Chapter Nineteen #2
Much like her father, Anna’s face became serious while she was thinking.
Her forehead crinkled a bit and her jaw was firmly set.
Then suddenly she sat up tall, sweetly smiled and said, “Mama, on my birthday we had cake and then Papa took me on his big black horse so we could give treats to the children for my special day.”
“How lovely!” Elizabeth exclaimed.
“Last March, for Anna’s fourth birthday, Mrs. Reynolds arranged to have some baskets distributed to our tenants in her honour. For part of the day, Anna and I rode alongside the wagon and visited cottages where there were children.”
“I am pleased to hear it,” said Elizabeth. “‘Tis a wonderful gesture, and over time I shall look forward to meeting all of the families who live at Pemberley. Jane and I did much for our tenants at Longbourn, and I would like to continue the tradition with Anna and Georgiana.”
“Your efforts would be welcomed. Aside from what Mrs. Reynolds does on our behalf, the estate has not had such care since my mother was mistress some twelve years ago. Currently we have thirty-six active tenant properties in addition to our home farm. It would be a sizeable undertaking, but whatever you would see fit to do will be greatly appreciated by our people and by me.” William reached across Anna’s lap and took Elizabeth’s hand.
“You will make a fine mistress, Elizabeth. Never doubt that. I am already very proud of you.”
She squeezed his hand and lovingly said, “Thank you, William. I shall take great pleasure in doing my part.”
“I know you will.”
Eager to join in, Anna placed her little hands on top of her parents’ hands, saying, “I am proud of you too, Mama.”
“Why, thank you, Anna. Your praise means much to me.” When they all released their hands, Elizabeth added, “William, I was thinking, with Georgiana’s arrival tomorrow, it will be our first night together as a family.
I should like to extend our celebration past today and have a special dinner for her. ”
“I heartily agree. It will be good to have her home with us.”
“It need not be too elaborate, mind you, but I am sure Cook could provide me with some of your family’s favourite dishes for the menu.
I shall speak to her as soon as we return home.
Georgiana may be a bit weary after her journey from Kent, but I would like to make the gesture, and I am sure the colonel would enjoy a good meal after his long day, too. ”
“I agree.” William chuckled. “I have never known Richard to turn down a good meal.”
“Excellent! I shall make all of the arrangements, and Anna, while Papa is doing his work tomorrow morning, I should like you to help me.”
“Yes, Mama, I want to help.”
“Very good. To start with, it would be nice if the two of us selected some flowers for Aunt Georgie’s room. Would you like that, sweet one?”
“I would. Aunt Georgie told me her favourite flowers are roses.”
“Roses are perfect, since I saw some lovely ones growing in the garden, and there may be some additional flowers we can add to her vase from the solarium.”
About this time William turned off of Rotten Row and on to Serpentine Road.
When the Serpentine was clearly in view, William pulled to the side of the road so they could get out and walk closer.
Exiting the carriage and moving near the water’s edge, Anna and Elizabeth continued to delight him while he held open a cloth containing some scraps of bread to feed the ducks.
At one point a group of pigeons suddenly descended in their direction, wanting their share of the food.
When Anna let out a little scream in fear, William scooped up his daughter, dropped the rest of the bread and hurried back to the carriage followed by Elizabeth.
“My goodness, William. I never saw such aggressive birds!” Elizabeth declared.
“Neither have I.”
“With so many people passing this way every day, it appears they are accustomed to being fed.”
“It would seem so.”
“Papa, do you think the birds wanted to eat me?”
“No, sweetheart, but they surely wanted the rest of the bread. Just look; now that they have finished, they are flying off.”
“I am glad,” Anna said. “They were not very nice birds.”
“Anna,” William remarked trying to divert her attention to something more pleasant. “Do you remember when we made the little twig boat and sailed it on Grandmamma’s pond at Rosings Park?”
“I do.”
“Look, there are several twigs on the ground just over here and some longer grass a little beyond. Since we are so close to the water and the birds have flown away, shall we make one now?”
“Yes, Papa, please.” She clapped her hands and softly giggled with delight. “Mama! Wait until you see the little boat Papa and I are going to make. Will you help us collect the twigs and the grasses?”
“I would be happy to. The last time I made a twig boat was about a year ago when the Gardiners visited Longbourn. I will have you know, I am a very adept craftsman,” Elizabeth boasted.
