Mr. Darcy's Bite (22 page)

“What about charades? Compose riddles? Sing carols?”

Darcy shook his head at every suggestion.

“If none of these appeal to you, what do you suggest we do?” Lizzy asked in an exasperated voice.

Darcy pointed to the bed.

“We cannot spend all day in bed!” Lizzy said, shocked. “What will your sister and aunt think if we remain closeted in our suite?”

Darcy picked his wife up, cradled her in his arms, and then carried her to the bed. After he lay down next to her, he whispered, “They will think we are newlyweds.”

With a nearly full moon to light his way, Mercer checked on the conditions of the road that ran outside the gates of Ashton Hall. Because the temperatures had remained above freezing, the snow had turned to slush. As a former coach driver, he determined that there was a good chance that they could reach Pemberley with a few hours to spare if they were on the road by four o'clock in the morning. So at three o'clock, he knocked on his master's door to let him know he thought that they should attempt it. Darcy agreed. If it was necessary for them to stop, there was a Council house between Ashton Hall and Pemberley where the others could spend the night, but it was Darcy's preference to be home in time for nightfall.

When Darcy went back inside their room, he found Lizzy was already getting dressed, and she told him that she would go wake Georgiana and Mrs. Brotherton. She, too, wanted to be at Pemberley in time for Mr. Darcy to prepare for nightfall. With everyone moving apace, an hour later, they climbed into the carriage.

Because of their hasty departure, Lizzy would be unable to say good-bye to Mr. Darcy's cantankerous aunt. In addition to being lively and unpredictable, it seemed as if Aunt Marguerite was the keeper of the family's secrets, and she looked forward to returning to Ashton Hall in the spring. As Mercer drove down the tree-lined drive, Lizzy looked out the carriage window and saw a light in the turret window, and although she could not see Lady Ashton, she knew that she was wishing them Godspeed.

“How long do you think we will be on the road?” Lizzy asked her husband.

“The journey is usually between six and eight hours, but the conditions of the road will slow us down. There is also an incline that will require that we walk in order to lighten the load. So let us say ten hours and that will leave me plenty of time to prepare.”

Lizzy was not reassured. Who knew what the conditions of the road were farther north, and Darcy seeing her anxiety sought to put her mind at rest.

“It is not necessary for me to be at the manor house in order to transform. The Granyard property runs to the south of my estate, and the Rutland property runs south of that. Because Lord Granyard keeps a pack of hounds and is a good friend of the Duke of Rutland, he has asked that Rutland not allow traps or spring guns on his property. So there are no worries there. Additionally, as lords of the manor, we three are responsible for a twenty-mile stretch of road from the manor houses, so I can assure you that once we reach the Rutland property, you will see that the roads are in excellent repair.”

This information provided little comfort. Elizabeth had not given any thought to the awful devices that landowners and gamekeepers used to keep poachers and trespassers off their properties, and she said a silent prayer that they would reach Pemberley at Mr. Darcy's estimated time.

Once they reached the incline, the four passengers got out and were greeted by the songs of several chickadees in the branches above them, and this gift brightened the mood of the travelers.

“The incline marks the southernmost boundary of the Granyard property,” Georgiana said, and she put her arm around Lizzy's shoulders. “So now we have no worries. We will arrive at Pemberley with time to spare. Let us walk quickly so that we might get there all the sooner.”

After the passengers returned to the coach and as they made their way through the snow-covered Derbyshire countryside, Darcy said, “I hope you were not expecting a grand welcome. With Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Bradshaw still in Hertfordshire, Mrs. Reynolds is the only member of the senior house staff at Pemberley. I do not think I mentioned to you that it is a Darcy tradition to spend Yuletide in town, so most of the servants are put on half pay and they go home to their families. Even when we are in residence, we keep to the first floor, as the public rooms are very difficult to heat and are always cold.”

Lizzy could testify to the chilly public rooms. During her November stay, she was rarely without her shawl and frequently found herself standing in front of the fireplace.

“Since we are so close to nightfall, I would like to keep our arrival as subdued as possible,” Lizzy answered, and she squeezed Darcy's hand.

