Pemberley, Derbyshire, England
A black coach drawn by four horses was clattering up the road that led to Pemberley. One of the occupants, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, had every hope of showing his new wife her home in all of its glory. Unfortunately, it was raining.
"Fitzwilliam, why are you scowling?" Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy asked, "You will frighten whatever maids happen to see you."
"It is raining," Mr. Darcy responded, "I had wanted you to see Pemberley in more flattering weather than this."
"You forget, my dear, that I have already seen Pemberley."
"Not as it's mistress though. Your first view as my wife will be tinged by mud."
"Hopefully my petticoats will forgive me," Elizabeth said teasingly. At this, Mr. Darcy smiled, remembering her morning walk to Netherfield Park many months ago. Elizabeth continued, "What should I expect from my first introduction to Pemberley as its new mistress?"
"All manner of respect and kindness, I should hope. Since we are arriving so close to dinner, I would imagine Mrs. Reynolds will not have us greet the entirety of the staff until tomorrow, or perhaps even a few days. I would not be surprised if Mrs. Black forwarded some of your menu preferences in London to Mrs. Reynolds, so I would expect a meal of some of your favorites. They were expecting us this morning," Mr. Darcy said with a sigh, still clearly put out by the rain. Over their first month of marriage, Elizabeth had learned that he greatly disliked any changes to his plans, particularly last-minute and uncontrollable ones.
Finally, the carriage rounded the final bend and drew to a halt in front Pemberley. Elizabeth looked at the grand front door and smiled. "I am so very glad that there is not a grand staircase to the front door, for otherwise we should get quite wet!"
"Indeed, my dear Elizabeth," Mr. Darcy said as the carriage door was opened. As quickly he could, he stepped out of the coach, handed Elizabeth down, and entered the grand house.
The entrance hall of Pemberley was not overly grand, but gave way to a beautiful, high-ceilinged saloon. Though she had seen it before, Elizabeth could not help but stare.
"Mrs. Darcy?" Mr. Darcy said softly. Regaining her attention, he said more loudly, "Hello, Mrs. Reynolds!"
"Welcome home, Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy," the housekeeper said. She had been standing just inside the archway that led to the saloon, unnoticed until a gangly footman had taken their coats. "I hope your journey was enjoyable."
"It was, thank you," Elizabeth said, never one to lose the power of speech for long.
"Will you be wanting dinner soon, ma'am?" Mrs. Reynolds asked. Elizabeth looked around for a clock. It was about half past four.
"Yes please, in about an hour," she responded.
"Very well. Would you like me to show you to your room or…"
Here Mr. Darcy interrupted. "I can show her, Mrs. Reynolds, thank you. Please alert Mrs. Darcy's maid that she will be ready for her in about a quarter hour and tell Williams where I have gone."
"I shall, Mr. Darcy." With that, Mrs. Reynolds left them. Elizabeth looked around the entrance hall again, noting the almost invisible footman that waited by the door, before taking her husbands arm as he led her through the saloon and up the grand staircase. Upon reaching the top, he led her down the left hand side of the corridor and through a simple door that opened onto a long hallway.
"This is the family wing. I hope to later take you on a full tour of the house, and I imagine Mrs. Reynolds will as well. But for now, this must suffice. This is Georgiana's room here," he said, motioning to the third door in the hallway, "And the master and mistress chambers are further down." They arrived outside a white door. Mr. Darcy kissed her cheek softly, "I should get changed for dinner. This is your room."
Elizabeth opened the door, watching as her husband walked down the hall just a little bit further and open his own door.
Her room had soft yellow walls and a light grey carpet. Large windows opened onto a view of the south gardens and the woods farther out. There was a large four-poster bed with yellow curtains and a yellow bedspread. Next to one window, there was an upholstered chair and a small table. To the right of the door that opened onto the hallway, there was another door, which presumably opened into Mr. Darcy's chamber.
Elizabeth heard a knock and called out, "Enter," expecting a lady's maid. During the month they spent in London following their marriage at Longbourn, Elizabeth had been assisted by an attentive house maid, since it did not make sense to hire a lady's maid in London when they would soon be traveling on to Pemberley. Mr. Darcy had written to his steward, instructing him to ask that Mrs. Reynolds hire a probationary lady's maid to begin work when he and Mrs. Darcy arrived at Pemberley.
Mrs. Reynolds entered the room, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Darcy, but the lady's maid I retained for you, Miss Greenfield, was discovered to have run off with the middle son of the local blacksmith. We haven't had time to engage another."
Elizabeth sighed quietly. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but having a lady's maid – even just a temporarily promoted house maid – had been most convenient in London. She was looking forward to meeting her trained lady's maid at Pemberley, if only for the time it saved in dressing. "Very well. We can begin inquiring again in the morning. Is there anyone available now?"
"Yes ma'am. Annie Hadaway is our head housemaid. May I call her in?"
"Please do."
Mrs. Reynolds stepped out into the hall and a slight girl a few years older than Elizabeth entered. "Good evening, Mrs. Darcy," she said.
"Good evening. Annie, is it?"
"Yes ma'am."
"And you are the head housemaid?"
"Yes ma'am, for at least a few more months."
"Only a few months?"
"I'm engaged, ma'am, to a clerk in Derby. I'll be living there after the wedding."
"Oh, my congratulations."
"Thank you ma'am. What do you wish to wear?"
Annie commenced helping Elizabeth to dress in a light blue evening dress with a lace overlay. She had finished pinning up Elizabeth's hair just as a knock came from the interior door.
