Elizabeth promptly sank onto the sofa they had vacated and put her head in her hands. Mr. Darcy was at her side in a moment. “Elizabeth, I cannot begin to express –“
“This is precisely what I feared,” she said, raising her head. “You promised to be at my side, remember.”
“And have I not been?”
“You have; but I can see that it will be a long and difficult road, and I rely upon you to be constant in your support of me.”
He swore to her that he would.
***
The news that the master had married spread through the house like wildfire. Mrs. Reynolds immediately went to the mistress’ rooms to consult with Lady Anne, only to discover a bevy of servants packing up Lady Anne’s things.
“Oh, my lady, what on earth?!”
“Mrs. Reynolds, he has married a – a country nobody!”
“But I thought he was off to marry Miss de Bourgh!”
“He was, but this – thisseductress!” And Lady Anne buried her face into her ever-present handkerchief.
Mrs. Reynolds had never been so confused in her life. She knew Mr. Darcy well; not better than his own mother, but differently. She knew him as the master of Pemberley, and she was completely certain that it was impossible for him to have married someone who would not be a worthy mistress of the estate.
On the other hand, it was Lady Anne who had raised Mrs. Reynolds, over the years, from serving as a downstairs maid to a position as an upstairs maid, then placing her in the position of an assistant to the housekeeper, Mrs. Carmichael. When Mrs. Carmichael had fallen ill and it was apparent that she would not fully recover, it was Lady Anne who had given Mrs. Reynolds the exalted position of housekeeper of Pemberley.
Mrs. Reynolds could not imagine having to choose between Mr. Darcy and Lady Anne; both had her unwavering loyalty. But if they were to be at odds, what was Mrs. Reynolds to do? Things had not been this difficult since Lady Anne had been forced to deal with her own mother-in-law, the previous Mrs. Darcy! What a battle that had been!
She decided that she would remain calm, as the household would doubtless need her to do, and she would evaluate the new Mrs. Darcy for herself. What mattered most, at the end of the day, was Pemberley.
Lady Anne left the room, carrying her jewelry away to her new room. The servants immediately abandoned their packing and flew to Mrs. Reynolds. “What are we to do?” “There is a new mistress, but she is not at all suitable!” “The mistress is being moved into the Ruby Room, and she is not at all pleased!” And then again – “What are we to do?”
And it was that latter sentiment that was expressed most often in the hubbub of worry. “What you are to do is to do what you are told,” she said, in her firmest voice. “And what you have been told now is to get the mistress – Lady Anne, rather – moved into the Ruby Room; is that not right?”
“Yes, Mr. Barton instructed us to do so,” Hannah said. Hannah was Lady Anne’s lady’s maid. She could be a bit snooty about it, in Mrs. Reynolds’ opinion, but there was common sense beneath her airs and graces. Hannah continued, “It is such an insult to my mistress!”
Mrs. Reynolds answered quickly, “It was kind of Mr. Darcy to allow her to remain in these rooms these past three years, Hannah. It would be well for you to remember that.”
“But is that not where the mistress of the house should be?” Hannah asked, quivering with indignation.
“Silly girl! Do you not understand that Mr. Darcy could not move into the master’s quarters until his mother moved out of the mistress’ rooms? It would be wrong, very wrong indeed, for him to be in the master’s rooms while his own mother was in the mistress’ rooms! Heavens, how would that look?”
The listening servants nodded in agreement, and even Hannah saw the sense of Mrs. Reynolds’ words. “Still,” Hannah could not resist continuing. “There will be no peace in this household, not with two Mrs. Darcys in residence.”
And that was exactly Mrs. Reynolds’ own fear.
Hannah did not mention that her mistress had received adequate warning of the arrival of the new Mrs. Darcy, as a message had been delivered from Mr. Darcy a week ago announcing it. Hannah feared Lady Anne was determined to make trouble for the newcomer, and life would be quite unpleasant at Pemberley as a result.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy waited in the drawing room while their rooms were prepared. Thanks to the veritable army of servants that had been summoned by Mr. Barton, the suite of rooms belonging to the master and mistress of the estate were ready to receive them in just a few hours.
Mr. Darcy escorted Elizabeth up the long, curving flight of stairs to her new rooms. There was a huge bedroom, with a large four-poster bed, as well as a dressing room, a bathing room, and a small office. While the décor was as outdated as that in the drawing room, it was more luxury and space than Elizabeth had ever imagined, and she had to school her features not to reveal her shock.
“This door connects to a spacious sitting room, which you and I share, and on the other side of that sitting room is my own bedroom,” Mr. Darcy explained. Some of the furniture had quite evidently been cleared out, though, which brought a frown to his face. “She has taken some of the furniture, but no matter; the house is full of furniture,” he told Elizabeth. “Pick whatever you like and have it moved into your own rooms.”
“I shall,” she promised him.
“If nothing suits your taste, of course, we can order whatever you like. And will you need a maid to help you prepare for dinner?” he asked.
