“But you employed Mrs. Younge for Georgiana,” Lizzy said, continuing to press on Ellie’s behalf.
For Darcy, there were so many things to think about. Discussing Mrs. Younge was a very low priority for him. But Elizabeth needed to understand that every decision he made factored in his unique situation.
Georgiana, who had openly discussed with Elizabeth Wickham’s attempt to lure her into an elopement, chose to answer the question.
“Mrs. Younge served as my companion only when I was in town. Before the fiasco in Ramsgate, Mrs. Younge had been an exemplary employee. I am sorry to say that her misjudgment of Wickham’s character cost her her position. But please understand, Mrs. Younge was never at Pemberley.”
“Does that answer your question, Elizabeth?” her husband asked her.
“I do understand the logic behind your decision, and my French is definitely in need of improvement.” Darcy nodded his head up and down, lightening the mood considerably. “So the matter is settled, and I shall have a French maid.”
The coach arrived at Pemberley at two o’clock, and Lizzy was never so glad to see any place in her life. With two hours until nightfall, the newlyweds would have some time together before he would have to leave her.
After receiving a warm welcome from Mrs. Reynolds, Darcy and Georgiana led Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy to her suite, and brother and sister looked at her to gauge her reaction to the room that had once served as Lady Anne’s bedchamber. Looking about the room, Lizzy suspected that nothing had changed since their mother’s death ten years earlier, and that fact was quickly confirmed by Georgiana.
“Before my parents married, my father hired Robert Adam to redecorate the public rooms and my mother’s bedroom suite. It was Papa’s wedding present to her, as she was a great admirer of his work.”
“I, too, am an admirer of Mr. Adam’s work. Jane and I toured Syon House and Kenwood House with my aunt and uncle Gardiner, where we saw other examples of his designs.”
“Then you approve of your accommodations?” Georgiana asked eagerly.
“How could I not approve? It is the most beautiful room I have ever seen, and pale green is my favorite color.” She turned and smiled at Mr. Darcy. “In fact, it comes very close to matching the color of a certain article of clothing I bought as part of my trousseau.” When Darcy returned the smile, she knew that he understood that it was the color of the nightgown she had attempted to wear on their wedding night.
Mrs. Reynolds entered the room to ask Mr. Darcy if he wanted his dinner to be served in the mistress’s sitting room. Like everyone who was privy to Mr. Darcy’s secret, the housekeeper knew exactly what was required before each nightfall, and her master liked to eat a light meal before going out. But it also served as a reminder that he would shortly be leaving, and because of that, Georgiana excused herself so that her brother and sister-in-law could be alone.
“My wife and sister will eat in here, Mrs. Reynolds, but as for me, there is not enough time.”
What does he mean there is not enough time? The sun will not set for another hour.
When they were alone, Darcy asked Elizabeth if she had any questions about the impending transformation.
“Only one. What time is daybreak?”
Darcy looked relieved that she wanted no specifics of the actual experience of changing from man to beast. “Daybreak is at 8:06. But there are things I must do before I enter the house and that usually takes about thirty minutes. Add to that the thirty to sixty minutes I remain in my study, I should be upstairs and ready for my bath between nine thirty and ten o’clock. As soon as I am dressed, I shall come to you. Is that agreeable?”
“Of course. I look forward to your return.” She tried to hold steady because she feared that she would start crying at any moment.
“Lizzy, promise me that you will not leave the house while I am gone,” Darcy asked. “I mean, at night, you should not leave the house at night. You will not be able to see me, as I will stay clear of the manor and the stables. It is risky to do otherwise.” Lizzy agreed. His coming to see her on the terrace had been a dangerous thing to do. “Now I must go.”
“But it is only three o’clock. The sun does not set until four,” she said, and her face showed her confusion.
Darcy pulled her into his arms and whispered, “Please believe me when I say that I must leave.” She nodded, but clung to him for another minute, and in that minute she knew that he must go now because she could feel a tightening in the muscles in his back that had not been there a moment earlier. “I love you,” he whispered, and she detected a deepening of his voice as well.
