Chapter 6
Lady Elaine Fitzwilliam watched her daughter and two nieces at play in the music room.
Every day that Lizzy was with them, and it was six years this month, she seemed to bring joy and light to all of those that she touched.
Well, most, since there were exceptions like her sister-in-law Catherine de Bourgh and young George Wickham.
Then again, the Countess realized that although her daughter was a prodigy, she could not work miracles, and it seemed that it would take one to touch those two.
With Lizzy’s birthday fast approaching, Elaine wondered how they could ever top her sixth birthday a year before, both with respect to the present that Lizzy had received as well as the gift that Anne Darcy had delivered.
Anne was in that transitional stage between a girl and a young lady at twelve years of age.
Nevertheless, Elaine watched the three happy girls as she considered the birthday one year before.
After Lizzy had met Queen Charlotte at Buckingham House, the Queen and some of her daughters were beyond impressed.
Before their departure, Queen Charlotte had summoned the Countess to speak with her and asked if there was not a pianoforte available that would accommodate Lady Elizabeth’s size.
The Queen’s question had been the germination of an idea that Elaine Fitzwilliam was keen to discuss with her husband and sister-in-law Anne.
Word had spread through the Ton like wildfire that the Queen and her daughters heartily approved of and were most impressed by young Lady Elizabeth Fitzwilliam.
With Queen Charlotte’s approval added to those of the patronesses of Almack’s and some of the highest-ranking peers in the Ton, no one was willing to commit social suicide by making an untoward comment about the lady in question, not even quietly behind their fans.
That evening the Fitzwilliams were being hosted at Darcy House for dinner.
Elaine had already spoken to her husband who voiced his complete support and approval, so she intended to speak to Anne as she personally knew Mr Broadwood as well as a client could know the owner of the place where she purchased her instruments.
The children, including the three older young men, went to the music room while the two patriarchs went to the master’s study for cigars and brandy.
Once the tea had been served in the small green parlour, Elaine enlisted Anne’s assistance. “Anne, you know John Broadwood better than most, do you not?” she asked.
“We have spoken on a number of occasions, yes. What are you drumming up, my dear sister?” Anne responded.
“It was something that Queen Charlotte said,” Elaine explained.
“When she was introduced at Buckingham House today her Majesty requested that Lizzy play the pianoforte. The problems with the size of the instrument and how small my daughter is were observed and the Queen inquired if there was a smaller one available. I have not seen one, but I was thinking that we could visit Mr Broadwood and ask him if he would be able to manufacture a grand sized for Lizzy.”
“If we make a request, I am sure that he will be willing to accommodate us,” Anne opined.
Thus, it was decided that Elaine would collect her sister-in-law at ten the following day to go to Broadwood and Sons on Great Pulteney Street.
The two ladies arrived at their destination at half after the hour and were shown into Mr Broadwood’s office.
“How may I be of service to ye, ladies?” the man asked with his thick Scottish accent.
“We have a request of you Mr Broadwood…” The sisters through marriage explained what they required.
Luckily, word of the child prodigy and the Queen’s being enthralled by her had already reached the man’s ears and he accepted the commission with alacrity.
The Countess explained that they wanted the instrument ready and delivered to Snowhaven at least a week before her daughter’s sixth birthday.
Lady Anne ordered one for her daughter as well who was displaying an aptitude much like her own for the pianoforte.
When the family returned to their estate at the end of May 1796, Mrs Smythe notified the master and mistress that their package had arrived.
The Countess and the Earl could not wait to see Lizzy’s reaction when she saw her birthday present.
After she had been put to bed, they had gone to see it for themselves in the locked room in which it was being stored and had marvelled at the craftsmanship.
It was about half the size of a regular grand; the keys were almost half the width which meant that Lizzy and Georgie would be able to cover a full octave with their smaller hands, and she idly wondered which would love theirs more.
