Page 122 of A Searing Acquaintance
“So is this a do-over?”
“Pardon?”
“We’re here at Netherfield at nearly the same time as last year but in such a differentplaceemotionally. Did you want to forge new memories or re-live some of the old?”
Darcy laughed quietly. “Well, I wouldn’t mind taking your shirt off on the sofa, again. Or falling asleep next to you—anywhere.” He swallowed hard and looked away toward the barn. “I wanted to come here and push away all the regrets so all our thoughts and memories will be happy. I’d like to be able to laugh at my”—he caught her expression—“ourmistakes.”
She waited for him to finish.
“I want to startyournext year, and minewithyou, in a lovely place.”
Elizabeth gave him a tender smile. “It’s perfect.”
When Elizabeth headed down the hall to the room she’d slept in the previous year, Darcy stayed her hand and steered her into a larger suite. “This is my regular room.” Her eyes lit up at the vase full of dried heather and sunflowers and the thickly cushioned window seat.
“Love, I know it’s your birthday, so I want to grant your every wish. You mentioned how you’d like to peel me, but how about I unwrapyoufirst? You’ve been twenty-five for most of a day, and we haven’t had a moment to…”
“I know!” she cried, sounding indignant. “Let’s be honest, less than twenty-four hours ago, I was a happily sated twenty-four-year-old sexual dynamo, but now I’m just a woman who is a quarter-century old, dressed like a pumpkin, and plagued by a neglected libido.”
He burst into laughter. “Oh, no pressure there, my sweet. I’ll do my best to relieve you of your pressing concerns”
Sometime later, once he had regained his wits, Darcy drew her close, kissed her cheeks and whispered silly words about birthday fairies. She curled into him and giggled, but after a few minutes of cuddling, her fingers roamed across his chest. “Never let it be said I got all stodgy when I hit twenty-five,” she whispered breathlessly.
Elizabeth watched him through half-closed eyes. “I love how you put your higher education to work, Mr. Darcy,” she said in a low, sleepy voice. He smiled lazily.
Eventually, the couple roused themselves, changed into clothes with nary a trace of orange or black, and took a tour of the first floor. Darcy, who’d been to Netherfield many times, didn’t notice anything different about the old house, but Elizabeth’s eyes swept every room. “Wow, I hadn’t noticed that bookcase before,” she exclaimed in the library. “Charles bought books! Hey, isn’t that chair from the Lexington Avenue apartment?” A walk through the kitchen and an inspection of the refrigerator drew a startled observation. “No low-fat peach yogurts? Guess Charles really did take full custody of the place!”
The final room they entered was the one most laden with memory. Elizabeth smiled at the long, familiar sofa. “Hello, old friend.” She sat down on it daintily and bounced a few times. “Yup, the old Fitzwilliam hasn’t sprung its springs! Still firmly packed and coiled.”
Darcy’s hands twitched, but he stayed still. “Is this the moment I tackle you and tickle you into submission?” he asked drolly.
She smiled at him and fluttered her eyelashes. “Resistant to my charms, are we?”
“Never.” He grinned. “But I am hungry. And perhaps a bit tapped out,” he added, looking sheepish.
“Same,” she agreed with a sigh. “We’re such old folk. But I could use some wine.”
“Ah, memories. Follow me.”
They ate hummus and crackers and homemade leek soup while the lasagna bubbled in the oven. Apparently, Darcy had given away a few secrets to Mrs. Reynolds. Elizabeth asked him about it.
“She knows only that we both weekended here with Charles and Jane and that a lasagna was burned. She’s learned no secrets from me, but she’s observant of the trails we leave behind, love.” He gazed at her with a soft expression.
“Yes, I know I’m rather messy with the crumbs and the underwear and the tea leavings.”
Darcy came around the corner of the island and leaned over, placing a tender kiss on Elizabeth’s nose, then on her cheeks, and finally on her lips. “I adore your messes. I adore all the changes you’ve brought into my life. Every one of them—everything —makes me happy. You know that, right?’
“I do.”
His eyes flared, and he nodded. He went to the oven, checking the timer and then setting his phone alarm to the same time. He’d needed to get away from her, from hearing her say those two words for the second time in a few hours. They held such power. He hadn’t felt it when Jane and Charles had exchanged vows, but hearing Elizabeth say “I do” knocked him for a loop.
“Taking no chances, I see.” She gestured at the timer.
“No. I don’t want anything ruined tonight.”
After dinner, they sat outside on the porch and watched the stars appear. “I love it here,” Elizabeth said, “but I love Pemberley even more.”
“You’ll get no argument from me.”
