The Portrait of Elizabeth

by Jane Angwin

  Darcy bowed and politely kissed her hand. "C’est mon plaisir de vous avoir dans ma maison, Mademoiselle. I am also delighted to make your acquaintance, and we welcome you to our home."

  Hannah descended next, and curtsied to Mr. Darcy. "Hello, Mr. Darcy. Thank you for requesting that I accompany Miss DuPree to Pemberley. I am quite honored."

  "Yes, Hannah, Georgiana will be delighted to see you again as well. Hurry on inside and Mrs. Reynolds will show you to your quarters." He looked at the number of trunks both inside and piled on the back of the ladies' carriage, as well as large canvases and painting supplies, and he told James to bring several footmen to assist with them. "It is a wonder that you arrived so quickly with all of this luggage!" he quipped, realizing why the second carriage had the greater number of horses. "We must feed your horses well tonight!" He noticed that his stable master, Mr. Raymond, had arrived immediately when the carriages pulled into the courtyard, bringing along two of his grooms to escort the six horses back to the stables. He never had to direct Mr. Raymond to do anything that he didn't already anticipate. The man had a sixth sense with horses, as well as always knowing what was expected of him, and he was one of Darcy's most loyal employees. He had been with the Darcy family since Darcy was a young boy learning how to ride, and they spoke to each other in a more familiar manner than would be commonly acceptable. "Thank you, Mr. Raymond. The stable will be full tonight indeed! I am sure you will be delighted to have six new friends to cater to!"

  "Yes Sir, Master William. With these six beauties, there will be three pretty mares and eight fine looking stallions in my stable tonight, and there's bound to be some interesting discussions going on. I doubt if I will get much sleep with all their sweet talking, but I will take good care of them for you."

  The boys had escorted five of the six horses to the stable, but the first horse of the team was acting a bit skittish and was pawing the ground, unhappily shaking its head back and forth so they left him to Mr. Raymond to handle. Mr. Raymond walked over to the horse and gently stroked him on the high point of its shoulder where its neck hit its back and the horse immediately calmed. "It's alright big fellow. No need to worry. You and I are going to be great friends, and you're going to like it here." The stallion turned his head toward Mr. Raymond and dipped down and touched his cheek with his nose as a sign of reciprocity and trust. "Nothing like petting a horse's withers to get them to like you," he said.

  As he walked the horse back to the stable, Darcy heard him mutter, "Sure wish that worked with the Mrs." Darcy laughed and thought about the remarkable affinity the man had with horses. Just like that, he had calmed a strange and nervous horse. "I believe the man is half horse himself."

  By this time, Georgiana had come down to the drive and had greeted Mr. Charron warmly. He in turn introduced her to Miss Angelique, and the ladies politely curtsied and exchanged greetings. Seeing that Darcy and Frederick were now entering the carriage where Monsieur Charron was still sleeping, they felt it best to give the ill gentleman his privacy and walked together toward Mrs. Reynolds who would show their guest to her chambers.

  Frederick lightly jostled his father's arm to wake him, but it took three attempts to do so. Gerard Charron opened his eyes, blinking several times to adjust to the light coming in from outside the carriage door.

  "Où sommes-nous ?" he inquired. Realizing there was another gentleman with his son, he repeated, "Where are we?" He tried sitting up but fell back against the seat.

  "We are at Pemberley, Papa. This is Mr. Darcy who has allowed us to come to his home for you to meet his doctors. Our long journey is over, and you can now stretch your legs."

  "How do you do, Monsieur Charron? It is my pleasure having you here as our guest." Darcy slightly bowed, and reached inside to help Frederick pull him to an easier position to assist him out of the cramped corner. "Let us hold your arms while you bend your head down and try to find the first step." The frail man nodded and shakily did as he was asked, but he stumbled and almost missed the step. "Just let me lift you Sir," said Darcy as he used all his strength to pick him up and carry him across the driveway and up the steps to the foyer.

  "Merci, Mr. Darcy. You must not think you will be required to lift me every time I need to move from room to room. I am old and ill, but I can walk on my own, S’il vous plaît!" Darcy set him down on his feet for him to prove his point, and although he was obviously weak and stiff from a long carriage ride, he did indeed walk a few feet across the floor to his son, who held out his arm and held on to him before he could fall.

  "Yes, indeed, Monsieur Charron, I see that you are quite able. Perhaps now before we meet for tea, we will show you to your chambers and you can rest for a short while."

  James and Frederick assisted the elder gentleman down a corridor to a group of guestrooms on the first level of the estate so there would be no need to use the stairs. Frederick would move from his previous chambers upstairs in the guest wing to be near his father during their stay. They appeared to be doing fine with him, so Darcy went to find Mrs. Reynolds to inquire about Miss DuPree and his sister.

  "Oh, Master William" she exclaimed. The lady is such a lovely woman, indeed! Georgiana is quite delighted with her, and they are chattering away in Miss DuPree's chambers like a couple of magpies!"

  "Yes, but I would think the lady would probably like to have some privacy to rest after her long trip, don't you? Perhaps we should remove Georgiana from her room until we have tea in another hour. Could you kindly knock on her door and ask Georgiana to come and speak to me? I will be in my study." He briskly walked away, not noticing that Mrs. Reynolds shook her head in frustration.

