Eternal Flame ~ A Pemberley Fairy Tale

Chapter Nine - part 2

Liz could have stayed in his arms for hours if she hadn’t felt a drop of rain on the back of her hand.

William’s chest rose and fell as she felt his soft sigh across her scalp. “It’s going to come down heavy, I can tell. We’d better get inside before we’re completely drenched.”

Despite the dark storm clouds rolling across the valley, she heard a hint of reluctance in his tone. Liz stepped back, wondering whether her eyes were still red. She couldn’t hold back the blush when she noticed a damp patch on his shirt where her tears had soaked through. “Yes, of course. I have some work to do.”

“No you don’t. Not today, at least.”

“But, I—”

“No. Whatever you’re working on, it can wait until tomorrow.” He cast a glance at the growing darkness above them as the rain began to fall harder. “Come on, let’s go.”

Grabbing her hand he pulled her along, running to avoid the worst of the downpour. William pushed open the heavy doors, surprising Mr. Reynolds as they burst into the entrance hall.

The heel of Liz’s wet shoe slipped on the smooth marble and she would have ended up on her back if William hadn’t caught her in time. His quick reflexes knocked the air from her lungs, leaving her literally breathless.

Fate seemed determined to get her into his arms one way or the other.

He held her there as their eyes met, then William began to laugh. “Falling for me, Lizzy?”

She paused before answering, trying to read between the double meaning as her heart fluttered. “No, of course not.”

He set her on her feet again before sending Mr. Reynolds for towels. After helping Liz to remove her coat he shrugged out of his jacket, draping it over a nearby chair. When the towels arrived she dried her hair before following him into the salon.

A log fire burned in the hearth, sending a flickering orange glow across the room. Liz looked at the chairs arranged in a loose semi-circle. A couple of them were too far from the warmth to interest her. She assumed William would sit in the worn high-back armchair, so she sank onto one end of a settee on the opposite side of the fire, nearer to the window.

The rain now battered against the glass and Liz thanked her stars they hadn’t gone further from the house. They would have been soaked through in minutes. She would have needed more than a towel for her hair then. Her gaze drifted across the salon to the door, where William spoke to Mr. Reynolds. The butler nodded once and left.

Despite being larger than her whole flat, the salon still felt cosy regardless of the weather outside. As her gaze travelled around the room Liz spotted a side table by the wall covered in black and white photographs of children. Thinking they must be Bingley children from earlier generations, she wondered whether pictures of a young William were included in the group.

He came to join her then, choosing to sit at the opposite end of the settee. He faced her, his leg bent on the cushion, resting his elbow against the back of the chair. “Feel better now?” he said, running his fingers through his still damp hair.

Liz nodded. She did feel better, as though she’d unburdened herself of a guilt she hadn’t realised she’d been carrying. It had felt good to talk about her father. Even mentioning his name had been taboo for far too long.

They remained in the salon for hours, covering every subject from politics and sport to art and music. Mr. Reynolds served them creamy hot chocolate, closing the curtains when the light began to fade. When William slipped in an innocuous question about her mother, Liz answered it, and then found herself documenting almost every moment of her childhood she could remember. From school sports days to favourite birthday presents, William seemed curious about each of her memories.