Page 32 of Sketching Mr. Darcy

D awn had barely broken when Elizabeth awoke.

She guessed it was around seven o’clock.

There was no sound from her husband’s chambers.

It was so early that Lucky glanced at his mistress then returned to a peaceful sleep.

She moved towards the windows. It was no longer snowing, but she could hear the wind blowing briskly.

She dressed by herself, quickly arranged her hair, and began another letter to Jane, which turned into a lengthy three full pages.

She knew her sister was worried about their sudden marriage and hasty departure, and she wished to assure Jane—and her father—that her new life was tolerably better than she expected.

Elizabeth also dedicated a full page to express her joy and excitement at having them all as guests for dinner as soon as they arrived in London and making the arrangements for the opera and theatre.

Once the letter was finished, she could still detect no movement from her husband’s room. She even considered knocking, but she immediately stepped back, her cheeks burning. She dared not enter his room at such an hour. He was likely to be improperly attired.

With a quick glance in the mirror, Elizabeth left her chamber and silently descended to the lowest level of the house.

She looked around—the space was significantly larger than she was accustomed to at Longbourn—and stopped at the doorway of a large kitchen filled with people chatting and having their tea.

On the stove were pots where the cook—a lady in her forties with pleasant features—had undoubtedly started to prepare the day’s food.

The first to observe Elizabeth’s presence was a maid. Her face instantly paled, and she almost dropped her cup. The others immediately stood and bowed, alarmed expressions altering their faces. Molly stepped forward, pale and slightly panicked. Elizabeth smiled.

“Please forgive me for bothering you so early. I woke some time ago, and as the others are still asleep, I wondered whether I could have a cup of tea before breakfast.”

Her voice was light and friendly, but the servants seemed to become more uneasy, avoiding her gaze. Molly was the first to recover.

“Of course, Mrs Darcy, please forgive me. I did not hear your ring. I am very sorry. I will bring you the tea and something to eat at once.”

“I did not ring, Molly. I came directly. I thought this would give me the opportunity to meet all of you again. And no food is necessary. A cup of tea would be perfect.” To everyone’s disbelief, Elizabeth sat in a chair near the table. The servants gaped at her, speechless.

The cook approached with a kettle and a fresh cup, served her, and asked her preference for sugar or milk. Elizabeth’s gentle thanks, and her invitation for the others to resume their places were a signal for the staff to start breathing again—although not very steadily.

Elizabeth expressed her satisfaction with the tea, then she mentioned her delight at all the food she had enjoyed in the last two days. Less than half an hour later, as she finished her tea, Elizabeth engaged Mrs Carlton in a discussion of beefsteak and the secrets of its taste.

Suddenly, the room became silent, and Elizabeth noticed the housekeeper, Mrs Thomason, in the doorway— apparently in shock.

“Mrs Darcy…” the housekeeper barely managed to whisper. “Is something wrong, ma’am?”

“Not at all, Mrs Thomason. I woke very early, so I came down for a cup of tea. I had the chance to re-acquaint myself with this wonderful staff that you manage so efficiently.”

Mrs Thomason’s astonishment increased. “But you may just ring anytime you want, and we will be happy to serve you. There is no need for you to come below stairs.”

“It was a genuine pleasure, and I hope to repeat it soon. I thank you all for your company and for the excellent tea,” she ended with a smile. As she departed, Elizabeth was not surprised when she saw Mrs Thomason trotting after her.

“Mrs Darcy, is everything well, ma’am? Is there anything that displeased you?” Elizabeth stopped and turned to her with the same broad smile on her face.

“Mrs Thomason, I appreciate your concern, but truly, there is nothing wrong—quite the contrary. My good opinion of the household only increased on knowing them better.”

“Thank you, Mrs Darcy, you are very kind. I am glad everything is fine. If you will allow me, I would like to suggest that you not trouble yourself below stairs in the future. We are all at your disposal, and nothing would make us happier than to serve you if—”

“I believe we are making too much of this. I was pleased to meet the people who work in the same house with me, and I assure you that I will do so again should the opportunity arise,” Elizabeth said calmly.

She returned to her chamber to end the discussion while Mrs Thomason remained behind.

