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The next afternoon, the Bennet family travelled to Netherfield to join the Bingley couple and Darcy siblings for tea.

Gathered in the parlour of the neighbouring manor house, Mrs Bennet was gracious with her praise of Miss Darcy’s performance on the piano in the Netherfield parlour.

Frances decided that Mary would have a new frock and alterations to others immediately because her third daughter appeared to be the particular friend of Mr Darcy’s sister.

After the honeymoon, Frances would write Lizzy and suggest that Mary come to visit with the Darcy family.

This would throw Mary into the company of young men from suitable families with money.

While Lydia chaffed under her mother’s restrictions to behave like a young lady in this social setting, Kitty directed the youngest sister to a table in the parlour with a collection of the papers that Jane brought back from London.

They spent most of the visit searching through the gossip columns for scandalous stories about elopements and mysterious disappearances of young women.

Mr Bennet remained with Charles in a far corner of the parlour for most of the visit, drinking Bingley’s fine port rather than tea while keeping his eye on Lizzy and her tall fiancé who sat alone on a settee near a large window.

The couple were removed from the others so no one could eavesdrop on their conversation.

Thomas Bennet found himself frowning when he observed the gentleman take his daughter’s hand and not relinquish it.

Fortunately, Charles observed the frowns and intervened with conversation interesting enough to distract his father-in-law; they spoke of the names of books that Bingley should purchase to begin to build a library of his own.

Separated from their family and hosts as much as possible in the large room, Darcy and Elizabeth spent their time discussing the rituals of life in the country – the rituals observed at Pemberley, the Darcy manor house in the north of England.

“Our social lives will be guided by the calendar and our obligations,” Fitzwilliam explained to his fiancée.

“What obligations will we have?” Elizabeth asked with honest interest.

“The largest obligations at Pemberley will include fox hunts for gentry and aristocracy in our circle of influence. We must host at least one major hunt each autumn. We are the most prominent family without a noble title in Derbyshire, and everyone looks to the Darcys to lead the county.”

“What sort of hunt does Pemberley host?”

“Some years we host a week of deer and pheasants hunt for the gentry. But on other years – such as this year – we shall host a fox hunt.”

“What is required for a successful fox hunt at Pemberley?”

The gentleman smiled as he replied, “Mr and Mrs Darcy will issue formal invitations for a visit to our home. We shall host a ball that includes supper and then dancing until the early hours of the morning. The guest list is limited to fifteen families from the county who spend a week under our roof.”

“A week?” asked Elizabeth, imagining the work involved with that many people descending upon any household for that length of time. “Fifteen families for all their meals, laundry and entertainments?”

“We issue the invitations a month in advance so that Mrs Reynolds and the staff have the house cleaned and ready. She hires extra staff from the village, and the cook has assistants to assist with preparation of the food and drink.”

“And the stables? There will be teams of horses and hunters to fit into stalls. Do the guests bring their stableboys as well as coachmen and maids? Is there a dining hall large enough for the staff – all this gathering of servants?”

Darcy smiled realizing that his Elizabeth seemed to have a grasp on the scope of planning and preparation that such a gathering would require.

After the ball, we spend a day resting and then the actual fox hunt occurs the next day if the weather permits.

That morning, the gentlemen rise early while the master of the hounds and the beaters prepare for the hunt.

The hunters and hounds chase the fox for two hours or more before we return to the house. ”

“And you sir? Do you enjoy the hunt?” asked the young woman who knew her fiancé enjoyed his time in the saddle very much.

“I do love the chase and riding my hunter across the fields after the hounds,” the man admitted. “My gamekeepers report that I have thirty, well-trained fox hounds this year.”

Elizabeth grinned, “After chasing the elusive fox across the fields and dales of the farms, the gentlemen will return for a large breakfast or luncheon where the ladies have waited patiently for their return. I suppose the ladies must make do with tea and entertainments – cards, music, and recitations of poems by young ladies.”

