an opportunity to become alpha male. The pack in Herefordshire has grown too large, and it must be divided. The position was offered to Teddy, but he declined. He told me that he wants to make his fortune in the New World where rank does not matter. His plans are well thought out, and I told him that I would provide him with seed money if he wants to start a business. I will be sorry to see him go, but go he must.”
“I will miss Teddy, as will your sister, and his mother will be truly heartsick. I do understand why he must leave Pemberley, but I do not like to think of you out there by yourself.”
“That is because you do not yet understand my other life. When I am a wolf, I enjoy doing those things that wolves do. I like to hunt and run and chase and play in the snow. It is not a hardship for me, and when the weather is bad, there is a cave where I take shelter.”
Darcy could see that Lizzy was unhappy, and so he put his arm around her shoulder. “It is only two days a month,” he said, trying to reassure her. “So let us speak of other things, as there is another topic I wish to talk to you about.” Darcy’s face changed from comforting to uncomfortable because he did not know how Lizzy would react to what he had to say.
“I have mentioned before that wolves have a heightened sense of smell, and because of that, I know when… I always know when you are about to start your courses.”
“Good grief, Mr. Darcy! That is no subject for a man, not even a husband!”
“It is for this man because I also know the days when you are fertile. Please allow me to explain why this is important. My mother died shortly after she was delivered of a stillborn child. Bearing children is very taxing on a woman’s body, and so I want to limit the number of children we have because the thought of losing you… What I am trying to say is that I shall know when not to come to your bedchamber.”
“Are you telling me this now because I shall be fertile on our wedding night, and we shall not lie together?” Lizzy asked in near panic.
Darcy started to laugh. “No, I made sure of that before agreeing to the date. Actually, it works out perfectly. You will begin your courses tonight or tomorrow at the latest, and so you will be finished by our wedding day, but you will not yet be fertile.”
Lizzy covered her face in embarrassment. “This really is too much—for you to know when it is my time.”
“But it is all a part of the natural order. There is no need for you to be embarrassed, and there are advantages. I will be more understanding of your moods.” As soon as Darcy said it, he knew that he had erred.
“My moods?”
“Occasionally, your mood does alter. For example, when I went to Longbourn to invite you to Pemberley, you were, you know…”
“Oh, I see. So the reason for my unhappiness was not your coming and going without explanation for six months. It was because of my courses.”
“No. That is not what I am saying.”
“Well, what
“Merely, that it was a contributing factor.”
“No, Mr. Darcy, it was not a contributing factor. By the time you had come back to Longbourn from your last disappearance, I had been angry with you for three weeks.”
“I stand corrected,” he quickly responded and sealed his lips together.
“That is all you have to say?”
“Elizabeth, there is no way I can win this argument, so I apologize for any past, present, or future transgressions.”
“You are a quick learner, Will Darcy,” Lizzy said smiling, and she kissed him on his cheek.
Chapter 30
In the midst of all the hubbub caused by the wedding preparations, Lizzy could almost forget that the man who would shortly be her husband was also a werewolf, but when the snow started to fall on the morning of December 22nd, Lizzy was jolted back into the reality of a life lived by the lunar calendar and the necessity of reaching Pemberley by the afternoon of the twenty-eighth.
“Elizabeth, I know what you are going to say,” Darcy said as soon as they were behind the closed doors of the sitting room. “You are concerned about the weather, and because I know that you worry about such things, I am going to tell you exactly what will happen in the next few days.” They walked hand-in-hand to the sofa.
“Because of the snow, we will leave early on the morning of the twenty-fifth. This is now a hard and fast date, and all entreaties for us to remain must be firmly rejected. We will leave Netherfield at dawn, but we will not have far to go—only about twelve miles—where we will change from my carriage to a coach. Mercer has already left to see to these arrangements.
“The ride will be less comfortable than in my carriage, but the coach can go faster and will have horses better suited to our purpose. Our first night will be spent with Mr. and Mrs. Gowland. Although they are paid by the Council, you are not to engage them in conversation. You will call me sir, and you will be addressed as madam. Georgiana is miss, Mercer is my manservant, and Metcalf is the coachman. No names are to be used. I have stayed with the Gowlands before. The rooms are small, but clean, and their home is amply provisioned.
“I am afraid that you and Georgie will be very tired from traveling, but we will leave first thing in the morning and press on to my aunt Marguerite’s house. Weather permitting, we will stay there just the one night before leaving for Pemberley. If all goes well, we will arrive home with plenty of time to spare. If necessary, I can transform at Ashton Hall. I have done so on three occasions, so a plan is already in place. Since Jeanne and George Wimbley are in town, there is only Aunt Marguerite in residence, and she knows what to do.”
All the while Darcy was talking, Lizzy was holding his hand, and she felt as if she had not taken a breath since he began speaking. He was making it sound as if every contingency had been considered, but what if the snow prevented them from reaching the Gowlands’ refuge?
“There is another Council house along the route, but I would more likely take you, Georgie, Metcalf, and Mercer to an inn, and I would stay outside.”
Lizzy shook her head, and tears began to pool.
“Darling, please remember that I spent two years near Hudson Bay. By the end of my first winter, I lost a quarter of my weight, but I survived. If I can survive in one of the most hostile environments in the world, I can spend two nights in the woods in the English countryside, but I do not think any of those things will happen. We had a light dusting of snow this morning and nothing since. I am taking all of these precautions because of you.”
But when her expression remained unaltered, he continued. “Elizabeth, I would never have asked you to marry me if I did not think you were strong enough to deal with my altered state and all that goes with it. You are afraid for me because everything is new to you, but after a few nightfalls, you will not give it a second thought. My sister is an example of this. While you are sitting here worried, Georgiana is at Netherfield playing cards with Jane and Bingley.
“However, there are things you can do to help. When we are this close to nightfall, I will ask that you do everything I ask as soon as I ask it. If I say we must leave now, please stand up and leave with me. If I say that you must remain and I must go, you must not argue. Do you understand?”
Lizzy nodded because she could not speak.
“Elizabeth, the day after tomorrow, we will marry unless…”
And Lizzy put her fingers to his lips, “Entreat me not to leave thee or return from following after thee; for wither thou goest…” But that was all she could manage to get out before he pulled her into his embrace.
The following morning, while Jane and Lizzy were discussing the next day’s nuptials in their once-shared bedroom at Longbourn, Bingley and Darcy were visiting with Mr. Bennet, who was trying to stay clear of his wife. Mrs. Bennet was running hither and yon but in her husband’s opinion, to little effect, and so he had lured the two young men into his study for a discussion of Napoleon’s expansion of his empire on the Continent.
While the men plotted strategy for military campaigns, the sisters discussed a much more important subject and one that was foremost on the minds of all brides. What would her wedding night be like? Jane confessed that
