“I know, and we can discreetly enquire, but I am not certain we will ever have the answer,” William told her.
“You are a good man, William,” Elizabeth told him quietly, causing him to look at his hands and his ears to turn pink. Louder, she said, “So, we separate in the morning, Aunt. I am for London and you to Meryton. Will you stop at Netherfield?”
“Yes, we do plan to stop there before picking up our children. I believe William told Mr. Bingley to expect us,” Aunt Madeline replied. “We should arrive in the morning before luncheon. We will likely reach home before nightfall, but far too late to fetch you back from Darcy House, I would imagine.”
Elizabeth smiled at her aunt, but William spoke first. “Send word when you arrive tomorrow evening, and I will escort Elizabeth to your house Friday morning.”
“Take your time, William, and use Friday morning to show Lizzy the house and make your plans. Come for dinner on Friday evening and bring Lizzy and Georgiana with you. We will have just returned so the meal will be simple, but you are almost family, so I hope you will not mind,” Mrs. Gardiner offered. “I imagine Georgina and Lizzy will spend Friday morning shopping.”
“I am delighted by your suggestion. And would return your hospitality by asking you to dine at Darcy House Sunday evening?” William offered.
The invitation was accepted, much to Elizabeth’s delight. After the last weeks of being in William’s company almost constantly, she was beginning to realise how much she would miss him until they could wed. As her intended, he could visit frequently, but she knew he would have other matters to keep him busy as well and could not spend all his time with her. And she could not call on him since he was unmarried, but could she call on Georgiana? She pondered these thoughts and more as she went to her bedchamber.
Chapter Eight
The two groups went their separate directions the following morning. William noticed Elizabeth was subdued, and when he saw that both Georgiana and her companion were napping, he quietly asked her about it.
“I am being silly, William, but I have just been thinking of how much I will miss you when I return to my uncle’s house. I was spoiled at Pemberley by being able to spend so much time with you. I know that will not be as possible in London,” Elizabeth told him.
He grinned at her. “It makes me happy to know you will miss being in my company. And I must confess to having similar thoughts about missing you. I will call early every morning, and we can go for rides in the park. Between your aunt and mine, I have little doubt that shopping for your trousseau will begin next week, and I am certain that will take a significant amount of time. I will arrange with your aunt and uncle some outings and evening entertainments as well as dinners at my home. And I assume your relations will take pity on me and return the favourby inviting me to dine with them frequently while you reside with them,” he related.
Then he sighed and said, “Once you meet my aunt, I am afraid she will commandeer a significant amount of your time in visiting and calling on her cronies to introduce you to them.”
Elizabeth groaned. “I just want to be married and return to Pemberley. Do we really have to go through all of this first?”
He laughed lightly. “We have been engaged for nearly a fortnight already; I fully intend to discuss such a possibility with my aunt. I confess, I would much prefer to introduce you to society as Mrs. Darcy instead of Miss Bennet. It would certainly make all of what she will deem necessary more palatable.”
“I would be content to marry as soon as it can be arranged,” Elizabeth assured him. “Even if we cannot return to Pemberley immediately, I would prefer to have the freedom to be in your company more often than would have been permitted us otherwise. I feel … unsettled, I guess. I no longer belong to Longbourn and the Bennet family, and am left feeling … out of place. It feels strange to realise that I do not have a home.”
He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. “I understand something of how you are feeling, my dear. I will invite my aunt and uncle to dinner on Sunday as well, and we can all discuss a plan to marry soon before all the introductions take place. But that may mean that Jane cannot be there for it since they will not marry for at least another few weeks.”
“I find that matters less and less. She would not be able to stand up with me as a married woman anyway. Georgiana can stand up with me in her place,” Elizabeth told him, snuggling deeper into his side.
He continued to hold her to him as the miles fell away. Eventually, she fell asleep, her head resting on his chest. He did not sleep as he spent the time just relishing the feeling of her so close to him. After some time, however, he felt the change in the road as they arrived in London and nudged her awake. “We are in London, my dear. We will be at Darcy House within the half hour.”
After she sat up, he woke Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley so they could also prepare themselves for their arrival.
They arrived at Darcy House far too quickly for Elizabeth. Darcy descended first and handed down Georgiana and then Mrs. Annesley. Finally, he took Elizabeth’s hand to help her down and did not release it before placing it on his arm to escort her into Darcy House. He proudly introduced her to his senior staff as his fiancée and their future mistress. They were surprised, as they had not received notice of his engagement but were pleased with what they saw of the lady he had chosen.
After they had refreshed themselves and been served tea, he showed her around some of the primary rooms on the ground and first floors. The library was, of course, of most interest to her, but she was amazed by the comfort and elegance of the principal rooms. “Your home is beautiful,” she told him after viewing several.
“Soon, it will be your home,” he breathed. “Just like at Pemberley, if there are any changes you would like to make, you are welcome to do so. My mother decorated the house shortly after she married my father, but I have made only a few changes since I inherited it. We have updated or replaced pieces as necessary, but it is largely the same as it was after my parents married.”
“It is elegant and timeless; I cannot imagine many changes would be necessary,” Elizabeth said.
William laughed. “Miss Bingley has commented many times about the changes she would make here and at Pemberley when she thought I could not hear her. I have always liked how comfortable my home feels, and I appreciate that you are unwilling to redecorate simply because you can—another reason to love you, my dear. My pocketbook will thank you,” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.
“Later, I will ask my housekeeper to show you the master and mistress’s suite. It has not been used in more than 15 years, so it will need to be refreshed. I will ask them to start making minor updates necessary for both rooms. I have not had the heart to move into those rooms at the townhouse, but now, I think it is time to make that move.”
He smiled down at her. “Now, what will likely be your favourite room in this house…” With a flourish, he opened the double doors before him to reveal a smaller version of the library at Pemberley. More extensive than the library in most London homes, it was impressive, and Elizabeth was entranced as she took in the large, well-lit room.
“I am enthralled, William,” she said after several minutes of looking around. “I expected something grand, but this is far grander than expected. You were correct; it does not compare to Pemberley, but if I had not seen your library there, I would have considered it the most impressive private library I had ever seen. I cannot believe I will have access to this whenever I wish. And still may purchase more as I am inclined.”
He laughed and then was interrupted by the butler handing him a note. He read it and then said, “I sent a note around to Richardwhen we arrived. He says my aunt is asking us to call on her this afternoon if you are not overly tired from the journey. However, if you prefer, we can put her off until tomorrow. Either way, Richard has invited himself to dinner tonight. He often stays at Darcy House when he is in town and has a room in the family wing.”
“I am not too tired to meet your aunt this afternoon. But I would very much like to take a walk at some point today as well. After spending most of the last four days in a carriage, I am badly in need of some exercise and sunlight,” Elizabeth told him. “Do you have a mare I may ride while in town?”
“Georgiana has a mare in the stables. I was planning a visit to Tattersall soon to see about finding a horse for you. Would you like to accompany me, or do you trust me to choose?” William asked.
