Footsteps in the hall made them spring apart. A footman perhaps? Elizabeth's heart raced as she hastily straightened her shawl while Mr. Darcy stepped back, raking his hands through his hair.
The footsteps passed, but the spell was broken. The impropriety of their situation crashed over Elizabeth like cold water.
"I should not have come," she said, pressing her fingers to her swollen lips. "This was wrong of me."
"Marry me," Mr. Darcy said suddenly.
She stared at him, certain she had misheard. "What?"
"Marry me," he repeated, moving toward her with intention. "Not as I asked before, with insults and talk of degradation. But properly, as you deserve. Marry me because I love you beyond reason, because I cannot imagine a life without you, because you have made me a better man simply by existing."
Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears. This proposal, so different from his first, spoke to everything she had come to love about him: his capacity for growth, for humility, for genuine feeling.
"Yes," she breathed, then louder, "Yes, of course yes."
He crossed to her in two strides, cupping her face carefully. "Truly?"
"Truly," she confirmed, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Though we must be circumspect. My aunt and uncle need to be told properly."
"I will speak to your father the moment we return to Longbourn," he promised. "We will do everything properly from this moment forward."
"And until then?"
"Until then, we must be careful." His thumb traced her cheekbone. "My control where you are concerned hangs by a thread."
She knew she should leave, return to her room, preserve what was left of propriety. But the ache that had tormented her all day had intensified to an almost painful degree. She had neverimagined herself one so easily ruled by desire, but she wanted him.
"Fitzwilliam," she whispered, "before I go, I must ask you something. This feeling, this wanting I have for you. Is it very wicked?"
His eyes darkened. "Not wicked. Natural. Beautiful." He pressed his forehead to hers. "It is your body recognizing what your heart knows: we belong to each other. Though on our wedding night, I promise to ease it. To show you everything this feeling can become."
Elizabeth quivered at the dark promise in his voice. "Show me something now," she whispered, then immediately blushed at her boldness. "Forgive me, I should not ask such things."
"Shhh." He kissed her softly. "There is no shame between us. But Elizabeth, I would not dishonor you."
"A kiss," she bargained. "Just one more kiss to sustain me until we can be properly wed."
He groaned but complied, kissing her deeply, his hands framing her face as if she were infinitely precious. She melted against him, the pulse in her core growing stronger. When his tongue touched hers, she made a sound she did not recognize, wanton and needy.
"Please," she whispered against his mouth, not even knowing what she was begging for. "This ache, it grows worse. I feel as if I might die from it."
"Elizabeth," he groaned, walking her backward until she was pressed against the bookshelf. "You do not know what you ask."
"Then show me," she breathed, all modesty fleeing in the face of her desperation. "We are engaged now. Surely..."
His control visibly cracked. "Just this once," he said roughly. "Just to ease your suffering. But you must be quiet."
His hand slipped beneath her nightgown, fingers tracing up her thigh with agonizing slowness. She gasped at the intimacy, at the impropriety, but her body welcomed his touch with shocking eagerness.
"Look at me," he commanded softly. "I need to see your eyes."
She met his gaze, seeing her own desperate need reflected there. When his fingers found her center, she nearly collapsed. She was wet, mortifyingly so, but he groaned as if it were a gift.
"Perfect," he breathed against her ear. "Your body knows me, Elizabeth. It knows you belong to me."
His fingers moved in slow circles, finding a spot that made her see stars. She bit her lip hard to stifle her cries, her hips moving instinctively against his hand. She could feel his arousal pressed hard against her hip, evidence of his own desperate need, and it only inflamed her more.
"There now," he encouraged. "Take what you need. Let me give you this."
