Mid spring, Fitzwilliam took Elizabeth with him to town. They first paid call to Netherfield, where Jane and Mr. Bingley greeted them. Jane let go of her husband’s hand as Elizabeth alighted, and the two sisters hugged as though years instead of months had passed since they’d seen each other last.
Elizabeth, as always, wore the necklace her husband had given her that night. She wore it so often, the weight and meaning of it had become a part of her. A beloved part, like the heavy sting of her husband’s palm on her rear and inner thighs.
Not wishing to leave marks that would be difficult to explain, Fitzwilliam had bound Elizabeth neither with rope or linen the past week, instead enacting more creative ways to exert control over her that they both craved.
“Lizzy, you must tell me everything,” Jane insisted, taking her sister’s hand and leading her ahead of the men into the estate.
Elizabeth smiled, her cheeks heating slightly as she realized she might not share ‘everything’ as she and Jane had their entire lives.
“First, you must show me how you have changed the drawing room. You wrote me, and with such detail, but...”
Jane smiled, the sweet, a slow smile that so often held secrets and they chattered together like young girls as Elizabeth learned all the changes Jane had made to estate.
That evening, two hours before dinner, Elizabeth and Jane sat together on a long, gold-yellow sofa in the drawing room. A pianoforte sat by the window, and to Elizabeth’s right, paired leather armchairs flanked a fireside hearth.
The rays of the setting sun through the tall windows glinted on gold leaf in the wood furniture. The floor was parquet, the walls draped with tapestries. A banked fire glowed in the fireplace, and the woody scent mingled with a hint of rosewater.
Jane placed her teacup on the table and, brows furrowed, leaned forward to peer at Elizabeth’s necklace. “Did Mr. Darcy give you this?” She squinted. “It is... unusual.”
Elizabeth’s cheeks warmed as she raised her fingers to touch the largest jadeite pendant. “Yes,” she said.
“Are those vines around her arms?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“I...” Jane shook her head. “I suppose it has some meaning to his family.”
“It does to us,” Elizabeth said.
“She looks so content,” Jane murmured. “I—” She pressed her lips together, running her tongue between them. Shifting on the chair, she leaned closer to Elizabeth and whispered, “Have you... with Mr. Darcy?”
Elizabeth gasped.
“I only—” Jane laughed, a forced sound that made Elizabeth realize, to her horror, that her sister might think her reaction was one of disapprobation.
Elizabeth took her sister’s hand. “Jane, it is wonderful.”
Jane swallowed. “Charles. I found some paintings amongst his papers. They were... interesting.”
“You must ask him. Or better, show him.”
Jane averted her gaze as she clasped and unclasped her hands. “I suppose, and I admit, I like the idea of having him... well...” She sighed. “But I do not wish to hurt him, and I am not certain how to safely tie the knots.”
Thank You for Reading!
I hope you enjoyed this spicy adventure with ODC! I really enjoyed writing it and sharing it with you.
All the best,
Rose