With a grimace, Darcy stated, “If my aunts are present, you must preside over the ladies as if you were the queen at court to keep them under control.”

With a smirk Elizabeth replied, “I imagine the ladies will gather to gossip and speculate on the victor of such a battle.”

“Lady Catherine de Bourgh will likely be confined to the dower house this autumn though I should like to invite my cousin and her new husband,” Darcy confided, and Elizabeth nodded her agreement.

“And after another large supper and some entertainments in the evening, everyone retires for the night,” Darcy shared with Elizabeth. “There is another large breakfast the next morning, everyone departs for their home.”

Pursing her lips, Elizabeth explained, “Fitzwilliam, it must take your staff two weeks to prepare for the ball and hunt. Then there is a week of intense work to care for the guests and their servants, and then two weeks of cleaning.”

“Yes, but I Mrs Reynolds hires extra staff from the village to provide extra footmen and chambermaids. And the older women work in the kitchens and laundry. I remember seeing the hedges festooned with the laundry for days after the hunt.”

Thinking about the weather later in the year, Elizabeth mused, “Better to hang it on ropes in the empty rooms than on the shrubbery in the autumn.”

“In October, we shall have the fox hunt and ball. Then in November, I shall host a hunt for deer where a half dozen gentlemen and their wives come to visit for three days of hunting and grand suppers but without a ball.”

“Why two hunts this autumn?” the young woman asked as she considered how much she had to learn and the many servants she would need to meet and supervise.

“We must allay and satisfy everyone’s curiosity about Mrs Elizabeth Darcy before Christmas. After these successful social events, no one will doubt my choice of wife.”

