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“I accept your terms, but please make it two footmen, Papa.” While the Duke considered her request she added, “I suggest Biggs and Johns. They are both very quick for huge men and are crack shots with those pistols that almost no one knows they carry always within reach. They could trail me, but half the distance that Biggs used to at Longbourn?” Lady Elizabeth asked hopefully.

The Duke of Hertfordshire considered his daughter’s plea seriously.

With both Biggs and Johns escorting her, with their cat-like reflexes and proficiency in all types of combat both armed and unarmed, he decided that he could live with the compromise.

“I agree…” Lady Elizabeth let a most unladylike whoop, “on condition that your mother has no objection. If my dear wife agrees, then we will see about trying things out after Caroline’s wedding. ”

“Papa…” she cut off any objection that she was about to make as she knew that once her father made a decision like this that she would only argue her way out of any compromise, “…you have my sincere thanks.” She kissed her papa on the forehead.

“Away with you now, Lizzy. I need some peace and quiet to consider my correspondence,” he gave her a light pat on the posterior and sent his much happier daughter on her way, believing all would be well.

Although he did not know it yet, father and daughter had just given Wickham the opening that he was looking for.

The following day was the ball at Matlock House.

That morning the usual group took a ride in Hyde Park, including Lord Wes and the four younger girls.

They were escorted by three companions, two grooms, and ten footmen.

They rode slowly through the park not above a canter, most of the ride at a walk or trot.

Galloping in Hyde Park was not looked upon with a friendly eye by those in the Ton.

Darcy came up alongside Elizabeth as they were following the Serpentine. He felt more daring than he had before any previous ball where he had danced with his beloved Elizabeth. “Am I too late to reserve the opening set with you, Lizzy?” he asked hopefully.

“You are not, William. The second, third, and fourth are reserved for Tom, my father, and Uncle Sed. Other than that, I have none spoken for, so, yes, the first is yours,” she answered with a noticeable blush that encouraged him.

“Then may I be so bold as to request the supper…and the final sets, your ladyship?” He held his breath as the lady ruminated on his request.

“You are aware, William, that I do not dance three sets with anyone outside of my immediate family, are you not?” He had a chagrined look on his countenance and nodded his head, expecting a refusal.

Mayhap she would dance no sets with him!

“There is a saying, ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’. You were daring, William, so yes; I will dance all three sets with you tonight.”

Darcy felt an indescribable feeling of immeasurable happiness. “You have my sincere thanks, cousin,” he said with a bow of his head.

“Do not thank me yet, William. I am warning you any gossip mongers will be sent to you for comment,” Elizabeth teased, and oh how he loved it when she teased him.

“You have a deal, Lizzy. Any person wanting to gossip may meet me at Angelo’s anytime that they wish,” he retorted with a smile that showed his dimples and made Elizabeth warm all over.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

In Staffordshire and Derbyshire, the new viscountess and her sister were becoming familiar with their respective estates. They had ‘inspected’ the master suite at each estate very thoroughly, much to the delight of their husbands.

Hilldale was an estate that was comparable in size to Netherfield Park before Bennington Fields was purchased and annexed to James’s estate.

The houses were of similar capacity though Hillsdale’s manor house was one not as tall by one story.

The manor house had two wings that made the house look like half an ‘H’ so that the house was able to accommodate about eight more guests than Netherfield could.

Lady Marie Fitzwilliam was very happy to see the sizable garden.

Like her mother, she enjoyed nothing better than exercising her green thumb.

She would not tread on the head gardener’s toes, but like she had at Longbourn she would request a bed that was for her to do as she wished.

Marie took an instant liking to the housekeeper, Mrs. Mavis Payton, who had been in her post for over ten years, starting when the current Earl still held the title of Viscount.

The rotund housekeeper’s husband, Amos Payton, was the butler who had been in his post for almost the same length of time as his wife had been in hers.

Mrs. Payton made Marie feel very welcome after there had been no Viscountess since the current earl had ascended to his title these seven years.

Marie had been well taught how to run a house by her dear mother.

She knew that she needed to work with her housekeeper, not arrive on her first day and make gratuitous changes simply to show her authority.

While Lady Marie met with the housekeeper and cook during the day, Lord Andrew rode the estate with Mr. Peter Gibbs, the steward, who had taken up his post one year before Andrew became the Viscount.

The man was eminently qualified and extremely efficient, however Lord Hilldale, like all of the others in the extended family, did not believe in being an absentee landlord.

As was family tradition, the tenants’ needs were always addressed when issues were brought to the steward’s attention and servants were treated with respect.

The latter explained why the servants who served at any of the extended family’s properties were often generational employees.

Richard and Lady Jane Fitzwilliam’s estate was closer to the peaks, not as close as Pemberley, but close enough so that when the conditions were good, a southern portion of the peaks were visible.

Richard had informed Jane that Pemberley was ten miles northwest of them and much closer to the Peak District.

Brookfield was somewhat larger than Hilldale, and had a well-developed and prosperous horse breeding programme.

With the increased size of the estate coupled with the horses, Brookfield earned about three thousand more than Hilldale per annum.

Brookfield thoroughbreds were sought-after horses, and fetched a healthy price when sold.

It was Richard’s intent to expand the programme to start breeding horses that would be used by the cavalry.

His own horse had saved him during the battle of Bucaco, so this was his way of making sure that others would have the same quality of mount he had had.

The estate’s steward was a Mr. Murray Lefroy who had studied alongside Pemberley’s current steward under his predecessor, old Mr. Herbert Wickham.

Edwin Chalmers had become the steward after Mr. Wickham senior passed, and two years later when Richard had sought a steward for his inheritance, his cousin William had recommended his under-steward, Lefroy.

The housekeeper, Mrs. Mavis Ross, was promoted three years previously.

The butler, who had been an underbutler at Darcy House, a Mr. Joshua Durand, had wanted to be closer to his ailing parents in Kympton.

When Brookfield had needed a butler, Durand had applied for the position, and with glowing recommendations from Darcy’s butler Killion and the man himself, the then Colonel had offered him the position.

In the marriage settlement, Lady Jane’s substantial dowry was left untouched, but Jane had insisted that the approximately ten thousand a year generated by the dowry be used as needed by them.

A smaller estate on the western border of their estate had been offered for sale.

In consultation with his then betrothed, Richard had purchased the property and absorbed it into Brookfield.

The house, with some minor repairs, would serve as a dower house, and until needed could be used for additional guests.

The land included in the purchase added four new tenants to the expanded estate.

The master and his steward were riding out to inspect the tenant farms on the added land to assess their state of repair and to schedule any repairs or improvements that were needed.

Jane was very happy with her new home. It was between Netherfield and the much larger Longbourn’s manor house in size. The family wing had ten suites with two bed chambers each and four single chambers. They could easily house forty guests without employing the dower house.

On the journey north, Jane and Marie had discussed that it was hard being so far from their parents and siblings, they discussed inviting their siblings to spend time with them at various times after the season each year so that they would not miss seeing them for too long each year.

They had always known that it was the woman’s lot to leave her childhood home for that of her husband when she married.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Matlock House was awash in light. The Darcys and Hertfordshire Bennets had been invited to arrive an hour before the first guests to acquaint themselves with Ashby’s family.

They were introduced to the groom’s parents, the Earl and Countess of Ashbury, and Viscount and Viscountess Amberleigh, Ashby’s brother and sister-in-law.

They had all met Lady Amelia Ashby at the ball held before the double wedding in Hertfordshire, and the Marquess of Birchington was especially happy to see her again.