A Wife for Mr. Darcy

all, she wanted to get off her feet. Will took her by the hand and led her up the stairs to the terrace, so that she might watch the dancing while sitting down on a bench.
    Georgiana followed them up the stairs to let them know that Mary and she were perfectly capable of seeing to the guests. There was genuine excitement in her voice because she loved a country dance, and tomorrow, she would turn her attention to the start of her second season, which would begin in three weeks’ time. She was eager to be in town to see the latest fashions, and while Lizzy and Georgie shopped, Darcy would see to his business affairs. George Bingley was greatly increasing his wealth, for which he was grateful, but the man had more meetings than Parliament.
    “Will, I was very surprised to see Lady Margaret and Mrs. Konig in the same carriage. I am happy for Mrs. Konig, but I confess that I do not understand.”
    “That was much more than a carriage ride. It is the dowager countess’s way of acknowledging Mrs. Konig and the relationship she has with her son. Simply put, Mrs. Konig may now move in society with Antony, and it is no longer necessary for her to pretend to be the girls’ governess. The countess has a lot of influence among the ladies of the ton , and all will understand what has been done. I know you would wish that they could be married, but under the circumstances, this is the best one can hope for. You only have to look at Antony to know that he is happy with the arrangement.”
    “Yes, I must accept what cannot be changed, and on such a night, I shall think only happy thoughts.”
    “Well, Elizabeth, now that you have had your wedding breakfast, are you happy?”
    “As you well know, I was happy before this day, but our wedding breakfast is a little different from others, is it not? I do not imagine that many brides are with child on such a day.”
    “Oh, I don’t know. Just think about Ellie Timlin, a name I shall never forget. I was in the study at Netherfield Park, greatly enjoying myself while kissing you, when you mentioned her name, and that was the end of that.”
    “Yes, I remember, and we were very fortunate that we were not discovered,” she said, rising. “Please stay as long as you like, but I am for bed,” and she kissed him good night.
    “Shall I send for Ellie?”
    “No. I promised the servants that once the torches were lit that they could have the rest of the evening to themselves. They have all been working since before dawn.”
    “Then may I assist you? I still know how to pull pins out of your hair.”
    “You used to take my pins out twice a day.”
    “Yes, but I am a considerate husband, and as noted, you are with child.”
    Lizzy knew that Will would come to bed with her and would offer to rub her back or legs or whatever was asked for, and then the touches would become gentler and go in other directions, and the night would end exactly as he had hoped.
    As they climbed the stairs, Will promised never to be parted from her even when she was old, gray, and toothless.
    “Thank you for that, kind sir,” she said. “But, truly, it is the days between the beginning and the end of our shared lives that will determine our legacy, but we have had made a good beginning.”
    “It is much more than a good beginning. I believe we have something very special—like Romeo and Juliet, Guinevere and Lancelot, Troilus and Cressida.”
    “None of those turned out very well,” she said, laughing.
    “But our love is different, and some talented author…”
    “Authoress.”
    “Some talented authoress will write a novel about the world’s greatest love story, that of Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley and Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn.”
    “I like that idea, Mr. Darcy, a love story for the ages.”
    Taking her husband by the hand, she brought him into her bedchamber and, after kissing him, whispered to him that she was in need of his assistance.
    “For pin removal?” he asked hopefully.
    “Yes, Mr. Darcy, for pin removal.”

Mary Lydon Simonsen, the author of Searching for Pemberley , The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy , Anne Elliot , A New Beginning , and The Second Date , Love Italian-American Style , has combined her love of history and the novels of Jane Austen in her third story inspired by Pride and Prejudice . The author lives in Arizona.