He removed his jacket and waistcoat and hung them on the low branches of a nearby tree. Thankfully, the day was sunny and warm, so they would dry quickly. Elizabeth removed her shoes and stockings, placing the former in the sun and the latter over a branch. She then shimmied her petticoat out from beneath her skirts and hung it up as well, followed by her damp bonnet. It had thankfully kept her head dry, and much of her torso was dry but for a few splashes, luckily, but she still did not enjoy the feeling of her wet skirts across her legs. She quickly laid out the blanket and lay back on it, turning her face to the sun and closing her eyes.

“Are you going to join me?” she asked.

He swiftly lay down beside her in a similar position.

“You may as well take off your shirt. It’s wet and can’t be comfortable.” She looked over at his wet linen and grimaced. He looked doubtful. “No one will see you. This island looks deserted.”

He looked around and pulled his shirt over his head, leaning back on the blanket next to his wife in nothing but his breeches. Elizabeth smiled at him and closed her eyes, reveling in the warmth of the sun. They eventually flipped over to dry their backs and turned their heads to face each other, smiling and talking about silly nothings.

Elizabeth opened the hamper and began doling out food while Darcy poured them each a cup of wine from the cask. They ate the cheese and bread in relative silence until Elizabeth leaned over and popped a grape into Darcy’s mouth. He smiled and returned the favor and soon he had his head in her lap while she fed him small bites of strawberries and more grapes. When they’d had their fill of fruit, he closed his eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair, humming softly.

Eventually she stopped humming and began exploring her husband’s shoulders and neck. She ran her fingers over his skin lightly, noticing how it felt warm from the sun and was slightly lighter than the skin on his face. Her hands drew circles over the tops of his shoulders and dipped down to his arms, feeling the gentle firmness of his muscles and tracing the outline of a triangle on the outer edges of his arms. She idly wondered if such muscles were from riding or if her husband was an avid swordsman. Somehow, the latter seemed to fit him and the thought was not displeasing.