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D uring the further two months Elizabeth remained at Castlemere, she did not miss a day that she did not go and sit in the chapel and speak to Archy in the crypt below.

After a month, she had read his letter to their children explaining he was with God and would always be watching them. She had told Archy that day how comforting it had been, especially for Matty to hear from their Papa. Each day she spoke to her beloved, she told him how much he was missed.

By mid-June, she decided it was time to depart for Falconwood.

She was feeling some confusion and needed to separate herself from the source, so that she could consider everything and sort through things.

She was still in deep mourning, and as such, regardless of anything else, she would not explore the sentiment she was experiencing.

The object of her confusion was always completely proper.

Her heart was still not ready to open itself to another man, but her head kept telling her he was the one Archy meant.

William only assisted when asked, he had done a wonderful job teaching Matty to ride Whitey—the name Matty bestowed on his mainly white pony—as much as Matty desired.

It had taken less than a month of lessons before Matty had begun to ride his Shetland pony outside of the paddock.

When they rode out, William was always close to him along with two grooms and either Brian or John and one of their men.

It was not only Matty that William would spend time with, but Gracie and Winston as well.

He would read to them, take tea with Gracie and her dolls, fight in battles with the toy soldiers, something both Matty and Winston enjoyed, and thought nothing of going on all fours so the twins could ride ‘Unca Willem.’

There was no doubt he would be an excellent father to them, and as she had seen him do each time he spent time with them; he spoke of Archy to the children. He did not try to erase her late beloved husband from their memories.

It was far too soon. Hence, she wanted some time without William’s constant presence. She held nothing against him; it was all within herself. Just then she heard Archy’s voice in her head telling her that the heart has infinite capacity to love, and he would always reside within hers.

Elizabeth was not even close to ready to consider William, or any other in a romantic sense.

She had much on which to think. She had, in consultation with her sisters, Leticia, and Aunts Elaine and Anne decided that she would not go to London until her year of mourning was complete.

That would keep her away from the worst of the fortune hunters until she was more prepared to face them.

Also at the suggestions of her brothers-in-law and uncles, she would have Brian and John employ as many more former soldiers, sailors, and marines as they saw fit.

That way, wherever Elizabeth and her children were residing, no uninvited guests would come close to them.

As much as she needed time to think, Elizabeth was well aware how much all of her children loved William.

Hence, before departing Derbyshire, she invited all of the Darcys to join her and her family at Falconwood towards the end of July.

They had accepted. It would give her close to two months to think without any distractions.

It would not only be the Darcys visiting. Jane and Charles would arrive a fortnight before them. From what Elizabeth could tell from her letters, Jane could not be happier than she was in her marriage to her husband, whom she adored.

The Fitzwilliams were not far distant because all of them would be visiting Mary and Richard at Rosings Park.

A fortnight before the departure to the main Hertfordshire estate, Elizabeth had convinced Mary to allow Richard to take her to their estate for the first time.

Although she had objected that it was not time to leave Lizzy yet, eventually Mary had seen the logic in her sister’s suggestion.

She had agreed for Richard to take her south, but not before she had elicited a promise from Lizzy that if she needed Mary for any reason, she would write.

Around mid-July, Marie, Andrew, and their girls would travel back to Hilldale, and the remaining four Fitzwilliams would make their way to Falconwood.

Anthony and Charlotte, and their two sons, would arrive in the middle of July and remain in residence for a month or two.

Anthony wanted to meet with Lizzy to see what assistance, if any, she required from him.

All the years of learning from Uncle Archy would finally be put to good use.

He had already pledged to work with Matty, when he was older, if Elizabeth desired him to impart everything Anthony had been taught by his uncle.

Matty had been very concerned that Whitey would remain in Derbyshire, but when he saw his pony being led alongside the Hertfordshire travelling coach by one of the forty outriders who were escorting them, he was placated.

Another was leading Jamil . Archy’s stallion remained at Castlemere.

Elizabeth had decided that when Matty was sixteen that he would receive his father’s horse.

The stallion was less than five years of age, so with proper care, Matty would be able to ride him for five to ten years.

The stable master at the estate would make sure Hector was exercised regularly.

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

At first, being at Falconwood had been very hard for Elizabeth, She felt Archy’s presence everywhere. Not only that, but she could not go anywhere or see any part of the estate which did not evoke memories of her late, beloved husband.

It took her about a sennight before she realised it was a good thing.

She allowed herself to enjoy the memories and rather than run from them, she embraced them.

Not only that, but when she—in her specially made black riding habit—and Matty rode, always guarded by at least four men—of which John and Brian were always two—she made sure to tell her son the significance to her and his late father of various places around the estate.

Matty would never know why she blushed furiously when she pointed out a place she and Archy had had a picnic in a secluded glen. Food was not all they had enjoyed on the blankets that day.

Elizabeth made sure to not take Matty to any of the few locations around the estate where she and Archy had been intimate, knowing he would question her blushes.

Estate and ducal properties’ business took up a lot of her time, but Elizabeth always made sure to be with her children as much as possible during the day.

She played with the twins on the grass and read stories to all three in the nursery.

If she had a particularly busy day, Elizabeth would have the children in the study with her for a few hours.

She never allowed a day to pass when she did not spend time with her children.

After having seen how good William was with the children, she often missed his presence when with them. It did not help that Matty would ask when Uncle William would come. He asked more than the twins as time and distance made her two-year-olds think of other more immediate things.

When she was alone at night, then Elizabeth’s mind was free to consider all those things she could not when she was busy. As would be expected, most of her thoughts were of Archy and how much she missed his presence.

When she arrived at Falconwood, like she had at Castlemere, Elizabeth slept in the mistress’s chambers.

In less than a fortnight, she remonstrated with herself and moved back into the bed she and her beloved had shared.

Elizabeth could only shake her head at her refusal to use the shared bed before because when in it, she felt closer to Archy.

A fortnight after moving back into the bed she had shared with Archy; she realised that she missed William’s steady friendship. There were no tender feelings, only those of a friend, but one she had come to count on to be near.

William had told Elizabeth shortly before the departure from Derbyshire that he had spoken to his father who had agreed that the steward could take over at River Run again like he had before William moved there.

That is, if she needed his help for an extended period of time, he would be available.

Uncle Robert had confirmed what William told her, not that she doubted his word at all.

Archy had been correct about one thing, and that was that the children needed a steady male in their lives, and they loved William. If he was still willing to become part of her household, she would discuss it with him when he, his parents, and Anna were due to arrive at Falconwood.

When they spoke, Elizabeth would make sure they both understood the parameters of what would and would not be.

With that decided, Elizabeth was soon in Morpheus’s arms dreaming of Archy.

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

In the afternoon of the second Monday of July, a convoy of coaches arrived at Falconwood. Charlotte, Anthony and their children had joined those travelling from Rosings Park.

The reunion between Elizabeth and Charlotte was even more demonstrative than the one between her and Mary.

After all, she had not seen Charlotte since well before Archy passed away.

The friends, both in black dresses, held one another for some minutes before Anthony was able to separate his wife from her best friend and, technically, her aunt.

Mary glowed with happiness, which was not dampened by her black gown. It was obvious to anyone who cared to notice that Mary and Richard were perfectly paired, and very deeply in love.