Elaine soon received a note from Anne that she too was more than satisfied and would keep Georgie’s locked up as well, as she did not want Lizzy to see it on one of her visits to the Darcy estate, or for Georgie to say something to her favourite cousin who was really more a sister than a cousin.
The Darcys had left town at the beginning of April so that Anne would be back at Pemberley well ahead of her confinement.
William and Georgie had remained with their Fitzwilliam family, along with Anne de Bourgh.
Lady Anne had entered her confinement a fortnight before the twentieth of June, and after an eight-hour labour, with Elaine in the birthing room to assist her sister, she delivered a healthy son.
The new son was named Alexander George Darcy.
Better news still was that Lady Anne Darcy had no complications and there was no hint of childbed or any other fever after Alex was born.
Georgie did pout for a short while that she did not have a sister but was soon as happy as the rest of the family that there was a new babe, making her the older sister.
Besides, as she told everyone, she had Lizzy and Anne.
Elaine returned to the present from her reverie as her daughter, who was about to turn seven, tugged at her skirts.
“Mama, does William have to leave to go to Eton in the Autumn again?” Elaine smiled.
Lizzy had not been happy when William was enrolled in Eton in August 1796.
First it had been Andrew, followed by Richard, and now William.
For some reason, mayhap it was their affinity for the written word, the bond was extraordinarily strong between William and Lizzy.
“You know that the boys each do three years at Eton. Andrew just completed his third year, while William starts his second year, and Richard is in his final one. Andrew will now begin at Cambridge.” Seeing her daughter give an adorable pout which extended her lower lip as far as she was able, Elaine pulled her into a hug and kissed both of her cheeks.
“You know that you see them often, Lizzy. Unlike most boys their age they want to come home for breaks, and we visit them at school at least twice each year.”
“I suppose I will have to make do with that,” Lizzy huffed, almost causing her mother to laugh uncontrollably.
“Do not forget that you have Anne here with us and you get to see Georgie and Alex once a sennight at the minimum,” Elaine reminded her daughter. It always amazed her that she was able to talk to Lizzy like a much older girl although she was still very much a young girl at heart.
That night after the children had been put to bed for the night, the Earl and Countess were enjoying a glass of claret in their sitting room before bed.
“You know,” Elaine said to her husband, “I think that I may be more excited to present Lizzy with her birthday gift than she will be to receive it; I cannot wait to see her face.”
“There is no doubt that our daughter will be surprised, and I too am in anticipation to see her reaction,” Reggie returned.
“Smythe told me that the little miss has been trying to get him to open the locked parlour,” Reggie grinned as he thought about all the methods of persuasion that Lizzy had tried and failed on the butler.
“I dare say that she suspects that there is a gift in there for her,” Elaine smiled. “Mrs Smythe has had to fend off similar entreaties from our daughter. Thank goodness it is but a few days now!”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Yes, Thomas Bennet still missed Lizzy and always would, but the feeling of loss was not his primary emotion any longer and had not been since he had been lucky enough to be accepted by Tammy.
As he surveyed his family, who had now moved back into the newly enlarged and reconstructed Longbourn almost a full year past, he was as content as it was possible to be.
His love for his wife had continually grown through their days together, not diminished.
They had many of the same interests, including a love of reading and most important, she loved all of her children equally.
There was no differentiation between Jane, John, William, or the three children that had been born to them after their marriage.
Jane at nine seemed to grow more beautiful by the day.
Thanks to Tammy’s influence, Jane’s eyes were open to the world.
She was still serene unless one pushed her too hard, or one was not nice to her brothers or sister.
John Manning would be eight in December and relished his role as oldest son.
James was four and very loving, and like his father was an intelligent boy, while Tom and Kitty would be three in December.
Kitty looked a lot like Lizzy with the same hair colour, but she had Tammy’s green eyes.
Tom seemed to be a good mix of his mother and father in looks and had a mischievous streak about him, but he was never malicious in the little pranks that he played.