Revelations

by Kirsten Bij't Vuur

  'It has been a real pleasure to show you around, Mrs Darcy, I feel I know you a lot better already.'

  As they continued towards the drawing-room, Mrs Reynolds suddenly halted and said, 'I beg your pardon ma'am, but I really want to tell you I'm so very glad to see the master so happy with you. My dear master is so much in love with you, it is such a joy to behold him finally getting the woman he deserves.'

  Elizabeth was really touched that Mrs Reynolds told her this, it gave her the feeling that she was be doing something right, that she had that estimable lady's approval, and she thanked Mrs Reynolds for her kind words.

  'I was always afraid he'd fall into the clutches of one of those ladies out for his standing and his affluence, who seemed to think the world was created for their pleasure, without a proper place in it for those of lesser birth and fortune. The master is not like that, he cares about all the people. It is clear you do, too, and that makes all of us here very happy. Of course we should have trusted Mr Darcy to find himself a loving wife.'

  'Thank you so much, Mrs Reynolds, I admit I was a bit afraid you'd object to my being somewhat below your master's station,' Elizabeth said frankly.

  'I never much cared about class, Mrs Darcy,' was the reply, 'I care about my master's happiness. I must admit I had my doubts about his being so much in love without his affection being returned.'

  Of course Mrs Reynolds couldn't imagine a woman not loving her master.

  'For months he was very unhappy, very sad. I though he was taken seriously ill, he didn't eat and had black rings under his eyes. Finally I dared asked him what was wrong, and he simply told me he was lovesick, and that it would take time to heal.'

  Elizabeth nodded, she still found it hard to believe that Fitzwilliam would have been physically ill after having his love spurned by a simple country girl like her. She had thought him so proud, so vain, and all this time he had really suffered.

  'It was your account of him that made me realise he was in fact a very good man, Mrs Reynolds,' Elizabeth observed, 'until then he had not made a good impression on me, I'm afraid. I thought him disdainful of the people he considered below him.'

  The estimable lady clearly had trouble believing that of her beloved master, but her reply was fair.

  'He did tell me you had reason to dislike him. I couldn't imagine how that

  could be, but the master wouldn't lie.'

  Her face brightened, and she walked on, saying, 'Anyway, everything turned out for the best, and he is certainly very happy now.'

  And as if to prove that, as they entered the drawing-room where Fitzwilliam was already waiting for his beloved, he immediately got up from the comfortable chair he was sitting in and took Elizabeth in a gentle embrace.

  'I've missed you already,' he whispered in her ear, 'even an hour without you is too long.'

  She kissed him chastely and said, in a normal voice not to exclude Mrs Reynolds who had come in with her, 'Did you manage to resolve your personal issues with the help of Mr Brewer?'

  Still holding her, not caring at all whether that might be awkward for Mrs Reynolds, he smiled at her, totally smitten.

  'To my fullest satisfaction, my love. I feel as light as a feather. Which is for the best since my feet are killing me from our ramble this morning.'

  And that was very true. Not about the feet, for in fact he didn't suffer at all, he just complained in the hope of being spoiled by his beloved, and it worked, for she took him to a sofa and offered to massage his feet. Mrs Reynolds having fled minutes ago he gladly accepted the offer of intimacy, and Elizabeth removed his knee-high boots and his stockings and lovingly kneaded his strong feet.

  'Do you think I should take to wearing low shoes in the house?' he asked,

  'maybe they would be more suitable for a married man.'

  His feet must have been tired after all for the massage felt fabulous, he could feel the tension drain from his muscles. As he sat back and enjoyed his lovely wife's ministrations, he thought of his conversation with Nathan just now.

  Nathan had started by expressing his approval of Darcy's choice of wife, some might find that presumptuous of a steward towards his master but Nathan was older than Darcy and had been married to a lovely, superior woman for years. Darcy could not but respect his smart and able steward, and their relationship had ever been very familiar. As Darcy had posed his problem, Nathan instantly knew what he meant, and promised to find out how to lawfully secure an independence on Mrs Darcy, and to make the arrangements with Darcy's London lawyer so the papers could be signed as soon as they were back in town.

  Then Darcy asked him, 'What would you think of a woman riding astride, Nathan, would it be shameful?'