"Come in," Elizabeth called out, nodding to Annie as she curtseyed and left. Mr. Darcy opened the door and walked over to where she was sitting in front of her mirror.
"You look lovely," he said, offering her his arm.
"Thank you, Fitzwilliam," she responded. Together they exited the room and walked back down the family hall and onto the corridor above the saloon. The dining room was across the saloon from the entrance hall.
The table, though probably shrunk to its smallest size and dwarfed by the room at large, was plenty big enough for Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. Just two places were set and a single footman waited by a serving table. The butler stood inside the door.
"Ah, Abrams!" Mr. Darcy said, "This is my wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy. Elizabeth, this is Pemberley's butler, Abrams. His father was the butler in my father's time, and Abrams took over for him about five years ago."
"It is lovely to meet you, Abrams," Elizabeth said, "Pemberley is beautiful."
"Thank you, Mrs. Darcy," Abrams said.
Dinner passed with idle conversation and excellent food. Having been married a month, the Darcys were somewhat acquainted with one another and their habits. After dinner, Mr. Darcy suggested that they withdraw to the drawing room, remarking that a mere evening could not be sufficient for Mrs. Darcy to truly appreciate the library. Elizabeth laughed and allowed herself to be led to the drawing room, smiling softly as Mr. Darcy firmly shut the door behind them.
"Hello, Mrs. Darcy," he said, touching her elbow slightly, "I heard that your lady's maid has run off?"
"Yes she has!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "And to think, she hadn't even met me yet. Yes, she ran off with a blacksmith's son. Mrs. Reynolds left me in the capable hands of the head housemaid. It seems that I must wait a bit longer before experiencing the wonders of a true lady's maid so elegantly advanced by Miss Bingley." Darcy frowned slightly at this. Elizabeth, seeing this, said, "Do not worry. For years my sisters and I were helped by a single maid. It must be positively luxurious for Mary and Kitty now, let alone for me to have the attentive assistance of a very capable housemaid. Truly, I do not mind it."
"Still," Mr. Darcy said, "I will ask Mosier to put an advertisement at Derby. Hopefully someone will be found soon."
"I agree, my dear," Elizabeth said, sitting down on the cream sofa and looking around. The drawing room had orange-red walls, a patterned cream ceiling, and a beautiful white fireplace with black detailing. Though it was late May, a fire was crackling merrily in the grate, and the candles in the chandelier cast a soft glow over the room. Mr. Darcy smiled and said, "I'll return shortly." He left the room and Elizabeth waited, mildly puzzled as to what caused him to leave.
True to his word, he returned shortly, carrying a well-worn volume in his hands. "Do you like Shakespeare?" he asked.
"Certainly," Elizabeth replied.
"Then may I read to you? I have brought his play, The Merry Wives of Windsor." Elizabeth nodded, and Mr. Darcy began to read, "Sir Hugh, persuade me not; I will make a Starchamber matter of it: if he were twenty Sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire…"
Elizabeth reclined against the back of the couch and closed her eyes, listening to her husband read the dialogue between Shallow, Slender, and Sir Hugh Evans. Before long, the scene had ended with Slender's defiant exclamation, "I'll rather be unmannerly than troublesome. You do yourself wrong, indeed, la!"
"Do I resemble Mistress Anne Page to you, Fitzwilliam?" Elizabeth asked teasingly.
Mr. Darcy started slightly before remembering it was his witty wife asking and responded tenderly, "No, though you also have brown hair, Slender would not have said that Mistress Anne spoke 'small like a woman' if he had met you."
Elizabeth smiled and took his hand. "Perhaps it is good, then, that you do not consider 'Seven hundred pounds and possibilities' to be the most desirable trait in a wife."
"Perhaps it is," he responded lightly. Elizabeth yawned. "Is it time for you to retire, my love?"
"I believe so, but Fitzwilliam, I shall need your assistance."
"My assistance?" Mr. Darcy said with feigned neutrality.
"Yes!" responded Elizabeth, laughing, "For I cannot remember where my rooms are!"
Mr. Darcy laughed and, standing, helped her to her feet. Husband and wife left the drawing room arm in arm and Mr. Darcy again left Mrs. Darcy at the door outside of her bedroom.
Annie was already in the room. She assisted Elizabeth out of the evening dress and into her nightgown and dressing room. Elizabeth washed her face and hands with water and sat as Annie took down her hair.
"How would you like your hair for the night, Mrs. Darcy?"
"Down please," a deeper voice than Mrs. Darcy's said. Mr. Darcy had silently opened the door between their rooms and was standing just inside the doorway. Annie started and stared at Mr. Darcy.
"Goodnight, Annie," Elizabeth said with a smile. The blushing maid collected the evening gown and left the room, wishing her hasty goodnight. Elizabeth then turned to her husband. "I told you you would scare the maids, Fitzwilliam."
"I am sorry, my dear. Is that the housemaid attending you?" he replied.
"Yes," she said, "Her name is Annie. She'll only be here a few more months though, as she is engaged to a clerk in Derby."
Mr. Darcy had crossed the room to take her hands. Now he kissed her softly. "Are you tired from the journey, Elizabeth?" he asked solicitously.
"Not too tired," Elizabeth replied, giving a gentle squeeze to his hands. They continued like this for some moments, holding hands and occasionally kissing. Finally, Elizabeth said, "You know, Mr. Darcy, I have not yet seen your rooms at Pemberley." With this, Mr. Darcy lifted her into his arms and carried her into the other room, shutting the door soundly behind him.