The Heart of Marriage Chapter 3

“My apologies Sir and Madam for the interruption, but I have just been told by Mrs. Bennet I am to run all future meals through her, and while I know that to be utterly in error . . .” Mrs. Reynolds trailed off as both Mr. and Mrs. Darcy closed their eyes and groaned in unison.

“I will go see to my mother,” Elizabeth began to explain, but her husband held out a hand to stay her movements.

“Mrs. Reynolds,” he began, dashing over to his desk to write a quick note on a piece of paper and after blowing it dry, folded it and handed it to his housekeeper. “Would you be so kind as to have a footman deliver this note to Mother Bennet on a silver tray and then escort her to my study?”

“Fitzwilliam,” Elizabeth said, catching herself as they were in the presence of a servant, but Mrs. Reynolds as the housekeeper was unphased by Mrs. Darcy using the Master’s Christian name in front of her.

Mr. Darcy held up a finger and wagged it with a grin, so even his housekeeper could not mistake that his anger was not directed towards his wife. “Tut, tut, when ladies misbehave at Pemberley, they are summoned to the Master’s study.” He waved for Mrs. Reynolds to leave, but the woman paused and looked at Mrs. Darcy.

Elizabeth shrugged. “If my mother will not come, tell her that we need her opinion on a most urgent matter about the furnishings.”

“Yes ma’am,” Mrs. Reynolds said, answering Mrs. Darcy and showing that she wished to follow protocol and respect Mrs. Darcy.

With the door shut once more, Elizabeth approached it and turned the lock. Then she sauntered back over to her husband who had taken a seat in the chair behind his desk, happily watching his wife’s figure approaching him. Instinctively, he held out his hands to accept her turning around and finding a seat on his right thigh. She looped her arm over his shoulder to half-twist her torso in his direction.

“What is this about you bringing ladies to your study, Mr. Darcy? Hmmm? There better not be any other ladies here without me present,” she said, playfully nipping at his lips. She could feel her husband’s ardor for her rising, and they enjoyed a few more kisses and scandalous displays of affection in their limited privacy.

“Well, what I meant, dearest, is to support you. It seemed too much to have you summon your mother to your suite and go all the way back upstairs,” he explained and then groaned as his body became thrilled with the idea of his wife retiring to her suite in the middle of the day. “On second thought,” he began, but Elizabeth abruptly lifted herself off his lap and walked out of his reach. “Wait,” he said, but she ignored him.

“Mother Bennet will be here any moment,” she said, unlocking the door and pulling the cord the appropriate number of times for a maid to arrive.

Mr. Darcy pulled his chair closer to his desk and picked up a piece of correspondence. After Elizabeth placed the order for a tray of refreshments to be brought to the study, he held out his hand with the letter for his wife. Intrigued, Elizabeth remained on the opposite side of the desk to retrieve it, and spying the direction on the outside, learned that it was from Anne. The letter remained sealed.

“You have not read it?” she asked.

Mr. Darcy shook his head no. “It’s addressed to you, and I am sure says much of what Richard wrote to me,” he stated, holding up a single piece of paper, front and back, written with a crisp hand. Elizabeth frowned as the weight of her letter appeared to contain more than one sheet, but she soon had another plan.

Darting back around the desk, she leaned down to kiss her husband’s temple. Mr. Darcy wisely kept his hands to himself as he aimed to appear properly and decent for the interview with his wife’s mother.

As Elizabeth skipped back away to the door, Mr. Darcy called out.

“Wait!”

This time, Elizabeth stopped, holding the letter in hand, and opened the door. A maid walked in with a tray to place on the table next to the fire.

“Where are you going?” he asked, perplexed.

“You said you would make it up to me.”

When Mr. Darcy still didn’t seem to comprehend and the servants left, Elizabeth stuck her head out the door to make sure there was no sign of her mother. Seeing none, she explained.

“You will get the list of tasks back from my mother. I will go read this letter from Anne in my rooms.”

“But, but, I thought you didn’t want any ladies in my study without you,” he said, rather unhappy with the new plan to deal with Mother Bennet.

Elizabeth smiled as she could hear her mother’s voice echoing in the foyer, an indication she was descending the main staircase. To make her escape, she would take the servants’ stairs at the end of the hall, but she had precious little time to make it.

“Slay the dragon sir knight and bring me your treasure. I’ll be waiting,” she said, and then left to hurry down the hall before her mother caught sight of her.

Slightly out of breath as she reached the stairs just in time to see her mother fuss over her husband as she reached the threshold of his study, Elizabeth chuckled and tugged on the door pull on the wall paneling that was actually a door, revealing the steps frequented by the staff. Truthfully, this was the best plan all the way around. She would spare her mother a long lecture from her husband, as he would do anything to take to his wife’s bed. And even better, she was spared dealing with her mother.