Unlike at Longbourn, where the five Bennet sisters shared the services of one maid, Mamma assigned one to each of her daughters at Rosings Park. Jenny, who had acted as Elizabeth’s chaperone on the way to Netherfield Park, was the maid who would serve her.
As such, no matter how quietly Elizabeth tried to rise a few short hours later, Jenny, who had learnt her mistress’s habits, already was waiting for her with a bowl of warm water and a wash cloth. The maid helped Elizabeth into a burgundy-coloured walking dress, and if asked, she would deny that the reason she chose that colour was the way that it highlighted her emerald-green eyes. Elizabeth secured her half-boots and tied the bonnet in place. It matched her dress. The nights had been relatively warm, so she donned her light pelisse and a pair of thin gloves.
Evidently, Papa had been serious when he had said that there would be no more walking out on her own because standing near Mr Darcy—who was waiting for her in the drive, his beaver in hand—was a footman. Elizabeth was about to release a huff of annoyance when she stopped herself. She was no longer the penniless daughter of an insignificant countrysquire; of course, it was only right for Papa to insist on measures he had not in the past.
Darcy offered Miss Elizabeth his arm, and instead of barely touching his forearm like she used to before the proposal, she allowed her fingers to encircle part of his arm. The way she was holding his arm bolstered Darcy’s courage and convinced him that it was time to speak again, but this time without any insults.
They walked across the dew-covered grass, leaving a trail of footprints almost as they would have had there been snow on the ground. With each step they took, droplets of water flew from their boots.
With the footman trailing behind them, they cut across the park to the left until the beginning of the path leading to the clearing. From there, they walked up the hill towards the folly. The area was full of wildflowers, but as they did at night, most had their petals closed and tucked. They would all begin to open once the sun’s rays hit them. This hill was the highest point around, which is why the two walkers chose it to greet the new day’s sun.
They sat on a stone bench facing the east as the sky lightened until the deep blue of the early morning sky became visible. The golden rays reaching above the horizon heralded the arrival of the sun. As Elizabeth and Mr Darcy sat and watched the wonder of the birth of a new day, both were happy with the companionable silence. There was no need to cheapen the wonders of nature with inconsequential talk.
The footman was standing at the other end of the folly so he could clearly see them. However, if they spoke, he would not be able to hear unless they raised their voices considerably.
After taking a deep breath, Darcy turned towards Miss Elizabeth. “You are too intelligent not to have seen that my interest in you as the partner of my life has not dimmed. Ibelieve your feelings towards me have changed. That being said, I will not make the same assumptions I did in March. I know that you are too generous to trifle with me, and if your feelings are still what they were then, you would tell me so at once. If I have not made it abundantly clear, my affections and wishes are unchanged. However, one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever. Before you think I am about to propose, that was not my plan. I want you to have as much time as you need. If you are willing to hear my question, all I will ask is for an official courtship.”
“Although I do not believe I am in love with you…yet…there is no comparison between what I feel today and what my misguided emotions were then,” Elizabeth declared. “I can tell you that I have begun to develop tender feelings for you, and as such, yes, Mr Darcy, I happily grant you a courtship.”
The intensity of Mr Darcy’s smile was almost like a second sunrise. His dimples were on full display which made Elizabeth very thankful that she was seated at that moment because she was not sure her legs would have been able to support her body.
Ever conscious that he did not want to push too hard, Darcy took each of her hands into his in turn, bestowing a kiss on the top of each hand through her gloves. He was thankful they were thin summer gloves.
Gloves or no gloves, Mr Darcy’s kiss to each hand caused heat to suffuse Elizabeth’s body as her breath hitched, and her heart rate sped up considerably. She could only imagine how it would feel when their lips finally met. She waited to calm down a little. “Will you not call me Elizabeth when we are in private?”
“It would be a great honour and pleasure to address you as Elizabeth, as long as you call me William in the same situations,” Darcy replied.
God had heard and granted Darcy’s prayers; of that he was certain. That this magnificent woman had changed her mind so much as to grant him a courtship had to point to divine intervention. His heart was singing, and for once, his heart and his head were in accord.
He needed Elizabeth like he needed air to breathe.
“I am of age, but I think my father would appreciate being approached for his blessing. Do not forget that he learnt about Jane’s and Jamey’s courtship well after the fact,” Elizabeth related.
As much as they would have enjoyed descending the hill at a run and not stopping until they reached the mansion, the courting couple walked with decorum.
Chapter 26
Bennet had been expecting Darcy to come see him at some point, though perhaps not so soon after arriving in Kent. He gave his blessing without trying to make sport of the younger man.
With Lizzy on a path to become Mrs Darcy, Bennet looked forward to the first time he would visit them at Pemberley. How could he forget Holder’s words about the size of his probable son-in-law’s library? Even with the enticement of the library, Bennet would not have given his blessing had he not thought Darcy was worthy of his second daughter.
For many years, he had complained about being surrounded by six females, their talk of lace, and other fripperies. However, now that two of them would be leaving his house, he looked on those past days with great affection. He was not blind and had noticed that since he and his family arrived at Rosings Park, Mary had spent a significant amount of time with Hilldale. His Fanny would become distracted if two of her daughters became future countesses. Bennet stopped the thoughts. Seeing that whatever it was between Mary and Hilldale was completely new, there was time before he would need to entertain the possibility of losing a third daughter.
As he sat in the study, he revisited his ungenerous musings regarding Fanny’s reaction if something developed between Mary and Hilldale. Given how much calmer his wife was, Bennet had to admit that he had ascribed the reaction she would have had in the past rather than thinking of how she was now.
As proof of his wife’s change, he had witnessed her calm reaction when Jane announced her courtship, and the same again when she became engaged to Hadlock as examples of how his wife had tempered her former exuberance and grown. Fanny had behaved with decorum both times. As chagrined as he felt at himself for reaching into the past when thinking of his wife, he supposed that being used to the way things were for more than twenty years had coloured his thoughts. That did not make his misjudging her any better. He would have to fight hard to leave the past in the past.
Bennet was aware of how happy Fanny was when Gardiner had accompanied his clerks who came to inventory everything she wanted out of the house. She was pleased enough to see her brother, but when he opined the items would sell for as much as, and in some cases more than, what they had originally cost, she was overjoyed.
When all those who were resident at Rosings Park decamped for Meryton in two days, Gardiner would have his men load all the items which needed to be auctioned off into carts and convey them to his warehouse in London.
It would be strange making for the former—Phillips had notified him the court had sent a new deed for the single, large estate—Netherfield Park’s mansion and not Longbourn’s original manor house. However, quite soon after their arrival, Bennet would head to the site where the new house was being built to meet with Mr Hill and receive a report on the progress of the work being done. He could not but smile when he thought of how his wife and daughters would react when they were informed of the scope of the project and that he was having modern plumbing and flushing water closets installed. Servants had better things to do with their time than carry buckets of water and empty chamber pots.
The construction would take approximately a full year, but as they had several choices in houses, Bennet was notbothered by the time it would take to complete the new manor house.
At least the Hunsford preferment had been accomplished. Bennet had asked Matlock, Hilldale, Hadlock, and Darcy to join him in interviewing possible candidates. The Bishop of Kent had sent three men in addition to St Kentigern’s curate, Mr Hoult. In addition to speaking to the aforementioned men, each candidate met with groups of parishioners.
The opinions of those men and women were considered along with what Bennet and the other men had noted. Mr Hoult was the clear choice of all concerned.
