Darcy kept near Lizzy, attempting to secure a hand or arm; however, she was forever slithering away from his side to investigate a plant or colorful stone along the way. The trail to the cave and small cavern was only some quarter mile in length, easy for Lizzy and the girls. Caroline, in contrast, considered walking over anything coarser than cobblestones or longer than the distance between one shop and the next an utterly foolhardy undertaking. Yet, she had tagged along and was not grousing, at least not too inordinately!

Derbyshire boasted a number of truly astounding caverns, renowned throughout England and visited and explored by peoples from far away. Noted primarily were the Creswell Crags and Poole's Cavern, among others, but none of the famous or amazing caves were located on Pemberley lands. This modest subterranean grotto present at the base of a craggy hill amid the forest featured no glittering stalactites or bizarre formations.

The wood opened abruptly into a vague clearing with slender trees and shrubs interspersed amongst fallen stones. The cave entrance was approximately eight feet high and a rough triangle shape, with uneven edges of grey rock framing the yawning mouth chiseled into the face of the enormous stone cliff. They paused, gazing with vastly differing impressions, as Darcy explained that the morning sun illuminated the stony façade, rendering the grey limestone nearly white and piercing the shadows inside the cave. Now, in late afternoon, the gaping chasm was black as night.

Caroline immediately sat onto a flat rock at the edge of the clearing, rubbing her aching feet, and ignoring the cave. Georgiana paled at her first glance into the inky hole, instinctively stepping backwards and into the chest of her cousin Richard. He embraced her with a gentle pat and low chuckle. “Fear not, little mouse, you do not need to enter in.” Georgiana visibly sagged into his arms with relief. Lizzy and Kitty slowed their pace but approached with awe and curiosity.

Darcy grabbed Lizzy's elbow. “Wait, love. Let us investigate first. In the past the cave has been safe and vacant, but we must be certain.” He bent to light the Argand oil lamp he had brought along, Richard lighting his as well. The men disappeared into the black entrance, descending a short distance with the sporadic flash of their lamps visible as they moved about. It was only minutes until Darcy reappeared, beckoning to Lizzy and Kitty.

“Take my hand, Elizabeth, it is rocky here.” He assisted her down the initial incline, lifting her bodily twice over the fallen boulders and calcified formations clogging the immediate entryway. Some five feet into the cave the floor flattened into a relatively level expanse of solid rock with patches of sandy dirt. The cave was irregular, approximately sixty feet at the widest, the asymmetrical ceiling ten to twelve feet at the most, and several narrow cracks and side passages fractured the walls. Richard stood with both lamps in his hands, casting wavering illumination about the room.

Darcy turned to help Kitty while Lizzy investigated. The cave itself was fairly unremarkable. The rock was the same grey limestone with grains of sparkling granite, smooth in places but mostly naturally rough. Lizzy was surprised at how cool it was inside the cavern, the rock almost cold to touch and slightly moist in spots with blotches of phosphorescent moss.

“Minute cracks allow water to seep through,” Darcy spoke into her ear, startling her, “rendering the stone slick and very cold. It is too dim for vegetation to grow but certain mosses do not require light and, as you see, tend to glow.” His arm was around her waist, pulling her slightly into his chest while he traced the ribbons of faint green with a finger. He planted several soft kisses by her ear, murmuring, “Are you afraid at all?”

She looked at him in surprise, his eyes black in the shadows. “Afraid? Why would I be afraid?”

He chuckled. “No offense intended, my brave love, it is just that some, Georgiana for instance, become unhinged at the closed atmosphere and sensation of vast weight surrounding them. I have always rather appreciated the damp air and tranquility that pervades.”

“How far have you explored the passageways?”

“They do not extend any great distance and are all very narrow. Only one would allow my bulk to pass now. Even you, my svelte darling, would be hard pressed to wiggle through the others. I warned you it was not a particularly exciting example.” They walked around the perimeter, Kitty and Richard meandering as well. “Nonetheless, as a boy it was an adventurous place and an opportune location to cool off on a hot summer day. Ah, here is the widest passage. Take my hand, love.” He lifted the lamp and turned sideways, crouching a bit in order to squeeze through the constricted corridor. Lizzy managed easily, but thankfully the journey was only a few feet as Darcy was decidedly struggling.

The second chamber was some twenty feet in a vague triangle, the ceiling brushing the top of Darcy's head. At first glance, this room, as the previous, appeared unremarkable. Then Darcy led his wife to the far wall and shone his light upon a smoothly polished, flat expanse of rock.

“Look closely,” he said, pointing with one long finger. Etched into the wall were several names: Richard Fitzwilliam, Gerald Vernor, Albert Hughes, George Wickham, Anne de Bourgh, and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Lizzy touched the names, smiling. Darcy then indicated another group of carved names: James Darcy, George Darcy, Alex Darcy, and Estella Darcy. On and on it went about the room, names extending back for generations.

