by Elaine Owen
“In what way, sir?” asked Elizabeth, curious. This was the first time he had mentioned anything to her about why he had chosen her for his wife.
“When Jane lay ill at Netherfield I was much affected by the bond the two of you shared. I know of no one else who would walk three miles through muddy fields in order to be with her sister, and the diligent and compassionate care you had for her spoke well of your character. I thought then how pleasing it would be for Georgiana to be the recipient of such affection.”
So he had not married her solely to produce an heir. “Then you succeeded admirably in your design. If there is one thing I learned while living at Longbourn, it was how to support younger sisters.”
“Indeed, I am sure you will be an excellent influence on Georgiana. I know that she is looking forward to meeting you.”
“I recall that Miss Bingley described Miss Darcy as highly accomplished.”
“She practices and sings constantly.” Darcy’s voice took on a tender quality she had not heard in him before. “You will enjoy playing together.”
“I am sure her skill will outstrip mine. I practice but little and play quite ill at times.”
“You are mistaken. Your playing has a pleasing air, entirely without pretense, and is attractive to all who are privileged to listen. I have never heard you play without the greatest of pleasure.” Elizabeth was too embarrassed to say a word.
The carriage went over a bridge then, putting an end to any more conversation for the moment, and Elizabeth instead gave her attention to the countryside of Derbyshire passing by. The open, rolling farmland of the south was giving way in places to rising ground, with steeper slopes and faster running streams than she was used to seeing. Darcy continued to occasionally point out areas of interest as they continued their travel, going ever northward, further into Derbyshire.
After several hours they entered the village of Lambton, where her aunt Gardiner had lived for a time, and Elizabeth knew that the journey was almost over. When the carriage turned between two tall, black, wrought iron gates surrounded by verdant trees displaying the heights of summer, Darcy informed her that they had entered the park around Pemberley. The house itself was only a mile or so further on. He assured her that Georgiana would be waiting at the door, alerted to their arrival by their outriders.
As the carriage rounded a small curve in the road it suddenly left the woods, and the house rose abruptly before her. Elizabeth caught her breath in wonder. She had formed no mental image of Pemberley, but if she had, it could not have equaled the quiet elegance and gentle warmth on display in front of her. The house, made of gray brick, lay at the foot of a gradually sloping wood with a stream of some importance rising just in front of it. The banks of the stream were well maintained but had no false air to them; the lines and overall aspect of the house were pleasing and without pretension. Many balconies and windows adorned the house but did not overwhelm it, and the whole effect of the house, stream, and surrounding woods together was an inviting welcome.
“It is beautiful,” Elizabeth said softly aloud, without meaning to, and her husband looked immensely pleased by her reaction.
“Welcome to Pemberley, Mrs. Darcy,” he said, his eyes glowing.
When the carriage stopped in the driveway in front of the house, Elizabeth looked out the window and saw a score of liveried servants and maids assembled on the steps, together with a somewhat elderly woman and a fair-haired young lady standing side by side. These last, she thought, must be Miss Darcy and the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, whom Darcy had mentioned previously. Her face grew red at the thought of receiving so much attention from everyone present, but she lifted her chin proudly; she would not be intimidated.
The young woman she assumed to be Georgiana stepped forward as Darcy handed Elizabeth out of the carriage. She embraced her brother warmly, then faced Elizabeth and dropped a cautious curtsy, which Elizabeth returned. Darcy made the introductions.
Georgiana Darcy was taller than most young women her age, with a well-formed figure and fair hair that contrasted sharply with her brother’s dark looks. She had an air of reserve that Elizabeth thought could easily be mistaken for pride by those who did not know better, but Elizabeth, seeing the nervous way Georgiana sometimes bit her lower lip and the way her hands clutched at her skirt, could only pity her. She spoke kindly to the girl and smiled warmly, and was rewarded with a shy smile in return. Darcy made the necessary presentations to the numerous staff, especially to Mrs. Reynolds, and then they all proceeded into the house together.
Elizabeth quickly saw that Darcy was making every effort to forward conversation between her and Georgiana as they walked through the house, though he was not entirely successful. At times Georgiana looked at Elizabeth with real interest, and she listened attentively while Darcy told her of their trip from town, but she asked only one or two brief questions of her own, and seemed embarrassed when Elizabeth spoke directly to her. Eventually, after several awkward pauses, she found that Georgiana was asking if she would like an opportunity to refresh herself, and Elizabeth responded gratefully. Darcy and Georgiana lingered behind, speaking quietly together, as Mrs. Reynolds led her away, promising to bring her back to the drawing room in an hour.
They had not gone far, however, when Darcy overtook them. “If you please, Mrs. Reynolds, I would like to be the one to show Mrs. Darcy her new home.” Mrs. Reynolds smiled broadly and curtsied, and Darcy extended his arm to Elizabeth, who took it with an unaccustomed shyness.
