Pemberley by Moonlight by Stephen Ord

Author:Stephen Ord [Ord, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quills & Quartos Publishing
Published: 2021-09-07T04:00:00+00:00

Elizabeth strode under the moonlit sky towards the rose garden, holding in her hand several pages filled with all she and Georgiana had learnt that afternoon. The misty barrier fought back against her so fiercely, and with such oppressive cold upon contact, that she thought she ought to have been frostbitten by the time she made it through. That was not the most disturbing part, however. On this occasion, the mist was using every trick it could to repel her, and she was quickly overcome with a vision.

She sat in a darkened room that she did not recognise and was quickly horrified by the entrance of Mr Collins, her cousin and heir to Longbourn who, last autumn, had proposed marriage to her. She had refused him and he had continued on to insult her; it alarmed her to see him again.

Under his nightshirt, his body shared the texture and shape of melted butter, and the rolls of fat on him bucked and rolled with each step as he proceeded towards her. “Ah, Elizabeth, at last you are my wife. We can do anything we wish now!” Mr Collins chuckled and grinned. “Rather, I can do as I want with you.” He kept approaching; the odour of stale sweat made Elizabeth gag and cringe in on herself.

“No, I refused you. This cannot be real!”

The smell grew more oppressive as Mr Collins neared, and the feeling of his oily hand tracing her arm caused her to shudder. “How I am going to enjoy this!” Mr Collins’s body, even covered by his nightshirt, showed him to be in a state of some excitement, and Elizabeth was beset with waves of nausea. Still, Mr Collins did not pause.

With a massive effort of will, Elizabeth lashed out mentally. “No! You are not here! I am at Pemberley with Mr Darcy!”

A pulse of warmth moved through her, giving her the strength to move forward a little through the hostile mist as the vision lost its grip on her mind and slipped away. Elizabeth had never been more relieved in her life.

Elizabeth felt as though she had lived a lifetime since coming to Pemberley, and she knew with certainty where her whole-hearted affections lay. With renewed resolve, she formed her love into a tight little ball, centred on her heart, before forcing it out beyond her petite frame. The terrorising fog still hurt her, still lashed out and resisted, but she continued pushing her feelings towards it and took another step.

After a seemingly endless struggle, Elizabeth fell out of the mist, landing at Darcy’s feet. Looking down groggily, she saw the mark on her arm was glowing an angry red.

“Is it really you?” The deep voice came in a rough whisper, and she wondered what visions had tormented him already tonight that he needed to speak so.

“It is,” she said, smiling up at him. His marble eyes warmed, and she felt—was it love?—emanating from them. “I brought with me all that Georgiana and I—”

“A moment first, if I may?”

“Of course.

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