  Nathan merely returned the question.

  'Is there another way to ride, then? Oh, you mean on a sidesaddle. No-one does that in the village where I live, the only people owning a horse are farmers, and their girls don't have their own saddle. If their dads even have a saddle at all. May I ask why you want to know, is Mrs Darcy thinking of joining you in the hunt?'

  Darcy replied honestly.

  'I want to ride together, but she feels unsafe on a horse. I thought she might feel safer astride, but she says it will be a disgrace to me.'

  'If you stay on your own property no-one will even find out, Mr Darcy.

  Your staff and your tenants will not talk, they are very loyal. Besides, whom would they gossip to? You're the only gentleman who'd even notice them.'

  That was enough for Darcy, Nathan knew what was going on on the estate, so that was where they'd start.

  Elizabeth's voice woke him from his reverie.

  'You were miles away, love, and very pleasantly distracted I think. I suppose you would look fine with low shoes, though I guess I would have to get used to it. I've never seen you wearing anything but boots, though you must have worn shoes at Bingley's ball at Netherfield. But I'm sure you were not thinking of shoes just now. It was something different.'

  'It was. There are so many things we can do together, I just don't know where to start,' was his vague reply, hoping she would not ask directly for he would not lie or keep things from her, but he didn't want her to think he was obsessed with getting her to ride either; he was, but he didn't want to frighten her or put pressure on her.

  Elizabeth supposed he must be planning a surprise, being too inquisitive was not a good trait in anyone, and she would trust Fitzwilliam, he had proven time and time again that he deserved it.

  'Will you show me the rest of the house? I haven't seen the library, yet.

  Maybe we can find some books to improve our minds. Unless your feet are bothering you?'

  A bit ashamed of having complained without true reason, Darcy quickly assented.

  'Of course, you haven't even seen the house yet. Well, during that tour with your aunt and uncle Gardiner, and bits of it today with Mrs Reynolds. I get

  the feeling she likes you, am I right?'

  'I suppose she does, yes. She has noticed you are very happy to be married to me, and I guess that is good enough for her.'

  Elizabeth thought for a moment and added, 'And I guess she liked the way I took time to get to know all of them, she said most ladies don't see staff as people.'

  Starting on the ground floor Fitzwilliam showed Elizabeth all the rooms that were currently in use, including the ones she had seen during the tour. Again she was struck by the difference in her situation then and now, but this time it was merely interesting, she was starting to get used to the idea of leaving Longbourn and her family behind and living with Fitzwilliam in this huge house. He looked very appealing, and since there were no people about she could steal a few kisses without being caught. Wrapping him in her arms was a matter of seconds, and soon they were kissing lovingly, with surprisingly little lust, just a lot of intense feeling. When they broke off the kiss, still holding each other tightly, Fitzwilliam smiled and observed, 'It will take all of our two weeks to view the entire house this way. But it will be time w
ell-spent.'

  Elizabeth didn't answer, not with words. In moments like these they didn't need words, though this was only the fifth day of their married life.

  They spent the next two days exploring the house and the park, walking as far as they comfortably could, but there was so much more to be seen that they couldn't reach on foot. Though Darcy was aching for a long ride, he did not want to leave Elizabeth all by herself, that just didn't feel right on their honeymoon. Elizabeth was aware of Fitzwilliam's restlessness and since she was not planning to keep him chained to her side she said one afternoon,

  'You need to ride out, love, don't let me keep you indoors or wear your boots down walking. I'll be fine, there is the library, and Mrs Reynolds promised to give me a tour of the unused chambers, a Darcy history lesson she called it. If you tell me where that lewd book is hidden, I'll certainly amuse myself for a few hours. I don't want you to feel a captive in your own house.'

  He couldn't deny it, and admitted to his inclination.

  'I am aching for a good gallop over the hills. I'm so sorry we cannot share this, there are so many places I want to show you.'

  'Why don't you make arrangements then for me to accompany you, Fitzwilliam, for you I will try, really. Maybe I will feel safer when you are

  with me, we'll never know if we don't try.'