Lizzy released her hold on him and stepped away to show him that she would not try to prevent him from leaving. If she had any doubts that the transformation had already begun, they were quickly put to rest. Instead of kissing her good-bye, he rubbed her nose with his, and then he turned away from her and left without saying another word.
After she heard the door close behind her husband, Lizzy stood still as if frozen to that very spot, and tears poured down her face. She made no attempt to stop crying or to be brave. Nature had imposed this forced separation upon them, and there was nothing she could do about it. And so she cried and cried, and because of her sobbing, she did not hear Georgiana come into the room, and seeing Elizabeth’s distress, Georgie went to her and put her arms around her sister-in-law and held her until there were no tears left to cry.
***
Embarrassed by her loss of control over her emotions, Lizzy excused herself and went to a sitting room adjacent to her bedchamber. As her nerves steadied, she decided that she would have to look at her husband’s monthly departures in the same way as that of a woman who was married to a man in the military. When Mr. Darcy needed to leave, she must be strong or she would fail him as a wife.
When Lizzy returned to her room, she found Georgiana pouring out two cups of tea. She had obviously anticipated her sister-in-law’s distress, and Lizzy was glad she had.
“Elizabeth, I know how difficult this is for you, but I can assure you that it will become second nature to you. It might even have its advantages. My brother can be very intense at times, and you may welcome a respite now and then.”
“Yes, I am sure you are right,” Lizzy said, trying to smile, “and it is only two days.”
“Did you know that it has started snowing again? Which is a good thing?” Georgiana quickly added. “Whether man or wolf, Will loves the snow. I am sure that as soon as he returns, he will have you out for a sleigh ride or to go sledding, so I shall warn you that he goes up to the very top of the hill near the gazebo, and swoosh, down he comes at a frightening speed.”
Lizzy also loved the snow as well as sleigh riding and ice skating. Like her husband, she needed to move about, and if they could go sledding shortly after his return that would be a perfect way to lift their spirits and help them to forget all about nightfall.
“By the way, I owe you my thanks for telling Jane that you were the reason we had to leave for Pemberley on Christmas day,” Lizzy said. “That was very quick thinking on your part.”
“Not really. You see I heard your sister telling Mr. Bingley that it was her intention to try to persuade you to remain at Netherfield, and so I had time to think of a story in case one was needed. I think of it as telling a white lie, which I will do without hesitation in order to protect Will.”
“Georgiana, when did you realize your brother was a wolf?”
“I feel as if I have known about his other nature my whole life. My parents were very clever in the way they went about it. Mama would tell me stories about wolves who became men, not the other way around, and that it was better to be a wolf than a human. I loved those stories, and so one day she asked if I would like to meet such a creature. Well, you can imagine how excited I was to actually get to meet a wolf-man, which is the term that was used in the stories. One day, Mam
a, Papa, and I went into the woods, and this beautiful black animal came bounding up to me and nudged me with his nose.”
Ah, so he has had that habit for a while, Lizzy thought.
“Of course, I started to giggle, and seeing that I was amused, he started to run around in circles and to jump over logs or in the air. This doglike creature was putting on a performance just for me, and when he stopped playing, I looked into his eyes, and I knew the animal was my brother. Obviously, there is a dramatic physical change during transformation, but the one thing that does not alter is the wolf’s eyes. You would never mistake Will for any other male wolf because of his beautiful gray-green eyes. But once I was let in on the family secret, Mama and Papa impressed upon me the importance of never telling anyone, explaining that not everyone liked wolf-men and some bad people might want to harm Will.”
“That was very clever. Your parents went about it in exactly the right way,” Lizzy said, impressed by their handling of so difficult a subject.
For another hour or so, Georgiana amused Lizzy with stories of staying with her aunts Catherine and Marguerite while her brother was in North America.
