Page 26 of Saved By Mr. Darcy
He groaned, his hand moving faster. Her voice was like music to him, and the sound of her pleasure would surely be the sweetest song. Behind his closed eyes, he dared to imagine her hands clutching at his shoulders as he buried himself inside her, her hips rising to meet his. No, more than that. How she would sound as he buried his face between her thighs, an act he had never performed on a woman…how she would sob as she came undone against his tongue.
It was too much. He shuddered, spilling onto his belly as he cried out, low and ragged.
Panting, he snatched his hand away. He quickly wiped the mess away with his nightshirt before removing the garment and throwing it to the floor in frustration. His hands curled intothe sheets, and he exhaled sharply. These days spent with Miss Elizabeth and nights spent chasing sleep that would not come had clouded his judgement. He did not know what to do, but he knew for certain that he was dangerously close to losing sight of the man he was.
He stood up and walked towards the basin of cold water by the window. He splashed his face, the chill jolting him. He stood, staring blankly out of the window into the night. In the moonlight, he saw the reflection of himself against the glass. Dishevelled and desperate. He had never been a man to indulge his lustful urges, pushing them down. Now, he felt consumed.
He was lost to Elizabeth Bennet.
Chapter Eight
After Mr Darcy left, Lizzy could not make sense of what had just happened. Sleep eluded her; instead, she stared up at the ceiling until the sun rose. Each time she dared to close her eyes, she saw flashes of their encounter in the blackness, as clear as though she were observing from across the room. She was sure that she could still feel the ghost of his lips against her neck, and she found herself shaken. Not in a bad way, for she truly knew now what it was to be shaken to the very core of one’s being. Perhaps shaken was the wrong word entirely; she felt changed.
How could it be that the simplest touch could awaken her senses? She felt truly alive, her heart racing and her mind whirring. She had felt like half a person since her accident, her body wounded and her heart sore. These past few days, though still filled with discomfort and pain, had lifted her spirits. Even without her aunt and uncle, Georgiana had made her so welcome and Mr Darcy… Mr Darcy had been increasingly entering her thoughts and her affections. She had found herself looking for him in each room, watching for his shadow against the wall outside her bedroom. She knew that he walked past often, for she had come to know the sound of his footsteps.
She did not know what to make of her own heart, for perhaps she had longed for him all along. She would not have admitted it to anyone but herself, but she had sore regrets about how she had treated him. She had been too proud, too strong willed to see any good in him. But there had been good, wrapped up in his own stubborn nature. What a pair they would make!
“Miss Bennet?”
Lizzy startled, her mind too consumed to notice that a maid stood at the door. There were many servants at Pemberley, and though she tried to remember their names they did all look the same in their finely starched uniforms and white caps. This one was called Penny, she thought; she recognised her by the smattering of freckles across her pale white skin.
“Forgive me, Penny. I was not paying attention.”
She twisted, forgetting her leg, and winced in pain as she jostled it. She gripped the sheets beneath her, the sharp reminder of why exactly she was at Pemberley jolting her out of her melancholy. Penny ran forward, chewing her lip as she hovered by the bed without a clue what to do. Lizzy waved her away, gritting her teeth as she waited for the wave of pain to pass her.
“Are you well, Miss? I can fetch the laudanum.”
“No! No, I have had enough of that terrible stuff for a lifetime. I will bear the pain. It is scarcely noticeable if I keep the leg still.”
“Very well, Miss. It is time to dress, if you wish. We’ll be careful.”
“You always are. It is me that does not take enough care. Thank you.”
“And I’ve brought warm water for your bath.”
Lizzy looked towards the pot of water that another servant, called Rosie she thought, carried. There would no doubt be a clean cloth floating in the water already so that it would not irritate her skin. The same routine each day, on the Doctor’s strict instructions that the scratches that littered her body would not become infected.
“I hardly think you can call it a bath,” she sighed. “I long for a real bath, with hot water and lavender.”
“When the doctor says you may, I’ll make sure we’ve enough lavender for the whole o’ Derbyshire, Miss.”
“You are sweet! Thank you.”
She longed to heal so that she might regain her independence. She had never enjoyed being fussed over, and now required at least two girls to help her dress and another two men to move her anywhere. She felt a terrible burden, and was sure that the entire household waited eagerly for her departure.
When she was washed and dressed for the day, in a pretty green dress that had appeared quite from nowhere, she enquired if she might take breakfast with Miss Georgiana and her brother.
“Of course, Miss! How wonderful it is that you’ve an appetite. I shall call the men to take you.”
“Thank you. And thank you all for your help.”
“It’s a pleasure, Miss. You’re the nicest guest we’ve ‘ad ‘ere for ages! Nothin’ like that snotty Miss Bingley.”
“Penny!” the other maid, Rosie, yes she was sure now, hissed. “You can’t say out like that to the master’s guests.”
“Has Miss Bingley often been a guest here?” Lizzy asked.
“Twice now, I think. Come on, Miss, let’s sit you up.”
