Summer at
Pemberley
a Jane Austen fan fiction
by Lucy
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A Place of
Safe Respite
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Darcy drew open the curtain and let the half-moon's light
permeate the room. Its silvery hue reached into the deep recesses of the candlelight's
shadow and each light reflected off the crisp white linens where Elizabeth lay,
giving to the bedchamber an air of resolute intimacy. Silently he came to the
bed, sat down and indulged in the sight of Elizabeth in repose: her eyes
closed, her hair free from manipulation and spread upon the pillow, her gown
gossamer, her bosom rising and falling in a peaceful, even tempo. The first
time he had seen her thus he thought her perfection and he had laid awake
watching how her lips slightly parted in her sleep and how every hint of her
waking playful impertinence gave way to a kind of ethereal softness. Now she
might be with child she seemed to him somehow lovelier still. He let his gaze
wander from her face down her body until it came to rest upon her abdomen.
Lifting his hand he placed it gently thereupon and spread his fingers wide as
though to detect some new tautness or increase that might verify his child was
within, as though to bestow protection upon the same.
Thus captivated he did not see Elizabeth open her eyes. She
watched him in silence. In the silvery light she could see the corners of his
mouth slightly, hesitatingly lifted, as though not wishing to believe, but
hoping to know. She had never seen upon his mien such an expression of soft innocence.
It was incongruent with the strong and vigorous figure so barely covered before
her. As she surreptitiously watched him that wondrous desire to touch him and
to be touched by him that still, after so many months, surprised her for its
intensity, spread through her with the efficacy of a well-fed flame. She placed
her hand atop his, where it still moved gingerly upon her abdomen, and she saw
his small hesitant smile grown into that full and beautiful expression of
contentment he so rarely allowed the world to see, but which, in the privacy of
their rooms, was given to her freely and consistently.
"I ought to have waited until I was completely
sure," she said quietly. "I see such tender anticipation in you and I
would not wish you to suffer a disappointment if it is not to be."
Darcy lifted his eyes to her own. Looking into those orbs,
black as coal and of infinite depth, Elizabeth felt as though his entire soul
was given over to her care, and the beauty of what she saw left her rapt.
"Whatever it should be, I am grateful for your
impatience, Elizabeth. I wish to share with you this anticipation and
hope." Elizabeth found she could only smile at his words. "In any
case," he continued, "I have no doubts that our wish has been granted."
"No doubts? I believe, my love, this is one situation
which you cannot command," she replied playfully.
Laughing softly, Darcy removed from his sitting position
and lay himself at her side. Resting upon his elbow, he lifted his hand and traced
the contours of her face with his fingertips, letting them linger upon the
softness of her lips. "You misapprehend my meaning. I am not so conceited
as to believe I could command such a blessing, but I can observe. Is it not
said that when a woman is with child she grows more lovely, that with the life
she carries she glows with added beauty? Then it must be as we wish, for at
this moment you are more beautiful than I have ever seen you."
Elizabeth colored as deeply as if it were the first time
she had heard such words and in such intimacy. Taking his hand into her own she
insisted delicately: "We must not allow ourselves to be so confident. It
may yet not be." He made no response, but continued to gaze upon her face
with the captivated and warm expression that never failed to stir her senses.
"Fitzwilliam," whispered she.
Hearing his name in that delicious purr that was so
uniquely hers, he felt a slow moving wave of desire. Tenderly he brought her
into his arms, brought his lips close to her own and spoke softly.
"Elizabeth, my precious. Do you not sometimes find words absolutely
inadequate?" She quietly nodded her head in agreement. "If I were a
poet I could perhaps compose a pretty verse to tell you all that is in my
heart. But in truth, it is better that I am not. For I cannot love you as a
poet would, with the forlorn passivity of the mind; I can only love you as a
man, with the entirety of my soul and with all the passions of my body."
Yet some few words did come, treading lightly as a midnight
wanderer, and with each word his voice grew softer and deeper; their lips
caressed as they spoke and their breaths united; their eyes fell shut and they
could feel desire wrapping around them like a blanket in winter.
"You understand me."
"I do."
"Let me lay myself bare before you then, let me show
you all that you are to me, all that I feel."
"Show me, Fitzwilliam, yes, that I might do the
same."
"Elizabeth, my own, dearest Elizabeth."