  'I feel uncomfortable asking so much of you, Elizabeth,' he replied, 'but I really want to do this together, very much. It's such a huge part of my life and we share everything else. May I ride out alone for an hour or two, and talk to the coachman to see what can be done to put you on a horse?'

  'You may, beloved, if you hand over the book, in case Mrs Reynolds is too busy to spend an hour on me.'

  'Will you come with me to the stables to see me off?'

  'That, too.'

  Chapter 16

  Half an hour saw him mounted and disappearing out of sight, and Elizabeth returned to the house alone. Once there, she looked for the housekeeper, who was very pleased to show her around the chambers that were relics of the Darcy's who had lived here before.

  They started out with the room that used to be Fitzwilliam's grandmother's, his father's mother. The mirror in their bedroom used to be hers, and the whole room was as tasteful and as timeless as that priceless piece of furniture. The furniture looked as if it was new, and the walls had probably been re-painted, but Elizabeth was amazed at how well the fabrics had been preserved, the curtains were still a beautiful pink with silver, the bedspread could have been crocheted yesterday, and there were masses of pillows strewn across the bed, making it look as if the room was still in use. Frankly, it was more like a girl's room than an elderly lady's.

  'It is all so beautifully preserved,' Elizabeth said, 'it doesn't look old or worn at all.'

  Mrs Reynolds was pleased with the compliment and she observed, 'It is as if fabrics lasted longer in those days, in that wardrobe over there we keep some dresses that seem to have ignored the passage of time. Old-fashioned of course, but not worn at all, let me show you.'

  Walking to the wardrobe and opening it, she took out a very formal ball-gown that did indeed look as if it could still be worn, though it was a lot stiffer and lower-waisted than the current fashion. Two other dresses were even more strangely designed to Elizabeth's eyes, almost like men's military gear, very formal. Mrs Reynolds explained.

  'These are riding habits from her time, Mr Darcy's grandmother was a very active lady. She loved to ride, even hunted with the men. Look how little worn these are, they just don't make fabric like that anymore.'

  They were indeed very well-preserved, like the pillows and the curtains, and beautiful, though strange looking in the eyes of a twenty-year-old woman

  from a different class.

  'Is there a portrait of this lady in the house?' Elizabeth asked, and Mrs Reynolds told her, 'There is one in the gallery, with 'old' Mrs Darcy actually wearing one of those riding dresses. We'll take a look at it later.'

  She put the dresses back and closed the door of the wardrobe, then they moved on to the next room, a room with Fitzwilliam's late mother's possessions. It was not her original room, that was used by Georgiana now, but a lot of her belongings were displayed here. To prove where Georgiana inherited her musical talent there were instruments, a large harp and a smaller harp, several flutes and guitars, and since it was a bedroom of course there was a bed, and again, beautiful pillows, but in muted, darker colours.

  'Though this lady was Fitzwilliam's mother, maybe knew Fitzwilliam's grandmother as an elderly lady, still his grandmother's possessions look like those of a younger woman, while her daughter-in-law's look like those of an elderly lady,' Elizabeth observed.

  Mrs Reynolds replied, 'That is true, Mr Darcy's late mother seemed a bit older than her age. She was not very strong and especially after she had Georgiana her health deteriorated. The poor mistress never was strong enough to ride or even walk much, she was mostly indoors or in her favourite garden, I think Mr Darcy will show it to you yet, though of course it will not really bloom until next summer. You are more like the elder Mrs Darcy, she was less tall and less noble of birth, but very strong and healthy.

  She was small and light like you, and very active, though you seem to prefer walking over riding.'

  Elizabeth affirmed this, and asked, 'What was she like, Fitzwilliam's mother? Was she sweet, was she often sad?'

  'She was very beautiful, there is a portrait of her as well, also in the gallery, and she was tall, but thin. Her sister, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, is just as tall but physically strong and a good deal broader. Lady Catherine was the beauty of her day, and she made an even better match than Lady Anne, Mr Darcy's mother's Christian name was Anne. Her sister still lives, she named her daughter after her beloved sister, they had been very close in their childhood. Lady Anne was a very good match for the late Mr Darcy, she was from a very good family, but not generally very strong, fortunately the master and Miss Darcy have their father's vigour. They are both as tall as their mother, Miss Darcy looks a good deal like her.

