Chapter 26
After three days of journeying north the carriages entered Pemberley's park. The estate's lands towered over them as they meandered up through great variety of ground.
Suddenly, they arrived at an opening in the trees, on an incline that overlooked the valley below. There, spread out before them, was the magnificent Pemberley house.
The carriages all stopped as if it was to be expected. Lady Anne encouraged Elizabeth and Charlotte to disembark and stretch their legs one last time before they reached the house.
Elizabeth walked a little distance away from the party and stopped, completely taken with the beauty of the view, a vista that took her breath away.
The house seemed to grow naturally from the ground, nestled between ancient trees, old oaks that looked like sentinels guarding a precious fort.
The perfectly situated lake shone and reflected the blue sky on the many windows, making it look as if heaven itself was shining from inside the building.
Mr Darcy had been travelling in the rearmost carriage with his valet. He approached Elizabeth from behind and quietly asked, almost whispering in her ear, if she liked the view.
She turned and saw such softness in his eyes that it left her gasping for air, as much as the vision of beauty in the valley below.
“I do not believe it is possible not to like this view, Mr Darcy, as I have never seen a place for which nature has done more.”
“But your opinion is rarely bestowed, Miss Bennet, therefore it is more worth the earning.” He smiled and she turned towards the view again. But this time she was blind to houses, woods and valleys, for his beautiful face so close to her took away her ability to think pragmatically about anything.
Lady Anne approached them nonchalantly, “I think there are enough walks here Elizabeth, to satisfy even your great enthusiasm for exercise.”
“My lady, you have no idea how happy you make me by saying that.”
“I think,” said Darcy, “that Miss Bennet would also benefit if we resume our riding lessons.” He turned to his mother for support, “what do you think, Mother?”
“What a marvellous idea, William.” His mother agreed happily, “as you know Pemberley is simply too large to be seen on foot.” She then turned to Elizabeth and took her hand in hers affectionately, “I hope you will agree, Elizabeth, because if you do not you will forgo not only an enormous amount of fun but most importantly, views that will take your breath away even more than this.”
Elizabeth shook her head laughing, “How can I say no when the two of you have both set upon me, with so concerted an effort?”
“It is decided then,” Darcy said before returning to his carriage, “We recommence lessons on the morrow.”
***
Elizabeth noticed that upon entering his ancestral home all Mr Darcy’s anxieties and frustrations seemed to immediately lift from his shoulders. He became more amiable, constantly asking his guests if they liked their rooms, slept well, enjoyed their walk, appreciated the gardens and so on.
Charlotte and Lady Anne quickly became very close, leaving Elizabeth, Georgiana and Darcy to enjoy the late spring weather on their own.
As promised the horse riding lessons resumed the day after they arrived; Elizabeth decided that she would put all her efforts into learning it well.
In her life, so far, there had never been anything to defeat her yet; if she dedicated herself to learning and practising something, she would always conquer it, eventually.
As she entered the stables for the first time, Darcy introduced her to the horses they would be riding; his own stallion was a black giant called Sir Ebony.
She remembered him from Meryton. He demanded respect with his sheer size, and a certain aloofness, to be kept for deference and distinction, Elizabeth imagined.
She smiled when she considered that man and beast shared more than one similarity.
Georgiana’s mare was a chestnut beauty called Lady Willow, and the mare he had chosen for Elizabeth was as white as the dawn and aptly named Aurora.
Elizabeth fell in love with Aurora the moment she set eyes on her.
“Oh,” said she approaching the horse and touching the mane with careful hands, “What a beautiful lady.”
Darcy was looking at Elizabeth and said wistfully, “that she is indeed… the most beautiful lady.”
Elizabeth obliviously, hummed in agreement, “and what a perfect name.”
She continued to stroke the horse’s mane lovingly when the mare turned and tried to rub Elizabeth's face with her nose.
Elizabeth laughed delightedly, “she is also affectionate; who named this precious animal?”
