Page 46 of Elizabeth is not a Bennet

Hired House

Bowness on Lake Windemere

Lake District

August, 1824

Elizabeth Darcy, with her sleeping baby daughter in her arms, stepped into the wide vestibule of the hired house and looked around with approval. It was delightfully free of breakable objects, the furniture appeared sturdy, the floors were polished, and the sunlight poured through the clean windows.

“Madame, shall I find the nursery and set it up?”

Elizabeth turned toward Gertrude, their faithful nursemaid, who had been caring for young Darcys for more than a decade now. “Thank you, that seems wise. I would assume the stairs are...”

She trailed off and looked around, and Gertrude chuckled and said, “I can find my way. Come along, Simon. Would you like to help me set up the nursery for your little brother and sister? ”

Simon, now a sturdy eight-year-old with dark red hair, nodded eagerly and skipped his way along the wide corridor to the left. The door opened again behind Elizabeth, and she turned as her husband appeared with their three other children clustered around him with Miss Eaton, the children’s governess, bringing up the rear.

“Are you feeling better, Annabelle?” Elizabeth asked solicitously, running a hand over her eldest child’s braided head.

“I am,” the girl said, though she was still a little pale. Elizabeth was sorry that her daughter was prone to motion sickness in carriages, but already she seemed to be improving. Perhaps by the time the eldest Miss Darcy was entirely grown up, she would no longer be affected by the swaying of conveyances.

“Gertrude is upstairs with Simon,” Elizabeth continued. “Would you care to go up with the older children, Miss Eaton?”

“I would be delighted,” the woman replied cheerfully. Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth looked on as their three other children – Annabelle, twelve years old, Thomas, ten years of age, and Caleb, age four, followed Miss Eaton as ducklings pursue their mother. Elizabeth watched gratefully. Her delivery of Baby Deborah six months ago had been a difficult one, as the baby had been lying breech, and she was only now feeling close to her old self. Miss Helen Eaton, who had won the hearts of the older Darcy children when she arrived at Pemberley two years previously, had provided comfort and love to the children when Elizabeth was confined to bed. Miss Eaton had been well educated at home and was serving as governess to the older Darcy children. The woman was five and twenty and beautiful; only her lack of dowry had prevented an offer, but Elizabeth knew of two young men in Derbyshire with definite interest in the lady, and she suspected they might lose Miss Eaton soon to matrimony.

Deborah chose this moment to open dark blue eyes and squawk indignantly from hunger, and Darcy, with the ease of long practice, guided his wife into a sitting room, pushed her gently into a chair, found a convenient cushion to prop up the baby, and then retreated in search of a cup of water for his wife.

Elizabeth, watching her little one suckling contentedly, was grateful again for such a caring and devoted husband.

/

Two Hours Late r

Elizabeth and Darcy, arm in arm, watched as their older children raced around the small yard of their hired house. Baby Deborah was in bed, with Gertrude guarding over her, while Miss Eaton pointed out bugs and played ball with her charges, and generally displayed an energy which Elizabeth found most impressive. Another maid was standing within reach, ready to capture Caleb if he made a dash for the nearby shrubbery.

There was a sudden call from their left, and they turned to look at two halted carriages on the road close by, the front one displaying many familiar faces.

“Darcy, Elizabeth!” Charles Bingley called out from within the carriage, and the Darcy children, as one, abandoned insects in favor of their friends.

The ensuing scene was more madhouse than reunion. The two younger Bingley boys, full of energy from their long journey, leaped out of the carriage like grasshoppers and began cavorting around the lawn with Simon and Caleb Darcy, while the older cousins entered the house in order to talk about all that had happened in the six months since they had seen one another.

Jane Bingley, now five and thirty years old, looked a trifle thinner than usual, and certainly paler, but she was still beautiful, her blonde hair untouched by grey, her eyes celestial blue as ever. Bingley, too, remained a thoroughly handsome man, though his hair, like Darcy’s, was now sprinkled with silver .

Darcy and Elizabeth, after ensuring that there were enough servants to watch over the younger children, guided Jane and Charles within and sent them off to refresh themselves, with promises of tea in the drawing room when they were ready.

Thirty minutes later, the Bingleys appeared in fresh attire and took their places on a loveseat which faced out towards glorious Lake Windemere, while Elizabeth and Darcy sat opposite them on a settee.

“How beautiful it is, along with being wonderfully cool.” Jane sighed, accepting a cup of tea from Elizabeth, “I am so glad that we were able to come.”

“Everyone is quite well again?” Elizabeth asked. The Bingleys had recently endured a round of measles at Netherfield Hall.

“Entirely well,” Jane said with a firm nod.

Elizabeth nodded gravely. “I am glad to hear it. You have had rather a difficult time of it of late.”

Jane sighed deeply, and Charles put his arm around her, the better to pull her close.