“It was a matter of choosing your poison,” Georgie said, laughing. “Except for being deprived of Anne’s company, I was actually glad when I had to go back to seminary.”
After assuring Georgiana that she had completely recovered following her tearful exhibition, Elizabeth insisted that her sister-in-law retire.
“I know you are exhausted because I am, so if you will undo the buttons on my dress, I can see to the rest.” She kissed Georgiana on the cheek. “Thank you for all you have done in making me a part of your family and in helping me to better understand your brother.”
“It will get easier. I promise,” Georgiana said, taking hold of Lizzy’s hands.
“Please stop worrying. Go to bed and forget all about my emotional display. You will not see another.” And Lizzy meant it.
***
There was nothing Lizzy wanted more than to fall into a deep sleep so that the hours would pass quickly, but after tossing and turning and turning and tossing, she left her bed, put on her robe, and after lighting another candle, she stepped into the hallway to have a closer look at her new home and the portrait gallery. Unfortunately, her little candle failed to cast enough light so that she could actually view the portraits, but there were niches containing objets d’art all along the gallery as well as on both sides of the double wrought iron staircase that were visible by candlelight.
In one niche, there was a reproduction of Laocoön and His Sons, trying to break free of sea serpents, and in another, the lovely Aphrodite of Knidos. She imagined that the elder Mr. Darcy had bought Aphrodite for his wife, and Lady Anne had purchased Laocoön for her husband, which would account for the dramatic differences in their subjects.
She was studying two glazed Chinese vases when she heard someone approaching, and she turned to find Mercer walking toward her.
“Mrs. Darcy, is there anything wrong?” he asked anxiously.
“No, not at all, Mr. Mercer. It was just that I could not sleep, and so I was admiring some of the pieces in the Darcy collection. I did not mean to wake you.”
“I’m a light sleeper, ma’am. Mr. Darcy accuses me of having a ‘mother’s hearing’ and says I worry too much. But if you are having difficulty sleeping, may I suggest a glass of sherry?”
“Yes, thank you, I would like a glass.”
“Shall we go into the study?”
After lighting some candles, Mercer immediately went to the fire, and in the ashes he found some glowing embers, and soon there was a small but sufficient blaze going.
“If you would like a drink, Mr. Mercer, please help yourself, and do sit down.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll have something less sweet, ma’am.” He poured himself a glass of port and sat on the edge of his chair, as if being comfortable in the presence of his mistress might be viewed as being disrespectful. She hoped to put him at his ease by asking about his service to Mr. Darcy.
“Excuse me, ma’am, but you don’t have to make small talk with me. I can see that you are troubled, and all I can say is that it will get easier with each nightfall.”
“That is what Miss Darcy says as well,” she answered, her voice trailing off.
“Meaning no disrespect, ma’am, but Miss Darcy’s situation is a little different from ours. She grew up knowing what her brother was, but it wasn’t that way with me and you. First, we come to know him and then to like him and then to love him before learning of his burden, and it hurts us to see Mr. Darcy having to carry this weight on his shoulders, especially since he don’t complain about it or ask why this had to happen to him. He just goes out there once a month and does whatever is necessary to protect Lady Helen and any other wolves who might be on the property.”
“Mr. Darcy made me promise not to go out of the house at night,” Lizzy said, “but would there be any harm in going up to the glade tomorrow?”
Mercer shook his head no. “Right now, with you being newly married, he probably wants you to see him only in his human form, not as some creature of the night.”
“Yes,” Lizzy said, nodding in agreement. “I see the wisdom in your advice.” She went quiet for a moment, and another idea came to mind. “When I was last here, Mr. Darcy asked that I put a candle in the window if I was willing to accept him as he was, and I am ashamed to say that I did not do it. But I could do it tonight. I am not sure he will see it, but I would like to do it nonetheless.”
