Chapter 16
Finding Home
At Longbourn, the effects of the Darcys’ departure from Longbourn were immediate.
As Fitzwilliam walked out the door, Mrs. Bennet rushed from the hallway and into the parlour where her family had remained.
She immediately blurted out what she had just learned.
“Mr. Darcy is not merely a barrister; he owns an estate or, perhaps, he will own an estate soon, and his uncle is an earl!” she cried.
“What!” Jane exclaimed, already annoyed that Elizabeth married before her and somehow managed to ensnare not only a very handsome man, who was much younger than she would have expected but apparently now a landowner.
“Just before he departed, he said he had inherited an estate from his grandfather, an earl, and the house where they stayed while in London was owned by his uncle, the Earl of … something,” Mrs. Bennet said, still agitated by the events of the morning.
“Lizzy has married much better than we thought, although he says he will never invite any of us into his home. I will have to write to that girl immediately and demand she invite her sister to visit her for the Season in London. If Lizzy could ensnare such a handsome man and one with such exalted connections, surely my Jane could marry a peer. She is twice as pretty as her sister.”
“Mama, but you just said he will not invite us into his homes. Why would Lizzy want to invite Jane when she all but accused Lizzy of misbehaving? And did not the two of you not tell the milliner just a few days ago you would not be surprised if Lizzy were with child? Charlotte was here, and she and Lizzy have always kept in touch, so if any gossip is being spread in Meryton, then surely Lizzy will know who the culprit was.” Kitty questioned her mother.
Mrs. Bennet and Jane both sputtered. “I did no such thing, Kitty. How dare you accuse me of such?” Jane protested. “Lizzy has always treated me very kindly, and I am certain if I write and ask her for an invitation, she will invite me to London.”
“Do you know where to send your letters?” Lydia asked.
“I thought I heard you and Mama complaining after the wedding you did not have any address other than the Gardiners. Mama was saying she did not know what kind of rooms a barrister would keep, and the two of you were laughing at the idea of Lizzy and her new husband sharing rooms in a boarding house somewhere on their wedding night.”
Jane looked aghast at her comments being repeated. “I said no such thing, Lydia, and repeating such nonsense will do you no good. When I am invited to London and marry much better than Lizzy, you will regret saying such things to me. Do not say another word,” she commanded her sister.
“But Jane …” Kitty began before her mother cut her off.
“Enough of this, both of you. Do not dare repeat anything you think you may have heard about Lizzy and her new husband. If you ever want to be invited to London when my Jane marries a wealthy man, do not say another word,” Mrs. Bennet demanded of her youngest daughters.
“Now, Jane, we will visit all of our friends and neighbours tomorrow to tell them of Lizzy’s good fortune.
Once Charlotte writes to Lizzy and tells her how well we think of her and her new husband, they will surely invite us.
Perhaps you can discover Lizzy’s address from Charlotte—you can say you lost the paper Lizzy gave you with the address. ”
“We should go this afternoon, Mama,” Jane persuaded, but her mother shook her head.
“No, Jane, we cannot,” the matron replied.
“We must write letters to Lizzy immediately explaining our misunderstandings and convincing her she must invite you to town. If your new brother is the nephew of an earl, then they can introduce you to other titled men. You will marry extremely well, my dear child.”
So said, the two scurried from the room to write the proposed letters. Mr. Bennet rose to depart from the room, returning to his book room and quiet he found there, leaving Kitty and Lydia alone. They stared at each other, trying to figure out precisely what had happened.
“Lydia, I cannot imagine Lizzy doing as Mama and Jane believe she will. If nothing else, she will depart on her wedding trip and will not be in town for a month or more. Probably more since he said they intended to spend a week at his family’s house at the Lakes,” Kitty said thoughtfully.
“Do you think we should write Lizzy a letter, telling her what was said after she left? If we give it to Charlotte, she will post it for us, even if she will not give us the address.”
Lydia agreed with this plan, although she preferred not to write if she did not have to.
After some discussion, the two hurried upstairs to dress, having decided to go to Lucas Lodge and tell Charlotte what they had heard.
