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“It most certainly is not,” she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.

Eventually the younger woman sighed and looked steadily at her aunt.

“He is so very good , Aunt. He says that he is only doing his duty, of course, but he genuinely cares for all these people. He knows all the servants’ names…

why, just yesterday we were in the library and a scullery maid came to check the fire.

He did not recognize her and asked for her name; she was new, but it turned out that he knew her father and brother, and asked after them as well. ”

“He has lived here all his life, Lizzy.”

“Oh, I know… but still, if I’m to be mistress of all of this… there is just so much I don’t know… and I suspect that there is even more that I don’t yet know that I don’t know, if you can comprehend my meaning.”

“Elizabeth, my dear, you’re beginning to sound rather like your mother, fretting over everything, much of which is beyond your control. And besides, I’m absolutely certain that Mr. Darcy will be glad to help you learn your duties.”

Rather than be reassured, Elizabeth appeared even more upset, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them tightly.

“Have you seen all the demands on him? Everyone needs just a few minutes of his time… just a bit of his consideration. And it’s all important; he’s not just hiding himself away in his library so that he may have solitude to read his books. ”

And with that, suddenly Mrs. Gardiner comprehended the root of her niece’s distress. “Your marriage with Mr. Darcy will not be like that of your parents, Lizzy.”

Elizabeth’s insecurities showed in her crooked smile.

“But you see the parallels, do you not? Like Mama, I’m marrying above myself, into a world wholly different from that in which I grew up.

Shall my husband lose his admiration for my lively personality and impertinent ways, until such a time as he can barely stand to be in the same room with me? ”

“ No , Lizzy. The situations are nothing alike—your parents barely knew each other before they married.

You and Mr. Darcy have taken the time to see that you are compatible—his admiration of you has stood the test of time, not to mention a number of arguments.

And even if his admiration of you changes—and I would expect it to do so as the years pass, by the way—he shall love you differently when you become the mother of his children, for example—but even if the worst should happen and he grows disenchanted with you, he is not the sort of man who would hide away in his library and ignore you.

“You spoke of his diligence to his duty, his responsibility in seeing to all that are dependent on him: a wife will be foremost among those. Even if he were marrying a lady whom he had never seen before in his life, I cannot imagine Mr. Darcy would do anything less than his duty by her, seeing to her comfort and assisting her in learning her duties. And Lizzy, you are not unknown to him. I believe he understands you very well, your character and abilities—he would not have pursued you if he did not think you capable of fulfilling those duties required of the Mistress of Pemberley.”

Elizabeth sat quietly, considering her aunts’ words.

“And have you not considered, Lizzy, that he fell in love with you precisely because you allow him to put aside all those responsibilities on occasion? You tease and laugh and argue with him until he forgets all that weight on his shoulders and can be something other than solemn and serious. Do you know, Georgiana confided in me that she has seen her brother smile more in the last week than ever before in her life?”

Mrs. Gardiner paused before finishing firmly, “You say that you admire Mr. Darcy? Then you must believe he is capable of knowing what he needs in a wife; he has more than enough wealth and connections, but this family is very poor in the way of liveliness and laughter. Trust in him, Lizzy.”

By that point, tears were streaming down Elizabeth’s face and her aunt moved to hug her; when her sobs finally began to subside, Lizzy accepted her aunt’s handkerchief with gratitude.

“If Mr. Darcy has laughed more than before, then I’ve cried more; I’m not certain it is a fair trade,” she offered ruefully.

After making sure that Elizabeth was truly recovered, Mrs. Gardiner moved back to her own seat and observed her niece carefully.

Recalling the less than ideal marriage that the Bennet girls were exposed to on a daily basis at Longbourn, she decided that her niece might benefit from a little frank advice the subject.

“Perhaps the best counsel I can give you on your marriage is to maintain that honesty and openness that you have mentioned. Society has so many rules and strictures on proper behavior—remember that it is your and Mr. Darcy’s happiness that is most important.

