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Despite an understandable reluctance to leave the seaside manor at which they had spent their first weeks of married life, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy resisted the temptation to extend their stay.

Instead, they left for town on the appointed day, consoling themselves with plans for some entertainments that could be found only in London.

The weather was fine and the trip from Kent proved surprisingly enjoyable as the pair took turns reading aloud from Samuel Coleridge’s new work .

And so it was that, on the first Friday in October, Grosvenor Square observed the finest of the Darcy carriages pull up before Derwent House and Mr. Darcy himself hand out a laughing young lady with sparkling eyes who was immediately determined to be his new bride.

Fortunately for the newlyweds, it was too late in the afternoon for any but the most aggressive gossips to go calling.

Even so, Society’s matrons and misses made their plans while their husbands and brothers were directed to spend time at whatever club Mr. Darcy was most likely to visit the next day.

The latter strategy proved unsuccessful, for the newly married Master of Pemberley had no desire to be any further away from his wife than the next room. However, many of Society’s gentlemen raised a toast to him anyway, for how often did their wives press them to spend more time at their club?

When the butler himself opened the door to Derwent House, Elizabeth glanced up at her husband with an arched eyebrow before stepping through that august portal.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust from the bright autumn sun to the dimmer interior.

When she could see again, Lizzy realized that all of the servants were lined up in the foyer and she herself was the subject of great curiosity, from the cheerful-looking housekeeper to the lowest scullery maid.

Once their coats had been removed, Fitzwilliam cleared his throat slightly.

“Mr. Holmes, Mrs. Wilkins, thank you for gathering the staff. It gives me great pleasure to present your new mistress, Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy. Miss Darcy and I are very glad to welcome her to our family, and I know that you all will treat her with the respect, obedience, and loyalty she deserves.” When Mr. Darcy finished speaking, there was some applause, although that quickly quieted when he turned to his wife to see if she had anything to add.

Elizabeth smiled so amiably that even the most suspicious bootboy could not resist smiling back. “I thank you all for your kind welcome and I look forward to meeting each of you—I fear that it shall take me some time to know your names so I beg for your patience.”

After pausing for the laughter to quiet, she continued, “When I visited Derwent House before my marriage, what impressed me most was not the fine furnishings or architecture, but the warmth. This is not just a house but a home … and that is a sentiment which comes from the good people who live and work within its walls. I’m not one to make changes merely for the sake of change, so I hope everything will continue on much as it has…

except I suppose that we will be entertaining a bit more than I understand Mr. Darcy has been in the habit of doing in the past.”

When the master broke into a dimpled grin at her tease and Elizabeth smiled back, eyes sparkling, the entire staff broke into loud applause and there were even a few, gruff “huzzahs” from the footmen.

The servants’ own eyes confirmed the below stairs gossip that the master had made a love match, and the lady’s words and attitude reassured them that the new mistress would not be turning the house tipsy turvy as some other young brides might.

The housekeeper stepped forward and proudly introduced Mrs. Darcy to the senior staff. While Elizabeth exchanged a few words with each, Fitzwilliam followed just behind, observing everything with a feeling of great satisfaction.

Eventually, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were allowed to retire to their rooms. Mrs. Wilkins bustled about, pointing out all the changes that had been made to the mistresses’ chambers in accordance to Elizabeth’s wishes until the good woman realized that the young couple might desire some privacy.

Before she could excuse herself, however, a maid peeked around the door from the dressing room. “Mrs. Darcy? Shall I pour out your bath water, ma’am?”

“Oh, goodness me, I beg your pardon, Mrs. Darcy… of course you’ll be wanting to freshen up after such a long carriage ride.

We’ve unpacked all of your things and Sally here will be looking after you…

I’ll just be going now. Shall I check on the kitchens?

Mr. Darcy usually has his tea at five and dinner at eight when he’s in residence. Is that acceptable?”

Elizabeth smiled kindly, for such genuine enthusiasm could not but please her. “Thank you, Mrs. Wilkins. That would be perfect. ”

Once the housekeeper had excused herself, Lizzy took a moment to look around her new bedchamber and dressing room.

