Letters From the Heart

by Kay Bea

  As you have guessed, we were joined at Ashford Lodge by Georgiana and Mr Darcy. Also in the family party were Colonel Fitzwilliam and his elder brother and his wife, Viscount and Countess Hargrove. It was quite a large gathering, and everyone seemed determined to display as much affection and love as could be had. Having spent no small amount of time with Lady Catherine and Mr Darcy, I confess I was surprised at the open warmth of the family, though I suppose I should not be. After all, Aunt and Uncle Gardiner are not at all similar to our own parents.

  Mr Darcy amongst his family is a revelation. Gone is his taciturn disposition and reserve, replaced by a gentleman who is all ease and friendliness. He seemed somehow lighter in his bearing than ever he was last summer. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. I found myself frequently in company with Mr Darcy and Georgiana as everyone else was naturally paired off. In Colonel Fitzwilliam’s case, his frequent partner was his betrothed, Lady Amelia, who is the daughter of an earl. I understand the colonel has done his duty to both his family and himself by having the good sense to fall in love with an heiress. We had sleigh rides about the grounds, and there was even a snowball fight or two. Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam were utterly incorrigible. Lady Matlock only shook her head at them and muttered something that sounded distinctly like, “Boys. They never do grow up!” I had to smile at the picture of Mr Darcy and the colonel as boys.

  I spent much of my time agreeably engaged reading, playing duets with Georgiana, or walking about the gardens near the house. My escort at Ashford Lodge was far more pleasant than the ones with which I am familiar from Rosings. Will you think badly of me when I say that Mr Darcy often found reason to walk with me and that I made no move to discourage him? We were sometimes joined by Georgiana, but just as often, it was only we two. I daresay we are now great friends.

  As I hinted earlier, and only after much discussion, Anne has persuaded me to invite Mary to Rosings for a time. I believe our sister would do well away from the censure of my mother and having a companion would be quite agreeable to me, as it would enable me to accept invitations to travel without inconveniencing my hostess. That said companion could also be a dear sister is only a source of additional joy.

  Your inexplicably happy sister,

  Elizabeth

  P.S. You see I have divested myself of his name at least in writing.

  January 31, 1814

  Ashford Lodge, Derbyshire

  Dear Mary,

  I am exceedingly pleased to know you have decided to accept my invitation. I believe you will find Rosings very much to your liking. There is an extensive library and the most beautiful pianoforte to practice your music. As Lady Catherine delights in listening to others perform, perhaps we may learn a few duets to play for the family.

  Anne asks me to inform you she and Mr Addison will travel to London next week for Colonel Fitzwilliam’s marriage to Lady Amelia on February 9. The Addisons will return to Rosings the following day and are most willing for you to join them if Papa would bring you first to Darcy House in town.

  I am anxiously awaiting your arrival.

  Your truly delighted sister,

  Elizabeth

  January 31, 1814

  Ashford Lodge, Derbyshire

  Dear Bingley,

  I have learnt from Elizabeth that you are to be congratulated on the birth of your daughter. I must tell you—as I know she will not—the aunt was quite overcome to know her niece would bear her name. I am also informed that Mr Bennet has already ascribed his favourite daughter’s personality to young Hannah Elizabeth. If he is correct, I can only say you and Mrs Bingley will benefit from the liveliness of such a child.

  Tomorrow we shall depart Ashford Lodge for London where we plan to remain until after Richard’s wedding. I fear I must arrive early if for no reason other than to protect my brandy. The man has utterly charmed my staff and has no compunction in helping himself to my stores. Georgiana has dispatched an invitation to Miss Lydia to join us in London before travelling with us to Pemberley. As you will recall, she had first planned to invite all the sisters, but we are given to understand Elizabeth has invited Miss Bennet to join her at Rosings, and Miss Catherine is determined to assist Mrs Bingley with the children.

  I rather suspect my pocketbook will be considerably lighter before the visit is complete. Georgiana has spoken rather often of the need to gift her friend with music, ribbons, lace, and I know not what else. I only know there are excursions planned to Bond Street. I attempt to look stern and put-upon whenever the topic is broached; it will not do for my sister to know how pleased I am to indulge both her and Miss Lydia in this manner.

  I was pleased with your intelligence as regards Mrs Bennet. I had wondered whether Mr Bennet would hold to his resolution, and it seems he has. As you are no doubt already aware, Mr Collins was the last male relative of Mr Bennet, and the entail was broken upon that man’s death. As none of Longbourn’s lands are held by the crown, Mr Bennet is free to do as he will with the estate. I have referred him to my solicitor in London for advice on the matter. The comfort of knowing the estate will not pass to some unknown relative has certainly increased his interest in Longbourn’s management, and I believe better management to be responsible for the funds required to repair the dower house and provide some few servants for its maintenance. Of course, a reduction in Mrs Bennet’s pin money was also helpful. I cannot but agree with Mr Bennet’s reasoning. A woman who finds herself with a very small social circle and who no longer entertains, surely has not so many needs as she might have previously. Knowing she cannot be happy with her new situation, I have great compassion for the servants attending Mrs Bennet. For their sake, I hope they are well compensated.