“But we shall have a grand welcome once the servants return,” Georgiana piped in. “Everyone will want to meet the new mistress of Pemberley. Knowing how considerate you are, I am sure you will try to remember everyone's name, but it will take time as there are so many of them.”

Since they were discussing the servants, Darcy decided it was a good time to tell Lizzy that Ellie could not serve as her lady's maid. “I know you are disappointed,” he said, after seeing her expression, “but your attendant must be someone from the community.”

“I am very fond of Ellie,” Lizzy replied.

“It is important that you be able to speak openly when you are in your bedchamber. That would not be possible with Ellie. While I was in Herefordshire, I found two ladies, both in their late twenties, who I think would serve you well. They are French but speak passable English.”

“But Ellie will think she did something to displease me.”

“I know you like her very much, but Mrs. Reynolds made it clear to Ellie that her attendance on you was temporary and would last only as long as your visit. No promises of a permanent position were made, but knowing that you would be concerned on her behalf, I have asked Mrs. Bradshaw to begin training her as an undercook.”

“Ellie is to work for Mrs. Bradshaw? But Mrs. Bradshaw is so…”

“Yes, she is. But if Ellie chooses not to marry and to move up in service, this will be her way of achieving that end because if she can work for Mrs. Bradshaw, she can work for anyone. However, until you choose a lady's maid, Mrs. Brotherton will assist you.”

“But you employed Mrs. Younge for Georgiana,” Lizzy said, continuing to press on Ellie's behalf.

For Darcy, there were so many things to think about. Discussing Mrs. Younge was a very low priority for him. But Elizabeth needed to understand that every decision he made factored in his unique situation.

Georgiana, who had openly discussed with Elizabeth Wickham's attempt to lure her into an elopement, chose to answer the question.

“Mrs. Younge served as my companion only when I was in town. Before the fiasco in Ramsgate, Mrs. Younge had been an exemplary employee. I am sorry to say that her misjudgment of Wickham's character cost her her position. But please understand, Mrs. Younge was
never
at Pemberley.”

“Does that answer your question, Elizabeth?” her husband asked her.

“I do understand the logic behind your decision, and my French is definitely in need of improvement.” Darcy nodded his head up and down, lightening the mood considerably. “So the matter is settled, and I shall have a French maid.”

The coach arrived at Pemberley at two o'clock, and Lizzy was never so glad to see any place in her life. With two hours until nightfall, the newlyweds would have some time together before he would have to leave her.

After receiving a warm welcome from Mrs. Reynolds, Darcy and Georgiana led Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy to her suite, and brother and sister looked at her to gauge her reaction to the room that had once served as Lady Anne's bedchamber. Looking about the room, Lizzy suspected that nothing had changed since their mother's death ten years earlier, and that fact was quickly confirmed by Georgiana.

“Before my parents married, my father hired Robert Adam to redecorate the public rooms and my mother's bedroom suite. It was Papa's wedding present to her, as she was a great admirer of his work.”

“I, too, am an admirer of Mr. Adam's work. Jane and I toured Syon House and Kenwood House with my aunt and uncle Gardiner, where we saw other examples of his designs.”

“Then you approve of your accommodations?” Georgiana asked eagerly.

“How could I not approve? It is the most beautiful room I have ever seen, and pale green is my favorite color.” She turned and smiled at Mr. Darcy. “In fact, it comes very close to matching the color of a certain article of clothing I bought as part of my trousseau.” When Darcy returned the smile, she knew that he understood that it was the color of the nightgown she had attempted to wear on their wedding night.

Mrs. Reynolds entered the room to ask Mr. Darcy if he wanted his dinner to be served in the mistress's sitting room. Like everyone who was privy to Mr. Darcy's secret, the housekeeper knew exactly what was required before each nightfall, and her master liked to eat a light meal before going out. But it also served as a reminder that he would shortly be leaving, and because of that, Georgiana excused herself so that her brother and sister-in-law could be alone.

“My wife and sister will eat in here, Mrs. Reynolds, but as for me, there is not enough time.”

What does he mean there is not enough time? The sun will not set for another hour.

When they were alone, Darcy asked Elizabeth if she had any questions about the impending transformation.