Besides, most of those rules were made to give some measure of comfort to those who marry for convenience. ”

“What do you mean, aunt?”

Mrs. Gardiner looked her niece in the eye. “I know you understand the basics of relations between man and wife.”

Elizabeth blushed a little but nodded.

The older woman continued, choosing her words carefully.

“For those of us lucky enough to marry for love, the interaction is not simply to be endured for the necessity of producing children. Such intimacies can be extremely pleasurable… for both husband and wife. I suspect that there is be no lack of passion between you and Mr. Darcy…”

Elizabeth flushed brightly but nodded, tucking her chin in embarrassment and making her aunt smile broadly.

“But even beyond the passion, there is nothing like the intimate companionship you will find by being behind closed doors with only each other. Except for my children, my favorite sight in the entire world is to wake up in the morning before your uncle and watch him sleep. He looks like a little boy…” Madeleine trailed off with a dreamy look on her face.

Lizzy was discomfited, suddenly seeing her relatives as a married couple, not that much older than Mr. Darcy and herself and with similar passions and desires. “You share a bed all night?” she whispered before covering her mouth with a hand, thoroughly embarrassed by her forwardness.

Mrs. Gardiner only laughed, remembering her own talk with a dear aunt before her marriage and glad that she had the opportunity to pass on some advice to her niece.

“We do. I believe that the haut ton ’s design of separate bedrooms is based on the prevalence of arranged marriages in high society.

When two strangers are so joined, it is understandable that each needs a private space.

However, it’s not the sort of situation that your uncle and I have ever seen the need for.

Indeed, I have difficulty sleeping alone when he’s away. ”

Elizabeth sat quietly for some minutes, thinking carefully over her aunt’s revelations.

Although the Bennet girls each had her own chamber, it was not uncommon for Jane and Lizzy to share a bed when they were up late sharing secrets or in need of comfort.

That she and Fitzwilliam might have such a relationship made her smile and she felt an anxiety that had been gnawing at her for some time begin to dissipate.

“Thank you, Aunt. Hearing you say it aloud, it seems so… logical. I’ve never felt as safe and protected as when Will holds me in his arms. I had not realized how bothered I’ve been by the conflict between my feelings and everything I have been taught about how to feel and act toward a gentleman.

” The two ladies smiled fondly at one another, sharing a moment of perfect understanding.

“Yesterday, Mr. Darcy brought out the original architectural plans for Pemberley House. We were looking them over and talking about the remodeling that was done in his grandfather’s time for the plumbing and so forth.

Mr. Jenson had some recommendations for modernizing the pipes and fittings and we began discussing if some of the changes to the family wing might be undone.

“You remember the story of Meg and Gowan Darcy? The present house’s first master and mistress?

” At her aunt’s nod, Elizabeth continued, “Their love match shows in the original floor plan; they had separate dressing rooms, but shared a bed chamber and sitting room. It was only changed when Fitzwilliam’s grandfather, Worthington Darcy, married. ”

Madeleine was beginning to understand why such practicalities were on Elizabeth’s mind at a time when most brides would be thinking about shopping for their trousseau and planning the wedding breakfast. She smiled and patted her niece’s arm.

“Lizzy, forget for a moment what Society expects, or what your friends or family might think. None of that matters; what do you want?”

Still a little hesitant, Elizabeth smiled.

“I should like to share our rooms. This house is so vast that we might otherwise go for days without seeing one another, especially as Fitzwilliam has so many responsibilities pulling him in all directions. Sharing our rooms would ensure that we always have some time together, a private space for ourselves.”

Mrs. Gardiner nodded decisively. “Excellent; that is just what you need to tell Mr. Darcy. ”

Elizabeth flushed a brilliant red and her aunt smiled sympathetically.

“Remember how important honesty is to you, Lizzy; I would be willing to bet that it is just as important to your fiancé. In fact, I would not be surprised if he wished to speak to you on the same subject but is just as uncertain about how to bring it up.”