Chapter 23 #2
“It is beautiful, indeed. And now you have brought joy and liveliness to Pemberley—the only things that were missing for it to be perfect.” Then, in front of the house, spotted by several curious eyes from the windows, the master of Pemberley tenderly kissed his wife’s lips then her hand.
A small phaeton with two horses appeared; Darcy helped Elizabeth into it then sat beside her and took the reins.
The horses stepped calmly and steadily along the avenue, the gentle summer breeze caressing Elizabeth’s face.
She closed her eyes to enjoy the scent of freshness, but Darcy soon stopped the phaeton in front of the impressive stables.
They climbed down from the phaeton, and Darcy guided Elizabeth to the entrance, where a man of middle age was waiting for them.
“Elizabeth, allow me to introduce to you Mr Walter Colton, who has been taking care of our stables and horses in the most excellent manner for more than fifteen years.”
“I thank you, sir; your words honour me. Mrs Darcy, we are all happy to have you here.”
“I am happy to be here, Mr Colton,” she said, smiling genuinely whilst she glanced around at the remarkable specimens.
“Walter, we are in kind of hurry. Can you show us, please?”
“Certainly, sir. Please follow me; here she is,” he said in front of a box. Darcy turned to Elizabeth and spoke gently.
“This is Spirit. If you like her, she will be your horse.”
A splendid paint horse, white and black, stepped reluctantly towards them. Elizabeth gasped in surprise, her eyes wide open while she moved closer, entranced.
“What a beauty!” she exclaimed rapturously as she took another step forward. The horseman stretched his hand to the mare, which shyly sniffed it.
Hesitantly, Elizabeth barely touched the mare’s neck. Darcy took her hand in his, and with entwined fingers, they petted the horse affectionately.
“William, she is the most beautiful horse I ever saw! Except Thunder, of course…” Darcy laughed, and Mr Colton covered a smile with his hand.
“She is more beautiful than Thunder, which is expected as she is a lady,” Darcy said.
“If I may intervene, Spirit is truly remarkable. If Mrs Darcy decides to keep her, I am sure she will have no cause to repine.”
“Who would not want her? I only wonder if I will be worthy of her qualities; I am not at all a good rider,” she confessed; then her face suddenly coloured as she noticed Darcy’s hidden smile.
Walter Colton was certain that Mrs Darcy blushed from modesty, a trait he greatly admired in the new mistress of Pemberley.
“Excellent,” Darcy replied. “I am certain you will get along wonderfully with Spirit.”
“Should I prepare her?”
“No, thank you, Walter. We shall not ride today—tomorrow perhaps.”
Elizabeth remained near the mare, petting her gently, and Darcy needed to call her name twice before she finally left the horse.
Eventually, they resumed their places in the phaeton, and Elizabeth, impromptu, leaned towards her husband and started to kiss him.
He immediately entered her playfulness, but she withdrew only an instant later.
“Oh, I do not want to be seen by anyone. I just wished to thank you for your kind generosity; I am not certain I deserve all these—”
“My love, I am hardly as generous as you say just because I offered you a horse. Mrs Darcy needed one; it cannot be otherwise. And speaking of that, I unpardonably forgot to show you the Darcy jewels, which belong to you now.”
She held his arm tightly then leaned against his shoulder. “There is no hurry… As you said, I will have plenty of time to see them later. But Spirit—oh, she is beautiful. I already love her and cannot wait to start riding her.”
“For someone who does not like horses much, you are quite excited, Mrs Darcy,” he said laughing.
“We shall start the riding lessons tomorrow. I am very glad you like Spirit.”The phaeton glided along the path at a steady pace.
While the beauty of the land opened to their view, with rapture and deep admiration, Elizabeth became accustomed to her new home, guided by her husband.
Darcy told her that his steward had scheduled an introduction to all their tenants in a week’s time during an informal party at Pemberley.
He briefly informed her about each family on his estate while she listened with complete enchantment and intense curiosity.
At one point, he showed her the road to Lambton—the small town where Mrs Gardiner grew up—with the promise that they would visit it soon.
From time to time, they stepped down so she could touch the grass, the flowers and the trees, and he took every opportunity to claim a kiss or steal a caress.