Their lips came together and he drew her tightly against
his body taking heartily of her mouth and they sighed and trembled with
unguarded delight; feeling her soft and warm and welcoming he sank into her
embrace finding within it again the sanctuary he had not known he required
until the first time he had been in the generous custody of her arms. Making
love with patient and liberal devotion, they did not perceive the coming of
dawn and as they fell into a deep sleep it would be perhaps futile to question
whose heart kept the greater share of pleasure: Darcy's for the gratifying
weight of his wife's head upon his shoulder, or hers for such a place of safe
respite.
In such peaceful slumber they rested, but it was not to be
long enjoyed. Heavy pounding at Darcy's dressing room door abruptly awakened
them not long after they had fallen into sleep.
"What the devil?" Darcy cursed groggily. "I
shall return momentarily," he whispered to Elizabeth as he rose from the
bed, wrapped his robe about himself and exited into his dressing room.
Elizabeth could hear only the murmuring of Darcy's voice
and that of his valet, as well as some ill defined shuffling sounds. Presently,
Darcy returned to the bedchamber fully if hastily clothed, his gray coat
indicating that he intended on going out of doors.
"Fitzwilliam, whatever has occurred?"
"An estate matter of some urgency has arisen,
Elizabeth. Do not concern yourself, all is in hand and will be well, but I must
see to this." With a hurried kiss upon her forehead she was witness to the
flow of his gray coat as he walked briskly and purposefully out of their
chambers.
Unable to sleep, Elizabeth rose and dressed at first light.
She could not find that the servants knew any more than she. "The master's
men came in a veritable rush, madam, and left the house with Mr. Darcy as
quickly as they entered. I do not know to where they went," Mrs. Reynolds
had explained.
"And there is no fire on the grounds or at one of the
cottages?"
"Not that I am aware of, Mrs. Darcy."
"Thank you, Mrs. Reynolds. Should you learn something
before Mr. Darcy returns advise me immediately."
"Yes madam, immediately."
With no information to be had, Elizabeth went to the
breakfast room where soon the party of guests began to gather together at
table. Schemes for the forthcoming day were discussed and as Mrs. Thorney,
always the last to join the table, took her seat, Darcy's absence became a
topic of curiosity.
"Mrs. Darcy," Mr. Ashton inquired, "Will not
your husband be joining us this morning?"
"It is unlikely, Mr. Ashton. He was called quite early
this morning on some estate business."
"Was it very early?" Thorney inquired.
"Yes, I am afraid so."
"That does not bode well. It is never anything good
when the master is awakened from his slumber. I hope it is nothing too serious,"
he added.
"Let us hope," Elizabeth responded calmly. But
with Jane she rapidly shared an expression of uneasiness, as there remained no
word from Darcy or any of his men.
Not thirty minutes later, however, Darcy himself came into
the breakfast room, unshaven, his attire not entirely in its usual impeccable
state and with a look of such absolute fury upon his face as to leave the table
fixed in astonishment. Bingley began to inquire what was the matter, but Darcy
waved his hand authoritatively and silenced Bingley before he could say much
beyond Darcy's name. With measured words Darcy gave a perfunctory good morning
to the room and apologized for his absence. The requisite civility satisfied,
he turned to Chiltern. "Lord Chiltern, I must see you in the library."
Seemingly unmoved by Darcy's demeanor, Chiltern took a sip
of his coffee before responding. "Now, Darcy? I have not yet finished my
breakfast, surely it can wait."
In a voice bristling with barely contained anger, he
replied: "It most certainly cannot wait, Chiltern. I will see you in the
library immediately!" With that he turned on his heel, exiting the room as
swiftly as he had entered.
After Darcy's less than common display of temper the table
incredulously watched Chiltern jab his fork into his eggs with no evident
design to follow Darcy. The room remained silent until Sir Patrick cleared his
throat suggestively, at which sound Chiltern raised his eyes from his plate and
noted the degree of curiosity his diligent consumption of eggs inspired. With
an impatient sigh, Chiltern dropped his fork and the clatter of silver on china
echoed through the silenced room. "I suppose I ought to see what Darcy
requires," he remarked. Standing, he threw his linen napkin on the table
and departed, leaving an astonished room in his wake. In Elizabeth's presence
no one could discuss the only thing they wished: what could Lord Chiltern
possibly have done to provoke the always collected and restrained Mr.
