The remainingdays of travel passed easily enough, though the planned three-day trip extended to four. The children required more frequent stops, and the sheer number of people and carriages travelling with them ensured that departures were not as smooth as they might have wished. Regardless, just after noon on the fourth day, their carriages passed through the village of Lambton.
On the second day, the uncles had shared a carriage with Mr. Bingley and, from what Elizabeth heard, had asked him about his intentions with Jane. They gave him an ultimatum: if he was not going to ask for a formal courtship soon, they would bar him from her company to protect Jane’s heart. But before he made his final decision, Mr. Bingley had received Gardiner’s and Phillips’s permission to ride with Jane along with Darcyand Elizabeth on the last day of the trip. Mr. Bingley and Jane conversed about more serious things than their usual frivolous talk, and Elizabeth hoped it was a sign that they would fall as deeply in love as her and Darcy.
Not long after they left Lambton, Darcy leaned forward to touch Elizabeth’s knee lightly. It was bouncing in agitation, nervous about seeing her new home for the first time. “It will not be long now. We will stop when we reach the top of this rise so I can show you Pemberley.”
“Am I so obvious?” she whispered back.
He only laughed and nodded. She scowled at him in reply, but soon, her knee began to bounce again.
When the carriage stopped, Darcy exited first and encouraged the others to remain while he helped Elizabeth out. “Come, dearest,” he whispered. The two walked a few feet to the top of the rise, and Elizabeth caught her first glimpse of her future home.
“Oh, William,” she breathed when she saw the limestone building rising naturally from the ground beneath. A stream in front of the house opened into a small lake a little further down, but the whole thing blended seamlessly with the surrounding nature. In Elizabeth’s imagination, the house seemed to have sprung naturally from the ground, so perfectly did it fit its surroundings.
He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. They were mostly hidden from those in the carriages, but even the chance they might be seen did not dissuade him from expressing his love. “Do you like it?” he whispered. “Did I tell you I dreamed of you here?”
Her cheeks heated at this thought. “I cannot imagine liking anything more. It is beautiful, and I cannot believe that you want me to be the mistress of such a place. I confess that it is far beyond my wildest imagination. Are you certain about your choice for its mistress?”
“I have never been more certain of anything, Elizabeth. I have absolute faith in your abilities, but remember that Mrs. Reynolds has been running the estate since I was a boy. She will teach you anything you need to know, and truly, my dear, you only need to take on the duties that you wish to do. You will have all the help that you need to learn your duties, but your most important duty is to love me and be my partner. You will help me and be by my side. More than anything else, I have needed someone to come alongside me, as an equal, and you are well capable of that.”
She turned in his arms and, regardless of who might see them, kissed him with all the passion she felt for him in that moment. “I cannot wait to be your wife, William. Must we wait the additional four weeks?”
“Perhaps a donation to the parish would convince the rector to forgo the waiting period for the common licence. I would be happy to be married to you as soon as possible, my dearest,” he replied before dipping his head down and kissing her yet again. He reluctantly released her. “Come, let us return to the carriage and complete the final trek to the house. They will be waiting for us.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Arriving at the house, they were met by a myriad of servants waiting for the carriages to arrive. Darcy alighted from the carriage first before turning to help Elizabeth down. He placed her arm on his and led her toward the top of the stairs where a few people were gathered. Darcy led her first to a blonde-haired young lady about Lydia’s age, who shyly stood with her eyes cast down.
Darcy spoke softly. “Georgiana, I would like to introduce you to my intended wife, Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth, my sister, Georgiana.”
Georgiana’s eyes shot up. “Intended?”
Looking at his sister in surprise, he replied more sharply than he intended. “Yes, dearest. Did you not receive my letters informing you of my engagement?”
“I have received no letters since the letter announcing your arrival back in London, except for the note you sent from the inn last night. We were rather surprised to receive news that youwere to arrive today.” Looking at the other carriages arriving, she continued, “We received no word of your guests either.”
Darcy frowned. “Georgie, I have written to you nearly every day since arriving back in Hertfordshire, and I sent several letters about our arrival to you, to Mrs. Reynolds, and to my steward. I am surprised none of these letters were received, but that does explain why I received no replies. We have much to speak of, but I must also learn why all my letters went awry. Did Richard not write to you either?”
“I have received nothing from him.”
“The letters I sent about our arrival were sent via messenger, not post. Our travel plans changed, and we stopped at different inns than usual, so I was unsurprised when they did not know our plans ahead of time. However, I cannot understand how you were not informed. The messenger should have carried a letter directly to Pemberley to both you and Mrs. Reynolds to inform you of our guests.” Darcy paced and ran his hand through his hair.
Elizabeth reached out to touch his arm, causing him to stop mid-stride. “William, perhaps we might continue the introductions and this conversation inside instead of leaving everyone to stand on the stairs?”
Darcy startled at her words. “I apologise, dearest. Elizabeth, this is our housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds. We can introduce you to the others as necessary, but you are correct; we should continue indoors for the rest.”
At his words, the entire party entered the large doors into the grand foyer. The servants dispersed, many following behind, and they began to help the company remove their outerwear.Soon, all that remained was a few of the upper servants, along with some maids who kept out of sight as they awaited the orders that were sure to come.
“Mrs. Reynolds, Mr. Thorne, Mr. Fraser, I apologise for not informing you of our intentions earlier. I am afraid my unexpected arrival with such a large party will be inconvenient and require a significant amount of extra work to prepare. I know, Mrs. Reynolds, that you keep the house in a constant state of readiness, but I doubt you expected me to arrive with more than a dozen guests, including four children who will need the nursery opened.”
He sighed before continuing. “Georgiana, I cannot understand what has happened to my letters and why this news comes as a surprise to you. You knew my intentions, but I had hoped you would have already known of my engagement. I look forward to you knowing her, and I am sorry that my news today was such a surprise.”
“I cannot understand why I did not receive your letters either. Oddly, it was not only the letters sent through the post but also those sent by your messenger that went missing.” She stopped and curtseyed to Elizabeth. “I am pleased to meet you, Miss Bennet, and I am not completely surprised by his news.” She grinned pertly at her brother, surprising him. “I was merely taken aback since I had not heard of the engagement before your arrival.”
Elizabeth arched an eyebrow at her intended. “I suppose I should confess to some surprise that your brother’s letters mentioned me so early in our acquaintance since we did not understand each other then. We have come to a much better understanding after meeting a second time. He did tell me that the two of you had spoken about me, but I am delighted to get toknow you and have you as my sister. Your brother has been full of your praise.”
“Georgiana, let me introduce you to the rest of our guests, and then we can speak to Mrs. Reynolds about where to place them all. You have met my intended, but accompanying her are her sisters. Miss Jane Bennet is the eldest; Elizabeth is next; and after her are Miss Mary, Miss Catherine, and Miss Lydia.” He indicated each girl in turn. “You know Mr. Bingley, of course, and we were accompanied by the Misses Bennet’s uncles, Mr. Phillips and Mr. Gardiner. His wife, Mrs. Gardiner, is from Lambton and can tell you stories of Mother and Father. She is accompanied by her four children: Beth, Amelia, Eddie, and little Matthew.”
Once everyone was acquainted, Mrs. Reynolds rushed forward to begin making arrangements to house all their guests. “Mr. Bingley, your usual room is in readiness, and you may go right up if you wish. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, all four of your children can be housed in the nursery unless you prefer a different arrangement. However, that room will take the most time to prepare as it has not been used in many years, not since Miss Darcy left it. I will place you and your nieces on the third floor guest wing, since that is most convenient to the nursery. Mr. Phillips, your room will be in the same wing.”