She had kept nearly all of Lady Anne’s furniture—Thomas Sheraton’s simple, graceful styles pleased her—but the upholstery and cushions had been updated to soft yellows and blues to match the new draperies and wallpaper.

Taken together, they gave the room such a calm, restful air that one might forget one was in the middle of London.

Elizabeth was about to explore further when she heard a soft knock coming from a door that had been made to blend into the wall.

Suddenly realizing that it was the door to the master’s bedchamber, she felt her pulse quicken.

They had spent every night together since being married more than a fortnight ago, but here, where he had lived as a bachelor and was acknowledged as the Master, it all seemed much more real.

“Come in?” Disliking the tentative tone of her voice, Lizzy took a deep breath and was about to repeat herself when the door opened and her dear Fitzwilliam peeked in.

“Is she gone?”

His attitude was so much like a little boy hiding from his governess that she could not help but smile. “Mrs. Wilkins has left to check that our tea shall be ready on time.” His obvious relief made her giggle.

“I warned you that she is excessively pleased to have a mistress. When I hired her to replace old Mrs. Parks, Wilkins had no idea that she would have to suffer through four long years tending to just Georgiana and myself. I believe she had begun to fear that I would die a bachelor and she would never have the chance to organize all the grand dinners and balls of which she dreams.”

Fitzwilliam’s attitude of long suffering caused Elizabeth laugh aloud and throw her arms around his neck. “Poor, poor Mr. Darcy… such trials you have endured.”

For a moment she thought that he might take offence, but then his face relaxed and he rolled his eyes. “Trials, indeed… minx!” He kissed her pert nose and then, much to her surprise, picked her up and spun her in a circle. “Welcome home, Mrs. Darcy.”

Sally might have cracked the door to tell her mistress that the bath was ready, but she quickly shut it again with barely a squeak and made herself scarce.

Some time later, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy did separate to their respective dressing rooms and neither appeared to mind that the bathwater wasn’t quite as hot as it might have been.

Elizabeth was pleased to discover that her modista had completed a number of her new dresses and spent a few minutes looking through her closets.

It struck her how different her life was to be now, with a vast wardrobe full of finery but no sisters or mother with whom to discuss dresses and sashes and such.

She had often wished for a bit more quiet and privacy at Longbourn, but it suddenly seemed very odd that there was no one here to share her girlish pleasure over a pretty new gown.

Suddenly Lizzy made a small sound of frustration and might have actually slapped her forehead had the maid not been present. “The blue, I think, Sally. I feel rather extravagant wearing lawn for a dinner at home, but it is just too pretty to deny myself.”

“Oh, yes, ma’am. I’m sure Mr. Darcy will like it, as well,” agreed the maid happily as she busied herself setting out the clothes.

Elizabeth smiled but said nothing; she might not have any sisters in the house, but she was sure that a certain gentleman would be happy to demonstrate his appreciation of her new gowns.

When she was dressed and her hair arranged to Sally’s satisfaction, Elizabeth dismissed the servant and went to explore the other rooms in their suite.

She was a little surprised that Darcy had not come to find her, but reasoned to herself that he was just as uncertain about their new arrangement as she.

Raising her hand to knock on the same door through which he had emerged earlier, she started when it opened almost instantly.

Mr. Darcy’s valet stood on the other side, looking equally surprised. “Oh—Mr. Hawkins! I’m very glad to see that you made it to London safely. Is my husband ready yet, or does he need more time to primp?”

The valet thought Mrs. Darcy to be a very pretty, very clever lady, but was not quite sure how to handle her teasing manner toward the master. “Yes, ma’am. Mr. Darcy is waiting in his chambers.”

Before Elizabeth could thank him, the man had disappeared. She suppressed a giggle—sometimes her husband’s valet seemed to possess an almost supernatural ability to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye.

Regardless, she stepped through the doorway and found herself in a bedchamber arranged as almost a mirror image of her own, decorated in a pleasing palette of greens and a more masculine style of furniture.

Above the fireplace was a beautiful landscape that she quickly identified as Pemberley House reflected upon its lake, but even more attractive was the gentleman seated on the comfortable-looking settee before it… reading a book.