This last week have been, errr..., rather intriguing. Not in a bad sense, though.
I was invited to join a great giveaway celebrating Ms Austen's day - her 240th birthday and it's been quite a surprise to notice so many great gifts aligned. Mr. Darcy's Diary
, Longbourn
, Becoming Jane
, P&P BBC
, as well as several copies of Austen's masterpieces. Among these treasures is my 45 days in Europe with Mr. Darcy
Portuguese edition. Wow, what an honor!Yeah, and there's still the Berkeley online P&P course I'm taking part and loving. Plus, I've had the nice surprise of noticing Darcy friends from a beloved site visiting me. I was delighted, would love to know what they think about my adventure in petticoats. ;)
Anyway, here, as Elizabeth has found an ally (or was it friendly fire) in someone she could never have guessed, can you guess her next move? It's a short lovely chapter and after this, there's only the Epilogue I'll try to post in a few days' time. But as life is relentless and my Christmas short stories project's deadline is close, I can't yet say when I'll manage.
For now, enjoy what people do best: love and gossip!
Love in acts
1st act
LOVE HURTS
PART 6-
‘Tell me
everything, please.’ She asked, eyes wide and expectant. He sighed. ‘I promise
I’ll deal with it all.’
‘Are you
sure?’
‘Yes.’ She
answered without a second thought and noticed her husband eyeing her maid
calmly removing each of the thousand
pins from her hair. Very dashing he was in his waistcoat and cravat, the
tailcoat discarded before he entered her chambers.
He waited
until her hair fell down her back and the delicate jewelry was safe inside its
boxes to send her maid away. From then on he could help his wife undress; in
fact he would take pleasure doing so.
‘Please,
Fitzwilliam?’
He nodded. ‘Ashton
probably already knows as much, but I didn’t want to have an audience.’ She
nodded, fine eyes still expectantly directed at him. ‘Come to the setee, my
love. Bring your Limoncello.’
‘Oh, no…’ She
mumbled miserably and sat beside him with a single tumbler from which she
sipped delicately before passing it to him.
‘He will
live.’
‘Are you
sure?’
‘Yes. It
was a leg injurie. Quite bad.’
‘Did you
see it?’ She asked in a whisper. He shut his yes and pressed his lips in a thin
line. ‘Is that why they wouldn’t let me in?’
‘I almost
wavered on my feet, Lizzy. And the smell…’ He pursed his lips. ‘Ladies would
surely faint at the sight of that.’ He drained the tumbler and winced as the
tart alcohol hit his throat.
She huffed
indignantly. ‘He has a lady nurse! And if he were from a modest family, his
mama and sisters and cousins would be the ones to help.’
‘If he were
from a modest family, his leg would have been cut before he was sent home.’ She
gasped. ‘The surgeons cleaned the wound to the bone as best as they could and
sent him home. He said the crossing was almost unbearable, he was mostly
unconscious. Once in London, he was better treated.’
‘Will he be
able to have a normal life?’
‘I suppose.
Aside from this leg, he only has nasty cuts on the other. His good mood is
unscathed, he has general good health but there is no telling if the infection
will clear.’ Darcy rose to refill the glass. ‘He will always have a hollow that
hopefully will heal and skin will cover, but I don’t think he’ll grow flesh
there anymore. No breeches, only trousers from now on. Maybe he won’t ride
anymore, but I don’t see any problems for him to use curricles.’ Darcy drained
the tumbler and refilled it to the middle to extend it to her.
To his surprise,
she drained it instead of sipping. ‘I like trousers…’ She mused, eyes lost,
face in a pained expression. ‘You look very handsome in trousers.’
He took the
tumbler from her and rested on the mantle. ‘Let’s hope his only problem is of
the fashion nature.’
‘May God
provide.’ She sighed.
‘You, my
love, has been causing quite an impression on the ladies here with your
fashion.’ He pressed a smile.
‘Yes.’ She
smiled weakly at him. ‘They loved my last purchases.’ She bit her lip.
‘What?
Didn’t you love all you chose in
London? You can choose other items if -’
‘No.’ She
cut him. ‘You were already very generous. It’s that… I couldn’t fool your aunt,
she saw through me and we… I mean, she explained about what would be expected
of the wife of a man of your consequence.’ Elizabeth paused. ‘Family duties
too.’
‘I wondered
why you were so intent on Anne.’ He made a huge effort to contain his mirth. ‘Is
that related somehow?’
‘Somehow.’
‘How in
God’s name is Pemberley’s mistress’ distress related to cousin Anne?’
