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A s they rolled on towards her betrothed’s estate, Elizabeth could make out hills in the distance, which she guessed was to the east. Between them and London, the land in the area was relatively flat, much like the land around Longbourn and Netherfield Park, where Oakham Mount stood out as the only eminence for miles around.

She was riding in her betrothed’s coach with Archy—she had boarded his conveyance at the previous stop—Mary, Anna, whose parents had permitted her to travel ahead of them as her friends would be at Falconwood with Anthony, and Charlotte.

Eventually, the lead coach passed the large stone gate posts, each with a tall wrought iron gate attached.

The stone columns were connected by an impressive brass arch proclaiming the name of the estate in huge letters, with an image of a soaring falcon on either end of the arch.

The gates were opened as far as they could be, and the gatekeeper stood next to his gatehouse.

His hat was in hand, and he sported a grin and bowed as the Duke’s equipage passed by him.

Once they passed the gates, they entered an avenue of oaks growing strong and tall on either side of the wide, levelled gravel drive.

She could not hide her delight from her fiancé, as he was watching her and waiting for her reactions. In about a mile from the gates, she saw the large, wooded area on the one side of the drive. On the other side, the line of oak trees continued.

“How I look forward to rambling and riding to explore this wonderful forest!” Elizabeth stated enthusiastically.

“I trust you will not eschew my company on these jaunts,” Hertfordshire said.

“You know you are always welcome to join me, Archy. And I know when you are occupied, and I ride or walk out, John and, or, Brian will be with me,” Elizabeth noted with a warm smile on her face.

After almost two more miles, the mansion came into view.

Never had Elizabeth seen a house half as big.

If Elizabeth had been awed by the size of Hertfordshire House, she was not sure what to think the first time she saw the mansion at Falconwood.

The structure dwarfed the house on Russell Square by at least three times.

It was a minimum of five storeys high from what she could see, with large wings on the left and right of the front part of the structure. “Archy, do the wings form an ‘H’, or do they only extend to the front of this rather small manor house?” Elizabeth questioned.

“Yes, they were built out towards the rear of the house, forming a big ‘H’, as you wondered,” Hertfordshire responded. “Never forget, Lizzy, this is but a house.”

“A rather massive one,” Mary teased.

There was a wide, sweeping circular drive before the mansion. The coach followed it towards the enormous portico in front of the house—there was a large fountain with water spurting from the mouths of five cherubs in the centre of the circle.

On either side of the drive were formal gardens.

They seemed vast. Elizabeth could see at least three gazebos, a topiary, and what seemed to be an extensive rose garden.

Her excitement only intensified when she considered that there would be much more to see and explore as the gardens disappeared from view behind the wings on either side of the house.

She was sure she would see the rest soon enough; besides, she much preferred the untamed nature she had seen in the woods to a garden designed by the awkward tastes of man.

Lined up in front of the house were four neat rows of servants behind two men and a woman, who Elizabeth assumed were the senior staff.

When the coach halted, Hertfordshire jumped out and turned to hand his beloved out before one of the liveried footmen could attend her.

Elizabeth was thrilled by his touch, even through their gloves.

However, she knew that in front of the staff and servants, she would have to maintain a facade of serenity and not embarrass her Archy with mooncalf looks whenever he touched her.

She fought hard, but she managed to have the look of a proper young lady in place before she stepped out.

After handing her out, the Duke turned to those standing to welcome them home.

“I present my dearest fiancée, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, soon to be Her Grace, Lady Elizabeth Chamberlain, the Duchess of Hertfordshire and Marchioness of Hertford Heights,” the Duke intoned.

No one missed the look of sublime pleasure on the master’s face when he presented their new mistress to them.

A spontaneous cheer rose from the assembled staff and servants. To Elizabeth’s mind, it was clear that her Archy was genuinely esteemed by his staff and servants, as she expected he would be.

Hertfordshire led his fiancée to the three senior staff members and introduced her to Mr and Mrs Greaves, the butler and housekeeper—the Duke had asked them to take over at Falconwood when the former pair had retired—and Mr. Hampstead, the steward.