  "He has no idea what it is like for ladies to become better acquainted. They could probably go on talking for the entire evening." She did, however, do what she was asked to do.

  **********************

  "Brother, why did you interrupt our conversation? Georgiana inquired as she burst into Darcy's office. We were having such an interesting discussion, and we were speaking in French! She is so lovely!"

  "I'm sorry Georgie, but you must allow Miss DuPree to refresh herself from her long trip. There will be plenty of time getting to know her in the days to come. She is here to assist with Monsieur Charron's care, and I am told that he sleeps a great deal of the day, so when she is not tending to his needs, you can show her around Pemberley to make her feel more comfortable."

  "Yes, William, I know you are correct, but I have been alone for such a long time, and it is wonderful having new people here in our home. I never really tried to get to know Mr. Charron while he was painting my portrait, but now I see that I was remiss. He is such a charming man with such an interesting history, and it will be quite pleasant having him here without having to sit in a chair in front of him having him stare at me!" She laughed and turned to leave. "I think I will go and play the pianoforte for a little while. I have learned a little French song that I hope to play for Miss DuPree. I shall see you for tea."

  The rest of the afternoon and evening went quite pleasantly. They met for tea in the sitting room, and each of them agreed to use each other's Christian names. "Please call me Angelique, Mr. Darcy, Miss Georgiana. If we are to be living in the same residence, I would much prefer that."

  "By all means, I believe that is appropriate. You may call me William, and I am sure that my sister would prefer that you call her Georgiana." He looked at his sister and she nodded her head and agreed.

  "But I do not think it is proper for me to call you by your Christian name, Mr. Charron. It would feel quite odd to me", Georgiana timidly said.

  "That is fine, Miss Darcy. We will keep it that way if you prefer. I have known your brother since he was a boy, and he is still having difficulty calling me Frederick!"

  After tea they went into dinner and had a very special meal that Cook had prepared for their new guests. Afterward, instead of adjourning to the music room, both Frederick and Angelique declared that they were quite tired from their journe
y, and they parted in the hall to go to their separate quarters after saying goodnight to their host and hostess. Darcy stole a glance as Frederick bowed and kissed her hand, speaking softly to her. He could see that there was a deep affection between them, and he was glad for it

  Chapter Twelve

  A Gentle Breeze

  That night, after Darcy walked through the foyer toward the large staircase leading up to the family wing, a small light at the end of an unused corridor to the left of the stairway caught his attention. The light appeared to be emanating from under the door of one of the rooms. Why is someone using that room tonight?" he questioned. "This wing has remained closed since....mother died." A flash of memory brought on the realization that this was the room that he and his mother had used as their art studio. Darcy had not wanted to enter that room since the passing of his mother, and he had instructed the staff that no one was to enter it.

  He cautiously walked the length of the hallway, and stood in front of the door. He could hear nothing from within, so he gently knocked on the door. "Hello?" he said. "Who is here? I would like a word with you." When there was no answer, he carefully opened the door and found that the room was empty except for a small candle that was burning in a corner near a tall easel. "What is this about?" he questioned out loud. "Who has lit a candle and left the room unattended?" He walked to the corner of the room where the candle was burning, and noticed that there was a large canvas positioned on the easel with a palette of paints and several brushes on the table next to him. "Charron must have found this room and decided to paint while he stays here. He must have been exhausted after his journey and he forgot to extinguish the candle." That satisfied the mystery in his mind, and as he bent to blow out the candle, a slight waft of air extinguished the candle. "Is this my imagination again?" he pondered. "I have not had any wine or Charron's cognac this evening, so this is beginning to concern me." Once again, as in the portrait gallery, he detected the faint scent of his mother's lavender perfume. If he didn't know better, he might have thought that his mother was there in the room with him. Remembering the feeling he had when he had found the cottage in the woods, he said out loud, "Mother, if this is your way of telling me something, I am listening." With that, he left the room and went to his bed to toss and turn.

  In the morning, one of Darcy's physicians, a Dr. Edwin Stewart, arrived to examine Gerard. He spent a great deal of time with him, and when he left his room, he told Darcy and Charron that he wanted to bring in another physician who could assist with determining the exact nature of his ailment.

  "While we do not know a great deal about the workings of the heart, it does appear that he is having great deal of difficulty with tightness in his chest as well as fatigue and weakness, leading me to believe that it is indeed his heart weakening. There are no other symptoms to alert me to any disease known to me, but I would still like to call in another opinion. There is a physician in London by the name of William Morrow, the son of the physician William Morrow, Sr., who published papers back in 1768 on something called Angina. You may have heard about him, Darcy, as he taught at Cambridge.

  "Yes, I have heard the name Morrow. His father taught at Cambridge prior to my years there, but I did hear him mentioned," Darcy commented.

  "What concerns me is that Monsieur Charron kept repeating that his wife had died, and his children had to flee to America. He said that it was all his fault, and that he has been living a lie of some kind."