She groaned
at his choice of words and he had to press his fist to his lips. She squinted
and caged him in her suspicious stare. He fell in love with her all over again.
‘I’ll never remarry, silly love. You will never leave me; I’ll never have another
woman.’ He held her face in both hands and kissed her.
When he
released her, she was breathless. ‘You considered this option?’
‘My aunt
told me about your conversation.’ He grinned. ‘I’m to repay her help with that
monstrous muff you thankfully didn’t choose.’
‘The white
one?’
‘Yes.’ He
kissed her cheek and sat beside her again.
‘What else
did she tell you?’ Elizabeth asked terrified his aunt had given him ideas to
picture Anne in bed, one more woman to haunt her.
‘That I
have to keep her Limoncello a secret.’ She giggled as he kissed her jaw. ‘And most
importantly that you are so special, money and social positions can’t persuade you
to accept what is abhorrent in your eyes.’
‘She is a
very wise woman.’
‘I say…’ His
big hand found her breast and she covered it with hers.
His other
hand, she directed from her neck to the junction of her legs and he sighed. ‘Maybe
you should send for the matching cape to gift aunt Daphne.’ She whispered in
his ear, his lips busy on her perfumed cleavage. ‘I should pay with my pin
money…’ A tremble. ‘I almost lost this.’ She brazenly opened her legs for him
to caress her over her dress.
‘You may
gift her with whatever you want.’ He bit her earlobe and she trembled again
before raising the hem of her gown for him. He grinned and bit her lower lip. ‘But
because you’re fond of her. There was never any danger of you losing anything.’
Gasping and
sighing in turn as he melted her with his hands, she laboriously freed his neck
from the tie and held to catch his attention. ‘I have your heart.’
‘Completely.’
‘And your
desire.’
‘Ardently.’
‘Will I
always have it?’
‘Of course.’
‘But that
woman who looked like me-’
‘Stop.’ He
leaned away from her.
She held
his wrist to keep his hand inside her dress. ‘We’re not in bed yet. I need to
know.’ Her heart thumped violently, it was the information she needed to move
on with her life, to break free from the strings holding her. ‘Did you search
for her after I refused you?’
His big
hand clawed her inner thigh. ‘I didn’t have to search for her. Or any of them.
It’s easy enough to hire such services when a gentleman has the inclination.
The one similar to you was a sad coincidence that actually didn’t instigate me
as much as I first thought.’
‘Why?’
‘You still
need to ask, Lizzy?’
‘Please.’
She begged, her hand on his neck trembled.
‘Because
she is not you.’
They were
caught in each other’s eyes for long moments.
‘I love
you.’ She whispered, her fine eyes filling with tears. ‘But I can’t bear the
thought of you with anyone else.’
‘It was
never like what we have.’ He turned his head and kissed her wrist. ‘It is
impossible to ever be.’
‘Can you be
exclusively mine?’ She begged in a question, her eyes on his lips touching her
wrist.
‘I am.’
‘I want to
believe you.’
‘I’ll prove
it to you, one day after the other.’ He leaned his head to kiss her, her tongue
licked his lips and he sighed. ‘I’m putty in your arms, and lips, and-’ He let
go of her thigh to maneuver under garments and invade her with two fingers as
she liked, her back arched, one stockinged leg lifted. ‘And here. I’m putty
here. Helpless. Captive.’ He pumped lovingly. ‘Enslaved.’
After the
kiss that almost robbed his soul, he had to withdraw his fingers because she
stood, held her skirts around her waist and with an impatient look commanded
him to open his breeches’ flap as she got rid of drawers.
‘Come, my
lady.’ He held her by her naked hips guiding her astride him.
She tried
but the setee was narrow. Impatient she was, but not in the mood for an
unfulfilling liaison. ‘Bed.’ She ordered in an imperative whisper. ‘Now.’
She rose;
he went after her instinctively taking off the waistcoat, unable to make any coherent
thought aside from her bared bottom in front of him as she walked to the bed
with her skirts lifted. ‘Lay down.’ She ordered again. He complied, his member
eagerly pointing to the bed canopy, and tried to take off his boots. ‘Never
mind those!’ She admonished and he stretched his arms inviting her to climb on
top of him. Once dovetailed, he finally did what promised to her maid and
undressed her as her body trembled and sweat covered her delicate skin. When
she was gloriously naked, the flickering light coming from the fireplace
coloring her skin as if using it as a live canvas, she raised to seat erect
over him and with her head tossed back, convulsed.