Elizabeth could feel the housekeeper’s stare on her nape.

Her rooms were empty. Surely, Lucky had been taken outside by one of the servants. The doors to her husband’s apartment were open, and she glanced inside. It, too, was empty.

“The master is in his study.” Molly answered the unspoken question, and Elizabeth startled and turned to her maid who had entered unnoticed.

“He was there very early,” the maid continued. “Breakfast will be ready in half an hour.”

“Molly, I would like to send this letter to my sister. And after breakfast, I will need some help to prepare myself for Lady Matlock’s visit.”

“Of course, ma’am.” Molly was about to exit then turned to Elizabeth. “Forgive me for being so bold, ma’am, but I must tell you that the entire staff was very pleased with your visit. They never… No one from the family has ever come down and had tea with them.”

Elizabeth laughed. “Thank you, Molly, but I am sure they were more shocked than happy.”

“We first were afraid that we had done something terribly wrong and you were displeased or upset. But then again, in such a case, you would not have come such a long way to the kitchen only to tell us that,” Molly concluded, her eyes down, her voice slightly trembling.

Elizabeth dismissed the maid, barely containing her amusement. At Longbourn—or even at the Gardiners’ house—friendly talks with the servants were so frequent that no notice was taken of them. But then again, the number of servants was much smaller—as was the number of stairs to reach them.

***

Darcy had woken early, and he tried to attend to his duties. The howl of the wind was the only sound in the room. Titan was asleep near the fireplace, and Darcy briefly wondered what Lucky was doing: surely, sleeping soundly in her room, near her bed.

He had been married for three days and two nights, and he still could not sleep as before.

He clearly remembered when restful sleep had ceased.

It was the same night Sir William Lucas insisted he dance with Elizabeth.

He asked, and she refused him. At that moment, her sparkling eyes and teasing smiles began to haunt his nights and his dreams. Since then, she had refused him twice more: once at Netherfield and then at Longbourn, when he proposed to her.

He hoped that he had become wise enough to stop asking things she would refuse.

“Sir, breakfast will be ready soon,” Stevens informed him while handing him a note. “And the servant who brought this is waiting outside for your answer.”

Darcy opened the note. Annabelle was asking for a short, urgent meeting that very evening. He felt irritated and needed a moment to form the proper tone to reply.

“Please inform the servant there is no answer. Should I have one later, it will be delivered personally.” Darcy rose from his seat and moved to the fireplace then back to the window to calm himself. Such impudence was incomprehensible and irritating!

He heard a knock at the door, and Mrs Thomason stepped tentatively towards his desk and lowered her eyes with apparent uneasiness.

“Yes, Mrs Thomason, may I help you with something? Is there a problem?”

“No, not really, sir. I just wanted to inform you… I thought you should know… Mrs Darcy was below stairs earlier this morning.”

“Really? Below stairs? What did she need?”

“Indeed, sir, I asked the same thing. Apparently, Mrs Darcy only wished to speak with the staff. She…Mrs Darcy had tea with the servants in the kitchen.”

Darcy could not hide his surprise sufficiently to conceal it from the housekeeper. However, he managed to hide the smile he felt on his lips before continuing.

“Yes, and…?”

“I hope I keep the staff under good regulation… If Mrs Darcy is displeased in any way…”

“Did Mrs Darcy say she was displeased with the staff?”

“No, sir, quite the contrary. She congratulated me for the way the household was run.”

“Then I cannot understand the reason for this discussion. Is there anything else?”

“No… Yes… I have been working here for ten years now, and no one from the family has ever had tea with the staff in the kitchen. Servants should know their place, and the mistress having tea with them might give the wrong impression, especially if repeated.”

“So, in other words, you disapprove of Mrs Darcy’s gesture and suggest it not happen again. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” the housekeeper answered in some haste. Darcy watched her sternly, and she immediately changed her voice. “I mean, no, sir! I could not possibly disapprove Mrs Darcy’s decision. It is not for me to judge what the mistress does. I only wished to—”

“Well, I am glad we agree on that. Mrs Darcy is the mistress of this house, and the entire household is under her supervision, so she may do and go as she pleases.” His voice was harsh, and he noticed the housekeeper’s pale countenance, so he changed his approach.