  Lady Anne Darcy was very sweet when the master was a younger child, but of course boys go to school and generally lose touch with their mothers, though he did spend all his holidays here and was a great help to his mother when she was very big with Georgiana. When he came back from college he became much involved with his father, learning how to manage the estate really well. His poor mother didn't live to see that, she died when he was still in college. I think Mr Darcy looks much like her in his features and his height, though he has his father's vigorous strength and proud bearing.'

  They viewed several more rooms with antique and even quaint furniture, silverware and bronze and marble statues, then moved to the gallery to look at the portraits. Mrs Reynolds was right, Fitzwilliam's grandmother looked a lot stronger and younger than his mother, sitting on a horse proud and straight she looked like a true Darcy, her bearing reminded Elizabeth of Fitzwilliam. The strange dress was very becoming as it should be seen, with a woman wearing it, sitting a horse elegantly. Of course both Fitzwilliam's mother and his grandmother had married into the family, but somehow his mother seemed the odd one out, a tall, languishing pale beauty among sturdy, hale people.

  Studying Lady Anne's portrait Elizabeth thought she could see a resemblance to Miss Anne de Bourgh, they had the same finely chiselled features and pale complexion, though this young lady looked a bit more alive, less sallow, than Lady Catherine's daughter, and also a good deal more interested in the world around her. It was difficult to imagine her holding Fitzwilliam as a baby, but then it was pretty difficult to imagine Fitzwilliam as a baby and a child at all, he was so much a man to Elizabeth.

  Still, both Georgiana and Fitzwilliam had to have plenty of their father's looks, for to Elizabeth the portrait of their mother did not put either of them in her mind, they were both so active and healthy.

  When they had seen everything interesting Elizabeth thanked Mrs Reynolds profusely for the entertaining tour
, then retreated to their bedroom and picked up the lewd book. It was bound in a very expensive and nondescript leather cover, which suggested to Elizabeth that it had been especially made for a rich person, despite its vulgar contents. The language was atrocious, and not very sympathetic to her own gender. Like so many men, the writer of these stories must have seen women as property to be used, and Elizabeth found that much more offensive than the precise descriptions of the intimate

  deeds the people in them committed.

  Having read one story in its entirety, Elizabeth gained a whole new respect for her beloved: to have distilled from these pages how to please a virgin, without having any previous experience of his own, was quite a feat.

  Apparently he would have been very likely to lose control and either be too rough, causing her pain, or too excited, reaching his high before really having started. Of course Fitzwilliam had great control over his urges, but still Elizabeth was very proud of him. After one story she had more than enough, it was not very entertaining to read how women were used by men who had all the power, and she decided to go out for an hour or so, being married did not mean she could not enjoy walking out by herself anymore.

  She had an inclination to climb the hill behind the house, hoping that from such a high vantage point she would be able to see Fitzwilliam returning.

  Also, the view would most likely be fabulous. Since she was new in this house and they didn't know her habits yet, she rang for the butler to let him know she would be out walking, and the general direction in which she was going. Then she stepped out. There was a little rain, but she had a good coat and it didn't bother her much. The climb was enjoyable, and she relished the exercise and the view, it was indeed very beautiful. Imagine actually living here, who would have thought it?

  In excellent spirits she reached the top and looked back down on the house.

  After three days she already had an idea which part was where despite its sheer size, it seemed almost absurd to have just one family living there. She thought it should be possible to see a rider coming from almost any direction, she could see a long way, but if she sat down to wait she would get cold as well as wet. Therefore she decided to follow the ridge towards the park she knew, and walk back from there. From her habit of taking solitary rambles Elizabeth had developed a perfect sense of direction, and she descended the hill to strike the path that ran along the river, moving away from the house for a tiny stretch towards the bridge at the turning point of the circuit, for she wanted to cross it to walk on the opposite side of the river, having seen a few paths there she wanted to explore. Once over the bridge the path was leading her back towards the house, and soon she struck one of the side paths and followed it uphill. It was a narrow path which wound between the trees, more a track than a path actually. Though narrow, it was not short, and since it ran at a straight angle to the river it had quite a steep incline. But of course Elizabeth was not afraid of a little