Posted on 2012-03-02

A pair of soft warm brown eyes followed her intently across the room. She sat down on the settee and began one of the most awe inspiring and moving activities he had ever seen. Certainly the young gentleman had seen his mother in many facets of their daily life together but never such as this.

Elizabeth Darcy was his mother and even at the ripe old age of 10, James Darcy knew his mother was beautiful, strikingly so. Hiding from Beth and Edmund in their parent's rooms had been a brilliant idea and they most certainly would not find him in the armoire. He watched intently as his mother began to remove the pins from her mound of hair. As the plaits of hair began to cascade down and around her slender shoulders, the boy was transfixed as his lovely mother was transformed into a woman beautiful to the extreme. She pulled, tugged, parted and ran small gentle fingers through a mass of curls that seemed so happy to finally be set free. She stood, stooped over and gave a last rake and then shook the ringlets all to freedom.

'Mother is beautiful,' the boy thought to himself. 'I love her so and when grow up, I am going to ask Papa for permission to marry her!' His thoughts were suddenly drowned out by the rhythmic sound of a pair of Hessian boots echoing firmly and swiftly in the halls and before he could gasp, in burst his father seemingly intent on a search and seizure mission.

'Oh, what am I to do now?' the boy worried. "To be found hiding in the armoire in their private rooms and I just know that... "In the blink of an eye and in what seem mere seconds, Fitzwilliam Darcy was across the room, his mother locked in his arms and without so much as a 'how was your day my love', they were both locked in a fiercely passionate embrace with arms moving and lips fastening.

James shut his eyes tight to make them both, and himself disappear but the moans from his mother were real and were certainly not going away and it appeared, were intensifying.

Mortified!! Spying like this and unable to move, the boy sought guidance from the Divine.

In a most desperate prayer the boy pleaded, 'Please, Please, Please with sweetbread on top, God... could you not please cause something to happen to get me out of this?" I promise to try and stop pulling Bethies hair and I promise to try and be more of a big brother to Edmund when he wants to tag along and I don't want him to. I will try and be good but it is so hard. Please help me,' the boy started to whimper.

As if on a channel direct, pounding could be heard on the doors to their rooms and children's voice's shouting "Mama! Papa, can we come in?".

As if to finish the last morsel of a delicious bread pudding, Darcy lingered on his wife's lips just a bit longer and inhaled ,sighed and with a rich timbre he breathed "To be continued Madam" to which Elizabeth merely raised her left eyebrow and smiled a knowing smile.

"Come in children," Elizabeth sang merrily.

Running into the room Beth shouted, "Mama! Have you seen Jamie?" We were playing sardines, and we have looked everywhere! Is he hiding in here?"

A rich baritone stated authoritatively, "He most certainly is not" while under his breath stated, "he certainly would have gotten an eye full."

"Mama will you help us find him?" Beth asked and Edmund backed her up by taking two fingers out of his mouth and saying, "Ma Ma, fyme Jammy" and back went the fingers.
.

"Yes children, just let me put my hair back in place and I will help you. Go and gather your coats in case he has gone down to the lake."

In the Armoire, there was a whisper, "Thank you God, but could you please get rid of Papa too?" This time with hands clasped.

As Elizabeth started to put her hair back in place while sitting on the settee, Darcy fingered and rolled, pulled and let spring ringlets of curls and seemingly finding joy in doing so. That his father found such a fondness in playing with his mother's hair was clear by the deeply entrenched
dimple on Papa's face; and his delight was not lost on James. He most certainly could not bear to part with her as his wife. She was his. He would settle for being his mother only. He supposed he would just go off to Cambridge, travel around the world a bit and return home to Pemberley and share her with his father.

As Elizabeth finished her hair, she kissed her husband and bounded out of the room. Darcy walked towards his rooms but paused to glance back at the armoire and smiled. He would let the boy think he had gotten away but would certainly have a conversation with him later. James could ask the most humbling questions and as his father, his fully stocked library supplied none of the answers. Reasoning with a child and answering the questions they ask without stuttering and fumbling over words, "Blast! Why did a physician not write a book?"

James again thanked heaven for his escape from the armoire and slipped out of the room seemingly unnoticed. He heard the voices of the others downstairs preparing to go outside and shouted, "Look, here I am!" You did not find me Bethie so you must do whatever I say for a whole week!"

"Jamie, where were you! Beth bubbled forth, We looked everywhere!"

Before the child's brain could catch up to his mouth James blurted out "Hiding in Mama's Armoire!

As two brows shot to the ceiling and a bolt of warmth passed through Elizabeth, Bethie jumped up and down, clapped and exclaimed, "Oh Jamie that was a wonderful place to hide! Mama, you did not know Jamie was there? Really?"

"I most certainly did not," a beet red Elizabeth whispered.

"James, I wish to speak to you," Elizabeth said and in a tone that was not unfamiliar. He walked slowly towards her to arms that were usually outstretched but now at her hips. He had gotten safely away and now...

Later that night as James lay in bed, things were not as bad as he had feared. After all, a scolding from his mother merited a seat in her lap, her sweet smell of lavender and penny royal, her arms solidly around him and kisses after her soft, but firm words. He really delighted in being a good boy but being not so good had its merits as well. His mother said she would not mention it to his father this time but to never hide there again and he had agreed to that. He hugged her and kissed her in return for their deal. He wondered if he should tell Bethie what he saw while hiding but decided against it. She could not keep a secret if she tried. He would relieve her of her obligation of doing his bidding for a week since matters worked out so well for him. After all, he was a gentleman. He closed his eyes and thanked God for his mother and fathers love for one another.He also thanked him for Bethie and Edmund. He asked also to be made good. At that, sleep overtook the boy and led him down slumber's sweet path.

True to her word, Elizabeth did not mention Jamie's hiding place to Darcy and he said nothing about his knowledge of events. They had issues of greater and sweeter magnitude to discuss. Upon entering her rooms from his chambers, Darcy crossed the room to lock the door and went to the armoire and flung open the doors. There was no way in heaven he wished an audience tonight. When Elizabeth came in from her toilette, instead of coming to him beside the fire, she too first went to the armoire as if checking for something. By the time she crossed the room to him she was a deep but becoming hue of scarlet.

They were alone. No words were necessary and certainly no topic on child rearing was considered. For this, a man will leave his mother and his father and must stick to his wife and the two shall become one. Alone, they became one flesh. Genesis 2:24