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“It was my own foolishness,” Lady Catherine admitted.

“After her scarlet fever I treated her like a china doll and did not accept that she was well and could have done anything that she wanted to,” the great lady added with sadness as she remembered her past follies.

“Thank goodness that I was taken to task before irreparable damage was done to my relationship with my daughter,” she said firmly as she looked directly at her sister.

“That is in the past, Catherine,” Lady Anne reminded her sister softly then smiled and again included everyone else in their conversation .

“You have a strong and loving relationship with Anne today, and you well know that if you had not chosen to live with your brother and sisters, that you would have been and are welcome to live with my namesake whenever you choose to.”

“Enough maudlin thoughts,” Lady Rose interjected. “What would you like in this room, Lizzy?”

It was decided that all of the dark panelling in the music room and most of the public rooms would be taken down and replaced with paper with different shades of summer colours.

Thanks to the diligent efforts of the servants, the mahogany floors were in perfect shape and the only thing that was needed were some new rugs.

In the music room the rug was a dark brown which contributed to the darkened look in the room, so both it and the furniture needed replacing.

The armchairs, chaises, and settees were of the highest quality when they were installed over thirty years ago, but were now hard and lumpy.

Jane, Amy, and Marie were asked to inventory the furniture in all of the public rooms. Amy and Marie would go to a room, make notes of the furniture, and then return to Jane who would remain seated on the most comfortable chaise that was found in the house.

Jane would then collate the notes from each room.

When the families all hied to town in October, Chippendale Fine Furniture Maker would be kept busy for a long time with the massive order that would be awarded to them.

Some of the artworks were some of Gainsborough’s early works.

When the housekeeper was applied to, Mrs. Horton looked in the notes from her predecessor and learned that the last duke had been one of the artist’s patrons.

It was not surprising that the more they took inventory of the artwork, the more Gainsborough paintings they found.

While her sisters were looking at the public rooms, Lady Elizabeth requested that her housekeeper give her a tour of the guest wings and the rest of the upper floors.

After an extensive two-hour tour accompanied by her mother and mother-in-law, she dismissed Mrs. Horton.

Lady Elizabeth, her mother, and mother-in-law re-joined her sisters and rang for tea service; while enjoying their refreshments, they did not discuss anything of import, but once the maids cleared the dishes and left closing the doors, the discussion started in earnest.

“There is nothing that can be saved of the furniture,” Elizabeth said with resignation, and both her mother and mother-in-law nodded in agreement.

“From what we saw in the public rooms, Lizzy,” Amy informed her, “it is the same.”

“To the positive,” Lady Catherine interjected, “you have over twenty paintings by Gainsborough in your house, and all they need is a little dusting and cleaning and they will be able to be displayed when your redecoration is complete.”

“You will not be very popular with the Ton once you place your furniture order, Lizzy,” Lady Elaine said with a smile. “It will be many months before Chippendale will be able to produce furniture for anyone else.”

“To that end, Lizzy,” Lady Sarah said, “I suggest you write to them now as soon as we have a list together and ask them to start on the commission.”

“William told me to do what was needed to make this a home for us and our future son,” she said as she placed her hand protectively over her belly instinctively, “so it will be done. We will need upward of one hundred beds! This house has far more bedchambers than Pemberley. I know who to contact for anything else that we need,” Elizabeth said with surety.

“Uncle Edward,” her older sisters chorused.

“Yes,” Elizabeth responded. “He is able to acquire anything that we need in the style that we require, and that includes the rest of the instruments that we want for the music room.” she smiled at Lady Anne.

“It will not be Edward to whom you apply,” Lady Sarah said cryptically.

Seeing the questioning looks around the room she explained.

“In this morning’s post, Thomas received a letter from Edward.

He is purchasing an estate near Lambton called Winsglade.

It is larger than Netherfield but smaller than Pemberley.

He is retiring from active participation in the business and Charles Bingley has taken over and will now run Gardiner and Associates.

So, you will need to apply to Charles from now on.

As we speak, Maddie and Edward are closing the sale of the estate and are there with the children.

After the completion of the purchase, the Gardiners will be joining us here for a few days. ”

“That is wonderful,” Jane opined, “to have Aunt Maddie, Uncle Edward, and my cousins so close to all of us.” She realised the impact on her mother’s proximity to the Gardiners and felt badly at her effusions but was soon disabused of the notion by her mother.

“I will miss seeing the Gardiners as often as we do now,” she said as she reassured her most sensitive daughter, “but they will still come to town, and I will see them each time I come to visit one of my girls.” The men, who had been informed of the news regarding the Gardiners on their outing by Lord Thomas, returned to find their ladies in a good mood, eagerly awaiting their return to hear their stories of gallantry and daring during their sport.