“I did.” He said sheepishly. He then offered her an apple he had retrieved from the kitchen and said, “If you give her this gift, she will literally eat out of your hands.”
Elizabeth took the apple and offered it to Aurora with an open palm. Aurora accepted the gift and took it out of Elizabeth’s hand using her soft lips.
“I must confess,” mused Elizabeth, “that this is not exactly the type of horse I expected would be yours. Look no further than at Sir Ebony to prove my point.”
“Well,” he said slightly uncomfortable, “in reality she was not meant for me. I chose her as a gift for another, but that was eventually proved impossible and Aurora became mine instead.”
Elizabeth turned to him curiously, “another lady?”
Darcy flattened his lips and nodded curtly.
Elizabeth was immediately and surprisingly invaded by a violent bout of jealousy. She wanted to cry and rage against the woman; this chit who apparently had had enough influence over him to warrant a horse as a gift. Had he been engaged to her? She thought gloomily.
Outwardly, she simply said, “I am sorry to hear it. I hope it does not hurt your heart to see me riding a horse that was intended for another.”
“Quite the contrary, I assure you. It has been many years anyway, and it no longer matters.”
“How old is Aurora?”
“She is six years old, she was only a few months old when I acquired her and brought her to Pemberley to be trained. My stable master is responsible for her gentle and caring nature.”
As Elizabeth carried on getting acquainted with Aurora, the horses were saddled for the first ride.
Darcy helped Elizabeth up, making sure she was comfortable and safely seated on the saddle, and then he held Aurora’s reins, leading her out into the stable yard to get Elizabeth familiar with her mount.
Georgiana arrived and after watching Elizabeth for a few minutes she asked if she could ride on ahead. Elizabeth apologised for holding back the ride but Georgiana dismissed her concerns.
“Lady Willow needs a good run and I scarcely can contain it myself.”
“Go,” Darcy said, “we will meet you on Old Man’s Glade in about three quarters of an hour.”
“Very well, Brother.” She looked to Elizabeth, already turning her mount to gallop away, “have fun Elizabeth, you will love your ride. Just trust William, he knows what he is doing.”
After a few turns inside the yard, Darcy asked if she was ready to risk a little further.
Elizabeth smiled happily, “how can I possibly forgo the chance to see Old Man’s Glade for myself?”
Her heart melted at his beautiful smile, which showcased his spellbinding dimples. It seemed it was not that hard to make him happy after all.
“Miss Bennet, Old Man’s Glade is only one of the many beauties I intend to show you. Pemberley holds many secret beauties but only a handful of especially chosen people are privileged enough to explore it.”
Elizabeth’s heart skipped a beat, “I am counting on you to show them to me, then.” She said and realised that they had stopped their horses and they were close enough to touch each other’s faces. Darcy’s gaze lowered and moved from her eyes to her mouth, which paralysed her on the spot.
She was still entranced by him when he cleared his throat and spurred his horse ahead. “Stay close, Miss Bennet. Aurora will not run away as long as she has company. Like you, she is very sociable.”
Old Man's Glade passed Elizabeth in a blur, her eyes full of Darcy's smile, her ears deaf to all else, even the sweet prattling of Georgiana. Soon they were back at the house.
The ride was a triumph as far as Elizabeth was concerned. It served to inject some much appreciated confidence into her beginner’s skills. That Aurora was the gentlest and most patient horse Elizabeth had ever seen also helped.
After their very pleasant albeit slow ride, Elizabeth watched, entranced, while Darcy rewarded Aurora with a gallop around the pond. There were no words to describe the excitement of watching such a powerful display of both man and beast in their prime.
Elizabeth blushed at the reflections that invaded her mind while watching Mr Darcy, in his fitted riding clothes allowing a full display of his strong form.
Get a hold of yourself, Lizzy, Jane would be ashamed of you if she only knew what kind of contemplations you have been indulging yourself in, these days.