Page 101 of Obligation and Redemption
Adversity is the first path to truth
Lord Byron
Five days after their arrival at Pemberley, Elizabeth received a note written in her husband’s hand informing her that he would be leaving the following day for London.
He gave no reason for his removal, nor did he give a date of his expected return.
So on the following morning, Elizabeth looked out of the window to see her husband’s coach take him, his valet and two footmen away from Pemberley.
This brought Elizabeth such mixed emotions.
Relief was the most palpable; she felt a sense of freedom with his leaving.
She also felt sadness. Although Elizabeth came into the marriage unwillingly, she had hoped for its success, that she could somehow grow fond of the man, and he her; but seeing him leave brought home to her the na?veté of such an idea.
Of course, he could never love her, and he was the last man with whom she wanted to spend time, was he not?
During the five days of solitude, there had also been a dawning of understanding, as Elizabeth remembered her father’s story of how he and her mother came to be married.
Meeting Lady Annette had been nagging at her for reasons she could not fathom.
She had almost forgotten the encounter owing to the disturbing happenings immediately following the ball and her journey to Longbourn.
It was only on the trip to Pemberley and the days to follow that Elizabeth was able to explore her foreboding.
Elizabeth came to grasp the stark similarities that existed between her parents’ marriage and now her own, and the reality hit her like a violent blow.
Like her father’s having to give up his love to a woman for whom he planned to offer, Mr. Darcy had given up Lady Annette.
This all became quite clear to her. When Lord Langston first whispered words of acrimony designed to make her question her husband’s relationship with the beautiful woman with whom he danced, Elizabeth thought that perhaps he only said what he did to vex her.
But upon reflection, and given time to meditate upon the viscount’s words and her husband’s behaviour, Elizabeth comprehended the truth.
Like her father, Darcy was forced to give up the woman he loved in order to prevent a scandal, and to Darcy’s thinking, Elizabeth was no different than her mother; to him, she had entrapped him, forcing him to give up his hopes for happiness with the woman who was in all ways perfect for him.
This awareness brought Elizabeth a feeling of shame and remorse for any part she had played in the scandal.
If only she had not become ill and begun talking in her sleep, Darcy would have been free to marry whom he wanted, and she would, even now, be at home with her family.
Mr. Darcy had said that he had no honourable choice but to sit with Lady Annette at the ball, but perhaps this was a confabulation designed to forefend Elizabeth’s suspicion.
Could he even now be on his way to town to see her again?
Maybe he had been seeing Lady Annette throughout the entire time they were in residence at Darcy House.
Notwithstanding, after days of speculation and conjecture, Elizabeth decided to think on it no more.
She could do nothing about Mr. Darcy’s activities and surmised that with all of his faults, she could not see him dallying with a gentleman’s daughter, especially one of noble heritage.
Darcy’s leaving sparked Elizabeth to overcome her melancholy.
She had been considering her future and her role as Mrs. Darcy.
If she could not have her husband’s love and respect, she could at least fulfil her role as mistress to his estate.
Secluding herself in her room was no way for a mistress to respond to her position, and she was determined not to follow in her mother’s footpath in that manner, so after luncheon, Elizabeth left her chamber and began searching for the servants’ stairs that would take her to Mrs. Reynolds’s office.
Elizabeth passed a housemaid along the way and asked for the young woman to direct her to the housekeeper.
They made conversation as they walked, and Elizabeth learnt a little bit of personal information to help her remember the girl – the first of many servants she would come to know over the following weeks.
While meeting with Mrs. Reynolds, who had welcomed her with unfeigned delight – unlike Mrs. Johnson at Darcy house – Elizabeth scheduled time each day to become more familiar with her new home.
She was to go on a tour of the main part of the house today and meet with the chef, Monsieur Lambert, the following day.
Elizabeth then planned to meet with the full staff, convening with five at a time, so that she would have a chance to get to know something of relevance about each of them.
