“In this weather?” Darcy asked, surprised. While he would happily tramp about in the snow with her each day like Elizabeth did — now that he’d caught up with all of the estate business — that did not match his impression of his cousin’s wife.
“We cleared one of the galleries, put up wood around the lower windows in case of misses, and Susan and Julia have been shooting at a target on the far end for weeks, isn’t that right, dear?”
“You’ve taken one or two shots yourself,” Lady Susan replied to Hartwood.
“And Mrs. Darcy!” Lord Hartwood continued, “You are the hostess, what are your plans?”
Elizabeth smiled thinly. “Pudding and games. I thought we might play charades, it was always a favorite with my family, and Mrs. Reynolds told me that we have more than enough old clothing stored, and even costumes from past games to dress everyone for guessing at tableaux scenes.”
“Not snap-dragon or cards?”
With a slight flush, Elizabeth replied, “I have never been a great enthusiast for cards, but as for snap-dragon, if that is a game you enjoy, I would be happy to play.”
“Do you get along well with Mrs. Reynolds?” Lady Matlock asked Elizabeth. “I dare say you might find her intimidating, but she knows everything there is to know about Pemberley.”
“Oh! She is a perfect housekeeper. I depend wholly on her and am looking to learn everything I might. I like her very much.”
“Do you thinkshelikes you?” Lady Matlock’s eyes were friendly, but Darcy could tell that she was testing Elizabeth. “After so long being nearly the mistress of the estate, it must be difficult for her.”
“I had the same thought. And Darcy respects her so much — he’d told me tales as we traveled up the pike of her managing him when he was a pranking young boy. So of course I’ve determined to follow her counsel, and only make changes once I understand why things are the way they are — but she has been eager to help. Exactly what a housekeeper should be, knowledgeable about everything, offering her own ideas, and asking intelligent questions so I can express my own preferences, or even develop them in cases where I did not knowwhat I wanted at first.”
“You have had no difficulties with her?”
Elizabeth shrugged with that light and sparkling attitude. “You must askherif you wish to know whether she has found me a dreadful and intolerable mistress.Iwill not confess tobeingone. What she says tomeis that she has been very eager for the house to have a mistress again. I think she hopes that I will give her enough entertainments to organize so that her powers will be better exercised.”
“Ah,” Lady Matlock said, “but Mrs. Reynolds would not say anything against you if directly asked by anyone, but perhaps Mr. Darcy, no matter what her true opinion is.”
“As I said,” Elizabeth replied with a complacent air, “she is a perfect housekeeper. We are fortunate to have her.”
Darcy frowned. “Mrs. Reynolds knows her place, and it is not her place to judge Mrs. Darcy. It is my place though to say that Elizabeth has impressedmegreatly in how she has taken on the role. There is nothing more to be said on that matter.”
The way Elizabeth looked at him, in surprise, and with something happy, made Darcy flush. For once he had said something accidentally which pleased her rather than displeasing her.
“It is true,” he added. “You are proving to be exactly what the mistress of Pemberley ought to be.”
And he meant it. He also knew from how Mrs. Reynolds spoke of Elizabeth’s active participation in all the tasks she thought important for her to engage in that this was an opinion shared by the housekeeper. He of course would not ask Mrs. Reynolds for her opinion of Elizabeth. As much as Darcy valued his old servant, it was notherplace to put judgement of any sort upon his wife, whether Lady Matlock thought so or not.
“Mrs. Reynolds has been a fixture in your lives, and also ours,” Lady Matlock replied, “for more than these twenty years.I do not like that notion many have that a good servant is supposed to be an automaton, a geared clock, having no feelings and expressing no feelings. It may not be Mrs. Reynolds' place toexpressa judgement on her mistress, but she is human, and it is impossible for any human to notformjudgements.”
“Hear, hear,” Lord Matlock said, patting his wife’s leg affectionately. “Hear, hear. And since we are on the subject of judgements of Mrs. Darcy — I hope you do not mind that we are talking about you, but youarethe new wife of my nephew who we have never met.”
“I think my minding or not is of no importance to you all,” Elizabeth replied, “so I will not deign to say that I mind your questioning.”
“It is a matter of concern to me,” Darcy said. “If you do not wish us to pursue this line of conversation, we will cease.”
Elizabeth looked at him again, with some surprise. She then smiled once more and shook her head. “I knew you came here to see who I am — though I confess I did not expect to be directly described as ‘the fortune hunter’ before we made it all the way into the house.”
Lady Susan coughed, and something abouthowshe sounded made Darcy suspicious that Julia’s loud statement had not come merely from the social ineptness of a child but had possibly been a planned scheme by Lady Susan to see how they all reacted.
Darcy studied Elizabeth. There hadn’t been anything that went so far beyond the bounds of propriety that he should interfere with the conversation to protect Elizabeth, but at the same time… at the same time… his family members were not acting as her friend.
Elizabeth kept up a cheerful manner, but she considered herself to be under attack. It was like when she argued with Miss Bingley while her sister was ill at Netherfield. Except… thenElizabeth was having fun, and at present she was not.
“I received,” Lord Matlock said, “a letter from my son, the one you’ve met before who is in the army, about you andhisjudgement of you.”
“I hope it was not a harsh depiction of my many faults,” Elizabeth replied lightly. “I was favorably impressed byhim, and I would hate to think that he dislikes me.”
“His taste in the fair sex is abominable, but then he hasn’t tried to marry any of those abominable women. But he speaks positively ofyou,and I trust his judgement of character.”