Seeing the confidence the man felt for her capabilities, Elizabeth promised herself that she would not disappoint him as a hostess or in any other role as his wife.

~~~

It was a pleasant summer afternoon with bright sun and a gentle breeze to encourage persons to venture out of doors.

And with several days of dry weather, the road that passed by Longbourn was firm and offered a good path.

Without any concern for propriety, a young couple walked ahead of their chaperones, lost in conversation and unaware of the countryside.

It was not an imposition for Georgiana and Mary to walk out with the pair; the teenage girls talked of music and fashion while Elizabeth and Darcy spoke of their future.

Smiling because now that they were engaged Elizabeth was allowed to call him by his given name, she asked, “Fitzwilliam, does Pemberley provide a harvest home for the tenants in the autumn?”

Before he could answer, the young woman continued, “Since we talked about the social obligation to hold a fox hunt and gathering for the gentry at Pemberley, I wondered about the harvest home for the tenants.”

Blinking as he considered his answer, Darcy replied, “I believe… yes, I am certain the steward provides at least one harvest home at Pemberley, as do the Darcy stewards in Yorkshire and Kent.”

“Do you have estates in those counties too?” asked the young woman. “You have not mentioned them.”

Grinning the gentleman said, “It will take some time for you to come to know the extent of our holdings, but I am confident that you will be knowledgeable before the end of this year. In Yorkshire, there is a large estate that raises beef cattle for the markets, and in Kent, our estate is covered with orchards of different varieties of apples, pears and cherries. Those farms are close enough to London that the produce is sold at the markets in the city. I have trusted stewards in each county who have held their positions for many years, and the tenants seem to be satisfied and work hard.”

“Your life has been very different with lands and tenants spread across different counties,” Elizabeth said. “Here at Longbourn, the Bennet family knows some of the particulars of each tenant family.”

“We can never have that knowledge with the several hundred families that are tenants on our farms or in the villages,” Darcy reminded Elizabeth. “Pemberley holds the land where Lampton sits, and every tradesman and tavern keeper is a tenant of our family.”

Looking at her fiancé, Elizabeth asked, “Fitzwilliam, how did you keep from becoming a dilettante or rake? Your father owned everything with money for everything your heart desired. Everyone in your life worked for the Darcy while you were a boy growing up.”

The gentleman confessed, “Much like yourself, I had access to good books that were interesting, and I was fortunate to have good tutors as a child who talked with me about many things.”

He looked at his fiancée steadily as he said, “I had a solid grounding in my family history and our obligations before I left for school.”

Then he shook his head, “I was fortunate that the servants and my tutor shielded me when my parents argued and from the company of my mother’s relatives during their visits.

There was only one cousin who I enjoyed when he visited.

Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam enjoyed riding as much as I did.

He taught me how to shoot properly before I went to school. ”

Looking away, Darcy confessed, “After my mother died, I left for school most of the year. When I was grown, I learned that my father allowed his mistress to reside in the house while I was away. ”

“Where was Georgiana?” Elizabeth asked, concerned for the feelings of both Darcy siblings.

“My sister’s nurse and later her nanny kept my sister away from my father’s chambers where the woman appeared.

Mrs Reynolds kept a tight rein on the maids and footmen who cleaned the family rooms,” Fitzwilliam explained.

“I am certain Georgie is aware that the woman existed, but their paths seldom crossed inside the house or the gardens.”

“Whenever my father went to London for the season or travelled anywhere, Georgiana remained at Pemberley. My sister had never visited the house in London until after our father passed away seven years ago. When I learned of her interest and talent with music, I brought her to town and hired a suitable music tutor. The man’s wife was also a teacher, and the couple lived at the house with Georgiana for almost six years; I always took my sister north for the winter and paid the couple to travel with us.

Elizabeth asked, “Where are they now?”

“The man died suddenly last year, and the wife chose to live with their daughter in Bristol rather than remain in London. In summer, I had to deal with both aunts demanding my sister come to live with them before I finally found Mrs Annesley to be lady’s companion for Georgiana.”

The young woman was silent for a long moment considering this new revelation until Mr Darcy reminded her, “Elizabeth, you were asking about a Harvest Home for the tenants.”

“Yes, I believe it is important for the tenant families know that the landlord values their work. You…we should acknowledge their contribution to our well-being.”

“And what would you do differently?” asked Darcy, perfectly comfortable asking the young woman the open-ended question.

Meeting the man’s warm eyes, Elizabeth answered, “I must learn current traditions on the different estates before we discuss any changes. First, I shall seek answers from the steward at Pemberley whenever I meet the man. I want to know if there are any gifts for the tenants at the harvest home. Mrs Reynolds will have a record of gifts to the staff at Christmas, so I am certain your steward also keeps a record. And then next year, when we travel about England on visits to your estates, I shall investigate, and we shall make decisions together.”

“Next year, we shall visit to ‘our’ estates,” Darcy corrected his fiancée. Then he inquired, “What do Mr and Mrs Bennet provide at the harvest home for Longbourn?”

“My parents host the harvest home at the Longbourn granary when the grain harvest is complete. Every member of the tenant families attends, and we provide food and drink aplenty. There must be at least one musician – usually with his fiddle – to provide music for dancing.”

Darcy grinned and said, “Much like the assembly for the gentry and merchants in Meryton where Charles met your sister last autumn?”

Now it was Elizabeth’s turn to blink with surprise as she understood her future husband’s comparison of the harvest home and the dance at the assembly hall.

She smirked and replied, “Yes, the young farm hands dance with the farmer’s daughters, much like the gentlemen danced with the daughters of the merchants and landowners. ”

Darcy continued, “It is the same for every class of Englishman. The prosperous gentlemen come to the ball before the fox hunt to dance with the eligible daughters of their peers in the county. Not everyone can afford to travel to London for the season to sort through the eligible bachelors and debutants for a spouse.”

From behind the couple, Mary called out, “Lizzie, there looks to be storm coming. Shall we not return to Longbourn?”

Glancing toward the southeast, there were dark clouds approaching the area. The couple turned immediately and began walking back toward their chaperones, even as Georgiana added, “Yes, please. Mary and I wish to practice a duet this afternoon before supper.”

“Lead the way,” Fitzwilliam answered. “We shall follow.”

The newly engaged couple followed the two girls back to the manor house and they stepped inside the front door before the rain began.

~~~