An Ardent Affection by Grace Reeve

Author:Grace Reeve
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grace Reeve

CHAPTER 6

At the first knock she heard, Elizabeth hurried to the door of her bedroom, full of flushed eagerness.

She was wearing one of her afternoon dresses, but had forgone her corset.

And her stockings.

It was all very exciting.

She couldn't recall a time where she'd left her rooms wearing any less. It might have happened when she was a small child, but never since she'd been grown. Her two youngest sisters had tended to run about the second floor rooms in little to cover themselves save their shifts, but that was different than that..

Her husband was all smiles, offering her his arm as they made their way down the hall and towards the entrance.

"Are you wholly prepared for swimming, dearest Elizabeth?" he asked, the giddiness apparent in his tone. He had a blanket casually folded over his other arm, to afford them a place to sit once they arrived at the lake, she assumed.

"As prepared as I can be for swimming -- and as under prepared for receiving guests as I possibly could be. I should hope none arrive unannounced," she murmured softly, laughing at the thought.

"No visitors would make the misstep of descending on Pemberley so soon after our return," he assured her.

They chose to walk out to the lake. As it was a lovely, warm day, there was no need to bother the stable hands to bridle any horses. Her husband promised to carry her back himself if their excursion proved too exhausting for her to return to the house on her own.

Elizabeth wasn't sure what to anticipate. She knew that no actual swimming would be taking place, but she wasn't entirely certain about any additional plans her husband might have for her. She knew there would be plenty of kissing. And that he had been the one to ask her to not wear her corset beneath her gown. That did sound promising.

The walk was agreeable. Her husband pointed out various trees and paths that he enjoyed as a boy. It was lovely to learn new things about him. To imagine him as a young boy. With Wickham, she supposed, playing and doing all sorts of things boys did.

All thoughts of her unfortunate brother-in-law left her head when they arrived at the lake, however.

It was simply beautiful. More than the pond he'd waved it off as the day previous.

"Oh William…" she murmured, her hands clutched to her chest as she surveyed the waters. She could feel a gust of air ruffle her skirts as her husband spread out the blanket on the ground.

He motioned for her to sit with him, and she did, adjusting her skirts so as to better and more comfortably take in the view.

And to better and more comfortably accept the kisses her husband bestowed upon her nearly the second she'd gotten settled.

"William…" she hummed, turning towards him and leaning into his arms as he moved closer to her.

"Elizabeth, you have no idea how often my thoughts meandered to this very moment during the course of the morning," he whispered.

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