Fitzwilliam Darcy into such an unprecedented state of undisguised ire?
As Chiltern walked down the hallway toward the library his
only thought was how he might best ameliorate Darcy's mood. Any thought of such
success was quickly discarded, however, when he entered the library. Chiltern
opened the door, closing it silently behind himself and observed Darcy for a
moment before speaking. Darcy was standing with his back to the door, erect as
a tree, hands clenched behind his back, evidently staring unswervingly at the
clock that sat upon the mantel. He looked, Chiltern observed, rather
forbidding.
"Here I am at your service, Darcy," he said
casually. "What could not wait until I finished my breakfast, which I
might add, I was finding quite delicious. You have such an accomplished
staff."
Darcy turned around and Chiltern suspected that he had
never seen a face set in such implacable severity. He was struck again by
Darcy's physical presence and this, in conjunction with his demeanor, made
Chiltern feel rather inadequate, which only served to inspire Chiltern's defiance.
When Darcy spoke his voice was even, calm and obdurate.
"You are to leave Pemberley immediately. Collect your things and depart.
Your carriage is being readied as we speak and servants are in your room
awaiting your direction."
"Where is this coming from Darcy?" Chiltern cried
in real surprise. "Why just last evening we gentlemen had a fine round of
cards and were enjoying ourselves prodigiously."
"Just as I had anticipated you have proven yourself
unworthy of your father's good name." Antipathy was manifest in Darcy's
every feature.
"What nonsense is this? I paid my gambling
loses," he continued mordantly. "I incurred no debts of honor at your
table."
"Do not dare make light of this!" Darcy snapped.
"Darcy, you have me at quite a loss," Chiltern
responded in real bafflement, although no less sarcastically. "I have been
at my most correct and modest behavior since you last scolded me, you cannot
fault me there."
"Do not try my patience. You will not pretend
ignorance."
"If you are to dismiss me from your house do I not
deserve some explanation?"
"This morning my men prevented three very well armed
intruders from entering Pemberley House."
"Thieves? What has that to do with me?" demanded
Chiltern.
"Everything, apparently."
"Come Darcy, if I have overstayed my welcome be a man
and only say so forthrightly, but do not blame me for common thieves."
"What do you know about being a man?" Darcy
scoffed dismissively.
"Enough to not blame common thievery on one of my
guests and a family connection of long standing at that!"
"You have trespassed on the association of our
families long enough!" Darcy retorted angrily. "What is more, they
are not common thieves." Pausing for a moment, Darcy continued in a flat
voice. "You may be interested to know that they are foreigners."
"Foreigners?" Chiltern quizzed, suddenly aroused.
"I believe you are acquainted with them. Or so they
have claimed."
"You have spoken with them?"
"I have."
Darcy had not moved from his position in front of the mantel,
he remained still, his hands clasped behind his back, the only movement the
rising and falling of his chest and his eyes as they watched Chiltern's now
nervous pacing about the room.
"And what have they charged me with?" Chiltern
inquired defiantly. "Will I not be given the courtesy of such
information?"
"You deserve no courtesies from me. Nevertheless I
will oblige you: you have something they want, indeed which they claim as their
own, and they have been tracking you across England for weeks. But I am
confident none of this is fresh intelligence to you."
Chiltern began demanding knowledge of the intruders'
whereabouts and details of their conversation, but Darcy quickly silenced him.
"How dare you make any demands of me?" he said in a voice as cold and
unbending as any Chiltern had ever heard. "You enjoy crafting tales that
extol your own manliness, and yet you know nothing of it; you have no
comprehension what it is to be a man of honor. You have willfully abused your
family's honor and reputation, you have sunk so low as to place your own
amusement and safety above that of your hostess, you have knowingly broken your
word, nay, what is worse still, offered it fraudulently."
"Darcy!" Chiltern interjected in his own defense.
"You must believe me. I never intended to stay this long. I did not wish
to abuse your hospitality or trust."
"You did not wish to but did not hesitate in doing so!
I am not inclined to listen to your excuses. You were fully cognizant that well
armed and dangerous men were searching you out and yet you had the ignominious
temerity to put my wife and my sister in peril." His voice having risen in
anger throughout this explication, Darcy paused to collect himself, before
lowering his voice and adding without disguising his disgust: "You are
contemptible."
