“Aunt Maddie, you have influenced me more than anyone else,” Elizabeth told her. “Papa encouraged my reading; Mama taught me to sew, or rather, she made sure I was taught; Mrs Hill trained me to keep house; and Mr Todd, with only a little help from Papa when I pestered him with questions, helped me learn to manage Longbourn. You taught me to be a lady; I have always modelled my behaviour after yours. You already know I am modelling my own marriage after yours; my parents’ marriage is not one anyone should emulate.”
Mrs Gardiner patted Elizabeth’s hand. “You always seemed to understand that your mother’s behaviour was less than it ought to be, but I was never certain if you realised your father did nothing more than provide you with access to books. Your uncle and I are very disappointed with your father and may not go to Longbourn for Christmas this year as we usually do.”
“You should come to Pemberley!” Elizabeth enthused. “The Matlocks are bringing Georgiana and Mary, and we can make a coach available for you to bring Kitty and Jane along with your children. We would love to have you.”
Smiling, Mrs Gardiner merely shrugged. “I will have to speak to your uncle, but taking another trip north this year may be too much. Edward needs to hire someone who can manage when he is absent, but you know he prefers to run his business himself as often as possible.”
Elizabeth smiled at her aunt. “Of course, Aunt, I do understand. Perhaps it would be best to wait until late March?” she suggested.
“Is it definite then, Lizzy?” Mrs Gardiner enquired. Elizabeth nodded at her aunt, and they hugged and talked of the little Darcy expected in the spring.
Nearly a fortnight later, the Darcys travelled to Meryton, where they intended to stay a night or two in their leased home before they continued to Pemberley. They confirmed Kitty’s visit to London for November with Mr Bennet and were very surprised when Janeinformed them she preferred to remain in Hertfordshire and travel to the Gardiner’s with Kitty so Mr Hastings could call on her as they had agreed.
“Jane, are you certain you wish to do this?” Elizabeth asked her sister.
“I am,” Jane said. “I enjoyed spending time with Mr Hastings during his brief visit to Meryton. He asked me if I could spend part of the winter in London since he cannot return to Hertfordshire due to his work, and we both would like to continue our friendship and get to know each other better. My aunt has already agreed to host me, and I will go to London with Kitty in a few weeks.”
Although Elizabeth was happy for Jane, she would miss Jane’s company, even though she knew she and Darcy would appreciate time alone before they became parents in the spring. Elizabeth was pleased Jane arranged for her and Darcy to meet Mr Hastings during their short visit to Meryton and was not surprised he and the Stanhopes were pleasant company.
“Do you know anything about Mr Hastings or his family?” she asked Darcy that night.
“Frederick Hastings was a couple of years ahead of me at university,” Darcy replied. “I know him only by reputation—he was very studious and always worked hard. I never heard any rumours about him or anything negative about his character. I know the family a little; he is a second son, and his father owns a modest estate west of London. His elder brother was a bit wild but has since married, settled down considerably, and spends most of his time on the estate.”
Elizabeth considered this for a moment. “I am not certain where he lives in London, but Jane is interested in him and will go to London with Kitty as he has asked to call on her there. He is a barrister, which means he likely earns a good living, although Mama will object as he does not own property.”
“Ahh,” Darcy said, realising what she was about. “Should I have my man of business enquire about Mr Hastings then?”
Elizabeth grimaced at the thought of investigating her sister’s suitor but soon nodded her agreement. “With the mess my father has created, I think it would be best to see what we can learn about him.”
Darcy agreed and quickly composed a brief letter to his man of business, who had conducted similar enquiries in the past. “We will ensure she and your sisters are well, dearest. I noticed some improvement in your parents since we spoke with them; your mother seems quieter and far less vocal in her complaints regarding you. She almost seemed happy to see you when we returned from London.” He chuckled at the face Elizabeth made at his words.
Sighing, Elizabeth replied, “Perhaps we should have done this in the first place, but Papa agreed to all of the stipulations in the contract, and neither of us wanted to subject ourselves to the fuss Mama would have made. Papa’s responsibility was to inform his family of his debt and these changes, not ours. I do hope these changes we are finally seeing are lasting.”
“I hope so as well, my dear,” Darcy replied. “Perhaps they will improve together and do what is required. All of their children will be living elsewhere for the rest of the autumn and into the winter, so there will be just the two of them and little reason to spend on entertainment or other nonsense. If we need to address anything we learn from Mrs Hill and Mr Todd, we can do it from a distance.”
Elizabeth leaned into her husband to embrace him. “You are too good to my family, William,” she told him.
“They are my family as well, dearest,” Darcy replied, leaning down to kiss his wife. Soon, this conversation was forgotten as they conveyed their love for each other in the best way they knew.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Upon returning to Pemberley, Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s days fell into a comfortable rhythm. The harvest was in, and their days were more relaxed than they might have been had they returned a few months had they returned a few months earlier. Elizabeth met with Mrs Reynolds after breaking her fast each morning to learn about her responsibilities for Pemberley and plan for the Christmas baskets distributed on Boxing Day to the tenants and servants. She then joined her husband in their study, where they worked together on their various business affairs.
Elizabeth’s condition soon became evident to the servants of Pemberley, and Mrs Reynolds was given permission to share the good news as she felt appropriate, so it was no surprise when the news quickly spread to Pemberley’s tenants and the residents of Lambton. When she and Darcy ventured into that town to order supplies for Christmas baskets, those who noted her expanding waistline and were comfortable approaching the couple offered their congratulations for the expected blessing. They received these with joy and laughed at how quickly the rumour spread from Pemberley into the town without any formal announcement.
Letters were frequently exchanged between Pemberley and pointssouth during this time. Jane shared her happiness about her courtship, and the responses to Darcy’s requests for information about Mr Hastings were all positive, so Elizabeth felt pleased to encourage her sister and was excited that the two were officially courting.
Mr Bennet acquired and read a used copy of a farming treatise giving greater detail on several of the improvements suggested by Darcy and Longbourn’s steward, and he consequently wrote to Darcy frequently, asking questions and discussing his ideas for the upcoming planting season. Todd wrote about his discussions with Mr Bennet, and Darcy had some hope Mr Bennet would implement them. Todd also informed Darcy that an additional payment had been made on the loan.
Although Mrs Bennet, who now had no daughters at home, had much to say, she was unwilling to apologise and did not write to Elizabeth. Her other daughters received long, newsy letters at least every other week, regardless of whether her daughters were replying to her letters, as the Bennet matriarch found writing to four of her daughters filled up her time and she could avoid thinking about her relationship with Elizabeth.
Mrs Hill did write to Elizabeth, and she told her of Mrs Bennet’s ennui regarding the status of Longbourn. In response, Elizabeth asked Mrs Hill to encourage Mrs Bennet to visit the tenants and see to their needs since none of the girls were home, and she felt this was too much for Mrs Hill to manage on top of her other tasks. Mrs Bennet was not convinced to do this, and Elizabeth became increasingly frustrated with her failure to care for Longbourn’s tenants, which led to a frustrated Darcy as well.
“Elizabeth,” Darcy began one morning early in December, “you cannot be responsible for both LongbournandPemberley. You have written to Mrs Hill, and I have written to Todd, explaining what you and your sister typically have done for the tenants, but, my dear, you are with child, and this constant fretting is not doing either of you any good.”
“I should be at Longbourn caring for the tenants,” she insisted again. “I ensured the tenants were cared for, William. Jane and my other sisters helped, but none of them are home, and Mama refuses.”
“You cannot be at both Longbourn and Pemberley,” he repeated. “You are the mistress here, and your attention needs to be onourtenants.”