However, while her delight was obvious and her happiness made her face glow, it was not difficult for Darcy to notice that a trace of worry and uneasiness shadowed Elizabeth’s eyes.
He inquired about the reason for her preoccupation, and she only hesitated a moment before replying, her eyes meeting his.
“Until today, I did not understand what it meant to be the mistress of Pemberley. Everything is so beautiful, yet so overwhelming, that I cannot but wonder—again—whether I will rise to such high expectations.”
“My love, are you teasing me? How can you doubt yourself when I trust you so completely? I know Pemberley can seem impressive with all its wealth and grandeur—”
“Oh, but this is not what troubles me, my love. However impressive your fortune might be, that is not what makes me wonder and worry but the responsibilities attached to the master and mistress. You speak with so much passion about your legacy, about all the people who depend on you… I can hardly imagine how difficult it must have been for you to be in charge of everything at such a young age. Lord Matlock praised your skills so many times, but now I understand his meaning. I shall do everything in my power to bear my share of responsibilities, but you know I was not prepared for this. Neither my knowledge nor my experience are at such a high level.”
“Perhaps not, but do you truly believe other women are? Had I married the daughter of an earl, who had lived all her life in luxury, would she have been more prepared for the responsibilities of a large estate? Even more, do you believe she would have even worried about such thing? The fact that you are so preoccupied with your duties is the best proof that you will be the perfect mistress for Pemberley. I have not the slightest doubt or concern. If you want to learn something, I shall be happy to teach you.”
“Thank you, my love,” she replied, laying her head against his shoulder. “Your trust is what matters most to me. I want to learn everything you want to teach me.”
The ride continued for another couple of hours, with more and unexpected beauties revealed to Elizabeth’s curious eyes.
When they returned to the house, it was already late in the afternoon.
Mrs Reynolds seemed displeased that they had been out so long without “anything to eat or drink properly in such hot weather,” and she hurried to inform them that dinner would be ready in no time.
Unlike the previous evening when nerves and fatigue prevented her really enjoying the meal, Elizabeth was now ravenous and eager to taste the rich dishes that were served.
Mrs Reynolds inquired whether Mrs Darcy was pleased with the courses and had any special requests for the next day.
Elizabeth assured her that she had rarely had anything so tasty, and she declared she had nothing more to wish for.
Soon after dinner, Mr and Mrs Darcy returned to their rooms, whilst downstairs the reports about the new mistress grew more favourable with every hour.
As they waited for the servants to prepare their baths, Darcy turned to his wife.
“Tomorrow morning I will order the largest bath tub that can be found—one to easily accommodate two persons,” he whispered, obviously amused by his wife’s sudden blush, her incredulous expression and the slight trembling of her hands.
The servants’ appearance broke off any further conversation on that subject, but some time later, lying in the hot water, her eyes closed, Elizabeth shivered at the image of Darcy and her together in the bathtub—or perhaps he was only teasing her again.
Elizabeth enjoyed her bath for quite some time; her eyes still closed, she heard steps, and she imagined it was Molly coming to help her out.
Yet, she did not wish to break her thoughts, so she remained still a little longer.
When she finally opened her eyes, she gasped in surprise when she saw not the maid but Darcy, kneeling by the tub, dressed only in his robe, an enigmatic smile on his face.
“You scared me,” she whispered nervously.
“I am sorry,” he replied, though his smile said otherwise. “I dismissed Molly until the morning. Any help you might need, I will provide. I hope you do not mind.”
“No…I just did not expect that…” Her shyness grew, and she looked around, attempting to avoid his eyes. His fingers gently caressed her face—wet and crimson—then he leaned to steal a kiss. “Are you ready to come out or should I join you?”
She laughed but replied daringly, “I doubt the tub is large enough for both of us; besides, the water is already cold, so I shall take your first offer for the time being.”
“Excellent choice.” His tenderness washed away some of her uneasiness, and a smile brightened her eyes.
He wrapped her in a large towel then lifted her in his arms and took her not to her bed but to his; the candles were extinguished, and the only light was from the moon and the stars shyly stealing through the curtain.
He gently put her down against the pillows, his eyes never leaving hers, and slowly dried her skin, spot by spot.