I needed to read the ending of this book this morning. Sigh. I still have days that I am saddened by how my marriage fell apart… but the beauty of stories is they can make us believe again in the power of love. I know one day I will find a REAL Mr. Darcy… and not fall for a Wickham’s charms again.
XOXOXO Elizabeth Ann West
Chapter 34 - The Blessing of Marriage, a Pride and Prejudice Variation
The night air provided stillness for Elizabeth as she sat in her bed at Netherfield with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her tears had long since stopped, her anger and devastation over her father’s willful ignorance no longer remained as a heavy yoke over her shoulders. The part of her mind reserved for her parents had severed connection to her heartstrings; her reflections upon their persons returned only numbness.
The moonless sky permitted her to imagine the meaning of solitude. She dwelled in it, she welcomed it. If she had learned nothing over the last six months it was incorrect to say she overlooked the power of her inner strength. Gone was the girl who ran through the fields of her father’s land with a carefree security. Gone was the girl who waited for her mother’s approval that she never gave up hope receiving. Gone was the girl who would let the men in her life dictate her happiness.
Wiggling her toes to partake in the cool air versus the warmth produced by her own body if she tucked them up underneath the edge of her nightgown, Elizabeth giggled. No, her life was not perfect, but as she resolved to make her own happiness, her mind immediately traveled to one place: a man’s room just down the hall.
Bounding from her bed to fetch her wrap that Betsy had laid along the foot of the bed, Elizabeth fumbled in the dark to light her bedside candle. Managing a quick spark with the rushlight, Elizabeth left her slippers behind and walked barefoot out of her room with her nervousness increasing in each step. She had never gone to Fitzwilliam in the middle of the night, but if he felt even a portion of the devastation plaguing her heart, she had to rescue him. The man had done nothing but protect her and support her and it was undoubtedly her fault they were not three days closer to their goal across the border.
Standing face-to-face with his closed door, Elizabeth held her breath. There was still a chance to turn back now and go back to her own bed—not risk his rejection of her wanton behavior. But the emptiness sinking deep into her belly made her swallow her pride and test the handle. To her surprise, it was not locked and she hurriedly slipped in and latched the door behind her a little louder than she intended. She worried that he might be asleep, and he may indeed have been. But when she took notice of his bed her most handsome Fitzwilliam sat upright, bare-chested, with the sheets covering his legs and puddled around his midsection.
“Elizabeth?” he whispered.
She nodded, pressing her lips together and not trusting herself to move a muscle as she understood now her heart had carried her down the hall to this very room with the pure intention of giving herself to him.
“Are you unwell?” Darcy asked with more of an alertness to his voice.
Elizabeth began to walk towards his bed and Darcy noticed she was barefoot, a rare glimpse at her non-stockinged feet made him smile. When she could walk no further, she slowly reached out her hand to touch the small tuft of black hair otherwise disrupting a masculine plane of sharp angles and firm, toned muscles. Darcy sucked his breath between his teeth as her petite hand inflamed his senses as it tenderly explored his skin. Feeling that familiar tightness in a place he did not wish to expose and frighten her, Darcy reluctantly put his hand over hers to stop her.
”We do not, that is –”
“But I wish to. I need to.” Her eyes locked with his and she stared at his soul, offering innocence she only had to give to one man.
Darcy gulped. The movement of his Adam’s apple broke the spell of intensity in Elizabeth’s gaze. She placed her candle on his nightstand and blew out the flame as his hands gently pulled her into his bed. She started to pull the ribbon at the top of her nightgown but his hands stopped her once again. Pulling her close to his side, with only a few thin layers a fabric separating their naked forms, Elizabeth’s heart began to race. She did not wish to, but her body shook with nerves, still slightly fearful of the act she had decided to accomplish before her wedding vows.
He kissed the delicate bone that framed the distance between her shoulder and her spine. Moving his kisses up a little higher along the edge of her neck, he swept her loose curls to one side. The heat of his affections steadied her nerves and Elizabeth sighed. An entirely new feeling, one of immense need, began to throb in an area she had been told was utterly disgraceful.
“Fitzwilliam, please, please do not send me away.”
Darcy stopped mid-kiss and took a deep breath himself. There was no question as to where his ardor stood, Elizabeth most certainly could feel it pressed against her backside. But he was not an animal and capable of self-control. Nor did he wish to offend her at this very sensitive moment.
