A reply barely formed in her mind when her husband bent and lifted her into his arms. Stepping into the house, he spun her around twice before gently setting her feet on the ground.
“Welcome to Pemberley South, Mrs. Darcy.” He kissed her soundly to the squeal of her mother and the sighs of her sisters.
Her father ignored them to stroll down the hallway toward where the library was located.
“Fitzwilliam, Pemberley South?”
“Yes, my dear.” He took her hand in his. “Come, I will show you.”
In room after room, he pointed out treasures from Pemberley. When they reached the library, a globe sat on the table in the middle of the room while an ancient manuscript of the Bible rested on a stand in front of a grand display of books.
“I had my favorites brought from Pemberley.” His arm swept around the room. “The artwork, too, is from Pemberley.”
She turned in a circle to take it all in.
“But,” she began, uncertain exactly what to ask.
“My dear, follow me if you can keep up.”
She laughed at his challenge. Since her display of independence at the Gardiners, Darcy strolled the park with her every day that he was in London, even in poor weather, until she felt sure she would remain strong and healthy for their child’s eventual birth.
At the bottom of the staircase, he placed one of her hands on the banister, the other at the bend of his arm. As they climbed, he told her of his plans.
“Elizabeth, I would never be careless with the funds we possess. Therefore, taking what remained after the assaults on our accounts by Wickham, then Cole, and pouring it into Pemberley was not financially feasible. We will need to wait to build a school for the tenant’s children, since many of the families left during the few months that Wickham was in charge. Fortunately, many ended up finding work in one of Bingley’s factories. During these few weeks of pleasant weather, repairs are being made to the roof over the guest wing, which is now closed. Instead of buying seed for next year’s planting, the ground for the family farm will lie fallow, resting the soil until we have the labor force to plant and harvest again.”
“If I understand you correctly, you leased Ashworth instead?” she asked once they reached the top of the staircase.
“I did, for several reasons. We needed a place to live convenient to Town where I can continue to do business with your uncle Gardiner. Another reason is the convenience of Longbourn. Once our child is born, he or shewill know their grandparents and aunts. Finally, this will be a perfect respite for my family, traveling from Derbyshire to London.”
He stopped in front of a large wooden door. Opening it, she stepped inside.
The room was papered in ivory with dark blue curtains and a blue and gold carpet. The bed was draped in an ivory fabric with small flowers in every shade of azure. A threadbare quilt was folded at the foot of the bed.
“The curtains and cloth on the bedding are Lydia’s design from Bingley’s factory. The quilt is from my grandmother. I have had it since I was barely out of leading strings.”
“Then we will cherish it all,” Elizabeth said, overwhelmed by what she learned. Above the headboard was a frame surrounding a scrap of fabric with the wordsLegatum nostrum, Honor (Our Legacy, Our Honor)embroidered in brilliant colors—the Darcy family motto.
“Come, we are not yet done.”
Clasping her hand, he led her three doors down the hallway. When they entered the nursery, she noticed the line of toy horses and soldiers, with most of their paint missing from the surfaces on one shelf. The opposite shelves contained her old toys and books.
Tears of joy trickled down her cheek. Her husband, her dear, dear husband, had made the house into their home.
She rushed into his arms, resting her head against his chest.
“Are you pleased, Elizabeth?”
She discerned his uncertainty.
“More than I can say. For so many reasons.” She pulled back to look at him. “I love what you have done for us. What I need to understand is why.”
When she burrowed against him, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
“Here at Pemberley South, we can offer Petey and Mrs. Reynolds a haven until they move on. I can teach our son or daughter to ride the fields with me. They can get their hands dirty in the rich soil. We have enough trees in the orchards, along with a kitchen garden that will produce enough for us and the market if needed. We can raise our family here until we know how the situation in France resolves with Napoleon. Richard suspects that there will be many former soldiers who will need a place to come back to. Possibly, we can employ them to work at Pemberley while the house is repaired.”
“I love your generous heart, Fitzwilliam.”
“Mostly, the lease of Ashworth was the wisest course. I considered not only how much money it would take to repair Pemberley, as I had intended prior to Georgiana’s marriage, along with the maintenance that the property needs during the next few years of our being a family. I calculated how much time I would need to spend overseeing this. The simple truth is, I did not want to be away from you for the many hours it would take to restore Pemberley. In the end, the price of Pemberley was too high.”