  Charron winced, and opened his mouth to speak, but the doctor continued ," I do not wish to know the details, and at your request and my oath as a physician, this will remain confidential, but it certainly does lead me to believe that the gentleman has suffered from a great deal of anxiety. This certainly may have contributed in some way to his condition. We don't know yet what stress and worry can do to the human anatomy, but my guess is that it correlates with Morrow's conclusions. If you are agreeable, I would like to contact him and see if he can come to Derbyshire."

  "By all means, doctor. If he can join us, I will take care of his travel expenses," Charron offered. The doctor said he would send an express message in the morning and left, saying he would return the next day to check on his patient.

  That afternoon, Darcy asked Charron to meet him in his study. Georgiana and Angelique had gone on a tour of the estate, and Darcy knew that they would be occupied for most of the afternoon.

  "William, I want you to know how grateful I am to you for assisting me with my father. I know that the news isn't good, but I feel as though I am doing something, rather than letting this go on and doing nothing."

  "Of course, Frederick. I felt the same way with both of my parents. It is a helpless feeling not being able to do anything. At least with a doctor observing your father, you will have some reassurance that he is at least comfortable and all is being done that can be done."

  "Is there some reason why you have requested a meeting with me, William?"

  "Well, yes. I noticed last night that you had set up your art supplies in Mother's old studio in the North wing, and I want you to know that you might want to relocate to a larger space."

  Charron gave Darcy a puzzled look and said, "I am afraid you are mistaken, my boy. As I have only been here one day, I have not given my work a single thought, and I have not yet brought out my supplies. I also would not think of entering that room without your approval."

  Darcy stared at Charron in total disbelief, and replied "I am most mystified then. I saw a light coming from the studio last night, and when I entered, there was a candle burning next to Mother's old easel with paints on a palette. We both saw Georgiana retire to her chambers last night, and I cannot imagine who else would have done so. I will ask Mrs. Reynolds if she is aware of any of the staff that could have taken it upon themselves to do something like this. If so, they will be reprimanded for their bold behavior."

  "Perhaps it is an invitation for you to take up a brush again, William. When was the last time you painted?"

  "It has been quite a long time, indeed. I have been occupied with many other matters and have not taken much time for my own entertainment. I do miss it a great deal."

  "Then I suggest you take this baffling occurrence to heart and respond to the invitation! Something or someone may be trying to encourage you to paint again."

  "There must be an answer to this, and I plan to find out who is up to this scheme." He stood, and pulled the bell cord for Mrs. Reynolds to request tea. "Perhaps we can find the ladies and have them join us for tea if they haven't become lost in the estate. Georgiana hasn't ventured out to the various wings in years, and I am not certain she knows her way! We may have to gather a search party." Just at that moment, he heard the laughter of the ladies, and they entered the room.

  "Oh, William. We have had such an enjoyable afternoon exploring Pemberley! We are going to the drawing room for tea, and we thought you might like to join us."

  "Good idea, Georgie", he said, winking at Charron. "Let's call Mrs. Reynolds." At that very moment, Mrs. Reynolds entered the room and said, "You wish to see me, Sir?"

  Georgiana twirled around said "Oh, My! There must be magical forces working here at Pemberley."

  Mrs. Reynolds looked puzzled, and Darcy said "Yes, there is definitely something magical afoot." Only Charron knew what he meant.

  After tea, Angelique and Charron went to Gerard's room to sit with him, and Georgiana went to attend to her lessons with Mrs. Annesley. Darcy decided to take another walk down the hall of the North wing to the art studio and entered the room. The room was unchanged from the night before, but he immediately noticed that there was the beginning of a painting of a female form on the canvas that he had thought was blank. "Perhaps in the darkness I failed to note the start of this work. Mother must have started this work before she died, and it has been waiting to be finished." He walked to the canvas and inspected the work thus far. It was a shape only, with no details of the woman. She appeared to be quite petite, perhaps a younger girl,
but still with the pleasing curves of maturity and definitely not a child. The painting seemed to call Darcy to sit down and pick up a brush in his hand. "What is this magnet that is pulling me to you?" he said to the canvas. "I have no talent for portraits." He noticed that the paints on the palette were oddly still wet, but he no longer wished to question what was happening. This was now his painting to complete. "Alright, Mother," he said as he looked around the room. "If this is your doing, you have my full attention."

  Darcy picked up the palette and started working on the background. He was able to easily depict a countryside setting with a small estate behind the girl. It was a two story red brick home with a small patch of trees to one side and a garden on the other side. He added a fence around the house and a swing hanging from a large apple tree in the garden. He had a strong sense that this girl loved the outdoors, and that she would often frequent the swing. "Why would I paint this scene with such a girl?" he queried. "I have no memory of visiting a small country estate such as this, and no ladies of my acquaintance would even think of such behavior. This is odd, indeed!" He stood up and looked at his progress thus far, and shook his head. "This painting seems to have a mind of its own. "

  Once he had finished some of the background, he decided to stop for the afternoon. He would perhaps ask Charron to help him with the facial features at some point, but for now, he decided to dress for dinner, and as he left, he spoke to himself. "After dinner, when others have gone to bed, I will see what other details I can add to this mystery girl."