Darcy rolled back slightly and used his hands to encourage Elizabeth to roll towards him so they might face each other. She complied, and without hesitation raised her hand to feel his rugged growth along his jawline. She giggled at how many subtle, but stark differences there were between their bodies. Of course, he was much larger than she was but more than that he felt sturdier, more durable then her own soft and curvy form.
“It was my family’s scandal and stupidity that robbed you of a proper courtship.”
“You mustn’t blame –”
“Ssh,” Darcy gently placed a finger to her lips so that he might continue. He removed the finger very quickly when she kissed it, sending a jolt of arousal through his body. He forced his mind to concentrate on how beautiful life would be once they were married and not trip upon the self-denial of the current moment. “I should perform a Herculean Labor, an errand or task of the most extreme difficulty if you should only ask it of me. The first moment I held you in my arms my greatest fear was that I would lose you.” He waited a moment before he continued, “and we had not even properly met yet.”
Darcy’s romantic words made Elizabeth’s heart feel as if it might burst inside her chest. She tried to wiggle her body closer to his for an embrace, but he used his forearms and hands to keep a small bit of space between them to her consternation.
“I should love nothing more than to connect my soul with yours in this very room, on this very night, but it would not be our wedding night. Perhaps it might sound old-fashioned or inconvenient, but what small amount of honor and respect I can give to you, my bride, is my deepest desire.”
“I do not need such honor, I do not want to continue to pain you as I have. Silly that I was to make us wait already, we ought to have driven straight to Scotland from Rosings,” she pouted.
Darcy chuckled. “You forget your condition when we left my aunt’s house, another of my failings to protect you, I might add.” Before she could protest again, his voice dropped to a more husky timbre. “When we leave at dawn, you can depend upon not a moment’s rest as Mrs. Darcy.”
Fitzwilliam allowed the space between them to close as he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her forehead. He felt her hot tears on his bare chest but knew they were not the tears of anger or sadness. They were the same tears of unadulterated love that welled at the corners of his own eyes as he tucked his chin upon the top of her head.
“Do you wish for me to leave your company this evening? I do not want to impose on you if laying beside me makes it harder.”
Both of them burst out laughing at her not so subtle pun and broke their embrace. Fitzwilliam casually rubbed his eyes with his thumb and middle finger to remove the evidence of his sentimentality.
Gently nudging her shoulder so that she rolled over away from him, Elizabeth began to swing her legs around when he snatched her midsection and pulled her close, back into a nesting spoons position.
“You, my dear, have offered your services as a companion this evening and I would be a fool to reject them. I should love nothing better than to wake with the sun’s arrival with this beautiful woman in my arms.” Darcy kissed her shoulder in a chaste, loving manner. Elizabeth gently squeezed his arms as a sign of her appreciation of his compliments.
Realizing she was still agitated from the closeness of his person and not sure how she was ever going to fall asleep, Elizabeth made a request that Darcy happily obliged.
“Tell me again about Pemberley? I confess it’s become a kind of safe haven in my mind, a fantasy place where none of our troubles shall bother.”
Darcy sighed. “I’m beginning to believe it just may be. The house is situated in a valley of rolling foothills, in an attitude that it has been a part of Mother Nature for all these years instead of ostentatiously built . . .”
Elizabeth slowly felt her own ardor cool as his rich voice washed over her heart. It was not until Darcy heard his beloved’s gentle snores that he stopped his recitation and prayed fervently for morning’s swift arrival.
Chapter 35 - The Blessing of Marriage, a Pride and Prejudice Variation
Leaving at first light ended up becoming mid-morning as the number of tasks and packing surprised all involved. Finally receiving word the carriages were ready, Elizabeth made her last stop her sister’s chambers as Jane had taken to her bed.
The fair-haired former Bennet sister smiled as Elizabeth appeared fully dressed for a proper, long journey. Gretna Green was no easy day’s distance like London, though they would break at inns and the illustrious Pemberley. Elizabeth’s bonnet appeared lovely trimmed in the same lavender as her gown, with a shimmery ribbon around her waist and lining her sleeves. She walked taller, more confident, with a return of the sunny disposition Jane recalled from their years growing up at Longbourn. And Mrs. Bingley knew the improvement in her sister was the direct result of Mr. Darcy’s love and attentions.