"Were they very well armed?" was Chiltern's
feeble response.
"Yes. Fortunately my men displayed more sagacity than
your pursuers, although that did not prevent one of my men from being injured
in the furor." Impatiently, he added, "I have had enough of this,
Chiltern. You are to leave immediately and you will not be welcomed to
Pemberley again."
"I suppose you shall recommend to your uncle similar
banishment," he replied, a little too sarcastically for Darcy's liking.
"I would never presume to speak in my uncle's name,
but he will certainly be informed of the manner in which you have abused both
your father's good name and my good faith, all the while knowingly placing my
family and my household at risk. Now, get out of my sight!" The last words
were verily spit out of Darcy's mouth in utter abhorrence.
Chiltern gave Darcy's impenetrable mien one long parting
look before leaving the library in silence. He was a little surprised at his own
reaction to the situation; he was, ashamed. When he had reached Derbyshire and
needed to find a place where he knew he would be welcomed without question, he
had thought first of Darcy. Darcy had not failed him and had proven himself the
loyal and discreet man he had always been, even as a youth. An unfamiliar sense
of shame, in no small measure inspired by his admiration for Mrs. Darcy,
threatened to overwhelm him. He had known that dangerous, avaricious men were
tracking him and yet he had remained, without heed for any consequence but his
own pleasure.
Chiltern entered his room, walked to the foot of the bed
and stared at the large trunk that had sat there unopened since his arrival. He
felt he must attempt to make amends, or at least explain himself, before
departing; to be worthy, for a moment, of the heritage and name he had long
dismissed as useless and tiresome and yet, which had been just what had assured
him that Darcy would provide the place of respite he had required. Chiltern
quickly gave the servants instructions for packing his personal effects and
then returned to the library. He heard voices within but knocked regardless.
Instructed to enter, he found Darcy was no longer alone, but was now
accompanied by Elizabeth.
"I am happy to find you both here," he stated in
an almost timid voice.
Darcy was more annoyed than surprised at Chiltern's
audacity in seeking another audience. "Chiltern I made myself quite clear
in our earlier interview."
"Yes, you did and I will be on my way within a half-hour
at most." He paused before continuing in a more confident and challenging
voice. "Have you no interest in what the intruders were searching
for?"
"None whatsoever," Darcy replied dryly.
"Well, I will show you nonetheless. Perhaps it will
restore in some small measure your good opinion. As I told your wife when I
first arrived, I have always been peculiarly fond of you Darcy and it unsettles
me in a most peculiar manner that you and your wife might not realize the
grandeur of my fall from grace."
"Chiltern," Darcy began, but Chiltern held up his
hand to stop the rebuke.
"Indulge me this last time. You have nothing to lose.
The servants are packing and loading my trunks, but one, and I cannot be on my
way until they have completed the task." He walked back to the library
door, stepped into the hallway and motioned for the servants to enter with the
trunk which moments ago sat at the foot of his bed. They placed it in the
middle of the room and exited, softly closing the door behind them. Darcy and Elizabeth
stood together at the mantel and watched the entire sequence in silence--the
former impatiently and the latter with traitorous curiosity.
"Since I returned to England I have been followed, to
lesser or better effect, by thieves trying to get their hands on, among other
items, but more particularly, what is in this trunk. Mrs. Darcy, you certainly
recall our discussion on the three motivations a man might have for going to
the new world: God, glory and gold. You are an intelligent and perceptive lady,
but in this case too trusting of my words. You were mistaken. I am perfectly
indifferent to glory. Gold is the answer."
Opening the trunk, Chiltern removed an object wrapped in
thick blankets. Walking over to the table, he laid it down with tender care and
unwrapped it. The sun was streaming in through the large window and as Chiltern
turned toward Elizabeth and Darcy and lifted the object in his hands, the sun's
rays reflected off the goldÑfor of pure gold it was madeÑand endowed the object
with an unearthly quality. A spontaneous gasp passed Elizabeth's lips as she
beheld in Lord Chiltern's hands a mask so unusual and exotic as to be
unimaginable. Darcy was no less astonished. In what appeared a single piece of
gold was carved a face of such strange proportionsÑgreat round eyes that seemed
as though they could contain the very sun and moon, a fleshy, straight mouth,
large ears and a prominent, flattened noseÑand yet of such perfect symmetry as
to be quite spellbinding. Involuntarily, Elizabeth heard herself whispering a
single word: "Magnificent!"
