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The little girl stumbled over the last word but it only made her sincerity more adorable. Her mother swept her up and kissed her forehead. “My dear girl, I stand corrected.”

In good spirits, the group walked the short distance to the church.

As the foremost members of the congregation, Mr. Darcy and his sister were greeted with respect and his party eyed with curiosity.

Elizabeth decided that Lambton was not so different from Meryton after all.

Among the strangers filing into the pews, she easily recognized characters that she suspected were quite similar to those she knew in her home county.

When the congregation had settled and the Darcys and their guests taken their seats in the front row, Mr. Jessop stepped to the pulpit and proceeded to deliver his sermon on the importance of practicing daily kindness to one’s neighbors.

“For, though generosity in times of great catastrophe is certainly necessary and appreciated, we must remember that the little kindnesses that are practiced each day, to neighbor and stranger alike, may have an even greater impact.”

The sermon was relatively short but it was obvious that the congregation listened closely to the elderly cleric and considered his words with great respect. Elizabeth was impressed and said so to Mr. Darcy when the service was concluded.

Pemberley’s master nodded seriously. “Mr. Jessop is an excellent man and I shall be very sorry when he decides to retire, a time I fear is approaching. My father appointed him to the living soon after the epidemic that took Reverend Jonathan (Mrs. Gardiner’s father) and so many others.

When the bishop heard of the tragedy our neighborhood had suffered, he recognized that some young, inexperienced curate would not be adequate to the task.

Apparently Mr. Jessop was an old friend of the bishop and agreed to come north from his own parish in Devon. ”

Mrs. Gardiner spoke from behind them. “That was a wise decision. Having lost so many, I can only imagine how much the melancholy must have weighed on the survivors.”

Darcy nodded seriously, thinking of his father. After that terrible summer, George Darcy had fallen into a depression and never really revived.

Seeing that they had reached the front steps where the reverend himself was farewelling a parishioner, Fitzwilliam gestured them forward. “Please, allow me to introduce you.”

After exchanging greetings with Mr. Jessop and sincerely complimenting his sermon, Elizabeth stepped back and listened as her aunt eagerly conversed with the man who had assumed her father’s pulpit. As they spoke of people Lizzy had never met, her attention turned inward.

More than ever, Elizabeth was fascinated by the many sides to Mr. Darcy; he seemed like a precious gem in that the more she studied him, the more facets she discovered to be admired.

She smiled to herself at the fancy; it was not a wholly accurate metaphor for he was not a hard man, whatever she had thought upon their earliest acquaintance.

She was impressed by his obvious consideration for the other parishioners; he had waited patiently while an elderly woman finished speaking with Mr. Jessop, unlike many of his position who would have taken their precedence for granted.

When his turn came, his respect for the older man had been obvious as he greeted the Reverend and then presented the Gardiners.

At that moment, Mr. Darcy looked every inch the Master of Pemberley, acknowledging other churchgoers and listening carefully to two men who seemed to be discussing the need for maintenance along some local road.

Yet, with little effort Elizabeth could also see the young man, very isolated since the death of his parents but determined to do all in his power to meet his responsibilities.

Elizabeth watched as a dark brown curl flopped down the gentleman’s forehead and he brushed it away absently.

She suddenly wished that she could tuck it behind his ear and run her hand through those wavy locks; a vision of what he might look like when he had just woken up in the morning, hair mussed and face not yet troubled by his many duties, shimmered into her mind.

Elizabeth blushed and turned to look out across the cemetery. She was struck by her intense desire to protect this man, to make him happy, to give and return his love.

She loved him. Had the sky been suddenly filled with fireworks, Lizzy would not have noticed; the fireworks in her heart were far brighter than those any black powder could manage and the revelations in her mind were equally dazzling.

When they had resumed their acquaintance in London, Elizabeth had worried that her feelings might only be a sort of gratitude; a reaction to the great compliment she felt at such a man’s continued attentions as well as his assistance after her attack in the park.

Once she had finally put away her old prejudices, she had easily recognized that his looks and intellect attracted her.