Mercer’s response was immediate. “I’ll get a candle.” After doing so, he led her to a sitting room in the front of the house which was directly over the portico. After pulling away the drapes, he said, “If you set the candle on that table, he’ll see it right away, that is, if he’s about.”
“Thank you, Mr. Mercer. You may go back to sleep. I wish to stay here for a few minutes longer.”
Lizzy went to the window carrying the candle and looked at the falling snowflakes. If the snow continued to fall at this rate, there would be several inches by morning, and she would have something to look forward to because she loved snow-covered landscapes. When the coach had turned into the Pemberley property, she had seen a great white expanse broken by denuded oaks and pine trees groaning under the weight of the newly fallen snow. She wondered if, in her role as the mistress of Pemberley and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, she would be permitted to throw snowballs and to make snow angels as she did with her sisters. She certainly hoped so.
After one last look at the moonlit scene, she left the candle on the table and stepped away from the window, but before she reached the door, she heard a howl pierce the night. Quickly returning to the window, she waved the candle back and forth. A second howl followed, and there was nothing mournful about it.
Chapter 36
Clear skies and milder temperatures followed in the wake of the storm, and it was a perfect day to make a snowman. Elizabeth and Georgiana enlisted Mercer’s help, and the result was a fine-looking snowman with a button nose, two eyes made out of coal, and crowned with one of Mr. Darcy’s old top hats.
“It is one of William’s old hats, isn’t it?” Lizzy asked Georgiana.
“Well, it is now.” The two ladies dissolved into laughter.
The snow had proved to be the perfect antidote for Lizzy’s emotional exhaustion, and because somewhere in the woods behind her Mr. Darcy and Nell were also enjoying the snow, she was happy as well.
While building the snowman, Lizzy asked Mercer how he occupied his time when Mr. Darcy was away “doing other things.”
“Even with the master gone, there is still a lot to do, but I do have the evenings to myself. So I decided to tackle something I didn’t know anything about, and I learned how to make fishing flies. I’m proud to say that when Mr. Darcy steps into the streams hereabouts, he’s using one of my flies.”
“What a marvelous idea, Mr. Mercer. I could view Mr. Darcy’s absences as an opportunity to make improvements in those areas where I am lacking, such as riding a horse. I could also work on my French. Since I am to have a French maid who speaks passable English, it would be nice if she had a mistress who spoke passable French.”
After decorating the front lawn with numerous snow angels, the ladies, soaked through to the skin, were walking back to the house when two rabbits dashed out in front of them.
“For their sake, let us hope Nell does not see them,” Lizzy said, and the giggles began anew.
While Georgiana played a beautiful piece on the pianoforte, Lizzy was looking out the front window and noticed a carriage coming down the drive. Instead of following the U to the front entrance, the carriage continued on to that part of the drive that led to a courtyard and the servants’ entrance.
“It must be Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Bradshaw,” Lizzy announced, which caused her to bite her lower lip. She was now the mistress of Pemberley, and when Mr. Darcy was away, she was supposedly in charge of the house, or so he had told her.
Seeing the anxious look on Lizzy’s face, Georgiana joined her at the window. “I know you are thinking about Mrs. Bradshaw, but you should not worry. When she brings you the menus, agree to everything she says. That is what I did. And why should you not? She knows more than anyone else, and she will tell you so. Aunt Marguerite, Aunt Catherine, and Mrs. Bradshaw were all cut from the same cloth, and there is no changing them.”
Within the hour, Mr. Jackson sought out his mistress, first, to present her with letters from her mother and sister and, second, to tell her that because of the poor roads, Mrs. Bradshaw had insisted that the silver, china, and crystal be left behind. “Abel Metcalf remains at Netherfield Park for the purpose of…”
“Guarding the plate?” Lizzy asked.
“Of course not, ma’am,” Jackson quickly answered. “Please understand that it is our responsibility to ensure that everything is returned to its proper place here at Pemberley.”
Mr. Darcy's Bite Page 24
