Chapter 7
Darcy
As they started on the day’s journey, the road from Shaftesbury to Sherborne was pleasant enough, but, Darcy thought, the pastoral views were not that different from landscapes they had seen already on this journey.
He wished to bring up his cousin Anne; he and Elizabeth had vowed to one another that they would try to help her in some way, especially if his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh had spoken widely about Anne’s imaginary betrothal with him.
However, a part of him did not wish to spoil the enjoyment Elizabeth seemed to have regardless of the scenery.
He shifted, unsure whether or not to begin the discussion—and if he should, how best to do so.
Elizabeth turned her head, as always aware of him and his mood. He sent her a bright smile that was necessarily less sincere than usual; and he immediately regretted doing so, since she would definitely notice.
She did notice, and somehow she seemed to guess—“Since this lovely scenery will not need my constant commentary and questioning,” she said, “I wonder if we should discuss what can be done for Anne.”
Darcy gave her a sincere smile this time and said, “You are everything good.”
“What are we to consider, when discussing this?”
Darcy thought through his own vague ideas.
“First, I am almost positive that Anne has inherited Rosings, not her mother. We would want to determine the specifics by consulting with Anne or her solicitor—and discover if there are any age or marital requirements—and then ascertain from her if she has any plans in regard to taking over decision making or even, possibly, if she is considering moving her mother to the dower house. As we ask this, we would also see if she wishes for our help or visible public support.”
“And can all of that be done by letter? Or only in person?”
He replied, “I have a system for reaching Anne by letter, using one of my trusted servants to hand it directly to her. I will utilise that system so as not to impede our touring plans.”
“It seems to me that the best place to send letters by way of your own servant might be from Oakhaven.” Elizabeth thought some more and said, “You have sent ahead a few servants to that estate, plus there must be servants you know and trust who remain at Oakhaven under different ownership. I feel that you will know who to trust with such a commission.”
Darcy grinned. “I had not gotten that far with my thinking, but you are quite correct. Well done.”
“You have told me that Anne is either ill or has a weak and fragile constitution. Perhaps you should learn more about her physical health before anything else, and you should offer support to her over that matter. For example, does Lady Catherine have old-fashioned ideas about blood-letting being the primary treatment for almost everything? Should you offer support for your cousin seeing a better physician?”
“That is something Aunt Helen and Uncle Henry have worked on for a long time. They have not told me much, but what they have said, it seems to me, was an effort to soothe my worries. In other words, I am convinced that she is not as sick as she pretends—and I even believe she may use her mother’s outsized anxiety about her health as a tool to resist whichever whims she does not wish to indulge. ”
“Oh, my! Swooning as a tool of resistance and independence?”
“Perhaps.” Darcy grinned.
“What about Anne’s reputation?” Elizabeth asked.
“Is that something that should involve Aunt Helen?” She bit her lip, looking uncertain, but then she laughed and said, “Lady Matlock has asked me to call her Aunt Helen for so long now, but it is hard for me to even think of her that way, and saying it just now gave me a tremble.”
“Maybe this would help: If we have children—no, make that when we have children—how would she feel if they called her my lady, or referred to her as the countess or Lady Matlock.
“I imagine,” Elizabeth decided, “that she would not like that very well.”
“I imagine not. But, to your question: Yes, I believe we should start with Aunt Helen, not Anne, on this possible problem. Because if there are rumours about Anne being jilted or left at the altar or whatever else, Aunt Helen is more likely to know than is Anne. Plus, my aunt would be better positioned to fight such rumours than we are.”
“So it is possible that we need only to mention the possibilities to Aunt Helen, along with offering public statements or appearances if she recommends such, and then leave all the responsibility on that topic with her.”
“Now that you mention Aunt Helen, I am considering that the question about Anne inheriting Rosings should, of necessity, involve Uncle Henry as well as Anne and her solicitor. He is the head of the Fitzwilliam family—and Lady Catherine grew up a Fitzwilliam—so it may be that he should be spearheading this enquiry.”
“That makes sense. Is there some way you can send a trusted messenger to both Rosings and Matlock House? Or will they already have left for Derbyshire?”
Darcy shook his head. “You unerringly ask the right questions, Elizabeth. They are supposed to be gone by now, and Derbyshire is far for my messenger to ride from Cornwall!”
Elizabeth looked troubled. “I suppose we should have dealt with this while we were still in London.”
