“Oh Chloe, I am certain all will be well! It must be! You appear hale enough, better than I did at your stage as a matter of fact.” Chloe laughed, confirming that she had hardly been ill a day, Lizzy declaring that horribly unfair, and the two pregnant friends embarked on a long discourse of all things baby.

Day three, they headed south, halting first at Chellaston. This tiny suburb of Derby was famous for the alabaster quarried there and, not shockingly, was home to a thirteenth-century church. After a brief tour, they rambled on, meandering in no discernible pattern as far as Lizzy could ascertain. They passed through Swarkestone and over the famous thirteenth-century stone bridge spanning the River Trent. They paused on the far side, remaining in the cabriolet while Darcy explained that it was this bridge where the army of Prince Charles Stuart the Pretender was repulsed in its march on London. Local lore, he further informed her, maintained that the bridge and small, attached chapel was built by two sisters who lost their loves in the waters of the Trent during a flood. Whatever the truth, the bridge was a marvel of construction and art.

Continuing on due south, they headed toward Calke Abbey. Calke Abbey was in fact not an abbey at all, but was built over the ancient site of an Augustinian abbey in the early 1700s and was given the illustrious name by one of its early residents. The Harpur family, Darcy told Lizzy, were known for their extremely strange eccentricities, rarely leaving the manor and constantly renovating the essentially baroque style mansion with rumored bizarre enhancements. Reclusive in the extreme, their brief appearance at the Cole's Masque was a shocking surprise. Darcy was unacquainted with the current occupants—few were—and presumed that the peculiar suppositions were probably exaggerated. Nonetheless, he thought it would be fun to view the manor and walk through the gardens, which were reputedly some of the grandest in all of England.

Lizzy immediately noted the similarity between Calke Abbey and Pemberley. Both country manors were of the baroque style with extensive, cultivated grounds surrounding. Where Pemberley boasted fountains, a river, and ponds as a focal point, Calke Abbey centered on exotic vegetation and garden buildings. The notoriety of the sculptured and varied landscaping was not unfounded. Lizzy and Darcy could have easily passed all day strolling about the grounds so incredible were they. Apparently, other tourists agreed, as the area was busy with gaping pedestrians.

They toured the small church, the psychic garden, one of the greenhouses, and the recently constructed domed orangery. Darcy gazed with longing at the fantastic stables, but they were near the house proper and restricted to visitors. The expression on his face was so pathetic that Lizzy squeezed his arm tightly to her side and kissed his cheek.

“In two days we shall be home, beloved, and you can salve your aching heart in your own stables.” He smiled and returned her kiss, causing two elderly ladies to gasp in shock, and causing Lizzy to giggle as they ducked quickly around a corner.

After two hours and a snack necessary for the woman feeding two, Darcy and Lizzy recommenced the trek, heading due west through Bretby to Burton-upon-Trent just over the border in Staffordshire. They halted here, as Darcy worded it, “Out of necessity, as Burton-upon-Trent produces the finest ales in all of England.” This particular claim to fame held little weight to Lizzy, as she detested ale, but Darcy was of a differing opinion altogether. The village itself was quite small, the fame of Burton's breweries having not spread too far beyond the immediately surrounding shires, although Darcy was of the mindset that this would change in time. For the present, they located a pub that seemed decent for luncheon and, therefore, Darcy's requisite pint or two.

With sudden inspiration, Darcy settled his wife in the carriage and commanded her to stay put, walking briskly back into the pub. Lizzy obeyed, watching the front door with bafflement. Hence her extreme surprise when Darcy appeared on the other side with two pub workers in tow, each of them carrying a heavy cask of ale.

He was grinning, obviously quite proud of himself. “What brilliant maneuver have you dreamed up now, my heart? You are positively glowing with self-satisfaction.”

“It occurred to me that the rear driver's bench is empty, saddened by fulfilling no purpose in life. Therefore, in an effort to appease its grief, I am loading it with a burden.”

Lizzy laughed, Darcy swinging up beside her, embracing her quickly and bestowing a tender kiss. A mile north, Darcy veered off the main road onto a nearly invisible trail between trees that made it barely wide enough for the carriage. “Where are we headed now?” Lizzy asked, Darcy demurring, only telling her it was a surprise.

The trail twisted amongst the thick trees, the main road long since vanished, as the carriage bumped along the rugged trail. Lizzy held on securely, clutching Darcy's arm and the side rail. Just about the time she was prepared to beg him to halt—the jerking sending vague twinges through the stretched muscles and ligaments of her lower abdomen—the path opened into a narrow glade, grassy with a minute pond to the left. Not dissimilar to Darcy's grotto, although far smaller and less lush, it nonetheless presented a serene atmosphere.

Lizzy turned to her husband's smiling face. “It is lovely, William, but how did you know this was here?”

He shrugged. “A friend of mine from Cambridge, Mr. Harold Kensington, resides near here. In fact, we are on his lands, but I do not think he will mind, especially since he is abroad right now.” Darcy reached up and cupped Lizzy's face, bending until brushing her lips. “I experienced an overwhelming urge to be alone with you, to kiss you without old-fashioned biddies gasping in shock.” Lizzy giggled, but he interrupted her with a consuming kiss, leaving her breathless. “Also, I want you to rest. You overexerted yesterday—do not deny it, my love—and were falling asleep in the carriage.” He trailed one finger along the tops of her breasts. “Additionally, my selfishness is unmasked in that I desire my wife alert tonight so I can ravish her body, bringing her joy unlimited as well as my own profound satisfaction.”

They spread a blanket along the shady tree edge, reclining contentedly. Darcy removed his jacket, stretching long legs and laying back with one arm folded under his head and the other around his wife's waist, stroking her arm gently. “Are you enjoying yourself, dearest?”

Lizzy gazed at her husband with undisguised love. “I am having a marvelous time.” She stretched beside him, chin resting on his chest, fingering his cravat. “The scenery is sublime. The history and buildings fascinating. The tour guide is handsome and extraordinarily intelligent. I honestly cannot fathom how the outing could be improved upon.”

Darcy was smiling happily, playing with loosened strands of her hair and her ear. Lizzy nibbled the corner of her lip, dexterously untying a knot of his cravat. “Hmmm… Perhaps, I can fathom an improvement after all.” After she had another knot unraveled, she continued, “Such a gorgeous and talented tour guide should be rewarded. Let me think… What could a man of such dazzling capabilities want from a simple girl like me? A kiss? Would that please my handsome guide?” The cravat was completely undone, Lizzy working her way down the buttons of his waistcoat when she bestowed her kiss.

The kiss was thorough, encompassing, teasing with tongues and lips altering between soft and demanding. Darcy loosened more strands of her hair, otherwise allowing Lizzy to lead the kiss in whichever direction she chose and becoming rapidly intoxicated by the taste of her. Lizzy completed the task of unbuttoning the vest, next removing his shirt from breeches waistband and running a hand over his abdomen. She lifted her face then, Darcy's eyes hazy with desire.

Fingering over his lips to chin, then along solid jaw line, she whispered, “William, my husband. I love you immensely. I do not wish to wait until tonight to love you. I intend to ravish your body right now. I trust this meets with your approval?” She smiled impishly, allowing no opportunity for more than a slight nod before capturing his mouth with hungry urgency. Darcy reciprocated equally, moaning deep in his chest and clutching her shoulders. With a final rough suck to his lower lip and sharp nip, she withdrew, delivering wet kisses over his jaw to exposed neck. Darcy arched with a delighted sigh, shifting to relieve the sudden tightness in his groin.