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It was two more days before the Bingley coach and four appeared just before luncheon and Jane greeted her husband with tears and kisses at their front door.

Because Elizabeth had walked over for the day, she and Georgiana shared a few tears as they watched the couple reunite.

As he watched the emotional reunion of husband and wife, Fitzwilliam Darcy admitted to himself that there was a genuine love between his friend and Jane Bingley née Bennet.

He glanced at Elizabeth who comforted Georgiana and realized he wanted the same feeling with the second Bennet sister.

While Jane sent for tea, food and spirits for her husband, Charles relaxed for a moment. He was pleased when no one demanded to know the details of his trip to London and that there were no public conversations about the events that had forced Bingley and Mr Darcy to rush to the city.

The manor house was filled with laughter and smiles that afternoon as happiness of Mr and Mrs Bingley’s happiness was shared with everyone.

Over tea that afternoon, Elizabeth steered the conversation toward normal tasks around the estate and Charles spoke about a meeting with the gamekeeper the previous week.

Bingley explained, “Netherfield does not have a pack of fox hounds but there will be a surplus of partridges in the hedgerows this autumn. Chartwell – the gamekeeper’s name is Chartwell – asked for a couple young men to help clear some saplings out of the shrubbery so the partridges keep their nesting grounds.

And he has set traps for stoats and weasels that kill the hens on the ground. ”

Darcy asked, “Does he coop any hens with their chicks?”

Confused, Charles asked, “Why put them into coops?”

Elizabeth explained, “Charles, with the protection of the coop and plenty of grain, more of the chicks survive the first weeks, especially if the gamekeeper has hunted off the predators. Once the chicks have grown their first feathers, the gamekeepers release the hen and her chicks back into the hedgerows.”

Bingley grinned and said, “So with a good start, my guests and I shall have a large number of birds to shoot this autumn.”

Miss Darcy asked about hunting partridges and her brother answered, “A gentleman is expected to provide opportunities for exercise for his neighbours and guests. The partridge hunt begins in the morning with ale and hot drinks around the stable yard. Then the gentlemen walk out with the gamekeeper and several beaters who direct them to the fields and hedgerows where the partridges spend the day. When the birds take flight, the gentlemen shoot rifles loaded with shot – multiple small pellets. When a pellet or two hit the bird, it falls to the ground.”

Fitzwilliam concluded his explanation saying, “At Pemberley, our gamekeeper has a pair of dogs that are trained to retrieve the birds after they fall to the ground.”

Charles grinned and said, “Last autumn Darcy and I both played the role of retriever when we shot partridges while Chartwell reloaded the guns and directed the boy to flush out more birds.”

“It is an excellent exercise for gentlemen,” Elizabeth added with a grin.

Jane said, “Partridges make an excellent meal. Mrs Hill hangs the birds in the pantry for two or three days. Once the meat was tender, our cook cleaned and roasted or grilled them.”

Charles added, “I remember the birds would disappear into the kitchens for several days. I would forget about them until the day I returned from riding out to the farms or visiting and I would discover a mess of feathers outside the back door. That is when I knew there would be partridges for supper that night.”

Leaning toward her husband, Mrs Bingley asked, “Charles, which is your preference for the birds served at our table?”

“What do you mean?” Bingley inquired.

Jane smiled as she explained, “There are three ways to cook partridges. Do you prefer the birds to be roasted, stewed, or grilled?”

“Can we have all three?” he asked.

Covering her mouth with her fingers, Elizabeth held her tongue and allowed Jane to admonish her husband, “Charles Bingley! I would never ask our cook to prepare supper for just the family and expect her to provide three variations of the main course.”

“I have had all three at Pemberley in the same meal,” complained Charles.

Mr Darcy replied, “Charles, the kitchens at Pemberley have multiple cooks working under the direction of the master chef. The kitchen of a great house is staffed to prepare all three in a single meal.”

Seeing Elizabeth’s look of concern, the man hurried to add, “But not when the table is set for just family.”

Now Jane explained, “When you held the ball last autumn, Mrs Hobbes hired two more cooks from London to help prepare all the food. If Netherfield hosts a large feast, Mrs Hobbes borrows the cook from Longbourn or Haymarket.”

To move the conversation along, Elizabeth inquired about the company’s choice of accompaniments for the cooked partridges. She stated, “At Longbourn, my father prefers that Hill pairs the grilled birds with roasted vegetables and game chips.”