Darcy felt himself blush. She was correct, yet he had treasured their newlywed “nest” as the very best days of his life—and not only because of their activities between the sheets.
It was precious in part because they had society’s approval for letting ordinary concerns slide for a few weeks or months.
As attuned to his moods as ever, Elizabeth reached her hand out to cup one of his cheeks.
“No, I would not wish to change even a single second, either. Besides, who is to say that we now, or earlier or later or ever, should have the responsibility to intercede in these matters? We are being extremely gracious to be spending our time now, even considering such matters.”
Darcy threw his head back and laughed. “As always, you are correct, madam. At any rate, since we do not know the particulars of Anne’s inheritance, nor do we know if there is gossip about Anne, nor do we know the current activities of Lady Cat nor the location of the earl and countess…
. Given all of that lack of knowledge, we should wait until we reach Oakhaven, as you so astutely suggested.
” He kissed her hand to show his appreciation of his brilliant strategy-minded bride, and he finished the topic by saying, “Hopefully Richard will know more than we do on these topics, and possibly there will be letters for us, as well.”
“As to us, right here and right now,” Elizabeth murmured, “what say that we….”
Darcy sat up, ready for whatever passionate activity she had in mind.
But Elizabeth finished her sentence with her lifted eyebrow informing him that she was teasing: “…discuss this patchwork of fields and hedges.”
Elizabeth is, Darcy thought, a constant delight.
At Sherborne, she grinned as Darcy mentioned that a particular tower had been erected, some half a century before—but built as a ruined tower, to make the old castle ruins even more picturesque.
“Well do I know this,” she said. “And this lake is man-made, designed by Capability Brown, and those crenellations were deliberately added to the ruins, as well.”
They laughed together at the very idea of building a brand-new ruin, but he pointed out that some of the ruined castle was, in fact, built hundreds and hundreds of years ago, in the twelfth century. It had become ruins after its destruction in the 1600s.
“I think the castle is lovely,” she said, “especially framed so beautifully by the cedar trees, and with some of the walls covered in ivy.”
“Perhaps we should build some brand-new ruins on the grounds of Pemberley.”
Her genuine laugh was a sound he had always treasured, since the first time he had heard it, and he felt as if that laugh alone was a guarantee of their lives being quite a Happily Ever After story.
At Honiton, Darcy insisted that she choose some of the high-quality lace for which the town was known.
Naturally, she chose only a small amount for herself; the bulk of her purchase was for her mother, who loved lace almost as much as she adored planning a really spectacular wedding breakfast. Elizabeth also purchased lace for each of her five sisters, with him helping her choose for Georgiana.
Their approach to Exeter was pleasing, with the red sandstone soil of Devon making its appearance. “Oh, look at the cathedral!” Elizabeth said, spotting the two square towers. “I read that it has the world’s longest vault, and I can hardly wait to see the astronomical clock!”
Her wide-eyed anticipation was almost as wonderful to see as the sights themselves, but Darcy, too, looked forward to showing her the intricately carved vaulted ceiling.
She requested seeing the cathedral’s interior even before they sought rest and refreshment at The Hotel, where they would spend the night.
“Oooooohhhhhhh,” she breathed. She slowly turned around, her face turned upwards to the ceiling, her eyes even wider than before. “It is just…stunning.”
“It is,” Darcy confirmed. He glanced up—it was a beautiful sight—but he almost immediately resumed gazing at her.
“All those ribs, all those fans, and the bosses!” She shook her head gently, as if she was bemused by the beauty above her. “The craftsmanship, the sheer number of hours of work to create this amazing sight!”
“It is considered one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in all of Europe.”
“I can certainly see why!”
Then they spent many minutes studying the stained glass windows, the nine-and-fifty-foot Bishop’s Throne, and the Astronomical Clock, with its representations of the hours, minutes, lunar month, and lunar phases.
The Hotel was located in Cathedral Yard, and their room had an excellent view of the cathedral itself.
As Darcy had known she would be, Elizabeth was more thrilled by the fact that she would be able to watch the sunrise touch the towers and the East Window of the cathedral than she was excited about the luxurious furnishings.
He hoped that the large apartment he had rented would be relatively quiet and secluded—there was a certain activity he would love to partake in with more freedom than could be found in a smaller inn.
However, judging from the amount of noise they heard from inside and outside The Hotel, it seemed that “seclusion” was not to be.
They would have to remain hugger-mugger lovers for another night.