Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One

Her panic and anger was rapidly replaced by amusement at the sight of Darcy in his robe, droplets hanging from his nose and chin and an expression of incredulity and mortification flowing over his handsome face.

“Fitzwilliam Darcy!” she declared crisply, “How dare you frighten me this way?” Any attempt on her part to be stern was nullified in part by her nakedness and location, but mostly by the comical and heavenly vision of her spouse.

Lizzy had long marveled at the varying miens of the man before her. Darcy’s aspect could be haughty, domineering, blase, grave, and forbidding; in all ways a face not to be trifled with. Then there was his tender, passionate, joyful, and smiling countenance, approachable and youthfully innocent. His most adorable face was the one he now wore: his “puppy face,” as Lizzy dubbed it. With his blue eyes slightly drooping, brows knitted, pallor marked, and full lips parted in confusion, he looked more an errant little boy than the Master of Pemberley.

“Elizabeth, forgive me! I did not intend to frighten you. I should have spoken louder. How thoughtless of me! I shall leave you.”

“William, wait!” she yelled with a laugh halting him at the door, although he kept his eyes averted. “You did startle me, which would have been avoided if you had only announced your presence in a less shocking manner. Nevertheless, I am not averse to your being here, depending on what your intentions are,” she finished playfully.

He glanced at her, pallor replaced by a blush, and her smile deepened. How can a man of nine- and-twenty suddenly look about twelve and be absolutely delectable!

“Your bathing tub is quite large… ”

“You purchased it, my love,” she interrupted.

“Yes, well…” he cleared his throat, “I thought at the time that you would appreciate it and that it could easily accommodate two, if such a situation arose,” he concluded lamely, waving his hand vaguely.

“You imagine now to be one of those situations?”

He flashed a grin, meeting her eyes hesitantly. “The maids have to carry dozens of pails, so I merely thought to spare them filling another tub.”

“How considerate of you.”

“Yes. I also recognized how cold you were and thought perhaps the added body heat would be welcome. I would not wish you to fall ill.”

“Mr. Darcy, you are the epitome of English chivalry.”

He was smiling brightly now, “puppy face” replaced by the more familiar one of passionate promise.

Lizzy laughed. “William, you are shivering and the water is growing cold. Hurry up, but lock the door first.”

He needed no further encouragement, and his robe was discarded hastily. He positioned his body behind Lizzy, wincing at the hot water on cool skin. She reclined gratefully against his chest, sighing and closing her eyes.

“Hmmm… This is better. Why have we not previously considered this?”

“We may not have; however, I unquestionably have.”

She was befuddled. “Yet you have not acted on the inclination. Why?”

He was silent and she could sense a hesitancy and slight tension in his body, even as his fingers lightly stroked her arms. She tilted her head to peer up at him and noted a faint blush on his cheeks. She frowned. “William? Whatever is the matter?”

He met her eyes with a level gaze. “Elizabeth, I love you to distraction. You know this, I am certain.” She smiled and nodded. “On occasion, in truth fairly continuously, I am… inundated by my need for you. I do not merely refer to our intimate relationship, for that is only a fragment of my desire for you. When we are parted, even for miniscule periods, I yearn for your presence. The ache is tangible and only assuaged by your voice or touch or simply seeing your face.” He traced her jawline with one finger.

She pondered his serious expression with heightened misery. “Does this yearning and need for me disturb you? You wish it otherwise?”

His eyes widened at the catch in her voice and note of pain, and his hand firmly cupped her cheek. “No, Elizabeth, God no! You misapprehend my words or I chose them poorly. Please, allow me to rephrase. You lend purpose to my life and I am an empty husk without you. My fear is that my… demands could in any way intrude upon you or become burdensome. I frightened you by coming in here, selfishly considering only my desire for you without contemplating if you needed solitude or preferred your privacy. You have had precious little of either since we have wed, and I would not want to be the cause of your dissatisfaction.”

She maneuvered around to face him, water sloshing. “My darling, you are being a baby again.” She smiled and kissed him, happy to feel her dismay evaporating and his eyes softening. “You are forgetting several facts. First, I am terribly forthright, a character trait you are painfully familiar with. If I need solitude, I will tell you. Second, I am as insanely in love with you as you are with me. If we were keeping score, I would venture to guess I have invaded your private sanctuaries and isolation far more often. You need never worry being welcomed by me. Just do not sneak.” She concluded with a precise assault to his ticklish zones, water flying.

The only sure method of halting her antics was to clutch her with strong arms and distract with a deep kiss. “Elizabeth, have I told you lately how utterly amazing you are?” He nibbled along her neck while delicately caressing her shoulders. Oddly enough, at least for the moment, his original intention of fulfilling yet another fantasy by making love in the water was not foremost in his mind. He had spoken honestly regarding his desire for her presence. Merely holding her, knowing he was welcomed and wanted to the same degree, was a balm to his heart. How could he doubt her love? He was ashamed of himself for entertaining the notion.

Thoughts of lovemaking may have momentarily fled his consciousness, but they had dawned with alacrity on Lizzy. Her hands were not content to remain in one area. She ran her palms over his torso, hairs silky and buoyant from the water. Oh, how she adored touching him! Darcy naked and wet was an ambrosial vision. She was ceaselessly energized by his solid, defined muscles, replete with raw power emanating from every pore. His skin was flawless and creamy, as soft as satin, and radiating heat and supreme masculinity. In each line and plane of his perfect body, she sensed strength, protection, fortitude, virility, and intoxicating sexuality. He was the embodiment of all things male and subsequently accentuated her femininity as nothing in her experience ever had. Lizzy knew her love for Darcy was profoundly deeper than merely physical, but, oh, how he aroused her!

She pressed against his chest, moaning softly. “William,” she whispered, “I love you so.”

“My Lizzy,” he sighed, grasping her shoulders lightly and pulling her back a space. He smiled, ran the tips of his fingers over her face, and then reached for the soap. “On your knees,” he commanded quietly as he rose to his. He lathered his hands and proceeded to fastidiously cleanse her body, lingering over each area. Lizzy followed his lead, quickly light-headed from the combined awareness of his hands gliding over her and hers sliding over him. It did not take long for the caresses to become stronger and more intimately focused, sensations raging uncontainable until the urgent necessity to unite as one overwhelmed them.

Darcy frantically clasped her body against his, forcing her to stillness, and kissed her roughly before gulping for air and control as they sank entwined into the slick water. “I do not want to rush this, beloved! I have dreamed of making love to you here for a very long time.”

“How long have you dreamed of this, my heart? And are your dreams being fulfilled?” She leaned down and sharply bit his earlobe, nibbling bites trailing along his wet neck.

“Far longer than it would be proper for me to divulge if I wish to maintain my reputation as a gentleman. As for the content of my dreams… as vivid as they were, none has remotely resembled the reality of your love, Elizabeth. Despite the stories amongst my peers, I had no true notion of the physical pleasure and absolutely not a clue as to the spiritual and emotional gratification I have attained in you, my wife.”

They kissed deeply and playfully. Hands touching everywhere: backs, breasts, arms, necks, faces… slipping nimbly in the filmy water. Oh, the ecstasy! Darcy was a man possessed. Some part of his mind was amazed anew at the love and desire he felt for this woman, his wife. Even throughout the long, hideous months of wanting her, he had not fully appreciated how utterly she would consume his existence or how vital she would be to his happiness.

Further, as he felt desire growing beyond what seemed physically possible, as the torrents of throbbing heat surged through his body, as breathing and heartbeat erratically pounded in his chest, and as rapture dominated and