Chapter Twenty-Two #2
Following the Gardiners’ departure, there was less than a week until the ball.
The Fitzwilliam family was currently in residence at Matlock and had invited several of their close friends from Town, including Lady Gwendolyn, to join them for the month of September.
Since Parliament was not in session, it would make a lovely diversion for those who had remained in Town to journey to Matlock for an extended house party and attend the Darcys’ ball.
There had not been such a grand event given at Pemberley since before Lady Anne’s death, and it was something which had been widely anticipated by the neighbourhood and surrounding communities.
A harvest celebration for the tenants and estate workers, complete with musicians, food and a bonfire, was to be given on the ninth of September, following the more formal affair.
Other than Boxing Day, this type of festivity had never been held for those employed by the estate and it was to William’s credit that he wished to honour his new wife in this way.
Since Georgiana was not out yet, she would attend the first ball only as an observer.
At the more informal tenants’ ball, however, it was agreed that both she and Anna would be allowed to participate, interacting with the children and young people who would be accompanying their families.
Saturday Afternoon
7 September
The Study
With the harvest ball lasting into the wee hours of the morning of the seventh, many of the guests who had stayed over did not depart from Pemberley manor until early afternoon.
Before leaving, Richard had asked to speak privately with William.
Having poured each of them a glass of brandy, William waited while Richard began.
“I must say, Darcy, your wife looked very pretty last night. There was a certain something about her that I had not noticed before.”
“She is an exceptional woman,” William murmured, smiling at the remembrance.
“I should be so fortunate.”
“Should you?” William pointedly asked, wondering what Richard was about.
After a few seconds, he continued, “Is there something I am missing? Pray, what in heaven’s name are you doing here in my study complimenting my wife when you should be making your way to the carriage with your parents and the lovely Mrs. Walden? ”
“What?! Can I not spend a few minutes in the company of my favourite cousin while the others are preparing to leave?” He feigned hurt. “Are you so eager to be rid of me?”
“Richard….” William scowled, “Out with it. Please do not tell me your superiors are sending you back to the continent or some other godforsaken place where you will again be in harm’s way?”
“No, it is nothing like that.”
“Then what?”
“Well, in truth, I have decided to take you up on your offer to establish myself at Rosings Park.”
“Richard!” William exclaimed, holding out his hand. “I could not be happier. Have you told your parents yet?”
“Only Father. As you can well imagine, the two of us have talked extensively since you made the offer.”
“And what of Mrs. Walden and your commission?”
He smiled brilliantly. “Diana has agreed to become my wife, and I have taken steps to sell my commission so that we may marry by the end of the year, hopefully earlier.”
“Excellent!” William exclaimed, giving Richard a brotherly hug. “This is the best news. Elizabeth and Georgiana will be pleased.”
“Thank you. I plan to formally announce our engagement once we are all back at Matlock and everyone has had a day to rest after your ball. In truth, I suppose my engagement will come as no surprise to Mother, since she has been hinting at the possibility ever since Mrs. Walden arrived last week. Because Diana does not have many close living relations, she plans to ask Mother for help with the wedding preparations. Needless to say, Mother will be delighted.”
“I should think so. And now with Lady Catherine having moved into Town at the beginning of August, Rosings Park is yours for the taking. I shall inform my solicitor and have him complete the arrangements. If you do not mind, I should like to go over some pertinent information with you before we travel back to Longbourn. Once you are able to take your leave from the military and spend some time at Rosings Park, you can begin assessing your transition to civilian life with the aid of Mr. Parker. Parker is an excellent land steward and will serve you well.”
“Of that, I have no doubt. There is one other thing. In addition to Rosings Park, it seems I now have another prospect.”
“You do? Tell me, I am eager to hear it.”
“Father has offered me a rather neglected property which recently became available to our family following the death of a second cousin in early July. Apparently, Mother’s cousin had no surviving immediate relations, and unknown to Mother, chose to include our family as well as a few other relations in the disbursement of his assets.
Our cousin, being somewhat of a recluse, had been ill for quite some time and nothing was known of his bequest until the reading of the will. ”
“What do you know of the estate? Is it far from Rosings Park?”
Actually, it is a small estate in Surrey, not far from Epsom where the derby is held every spring.
Because of its location, the estate was at one time used to breed racehorses.
At present, the bulk of the income comes from numerous tenants who continue to work the land.
Now that I will be giving up my commission, Father has suggested I consider looking into building up the estate with the purpose of raising horses again.
Because of the close proximity, it should be easy enough to travel back and forth between both properties.
And at some point, when you no longer need me in Kent, it could prove to be an excellent opportunity for my future family. ”
“I heartily agree, and with your penchant for horse flesh, the possibility of taking on the venture will certainly serve you well.”
“Thank you, Cousin. All in all, my prospects are quite favourable, and I must say I am looking forward to the change.”
