Chapter 18
Settling In
Upon their arrival at Oakridge Manor, the letters awaiting the Darcys encouraged them to return to London for the last month of the Season.
Now that Fitzwilliam was an estate owner, he needed to have a presence in town and spending June in London was one way to establish both himself and his wife in their new position.
This argument proved far more challenging to contradict than they might have liked.
Additionally, there were some items to obtain to decorate the home more easily obtained in London—specifically at Gardiner Exports—and so armed with lists of what was required, they made their way toward the Capital.
They arrived at Darcy House on the first day of June.
Although they did have their own residence, Lady Anne had asked them to stay with her for their first sennight in town to allow her to instruct Elizabeth on a few of her responsibilities as a hostess.
Elizabeth was pleased to further the relationship between herself and her new mother.
She adored her new sister and enjoyed the opportunity this gave her to get to know Georgiana better, but she missed the privacy of sharing a home with only her husband.
During the week they were in residence at Darcy House, Elizabeth heard many stories of a young Fitzwilliam Darcy as he pilfered biscuits from the cook, harassed the stable boys in his attempts to sneak a ride on one of the horses, and frustrated the gamekeepers when he let loose the hounds.
These stories amused Elizabeth while embarrassing her husband, and she again regretted their lack of privacy as she could not soothe him as she wished.
However, the time with her mother-in-law was beneficial, as she spent her days attending a kind of accelerated finishing school to teach her the niceties of entertaining in town.
“Dearest,” Fitzwilliam appealed to his wife one evening in their rooms after they had returned from a dinner party at the Matlocks, “do you mind removing to our townhome soon? Mother asked us to stay at Darcy House for a sennight, but it has now been ten days, and, I admit, I am missing the privacy we had on our wedding trip. It … it is difficult to be newly married and staying down the hall from my mother, brother, and sister. Mother will keep finding reasons for us to remain if we do not insist upon departing.”
Elizabeth chuckled. “I was thinking the same, Fitzwilliam. As much as I appreciate your mother’s willingness to help me prepare for my entree into the ton, I miss the freedom of our honeymoon.
I would prefer dining alone with you in our sitting room, perhaps not every night, but at least having the option to do so. ”
“Not to mention, Mother seems to control our schedule while we are here,” he said. “At least in our own home, we can refuse to attend these events if we desire to do so.”
“Are you certain of that?” Elizabeth laughed. “I have a feeling your mother would show up on our front step and demand we accompany her if we did not show up somewhere when she expected us.”
Fitzwilliam groaned. “You are correct, my dear, but nonetheless, I want to go to our home tomorrow or the next day. Mother might object, but I will insist. We are still newlywed and deserve our privacy.”
“How will you convey this to your mother without mortifying you or me, Will?” Elizabeth teased him.
“Perhaps we should just sneak out our trunks and say nothing,” Fitzwilliam proposed, causing Elizabeth to laugh loudly. He silenced her by pulling her to him. “Hush, love,” he whispered. “We mustn’t give ourselves away.”
They retired soon after this and continued planning to depart as they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Three days later, their trunks and personal servants left Darcy House and travelled the three blocks to their borrowed home.
Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth arrived several hours later, as Lady Anne had determined her new daughter needed additional instruction in managing the house while putting her son to work copying down the events the couple were expected to attend.
As much as they both adored Lady Anne, they were feeling rather put out with the lady when they were finally able to leave her home full of admonitions not to be late to escort her to the theatre that night.
“Finally,” Fitzwilliam huffed as he slumped against the squabs of their carriage.
“Mother has made this difficult at every turn, and I believe, had we not insisted, she would have continued to make excuses for why we could not leave her house. I have not lived under the same roof as my mother for more than a sennight since I came of age, and I am uncertain why she thought I should now that I am married.”
Elizabeth patted his arm. “I hope it is because she enjoyed our company,” she reassured him. “She is pleased you are happy and wants to be a part of your happiness.”
“I am delighted with my wife but do not want to remain under my mother’s roof.