“It is an initiation of sorts,” he explained. “A Darcy tradition. Not just anyone could carve his or her name here. For instance, Georgiana's name is not listed. One had to camp here for the night. I was eleven the year we first stayed. Anne was visiting, although I have no doubt Lady Catherine would still attempt to thrash us all if she knew Anne had camped in a cave!” He laughed. “She was only ten and very brave. It is actually quite cozy. Here is the fire ring.” He knelt before a niche cut into the stone; charred pieces of old wood a reminder of past adventures. “There is a natural flue here so the room remains smoke free. We, like countless other children before, would bring blankets and food, tell scary stories until late into the night when sheer exhaustion overcame the fear or will to welcome the dawn.” He stood, laughing in memory. “Richard was always the best storyteller. I can be dramatic but I have little spontaneous imagination. Shocking, I know.”

Lizzy slipped her arms around his neck. “I love when you talk of your boyhood. I imagine our sons, and probably daughters as well, playing here and at the lake and all the other marvelous places our home has to offer. They are very fortunate, in a myriad of ways.”

Darcy bent to kiss her cool lips, warming her with his breath. “I am fortunate, as I will have a ready excuse to act the foolish child while showing them all these places.” Lizzy chuckled, nodding at the vision as Darcy claimed her mouth for a deep kiss. His hand stroked her belly, their child apparently unimpressed as he slept on.

“Are we finished with the exploration then, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy?” Richard's voice drifted from the entrance to the chamber, Kitty's giggle echoing eerily.

Lizzy was drifting into a hazy doze against her spouse's shoulder by the time they pulled up to Pemberley's main entrance. Servants quickly approached, Darcy tossing the reins to a groom as he jumped to the ground, pivoting to assist his wife down. The women retreated to their chambers to freshen up while the men headed toward the refreshment of the liquor cabinet. Darcy escorted his weary love to their chambers, laying her onto the bed and kneeling to remove her slippers and stockings. Lizzy yawned with a deep moan, eyes sliding closed instantly.

“Forgive me dearest,” she whispered, “I am not sure what has come over me.”

“You need your rest, Elizabeth. The baby demands it. Are you hungry?”

“A little, but more tired. Would you be a dear and bring me a glass of water?”

“Of course,” he said, already rising. He returned in seconds, aiding her to sit then caressing her hand as she drank. “Do you wish for me to stay with you?”

She shook her head, handing him the empty glass and laying back down. “It is not necessary, beloved. Go have fun with the boys. Kiss me first, though, and do not forget to wake me in time to prepare for dinner.” He complied, drawing the coverlet over her and waiting until she was asleep, which was within minutes.

He returned two hours later, the chamber cast in early evening shadows, and his wife yet soundly asleep. He watched her for a spell, never tiring of simply observing her. She slept with parted lips and one hand resting on her growing womb. Darcy bent and gently spread one broad hand over hers, feeling the lazy undulations of their child. With a smile of profound contentment, he sat carefully onto the edge of the bed, reaching to sweep several loose tresses away from her eyes. The baby continued to roll about leisurely under his warm palm as Darcy leaned to brush his lips over Lizzy's brow. She stirred slightly, sighed, but remained asleep. Bestowing faint kisses across her brow to temple then to her ear, he whispered her name.

Turning instinctively toward him, she sighed again. “Fitzwilliam,” she murmured softly as she sought his mouth. He happily reciprocated, kissing with gentle pressure initially, following her lead as she encompassed his neck and heightened the focus to his lips. Withdrawing after a blissful time, their eyes met, Lizzy now fully awake and well rested. “I love you, Mr. Darcy.”

“I adore you and love you and yearn for you, Mrs. Darcy.” He kissed her nose, pulling further away. “Marguerite is drawing a bath for you, beloved. Dinner is in an hour and a half. Do you feel well?”

“I am divine. Will you join me in my bath, William? I need someone to scrub my back.”

“I suppose I could be persuaded. I would not wish my lovely wife's back to remain unwashed.”

Fifteen minutes later he knocked upon her door, entering as she bid. Lizzy reclined in the water-filled tub, bubbles hiding some of her but not all. Darcy smiled instantly, eyes drinking in the sight. “Thank you, Marguerite, you may go. Mr. Darcy shall assist me further.”

Marguerite bobbed and departed, Darcy's gaze not once leaving his wife. As his robe hastily fell to the floor, he swiftly entered the warm water and nestled Lizzy against his chest. He kissed along her neck, hands roaming freely over her front side. “We must install a larger tub at Darcy House,” he declared huskily. “I so adore bathing with you, Elizabeth.”

Lizzy wiggled over his lap. “Yes, I can deduce as much!”

“Minx! You invited me, remember.”

“I merely wanted my back washed, husband.”

“Your back shall be cleansed by rubbing deliciously over my chest as we love to euphoric completion.”

He soaped his hands as he spoke, resonant voice sending shivers down her spine, then applied lubricated palms and fingers to her lush breasts. He caressed her, licking her ear and nibbling her neck all the while. Lizzy sighed happily and applied stimulating caresses of her own. Darcy groaned, vibrations saturating through her torso and giving her shivers.

Moaning and moving in rhythm, they stimulated leisurely. Warm water surrounded the intimate areas of their bodies, driving them mad and profoundly escalating the sensations. Darcy could barely think. He caressed incessantly, arousing her incredibly, but was hardly aware of his actions so agitated was his own excitement. Lizzy was curved into his torso, arms thrown backward to clutch his shoulders as she frenetically loved him.