“I had a most distressed Betsy come to my chamber this morning worried about you. It appears you were not in your bed when she came to assist you?” Jane patted her bed to signal that it was safe for Elizabeth to sit as her sister turned a deep shade of red.
“I did not, that is, we did not—“ Elizabeth faltered at explaining to Jane her sleeping arrangements while also not disclosing any confidences of her romance with Mr. Darcy.
“Fret not, I explained to Betsy the entire ordeal of what has happened to you and Mr. Darcy. I think you will find her most eager to serve you well on your trip.”
“Thank you, I am forever grateful that you are sending me with a familiar maid. My stomach would not allow me to eat a crumb I am so anxious and yet excited to leave.” Elizabeth frowned as her sister looked away. The babe had become a very serious situation for her sister and there was no way for her to travel as was originally planned. The pains and fatigue worried all, but there was nothing to do but to allow Jane to rest.
“I am sorry you are not to come with, but Charles has promised as soon as you and the babe are safely delivered, we shall all meet at Pemberley for autumn and winter!”
Jane nodded. “We have decided to give up the lease on Netherfield this autumn. We are considering Derbyshire or a neighboring county for a home.”
Elizabeth beamed. She only met Mr. Darcy, by diving out of the way of his horse, in her misguided attempt to remain close to her favorite sister after marriage. Elizabeth appreciated the irony of her original aim would now be accomplished with a much more pleasing alliance to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy than the crude and backward John Lucas. “Believe me, I am aware. Fitzwilliam has already listed the number of properties his agents will see before you and Charles join us.”
“So you plan to remain in Scotland after the wedding?” Jane swallowed as the question was already one they both knew the answer. After last night’s argument with their father and the breach in the family, there was no hope of the Darcys returning to Hertfordshire in peace for the next few years. The wounds created by prejudices and meanness were of the type only time and distance might heal.
“Indeed. There is so much he and I wish to escape and just live our lives. But we will see each other again, soon.” Elizabeth grasped Jane’s hands and squeezed. Neither sister wished to cry, but the prospect of spending another five to six months apart felt too heavy to contemplate.
A knock on the door caused both sisters to turn their heads. Mr. Darcy stood in a finely cut suit of dark slate, with a faint bluish tint to his beaver. He was ready and it was time to go.
“Oh,” Elizabeth struggled with her reticule to remove a few letters. “I wrote to all of our sisters if you would try to get them the messages? Especially Kitty. It broke my heart to deny her request to join us this morning, but I acutely feel she would regret leaving home without our parents’ blessing and it should be unfair of me to tangle her in my rift with them.”
Jane agreed and accepted the letters. “Charles and I shall keep a close eye as we are destined to remain for the time being here at Netherfield.” Jane patted her stomach and Elizabeth smirked.
“He is such a saucy little scamp already, causing so much trouble for his mother.”
Jane laughed. “You know, I thought the very same thing this morning when I was so very ill again! But he will be beautiful and wonderful when this passes. Aunt Gardiner assured me that by next year, I won’t recall any of the pains or maladies until the next time I suspect myself to be with child.”
Mr. Darcy cleared his throat and then waved his hands in apology as he had once more attracted the notice of the ladies. “I beg your pardon, I do not intend to rush you, my dear.”
“No, no, Jane and I would sit and talk all morning and day if we are permitted.” Elizabeth turned to Jane and leaned down to kiss her sister’s cheek. Her coloring was so terribly pale, but Elizabeth pushed the guilt of leaving her behind and worries over her condition to the back of her mind. Jane was in the care of Mr. Jones and Mr. Bingley. Jane was safe. “You will be in my thoughts and prayers and you have fun with your Mr. Bingley. I shall write to you as often as I can.”
The two sisters embraced as much as they could with Jane sitting in bed. “Love that man. Do not conceal your feelings. Ever,” Jane whispered in her sister’s ear.
Elizabeth accepted Mr. Darcy’s arm and they walked out of the house to find Mr. Bingley waiting outside for them. The farewell to Charles was much less dramatic as Bingley and Darcy were not brothers by blood though both laughed that next occasion they would meet, they would be brothers by deed. Elizabeth relished their fraternal teasing and pretended not to understand the gentle ribbing passing between them. Although they had many miles of both good and bad road ahead of them before making it to the altar, it felt as if they were being sent off by the two people they loved best after a wedding breakfast.