She repeatedly tells me how much she looks forward to grandchildren but did not seem to recognize sharing her home makes that more difficult to accomplish,” he blurted, causing them both to blush furiously.
It took a few minutes for them both to recover, and they arrived home without another word.
As he helped Elizabeth down from the carriage, he whispered an apology in her ear.
They mounted the steps, and at the top, Fitzwilliam scooped Elizabeth into his arms to carry her across the threshold, causing her to laugh.
“You have done that in every home we have entered except for Darcy House. Presumably, it is because we were not master and mistress there.”
“I am not certain what the impetus was each time,” he replied, a sly smile tugging at his lips. “But I must admit, having the excuse to hold you close whenever possible is a privilege I relish.”
Finally, in their own home, Fitzwilliam’s words hung in the air, filled with delightful anticipation. “So,” he mused, “we finally find ourselves alone in our home, at least until we must attend the theatre. What, my dearest, shall we do to occupy our time until then?”
A playful glint danced in Elizabeth’s eyes as she pondered his questions and expressed her thoughts flirtatiously.
“I dare say our trunks have been unpacked by now. Perhaps we should examine the changes we requested in our bedchamber?” Her voice held a flirtatious undertone she had only learned in recent months.
Fitzwilliam’s grin widened, an echo of mischief dancing across his features.
“Ah, yes, we should go and view the redecoration of our chambers,” he echoed, his tone rich with excitement and affection.
“A splendid idea, my love. Shall we pay a visit to our apartment? To see the changes?” He stretched his hand toward hers, and she took it, leading her upstairs.
Entirely too soon, his valet disturbed their solitude with the news it was time to dress for the theatre.
They reluctantly rose from their bed and separated to go into the dressing rooms to allow their servants to help them dress.
This was a luxury they each were still getting used to, as Fitzwilliam had forgone such a person in his rented rooms as a barrister, although he did have a manservant who was occasionally pressed into service when necessary.
For Elizabeth, it was a novelty to have one servant dedicated to her service, as at Longbourn, she had shared a maid with her sisters, and more often than not, she had still dressed herself.
Mary occasionally helped her, and the Gardiners had a maid who would assist Elizabeth, particularly when they would go out in the evening.
That night, her maid helped her bathe and then dress in one of the gowns she had purchased on one of the shopping trips she had taken with her mother-in-law before the wedding.
It was a splendid dress made of a rich emerald green silk with a translucent overlay.
It made Elizabeth’s eyes shine even more brilliantly than usual, and when he saw her, Fitzwilliam was momentarily struck dumb.
In his hand, he carried a box that was nearly forgotten as he watched his wife descend the stairs toward him.
“You are lovely, my darling,” he whispered when he found his voice. He reached out to take her hand but was stopped by the box he held. “Oh,” he said, looking down at it.
“What do you have there, William?” she asked.
“Mother gave me this to give to you tonight. Did she know what you intended to wear?” he asked.
Elizabeth laughed, her musical laugh causing Fitzwilliam to close his eyes momentarily as her voice washed over him. “She looked through my closet yesterday before my things were packed and all but demanded I wear this dress.”
He grinned. “She has a touch of Machiavelli in her, it would seem. She pulled me aside before we left this morning, pressed this box into my hands, and told me to surprise you with it,” he said as he handed her the box. “Open it.”
Elizabeth gasped when she saw what the box contained—an emerald pendant on a delicate gold chain.
It was a large stone, but it was the exact same colour as the ring she wore.
Next to the necklace was a bracelet of diamonds and emeralds, set in gold, and a pair of drop earrings featuring a large emerald surrounded by diamonds.
“William, this is entirely too much,” she exclaimed.
“I believe it is a loan from the Darcy family jewels, my dear,” Fitzwilliam informed her.
“You can ask Mother about them tonight, but if I am not mistaken, there is a portrait of some ancient Darcy wearing this set or something similar. Mother has had a few of the older pieces reset to update them in recent years.”
“Still, it is too much,” she said. “I have never worn anything so beautiful.”