Chapter Four #3
She watched for the first appearance of Pemberley Wood with eager anticipation.
When at length they turned in at the lodge, her spirits were in high flutter.
The park was very large and contained a great variety of ground.
They entered it at one of its lower points and drove for some time through a beautiful wood, stretching over a wide extent.
She watched the trees and hills with avid interest.
The carriage gradually ascended for a half mile to the top of a hill where the wood ceased.
Her eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of a valley, into which the road wound with some abruptness.
It was a large, handsome stone building, standing on the rising ground.
The house was backed by a ridge of high woody hills,and in front was a stream which Elizabeth imagined was the same one where she had met Miss Darcy.
She was struck by the lack of artificial appearance.
Pemberley’s banks were neither formal nor falsely adorned.
It was delightful and she was enchanted, having never seen a place for which nature had done more or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste.
As they approached the house, Elizabeth was struck by not only its size but also its majesty.
It was nearly a castle. She could not focus on this for long as her attention was soon drawn to the three figures standing on the steps.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to compose herself.
By the time the carriage had stopped, the stairs were placed and the door opened, she had not quite succeeded.
Mr. Darcy (the elder) was there to hand her down. Miss Darcy stood back, at the bottom of Pemberley’s large entrance doors, next to her brother, fairly bouncing in place. Elizabeth wondered if her arm had not been looped with his whether she might have darted forward.
In the brief moments it took for Mr. Darcy to lead her to his waiting children, Elizabeth took them both in.
It had only been a year, not quite that, and Miss Darcy had sprouted.
Her face still retained the look of a girl, but one on the precipice of the next stage of her maturity.
She was dressed in a becoming pink frock with a small amount of lace at the collar and white ribbons on the short sleeves.
Matching ribbons could be seen in her golden hair, which was parted in the centre and fell down over her shoulders.
It was shorter than it had been last summer, as well as more carefully coiffed.
Her blue eyes were bright with curiosity and warmth.
As she got closer, Elizabeth estimated that Miss Darcy and herself were now very nearly the same height.
Though she tried to prevent it, Elizabeth’s eyes turned next to her Mr. Darcy.
He was tall, perhaps slightly taller than last summer.
He watched her approach with deep brown eyes which seemed to smile at her even though he held his mouth in a firm line.
The curly brown hair which had previously displayed a little wildness was tamed, it being so closely cropped she could barely perceive the curls she loved so well.
His broad shoulders and long arms were displayed to utter perfection in a dark blue jacket over a crisp white shirt.
He held his hands in front of him and was twisting what she assumed was his signet ring, the sun catching the gold as he turned it.
Even up through the moment she stepped from the carriage, Elizabeth had been sure, had been assuring herself, that she had exaggerated his beauty, had misremembered his perfection, but one glance made clear her memories barely did him justice.
“Miss Elizabeth, welcome to Pemberley,” Mr. Darcy said as he led her over to where his children waited with wildly differing amounts of patience. After the girls curtseyed and her Mr. Darcy bowed, Miss Darcy came forward and took Elizabeth’s arm.
“I am so glad you have come,” she said. Her wide smile and tight grip on her friend supported this claim. “Father has said we may take some tea and cakes before setting off for the stables.”
“That would be lovely,” Elizabeth answered, overwhelmed by the enthusiastic greeting, the grandeur of her surroundings and the presence of her Mr. Darcy.
The foursome walked into the house, Miss Darcy and Elizabeth followed by the Mr. Darcys.
Two servants, who Elizabeth knew must be the housekeeper and butler, stood on either side of the large, ornate, wide-open doors.
They bowed and curtseyed respectively as the party passed.
The inside of Pemberley charmed Elizabeth just as much as the outside had.
The rooms they passed were grand and handsome, and although the furniture inside spoke to the fortune of the family, nothing was either gaudy or uselessly fine.
When they reached a doorway into which Miss Darcy guided her, Elizabeth found even more to admire.
The room itself was like those she had glimpsed—elegant and well-appointed, but it was the prospect from the large window that caught most of her attention.