“When I was younger, my boats were superior to those made by my sisters or the Lucas boys, and we often had contests on the stream that joins our two properties.” Her look became smug.
“Needless to say, my boat won more times than naught.”
“So, my lovely wife, does this mean you are putting up a challenge for us this afternoon?”
“Yes!” She laughed, placing her hands on her hips in defiance. “I most certainly am. I, Elizabeth Rose Darcy, hereby challenge Mr. Fitzwilliam James Darcy and Miss Anna Elizabeth Darcy to a contest of skill and speed.”
“You do?!” William chuckled.
“I do! And to make things interesting, I propose a two-part challenge, each being ten minutes in length. In part one, we shall see who will be the first to finish the construction of their boat, and in the second part we shall watch and see whose boat will sail the furthest on the lake.”
“What do you think, Anna, shall we accept Mama’s challenge?”
“Yes, Papa!” she said bouncing up and down on her tiptoes.
“Then let us begin as soon as I spread out the blanket and check the time on my pocket watch.”
Gathering their twigs, leaves, and tall grasses, the merry party sat on the blanket and quickly began constructing their boats.
Each boat, consisting of five or six twigs, was tied in two or three places with the tall grasses.
A twig mast with one large leaf for the sail was inserted between two of the twigs and tied in place.
To complete the project, Anna and Elizabeth added one flower from each of their posies for luck.
In the first challenge, Elizabeth was declared the winner since William spent too much time instructing Anna as they meticulously constructed their boat.
Nevertheless, when it came to the actual sailing, William and Anna’s boat bested Elizabeth’s having caught the slow current in the water and moving ahead.
In the end, it was determined the challenge was a draw.
After all was finished, Anna said, “Oh, Papa, our challenge was so fun, but I wish we could have kept the little boats.”
“Well, sweet one, perhaps another child will find them later on and enjoy them, too. And who is to say that we cannot have another contest when we go home to Pemberley?”
“Or even to Longbourn!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “I am sure my sisters would enjoy the competition, and I will have the advantage because I am far more familiar with the currents, much like Papa’s knowledge of this body of water.”
“Another challenge, Mrs. Darcy?”
“Why, yes my dear husband,” she laughed. “Another challenge!”
Gunter’s Tea Shop
After finishing their excursion through Hyde Park, William drove on to Gunter’s Tea shop as planned.
Entering the shop, Elizabeth whispered to William, “Is that not your aunt and Lady Gwendolyn sitting near the window?” Just then the women nodded in their direction, as though they had been waiting for the Darcy family.
Elizabeth murmured with a bit of amusement, “I wonder how they happen to be here at the same time we are?”
“Indeed,” was all William dryly said before acknowledging the women with his own nod. “Apparently I must never underestimate the abilities of my aunt.”
The table was large enough to accommodate five, and almost immediately the host directed the Darcys to join the two women.
“Nephew, Mrs. Darcy, it is so good to see you this afternoon,” said Lady Eleanor. “Do be seated. And dear Anna, my lovely niece, how nice of your Mama and Papa to bring you here with them today.”
“Aunt, Lady Gwendolyn,” William formally greeted the women while Elizabeth and Anna gave a slight curtsey. As soon as they were all seated, he continued, “Aunt Eleanor, to which of my servants do I owe your presence here today? I had thought our outing was to be a somewhat private affair.”
She waved her hand as though dismissing the notion.
“Nephew, you should know that nothing is private, especially when it concerns family.” Her smile was patronising.
“Nevertheless, now that you are here, it will give Lady Gwendolyn and me an opportunity to quell any gossip which may be lingering from certain onlookers who would like to disparage your rushed wedding.” To that end, there was another table of women who were obviously engaging in gossip behind their opened fans while looking on in their direction.
Without acknowledging them, Lady Eleanor continued, “Our meeting here today will make a very good beginning. Do you not agree?”
“Aunt, as you know, I care little for gossip, but I do appreciate your efforts on Elizabeth’s behalf.” He candidly took her hand under the table and squeezed it. “After what my wife has endured over the past weeks, she is deserving of much.”
“Yes, she is.” Lady Eleanor smiled lovingly at her new niece. “Now that we have that little bit settled, let us place our order and continue on with a few preliminary plans for your ball and Lady Gwendolyn’s celebratory dinner.”
“As you wish, Aunt.”