Every step she took through Pemberley impressed her more than the previous one, and she gazed at all she saw in disbelieving wonder. The rooms were of a generous scale, furnished with items that displayed as much wealth as Rosings, Lady Catherine’s home, but with far superior taste. The dining rooms, drawing rooms, and other areas that they passed by, along with the moldings, the curtains, and the portraits on display—all spoke of a restrained elegance and genuine good breeding. Darcy guided her through a handful of passages and up one flight of stairs, and at last showed her to the suite of rooms that he said had belonged to his mother in the past. “Your maid Cora will draw you a bath, if you wish,” he told her. “My own rooms are next to yours, through that connecting door.” He motioned toward a small door in the far corner. “I will call for you in an hour, so that I may take you to the drawing room myself.”
“Are you afraid that I will lose my way between here and there?” she asked him, allowing herself to smile mischievously, covering her nervousness.
“It has been known to happen,” he answered. “It is often overwhelming for people who have not visited before. I would not like to lose my wife so soon after finding her.”
Elizabeth smiled brightly. “I shall be ready in an hour, and you will not need to send out a search party until I have had a little more time to explore on my own. I have no desire to be lost so soon after being discovered.” Darcy’s face brightened at her playful tone.
Elizabeth’s first afternoon and evening at Pemberley went by in a series of activities and conversations that she would later have difficulty recalling in any detail. She and Georgiana passed some pleasant time together along with Mrs. Annesley, Georgiana’s companion, while they waited for dinner, though it was evident that conversation even in familiar surroundings was a struggle for the girl. Darcy was also there, but he sat quietly and said little, seeming to relish the opportunity to relax in familiar surroundings. There were many affectionate glances between him and Georgiana, and Elizabeth saw that Georgiana exerted herself to converse more when she was aware that Darcy was watching and silently encouraging her.
After dinner Georgiana agreed, after much patient coaxing, to play on the pianoforte for her brother and Elizabeth while they sat together on the settee to listen. Elizabeth allowed herself to relax as the gentle music filled the room, recognizing that her own haphazard education was no match for the younger girl’s determined mastery. Darcy took advantage of his sister’s distraction to ask Elizabeth, “How do you f
ind Pemberley so far?”
“It is as beautiful and harmonious a home as I ever expected to see,” she answered honestly, looking appreciatively at the room around her. “My imagination could not have invented any place so lovely.”
“And how do you like your new sister?”
“I like her very much indeed. She reminds me of Jane somewhat, with her quiet air.”
Darcy’s expression was more open, and less proud, than she had ever seen it before. “I am delighted that you are pleased with her. My sister’s reserved and timid nature sometimes makes it difficult for her to make friends; I believe that at times people think she is proud. Her true emotions are not easy for a casual observer to discern.”
“How very like Jane she is, then. Jane is often misunderstood; she feels more deeply than she displays and sometimes leaves the people around her in doubt of her sentiments.”
Darcy frowned slightly. “Is it possible, then, that she could form an attachment without anyone being aware of it? Does she conceal her feelings to that extent?”
“Jane does not expose her deepest feelings even to me, at least not often, but I do not think she could hide such an attachment from me, since we are so close. It is only people she does not know well who are misled by her calm demeanor. Between her and me there can be few secrets.” Elizabeth tried, but did not succeed, in keeping a wistful tone out of her voice. With the limited contact she would now have with her family, she and Jane would lose some of the closeness they had enjoyed all their lives. Jane had lost so much already this year, from Bingley’s desertion to her father’s death; now she would also have to become accustomed to the loss of the intimate friendship of her favorite sister.
“Has your sister ever formed such an attachment? Do you believe she has ever been inclined to marry?”
“I am sure I could not say.” Elizabeth looked away uncomfortably. She did not want to invade Jane’s privacy, especially with the very man who, she suspected, may have had a hand in separating Jane from the man she loved. She would not ask Darcy about it, of course. Such a conversation, once started, could not have a happy ending, and she was determined to make the best of the situation in which she now found herself.
She was spared any further response just then when Georgiana reached the end of her piece and looked uncertainly toward her brother. Darcy turned to Elizabeth with a warm smile.
“Perhaps you will favor us with a performance tonight, since I had no opportunity to hear you our last night in town.”
“I would be happy to accompany Miss Darcy, if you wish.”
“Will you not sing for us? I have not had the pleasure of hearing you since our wedding.”
“I have no wish to frighten you away, sir,” she answered lightly. “I have never been properly trained in the art; you may regret your request.”
“There are some people whose natural talents are so pronounced that they please others with no conscious effort on their part,” he answered gravely. “For them, formal training would merely add luster to a chain of gold.”
Bemused, she arched one eyebrow as she looked back at him. “Well spoken, sir. I wonder how long you studied ahead of time, to devise such a compliment. Do you make a habit of flattering your sister in a similar fashion?”
“My brother never flatters,” Georgiana said unexpectedly from her seat at the pianoforte, with a certain amount of alarm. “He always speaks the absolute truth.”
“Then he is guilty of an even greater fault, which is that of leading his sister to believe in his own infallible taste.” Georgiana looked amazed at her impertinent response, and even more amazed by the smile she saw on her brother’s face.
“You will find, Georgiana, that unlike most fashionable young women, my wife speaks her mind freely. She will criticize me to you for hours if you permit it.” Darcy’s voice held only amusement, not reproof.
