In November of 1810, a lightning strike on the northeast corner of the Pemberley mansion started a fire that caused major damage to almost a quarter of the house, ruining several guest rooms, staff quarters, and storage areas. For nine months, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the current master of Pemberley, his staff, and stone masons, carpenters, painters, and decorators worked ceaselessly to restore the mansion to its former glory. On a sunny afternoon in the middle of August 1811, Darcy, wanting a chance to exercise his horse and get away from the house for a while, decided to take it upon himself to deliver to the store, where most of the supplies for the restoration were purchased, what he hoped was the final list of items needed to finish the renovations. It was almost a 30-minute journey to Lambton, the major shopping hub of the area, at the western end of the ridges defining Pemberley’s valley, where the store was located. Because of the distance, Darcy would normally have sent one of his footmen with the list, but he was feeling restless that day and welcomed the exercise a half-hour ride to the Lambton would give him.
As Darcy rode his horse, Saladin, to the store and looked at the scenic country side around him, he thought how happy he was that the Darcy family had been exiled to Derbyshire. The family was descended from Count Armand D’Arcy from Normandy, one of the original Norman invaders of England. The Count’s troops had been an important factor in the victory over the Anglo-Saxons, and King William the Conqueror eventually made him an English Earl. For hundreds of years, the eldest male descendants of the Darcy family were Earls with a large estate in Kent, not far from London. However, when King Henry VIII decided to split from the Catholic Church and create the Church of England, the Darcy family resisted changing their religion and eventually their Earldom was taken from them and they were banished to the wilds of Derbyshire, where they were given several square miles of land none of the other nobles cared to have. Over the years, the Darcys grew to love Derbyshire and their home, which they named Pemberley, and gradually expanded it into one of the largest estates in England, never again seeking to be peers. They did eventually convert to the Church of England and managed to amass a fortune through good management of their land and wise investments. They were still often vocal in their criticism of the monarchy, but never to the point of rebellion.
The Darcys, despite their impressive lineage, were content to mingle with the local gentry, to spend little time in London society, and to be a force for good in their region. They were known to be generous in supporting the merchants of the area, in their treatment of their tenants, and their staff were among the best compensated in England – so much so that staff rarely voluntarily quit. Despite their largess, or perhaps because of it, the Darcy fortune grew over the years until it was one of the largest in the kingdom. As could be expected, the Darcy sons, particularly the eldest, were exceptional matches for women of the socially active high society in London known as the le bon ton and were often pursued relentlessly by mercenary mothers and daughters of that society when they visited their townhouse, Darcy House, in London, and participated in events of the ton.
The current Mr. Darcy, now 28, whose father had died five years earlier and who was a very private person, had hoped to find a woman whom he could love and respect among those high society women, but his discomfort in large groups of people he did not know and high standards for any woman whom he might wish to marry, had made his search unsuccessful. In fact, his annoyance at some of the methods these ladies would use to try to make him notice them or put him in compromising situations had made him begin to believe he might never marry. Then, one fateful night, a few weeks prior to the fire at Pemberley, while visiting a friend in Hertfordshire, he met and had several social contacts with a young woman, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, whom he could not seem to forget. Unfortunately, although she was a gentlewoman, she was, according to the standards of his class, too far below him in status to marry.
Darcy did not know what had reminded him of Elizabeth as he rode toward Lambton. Perhaps it was the scenery and the realization of how much she would enjoy it. He had not thought of her for weeks and was sure he was now over his infatuation of her. When he had been called away from Netherfield Park, the estate of his friend Charles Bingley was leasing in Hertfordshire, because of the fire at Pemberley, he had been relieved to be forcibly separated from Elizabeth and have a task which would take his mind off her. As much as he was attracted to her, he could not allow himself to attach himself to one of her lack of wealth and status. He knew, had he stayed, he might very well have asked her to marry him and that would have been completely unacceptable to his family and peers. He shook his head, knowing he would probably never meet her equal in beauty, education, intelligence, and self-confidence. Why could she not have been of his class?
