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“It is true. I am engaged to marry Mr. Collins. And before you say anything else, I have to tell you what a happy occasion this is for my entire family. For so long, I have been nothing but a burden to my family. Surely you must comprehend what this means to my mother and father. As for my siblings, the younger girls are now entertaining hopes of coming out a year or two sooner than they might otherwise have done, and my situation has relieved my brothers from their apprehension of my dying an old maid. So, do anything but pity me, Eliza, for I am quite contented with my decision.”

Elizabeth knew not how to think or feel upon hearing this. Had she, too, not entertained the idea of marrying the ridiculous man to satisfy her own purposes?

“My news also contributes to the benefit of your family,” Charlotte said.

“How so?” Elizabeth asked.

“Mr. Collins has agreed to abide by my wish to allow your family to remain at Longbourn until such time as you all are properly settled in another establishment of your own choosing. None of you ought to feel prevailed on to leave Longbourn before you are ready to leave.”

Charlotte’s intelligence could not have come at a better time, for Mr. Collins, upon finally coming to terms with Elizabeth’s refusal to go through with the wedding, had advised Elizabeth that her family ought to vacate Longbourn in under a fortnight.

“I must confess your scheme is an exceedingly agreeable consolation, although I doubt my mother will be pleased knowing her standing as mistress emeritus of Longbourn is irrevocably revoked. Still, allow me to thank you on everyone’s behalf.”

“You ought to know I think of your family as merely an extension of my own. I have always felt closer to you and Jane than I have to my own sisters.”

“Indeed, we have always been the most intimate of friends, which is why I want to make sure you know what you are about. What I am trying to say is you ought to know exactly what you are getting yourself into⁠—”

“Eliza, pray say no more,” Charlotte interrupted. “I am seven and twenty and before now entirely without prospects. The chance to be mistress of my own home is well worth any other sacrifice I might endure. Trust me when I say I know exactly what I am about.”

Satisfied that she had at least tried to warn her friend about Mr. Collins’s condition, Elizabeth said no more on the subject. Instead, she returned to Longbourn with her friend. When Mrs. Bennet heard the news, there was no telling what she might say or to whom she might say it. Elizabeth felt she ought to be the one to shoulder the brunt of her mother’s disapprobation, not Charlotte.

In the wake of her refusal to marry Mr. Collins, her mother’s censure had become Elizabeth’s constant companion whenever the two women were near each other. She had grown quite accustomed to it.

Chapter 14

Darcy thought his leaving Hertfordshire was the best thing for all parties concerned. His relation, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, was pleased enough by his return to society. Finding a suitable candidate as the next mistress of his home had become her chief employment. The parade of young ladies his relation had thrown in his path crossed his mind—the most recent being Lady Alexandria Middleton.

What an exercise in futility, Darcy considered, rubbing his fingers over his brow.

Unbeknown to her ladyship, his heart had already been captured even though he had chosen to leave it behind. Time and distance had made no difference, however, making him wonder what was the point in leaving Elizabeth’s side if all he ever did was dream of her?

Asleep in his bed at his London townhouse, that lonely night was no exception.

Another sudden assault from her kiss foiled Darcy’s attempt to pull away from Elizabeth, but this time he allowed himself to enjoy it as he held onto her waist, relishing the feel of her soft body against his own. Her hands went up his arms, slowly caressing his muscles.

We should not be going on in this way, his heart whispered. She is not mine. She will never be mine. I must let her go.

The more he resisted, the more determined Elizabeth became, and soon he could feel the warmth of her breath as she leaned in further, closing the space between them. She seemed to forget that they were supposed to be saying their goodbyes and instead pulled him to her as they continued to kiss each other, no longer gentle but hungry, passionate.

She was pulling him toward the bed, but Darcy was so lost in their kiss that he did not notice where they were going until her hand touched his cheek and then trailed down his neck, coming to rest on the collar of his shirt.

He tried to pull away. His kisses were now shallow, as though he were trying to stave off his passion for fear of being hurt, but he could not stop it. His body responded to her as though he had been starving for a taste of her all his life. She had awakened something in him, and he did not want to give it up.

His hands ran up the front of her dress, coming to rest at the top of her waist, and soon the dress was rising over her hips, exposing her beautiful bottom. He felt his hardness pressed against her stomach, undoubtedly bolstering her determination to do what she had to do to keep him.

Elizabeth gripped his face and pulled him back to her lips, kissing him fiercely and with more force than she had ever kissed him before. For a moment, he could not respond, for the kiss had taken over his senses, his emotions, his very soul.

It was as though his entire body was engulfed in flames, and his world was spinning so fast that he could not figure out which way was up, but he could feel Elizabeth pressing herself against him, her hands coming up to hold his face as though she was trying to anchor him to her. He felt her breath on his neck, the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed, causing his passions to surge within him, evidencing her power over him. Darcy could no longer resist as his hands slid up to the bodice of her dress, pushing it up as his lips fell to the hollow of her neck and down along her shoulder and back.

She was panting lightly, moaning softly in response to his ministrations. It took all his strength not to rip her clothes off and carry her to his bed. His tongue was an insistent caress down her neck, her ears, down her shoulder.

Elizabeth’s hands followed the same path, up his back and around to his chest. All sense of self went out the window as her body responded to him with complete abandon when they collapsed on the bed. Once fully undressed and wrapped up in each other’s warmth, the sounds that escaped from Elizabeth’s throat were for him alone to hear as her hips began to move forward against his body, urging him on and obliging him to move lower and lower.

She cried out in what could only be described as unadulterated bliss. It was so much that it seemed she could hardly contain herself, and Darcy did not know whether to slow down or go further. He pulled back and tried to listen to her, wanting to make sure she was all right, but she lifted her head and groaned in frustration, pulling him back down onto her.

His mouth found its way back down to her, adoring her in the best possible way and coaxing her to open up even further. Elizabeth’s moans rose in pitch with her increasing passion. It only took him a few seconds to hear her cry out in release and to his great pleasure.

Continuing his ardent attentions, his hands returned to her breasts, and he squeezed and massaged them. It took another several minutes for her to lose control completely, and by that point, it was impossible to tell who was enjoying their shared passions more.