On his
back, he watched her barely being able to breathe, moving by instinct, watching
his lady naked and fitted snugly around him, moving and moaning, her long
chestnut curls around her shoulders, her small pinkish nipples pointy, the red
canopy above her – if he ever dreamt of having physical pleasure in his
marriage, it had been like this: an expensive boudoir with an exquisite female who
tasted of fine alcohol, the decadent smell of sex mixed with candles, an
overwhelming atmosphere of raw lust and ardent love.
She lowered
her exhausted body and her hair closed his face in a secluded shrine. ‘Seed me,
Fitzwilliam, it’s about time.’
He did.
Wings – The Bet
‘Here you
go.’ Rodgers handed Hamlet almost half his very precious salary.
‘Thank you
very much, my friend.’
Rodgers
sighed. ‘For a man with this silly name, you can be insufferable.’
‘Not silly,
it comes from one of the Bard’s plays. It means my papa was well educated, a
fine valet he was. I say.’
‘A dynasty
of valets.’ Rodgers sniggered.
Hamlet
laughed. ‘I still don’t know why you accepted this bet.’
‘He could spend
himself right before meeting a lady, that’s what most of us do.’ Rodgers’ eyes
were downcast mourning the lost money. ‘But I don’t think Mr. Darcy does that or
make use of those oils, I’d notice in his drawers. I know for a fact he dislikes
riding coats…’
Hamlet cringed.
‘Ugh, I hate to clean those. My previous master was intent on French letters. I was pleased when Colonel
was assiduous at the rich widow’s chambers.’ He sipped his ale and both men
were silent thinking about the differences between a working man and rich one
when it came to the ingenious art of lovemaking without problematic aftermath. ‘Anyway,
I told you I knew Colonel Fitzwilliam taught Mr. Darcy how to avoid seeding a
woman when she was prone to get a child.’
‘He seemed
too eager to do that with his bride. And we have to agree that he is not the
best pupil in this matter.’ Rodgers shook his head and drained his ale.
‘The
wrenches he maintained?’ Hamlet asked and the other valet nodded. ‘That’s why
they talked about it when- I don’t know, long ago. It’s been years, before you
even, and not another mishap came to him. Am I mistaken?’
‘You’re
right.’
‘Colonel
thinks one is not even Mr. Darcy’s. Maybe two, actually. But he would never
deny assistance, he is too noble to allow a situation such as that take dire
directions.’
‘Did
Colonel send word to any of his paramours after he arrived?’
‘Don’t
think he’ll bother.’ Hamlet shrugged and sipped his ale.
‘Not even
the one married to that old Duke?’
‘Would you
want a handsome titled wrench like that to know you’re marred? Or see your leg
missed a chunk?’
‘Not at
all.’
‘So.’
‘Indeed.’
‘She’s
bound to know, though. This season, no one from the family will be of much
socializing, but Miss Georgiana will have her come out sooner or later.’
‘By then he
will have found a way to disguise his leg.’
‘Will he
wait that long?’
‘For her? Yes. For action in general, don’t
think so.’ Hamlet snorted. ‘So, your master still hasn’t a child coming. No
nannies for Pemberley yet.’
‘No.’
Rodgers mumbled. ‘Suzanna will find somewhere else to work.’
‘Maybe you
could explain to Mr. Darcy that his lady should get acquainted to a nanny even
before their children-’
‘He would
never fall for that.’
‘Right.’
‘What about
that one from… Meryton. Right?’
‘I was
there a few weeks ago. With child. Not mine, though.’
‘Yes, my
friend. You are in difficulty indeed. Poor and loveless.’ Hamlet sniggered.
‘At least I
can drink tonight. Mr. Darcy won’t be calling me-’ He sat up straighter and the
butler appeared on the back door to search for him.
‘Your
master has rung his bell, Rodgers.’
‘Yes, sir.’
He stood immediately. ‘Deuce. Why hadn’t the mistress learned to take off boots
by now?’ He muttered under his breath and Hamlet laughed.
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Epilogue
update:
a revised & extended version of this story will be available on Kindle Unlimited from Jan 25th, 17.
update:
a revised & extended version of this story will be available on Kindle Unlimited from Jan 25th, 17.
comemora em 16-12 e eu em 19-12, só 3 dias depois (e algumas centenas de anos a menos!)
nasceu no dia 16 de dezembro de 1775. Tornou - se uma escritora proeminente e figura entre os escritores ingleses famosos, tais como: 
, 
,
, 
, etc.
, 
, 
, 
, 
e 
,
, entre outras obras incompletas.
lançamento saídos da gráfica