She saw a river, trees scattered on its banks and the winding of the valley as far as she could trace it.
In the distance, she perceived hills crowned with wood, rolling up and down as they made their way out of sight.
Georgiana sat on the settee and indicated Elizabeth should join her.
The pull of her new friend was just enough to make abandoning the view bearable.
“It is a delightful prospect,” she said as she sat.
“We are blessed with similar views from nearly every room,” Mr. Darcy told her. “The house was built to bend to nature rather than changing the natural landscape to suit it.”
“That is just what I thought,” Elizabeth responded with a smile. “Your ancestors were wise indeed.”
“You can discern their wisdom from the mere fact that they chose not to raze the countryside to create their lodging?” her Mr. Darcy asked.
He had not spoken until that moment, she realised.
In the exchange of pleasantries he had been silent, offering a bow and letting his father and sister do all the talking.
She had not noticed because she was so distracted by the site of him.
The deep timbre and teasing cadence of his voice made her stomach flutter.
His perfections were so complete and overwhelming, Elizabeth was nearly annoyed with him.
It was too much. He was too much. However, she would not let his challenge go unanswered.
His manifold attractions may have rendered her nearly stupid, but she would not let them make her dumb.
“Not exactly,” she replied. “I see the wisdom in that choice, yes, but it is also my observation that certain, though perhaps not all, of their descendants clearly display wisdom of their own. So I can assume it is a family trait.”
“Not all?” he asked.
“Not all,” she responded with solemnity and was rewarded with a smile and nod from the gentleman.
“I see you will be quite able to keep Fitzwilliam on his toes,” Mr. Darcy observed with a smile of his own.
At that moment, the housekeeper arrived, followed by two servants bearing food and drink.
Elizabeth nearly exclaimed at the bounty being offered.
There was a tray of cold meat and a variety of fruits.
The tea things were set up, and the two servants departed.
It seemed to be enough food for a party several times their size.
“Thank you, Mrs. Reynolds,” Mr. Darcy said to the housekeeper. “Tell Mrs. Padmore she has outdone herself.”
“Yes, sir, I will be sure to do so,” the housekeeper responded.
“Miss Darcy was quite instrumental in the planning and arrangement for these refreshments—she is becoming quite the young mistress.” The older woman looked at Georgiana with motherly pride and affection.
Georgiana, Elizabeth noted, was both blushing and sitting up a little straighter.
“I am glad to hear it,” Mr. Darcy declared.
“Well done, Georgiana.” Turning back to the housekeeper, he added, “I should present Miss Darcy’s friend Miss Elizabeth Bennet to you now, Mrs. Reynolds, as I have no doubt she will be a frequent visitor this summer.
Please show her the attention you do to all our most esteemed guests. ”
“Of course, Mr. Darcy, it will be our pleasure,” she said. Bobbing a curtsy at him, she left the room.
The foursome gathered around the food table, filling their plates. Georgiana insisted Elizabeth try a little bit of everything and so helped load hers up to the point where it became heavy.
“Little one, I think Miss Elizabeth has enough to last her the hour,” her Mr. Darcy teased his sister.
“Oh yes, of course, I am so sorry, Miss Elizabeth. Please do not feel obligated to eat all of that … but of course if you do, that is also all right. I mean, of course it is, because it is the food, the food on your plate.”
Elizabeth placed her plate on an empty table and laid a hand on her friend’s arm.
“Miss Darcy, I assure you I am nothing but flattered and pleased with your kind attention. I look forward to sampling everything you have selected for me.” With that, Elizabeth picked up the overflowing dish and sat down.
Georgiana gave Elizabeth a grateful smile and took her place on the settee. After a few moments of quiet enjoyment, it was determined that the food tasted just as good as it looked.
“Mr. Darcy, I hope we can find time to discuss the book sometime soon.” Though sincere, Elizabeth heard the timidity in her voice. Though the family had put her at ease, the house and, to a lesser extent, its occupants still daunted her a little.
“What book is that?” one Mr. Darcy asked while the other, at the same time, said, “Of course we must.”