Page 71 of A Different Impression

Mr Bennet arrived as hoped, and Darcy and Elizabeth departed for Kent the next day.

Their journey to Kent was uneventful, although it occupied most of the day because they stopped frequently to allow Elizabeth to walk and take the air whenever the motion of the carriage aggravated her nausea.

They reached Rosings late that afternoon and were warmly welcomed by Mrs Jones. As their personal servants had arrived ahead of them, their rooms were already prepared. Elizabeth appeared tired from the journey, so Darcy suggested that they dine privately and begin their business the following morning.

Rising early, Darcy rode out alone to inspect the estate. Upon returning, he found Elizabeth in the breakfast room and immediately took the seat beside her. He was pleased to see her eating more readily than she had on recent mornings. Although she had seldom been physically ill, certain foods had sent her hurrying from the room, and on particularly difficult mornings she had admitted that she feared eating would worsen her unsettled stomach.

After breakfast, Elizabeth met with Mrs Jones whilst Darcy conferred with Mr Shaw. They came together again in the study early that afternoon to compare what they had learnt.

“I must visit several tenants tomorrow,” Darcy told her. “Mr Shaw has addressed their concerns, but they would like reassurance from Anne’s representative. Would you care to accompany me in the gig? We could take a picnic, and I could show you more of the estate. Spring at Rosings is rather beautiful.”

“That is a wonderful idea, William. I should dearly love to spend the day out of doors with you, and a picnic sounds very pleasant.”

Darcy’s thoughts moved well beyond eating luncheon. He gave her a rakish smile. “I thought we might take advantage of our time out of doors. I confess that I have entertained several dreams of you in a secluded grove or meadow.”

Colour flooded her cheeks. “Fitzwilliam Darcy! Are you deliberately attempting to embarrass me?”

“Yes,” he said, rising and crossing the room towards her. He took her hands and drew her into his arms. “You turn a lovely shade of pink when I tease you, my love. I sometimes wonder whether there will ever come a day when you cease to blush.”

She raised one eyebrow. “You enjoy making me blush?”

“Very much.” He lowered his face towards hers. “Pink is remarkably becoming on you.”

He captured her lips with his, and the business of Rosings was neglected for some time.

Later that afternoon, Darcy escorted Elizabeth to their rooms so that she might rest whilst he conducted business in the study. When she joined him some time later, she told him with a smile that she had arranged for a picnic basket to be ready for them in the morning. They spent several minutes discussing other places he wished to show her during their stay at Rosings before Elizabeth sat at the writing desk and sent an invitation to the new rector and his wife to dine with them two days hence.

The next day, they set out in a phaeton, a basket of food tucked beneath the seat and a blanket carefully folded behind them. Darcy had decided to take Elizabeth to see the small horse-breeding farm he maintained less than thirty miles from Rosings. The farm was capably managed in his absence and required little of his daily attention, though he inspected it whenever he was in Kent.

After touring the farm, they spread their blanket beneath a stand of trees and enjoyed a delicious luncheon before reluctantly preparing to return to Rosings. As they walked back towards the phaeton, Elizabeth glanced at the manager’s house. It was comfortable enough for its present occupant, though far too small for a gentleman with a wife and family.

“It is a charming little place,” Elizabeth observed. “Do you ever mean to enlarge the enterprise?”

“I have considered it,” Darcy admitted. “The farm has done well, but there is little room here for expansion. If suitable land became available nearby, I should certainly consider it.”

As they drove back to Rosings, Darcy studied the broad stretches of pasture they passed.

“What are you looking at so carefully, William?” Elizabeth asked after they had ridden for some time in comfortable silence.

“Merely examining the pasture here,” he replied. “With proper management, I believe it could support an expansion of the farm.”

An idea had begun to form in his mind, but he was not yet ready to speak of it, and so he said nothing more.

The rest of the se’nnight at Rosings passed pleasantly enough. Darcy and Elizabeth met with each of the tenants, authorised necessary repairs to their homes while Elizabeth spoke to the tenants’ wives. He also approved several improvements that had been proposed during Lady Catherine’s management. After consulting Mr Shaw, he allowed an additional outlay for seeds and supplies. Several tenants expressed their relief at the changes already made and assured Darcy that the new steward listened to their concerns. Their cautious optimism strengthened his conviction that Rosings would prosper under better management.

The house itself had also changed. At Anne’s request, many of Lady Catherine’s more ornate furnishings had been sold, leaving the principal rooms more comfortable and better suited to Anne’s tastes. Several unused chambers remained nearly empty, but Darcy saw little reason to furnish rooms that would seldom be occupied. He had begun to consider whether Rosings might eventually be leased, although he intended to discuss the possibility with Elizabeth, Anne, and his uncle before taking the matter any further.

Mr Morris, the new rector of Hunsford, had been presented to the living by Anne upon Bishop Allen’s recommendation. Everywhere Darcy and Elizabeth had gone that week, they had heard praise of both the rector and his wife. Darcy therefore looked forward to making their acquaintance.

“We are very pleased that you could join us,” Elizabeth said when the Morrises entered the recently redecorated drawing room. “We have been here only a short time, but we have already heard a great deal about your generosity and kindness towards the people of the parish.”

Darcy welcomed them in turn. Mr and Mrs Morris looked about the room with evident interest, but although their manners were respectful, he detected none of Mr Collins’s obsequiousness. Their conversation soon revealed an intelligent concern for Hunsford and its inhabitants.

Nearly halfway through the meal, Mr Morris observed, “My wife and I have heard a good deal about my predecessor—and even more about Lady Catherine de Bourgh. They both appear to have made quite an impression upon the parish.”

They were dining informally at a small table, and Elizabeth was seated to her husband’s right instead of across from him. She reached over to touch his hand when he glanced at her as he spoke. “My Aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, ruled this house, and yours, far beyond what she should have for many years. There is much speculation about the recent changes at Rosings, but few know the full story. Perhaps we can discuss it after dinner?”

Mr Morris appeared to understand Darcy’s reluctance to discuss the matter before the servants. He nodded and turned the conversation towards the parish. Once the final course had been removed, the four returned to the drawing room rather than separating. When tea had been served and they were alone, Darcy addressed the question.