However, it was only when she had seen him on his beautiful grounds at Pemberley that her heart had truly recognized its other half.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Elizabeth smiled and turned, unsurprised to see Mr. Darcy.

For a moment, Will forgot what he had been about to say; the soft look in Elizabeth’s eyes was one he had never beheld there before. However, before either might speak, Amelia and Tommy appeared at their cousin’s elbow.

“Lizzy! Have you met Mr. Jessop? He’s coming to dinner, did you know? He’s a very nice man—he knew our grandpapa, did you know?”

Allowing the children to draw them back to the group, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam shared a resigned smile and thought contentedly of the coming weeks. With Elizabeth staying at Pemberley, they had every hope of spending time together.

The remainder of the morning was spent introducing the children to their mother’s childhood home.

As Mr. Jessop guided them to the parsonage, they passed the cemetery.

Mrs. Gardiner paused briefly at the gate but acknowledged to her husband that she was not yet ready to visit her family’s graves so soon after sitting in the church where she had listened to her father preach so often.

Mr. Jessop kindly took them all to his home and served tea.

Though it was early in the day for cake, he could see that his predecessor’s daughter could use a bit of comfort and he knew from experience that the two Darcys would never turn down a sweet.

After discussing the neighborhood for some time, Mrs. Gardiner was able to show her children the room that she had shared with her sister and the garden in which she had played as a girl.

It was well past noon when they all climbed back in the carriages and returned to Pemberley. The adults were quiet and the children caught their mood. Little Amelia fell asleep, cuddled in her mother’s arms and both were comforted by the contact.

After a cold dinner, the afternoon was spent in quiet conversation and reading. Neither the Darcys nor the Gardiners were excessively religious, but obeying the Sabbath seemed appropriate to all that day.

Fitzwilliam woke on Monday morning full of plans but one look out of the window made him grimace. He had hoped to tempt Elizabeth out for a walk that day but a heavy rain had begun falling during the night and showed no sign of letting up.

After breaking his fast, Darcy received a note from his steward regarding some estate business that could not be delayed.

Before retreating to his study, he apologized to his guests but they waved him off.

Mrs. Gardiner was eager to go with Mrs. Reynolds to look through Pemberley’s attics for some old trunks of her parents’ belongings; the housekeeper believed they had been stored there after the parsonage was cleared for Mr. Jessop.

Mr. Gardiner was pleased to spend some time with his children and Miss Darcy happily claimed his niece as her companion for the morning.

It took several hours, but Darcy eventually finished the most critical paperwork and then went searching for his guests… for one particular gu est, if he was to be honest.

Taking a guess, he made his way to the music room and was rewarded by the sound of laughter even before he stepped through the doorway.

His heart was warmed by the sight that met his eyes.

Elizabeth was seated with his mother’s violin and Georgiana appeared to be giving her instruction.

Or had been. Currently both were giggling so hard that tears were forming in their eyes.

“Ladies, am I interrupting?”

Georgiana’s eyes goggled when she caught sight of her brother watching them from the doorway. She squeaked, then covered her mouth with her hands and looked toward Elizabeth. That lady’s laughing eyes only prompted Miss Darcy to collapse back into giggles.

Miss Bennet shook her head in mock disapproval of the girl before carefully setting aside the violin and bow.

“Yes, Mr. Darcy, you are interrupting though it does not necessarily follow that such an interruption is unwelcome.” She quirked an eyebrow at Georgiana, eyes twinkling.

“I have been entertaining your sister with my exemplary musical skills.”

Darcy’s eyes were warm and he stepped toward her, unable to keep his distance.

“I did not know that you played the violin.” He looked sharply at Georgiana when his sister burst into fresh peals of laughter.

Seeing that he would get no answer from that direction, he turned back to Elizabeth who rolled her eyes.

“I do not, but your sister very kindly offered to instruct me.” She reached to run her fingers across the strings, creating a soft ripple of sound. “It is a truly beautiful instrument, though.”

Georgiana began to regain some of her composure. “Oh, Wills, I’m sorry. Elizabeth was just telling me a story about…” Suddenly she recalled herself and looked back to Miss Bennet, who rolled her eyes again.