A Most Civil Proposal (39 page)

At the head of the assembly stood a respectable-looking elderly woman with a tall man of similar age beside her. Darcy led Elizabeth immediately over to them. “Elizabeth, I would like you to meet my housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds.” The housekeeper curtseyed to her new mistress. “Welcome to Pemberley, Mrs. Darcy,” she said in greeting.

“Thank you, Mrs. Reynolds.” Elizabeth smiled, nodding her head in acknowledgement of the older woman’s curtsey. “Mr. Darcy has sung your praises for much of the journey here, and I look forward to your assistance in learning what I need to know.” Mrs. Reynolds curtseyed again, pleased at this first meeting with the young lady of whom Mrs. Taylor had written. She certainly seemed open and friendly, not at all like some ladies who were supposed to be much higher bred.

“And this is Reynolds, her husband,” Darcy indicated the tall man beside the housekeeper. “He has been the butler here at Pemberley for most of my lifetime.”

“Welcome to Pemberley, Mrs. Darcy,” rumbled the tall, elderly man as he bowed to Elizabeth even as his wife welcomed Georgiana home with a warm embrace. He gave a signal with one hand, and a dozen servants immediately bolted for the carriage, unstrapping and passing down trunks and boxes. Their luggage disappeared up the stairs into the house, followed by the three travellers.

* * * * *

After Elizabeth refreshed herself, she was quick to seek out Georgiana and accept her offer to tour the house. They were joined by Mrs. Reynolds, who was anxious to know the desires of her new mistress. Darcy was unable to join them since he had been immediately ensconced in his study with his steward to review the numerous items that needed his attention after several months of absence. The ladies’ first stop was the dining-parlour, a large, well-proportioned room, handsomely furnished and fitted up. Elizabeth was quick to compliment its appearance but, after a brief appraisal, was drawn to a window. She was greatly impressed by the view of the hill across the valley, its distant crest crowned with the woods through which they had passed earlier. She was pleased by everything she saw, and every disposition of the ground was most agreeable. The whole scene, including the river, the trees scattered on its banks, and the winding of the valley, as far as she could trace it, was delightful.

“This is truly charming Georgiana!” she exclaimed with delight. “What a lovely view to accompany a meal.”

As Georgiana led Elizabeth into other rooms, beauty was evident from every window. The rooms themselves were lofty and handsome, with furniture suitable to the Darcys’ fortune, but Elizabeth was again impressed by the taste expressed in their selection, just as at Darcy’s house in London.

“The furnishings are very much to my liking,” she told Georgiana, “neither gaudy nor uselessly fine, and it shows more real elegance than is visible in the furniture of many other houses.”

“Such as at Rosings.” Georgiana giggled, drawing a smile of agreement from Elizabeth.

In one room, a small miniature, suspended along with several other miniatures over the fireplace, caught Elizabeth’s eye. When she looked closer, she saw it was a likeness of Mr. Wickham. A quick sidelong glance told her that Georgiana had turned away, her face grim and pale. Meanwhile, the housekeeper came forward and gave a sniff of disdain.

“That is a picture of the son of my late master’s steward. Mr. Darcy’s father had him raised and schooled at his own expense.” She sniffed disdainfully again. “He is now gone into the army, but I am afraid he has turned out very wild.’

“I am acquainted with Mr. Wickham,” said Elizabeth, taking Georgiana’s hand and squeezing it warmly, “and I can safely say that you have described his character completely.”

“And that,” said Mrs. Reynolds, pointing to another of the miniatures, “is my master — and your husband, Mrs. Darcy! — and very like him. It was drawn at the same time as the other — about eight years ago. I think it captures his handsome aspect quite well.”

“I would agree with you on this point also, Mrs. Reynolds,” Elizabeth said with a smile.

“In the gallery upstairs is a finer, larger picture of him than this one. This room was my late master’s favourite room, and these miniatures are just as they used to be then. He was very fond of them. And this,” she continued, indicating another picture, “is one of Miss Darcy, drawn when she was only eight years old.”

