There were no words to explain what she felt when he had lain on top of her fully aroused. At least, she hoped he was fully aroused. When he had first reached for the buttons on her dress, she had allowed him to open the first two before regaining her senses. If she hadn’t stopped him at that moment, she would have been down to her chemise in no time at all, and with thoughts of Mr. Darcy helping her out of her undergarments, she drifted off to sleep. Flooded by warm memories and new sensations, she remained in a deep sleep and did not hear Ellie when she came into the bed chamber at 9:30, 10:15, and again at 10:45.

“Elizabeth was exhausted and needed her sleep?” Darcy said to his sister and cousin. “Well, excuse me. Even though I have barely closed my eyes for the past two days, I did not go to bed. It shows a lack of interest on her part.” Once again he pointed to the ever-present pocket watch. “It is now 11:35. Jackson,” he called to his butler, “breakfast is over. You may clear everything away and await my instructions. At present, we do not know if our guest will remain closeted in her room and will choose only to join us for supper.”

Georgiana looked sympathetically at the butler. Jackson would understand that Mr. Darcy was in a fit of pique, but that it would pass. The butler had known the master of Pemberley for most of his life and had witnessed many such scenes as the gentleman he served suffered from a lack of patience.

Darcy was pacing in front of the window when Lizzy burst into the room. “My most sincere apologies, Miss Darcy, Miss de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy. I overslept. Ellie, fearing I was unwell, finally gave me a shake to see if I was still of this earth.” After spreading her hands wide and turning around, she said, smiling, “As you can see, I am.” Rather than look at Mr. Darcy, who was clearly out of sorts, she turned her gaze upon Anne and Georgiana. “How is everyone this morning?”

“Splendid,” Georgiana said. “It is truly a beautiful day.” When her brother glanced out at the chilly gray day and made a face, she refused to follow his gaze. Instead, she glared at him. “Beauty is often a matter of opinion, and to me, it is a beautiful day.”

Anne interjected herself between the two staring siblings. “It is true that it is not the prettiest of days, but it will do for a walk. Georgiana, will you accompany me?”

“No, she will not,” Darcy said in a firm voice. “Anne, you are not going outside. You will catch a chill, and then your mother will have been right about how ill advised it was for you to come to Pemberley in the autumn.”

“So that is your concern? Not my health, but my mother and her opinions and which of you was right? Very well, we shall remain indoors and go to the conservatory.”

“You know exactly what I meant,” he called after his cousin as Georgiana and she walked arm-in-arm out of the room.

Once he turned his attention to Lizzy, she asked if she should return when he was in better humor. “I see that someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

“I did not get up on any side of the bed. I never went to bed.” Softening his tone, he asked, “Did you really oversleep?”

“Yes. I fell asleep on the settee and slept for three solid hours, which is the most I have slept since you shared your news with me. It was eleven o’clock when Ellie woke me, and I have been running around like a chicken without its head so that I might complete my toilette and get down here as quickly as possible. And how am I greeted? With a sour look and a sharp tongue. But I must say that you look very handsome. Are you going somewhere?”

Darcy went over and took Lizzy in his arms. “You are a saucy, impertinent girl. Even so, I love you. I was afraid that you had changed your mind.”

“If I were to change my mind, it would not be for the reason you think.”

“And what reason would that be?” he said with a hint of concern creeping into his voice.

“You are very bossy. You order people around with your harsh tone of voice or by pushing them about with your muzzle. You may be the master of Pemberley, but you will not be the master of me. I must be free to speak my mind.”

“When have you not spoken your mind?” Darcy stepped away from her, and with his hands behind his back, he recited word for word a part of Elizabeth’s refusal of his offer of marriage. “‘You are mistaken if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way than sparing me the concern I might have felt in refusing you if you had behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.’ Need I say more?”

“No, please don’t. You should not repeat what I said. A memory at such a time as this is unpardonable.”

“And what time would that be, Elizabeth? Are you saying that you will accept my offer of marriage?”

“Not yet. There are things I would like to discuss.”