“It has been hard,” Jane agreed. “We had only just put off our blacks for Father when Mother died, and then when we were finished mourning her, Joshua picked up measles somewhere and passed it to three of the children and several servants! It did not help in the least that Caroline was visiting at the time and came down with it as well. Charles and I and the healthy servants were busy enough caring for the children only to have Caroline fretting and whining and complaining and wanting several servants to be at her beck and call.”

“I suppose you could not send her to London, either, given that she was contagious,” Elizabeth remarked.

The Bingleys exchanged glances, and Charles said, “The Quinn house has been sold to pay off debts.”

“I was afraid of that,” Darcy said gloomily. “I heard from a friend in London that Quinn was addicted to the gaming tables.”

“Yes, I warned Caroline when he offered for her, but she wanted to be a ‘Lady’. I did ensure that her jointure was secure, but Quinn ran through most of her dowry, and now they have lost their London house. I am afraid he married her only for her dowry.”

“I am sorry,” Elizabeth said sadly.

Charles nodded. “So am I, but she walked into the marriage with open eyes. At least the Hursts are doing well; their second son was born a few months ago, you know. I think Hurst is thriving now that he is master of an estate. ”

“That is good,” Elizabeth said. “Is Caroline still at Netherfield?”

“No, we packed her off to Yorkshire as soon as she was free of measles,” Jane said. “She and her husband are more or less estranged, so she did not wish to retire to the Quinn estate in Sussex, which is apparently in poor shape anyway, but I was tired of hosting her.”

“I understand completely,” Elizabeth said, “How are matters at Longbourn?”

Charles and Jane exchanged glances, and Charles said, “I think they are well enough; thankfully, Mrs. Collins is intelligent and sensible, and makes up for some of her husband’s deficiencies. We have not spent a great deal of time with the Collinses’ boys, but they all seem bright lads. I think Longbourn will be in good hands in the future.”

“There is a great deal to be said for an intelligent and sensible wife,” Darcy remarked with a smile, as he turned his eyes to Elizabeth.

“Without a doubt, we are both remarkably blessed men,” Bingley said heartily. “Now I believe I am better with correspondence than I was a decade ago, but with the children sick and such a wet growing season, I am not entirely certain who will be arriving here in the next few days. ”

“My sister, Georgiana, and her husband, Lord Langley, are coming tomorrow,” Darcy said promptly. “Georgiana birthed her second son the very day that our Deborah was born, which is an amazing coincidence; cousins with the same birthday!”

“Harold and Mary Stowe will be here as well, along with their three children,” Elizabeth said. “The harvests are in, and thus they can safely leave Greymere to join us. Lydia wrote me last week and assured me that she and her family will be arriving by the end of this week. I was worried that her current pregnancy would hinder her travel, but she has always been annoyingly robust when with child.”

Jane laughed and nodded. “Yes, even with the twins, she seemed entirely at ease. I think it helps that she is a tall woman.”

“Lord Lyndon is tall as well,” Charles remarked, “and their sons are already taller than our Patrick, in spite of being a year younger than he is.”

“As for Kitty, I am not completely certain if she is coming,” Elizabeth began, and Jane interrupted, “She is. Charlotte insisted that Kitty’s family come north to holiday with us and leave her and Maria to deal with Lady Lucas. Kitty has been quite worn down by her mother-in-law’s demands, unfortunately. ”

“Being a widow is hard,” Elizabeth said diplomatically.

Jane rolled her eyes and grimaced. “Yes, but she is carrying on far more than Mother did when she lost Father. Lady Lucas is allowed to grieve, but at least Samuel is master of Lucas Lodge now and Lady Lucas has no need to leave her home, unlike Mother, who had to move in with us after Father died. But enough of that. Is that everyone?”

“No. Darcy’s cousins, the Fitzwilliams, are journeying from Ravenswood to the Lakes next week,” Elizabeth continued.

“Ravenswood?” Jane demanded in surprise. “What were the Fitzwilliams doing in Scotland?”

Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow and said apologetically, “I thought I had written about that…”

“And perhaps you did,” her cousin said quickly. “I have been so distracted with the measles that I might have missed important information in a letter.”

“As you likely know, my Cousin Anne has never been particularly robust,” Darcy explained, “though she improved a great deal after her marriage and the departure of her mother, Lady Catherine, to the Dower House at Rosings. Anne has long suffered from the heat, in particular, and Kent is often very warm in the summer. She and Richard had been reluctant to leave Rosings for long in fear that Lady Catherine would inveigle her way back into power, but since my aunt is dead these three years, that is no longer any concern.”

“Anne has a son who is seven years old, a hearty and hale fellow, but her first daughter was born early and died five years ago. Then last year, Anne birthed little Esther, who is healthy, but it was a difficult birth, and Richard has been concerned about his wife ever since.”

“I suggested that they journey to Ravenswood early this summer,” Elizabeth explained, picking up the tale. “It is generally cool in Scotland, even in the middle of summer, and the Wickhams were very happy to host the entire Fitzwilliam clan for as long as they liked. I have been writing to both Mrs. Wickham and Anne frequently, and Anne is feeling a good deal better, which she credits to the cool weather.”

