Page 35 of Wickham Likes 'Em Young
“However,” he said, “I do have some experience, although I am likely the least experienced man of my age in all of England, or perhaps in the known cosmos. Still, when I was eighteen, my father took me to what he called a House of Distinction.” His gaze intensified. “I gather you know what was meant?”
She nodded and blushed; he blushed as well.
“My father explained that every man of our class builds experience, so he will know what to do, but that he expected me to meet what he called myneedsin a place where I would not be taking a chance of becoming diseased, and I would not be fathering bastard children.”
Elizabeth flinched, and her love took her hands between his and gently rubbed them.
“I am sorry. I meant to speak plainly, but perhaps that was just too plain.”
“No, no, please continue. So you have been going to the same House of Distinction? Or many different ones?”
“Actually, dearest Elizabeth, I went to the London house exactly once, the time my father took me, and I went to such a house in Cambridge several times, but Wickham’s debauchery sickened me, and I had little ready money because I ended up using it to mitigate damage caused by his seductions….”
They were both blushing, and Elizabeth studied his eyes, seeing honesty as well as embarrassment. He gazed at her earnestly as he continued, “I have never kept a mistress, and even my experiences with paid courtesans are fewer than ten. As soon as I graduated from university, my father died, and I was thrust into the role of master of Pemberley and other assortedproperties, and of course I became my sister’s guardian. I was…very…busy.”
“Thank you for speaking so directly with me, Fitzwilliam.”
He turned to his picnic basket and took out a bottle of wine and two wrapped goblets. As they sipped their sweet wine, Elizabeth said, “I interrupted a very nice moment with my impertinent question, which remains unanswered, by the way, and I am hoping that we can resume with that activity. Build up our appetite, even.” She blushed again and said, “I hope that was not a double entendre.”
“Right now,everythingseems to me to be a double entendre. But…what was your question again? Oh! I remember. You asked how kissing you compared to ‘all’ my other kisses. But I have experienced exactly one kiss, before this one, with one paid courtesan. Believe me, kissing you seems to me to be an entirely different activity. This is not a paid transaction, basically undergone for educational purposes. This is me expressing how dearly I love you. In every way, your kiss is much more wonderful.”
She asked, “Really truly?”
“Really truly. Although…perhaps I should just check to see…”
And he kissed her again.
The picnic was everything delicious. From Darcy’s roast chicken to Elizabeth’s cold slices of beef tongue; from Darcy’s pot of crabmeat to Elizabeth’s wedge of cheddar cheese, wrapped in lettuce leaves; from Darcy’s veal pies and fresh rolls to Elizabeth’s jam puffs and apple wedges—the luncheon was enormous and tasty. Between the two of them, they finished offDarcy’s excellent red wine and never even opened Elizabeth’s ginger beer.
Best of all, they enjoyed much conversation, many kisses, and an almost unbroken two-hour-long embrace.
Later, Darcy sat in the parlour with the Bennet females, and even later than that, he played a game of chess with Elizabeth’s father. “You beat Papa?” she asked.” I have never managed such a feat! Congratulations.”
“You play chess, as well? Oh, dearest, you have managed to make the happiest man in the known cosmos even happier.”
Darcy stayed for dinner; they were both loath to part. When he finally, reluctantly said goodbye, Elizabeth gave him two letters. “One for you, and one for Georgiana,” she whispered. “Read the one for you when you miss me.”
“Thank you, my love,” he said. “I will undoubtedly read it when I reach the end of Longbourn’s drive, and then again when I reach Meryton, and then over and over again.”
“My letter can be a little pocket Lizzy that you can take out and read, when you miss me, and then put it right back away. Much less troublesome than real Lizzy!”
He chuckled. “I will choose the trouble, thank you. In all seriousness, however, I will write an express after I check the mines, but I hope to be back in ten days, a fortnight at most. Your mother knows the arrangements I have made with two modistes, and please do not forget that Derbyshire can be much, much colder than Hertfordshire.”
“Please do not forget that I love you,” she responded.
“I love you, dearest one.”
After that, words were not spoken. A long interval of shivery kisses finally ended as Darcy mounted his horse and rode to Netherfield.
CHAPTER 15
8 — 17 November 1811
Of course Elizabeth missed Darcy.
However, she was so very busy, she had little time to reflect on how much she missed him. He had somehow contrived to arrange a surprise for her every day. Big surprises. The very morning that he left for Pemberley, a very elegant carriage arrived at Longbourn, ready to take her and Mary to London to stay with the Gardiners. Her parents had been consulted, of course, and expresses exchanged between the Bennet parents and the Gardiners; upon hearing the delightful news of their unexpected journey, Mary and Elizabeth realised that Jones had already packed their clothing!
The next day’s surprise was flowers for each of the females in residence at the Gardiners’ house. Elizabeth received a dozen hothouse roses, Mrs Gardiner and Mary each received nosegays of fall blooms, and the two little Gardiner girls received floral crowns. The two young Gardiner boys each received paper crowns. The florist who brought all of the flowers bowed to Elizabeth and handed her a note, which informed her of a meeting time that day with one of the most sought-after modistes in all of London.
