Vol 2, Chapter 7 #2
Darcy stood back as he watched his Grace say a personal goodbye over the grave of the freshly laid-to-rest duke.
He had been surprised and honoured when he and Gigi had been invited to accompany the family to Longfield Meadows as part of the convoy that brought the seventh Duke home for the final time.
They had been told all family was included, even soon-to-be family.
Although now was absolutely not the time to advance his suit with Elizabeth, Lady Elizabeth, he corrected himself, he could not be anything but happy at how their friendship was proceeding.
He thought back with pleasure to the leg of the journey on the second day of travel when both the younger Bennet sisters had accepted an invitation from Gigi—which he may or may not have suggested—to ride with the two Darcys.
After the break for the midday meal, Darcy and Gigi had welcomed Elizabeth and Esther Bennet into his carriage to ride with them and Mrs. Annesley. He and the companion sat on the rear-facing bench as Darcy noted how happy Gigi was to be joined by the sisters on her forward-facing seat.
Esther and Gigi, who had become even closer, were rapt with one another’s conversation, which Darcy could not repine as it allowed him to talk to the object of his affection. “Let me reiterate how sorry I am for your family’s loss, Lady Elizabeth,” Darcy had opened.
“William, do I need to go back to calling you Mr. Darcy? Did you forget what I previously told you? Regardless of what has happened to my family, I am still just Elizabeth!” she had insisted.
“I am sad to have lost Uncle Sed before I really got to know him, we only met once before he passed. I am becoming close to Aunt Rose, and I know she feels his loss keenly. I believe they were married for more than two score years. She puts on a brave face, but the pain is plain to those who look.”
“I know it is not the same, but I still feel the pain of losing my mother, and then without warning, six years ago, my father,” Darcy was subdued as he thought about his beloved parents. “My apologies Elizabeth. I become melancholy when I think about them and losing them.”
“You have nothing to apologise for. Your feelings are just and natural,” Elizabeth had stated with warmth in her voice, and she had leant forward and squeezed his hand in support.
“To his credit, Father started to educate me on running Pemberley and our other estates from a young age. Once I was at Cambridge, each time I returned home for a term break or holiday he would give me more responsibility. Thanks to his foresight, when I had to take over for him, I was more or less prepared. I would have preferred, however, to take the reins many years later than I was forced to do so,” he added almost wistfully.
“It was not only the estate and other properties, but I also had to be both father and mother to Gigi. Thank goodness, at least in that, my father had the good sense to make Richard a co-guardian alongside me. It would have been too overwhelming for me without Richard’s assistance. ”
As he was speaking, Darcy had seen a definite softening in Elizabeth’s features.
“It must have been exceedingly difficult for you. Not only the loss of your father, but all of the demands of the estate, the other properties, and a young sister. Couple that with the way you have been hunted by those who desired your fortune and connections, I begin to understand why you felt the need for your mask. A lesser man barely at his majority would have broken under that sort of pressure.” Elizabeth had paused as she cogitated.
“None of this, as we have discussed, excused your behaving in a fashion not becoming of a gentleman, but it helps me to better understand you as you were then.”
They had then spoken about books, both prose and poetry, and Darcy remembered how he had revelled in finding when they disagreed, they would debate, and if they were not able to reach agreement, there was no rancour.
They simply agreed to disagree unless or until one or the other could prove her or his position to be the superior one.
Darcy knew, as surely as he drew breath, the conversation in the carriage had made a substantial change to their relationship.
He would patiently wait for the three months of mourning to pass to make his request for a courtship.
He would not even allude to it till then.
He was however reasonably confident that when he did make his request, it would be met with a more positive response than had he attempted to request more than to call on Elizabeth in the library at Rosings Park.
Once the Duke had completed his goodbye to his predecessor, he joined the rest of the party of both family and friends who would soon be family, as the group walked slowly back towards the manor house.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Prince Frederick and Princess Mary visited with the family for an hour after the men returned and then departed with their retinues to return to their homes. By the next day, thankfully for Lady Rose and the Bennets, all guests except family and their closest friends had left.
Elizabeth was amused as she watched her Aunt Hattie’s mouth fall open in awe each time she saw a different part of the house, especially when, on the third day after the funeral, Mrs. Loretta Sherman, Longfield Meadows' housekeeper, gave the new Duchess, her daughters, and a few of the visiting ladies a tour of the manor house.
It did not take Elizabeth long to realise that this house dwarfed both Longbourn and Netherfield combined.
In her estimation, the gigantically huge ballroom had more room than Longbourn itself.
There were three conservatories, six dining parlours of varying sizes, more drawing rooms, parlours, and music rooms—yes three of those—than Elizabeth had ever imagined, let alone seen.
The family floor, not counting the extensive master suite that, out of deference to Lady Rose, the new mistress requested to skip for the tour, had thirty double suites with two bed chambers and a shared sitting room each.
If that was not enough, there were ten single suites, each with its own sitting room.
There was an enormous nursery that, in addition to the children, could house up to ten nursemaids.
Elizabeth had wondered at the reason for the size given what they had been told about the Rhys-Davies traditionally small families, but the housekeeper admitted she too had wondered.
If all of that was not enough, there was a music room, an art studio - the housekeeper explained that the Dowager Duchess loved to paint - and two-family sitting rooms on the floor.
In the back west corner were the schoolrooms with chambers for companions, tutors, and governesses.
Above the first floor were three guest floors, each one contained thirty double and twenty single suites, a music room, and a sitting room.
The only guest floor that was different was the fourth floor, the highest of the guest floors, as rather than the twenty single suites there was a guest nursery and chambers for companions, tutors, governesses, and nursemaids.
There were two more floors above—the attics, yes two attics, which housed the servants, one floor for female and one for male servants, which could only be accessed from the servant’s hallways.
On the new mistress’s insistence, Mrs. Sherman led the party to the first of the two housing the single females.
The Bennets were impressed—each room was comfortable and furnished well.
The last stop on the tour was the library, where they were met by the Duke, Darcy, and some of the other men.
To her father’s delight, the library made the one at Bedford House look like a closet space.
She knew the room was impressive when Darcy admitted, with ribbing from both Andrew and Richard, that it was larger even than Pemberley’s vaunted library.
Darcy confided in Elizabeth he had seen almost twice as many first editions in this library than was in his own.
As she meandered in the library, Elizabeth judged it was above, and larger than, the ballroom.
There were comfortable seating areas set up for reading, some with four wingback chairs and a table, a few with two chairs and a table, and others with two armchairs, a settee, and a table.
As she was looking at a section that housed first editions of the Bard’s works, she sensed someone was behind her.