“I find it astonishing that Mr. Fitzwilliam and Mr. Wickham are actually friendly now,” Jane remarked. “Did Mr. Fitzwilliam not once threaten to knock Wickham’s teeth out?”

Darcy grinned and said, “He made that threat more than once, but those days are long past. Wickham was a reprobate, but he has changed his ways entirely and is now a devoted husband, father, and follower of Christ. ”

“He also may well have saved my life,” Elizabeth said. “It was he, of course, who discovered that Captain Denny was the one who shot me.”

Both Bingleys looked grave, and Jane said, “I never heard – well, I am not certain I wished to know – but what happened to Denny? Was he hanged?”

“He was,” Darcy said. “We chose to keep him on a prison hulk until Mrs. Stowe was dealt with, and then he was executed for attempted murder.”

“He deserved it,” Jane said, her blue eyes flashing. “Such a despicable man.”

Silence fell for a minute, and then Charles asked, “Is everyone staying in this house?”

“No, no!” Elizabeth said with a laugh. “Your family and ours will be here, and we have hired three more houses in Bowness. We will not be crammed together!”

“That is a relief!” Charles replied.

/

Elizabeth’s Bedchamber

Darcys’ Hired Hous e

Bowness

Dawn

A Week Day Later

Baby Deborah’s fine lashes fluttered, her blue eyes closed, and her little mouth grew slack. Elizabeth planted a kiss on her child’s head and carefully handed her over to a nursemaid who carried the baby away to her crib, which was settled in Elizabeth’s small dressing room for the convenience of nursing the baby. Elizabeth squinted at the mantel clock and observed that it was just seven o’clock. It was rather early to be awake, but she did not much enjoy sleeping in, and it would take at least thirty minutes for her to fall back asleep, and…

The door to her sitting room opened, and her husband walked in, dressed and shaven.

“You are up early,” Elizabeth murmured, rising up on her tiptoes and kissing him.

“I am, and I was hoping that perhaps you would be willing to go for a walk.”

Elizabeth glanced toward the draped windows and smiled. It was growing light, and as much as she had relished the last few days with Darcys and Fitzwilliams and Bingleys and Langleys and Lyndons and Lucases and Stowes, she longed for a walk with her dear husband at her side.

He helped her out of her night clothes and into a serviceable and sensible green dress, whose long sleeves would assist her in keeping warm, and stout shoes. At the last moment, she decided to add a woolen tan shawl, as it might be especially chilly by the water.

The Darcys descended the stairs arm in arm and without conversation, quietly enjoying one another’s presence. Darcy opened the door for his wife, and Elizabeth stepped out with a smile of thanks, taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air. The birds were beginning to sing, greeting the sun as it just started peeking above a blushing horizon. Piles of clouds to the west like heaped wool promised a continuance of the previous day’s rain, but for now, the world glistened only with morning dew.

The lake spread out before them like some misty dream. The water lapped gently at the pebbled shore, murmuring among the reeds, wisps of fog drifting across the mirror surface. The trees bent low over the water, like elegant women stooping to catch their own reflections, their leaves still in the early dawn air. Elizabeth sighed with contented happiness, her heart as full of peace as her surroundings.

It was wonderful to see the family of her childhood again, the women she had grown up thinking of as her cousins. It was fantastic to see their husbands and their children. It was glorious that her own little ones were able to play with their adopted cousins during the day, thus deepening their friendships.

Now the Darcy children were all tucked up fast asleep, safe and sound in their beds, while their parents strolled peacefully beside the placid lake, and in the distance, the mountains of the Lake District stretched toward the sky, dark green against the cerulean blue. The Darcys’ lives were busy if bountifully blessed, and Elizabeth was grateful for a few quiet moments to watch the sunrise with her husband – a chilly sunrise, and she drew her shawl tighter about her shoulders to ward off the cool.

“It is all absolutely lovely,” she observed, stepping a little closer to his comforting bulk and pointing out at the water with one gloved finger. “Look at that island.”

“Belle Isle,” her husband said. “There is a remarkable house on it, called Island House, built by John Plaw. Apparently it was designed based on the Roman Pantheon.”

“How fascinating!” she exclaimed. “I wish the trees were not situated such that our view of the house is blocked.

“We could probably visit the island,” her husband said .

“Without an introduction? Surely not!”

“Richard is son of an earl, and I am nephew of an earl, after all. We doubtless could find someone here to introduce us to the Curwens, who own the island.”

She gazed up at him and shook her head. “You spoil me, darling.”

“In truth, I would like to visit it myself,” he said.

They wandered on in silence, enjoying one another, and the gentle breeze, and the rippling water, and the mountains rising in the distance, husband and wife, companions, lovers, master and mistress of Pemberley, blessed with thirteen years of marriage. Her hand rested in the crook of his arm, relaxed, joyful, at peace.

In love and so very blessed.

The End