He was still musing on this subject, when he saw a barouche heading toward him. Because the road on which he was riding ended in the gate to Pemberley, he held up his hand to indicate the driver to stop so that he could see who was going to Pemberley. Because it was Wednesday, which was not a day the house was usually open for general visitation, he assumed whoever was in the barouche was going to Pemberley to see him.
The driver, seeing that the man who wished him to stop was mounted on a magnificent horse and was obviously a gentleman, stopped and turned to his passengers. “Excuse me, folks, but there is a gentleman on the road ahead of us who indicated he wanted me to stop. Because this road only goes to Pemberley, from his dress, I would assume he is someone of importance at Pemberley.”
Shortly thereafter, Darcy rode up next to the barouche and tipped his hat to the lady and gentleman sitting in the back of the barouche. As he was about to address them, the young woman who was sitting facing them, turned to him causing him to recoil, but he quickly gathered himself, bowed his head, and said, “Miss Elizabeth. This is an unexpected pleasure.”
Elizabeth, obviously disconcerted, nodded her head and said, “Mr. Darcy, good morning.”
They stared at each other wordlessly for a few moments, before he said, “May I have the pleasure of meeting your travelling companions?”
Feeling completely disconcerted, she said, “Certainly. Aunt Madeleine, Uncle Edward, this is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley. Mr. Darcy, these are my uncle and aunt from London – Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gardiner, Mrs. Gardiner, but Mrs. Gardiner, excuse my intent gaze, but have we not met before?”
Mrs. Gardiner, who Darcy guessed was in her mid-thirties and very attractive, replied, “Indeed you have, Mr. Darcy, but it was many years ago, when I was in my teens and you were a young lad. In fact, you saw me many times.”
Darcy suddenly remembered where he had seen her. “Of course, you were Miss Maddie, Mr. Rodgers daughter. You helped in his store.”
Obviously pleased that he had remembered her, she smiled and said, “That is correct.”
“I apologize. Not only should have I remembered you, but I should have remembered your name, Mr. Gardiner, as the man who stole the prettiest girl in Lambton away from all the local admirers. Mr. Rodgers has mentioned it several times over the years.”
Mr. Gardiner chuckled. “I am pleased to finally meet you, Mr. Darcy. We have visited Pemberley several times in the past, but never when you were in residence.”
“Indeed. Miss Elizabeth, I do not believe you told me you had seen Pemberley.”
“I have not, Mr. Darcy. They are speaking of themselves. This is the first time I have been here with them.”
“We generally come at least once a year to visit my wife’s father and mother,” said Mr. Gardiner, “and know Mrs. Reynolds, Mr. Carson, and Mr. Vanderoot quite well. Mrs. Reynolds has assured us we can visit any day we wish if you are not in residence. Because it was such a fine day, and this is such a scenic road, we thought we would ride out to your entrance gate to inquire if you were in residence. If you were not, we would have taken the chance to show Lizzy your house and grounds, which I am sure she will love. If you were, at least we w
ould have had an enjoyable ride. Given you are in residence, if you do not mind, we will finish the trip to your gatehouse and then return to town.”
Darcy made a decision he regretted as soon as he made it, but said, “Nonsense. I am, in fact, on my way to Mr. Rodger’s store to deliver a list of items we need to finish our renovation necessitated by the fire last year. My sister is at home, but I am sure she will not be disturbed by your visit. Please tell the man at the gatehouse and Mrs. Reynolds that I have approved your visit. It is, indeed, a fine day – a good day to make such a visit and tour the grounds. I hope to see you upon my return.”
Turning to Elizabeth he said, “Knowing your love of nature and long walks, Miss Elizabeth, I believe you will find so many inviting trails, you will be hard pressed to decide which to take.”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy, but are you sure you want us to intrude on your day? I am sure I will have an opportunity sometime in the future to see your estate when our visit will not interrupt your day.”
