Read Online The Trouble with Mr. Darcy by Sharon Lathan - Free Book Online
Authors: Sharon Lathan
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical, Family Life, Regency, Married People, darcy, Elizabeth (Fictitious character), Bennet, Fitzwilliam (Fictitious character)
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his tongue all along the glowing beam painting her skin, traveling ever closer to her décolletage.
Lizzy was helpless to do anything but to close her eyes, melting into the hard wall and instinctively slipping both hands inside his jacket to hold onto his waist.
“This only serves to make me thirstier,” he growled, stopping before kissing the furthest edge of the beam, conveniently located precisely between her breasts. He straighten, only for a moment, before leaning into her body, pressing and pulling at the same time, and engaging her lips this time for a searing kiss. “Alexander is asleep and the house is quiet,” he continued some minutes later, “so I say we take our appetite upstairs, yes, Mrs. Darcy?”
Lizzy nodded in agreement but chose to bridge the narrow gap between their mouths and crush his hard body closer rather than take a step toward the door. Darcy chose to deepen the kiss, grind his lower body against her softness, and release a long moan of pleasure rather than taking a step toward the door.
The door which opened at that moment to admit Lady Catherine.
Her gasp was lost in the air, the click of the rapidly closed door not registering to the impassioned lovers who soon composed themselves enough to exit the room still ignorant of the interloper. They took their tryst to their chamber to be completed without any interruptions. Lady Catherine took to her bed also, smelling salts on the stand just in case!
Then there was Mr. Collins to irritate Lizzy. Or rather both of them, as Darcy abhorred him. Luckily he rarely had to encounter the obsequious little man other than at dinner upon occasion. Lizzy was not as fortunate, by her choice, since her friendship with Charlotte remained.
Yet, as time passed, her friendship with Charlotte was subtly altering. Perhaps it was a natural progression due to the distance between their current homes with visits rare and brief. But upon serious reflection Lizzy knew it was not that. While her newfound friendships with ladies such as Chloe Drury, Julia Sitwell, and Amelia Lathrop—all who lived a distance from Pemberley—flourished, her relationship with Charlotte Collins diminished. How much of that had to do with Lizzy’s distaste for Mr. Collins and her persistent disbelief that sensible, warm Charlotte could stoop to marry him or the differences in their social status Lizzy could not decide.
She felt embarrassed by the uncomfortable silences that came while they visited. It was odd to realize that they had little in common anymore. She could not share her happiness with Darcy since Charlotte would never possess half that joy in her union. They talked about household management and charity work, but in both cases their experiences and duties were vastly different. Frivolous gossip about people or events was limited, since they knew few of the same people and their perspectives were quite varied now. The safest topic was children, so that is what they shared in largest portion.
The twin Collins girls were plain in appearance, but lively creatures just a few weeks older than Alexander. He thought they were fantastic fun, the three of them running and rolling about the lawn while their mothers sipped tea and talked. At times like this, with the breeze blowing and the women relaxing under a shading tree, the years erased and they were just Lizzy and Charlotte again.
Until Mr. Collins appeared.
“Mrs. Darcy”—he bowed—“I am honored to welcome you to our humble abode. I apologize profusely for not greeting you as is proper for the master of the house, even one as quaint and modest as ours, to do. More so, I daresay, as a great lady such as you condescending to pass through our simple doors is a tremendous courtesy and should not be ignored. Of course, I mean no disrespect to our parsonage, you understand? Lady Catherine, our gracious patroness, has contributed bountifully to enhance our home and we are eternally grateful and in her debt.”
“Have
Lizzy was helpless to do anything but to close her eyes, melting into the hard wall and instinctively slipping both hands inside his jacket to hold onto his waist.
“This only serves to make me thirstier,” he growled, stopping before kissing the furthest edge of the beam, conveniently located precisely between her breasts. He straighten, only for a moment, before leaning into her body, pressing and pulling at the same time, and engaging her lips this time for a searing kiss. “Alexander is asleep and the house is quiet,” he continued some minutes later, “so I say we take our appetite upstairs, yes, Mrs. Darcy?”
Lizzy nodded in agreement but chose to bridge the narrow gap between their mouths and crush his hard body closer rather than take a step toward the door. Darcy chose to deepen the kiss, grind his lower body against her softness, and release a long moan of pleasure rather than taking a step toward the door.
The door which opened at that moment to admit Lady Catherine.
Her gasp was lost in the air, the click of the rapidly closed door not registering to the impassioned lovers who soon composed themselves enough to exit the room still ignorant of the interloper. They took their tryst to their chamber to be completed without any interruptions. Lady Catherine took to her bed also, smelling salts on the stand just in case!
Then there was Mr. Collins to irritate Lizzy. Or rather both of them, as Darcy abhorred him. Luckily he rarely had to encounter the obsequious little man other than at dinner upon occasion. Lizzy was not as fortunate, by her choice, since her friendship with Charlotte remained.
Yet, as time passed, her friendship with Charlotte was subtly altering. Perhaps it was a natural progression due to the distance between their current homes with visits rare and brief. But upon serious reflection Lizzy knew it was not that. While her newfound friendships with ladies such as Chloe Drury, Julia Sitwell, and Amelia Lathrop—all who lived a distance from Pemberley—flourished, her relationship with Charlotte Collins diminished. How much of that had to do with Lizzy’s distaste for Mr. Collins and her persistent disbelief that sensible, warm Charlotte could stoop to marry him or the differences in their social status Lizzy could not decide.
She felt embarrassed by the uncomfortable silences that came while they visited. It was odd to realize that they had little in common anymore. She could not share her happiness with Darcy since Charlotte would never possess half that joy in her union. They talked about household management and charity work, but in both cases their experiences and duties were vastly different. Frivolous gossip about people or events was limited, since they knew few of the same people and their perspectives were quite varied now. The safest topic was children, so that is what they shared in largest portion.
The twin Collins girls were plain in appearance, but lively creatures just a few weeks older than Alexander. He thought they were fantastic fun, the three of them running and rolling about the lawn while their mothers sipped tea and talked. At times like this, with the breeze blowing and the women relaxing under a shading tree, the years erased and they were just Lizzy and Charlotte again.
Until Mr. Collins appeared.
“Mrs. Darcy”—he bowed—“I am honored to welcome you to our humble abode. I apologize profusely for not greeting you as is proper for the master of the house, even one as quaint and modest as ours, to do. More so, I daresay, as a great lady such as you condescending to pass through our simple doors is a tremendous courtesy and should not be ignored. Of course, I mean no disrespect to our parsonage, you understand? Lady Catherine, our gracious patroness, has contributed bountifully to enhance our home and we are eternally grateful and in her debt.”
“Have
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