This way, Charlotte would have to write the letter instead of their having to do it.
When they arrived at Lucas Lodge, it was just after the Darcy carriage had departed.
The two girls watched it leave and noticed Lady Lucas was accompanying the couple in the equipage.
Surprised, they knocked on the door and requested to visit with Charlotte and Maria Lucas for a few minutes.
The two were soon shown into a sitting room with the others and quickly related the conversation after their sister departed.
Charlotte merely shook her head at the audacity of Mrs. and Miss Bennet before assuring the girls Lady Lucas was taking care of any gossip about the couple.
She also promised to write to Lizzy to tell her what had occurred at Longbourn after their departure.
Charlotte thanked the girls for their information and left to write to her friend.
The other two girls stayed longer, visiting with Maria before returning home.
The Darcys’ journey north took three days as the couple stopped regularly to view the sights.
At least the first part of the journey was familiar to Fitzwilliam, as he had frequently travelled between Pemberley and London.
On the last day, they began to head west toward Cheshire.
Foxwood Hall sat near the River Dane, where Cheshire and Derbyshire met.
It was in the Peak District, and Elizabeth was thrilled by the sights as they came into the region.
They reached the manor house early in the afternoon and went to the stables after greeting the senior servants and changing from their travelling clothes into those suited for riding.
“You do remember I do not ride particularly well, do you not, Will?” Elizabeth asked her husband.
“That works well since I only asked for one horse to be saddled then,” he replied.
“We will begin your lessons soon, love, but for now, I want to explore the estate, and the best way to see everything is on a horse. I would like you to accompany me, but if you would prefer to remain here, I will not require it of you.”
She looked down at her boots for a moment. “I would like to go, but, Will, I am not a particularly good rider. Papa did not keep horses suited for riding, and while I occasionally attempted it against advice, I was never particularly successful. I had a few disjointed lessons here and there, but …”
“I am a good rider, as my father ensured all of his children could ride well,” he told her. “And you will be with me, and I will never let harm come to you. I look forward to teaching you when you are ready, but for now, I only want to ride with you. You will not need to do a thing.”
They had reached the stables, where a groom waited with a large black stallion.
Fitzwilliam assisted his wife in sitting across the saddle and then mounted behind her, instructing her to “Hold on” as he used his heels to signal the horse to move.
Within moments, they were galloping across the field behind the house, and Elizabeth pressed her face into his chest as the wind tousled her hair, dislodging it from its pins.
This was a new experience for her, and she relished every moment, only wishing the ride could have continued longer.
After a while, he guided the horse to a halt, slowing it to a gentle walk.
“What do you think, Elizabeth?” he whispered.
“It was wonderful, Fitzwilliam,” she said, turning in his arms to kiss him. “You must teach me to do this.”
He laughed at her enthusiasm. “I will, my love,” he replied.
“Perhaps I can have the servants at Pemberley convey some horses to the cottage, and we can begin our lessons there. Riding is a necessary skill for the master and mistress of an estate and will make it easier for you to visit our tenants at whichever estate we choose.” He looked around him for a minute.
“We have not seen Oakridge Manor, but this estate is stunning. We are near the Peak District, and Oakridge may be as well. I am unsure how we will choose between the two.”
“We must explore the house tomorrow, which may help us decide. You will need to review the books while I interview the servants. If both houses are equally beautiful, then perhaps we can decide based on how well we get along with the servants,” Elizabeth offered.
“Otherwise, I do not know how we will decide. Perhaps on how comfortable the bed is?”
Fitzwilliam laughed. “That can be easily fixed, Elizabeth. Maybe we can decide based on the nursery or the stables.”
Elizabeth arched her eyebrow as she looked at him. “The nursery or the stables?” she inquired.
He shrugged. “Equally as nonsensical as deciding based upon the bed,” he replied. “Just as our hearts spoke to each other about when we met, perhaps our hearts will tell us which house to choose.”
She leaned into him and smiled. “That seems to be a far better way to make a decision,” she agreed. “Maybe when we see the other estate, we will just know, and the decision will be made for us.”