“Your warm welcome of my fiancé and me is most appreciated,” Elizabeth told the assembled servants while her soon-to-be husband stood proudly next to her. “Please pardon me if it takes time, but I will endeavour to learn all of your names.”

Knowing that this was the way His Grace treated them, with respect, there was a look of anticipation among the servants.

The Duke nodded to the housekeeper and butler, who dismissed the servants. He offered her his arm, and with all of the others who had been in the carriages following, he led Elizabeth into the house.

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

When Mrs Greaves showed Elizabeth to the enormous suite she was sharing with Mary, located in one of the guest wings, there was a young woman in the garb of a lady’s maid waiting for her in the bedchamber.

“Miss Bennet, His Grace mentioned you do not have a lady’s maid of your own, is that correct?” the housekeeper verified.

“That is true,” Elizabeth confirmed as Mary walked into her chamber.

“Lizzy, I have a maid as well while we are here,” Mary blurted out, “and this suite is bigger than any other I have seen before.”

“I was about to tell Miss Bennet that this servant,” she signalled to the maid to come forward, “is Miss Lettie Jennings, who I have assigned, at least temporarily, to be Miss Bennet’s lady’s maid.

You are, of course, free to make your own choice to fill the post permanently if you decide to do so.

” She turned to the maid. “Jennings, this is Miss Bennet, soon to be Her Grace.”

The maid gave a deep curtsy.

“I am sure that Jennings will be an excellent maid.” Elizabeth turned to her new maid. “The bulk of my clothing will arrive in trunks on the morrow. From what I can see of it; the dressing room has more than enough room for all of my garments. I look forward to your serving me.”

“Thank you, Miss Bennet; I will work hard to make sure you are satisfied with me,” Jennings vowed.

“Miss Mary, His Grace mentioned you may be residing with us whenever your sister is in residence. If that is true, the maid in your chamber will be your lady’s maid, unless you would like someone else,” Mrs Greaves informed Miss Bennet’s sister.

Nodding, Mary stated, “It is time to wash and change. Where will we meet for the tour?”

“His Grace and I will be in the hallway outside your suite, so you do not get lost trying to find us,” the housekeeper related. “You do have an advantage, Miss Bennet. John Biggs and Brian Johns know the house well from their time serving the Duke.”

“Before you go, Mrs Greaves, I could not but note the warmth between His Grace and the servants. Has it always been so?” Elizabeth enquired.

“It has. His Grace is the best landlord and the best master that ever lived, not like the wild highborn men nowadays, who think of nothing but themselves. There is not one of his tenants or servants but will give him a good name. Some people call him aloof, but I am sure I never saw anything of it. To my fancy, it is only because he does not rattle away like other men of his class and rank. My husband and I served him in London before we took over here just after the former duke’s death.

We were witness to the way not a few women threw themselves at him, and how disinterested he was in any of them.

He adopted a mask to keep them at bay,” Mrs Greaves replied effusively.

“I have never seen him don any mask, but I thank you for being candid and confirming my excellent opinion of my fiancé. My sister and I will join those taking the walk about the house as soon as may be,” Elizabeth responded.

The housekeeper curtsied and exited the suite.

A half hour later, Elizabeth and Mary found a group waiting to take the tour with them. It included the Gardiners, Charlotte, and Anna.

“We will begin one floor below us, the first floor, which has most of the public rooms,” Hertfordshire announced as he offered his arm to Lizzy.

She took it without hesitation, and he led the group to the grand staircase—they would find out this was one of three in the house—and descended one storey.

The rooms were many and most of them huge, but one thing Elizabeth noted right away was none of the furnishings and fixtures were uselessly fine.

Rather, it was very much understated elegance with an emphasis on comfort.

‘ Yes, it is huge, but as Archy said, it is but a home. I think I will like living here very much ,’ Elizabeth thought as they went from room to room.

The master’s and mistress’s studies were the penultimate stop on this day’s tour, which had only been the one floor. Elizabeth was delighted that they were separated by a retractable wall. She looked at it questioningly.