  Your decision to take possession of Grey Manor in April is an excellent scheme. You, Mrs Bingley, and Miss Catherine are welcome to stay at Pemberley while any work is being completed. At such an easy distance, it will be nothing for you to travel between the two estates. I shall likely join you in the effort. With so many ladies present, we cannot think they will always be in need of our company. It is unfortunate Mr Bennet does not care to travel; else, he could join us as well. In truth, I suspect it is more a wish for some small measure of solitude than a real disgust of travel that motivates his decision to remain in Hertfordshire at this time. If you decide to come to Pemberley, you need only write. I would have no opposition to an unplanned visit, but Mrs Reynolds is likely to prefer time to prepare your rooms, and as I wish to remain in that lady’s good graces, I beg your indulgence in this.

  Until then, I remain…

  Your friend,

  Fitzwilliam Darcy

  February 15, 1814

  Darcy House, London

  Dear Anne,

  Well cousin, I must first say how delighted both Georgiana and I were with your news. I am certain you and Matthias will be excellent parents. I am not in the least surprised that your mother has already planned the nursery and am only astonished she has not decreed when the child should arrive. Truly, ’tis a mark of her enthusiasm to become a grandmother, I think. Richard tells me the quest for grandchildren is all he has heard from his mother since the day he announced his betrothal, and now that he is wed, he has no expectation of change in that quarter.

  It was very kind of you to convey Miss Bennet to her sister. I believe you will find the young woman to be a welcome addition to your household. She is a sensible sort of girl who is well-read and plays beautifully. I think she will flourish in her new environment, and I know she has truly missed her sister. Though your mother may not have been so kind to her before making Elizabeth’s acquaintance, I believe even she will think Mary worthy, and I have long thought Elizabeth would benefit from being more with her family.

  I have reason to hope you will not have much time to become acquainted with Miss Bennet until, perhaps, this summer. The enclosed letter from Georgiana invites the pair to Pemberley for a lengthy visit. I had urged her to wait and extend the invitation cl
oser to summer, but she will not be gainsaid in this. I suspect her insistence is born as much from Miss Lydia’s desire to see her elder sister as it is from Georgiana’s wish to further her friendship with both ladies. Miss Lydia was somewhat put out regarding our imminent departure until she learnt of the possibility of seeing Elizabeth. It would appear that, while five days of visiting the shops are not sufficient to satisfy all her desires, being again in the presence of a sister she once thought lost to her is a greater temptation. Since learning of Georgiana’s plan to invite Elizabeth and Miss Bennet to Pemberley, Miss Lydia has spoken of nothing else. I am bid to ask you not to reveal Miss Lydia’s presence as I am told it is to be a great surprise for Elizabeth when she arrives. My exposure to the Bennet sisters has left me in no doubt of the ability of the female mind to plan and execute a course of action. I have come to think our generals might be better off allowing their wives to plan their campaigns. Surely, there is none so formidable as a determined woman, as I am certain you very well know.

  As we hope to have more visitors, we are not planning to join you for Easter this year. Perhaps Richard and Lady Amelia’s presence will atone for our absence. If the weather holds, we shall depart for Pemberley tomorrow. Miss Lydia has never before stayed at an inn, nor has she travelled so great a distance. It will be refreshing to view the journey through new eyes.

  Your cousin,

  Fitzwilliam Darcy

  March 1814, Pemberley

  Elizabeth’s second visit to Pemberley was no less anticipated than her first and her greeting on arrival even more enthusiastic. She had scarcely stepped from the carriage before being engulfed in the arms of her youngest sister.

  “Lizzy!” Lydia shouted as she ran, and Elizabeth was so overcome with happiness that she could not reprimand her lively sister’s lack of decorum. This was her Lydia—wild, fierce, and independent as always. Mary thought to admonish their sister but could not. Instead, she walked to Elizabeth’s side and wrapped her arms around both sisters. In Elizabeth’s heart, she began to feel as though she had finally come home.

  The following days were spent in idle pleasure. Nature was kind enough to grace them with several days of sunshine, of which Elizabeth took full advantage. She spent each morning on a different path. Her favourite meandered around the pond, over a small bridge to the woods, then back to the house. Mr Darcy found her there the first morning. “Good morning,” he greeted her.

  “And a good morning to you as well, sir. I hope I am not intruding.”

  “Not at all. If anything, it would seem I have interrupted your privacy on your morning stroll.”

  Elizabeth smiled at that. “Nonsense, Mr Darcy. You are the master of this house and may come and go as you please. I am only a guest.”

  “Be that as it may, you were here first. Therefore, I shall ask, may I join you?”

  “I would be honoured, sir,” Elizabeth replied and allowed him to place her hand on his arm. They walked in companionable silence for some time before Darcy took his leave and returned to the house.