“And even more handsome than her brother, would you not agree?” said Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth!” said Georgiana as her cheeks turned pink.

“Dear Georgiana, did your brother not say that you shall have to learn to receive a compliment, for you shall receive many of them?” teased Elizabeth.

Mrs. Reynolds was quick to warm to one of her favourite subjects. “You are absolutely correct, for Miss Darcy is certainly the handsomest young lady that ever was seen. And she is so accomplished! She plays and sings all the day long.”

“I well know.” Elizabeth smiled, still holding the hand of a blushing Georgiana. “I have heard her perform with great pleasure, and she plays and sings like an angel.”

“Indeed you have it right. Just like an angel!”

Georgiana was finally emboldened to say, “Now stop it you two. You are making me blush!” She was answered with the laughter of the two ladies, well satisfied in their endeavours.

Georgiana then led Elizabeth to the spacious lobby above and into a very pretty sitting room, lately fitted up with greater elegance and lightness than the apartments below.

“Oh, it looks wonderful!” Georgiana exclaimed.

“Mr. Darcy gave us complete instructions on how to decorate it just for you, Miss Darcy, since you took a liking to it when you were last home.”

“He is certainly a good brother,” said Elizabeth, as she walked towards one of the windows to once again enjoy the glorious view.

“That he is. He will be pleased to learn how delighted Miss Darcy was when she saw her room. And that is always the way with him. Whatever can give his sister any pleasure is sure to be done in a moment. There is nothing he would not do for her.”

“Of that, I am sure,” said Elizabeth, linking her arm with Georgiana’s.

Next was the gallery. As Georgiana and the housekeeper commented on and identified the many family members, Elizabeth found little to interest her, for she was searching out the only face whose features would be known to her. At last, as Georgiana led her to a portrait of her brother, Elizabeth halted to examine it. The portrait was finely done, and it bore a striking resemblance to the subject. The artist had captured that smile she had seen so often when he looked at her and which she had at first so completely misinterpreted. She stood several minutes before the picture in earnest contemplation, and she saluted the competence of the painter, for he had captured her husband perfectly. He had already told her that he very much desired to have her likeness painted and to place it beside his own, but Elizabeth suddenly decided to insist that the portrait be painted of both of them instead. That would look more appropriate, for she had no place in this fine house apart from her husband.

After the tour of the house, Elizabeth expressed a desire to see the grounds, so Mrs. Reynolds turned back to her work while Georgiana remained with her. As they walked across the lawn towards the river, Elizabeth turned back to look again at the stately aspect of the house.

“It is rather overwhelming,” Elizabeth said, waving at the house and the surrounding grounds. “I find the thought of being Mistress of Pemberley to be slightly terrifying.” She noticed that Georgiana seemed withdrawn, and she took her arm and tucked it into hers.

Georgiana,” she said as they resumed walking toward the river, “you must put your experiences with Mr. Wickham behind you.”

Georgiana stopped in shock, “How . . . how do you know . . .”

Elizabeth pulled her back into motion as she continued walking. “Because you are not the only young lady he has deceived, dear sister. He did a most effective job of deceiving
me
about William, and I am still mortified when I think of how credulous I was in believing his lies. But William was also correct when he said that Mr. Wickham is most successful when the object does not possess the cynicism and suspicion to detect his treachery. Would you not say that describes both of us?”

Georgiana was shocked that her brother had spoken of her troubles, even to Elizabeth, and she said as much.

“Georgiana,” Elizabeth sighed, “you should probably know this since Colonel Fitzwilliam is aware of it, but when your brother first proposed marriage to me, I was so incensed at his purported mistreatment of Mr. Wickham that I was very firm in rejecting his offer. We spent several hours talking out my objections to him, and after he explained the truth about Mr. Wickham and, even worse, his offences against you, I was possibly the most mortified girl in all of England.”