Darcy bowed and shook hands with Bingley, then appeared taken aback when the younger, more cheerful man pulled his tall frame into an embrace. “I may not be acquainted with my sister Elizabeth longer than you, but I am in awe of a such a divine fate that would match two perfect people. She is strong and intelligent, and I dare say, the only wife in the kingdom that will keep you on your toes. Take great care of her, Fitzwilliam.”
Emotion pooled up in the back of Darcy’s throat as he accepted Bingley’s words of wisdom and tacit threat at their face value. It was an utter shame that they could not be married from the Meryton parish and for the first time, Darcy lamented the loss of that familiarity for not just Elizabeth, but also for himself. A marriage ought to be a blessing and source of good cheer for a community, not a slinking off to a foreign border.
“You be nice, Charles. Or I shall tattle to Jane.” Elizabeth stepped forward to farewell him, too. But Charles was not finished.
“I am immensely proud of your character and honored to be your relation by marriage. This friend of mine is a complex character, prone to brood if you let him. But I know you shall always drag him out into the sun’s rays, won’t you?”
“Indeed. Perhaps even to play in the raindrops as well!”
The three friends laughed as Darcy and Elizabeth finally entered the carriage. The carriage wheels had scarcely turned a full circle before the happy couple settled into an embrace.
Gently bobbing and leaning to the staccato beat of an imperfect road, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth were finally on their way to their happy ending. Few words passed between them due to exhaustion from a night of reduced sleep and early rising to accommodate their travel plans. Scarcely a half mile along the way to the first inn, Darcy, and his Lizzie fell into a light sleep, ensconced in the comfort and security of one another. It was the blessing no other could provide for them.
NEW RELEASE
For the Love of a Bennet
What if Elizabeth Bennet traveled with Lydia to Brighton?
A reimagining of Jane Austen’s most beloved tale, Pride & Prejudice, join author Elizabeth Ann West as she writes the romantic adventure story she always wanted! When Lizzy and Lydia arrive in Brighton, it’s very clear that the younger Bennet sister came with very serious plans towards Mr. Wickham. Thankfully, an old ally is also in town, with problems of his own to solve. After Mr. Darcy, himself, is summoned to Brighton to hopefully solve two dilemmas with one wealthy member of the gentry, the whole militia is thrown into an uproar by Wickham’s most dastardly deed, yet. Together, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy have to save Lydia from her own undoing, or it will mean more than just mere reputations are ruined.
For the Love of a Bennet is a novel length story, currently being posted chapter by chapter on Elizabeth’s author site. This story was originally conceptualized in 2019 as a part of the All Go to Brighton challenge.
Book 3 of the Moralities of Marriage. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet find nothing but a mess in London after they escape Kent. The town home bare and the Wickhams caught up in Lord Strange’s illegal business venture, Darcy has little choice but to make unsavory friends as Elizabeth heals from her cousin’s attack. With the support of the Bingleys, Darcy and Elizabeth are finally ready to secure their future at the anvil in Gretna Green when Elizabeth has one small request.
A novel of 55,000 words, The Blessing of Marriage continues the rewriting of Jane Austen’s amazing story of Pride and Prejudice, wondering what might have happened if Darcy never saved Georgiana from the clutches of Mr. Wickham.
The Blessing of Marriage, Book 3 of the Moralities of Marriage
a Pride and Prejudice novel variation series
Release Date: March 14, 2016
310 pages in print.
+ 23 additional Pride & Prejudice variations are available at these fine retailers . . .
Keep reading more by clicking below!
A Jane-of-all-trades, mistress to none! Elizabeth Ann West is the author of 8 novels and 11 novellas, 18 of which are story variations of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.
On the road again!!! Scotland bound!!!
Thank you so much for sharing your work. I recently found your stories on fanfiction and loved being able to read these prior stories 😀 can’t wait for the 5th one 🙂
Thank you! I am trying something new with Patreon . . . but eventually chapters do go public. I’m just still getting into the routine of things here in Texas with my kiddos since the divorce and move. But each week I am more and more solid in my work habits. Thank you so much for reading!
Brilliant novel which certainly captures their characters and the effect of the social laws that keep them tied to convention. Occasional word like ‘gob’ is out of character and time but excellent storyline. Thank you