The Reverend finished the benediction, laying his hands atop Darcy's and Lizzy's clasped ones, intoning in a ringing voice, “Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder! Forasmuch as Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to the other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of rings, and by joining of hands, I pronounce that they be Man and Wife together, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

The short conclusion was timely and adequate for Darcy to restore a semblance of coherency to his frayed sensibilities. The urge they felt to kiss each other was painful in intensity, but they resisted, managing to appropriately respond to Reverend Bertram's forceful declaration, “May I present, to my tremendous honor, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy.”

The day's activities were jubilant. A delicious breakfast repast was served by Mrs. Langton, surpassing all expectations. Laughter was rampant, congratulations and well wishes abounding. Merriment and frivolity reigned, augmented as additional guests began arriving as the afternoon progressed. Lizzy and Darcy stayed as close together as feasible, deluged with innumerable requests to replay the vows and display their rings. The women universally wiped teary eyes, glancing speculatively at their husbands while the gentlemen feigned ignorance. It is doubtful that Darcy sporting a band would initiate a fashion trend, but more than a few of the younger men of their acquaintance privately thought the gesture romantic. None ventured a negative word and even George found no cause to tease.

The general air of gaiety was delightful, but eventually Darcy snapped. The need for even a minute of solitude with his wife multiplied to a craving hunger until he finally grasped her elbow, politely excusing themselves from the cluster of females surrounding, and led her to his study. Leaning against the door, he pulled her into his embrace as close as possible with bulging belly intruding, cupping her face with firm palms. Lizzy fully expected him to kiss her, had closed her eyes and pursed her lips in anticipation, only to open them moments later when the blissful sensation of his mouth was not felt.

He was staring with smiling, blue-eyed Darcy intensity. “William?”

“Elizabeth Darcy. I love you.”

“And I love you, Fitzwilliam Darcy,” she replied with a chuckle. “Was it all you dreamed of, beloved? Is your heart content now that we have married in the Darcy chapel?”

“My heart is content married to you, my love. Today's ceremony fulfilled a family tradition and provided me the opportunity to again express my undying faithfulness to you, my precious wife. I am grateful for many things, but especially that you still love me in spite of my mawkishness.”

“Among your many stellar attributes that heighten my love for you, sir, your mawkishness is listed. I would not wish for you to be any other way!”

“Elizabeth, beautiful, sweet, sensual, clever Elizabeth.” He caressed over her soft neck, lips brushing imperceptibly along her jaw. “I must tell you how incredibly I love my ring. I shall wear it forever, a treasure of you. What made you think of it?”

His lips had traveled to her ear, Lizzy rapidly succumbing to the allure of him. “Hmm… I wanted to make this occasion exceptional, to surprise you. I do not actually know what made me think of it. I guess it was you planning my ring, an additional token not really necessary as I told you.” She withdrew, lifting his chin to peer into his eyes seriously. “William, you never fail to gift me with something special. You are far better at such things than me, despite your assertions to being uncreative.” She kissed him lightly. “I wanted you to have a tangible remembrance of this day. To express how profoundly moved I am by all you do for me. William, I love you so very much!”

She kissed him fiercely, Darcy pulling her closer and responding with yearning. Seconds later she broke the kiss, eyes less than an inch away as she stroked softly over his face. “The ring is symbolic of our love. Strong as metal, precious as gold, brightly shining, and without end. I know you will treasure it, but I want you to understand that if it is uncomfortable in any way, you do not need to wear it. I know it is odd. I also know you; on or off your finger you will revere what it represents and cherish it.”

Darcy was shaking his head with increasing vigor, finally halting her words with his mouth on hers. “Stop, Elizabeth! I love the ring and will wear it for all the reasons you stated. Nothing you give me in love could be uncomfortable or odd. In fact, quite the opposite. I rarely wear the Darcy signet, as you know, because the weight bothers me especially when I am working. This,"—and he held up his left hand, glittering gold band at home on his slender finger—"feels as if it belongs, as if it has always been there.”

He grasped her hand, lifting for a lingering kiss to each fingertip. Then he grinned, “See how you have altered me. I am not the faintest bit embarrassed to flaunt my emotional qualities for all to gawk.”

Lizzy laughed. “I delight in this, my lover. However, I rather like the severe, reserved man I fell in love with. Save the worst of your saccharine aspects for our intimate moments; otherwise, the boys on the play yard may torture you.”

He laughed richly. “I always could prevail over the other boys, so I have no fear.”

“Braggart,” she teased.

“Yes, this is true. Darcy of Pemberley, prideful and arrogant. And now I have you by my side to heighten my conceit. Add a perfect child to the mixture and I shall likely be uncontrollable in my vanity. Whatever shall you do with me?”

