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This little tidbit is a little longer than three hundred words, but I was inspired to write it in the night last night, when I woke up hungry. 🙂

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Midnight Snack

Elizabeth Darcy quietly entered Pemberley’s kitchen, candle in hand. She had awakened hungry in the middle of the night—she knew not what time—and rather than wake her maid or Mrs. Reynolds, decided to walk down and get something herself.

Elizabeth was not unfamiliar with the kitchen. She believed that an active mistress was intimately acquainted with the goings-on of every area of the home, and had, therefore, been in the room many times before. She knew the layout and where the various foodstuffs and tools were located. It was an easy thing for her to make up a quick snack.

The only thing she could not do was work with the stove. It was a brand-new Franklin stove that her husband had installed to make the life of the cook easier. The previous stove had been old and cantankerous, and the cook was often heard giving vent to her frustrations with it, all the way into the dining room. Since the installation of the new stove, the kitchen—and the rooms near it—were much quieter!

Within a few moments of entering the large room, Elizabeth had gathered some cheese and bread, and some slices of the venison roast left over from dinner. With a glass of water, she sat on a stool at the corner of the large worktable and tucked into her food. After the last bite was consumed, she put her dirty dishes in the sink and quietly left the room and headed up the servant’s stairs.

Elizabeth quietly turned the knob of her chamber door, entering silently and gently closing it behind her. She tiptoed into the master’s chambers, where she and her Fitzwilliam had always shared a bed. She did not wish to wake him if she could help it; he had been very busy with the steward of late, riding out to deal with tenant disputes and farm issues almost daily. Her stealth was to no avail.

“Where did you go?” Darcy’s sleepy voice whispered across the bed to where she was just pulling her legs up into it.

“To the kitchen. I was hungry.” Elizabeth pulled the covers back up over herself as she quietly responded. She snuggled down into his side, giggling when he jerked at the feel of her cold feet on his calves.

Darcy pulled her close, kissing her softly before tucking his face into her neck. “Your feet are cold, but I love you anyway.” He was asleep again almost before he finished speaking.

Elizabeth smiled, kissing his ear and snuggling deeper into his embrace. “I love you, too.”

The End

Copyright 2017 by the author

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