“Richard, I have no doubt you will do well. Congratulations, my friend.” The two men hugged again in brotherly affection and left the room to join the others who were ready to depart.
During the few days which followed, the final preparations for the tenants’ ball were put in place.
In truth, while Elizabeth enjoyed meeting all of her neighbours, it was the folks who supported her husband with their loyalty to the estate whom she dearly wished to honour with this offering.
Those who were in attendance were in awe of their new mistress and were pleased that the Darcys had included them in their harvest celebrations.
12 September
William’s Birthday
With the harvest balls being a success and now behind them, Elizabeth had determined a simple family affair would be best for William’s birthday.
She had planned a dinner with all of his favourite foods to be followed by some relaxation in the music room where he would be gifted with meaningful presents provided by her, Georgiana and Anna.
This suited William quite well, for a quiet evening with those who were dearest to him was a balm to his soul after so many weeks of activity.
Later That Night
Elizabeth’s Bedchamber
“William.” Elizabeth looked at her husband in the mirror as she sat at the vanity watching him brush her hair, her eyes twinkling. “How is it you have become such an expert at taming my unruly curls these past few weeks? Your touch feels heavenly.”
“Thank you, my love.” He gently pushed her hair to the side and tenderly kissed her neck in appreciation. “Brushing your hair gives me the greatest pleasure, and I shall never tire of doing this for you.”
“Nor shall I.” She turned in place and kissed him in appreciation.
“Come,” he said, pulling her up from the stool and into his arms. “Before we retire, I have something I wish to show you.”
“You do?” she asked with curiosity.
“Yes,” he answered, picking up his wife, as was often his habit when taking her through their shared room and to his bed.
Sitting her down and offering her a tender kiss, he said, “Just a moment, my love.” Moving to his dresser, he retrieved a large book. Sitting next to her on the bed, he opened the cover, revealing it was the Darcy family Bible.
“As you can see, many significant dates including my parents’ marriage and my and Georgiana’s births were entered here in the front of the book along with so many who came before us.
On the blank pages in the back, a more elaborate family history was at one time started by my mother.
Following my mother’s death, this Bible sat unopened for many years in our library. ”
Elizabeth respectfully ran her fingers over the entries, saying, “William, this book is a treasure.”
“Sadly, it has not been updated since her death, not with my father’s death, my marriage to Anne nor with Anna’s birth. Now that we are married, I thought it would be a good time to update the entries, and should we have more children….”
“Dear William.” She put the book aside, turning in his arms and ardently kissing her husband with all the love she possessed.
“Elizabeth, what is it, my love?” he worriedly asked, seeing the tears spilling from her eyes.
“Forgive me, I did not mean to alarm you. These are tears of joy,” she said, allowing him to wipe her cheeks dry with his thumbs. “With today being your birthday, I want to give you one more gift.”
“You do?”
Then releasing the ties on her robe, she took his large hand and placed it on the slight swell of her bare flesh. “William, here rests our child.”
William was so moved that he could not prevent the tears from leaving his own eyes. “Our child? Oh, my darling,” he murmured, before kissing her tenderly and gently rubbing the swell with his fingers. “But, Elizabeth, could it be? We have only been married a short time.”
“Yes, our time together has been short, but long enough for me to conceive. William, you are a perceptive man. Surely you must have noticed that I have never had my courses since our first night together.”
“I did, but I, I did not think…. Sweetheart,” he said, pulling her onto his lap, kissing her and caressing the place where his hand rested, “could this be true?”
“Yes, I believe it is. Although I am not far enough along to feel the quickening, I have been experiencing all of the signs. And the day before the Gardiners left, my aunt and I visited the midwife in Lambton, who confirmed my suspicions. William, the midwife said it is possible I may be carrying twins since I have begun to increase so soon.”
“Twins!” he said in astonishment. “Not one, but possibly two children.” Again he kissed her. “But is it safe for you, Elizabeth.” He could not help showing a look of concern. “You are not a large woman and to be carrying two babes….”
Placing her fingers on his lips, she soothed, “William, you are not to worry. Although you never met her, my Grandmamma Elizabeth was much like me in stature. She successfully gave birth to my father and Lady Deming, whom you know are twins.”
“Twins,” he said again in wonder, as she placed her hand on top of his.
“Oh, my dearest love, whether it is one or two babes, I could not be happier.” Pulling her close and down with him onto the bed, he tenderly kissed his wife again and murmured, “Elizabeth Darcy, have I told you yet today how very much I love you? That you are my life, the very air I breathe?”
“William, it matters not if you say the words, for with everything that passes between us, every look, every touch, I know in my heart what you say is true. You, too, are my life, and our child will be a testament of our love.”
“My darling,” he murmured as he tenderly caressed her, “my love for you is endless, and I would have it no other way.”