“That is what I keep telling myself, but I still envy you for being able to depart for London after the feast when I shall have a houseful of guests.”
“You, envious?” Elizabeth teased, then groaned inwardly when she observed her usually serene sister chewing on her lip and furrowing her brow. She ought to sympathize with her. After all, she would be equally displeased had she been in Jane’s position, having her capabilities as a hostess tested so soon and under the critical eyes of Mr. Bingley’s pernicious sisters. “Oh, Jane, you will rise to the occasion as you always do.”
“It is not only that. I will own I am nervous, but…” She paused, searching for the right words. “It is that … I hope I shall always be kind … but neither do I wish for others to take advantage of my kindness or that of my husband.”
Shaking her head, Elizabeth lifted Jane’s chin, looking her firmly in the eye. “You will make Mr. Bingley an excellent wife and an exceptional mistress of Netherfield Park, and I have no doubt that you will both be very happy.”
Creaky floorboards and the uneven rhythm of Mrs. Hill’s arthritic footstep announced Longbourn’s housekeeper. “I had hoped to catch both of you,” she said, squinting her eyes and clucking her tongue at Sarah’s handiwork before expressing her approval with a firm nod. Her purpose seen to, her face softened. Brushing her rough fingers over Elizabeth’s cheek with one hand and Jane’s with the other, Mrs. Hill said tenderly, “I wish you all the happiness in the world on this blessed day. Longbourn will not be the same without you.”
Elizabeth reached up, placing her hand on top of Mrs. Hill’s, leaving Jane to express the gracious words the elderly woman needed to hear. While fewer ladies in the household would certainly lessen the housekeeper’s workload, Elizabeth was certain her mother would have little difficulty finding other ways in which to occupy Mrs. Hill’s time.
Mrs. Hill dropped her hands to dab at her cheeks. With a sniff, she turned toward the window. “As many times as I have shut this window for you, Miss Lizzy, I daresay I shall miss chastising you for leaving it open so often.”
As unapologetic as Mrs. Hill was forgiving, Elizabethmerely smiled. She hoped Pemberley’s housekeeper was as caring as Longbourn’s.
A heavy tread caught Elizabeth’s attention, and she looked out to the hall to see the new footman stand beside the doorway. Thatcher cleared his throat and tapped on the door frame. “Mrs. Hill, if I might beg a moment.”
Mrs. Hill rolled her eyes. Elizabeth bit her tongue. Thatcher was her mother’s pride and joy … and the bane of the Hills’ existence. Men of a certain age suitable for service were scarce while the country was at war. They preferred to seek their fortunes in the Navy or satisfy their obligations to nation and family by enlisting in the regulars. The few who remained behind were usually unfit in some way, and Thatcher was no exception. However, his deficiency was not visible, and being young and handsome in his livery, Mama was quick to praise her find. So long as he was not given too many instructions, he showed her choice to advantage.
“What is it, Thatcher?” Mrs. Hill asked through an exasperated sigh.
He scratched his head. “I am sorry to disrupt you, ma’am, but I cannot find Mr. Hill. I thought I saw him going out to the carriage house, but when I followed him there, I saw nobody. And by the time I returned to the house, I could not recall why you had sent me to find him. I swept the flagstones outside the kitchen, hoping the activity would help me remember.” Bowinghis head, he added quietly, “I regret to say it did not work.”
Good-naturedly, Mrs. Hill suggested he reserve his mental exertions for the wedding breakfast and leave Mr. Hill to her.
“Mrs. Hill! Mrs. Hill, I need you!” shrieked Mama.
With a parting glance, the housekeeper disappeared down the hall with Thatcher, no doubt repeating the same instructions she had been instilling in him since the first reading of the banns.
“Poor Mrs. Hill. Mama will run her off her feet by the end of the day,” said Jane.
Elizabeth had not added her sympathy to Jane’s before their mother burst into their bedchamber.
“It is a disaster! I am at my wit’s end, and Mr. Bennet is nowhere to be found. He is not in his study.” Mama flailed her arms in the air, adding, “The father of the brides is missing, we will be late unless we depart soon, and I just now realized that we cannot all fit into the carriage without crushing your gowns beyond reparation.” She flicked her fan open, waving it fitfully at her flushed face. “My poor nerves. If Mr. Bennet does not return soon, I shall have to send the footman out to fetch him. I daresay he is dawdling with his bees.”
Suspecting her father’s absence had as much to do with avoiding Mama’s nerves as the inevitability of Elizabeth’s departure to a far-away estate, she suggested, “Mama, why do you not go in the carriagewith Jane, Kitty, and Mary? I will send Thatcher to find Papa, and by the time the carriage returns, he will be ready to accompany me.”
Mama shook her head. “I should rather the brides arrive at the same time.”
“The distance is short, and the delay will only be minutes. However, our dresses and slippers will be pristine, and you will be allowed to ensure everything else is arranged by the time I arrive. If you depart now, the ceremony will start on the appointed hour.”
Elizabeth saw her mother was still unconvinced. She added, “Nothing will go wrong, Mama. What could happen on such a perfect day?”
Mama huffed. Tapping Elizabeth on the shoulder with her fan, she added, “Never tempt fate aloud, Lizzy. Until your names are signed beside Mr. Bingley’s and Mr. Darcy’s, I will have no rest. There is nothing else to be done. We shall have to make two trips.” In a flurry of eau de parfum, she gathered her daughters and herded them out to the waiting carriage.
Alone once again, Elizabeth stood in the center of her room, taking a deep breath and spinning in a slow circle.
Today was real. She and Jane had spent their last night together in the bedchamber they had always shared. The faded floral wallpaper, the scarred chair by the window, the collection of candle stubs by which she read at night, the dressing table which had belonged to her great-grandmother, the armoire withthe squeaky door, the rug Mrs. Hill had knitted to keep the chill from her feet when she woke in the morning. Longbourn had been a wonderful, comfortable home.
As much as Elizabeth looked forward to exploring Derbyshire with Fitzwilliam, she was certain she would miss her childhood abode … eventually. Just not today.
Today was for unbridled joy and hard-won celebration. The excitement of exploring her new home (and her new husband) sent tingles of anticipation through her limbs.
She would leave this room for the last time as Miss Elizabeth Bennet. When she next returned, she would be Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy.
CHAPTER 2
Fitzwilliam Darcy checked his pocket watch again. The seconds did not tick any faster for his constant scrutiny. Fifteen minutes had never felt so long. Longer than the last year and half during which he had met, felt himself in danger of, and fallen in love with Elizabeth Bennet.