“Miss Elizabeth, I assure you. You will not disturb my day. Please, continue and enjoy yourselves.”
Then, tipping his hat to them, he said, “au revoir” and continued to Lambton.
******
When the Gardiner’s barouche reached the gatehouse of the Pemberley estate, Mr. Gardiner informed the gatekeeper of Mr. Darcy’s invitation, and he immediately let them enter. Elizabeth began to look for the magnificent manor house described to her by Wickham. After what seemed to be a very long drive, she turned to her Uncle Edward. “It has been several minutes, and we have not reached the house yet. How far is it?”
“I am sorry, I should have told you that it takes about fifteen minutes to reach the house from the entrance. Soon we will come to a hill, at the top of which we will stop the barouche and be able to walk to a viewpoint where we will have spectacular view of the house. It will then take us another five minutes to arrive.”
As promised, the aforementioned hill was reached and at the top, the driver pulled the carriage over to the side of the road into an area clearly used for parking carriages. The passengers disembarked and followed a short path to a promontory from which they could see the house across the lake, with the morning sun shining off the windows. Elizabeth could not suppress a gasp. It was one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen. The shimmering lake and the stream feeding it could be seen in all their glory. The landscape was a masterful arrangement of natural vegetation interspersed with more formally landscaped areas and the formal gardens at the rear of the house, which was the view they had. The formal gardens seemed to be the equal of those around the palace in London.
“To be the mistress of such a place would be something, would it not, Lizzy?” asked her aunt.
“It would, indeed,” replied Elizabeth. “I have never seen such a beautifully landscaped area – a merging of the natural and formal in such a way as to make them complement each other. And the park is huge. One could wander it for hours and not see it all. I can hardly wait for a tour of the grounds.”
“Ah but wait until you have seen the inside of the house. It, in its way, is just as magnificent as the landscape,” said Mr. Gardiner. “We have not visited it for three years, but I am sure it is just as beautiful as it was then.”
When they entered the inner courtyard through the arch in the front wing of the house and drew up under the porte cochere extending from above the massive front doors, a footman who had been standing near the doors came down to put down the steps and help them from their carriage and then ushered them into the grand entrance hall.
The entrance hall was such as Elizabeth had never seen, but which seemed to be fitting in such a country estate. The walls were a dark hardwood, and on the ground floor there were alcoves for pieces of art or flower arrangements in beautiful vases. The upper level of the walls was covered with tapestries. The grand stairway, in front of them as they entered, was of the same dark hardwood as the walls, but the center of the stairway was covered with dark green carpeting which seemed to blend well with the tapestries. The chandelier was not the usual glass chandelier, but a uniquely shaped copper and wood chandelier which complemented the décor. The floor was a dark stone, with the Darcy crest immediately under the chandelier. All in all, Elizabeth thought it had a much more informal look than the foyers of the few other homes they had visited on their tour, but somehow it seemed be a more fitting foyer for a country estate. It certainly complemented the impression she had of the estate from her first view of it.
Awaiting them in the entrance hall were Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper, and Georgiana Darcy.
“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner,” said Mrs. Reynolds. “When we received the signal from the gatehouse that someone of importance was arriving, I did not expect you.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Reynolds,” responded Mr. Gardiner. “I am not sure why you were given such a signal, except that we met Mr. Darcy on our way here, and he told us to tell the gatekeeper that he had approved our visit.”
“Ah, that explains it. The gatekeeper assumed, since you had Mr. Darcy’s invitation, that he should put up the flag indicating that you are persons of importance. May I introduce you to Miss Georgiana Darcy? Miss Darcy, these are Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, whom I know well. Mrs. Gardiner’s father is Mr. Rodgers, the owner of Rodgers Emporium.”
“I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Gardiner, Mrs. Gardiner. Welcome to Pemberley.”
“Thank you, Miss Darcy,” said Mrs. Gardiner. “We are pleased to meet you. And may I introduce my niece, Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire? Mr. Darcy met her last year when he visited Hertfordshire.”