"Yes, magnificent!" Chiltern replied in any
equally quiet, almost reverential tone, as though she had spoken confidentially
to him and not inadvertently to herself. "I knew you would find it so Mrs.
Darcy." He approached her, with the mask still in hand and presented it to
her for examination. "This glorious head of gold is only the beginning.
Although the form is necessarily unfamiliar to your experience, I venture you
have never seen anything so sublime." Chiltern's eyes were glowing with a
kind of possessed intensity and his rich baritone voice emulated that
possession as he added--"Touch it!"--in a tone so suggestive of
intimacy that Darcy instinctively stepped between Elizabeth and Chiltern.
"For this singular creation," Darcy interjected,
breaking the strange hypnotic force that seemed to emanate from the mask in
Chiltern's grasp, "you put my family in peril and have forsaken
generations of your own family's honor? For a piece of crafted gold?"
Lord Chiltern turned to Darcy with an expression of
unreserved satisfaction. "For a trunk full of crafted gold, Darcy. Oh, all
the pieces are not in this one trunk. I would not be so foolish nor would it be
particularly practical for transport, the weight, you see. But this most
magnificent of all the pieces I keep close at hand."
To both Elizabeth's and Chiltern's astonishment, Darcy
began to laugh: a cynical, disparaging laugh. "This is it then? Oh, the
legends and myths that abound throughout London's clubs regarding your
adventures and this is it? You are taken for some kind of heroic spy dedicated
to advancing the cause of our empire, a leader among savages and Spaniards.
This will be the grand disillusionment if ever there was one! To think, after all
your excellently crafted stories in which you have so beautifully and
energetically described yourself as the great and wild adventurer of a new and
daring society, and you, an Earl no less, are in the end no more and no less
than an ordinary, acquisitive treasure hunter, no better than any seafaring
pirate or common thief. Are not you the one who was extolling to Mrs. Darcy the
virtues of the Argentine because there a man is judged solely by his actions?
Well, Chiltern, as she so rightly argued, a man is judged by his actions in all
societies, and having judged you now by yours I am ashamed on behalf of your
father's memory. That such an excellent man should have such a worthless son is
pitiable indeed. We have no interest in your stolen gold, for stolen it most
surely was, so pack your trunk and be gone."
Sincerely indignant, Chiltern replied to Darcy's indictment
in a manner calculated to injure Darcy's equanimity. "I believe, Darcy,
your wife may beg to differ. She understands!"
Shocked that Chiltern would assume such an argument,
Elizabeth quickly interjected: "You misapprehend me completely, Lord
Chiltern. One cannot help but be momentarily astonished at the first sight of
such an object as you have here demonstrated. Do not dare suppose, however, that
you can speak for my interests or understanding. Only Mr. Darcy is so
privileged."
Chiltern looked from one to the other in silence, struck by
the potency of their accord and he momentarily pitied any who would attempt to
come between them. Resigned, he turned back to the table and began to wrap the
golden mask while inquiring what had been done with the intruders in a tone as
calm and indifferent as if no dispute had taken place.
"Perhaps I ought to set them free," Darcy
responded contemptuously, "that they may continue their effort to
recuperate their golden treasure. It might be just recompense for your having
so unconscionably put my family at risk. What say you Chiltern, would your
audacity provide sufficient defense should these men find you upon a lonely
road?"
"I say that even in your justified anger you are too
great a gentleman to do any such thing," Chiltern responded evenly as he
closed the trunk, having secured the mask within. "You are Fitzwilliam
Darcy, after all, and have too much respect for the duty and honor of your two
names, which are as much your legacy as are your lands, to indulge any such
barbarous inclinations. Not for my sake, but for that of generations of good
will between our families, you shall keep me safe from their reach. Why do you
suppose I came to Pemberley, Darcy, of all places? I requested a haven here
because you have always been and will always remain, unfailingly, a man of
honor and duty." He walked to the door, called for the servants to collect
his trunk and then turned into the room again. "Mrs. Darcy, I am most
grateful for your charming hospitality. The world will hear nothing but
generous and sincere compliments from my lips," he bowed to her, almost
elegantly. "Darcy," he added. And with that final clipped
pronunciation he was gone from Pemberley as rapidly and unexpectedly as he had
appeared.