“What are game chips?” asked Georgiana.

Elizabeth explained, “Our cook cuts a few potatoes into very thin slices and fries them. They are served warm and crisp.”

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“What about gravy?” asked Mr Bingley. “The cook here at Netherfield always provides a boat of gravy with supper when there are roasted or grilled meats.”

Realizing he wanted to capture Elizabeth’s attention, Mr Darcy interjected himself into the conversation about gravy.

“I have noticed significant differences in the gravy served at the dining room tables at Pemberley and the house in Mayfair. My father always complained that the gravy served at Pemberley had entirely too much pepper as a seasoning. And when he was in London, he complained the cook had not used enough wine to flavour the meat and gravy.”

Georgiana frowned to hear her brother sound almost pompous for once, but she noticed that Elizabeth seemed to be considering Fitzwilliam’s comments carefully.

Jane hid her smile when Lizzy asked, “Mr Darcy, do you remember if your father found his coffee too strong on the mornings after voicing these complaints?”

Blinking while he thought, Darcy replied, “I believe he complained about the tea being weak and the coffee strong for at least two days after such complaints. The gravy was fixed to his liking for a week, but his beverages were off.”

With a very serious expression, Elizabeth asked, “Do you remember if your mother intervened?”

“I know my mother did not intervene, Miss Elizabeth,” Darcy replied immediately after the second question. “My mother left all such matters in the hands of the housekeeper. Like my Aunt Catherine, Lady Anne Darcy knew the kitchens existed, but she never ventured there.”

Elizabeth frowned to hear that the last Mrs Darcy never ventured into the kitchens of either great house where her family lived. Georgiana and the others remained silent, but Fitzwilliam asked, “Why are you asking these questions?”

“Your father was perfectly right to complain if the gravy was not to his liking,” replied Elizabeth. “But there are diplomatic ways to approach the cook in the kitchen. Orders to change receipts for food are not always simple or welcome.”

Miss Bennet did not smile too broadly when she continued, “And while the cooks did as the master ordered, I am certain she was displeased to be instructed how to make a gravy by a man with no experience cooking over a fire. She expressed this annoyance by making his coffee weak or too strong for a few days.”

Georgiana looked between her brother and Miss Elizabeth for a moment but then she noticed that Mrs Bingley smiled while Mr Bingley grinned. The master of Netherfield suggested, “Darcy, listen and learn. The Bennet sisters know what they are about with managing a household and servants.”

Inclining his head toward the others, Fitzwilliam asked, “How do your parents deal with veteran servants?”

Rather than Elizabeth, it was Mrs Jane Bingley who answered, “Mr Darcy, our mother was a girl of sixteen who had no… who had limited understanding of the tasks and time required to manage a manor house. Fortunately, our father’s mother lived until I was ten years.

Grandmamma was mistress of Longbourn for all those years and gave our mother received proper instruction on dealing with servants.

Our grandmother set the example of fair but firm treatment of domestics, and she demonstrated how the mistress should work with the housekeeper and cook. ”

“And Grandmamma included her granddaughters in instruction from the time we were walking,” Elizabeth added.

“Charles and I are most fortunate to have Mrs Hobbes here at Netherfield,” Jane continued.

“She has shared the schedules she kept for the last ten years with the innumerable tasks that have to be completed each week and during the different seasons to keep Netherfield ready to receive guests and provide for the family and servants.”

Georgiana commented, “I have seen similar books in London, but I have never heard Mrs Reynolds mention them at Pemberley.”

Darcy said, “The books exist at Pemberley, and they reach back more than a century in time. We shall look at them the next time we are home.”

“What about when you marry? What will…” Georgiana began to ask but paused when she remembered that her brother was courting Miss Elizabeth. After a moment, she smiled gently and continued, “What will your wife find at Pemberley?”

“Everything at Pemberley follows tradition,” Darcy told his sister. He glanced at Elizabeth who blushed, “Mrs Darcy will find our homes to be a challenge to understand as she brings order to them.”

Elizabeth rose to the implied challenge and replied, “I should imagine your bride will be questioned and tested by the housekeepers and cooks. After fifteen years without a mistress, it may take some time for your wife to develop an effective strategy to approach these loyal servants.”

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