“Only one. What time is daybreak?”

Darcy looked relieved that she wanted no specifics of the actual experience of changing from man to beast. “Daybreak is at 8:06. But there are things I must do before I enter the house and that usually takes about thirty minutes. Add to that the thirty to sixty minutes I remain in my study, I should be upstairs and ready for my bath between nine thirty and ten o'clock. As soon as I am dressed, I shall come to you. Is that agreeable?”

“Of course. I look forward to your return.” She tried to hold steady because she feared that she would start crying at any moment.

“Lizzy, promise me that you will not leave the house while I am gone,” Darcy asked. “I mean, at night, you should not leave the house at night. You will not be able to see me, as I will stay clear of the manor and the stables. It is risky to do otherwise.” Lizzy agreed. His coming to see her on the terrace had been a dangerous thing to do. “Now I must go.”

“But it is only three o'clock. The sun does not set until four,” she said, and her face showed her confusion.

Darcy pulled her into his arms and whispered, “Please believe me when I say that I must leave.” She nodded, but clung to him for another minute, and in that minute she knew that he
must go now
because she could feel a tightening in the muscles in his back that had not been there a moment earlier. “I love you,” he whispered, and she detected a deepening of his voice as well.

Lizzy released her hold on him and stepped away to show him that she would not try to prevent him from leaving. If she had any doubts that the transformation had already begun, they were quickly put to rest. Instead of kissing her good-bye, he rubbed her nose with his, and then he turned away from her and left without saying another word.

After she heard the door close behind her husband, Lizzy stood still as if frozen to that very spot, and tears poured down her face. She made no attempt to stop crying or to be brave. Nature had imposed this forced separation upon them, and there was nothing she could do about it. And so she cried and cried, and because of her sobbing, she did not hear Georgiana come into the room, and seeing Elizabeth's distress, Georgie went to her and put her arms around her sister-in-law and held her until there were no tears left to cry.

***

Embarrassed by her loss of control over her emotions, Lizzy excused herself and went to a sitting room adjacent to her bedchamber. As her nerves steadied, she decided that she would have to look at her husband's monthly departures in the same way as that of a woman who was married to a man in the military. When Mr. Darcy needed to leave, she must be strong or she would fail him as a wife.

When Lizzy returned to her room, she found Georgiana pouring out two cups of tea. She had obviously anticipated her sister-in-law's distress, and Lizzy was glad she had.

“Elizabeth, I know how difficult this is for you, but I can assure you that it will become second nature to you. It might even have its advantages. My brother can be very intense at times, and you may welcome a respite now and then.”

“Yes, I am sure you are right,” Lizzy said, trying to smile, “and it
is
only two days.”

“Did you know that it has started snowing again? Which is a good thing?” Georgiana quickly added. “Whether man or wolf, Will loves the snow. I am sure that as soon as he returns, he will have you out for a sleigh ride or to go sledding, so I shall warn you that he goes up to the very top of the hill near the gazebo, and swoosh, down he comes at a frightening speed.”

Lizzy also loved the snow as well as sleigh riding and ice skating. Like her husband, she needed to move about, and if they could go sledding shortly after his return that would be a perfect way to lift their spirits and help them to forget all about nightfall.

“By the way, I owe you my thanks for telling Jane that you were the reason we had to leave for Pemberley on Christmas day,” Lizzy said. “That was very quick thinking on your part.”

“Not really. You see I heard your sister telling Mr. Bingley that it was her intention to try to persuade you to remain at Netherfield, and so I had time to think of a story in case one was needed. I think of it as telling a white lie, which I will do without hesitation in order to protect Will.”

“Georgiana, when did you realize your brother was a wolf?”

“I feel as if I have known about his other nature my whole life. My parents were very clever in the way they went about it. Mama would tell me stories about wolves who became men, not the other way around, and that it was better to be a wolf than a human. I loved those stories, and so one day she asked if I would like to meet such a creature. Well, you can imagine how excited I was to actually get to meet a wolf-man, which is the term that was used in the stories. One day, Mama, Papa, and I went into the woods, and this beautiful black animal came bounding up to me and nudged me with his nose.”