“Unleash Dr. Darcy to restore your humility through biting sarcasm. First, however, I wish to passionately kiss my handsome husband for several minutes. Contain yourself as best you can, my lover, as we do have guests to attend to.”

“I make no promises,” he mumbled with lips already occupied in pleasanter pursuits than talking.

In the end they did manage to restrain their baser impulses… barely. The partying would continue late into the night, one meal melding into the next. Most of the guests would end up dwelling at Pemberley for the night, either because they lived a distance away, such as the Drurys and Sitwells, or because the gentlemen were too intoxicated and women too exhausted to travel. Pemberley had not hosted such a lively and large gathering for months, most of their previous dinner parties modest affairs. As typical Lizzy was extroverted, seemingly everywhere at once, and in every way the perfect hostess. Also typically Darcy was reticent, even the group of only friends and family wearing at times. Nonetheless, his happiness was apparent to all, the constant smile and glittering eyes belying his aloof pose. To this crowd of folks who had known Darcy the man for years, he was downright ebullient.

In point of fact, the Darcys enjoyed themselves immensely, Lizzy so weary she needed to be carried up the final flight of stairs and long hallway.

“One of the drawbacks to a manor Pemberley's size is how far apart all the rooms are,” she muttered sleepily against her husband's neck.

Their second wedding was not consummated that night, but it did not matter overly to Darcy. After all, he had the remainder of his long life to make love to his adorable wife. And this was a mission he accepted gladly and would accomplish frequently with utter joy.

Chapter Fourteen

A Time Apart

“Damnation!” Darcy muttered, throwing the letter onto his desk and rising to pace in agitation to the window. He stood for a time staring sightlessly as thoughts whirled. Finally with a heavy sigh he turned and exited the room. Seeking the nearest footman, he was informed that his wife, as suspected despite the dreary weather, was in the garden.

It was a week after their renewal ceremony, the guests all returned to their homes except for Dr. Darcy and Col. Fitzwilliam. The two bachelors were currently riding, Darcy assumed, since they had asked him to join their excursion. Unfortunately a recently delivered pile of letters from Mr. Daniels was consuming all his time. Furthermore, the news from London would require an additional sacrifice that threatened to send him into a serious irritation, hence why he sought his lovely bride. Always her presence soothed him, but primarily it was to discuss the business at hand.

He smiled instantly at the sight of her dressed in a thick coat and old boots, wide brimmed bonnet shading her delicate skin, and bulging belly not inhibiting her from kneeling in the dirt and digging vigorously. She wore gloves as she planted the row of bulbs, but the smudges of dirt on her cheeks and neck illustrated her lack of concern for delicacy at the cost of fun. Darcy adored her lack of pretension as one of the hundreds of attributes that set her apart from all other women.

She glanced up at the sound of gravel crunching, lighting up immediately, and sitting back on her heels. “William! What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see your lovely face.”

Lizzy laughed, brushing at the stray wisps of hair tickling her eyes before removing the filthy gloves. “I rather doubt it lovely at the moment, but thank you. Since you are here I shall request your assistance rising.”

He gladly clasped the hands offered, pulling her up and leaning for a kiss. She withdrew slightly, halting him with a chuckle. “Kiss me and you will likely get dirt on your face.”

“A little dirt never hurt anyone.”

Several minutes later she was laughing again as she wiped his soiled nose and brushed over the specks on his jacket. “I did warn you.”

“Sit, my dear. Aside from your delightful kisses, I do need to talk to you.” Lizzy noted the tone of seriousness, turning to him the moment they assumed seats on the marble bench. Darcy clasped her hands, meeting her eyes with a faint, forced smile. “You know I received missives from Mr. Daniels.” She nodded. “It is as I feared. I must travel to Town to attend to business matters. You know I hoped to avoid this, but never actually thought I would succeed. Perhaps in time I will manage to conclude all business issues from the distance of Pemberley, but not yet. For too many years I conducted a large quantity of my affairs from the city.” He paused, softly stroking her pale cheeks. “I am rambling to divert the moment when I must face your tears and control my own. Elizabeth, I am so very sorry!”

She swallowed. “Hush, William. We knew this was a distinct possibility. You cannot ignore your responsibilities. When…” her voice caught, “when will you leave?”

“Tomorrow, early. The sooner I depart, the sooner I will be home. I dare not wait any longer for fear our baby comes early. As it is I am taking a chance and it kills me to imagine that I…” He stopped, voice also catching. He closed his eyes, pulling her dusty forehead to rest on his. “Oh God, Elizabeth! Tell me all will be well, please.”

“All will be well, my love,” she whispered. “George is here, Georgiana and Richard too. I am healthy and your stubborn son shows no indication that he wishes to vacate his warm cocoon anytime soon. He appears to enjoy pummeling my internal organs. Besides, if his manners are anything remotely akin to his father's, he will diligently wait until you return.”