Elizabeth realised that this was a rather odd request from her, but she had such fond memories of her relationships with the servants at Longbourn that she could not help but hope she would have the opportunity to become somewhat familiar with each of them, and perhaps closer with others.
Elizabeth had no way of knowing when her husband would return, but she was determined to build relationships and to make the most of her time in his absence.
On the following day, Elizabeth arrived at Mrs. Reynolds’s office to begin her tour of the kitchen and meet the chef.
She was pleasantly surprised to find Laura Carpenter, her beloved former maid, there as well.
Elizabeth was overcome with pleasure to see her friend again.
Elizabeth hugged the woman who had been her only comfort during the first days of her marriage.
After a few moments of allowing the women some time to catch up, Mrs. Reynolds said, “I see that you have met my protégée. Mrs. Carpenter has been training to take over my position when I retire later this year.”
“Yes, Laura, rather Mrs. Carpenter , served as my lady’s maid when I first married Mr. Darcy.” Then turning to Laura, Elizabeth said, “I have missed you. I didn’t understand why you departed so quickly, without a goodbye.”
“I was sorry to leave that way. Mr. Darcy informed me of his wish for me to leave with the other servants, so I could start my training here at Pemberley. I was only told after you had gone to bed and had to prepare to leave early the following morning while you were still sleeping. I knew I would see you here and was assured of your new maid’s kindness. ”
“But surely you could have come to my room to take your leave. I was surprised and overwhelmed with the prospect of not having you around any longer. ”
“I was sorry for things to happen as they did, but I agreed with Mr. Darcy. You needed a trained lady’s maid, and he was concerned you would not agree to my removal if you knew ahead of time.
And it was important that I be here before the new year.
You are a strong woman, Mrs. Darcy. I knew you would be fine without me, and I did not want my being there to take time away from your husband. ”
“I cannot say how strong I am, but as you see, I have survived thus far.” Then Elizabeth looked to Mrs. Reynolds who had been listening with curiosity.
“Oh, Mrs. Reynolds, forgive me. Mrs. Carpenter was such help for a young bride in need of guidance. You are fortunate to have her following in your wake.”
“Indeed I am. I believe Mr. Darcy decided to place Mrs. Carpenter in the position of my apprentice after seeing how well you two got along. Mrs. Carpenter has been a real asset to Pemberley, covering all of the servant positions at one time or another, disregarding how that would place her in the staff’s rankings.
I confess I had her in mind all along, which is why I had moved her around so much.
You can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle change, and Mrs. Carpenter has always been resilient, despite the difficult road that has brought her to this point. ”
Elizabeth contemplated how poorly she had accepted her own changes to her life and resolved to do better.
She smiled at the two women before her. In just these few moments, she had already begun to feel a special regard for Mrs. Reynolds to match the rapport that had been established with Laura Carpenter.
Laura, upon seeing Elizabeth, had been shocked at the change.
She had lost noticeable weight and although now in fine clothing, her pale complexion left the effect wanting.
Her fears for her new mistress were obviously not without merit.
Mr. Darcy’s hasty removal from Pemberley did not bode well for the couple’s struggling relationship.
THE FOLLOWING FORTNIGHT WENT BY QUICKLY as Elizabeth made good use of her time.
She returned to country hours and spent the entirety of each day out of her chamber exploring the house, the estate and the paths beyond, always accompanied by a footman when on the grounds of the estate.
Elizabeth also spent no small amount of time meeting with the servants, learning their names and histories.
She quickly developed the reputation of being a kind, intelligent and energetic mistress of Pemberley, restoring Mrs. Reynolds’s hopes for Darcy’s felicity in marriage.
Along with the increase in activity came an increase in Elizabeth’s appetite.
Without the fear of encountering her husband, she had slept better and was, therefore, better prepared to put more time to active and constructive pursuits.
Elizabeth had begun to treasure her new home, especially the grounds.
When snow covered the property, she was not deterred.
She wandered the gardens close to the house and delighted in the winter wonderland before her, as the landscape transformed from a bleak forest to an unending white blanket of snow.