  Elizabeth thought it mere coincidence when he found her again the next day. This time she was in the formal rose gardens. “This garden was a favourite of my mother,” he said by way of greeting.

  “I can easily see why,” Elizabeth commented as he fell in step beside her and once again they walked together for a time, speaking of inconsequential matters before returning to the house.

  This continued each day. Elizabeth would choose a path in the morning, and no matter where her feet took her, Mr Darcy was sure to follow. He came with offerings of fruit and bread and even a thin volume of poetry, which he said his mother once preferred to read under a particular tree near their chosen path.

  To both their consternation, after the third day, they were joined by Mary each time they walked together. How she managed to locate them remained a mystery.

  March 5, 1814

  Pemberley, Derbyshire

  Dear Jane,

  As you see from the direction on my letter, Mary and I have travelled to Pemberley to visit Georgiana and Lydia. We hope to also see Catherine and your family whilst we are here. I had not the least intention of coming so soon, but Georgiana can be most persuasive, and I found I could not decline so well phrased an invitation as hers. There was, of course, the added inducement of being once again in the company of my sisters. I believe the timing of the visits was rather carefully planned for it seems too great a coincidence that we should all chance to be at Pemberley at the same time. Each time I am reunited with one of my sisters, I think I can feel no greater joy than I do in those first moments of restoration.

  Our sisters are so greatly changed! Lydia is still herself—fiercely independent and livelier than what is entirely acceptable, and yet she is wholly proper. Mary is still quiet, bookish, and reserved, but she has discovered the works of Donne and Wordsworth and has developed a love of history, much to my relief. Lydia has abandoned the pianoforte, but she is becoming quite proficient on Georgiana’s harp, and Mary’s playing is now simply delightful. They are so improved that we are now able to have an entire conversation without a single mention of officers, fashion, or the great Reverend Fordyce. To be honest, the improvement in them makes me feel a little ashamed that I did not make a greater effort towards them much sooner.

  Mr Darcy had thought to go to London for a time, but finding no support for this scheme, he soon abandoned it. Georgiana and Lydia are not yet out (Lydia herself declared this much to my astonishment), Mary is not at all inclined to visit town, and I am supposed to still be in mourning though I have scandalised our sister by refusing to wear black. I daresay if she had been married to that man, she would not mourn him either, and I care not one jot for society’s opinion on the subject except as how it might bring harm to my sisters. We are all content to remain at Pemberley, for who could not approve of such a magical place?

  We shall likely remain in Derbyshire at least until summer, enjoying all the estate has to offer. I have already discovered several pathways on which to lose myself. Mr Darcy always manages to find me—a circumstance that never fails to brighten my day. Here at Pemberley I feel entirely free; even the spectre of our cousin does not appear in my dreams.

  Your unfashionably impertinent sister,

  Elizabeth

  March 10, 1814

  Pemberley, Derbyshire

  Dear Bingley,

  Where previously I mentioned a stay at Pemberley purely out of courtesy, I now write to beg your presence and that of Mrs Bingley and Miss Catherine. Elizabeth and Miss Bennet have been here some three weeks, and I cannot tell you the pleasure reflected in Elizabeth’s eyes when she beheld her youngest sister. I can only think that the presence of all her sisters would bring her even greater joy. I shall be happy to provide whatever assistance is necessary to facilitate your early journey hence.

  Yours in friendship,

  Fitzwilliam Darcy

  March 10, 1814

  Pemberley, Derbyshire

  Dear Richard,

  I am glad to know Lady Amelia is pleased with the work completed at Finmere and that the pair of you are well settled. I have taken the liberty of adding to your cellar a case of my finest brandy. I harbour no expectation of it remaining long in the bottle, but I do hope you at least raise your glass to me when you drink it. Tilson tells me your steward is performing admirably. He even went so far as to say he had some hope of your successful transition from soldier to landowner. Coming from him, this is high praise indeed. I do not believe I have ever heard him speak so highly of another. The last time he even hinted at speaking well of someone, he only said the man was nearly as useful as his favourite horse. I have also looked over the investments you are considering, and I am so much in favour of your plans as to say I shall likely make some of my own. I believe the future will belong to those who are wise enough to expand their interests beyond the land.

  Hargrove has written to inform me he is in search of a small estate to purchase. It is
his intention to settle the place on a second son should he be so fortunate as to have one. If not, he will settle it on a daughter as part of her dowry. I do admire the man’s forethought. Should I ever be so fortunate as to marry and have children of my own, I shall follow his example in providing for my daughters and younger sons.

  Have I thanked you for forcing me to return to Hertfordshire two years ago? If not, allow me to do so now. Elizabeth and her sisters have been here for almost three weeks, and each day is better than the last. If I could spend the remainder of my days at Pemberley with Elizabeth, I should die a happy man—giggling sisters and chaos notwithstanding. Elizabeth has the endearing habit of attempting to lose herself on some lane or other nearly every day. I have made a game of attempting to discover her whereabouts and join her on her rambles.