As soon as the door was closed behind him, Elizabeth
clasped her hands around Darcy's arm. "Well, that is over then."
He made no reply, but released his arm from her hold and
sat down in a chair with a heavy sigh. Elizabeth observed him in some
confusion. He did not look angry, rather discontented. She walked to where he
sat and lifted his chin that he would look at her. "The matter is
resolved. Lord Chiltern is gone and Paul's injury is minor. What has you so
troubled?"
Darcy grasped her hand and held it for a moment in silence,
before releasing it. Looking her in the face he spoke evenly. "I have
failed you."
"Failed me? Whatever do you mean?"
"I ought to have ensured that such a situation as
occurred this morning could not have come to fruition."
"There is no blame to be laid at your feet in this
circumstance."
"Is there not?" He inquired, standing and pacing
the room nervously. "My first duty is to you and Georgiana, and yet I put
duty to the Fitzwilliam name first and let a scoundrel lay under your roof when
I knew he was not to be trusted, while fully anticipating that no good would
come of his presence."
"You could not know that armed men would come in his
wake. That is ridiculous."
"I knew he was a danger! I even insisted on his giving
me his word of honor that he would not bring scandal upon my house. I did not
trust his word when it was given and yet I let him remain at his own discretion
simply because of the association of our families. It was irresponsible!
Reckless!"
"But, my love," Elizabeth cried, "nothing of
consequence has occurred."
"By sheer happenstance, Elizabeth. Anything might have occurred had my men
not come upon the intruders."
"But they did!" she replied concisely. Seeing,
however, that his distress was unabated, she attempted a different line of
reasoning. "You take on too much yourself. I did not trust him either and
yet I did not ask you to have him leave."
"It is hardly the same. It is not your duty to keep
this family and this household secure, it is mine."
Darcy dropped himself into the corner of the sofa and began
to rub his forehead in agitation, unable or unwilling to look at Elizabeth. She
knew not how to respond. She believed him to be exaggerating the import of what
had occurred, and yet she instinctively felt that she must not disrespect his
concern for his role as protector. Something she must say, however, or he would
believe her acquiescent to his censure. She seated herself next to him and set
to his defense.
"You are correct, of course; it is your responsibility
to keep our family and all of Pemberley's household secure. This does not
require, however, that you single-handedly man the ramparts and battle all such
dragons as may appear; it only requires that you ensure that all contingencies
are provided for. And that has been the case here. You took into your home a
man whom every circumstance required you to welcome openly and without reservation.
When his presence brought with it a precarious situation, you had provided
already a staff that was alert, willing and prepared to act in defense of our
home. Your wife, your sister, your guests and your household are secure. The
only failing of honor and duty that I see is that of Lord Chiltern. Shame and
censure are his and his alone. I will not have you berate yourself in this
inflated manner when nothing at all is amiss."
Darcy watched Elizabeth as she spoke. Neither her tone nor
her air revealed emotion or anxiety, and yet in her every expression he felt,
unquestionably, her love and devotion and he was grateful. "You are too
generous with me, too forbearing," he replied, as he reached for her hand.
"I am neither one nor the other. You confuse me for
Jane, I am sure."
"I could never confuse you for anyone," he
replied as he lifted her hand and kissed it tenderly. "You are
incomparable."
"Very pretty, my love. But now you have wisely agreed with
me and realized you are, in this case at least, quite faultless, we ought to
return to our guests. You must first attend to yourself, however, for you are
quite a sight, my dear sir, and then you shall join us in the gardens. The
Thorneys will be departing tomorrow in the afternoon and it would not due for
us to ignore them altogether on the last day of their visit."
"A quarter of an hour more will make no difference.
Stay with me."
"Stay with you?"
"Yes," he answered. "Grant me just a quarter
of an hour. You and I alone: no distractions, no music, no conversation, no
civilities. Just you, resting in my arms."
"I believe I could oblige you," she responded, as
she leaned into his embrace and placed her head securely beneath his chin.
"I believe I could most happily oblige you."
"Thank you," was all the reply he made as he
closed his eyes and let his cheek rest against the softness of her hair.
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