Georgiana’s eyes opened widely, expressing her surprise. “Miss Elizabeth, I am extremely pleased to meet you. My brother wrote to me of meeting you in the letters he sent when he was visiting Mr. Bingley. He even expressed a desire that I should meet you.”
“And I am pleased to meet you, Miss Darcy. Mr. Darcy often spoke of you.”
“And now I know why you are important visitors. He spoke quite highly of you. May I assume you have never seen Pemberley before today?”
“I have not, although my uncle and aunt have often been visitors here over the years. I am looking forward to seeing its fantastic library and the many walking trails Mr. Darcy assured me exist here.”
“It will be our pleasure to show them to you. Mrs. Reynolds will lead the tour of the house, but if you do not mind, I would like to accompany you.”
“Lizzy,” said Mrs. Gardiner, “we have toured the house many times. Since you will have Miss Darcy’s company, I would like to visit the flower gardens and speak with Mr. Vanderoot. How about you, Edward.”
“I believe I will seek out Mr. Avery and see how the fishing is this year. I will meet you in the library.”
“Come then Miss Elizabeth, Miss Darcy,” said Mrs. Reynolds, let us start the tour. Tell me, Miss Elizabeth, would you like the full tour that will take the remainder of the morning, or the short tour which only covers all the public rooms and a quick visit to the guest quarters.”
“Let me ask my Aunt,” she said, as she turned to Mrs. Gardiner. “I would like to take the full tour, Aunt Madeleine, but, if you and Uncle Edward want to return to Lambton well before lunch, I will take only the short one, so I can take a brief tour of the grounds.”
“We had intended to stay here only until eleven o’clock, Lizzy. I believe you should take the short tour.”
“Mrs. Elizabeth,” interjected Georgiana, “May I suggest, if you would like to take the long tour, that you eat lunch with us? Then you could spend the afternoon touring the grounds. We will be happy to provide you transportation to Lambton when you are finished.”
“Miss Darcy, that is a generous offer, but I would not want to impose upon you.”
“Lizzy,” said Mrs. Gardiner, “I think you should stay. There is much to see here and given that Miss Darcy has been so kind as to invite you, I think you should accept.”
Elizabeth
was torn. She could imagine that she could spend days touring the estate, and if the library was even half as good as her uncle and aunt had told her, she knew she could probably spend hours in there. However, it would mean spending time with Darcy, whom she still disliked. On the other hand, Georgiana was not what she had expected at all. Wickham had said she had become haughty and proud, as her brother, but Elizabeth believed, having met her, that she was quite shy, sweet, and not at all haughty. She thought she would enjoy spending time with her.
Seeing her hesitation, Georgiana said, “Miss Elizabeth, I assure you, it would be no imposition, and I would very much like to have a chance to spend more time with you. Would you stay for my sake? And I am sure my brother would echo my sentiments.”
Sensing that Georgiana probably had little chance to spend time with gentlewomen of her age because of Pemberley’s remote location and because she truly did want to see as much of Pemberley as she could, she smiled at Georgiana and said, “Thank you, Miss Darcy. Given such incentive, I would be pleased to stay for lunch and have a chance to spend hours in the fabulous library of which I have heard and touring the grounds this afternoon.”
“Very good, Lizzy” said Mr. Gardiner. “Then Madeleine and I will probably leave in about an hour, and we will expect to see you back at the Rodgers’ house for dinner this evening.”
Chapter 2: Pemberley‒The Morning Tour
As Darcy rode back toward Pemberley, he wondered why he had invited them to tour Pemberley while he was there. All he had intended to do was greet them and discover why they were on their way to Pemberley. But he could not help himself. He knew he could not be satisfied with just greeting Elizabeth, knowing she was so close to Pemberley.
The Lady of the Mount and Patience Rewarded: Two Stories of Darcy and Elizabeth Page 18