“But unlike certain gentlemen of my acquaintance,” Elizabeth retorted, “I will only criticize where I see a real defect of character. I will say nothing of you to your sister that you do not deserve.”
“Then I pray you speak not at all,” he answered gallantly, “for my faults are too numerous to mention, and I would not make my sister acquainted with more of my defects than she already knows.”
“In that case, sir,” she answered, “you ought to have married someone who truly was a fashionable young woman, and not likely to speak her mind.”
“I do not regret my choice,” he responded, looking directly at her, “for your criticism is always tempered with charity.” Elizabeth returned his look for a moment before speaking to his sister again.
“I will sing, if you wish, but only if you play, please, Miss Darcy. And then you must tell me honestly if your brother’s truthfulness or his tastefulness is more in question.” She crossed the room to stand next to the instrument, looking at the music and preparing to do her part while Georgiana played. When she glanced up again, she saw that her husband’s eyes still rested on her, and his expression was one of the warmest possible approval.
CHAPTER NINE
Elizabeth quickly established a routine in her new life. She woke early each morning in order to enjoy the pleasure of a solitary walk through the woods and fields before joining Darcy and Georgiana for breakfast, and after the meal she met with Mrs. Reynolds to learn the household accounts and become familiar with the servants and their duties. She was determined not to give Darcy any reason to question her ability to manage a great household.
In the late afternoon each day, after she finished her work with Mrs. Reynolds and spent time with Georgiana, Darcy sought her out and took her on a tour of various areas around the estate. The first time they went together the tour was conducted in a carriage, but after that time they walked together to whichever destination her husband had selected for the day. As they walked, Darcy pointed out items of interest, explaining how they fit into the history and holdings of the vast property, and sometimes asked her opinion of them. He seemed to want her to become familiar with everything about her new home.
These excursions, to her surprise, were pleasant. She discovered that Darcy could be an excellent conversationalist when he wished to be, and he had a wealth of information that he shared freely with her. His pride was on display, but it was no more than any man would have while showing a visitor the details of his estate. No question Elizabeth posed was too trifling to answer, and he provided every possible opportunity to increase her enjoyment of her new home. This was illustrated one day when Darcy guided her through the formal gardens, which ringed either side of the main house.
“Your gardens are charmingly laid out,” Elizabeth told him as they strolled along a pretty path with rose bushes on one side and Spanish chestnuts on the other. “There is such a natural air to everything in them, and in how they are arranged. You must tell me who deserves the praise for the easy, open design.”
“They have been the work of many generations,” he answered. “The credit for their layout could not possibly go to any one person; there have been too many involved along the way. Do not forget, they are now your gardens as well. You may make any improvements you see fit.”
“I do not know how they could possibly be improved; they are already perfection itself! This path, for example, is shaded very cleverly by those trees, and with the view of the stream just beyond it is delightful in every way. Surely there could be no place anywhere else nearly as peaceful, or so soothing to troubled spirits.”
“Are you experiencing troubled spirits, Mrs. Darcy?” he asked courteously, and she laughed at him.
“You must not take everything I say quite so seriously, Mr. Darcy! I speak in generalities only. It is difficult to believe that anyone could have troubled spirits at Pemberley for very long, but if they did, this place would certainly cure them. What is the name of that purple flower over there? We have nothing like it in Hertfordshire.”
Darcy did not know, and said so. Walking away from her briefly, he returned with one o
f the gardeners, a Mr. Witherby, who was happy to see Elizabeth’s interest in the grounds. He answered her questions about the plant, its habits and manner of growth, quite thoroughly.
“I wish Jane could see this flower,” Elizabeth said, wistfully, holding a specimen in her hand. “She is much more of a gardener than I am, and I know she would be delighted to have such a lovely thing in her own care, at Longbourn.”
“You surprise me,” Darcy commented, looking at her with pleased interest. “Considering how much you enjoy the out of doors, I would have thought you to have the greater interest in gardening.”
“It is true that I love to walk outside, while Jane tends to enjoy more sedentary pursuits. But nurturing plants and watching them grow takes patience, which Jane has in abundance and I sorely lack. I merely enjoy the fruit of her labors and then express my gratitude for her superior virtues.”
“If you think your sister would enjoy adding this plant to her collection, it can be arranged easily enough. Witherby, when you feel that the time is right, when a new planting would be most likely to be successful, I would like you to take a cutting or a stem or root or whatever else is needed, and have it sent to the direction which Mrs. Darcy will supply.”
Elizabeth, flattered and happy, smiled as she expressed her gratitude, and received an easy and open smile in return. Her opinion of her husband was improved by such generosity; despite her own misgivings, she was beginning to feel more and more comfortable in his presence.
She had not married for love, as her dream had always been, but she was beginning to find more pleasure in her new life than she would have thought possible previously. The challenges of running a house of Pemberley’s size aroused her interest and stimulated her mind, and Georgiana was close at hand whenever she missed her sisters. In her free time she also made use of the extensive Pemberley library, and discovered to her delight many volumes which she had long desired to possess but had never been able to purchase on her limited budget. On numerous afternoons, especially if the weather was foul, she curled up in a window seat and lost herself in the pages of her favorite novel.
