine, a dinner and games have been arranged.”
“They undoubtedly fear being humiliated once again at the billiard table.” She responded, rubbing her face against his silky hair. Darcy snickered evilly, offering no rebuttal to the plausible truth. “Do not fret about us womenfolk, my love. We can entertain ourselves without the dashing men about to liven the atmosphere.”
“I have no doubt of that. I was most concerned for Jane. Do you think she will be distressed to have Bingley gone?”
Lizzy shook her head after thinking on his query for a moment. “I do not believe so. We can dine at Longbourn as planned and I judge that the familiarity of family with the children playing at our feet will soothe her. She needed to distance herself from Hasberry for a while and this is a perfect place to start.” She continued to play with his hair, fingers running through the brown locks absently. “Physically she has recovered and is overcoming her grief. Also, Ethan’s walking has evolved to running so she is keeping busy!”
Again she felt Darcy’s smiling lips graze her skin. “Indeed! Life is never the same again once they begin to walk. Alexander was easy to control, but I have a feeling I will need to install stout locks or barricades over the stairways to prevent escape and severe tumbles when Michael begins to toddle, which, considering his precociousness, will likely be well before Alexander did.”
They both laughed and nodded. Darcy’s hand traveled from its warm roost on her hip to the flat expanse of her abdomen, pressing gently into the soft flesh, his voice low when he spoke. “I do not like to think on the sadness of losing a child. Bingley has recovered from the loss for the most part, but it must be extremely difficult for a woman.”
Lizzy squeezed tightly and said nothing. The trauma Jane suffered in miscarrying her second child during the middle of her pregnancy was profound, as they both knew, thus words on the subject were unpleasant. The midwife assured them that Jane was healthy and should conceive and carry easily in the future, as the stillborn, a girl baby that Charles would not allow Jane to see, was malformed, hence the cause of the miscarriage. It was a tragedy nonetheless, the past three months a difficult period for both Bingleys. The sturdiness of their now nearly two-year-old son was a balm to aching hearts.
Silence fell for a spell. Darcy closed his eyes, stroking his wife’s velvet skin, utterly at peace. Lizzy, conversely, was tense. Breaking the news about Wickham’s imminent return into their lives was not a topic she relished relaying, yet she knew it needed to be spoken, before events intruded and he discovered the information in a more startling manner.
How to broach the subject? For the past hour she had played through scenarios, practiced the best words to ease his distress, but nothing would make the blow any easier. Just say it! She chastised her cowardice and opened her mouth to speak…
“How long ago did Michael nurse?” He interrupted in a sultry drawl, fingers initiating the subtle frolicking over her skin that drove her mad. “Experience has taught how diverted we become with family and activities intruding, so I think it essential we make love while we have the opportunity to do so. Agreed?”
“Lydia and Wickham are coming to the wedding.”
Darcy froze, the hand that encompassed her left breast clenching.
Lizzy bit her lip, the blurted statement shrilly spoken in her haste to forestall his amorous attentions that would surely have driven thoughts of offensive family members out of her mind. She groaned and cringed at her lack of tact. “William, I…”
“Yes, I know they are coming.”
“You… What?”
He rose up, serious eyes engaging hers. “Mr. Bennet told me last night. He thought I should know and be prepared.” He smiled, smoothing the hair by her startled eyes. “Your father does not know all the details of my past interactions with Wickham, but he knows there is a certain… animosity, shall we say? I gathered that he is none too thrilled either, although I am sure he is anxious about Lydia and will be pleased to see her.” He paused, frowning and cocking his head. “Is this why you were sitting by the fire in thought rather than nestling with your husband?”
She nodded. “I was trying to think how to tell you. You… you do not seem too upset. I thought you would be furious.”
“I am not sure how I feel. I have known our meeting was inevitable, but over these past months I have given up dwelling on it. Time does heal some wounds, I suppose. That is not to say I trust him.” His face grew sterner, mouth pressed into the thin line Lizzy recognized as stubbornness and a precursor to a domineering demand. “I command you to avoid him as much as feasible, Elizabeth. And I forbid him to have any interaction with our sons. My opinion has not changed and my decree that the Wickhams have no place in our lives persists.”
“Do you think him dangerous?”
“I put nothing past him. I know for cert that he has no love for a Darcy and do not want you or our children subjected to his tongue or possible exploitation. Primarily I merely wish to avoid any unpleasantness. Perhaps we will all be shocked and discover him to have matured or tamed or found God. Who knows? But I will not take any chances with my family. Do you understand?” She nodded, Darcy intently examining her eyes for the tiniest hint of disobedience, but in this situation she was in total agreement. “As we have discussed in the past, he is not a man to be taken lightly. I will be watching him closely, so you do not need to fret. I want you to enjoy this time with Kitty. Leave the vigilance to me.”
“You are worrying me, William.”
He smiled, bending to kiss her forehead. “Forgive me, dearest. You really have nothing to be concerned about. I doubt if Wickham will attempt to cross me, and remember that Richard will be here as well. Wickham was always far more terrified of him than me, for some reason. Even now that he no longer wears the uniform, Wickham will be quelled by the presence of Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
He brushed a thumb over her lips, leaning closer while pushing his taut muscled body onto hers. “Now, what say we return to the previous topic? The far more pleasant one involving me loving you.” He lingered, lips a scant hairbreadth away from hers. “I am positive I can drive all other thoughts from your mind, Mrs. Darcy.”
“I would accuse you of arrogance, but in this matter you speak the truth, Mr. Darcy.”
He laughed, rolling to his back with her encased amid strong arms and long legs. Every muscle rippled, Lizzy shivering at the feel of his solid thighs tenaciously clutching her hips and the radiant heat oozing from the steely plains of his torso. He lifted his head to close the small gap for a kiss, but Lizzy withdrew.