Georgiana stared at Elizabeth with wide eyes. “So
that
is what Richard meant when he said that he knew you were not a fortune hunter!”

“Yes,” she said, smiling, “I am innocent of being a fortune hunter but guilty of being a very foolish girl who almost threw away her chance of happiness. So, you see, you shall have to give up this embarrassment about last summer lest you make me inclined to dwell on my own transgressions against good sense!”

“But Elizabeth, you did not almost elope with Mr. Wickham! That is what causes me to feel such uncertainty and worry. I almost destroyed my whole life and possibly William’s as well!”

Elizabeth stopped and put her hands on Georgiana’s shoulders. “I cannot allow even that to stand. I
knew
that Mr. Wickham could have no serious intentions since I had no money. But what if I had ten thousand pounds like poor Miss King in Meryton? Can I say with certainty that I would not have been swayed by his charms? We both know that I cannot guarantee that. No, Georgiana, we must be thankful that neither of us was forced to pay the full price of our foolishness, and we must go on with our lives without allowing that experience to be a burden on our future happiness.”

“That is what William says.” Georgiana attempted a smile.

“You should listen to your brother,” said Elizabeth gaily. “He is almost as wise as my Aunt Gardiner!”

“In what way is your aunt so wise, Elizabeth?”

“Oh . . . well . . . never mind . . . perhaps I will tell you another time.”

Georgiana continued her walk with her friend and sister, but she was quite curious at what could have caused Elizabeth to suddenly blush so scarlet.

* * * * *

It was mid-afternoon before Darcy finally finished with his steward and went in search of his wife and sister. He found Georgiana studiously practicing at the pianoforte, and he was not surprised to find Elizabeth in the library; indeed, it was the first place he looked after the music room. She was on the far wall, halfway up the movable ladder, inspecting some volumes that were beyond her reach from the floor. Silently closing the door, Darcy took great care to cross the room without a sound, aided by the thick carpet. The first inkling that Elizabeth had of his presence was the touch of his hands as they slid under her petticoats. She could not prevent her sharp cry or her start of surprise, and she tried to look severe as she peered down at her husband.

“Mr. Darcy,” she said in the sternest voice she could manage, “if you are going to creep up on your wife like that, you may sometime have to deal with a fainting female in mid-air.”

“It is no matter, Mrs. Darcy,” Darcy responded, not moved even a jot by her scolding, “for you are as light as a summer breeze, and it would be no burden to pluck you out of the air.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes and held tightly to the ladder as his hands moved up her thighs to the bare skin above her garters. “Perhaps I should come down,” she said shakily as she felt his fingers dancing over her hips and her bare bottom.

“It would be best,” her husband responded with a definite smirk on his face. “Now that my business with my steward is resolved, I had thought to give you a more intimate welcome to Pemberley. I intended to conduct this welcome in my chambers, but it might be a refreshing change to do so on a library ladder.”

“The ladder is much too unstable for such exploits. I will come down immediately.” She replaced the book she had been examining on the shelf. Darcy smiled and offered his hand and arm to stabilize her as she descended.

When she reached the floor, he raised her fingers to his lips. “Dearest Elizabeth, will you accompany me to my chambers, where it is my firm intention to welcome you to Pemberley by ravishing you though you are no longer a virgin?”

“Indeed I am not, Mr. Darcy,” said Elizabeth, smiling back in her turn, taking his offered arm, “and it would be most delightful to accompany you to your chambers and be ravished once again. But I must tell you, sir, that I do begin to fear that you may be insatiable, considering that you ravished me twice last evening at the inn and seem completely unsatisfied today.”

“I shall never get enough of you,” Darcy said fervently, and Elizabeth laughed gaily as that familiar look came over his face.

“I shall depend on
that
,” she told him firmly, squeezing his arm as they left the library.

At the top of the stairs, they came upon Mrs. Reynolds talking with two maids, but they passed with just a quick word and a nod. With Elizabeth on his arm, Darcy briskly continued on to the door of his bedroom and disappeared within.