“Then let us go into my study.”

Lizzy laughed. “Absolutely not. I will not risk a repeat of last night. I suggest the first drawing room.”

“The first drawing room? The one next to the foyer where all of the servants go back and forth? If we are to have no privacy, why don’t we just sit on the stairs in the foyer and have everyone listen in on our conversation?”

“I think mine is the better suggestion, but whichever you prefer is fine with me, dear,” she answered while trying to suppress a smile.

Darcy gestured for her to go ahead of him into the first drawing room, and so she would have her way once again, he thought. Shaking his head, he reminded himself that he had wanted to marry a lady with spirit. Well, he was about to get his wish—in spades.

Chapter 11

Darcy directed Lizzy to a corner of the drawing room that was not directly in view of the foyer, but rather than sitting on the sofa, Lizzy chose one of a pair of chairs nearest to the fire. Although Darcy had surrounded himself with the most loyal of servants, there was no doubt that the lives of their master and mistress were of keen interest to those who lived belowstairs, and Lizzy’s presence had prompted much speculation as to whether the master would finally take a wife, creating a palpable buzz in the house.

After moving his chair closer to hers, Darcy began by apologizing for his aggressive behavior the previous night. “It may be helpful if you understand what happens during my transformation back to human form. As soon as the sun appears over the horizon, the changes begin. The physical process lasts for about twenty minutes. However, it takes longer for the mind to adjust to the altered state. Because of this, I remain in my study until I am sure that I am thinking as a person and not as an animal. But last night, as soon as I entered the room, I knew that someone was there, and my lupine instincts took over. I am truly sorry that I frightened you.”

“I do understand,” Lizzy quickly responded. “I should have waited for you to come to me in the morning. That was really my fault, not yours.”

“Thank you for that,” he said and reached across the divide and took hold of her hand. He wanted to kiss it, but that would have meant bending over so that his head was almost at her knees. “Damn it! This is ridiculous,” he said standing up.

“Why don’t we go to the second drawing room, where we will have more privacy?” Lizzy offered.

“Thank you,” he said with a sigh of relief, and the couple quickly made their way to the yellow drawing room. But they were not alone. David and Goliath had been with their master all morning, ready to spring into action if necessary. Lizzy was of the opinion that the whippets did not approve of her and that would explain why they seemed always to walk between Mr. Darcy and her. After signaling to his dogs that they were to stay put, he looked at Lizzy. “Now, where was I?”

“You were speaking of your transformation.”

“Ah, yes. Well, the same thing happens when I go from human to wolf form. It is in that first hour that I must be careful, as my mind has not fully gone over to being a wolf. Lest I confuse you, you should know that there is a part of me that always remains human, which is why I understood what you were saying on the terrace, and there is a part of me that always remains a wolf, which is why I knew that…”

“Yes, I understand,” Lizzy quickly interjected. “You were speaking of your transformation.”

Darcy smiled, remembering Lizzy’s embarrassment when she learned that he knew how she was reacting to him physically. He would never have kissed her in such a way if she had not signaled her interest with her scent.

“I realize that I quite overpowered you last night when I carried you to the sofa and…”

“William, I completely comprehend what happened last night. There is no reason to go into detail. All is forgiven.” She looked away from him because the mysterious stirring had returned, and there was no way he would not know what was happening to her.

“Again, I thank you for your understanding,” he said with a smile in his voice. “Now, you said that you had some questions for me.” With that, his back stiffened. He could just imagine what she must be thinking and what questions she would ask. Would she be disgusted by the idea of his hunting down an animal and eating it raw? Would their children be werewolves? Why did wolves howl? But the question he feared the most was that she would want a detailed description of his transformation. She would be repulsed by a vision of a man dropping to his knees as his arms became legs, followed quickly by the thickening of his neck, an emerging muzzle, and the change in his teeth that were designed to tear an animal apart. The metamorphosis was completed when his hair became fur. She would want to know all of that, and his stomach churned at the idea of speaking of such things to the woman he loved.